Syndicate: Briefing 21.03.2001

[Syndicate admin <syndicate@v2.nl>]

Date: Wed, 21 Mar 2001 21:42:30 -0800
Subject: Briefing 21.03.2001
Reply-to: ebalkan@freemail.org.mk

"EURO-BALKAN" INSTITUTE ON MACEDONIAN CRISIS

21-03-2001

CONTENTS:

Daily briefing from Macedonian press about Macedonian crisis

Daily briefing from international press about Macedonian crisis

Supplement: The yesterday signed joint declaration of the parliamentary parties 
of Albanians in Macedonia


DAILY BRIEFING FROM MACEDONIAN PRESS ABOUT MACEDONIAN CRISIS

 Intense offensive of the Macedonian security 
 forces

 </bold>Yesterday at 4:00 p.m., an intense artillery 
 crossfire from various caliber types was poured 
 over the terrorists positions on the hillsides 
 of Shar Planina, in the region of the Old Tetovo 
 Fortress, Drenoec, Poroj, Germo, Selce, Lavce 
 and the municipality Baltepe. The Macedonian 
 artillery acted from several positions in Gorni 
 Polog. The terrorists answered with weak fire 
 from machine guns. The Macedonian soldiers and 
 policemen were still at their positions 
 yesterday in the late afternoon hours in the 
 announced clearing of the terrain, expecting the 
 artillery preparation for the final operation to 
 end. <bold>(=93Dnevnik=94)</bold>


 <bold>Press-conference of the Ministries of Defense 
 and Internal Affairs

 </bold>A short machine gun fire was opened yesterday at 
 the military watchtower =93Goshince=94 at the 
 Macedonian-Yugoslav border at the part towards 
 Kosovo. The Macedonian border patrol responded 
 immediately to the provocation directed from the 
 side of Kosovo, stated the spokesman of the 
 Ministry of Defense, Gjorgji Trendafilov.

 The Deputy Information Minister in The Ministry 
 of Internal Affairs, Stevo Pendarovski, stated 
 yesterday that the armed conflict between the 
 Albanian terrorists and the Macedonian security 
 forces in Tetovo, from day to day decrease in 
 intensity. It is assumed that this is a result 
 of the successful action to break the terrorist 
 hideouts in Beltepe conducted by the Macedonian 
 security forces in the past two days. 
 <bold>(=93Dnevnik=94)</bold> 


 <bold>Ultimatum: The security forces appeal the 
 extremists to put down arms

 </bold>The Macedonian security forces sent a clear 
 message to the terrorists in the region of 
 Tetovo, but also to all others trying to harm 
 the integrity and sovereignty of our country, 
 that they would answer without compromise and 
 strongly with all available forces. In order to 
 avoid unnecessary civil casualties and loss of 
 lives of innocent citizens who are held as 
 hostages by the terrorists, the Macedonian 
 security structures set an ultimatum to them to 
 put down arms and to surrender to the competent 
 authorities or to leave the territory of 
 Macedonia. In accordance with this, in the 
 period from 21.03.2001, 0:00 a.m. until 
 22.03.2001, 0:00 a.m., the members of the 
 Macedonian security forces will restrain from 
 fire over the terrorists=92 positions, except in 
 case of attack from the counter side. <bold>(=93Utrinski 
 Vesnik=94)


 Javier Solana - European Union foreign policy 
 chief in Skopje: =93There will be no negotiation 
 with the terrorists=94

 </bold>EU supports the territorial integrity and 
 security of Macedonia and convicts all kinds of 
 violence. No negotiations whatsoever should be 
 undertaken with the terrorists, and the violence 
 will not affect the foreseen signing of the 
 Stability and Association Agreement with the EU 
 on 9th April. Solana refused all possibilities 
 for pressure from the side of the EU to be made 
 for the change of the Macedonian Constitution 
 after the end of the crisis. =93There were enough 
 elections in this country and enough activities, 
 and if it was necessary, the Constitution would 
 already have been changed. We have no intention 
 to insist on change because the Constitution is 
 democratic=94, stated Solana. <bold>(=93Dnevnik=94)


