<nettime> open letter of macedonian organizations

[<ebalkan@soros.org.mk>]

[via: geert lovink <geert@xs4all.nl>]


AN OPEN LETTER OF MACEDONIAN ORGANIZATIONS FOR THE CIVIC SOCIETY

Deeply concerned about the recent events in Macedonia, the organisations
undersigning below propose the international community, the Macedonian
government, media and all citizens to immediately take the following
measures:

1. We urge the Macedonian authorities and the international community,
that is to say the UN, NATO, EU and OSCE to take serious and definite
steps towards peaceful reconciliation in the region. In that sense we
propose that international police or military forces and mediators get
immediately into the crisis areas, with a mandate to provide public
security and to disarm armed groups. They should be accompanied by
Macedonian ethnically mixed forces and monitors/mediators. No neighbouring
countries' armies should be allowed to enter the territory of Macedonia,
both for historical and current reasons.

2. We share the deep worries of the Macedonian citizens, regardless of
their ethnic or religious background, and of the Macedonian authorities.  
We believe that each following step will be in favour of wisdom and peace
as it has been the case most of the time after Macedonia gained indepence
from SFRJ.  Therefore, we propose that the Macedonian authorities and all
relevant political and civic entities in the country, in co-operation with
the UN, EU, OSCE, and NATO, start a real political and diplomatic action
on the troubling issues in the field of the inter- ethnic relations,
including an end to the hostilities.  This is the only way to establish a
long term and sustainable peace and co-habitation.

3. We urge the President, the Government and the Parliament of Macedonia
to invite the International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia to
consider starting an investigation into both the perpetrators and the
responsible initiators behind the recent incidents.

4. We urge the media to take action against the nationalistic hysteria
that is being stirred up by the current way of news production, and to
start a different type of programs, advertisements, panel discussions and
other media-products aimed at calming the situation.

5. We appeal to all citizens of Macedonia and the rest of the world to
express their real and sincere will to establish peace, justice and
understanding in this country. We appeal to all citizens wherever they are
or belong to undertake concrete actions to stop the imminent war.

Skopje, 16 March 2001

In Macedonia:

- Civil - NGO for Human Rights and Development of Civil Socety (signed by
Jabir Derala)
- Open Society Institute - Macedonia (signed by Vladimir Milchin)
- "Euro-Balkan" Institute (signed by Jovan Donev)
- Nansen Dialogue Center (signed by Alexander Petkovski)
- CTC- Children's Theatre Centre (signed by Refet Abazi)
- CSRC-Civil Society Resource Center (signed by Suad Missini)
- Movens - Association for Socio-Cultural Development of Albanians in
Macedonia
- Research Center in Gender Studies (signed by Katarina Kolozova)

In the Netherlands and in Belgium:

Pax Christi Netherlands,
Pax Christi Flanders







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