For 'fair use' only

By Linda Wheeler Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 28, 1999; Page B03

The American and Albanian flags fluttered in the breeze as a small but vocal crowd of supporters for an independent Kosovo marched from the Capitol to the White House yesterday. Chanting, "U-S-A, Free Kosovo," they received honks of approval from some motorists and a few thumbs up from bystanders. Former U.S. representative Joseph J. DioGuardi (D-N.Y.), of the Albanian American Civic League, organized the event. When buses from New Jersey and New York were late, he held his own impromptu filibuster on the steps of the Capitol until the marchers arrived. DioGuardi explained the history of Kosovo, spoke of his parents' town in Italy, where many Albanians had settled, and introduced numerous chants for about three hours.

"Why are we here?" he asked at one point. "Let's review the list. One, we are for a free Kosovo with no autonomy and no partition. Two, we are here to arm the KLA. Three, to support the commitment of ground troops to save hundreds of thousands of Albanians and four, to have [Yugoslav President] Slobodan Milosevic indicted as a war criminal."

Once the demonstrators arrived, Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) told them, "When the dust settles [in Kosovo], this will be NATO's finest hour." Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.) said that the "United States of America and the Kosovo Liberation Army stand for the same human values and principles.... Fighting for the KLA is fighting for human rights and American values."

New York artist Citizen Scott, who had a flatbed truck outfitted with a guillotine and cloth sculpture of Milosevic, waited for about 1,000 marchers to reach Third Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. DioGuardi, who was leading the march with his wife, Shirley Cloyes DioGuardi, approached the truck. "Are you going to execute that guy?" he asked the artist. At the count of five and the blare of a horn, the guillotine came down on the neck of the sculpture and the head dropped into a basket. Red paint spurted from the body. The crowd cheered and moved on.

"We didn't have anything to do with that," DioGuardi said. "That was the artist's statement." The march was to have proceeded down Constitution Avenue, but after the guillotine display, the demonstrators headed up Pennsylvania Avenue instead. D.C. police stopped them, asking to see their permit. After a few phone calls, the marchers were allowed to continue up Pennsylvania Avenue, skirting illegally parked delivery trucks.

Emira Kukaj, 49, said she had lived in Kosovo before moving to New York 13 years ago. Wearing a business suit and carrying a handbag, Kukaj repeatedly called out, "God bless America." "The young men, they are burning and raping," she said. "My husband, he has not heard from his sister or her son. I have heard nothing from my family. I have been to many demonstrations to support the KLA."