 Common declaration of the parliament parties of 
 the Albanians in Macedonia

 </bold>The leaders of the Albanian political parties in 
 the Macedonian Parliament, DPA (Democratic Party 
 of the Albanians) and PDP (Party for Democratic 
 Prosperity)- Arben Xhaferi and Imer Imeri, met 
 yesterday with the European Union foreign policy 
 chief, Javier Solana where a common declaration 
 was signed in which it is stated =93they stand 
 united for peace=94 and call the armed groups 
 acting on the territory of Macedonia to put down 
 arms and peacefully withdraw to their homes. In 
 the declaration, they call the Government to 
 hurry up with the reforms that it has set for 
 previously, and they ask the EU to support their 
 implementation. <bold>(=93MIA=94)


 Skopje: Conference of the Southeast European 
 Parliaments

 </bold>On the conference, the presidents of parliament 
 of the countries from the Process for 
 Cooperation in Southeastern Europe condemned the 
 violence of the extremists and supported 
 Macedonia=92s steps for eliminating the crisis.

 The Macedonian President, Boris Trajkovski, 
 addressed the participants: =93The country at this 
 moment is being confronted with extremely brutal 
 violence and terrorist acts of the Albanian 
 extremists. There will be no negotiation with 
 terrorism and elements of ethnic hatred directed 
 at our endeavors and efforts to build a healthy 
 multi-ethnic society. We are strong and 
 determined enough to stand up against terrorism. 
 <bold>(=93Dnevnik=94)


 DPA on the situation in Tetovo </bold>
 Arben Xhaferi and Menduh Thaci organized a press 
 conference and presented the party standings 
 regarding the latest situation. =93We presented 
 our standings to Javier Solana, stressing that 
 the crisis has a local origin, not from abroad 
 as some claim,=94 Xhaferi declared. 
 =93We requested from Solana the opening of a 
 quality dialogue in order to 
 solve the problems. We signed an agreement 
 (together with PDP), requesting a peaceful way 
 out of the crisis, through democratic means and 
 a dialogue. We made our remarks regarding to 
 extensive use of force, as many private houses 
 were destroyed and the situation is only going 
 for worse. We are not satisfied with the present 
 relations in the Government and we demand a 
 bigger participation in the process of 
 establishing peace. We are outraged by the 
 uncontrolled use of force against the population 
 and we demand to stop the violence. We are not 
 leaving the Government, but we want to be equal 
 on vital issue that the Government is deciding 
 upon. We must certainly avoid the Yugoslav model 
 of using violence,=94 Xhaferi stated. <bold>("FAKTI"-
 Albanian language daily)</bold>


 <bold>Massive mobilization in Kosovo

 </bold>The Ministry of Internal Affairs has information 
 that efforts for mobilization from the other 
 side are noticed, especially in the inhabited 
 areas along the border. The Ministry of Internal 
 Affairs doesn=92t disclose any details concerning 
 the frequency of the mobilization. The Ministry 
 of Internal Affairs spokesman, Stevo Pendarovski 
 said that except for certain unofficial 
 information on the forced mobilization as tax in 
 blood, one male person from each Albanian family 
 in the Lipkovo region, the Ministry of Internal 
 Affairs has no other information for other parts 
 of Macedonia. <bold>(=93Vest=94)


 Sniper fire and bomb directed at the journalists 
 of the Macedonian State Television and A1 
 Television

 </bold>The terrorists in Tetovo started to attack 
 journalists as well, it was said in yesterday=92s 
 report of the Macedonian State Television 
 reporters. The journalist teams from the 
 Macedonian State Television and A1 Television 
 were shot at from sniper weapon by an armed 
 group settled in the vicinity of the city center 
 and later, form other positions as well.

