Kalina Bunevska Isakovska on Wed, 04 Apr 2001 10:20:18 +0200


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Syndicate: Briefing 03-04-2001 "EURO-BALKAN" INSTITUTE ON MACEDONIAN CRISIS


"EURO-BALKAN" INSTITUTE ON MACEDONIAN CRISIS
03-04-2001 

CONTENTS: 
- Daily briefing from Macedonian press about Macedonian crisis
- Daily briefing from international press about Macedonian crisis
- Supplement 1: Interview with Arben Xhaferi for "FLAKA", Albanian-language daily in Macedonia 
- Supplement 2: President Trajkovski's address at the summit of the leading political parties in Macedonia held last night 

a) DAILY BRIEFING FROM MACEDONIAN PRESS ABOUT MACEDONIAN CRISIS 

ACTION OF MACEDONIAN SECURITY FORCES 
In the actions of the security forces against terrorist attacks and the sweep and search action against the groups conducting those attacks, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has revealed and arrested 22 people from the region of Tetovo, Skopje and Kumanovo, informed the Ministry of Internal Affairs yesterday. Against them, after complete documentation of the cases to the competent public prosecutors, the Ministry of Internal Affairs filed criminal charges for conducted criminal activities - terrorism and illegal possession of arms or explosive devices. The group is handed over to the judicial authorities and was put in temporary arrest. The Ministry of Defense informed that 3 terrorists, yesterday, in the neighborhood or the Tetovo village Selce, opened fire over a group of senior military representatives and soldiers of the Commanding Headquarters of the Macedonian Army, conducting the sweep and search operation of the terrain in the region of that village, informed MIA (Ma!
 cedonian Information Agency). 

The Macedonian security forces responded to the attack, one terrorist was wounded and later treated by the Macedonian army doctor. The wounded is transferred to the Military Hospital in Skopje. ("DNEVNIK")

THE PDP (PARTY FOR DEMOCRATIC PROSPERITY) PRESIDENT, YMER YMERI, REFUSED TO TAKE PART IN YESTERDAY'S MEETING OF THE PRESIDENT BORIS TRAJKOVSKI AND THE POLITICAL PARTY LEADERS
The representatives of the PDP refused to participate on yesterday's meeting of the President Boris Trajkovski and the government political party leaders. The reasons for their refusal, as explained by the president of the PDP, Ymer Ymeri, on yesterday's press conference, are those that "this meeting, same as the several previous meetings, is summoned unofficially and with no previously decided agenda", "the meetings aren't attended by a previously decided structure of participants, it varies from meeting to meeting" and "the meetings aren't at all well prepared and the issue to be discussed at the meeting isn't defined". The PDP considers this form of dialogue to be inadequate for the situation that we are in and they should not be held only before the visit of some high representative of the international community. "The PDP doesn't want to, in any way, contribute to the worsening of the situation, that's why it refuses to be just a decor at the dialogue without agenda and!
  clear goal". ("VECHER")

THE DATE OF THE MEETING OF THE PRIME MINISTER, LJUBCHO GEORGIEVSKI, AND THE LEADER OF SDSM, BRANKO CRVENKOVSKI, IS SET
The Prime Minister Ljubcho Georgievski and the leader of SDSM (Socialist Democratic Union of Macedonia), Branko Crvenkovski will have their first official meeting on Thursday at noon. On the meeting, Crvenkovski will present to Georgievski his idea for a wider government coalition. This information was confirmed yesterday by the president of the SDSM who stated that the Prime Minister phoned him in the early morning hours and informed him of the date and time of the meeting, previously decided by him. Crvenkovski advised Georgievski yesterday, before they even sit down to discuss, that he will not ask for any position for himself. " I will not take part in that coalition government, if it is eventually formed. It will be my contribution to the creation of a wider national and state unity", stated Crvenkovski, adding that his motivation for the forming of the wider government coalition is not the mere fight for power, but the need to maintain the state. That is the reason why!
  Crvenkovski appealed to Georgievski to also refuse to take on any position in the eventual wider government coalition. If the idea of SDSM of a wider government coalition is not realized and common understanding is not found, SDSM will begin the realization of the announced idea for mass protests. ("MAKEDONIJA DENES")

