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."

At Lafayette Square, Nedvad Music stood
alone as he listened to DioGuardi rally the
crowd to keep the pressure on Congress. The
18-year-old New York barber said he was a
refugee from Kosovo who had arrived in
America three years ago. He wore the
Albanian flag like a cape.

"All my family is here, but I wish to go
back," he said. "Kosovo needs the help of
ground troops. Maybe we have a chance, just
maybe, if the troops go in."