 The terrorist groups previously threw a bomb at 
 the point where the Macedonian State Television 
 journalist team was recording a statement of the 
 State Secretary of Internal Affairs, Ljube 
 Boshkovski. <bold>(=93Nova Makedonija=94)</bold>



 <bold><underline>b)DAILY BRIEFING FROM INTERNATIONAL PRESS ABOUT 
 MACEDONIAN CRISIS


 </underline>Peacekeeping forces out of question
 </bold>US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher 
 said the US was exploring ways that Nato could 
 give more support to the Macedonian Government 
 without committing soldiers of its own. 
 Involving any of the region's peacekeeping 
 forces directly in fighting the Albanian rebels 
 was out of the question for now. <bold>(Excerpts from 
 {HYPERLINK "http://nytimes.com";<FontFamily><param>Times
 New Roman</param>}=
 <color><param>0000,0000,FF00</param><FontFamily><param>Courier
 New</param>=
 New York
 Times<color><param>0100,0100,0100</param>)</bold> At an
 EU foreig=
 n ministers' 
 meeting in Brussels, the German foreign minister 
 Fischer rejected a call by Austria that UN 
 Security Council Resolution 1244 should be 
 extended to allow NATO's KFOR operating in 
 Macedonia.<bold> (Excerpts from The
 Scotsman)</bold><FontFamily><param>Tim=
 es New Roman</param>


 <bold><FontFamily><param>Courier New</param>Nato pleas
 for more troops in =
 Balkans ignored

 </bold>Not a single Nato government has responded to 
 urgent requests from their hard-pressed military 
 commanders in Kosovo for reinforcements to help 
 deal with ethnic Albanian extremists 
 infiltrating neighboring Macedonia, Nato sources 
 disclosed last night. <bold>(Excerpts from The 
 Guardian)</bold>


 <bold>Terrorists stems from NATO's deadly sin

 </bold>The UN Security Council opened debate on a 
 French-backed resolution condemning the 
 guerrillas. Russia labeled "armed groups of 
 ethnic Albanians" as engaging in "terrorist 
 activities". <bold>(Excerpts from BBC)</bold> Albanian 
 guerrillas were described by Robin Cook, the 
 foreign secretary, as terrorists.<bold>(Excerpts from 
 Guardian)</bold>The situation in FYROM is the result of 
 NATO's =93deadly sin=94, i.e. its policy in Kosovo 
 where it encouraged the Albanians' secessionist 
 tendencies, according to Greece's former Foreign 
 Minister Pangalos.<bold>(Excerpts from MPA)</bold>


Britain will train Macedonia for guerilla war

Macedonian army is unprepared to fight a guerrilla war, said Ivo Daalder, a 
former U.S. National Security Council aide and now a fellow at the Brookings 
Institution in Washington."It is highly improbable that just by deploying a lot 
of tanks and a lot of howitzers that they will be able to defeat a committed 
guerrilla force." said Edward Luttwak, a military expert affiliated with the 
Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington."You can't send 
units that contain 35% or 40% Albanians against Albanian insurgents," Luttwak 
said. (Excerpts from The Times) 

Britain has announced that it is sending two additional military advisers to 
Skopje to assist the Macedonian Ministry of Defense and to provide wide-ranging 
advice, drawing upon their Northern Ireland experience to help with 
counter-insurgency operations if required. (Excerpts from BBC)


The nub of the problem is delaying the self-rule of Kosovo

KFOR and NATO must work closely with the Macedonia government to interdict the 
flow of arms and fighters across the border, said Wesley Clark, Retired General 
and former supreme allied commander in Europe. The use of force will only worsen 
the underlying problem, a discussion of the constitutional status of Macedonian 
 Albanians should begin without delay. Kosovo's new leaders, must know that NATO 
will not step in again to protect them from the consequences of their own 
extremist actions. Renewed conflict will postpone, the day when they can take 
full charge of their own affairs. The nub of the problem is the continuing delay 
in moving the province toward democratic self-rule. Kosovo's leaders must 
understand that Albanians have nothing to gain -- and everything to lose -- by 
exporting or inflaming conflict in the Balkans. (Excerpts from Washington Post)