PDP GENERAL SECRETARY MUHAMED HALILI'S ADDRESS AT THE PUBLIC TRIBUNE ON THE 'SITUATION IN MACEDONIA' HELD IN DEBAR. 
"The last events clearly proved that the theory on the relaxed interethnic relations in Macedonia, the refusal of foreign monitoring, the claims that everything in Macedonia flourishes due to the Albanian strong party (DPA) in the Government - turned to be nothing but a camouflaged claim and a forgery. What the Government kept silent on and the Helsinki Committee alarmed earlier, turned true - there are no relaxed interethnic relations, but an accumulated discontent that would strongly erupt one day". "We had been attempting for quite a while to convince the international community that what begun in Tanushevci, Kumanovo and Tetovo, was not a simple issue of borders, it was not an aggression from Kosovo, but a revolt kept deep inside the hearts of the Albanians against the suppressing of problems by the side of VMRO-DPMNE and DPA. During the last period, this ruling coalition turned into a army-police coalition, as during the last few weeks they had been engaged in a police !
 and army action not only against the rebels, but also against the civilian population". "We think that most of the rebels are not imported from abroad. They are dissatisfied citizens of Macedonia, maybe joined by a small group from Kosovo. This was not an aggression against the territorial integrity of Macedonia. This was a revolt, discontent with the present constitutional and legal position in this country." "Other poll-parties, including DPA, claim these groups should be first isolated politically and then defeated militarily. And only after that, the political dialogue between political forces in Macedonia could begin. We differ on that. As a party, we don't feel threatened and we don't consider it as something horrible if structures of the rebels would participate in the dialogue." ("FAKTI")

INQUIRY IN SWITZERLAND: "BOTA SOT" SPREADS ANTI MACEDONIAN RACIAL HATRED 
The newspaper in Albanian, "Bota Sot", printed in Zurich, Switzerland, may be found on the prosecution bench for spreading anti-Macedonian racial hatred. "Because of the language used in the issues of the newspaper "Bota Sot' on March 23rd and 24th, the Federal Police asked the prosecutor to start an inquiry in accordance with Article 231 of BIS, i.e. the Criminal Law on Racial Discrimination - stated for "Dnevnik" the Ambassador of the Switzerland Embassy in Skopje, Stephan Nellen. The headlines of "Bota Sot" from the issue dated 28th March, were discussed on a T.V. debate, after which there were reactions from the competent institutions. It is well known that that newspaper made a falsification, unacceptable for the journalist ethic, when after the killing of the two terrorists with hand grenades in Tetovo, it simply removed the hand grenades on the photo of the Reuters Agency. ("DNEVNIK")

b) DAILY BRIEFING FROM INTERNATIONAL PRESS ABOUT MACEDONIAN CRISIS 

GRIEVANCES MUST BE ADDRESSED WITHIN A MONTH

Monday's talks are being chaired by Trajkovski, who has the delicate task of satisfying the Albanians' demands without provoking a backlash from the Slav majority. The main Albanian leader within the coalition, Arben Xhaferi of the Democratic Party of Albanians, has said he will stand down if his grievances are not addressed within a month, clearing the way for the rebels to return. Both the European Union and Nato are also adding pressure for a settlement, fearing another outbreak of war in the Balkans, which could destabilize the whole region. (Excerpts from BBC)

FALTERING START TO MACEDONIA INTER-ETHNIC TALKS 
Macedonia's political leaders began talks on Monday to address ethnic tensions but the process got off to a poor start, with a boycott by the main Albanian opposition party and Slav protests against concessions. "The PDP thinks this unofficial meeting is intended to daze the international community into believing that some talks are taking place in Macedonia and that dialogue continues," PDP spokesman Zahir Bekteshi told Reuters. "We want the meetings to be well prepared with a definite agenda and we want international mediation." (Excerpts from Reuters) 

