NAAC to Honor President Bill Clinton, Community Activist Jim Xhema

President Clinton will be receiving NAAC’s “Hands of Hope” Award for his role in reversing ethnic cleansing during the Kosova war in 1999 by strongly making the case for NATO’s military intervention and consequently putting an end to Serbia’s brutal oppression of Kosova’s Albanian population. Xhema, who will be receiving NAAC’s Lifetime Achievement Award, will be honored for his legendary devotion to the Albanian cause and for tirelessly working for the betterment of the lives of many Albanians on both sides of the Atlantic.

The "Hands of Hope" Award is presented every year by NAAC to an individual or entity that endeavors to promote peace and the protection of human rights in the Balkans. Past honorees include Madeleine K. Albright, James P. Rubin, Bianca Jagger, Stan Dragoti, Mark Ledoux, Penny and David McCall.

In 1998, Serbia launched a state-sponsored campaign of terror against the Albanian population of Kosova by massacring civilians, destroying their homes, and conducting a massive number of rapes and other human atrocities. The aim was to "cleanse" Kosova of its indigenous population. Approximately one million ethnic Albanians were displaced during this period of "ethnic cleansing", resulting in the largest exodus in Europe since the Holocaust. More than 10,000 people were brutally murdered or have disappeared, including many women and children.

President Clinton led the international effort to convince the 19-member NATO alliance, the U.S. Congress, and public opinion here in the U.S. and abroad that military intervention was the only answer to Milosevic’s brutal crackdown on the Albanian population in Kosova seeking freedom and independence. Clinton’s persistent effort eventually paid off by prompting NATO to launch a 78-day aerial campaign to force Milosevic’s military thugs out of Kosova, thus enabling hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians to safely return to their homes.

On the home front, President Clinton reintroduced the Doctrine of Sovereignty to American foreign policy, following on the footsteps of his predecessor, President Woodrow Wilson, whom through the introduction of the peace plan for “self-determination” for ethnic groups in the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 played a crucial role in getting the international community to recognize an independent Albanian state.

Much like Wilson whom 90 years ago had succeeded in averting the extinction of Albania by vetoing a plan by Britain, France and Italy to carve out Albania and split the territory among her neighbors, Clinton stood at the forefront of international efforts and played a pivotal role in saving Kosova’s people. At the same time, he delivered the strong international message that genocide and ethnic cleansing will not be tolerated in the 21st Century.

NAAC’s Lifetime Achievement Award is given to outstanding individuals or entities in the Albanian-American community that have contributed to the well-being of Albanians in the U.S. and the Balkans. For many years, Xhema has been a prominent figure in our community and has worked passionately with a number of key American politicians the likes of Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and former Senator Bob Dole (R-KS) to bring freedom, peace and stability to the Balkans.

NAAC’s Annual Awards Dinner is held every June to mark the liberation of Kosova almost four years ago.