The biggest victim of the fighting in Macedonia is trust among politicians and ordinary people from different ethnic backgrounds. A breakdown in the ruling coalition would seriously hamper the chances for peace, and leave few opportunities for dialogue. For ordinary people, if the DPA leaves the government it would signal an end of political discussion and compromise. People would equate the DPA with the rebels and believe that the case should be solved by arms. The majority of ethnic Albanians would support the rebels and the majority of ethnic Macedonians would see no option other than war. (Excerpts from CNN)

CONSTITUTION ACCEPTABLE FOR ALL
High Representative Javier Solana and External Affairs Commissioner Chris Patten arrived in Skopje fresh from a joint meeting with NATO Secretary General George Robertson to coordinate a response to the crisis, in which an armed ethnic Albanian rebellion pushed Macedonia to the brink of civil war. "In a democracy a political route forward is the only route forward," Robertson said after the meeting, which he said showed that the EU and NATO were working as a "team" on the issue. "A broad political dialogue among all democratic parties is critical and must be pursued urgently to achieve concrete results in consolidating a truly multi-ethnic society," he said. "From the EU point of view, we are trying to help the country to move closer to the EU," Solana told reporters before leaving Brussels. "But the country has to evolve along three lines -- economic, political and ethnic stability. There has been evolution, but there must be more," he said. (Excerpts from AFP) 

"We don't want to be mediators but Mr. Solana hopes to find a way of reinvigorating the process and solidifying the national consensus at this time of trouble," said Mr. Solana's spokeswoman, Cristina Gallach. (BBC) 

Solana told to Macedonians yesterday to choose a constitution, which must be acceptable to all. "The constitution is the supreme law of a country and it's up to the people to change it, said Solana in his visit to Skopje. "We have our opinions but it's up to the people of the country to make decisions about the supreme law of the country. Such a law must help any citizen to feel comfortable in this country", he added. (Excerpts from  BalkanWeb) 

"A dialogue has begun and I don't think there's likely to be a better dialogue available so the sooner it makes progress the better," said Patten at a news conference late on Monday. (Excerpts from Reuters)

The EU Commission on Monday said it had a damage assessment team on stand-by to visit villages around Tetovo in northern Macedonia to see how the EU could help repair and rebuild houses destroyed in the recent fighting. The EU expects to spend E40m ($35m) on support for Macedonia this year. It has committed E475m in assistance to Macedonia since 1992 of which E329m had been spent by March 31. (Excerpts from CNN) 

OSCE TROIKA IN MACEDONIA LATER THIS WEEK  
Leaders of the OSCE will visit Macedonia on Thursday to promote dialogue between Skopje and ethnic Albanian rebels, the pan-European security body's acting president Mircea Geoana said Monday. Geoana, who is also Romania's foreign minister, said the trip was pushed back two days so as not to coincide with the visit of NATO Secretary General George Robertson, due in the Macedonian capital on Tuesday. The OSCE chief said the decision was made "in coordination with Mr. Robertson and EU high representative for foreign policy Javier Solana." Geoana said last week that the "OSCE will propose several ways to rebuild confidence, interethnic dialogue and democratization." (Excerpts from Agence France Presse)

KOHA DITORE INTERVIEW WITH MARTI ALTISARI
The head negotiator of the EU and former President of Finland, Marti Ahtisari, tasked with the withdrawal of Yugoslav forces from Kosova, in an interview for Koha Ditore said:" I think that no one could say that the situation there is not desperate. I think that it is important for the situation to be seen as it really is, to see the number of people involved in the conflict. It is important for the Macedonian government, while being helped by different parties, to try and control the situation. This will help to gradually start focusing on the real problems that obviously need to be improved. I think that it is important to begin the discussions with people chosen in a democratic way and with their representatives. As long as the dialogue continues - the one that is taking place now between the Macedonian Prime Minister, the Macedonian President and the representative of the Democratic Party of Albanians, this has to be seen as most important, before the government coalitio!
 n disintegrates. If the conflict continues for a long time, some irrational elements could appear. Big differences exist and some of them are already justified. The Macedonian government will not be able to solve the situation without international help. Help without money is limited. That is why the international community is investigating the possibilities for helping to solve concrete problems in Macedonia, such as the problem of language. (Excerpts from Koha Ditore)

MILO: ALBANIANS TREATED AS EQUAL, META: ZERO TOLERANCE FOR REBEL SUPPLIERS
In an interview, Albanian Foreign Minister Paskal Milo said "the stability of Macedonia means the stability of all the region. I will be really pleased if the government starts the real and substantial dialogue with representatives of the ethnic Albanian population," he added. "We did not support any kind of extremism but now it is necessary to have substantial reforms and not cosmetic ones." He said ethnic Albanians should be treated as equal citizens. "They should never be seen again as second-grade people," said Milo. (Excerpts from Associated Press and Reuters) 

Albania's prime minister has told the BBC that Tirana would have zero tolerance for anyone supplying the Macedonian rebels with arms. Ilir Meta said the situation was totally different to that in Kosovo two years ago, adding that his government would give no support to the rebels. (Excerpts from BBC)

KFOR CONFISCATES LARGE AMOUNT OF ARMS IN KRIVENIK
KFOR soldiers of Multinational Brigade East confiscated a significant number of weapons and ammunition, an amount that filled four trucks Saturday evening in Krivenik near the Macedonian border, a KFOR spokesperson said on Monday. "A patrol of Polish soldiers from the Polish-Ukrainian Battalion spotted an abandoned extremist camp and netted a large cache of weapons, ammunition and explosives," Alayne Cramer of MNB East said. (Excerpts from KosovaLive)

NUMBER OF REFUGEES FROM MACEDONIA DECLINES
The number of new arrivals from Macedonia over the weekend was 27, UNHCR spokesman Tony Llend said in Prishtina Monday. Llend told reporters that more than 8,483 people from Macedonia had been sheltered in Kosova since the beginning of the conflict in Macedonia. Some 2,477 refugees have entered Kosova through the Morina border crossing, 4,351 through mountains of Zhupa, 503 from southern Serbia and 1,153 others from the Vitia municipality. (Excerpts from KosovaLive)

c) SUPPLEMENT 1: INTERVIEW WITH ARBEN XHAFERI IN "FLAKA" 

"THE CRISIS HAS A LOCAL ORIGIN AND SHOULD BE RESOLVED IN MACEDONIA"
Q: Mr. Xhaferi, how do you comment on the yesterday attack of Macedonian forces against the territory of Kosova?
Arber Xhaferi: Not only the yesterday attack, but all of the attacks undertaken so far had been condemned by us as fully wrongful phenomenon of militarizing the situation. We have persisted in our demand not to militarize the situation or the crisis. Instead we called for democratizing the crisis. We demanded to include the crisis within institutions until the dispute is solved. 
Q: After these latest developments, would you still stay in the ruling coalition?
Arber Xhaferi:To be honest enough, we have no satisfaction at all to stay in that government. We suffer a lot; we have horrible dilemmas due to our presence there. But by staying in that government we managed however to develop certain positive processes in favor of the Albanians. We managed to protect the civilians from the military actions and I have a feeling that Macedonia would become the first country of all former SFRY republics that had been struck by a crisis where civilians would nevertheless be protected by the catastrophic military actions. The second thing that we achieved through our presence in the Government is to open the negotiations. Only by staying within the system we can gain the right, both moral and international, to be first to present our standings.So far we managed to convince the international and Macedonian factors and the negotiations are just about to begin. 
Q: Does your party shares the responsibility for all that is happening in Macedonia? 
Arber Xhaferi:We took no part in beginning the conflicts and we were in a humanitarian mission of softening the actions that had been taken by the Macedonian forces against the ethnic Albanian civilian population during this month. If you come to Tetova and ask the citizens of Tetova or Macedonia, You will see for yourself that they are grateful for our mission in protecting their lives, the political ideas and the new initiatives. 
Q: You've been meeting local and international representatives. Could you tell us what did you discuss with them? 
Arber Xhaferi: Yes, I had been meeting all relevant factors, Albanian and international. I explained to them that this crisis has a local origin. And that as such, this crisis must be solved in Macedonia and that the dialogue between Albanian, Macedonian and international representatives must begin as soon as possible. I can say that this phase has already been achieved and I could just as well tell you that despite the tendencies of labeling the Albanians as a trouble-making elements, we managed to launch our own action and convince them all that it is worth investing in the Albanian factors and that the Albanian grievances must be solved one after the another, not only in Macedonia, but in other places as well.
Q: Mr. Xhaferi, from what you declared so far, we learn that NLA representatives are not included in these negotiations?
Arber Xhaferi: I don't know about that, I am not the one who should invite the people to negotiations. This is up to the European union. I can only guarantee you that we share common interest, as our political demands are identical to their 
demands and we will determine the spirit of their demands.We have nothing against inclusion of anyone that could contribute from the professional, political or institutional aspect, as negotiations would end up successfully. But this does not depend on us. It depends on the principles of those that have organized these negotiations, that is to say - the European Union.
Q: Are you optimistic about the opening of the negotiations and the talks that would result from these negotiations, and the solving of the Macedonia problem in a peaceful manner?
Arber Xhaferi: I don't want to be fully melancholic and I want to offer few arguments: first of all, when the crisis begun, all international factors, at least those that are considered as allies of Albanians, have condemned these conflicts and presented the Albanians as a disturbing element. On the other hand, the anti-Albanian propaganda took advantage of the idea that the crisis allegedly originates from Kosova and that Kosova has become a dark corner that only produces problems, deviations and destabilization of Balkans. These were threatening dimensions of this crisis, not only for Kosova, but for the Albanians in general. We managed to prevent this wild propaganda launched against us and we undertook a diplomatic offensive and managed to convince the international factor that there is an Albanian national cause in Macedonia that has been pulsating for ten years now and that we must discuss about it. The international facto itself had pronounced itself and confirmed tha!
 t there is an Albanian national cause in Macedonia, which is certainly the most positive element for all those included in the crisis. 

d) SUPPLEMENT 2: PRESIDENT TRAJKOVSKI'S ADDRESS AT THE SUMMIT OF THE LEADING POLITICAL PARTIES IN MACEDONIA, HELD LAST EVENING
President of the Republic of Macedonia Boris Trajkovski said after today's third meeting with the leaders of the political parties that he presented a document on the current security situation in the country and on the activities that would follow after the signing of the Association and Stabilization Agreement with the EU. 
"We need to stress that the signing of the agreement, which will take place on April 9 in Luxembourg, was hailed by all political parties," the President said.
He explained that the document points to the need of intensifying the activities that contribute to the overall harmonization of Macedonia's standards with those in the EU. 
"The integration in Europe does not mean that we will immediately feel the effects from the welfare. We need to have a lot of tolerance and to think maturely, both for our own interests and needs and for the interests and needs of the others," Trajkovski said. 
"Considering that Macedonia was attacked by a military extremism, that maybe was directed to resolve the interethnic relations, despite the commitments to address all necessary issues that someone allegedly said in order to fulfill his/hers human rights and freedoms, I think that it did not satisfy the militant extremism and it still has influence on the internal relations in Macedonia," Trajkovski said. 
"I think that the discussions between the President and leaders of the political parties in Macedonia, besides the existing differences are contributing toward stabilization and normalization of the relations in the country," the President stated.
He stressed that as a President of the Republic of Macedonia, he would continue urging national interests that contribute to the strategic lines, such as the stability and security of the country, its territorial integrity and sovereignty and integration of all national minorities into the society as well as adopting European values and principles. 
President Trajkovski and leaders of the parliamentary political parties regretted for 
the absence of the Party for Democratic Prosperity from the meeting. ("MIA")


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