Macedonia and Kosovo both lose

The exchange of goods and services between Macedonia and Kosova in 2000 amounted 
to 160 to 170 million US dollars, according to the Macedonian Institute for 
Statistics, the Macedonia Head of Customs and Kosova's Chamber of Commerce.The 
closing of the Kosova-Macedonia border has caused big loses to the daily Kosovar 
budget of from 600,000 to 800,000 DEM. Macedonia has also suffered loses, 
sources from Kosova's Chamber of Commerce told.(Excerpts from  KosovaLive)


Solana doesn't recommend negotiation

"We are determined to realize our demands, and urge Macedonian authorities and 
non-government figures to make public as soon as possible if they want this to 
be resolved peacefully or not," the rebels said in a communiqu=E9. If talks are 
rejected, "we will bear no responsibility for the future chain of events," said 
the statement, signed by the "National Liberation Army - Tetovo branch." 
<bold>(Excerpts from Associated Press)</bold>"Nothing, and I mean nothing, will 
be obtained by violent means," The European Union's security affairs chief 
Javier Solana told reporters during an official visit to Skopje."It is a mistake 
to negotiate with the terrorists, and we do not recommend it." <bold>(Excerpts 
from The Times)


UNHCR Briefing Notes

Over the past six days, more than 2,300 ethnic Albanians have crossed the border 
to Albania - a tenfold increase from the usual number of crossings, according to 
Albanian authorities. Nearly half of them merely transited Albanian territory 
and entered Kosovo. Some 1,400 people, predominantly ethnic Albanians but also 
 Macedonian Slavs, have crossed from Macedonia to southern Serbia in buses and 
private vehicles. There has also been a movement of people within Macedonia. The 
International Federation of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent has registered a 
total of 3,700 people internally displaced within Macedonia. 


US groups send arms to rebels

Albanian-Americans are contributing recruits, money and weapons to the rebellion 
in Macedonia. The rebel National Liberation Army (NLA) published advertisements 
in US Albanian-language newspapers calling for volunteers and donations, and 
held recruitment campaigns at the weekend."About 20 people have gone already, 
and hundreds will go, more than went to Kosovo perhaps." said Dervish Jahjaga, 
editor of Bota Sot, an Albanian-language newspaper in New York.The New York 
Times reported that the NLA had succeeded in raising $500,000 in donations from 
Albanian-Americans. 
(Excerpts from Guardian)
 
Q: There is a news reports on the activity of the Albanian community in the USA, 
both financially and as far as volunteers are concerning going to Macedonia to 
fight on the Albanian side. Would you comment on that?

Mr. Boucher: I don't really have any knowledge of that or any information. ..

Q: If you have an proof of that, will you apply the Anti-Terror Act to the= 
Albanians getting money here and sending it there?

Mr. Boucher: That depends on the whole lot of things

(Excerpts from State Department Briefing)


c) SUPPLEMENT: THE DECLARATION OF THE ALBANIAN PARLIAMENTARY PARTIES IN  
MACEDONIA

"We appeal to the groups that took arms in their hands on the
territory of our country, to put down the arms and to peacefully return to their 
homes. We condemn the use of violence for the purpose of achieving political 
goals. There can be no place for it in a democratic state. It makes political 
dialogue  impossible. It blocks the road to Europe that we, as citizens of 
Macedonia  and as Albanians, have chosen. It can be tragic for us as Macedonian 
citizens and or the whole region.

We believe that once the situation will be calm again, a new dialogue and a more 
productive one will be established among all political factors in Macedonia. We 
appeal to the Government to increase the intensity of those reforms that concern 
the inter-ethnic relations, and which it has decided to follow a long time ago, 
and we appeal to the European Union to help the implementation. Important 
questions are left open. But, we refuse to believe that we, the citizens of this 
country =96 Macedonians and Albanians =96 are forced to choose between solutions 
that make only one side satisfied, or, represent a threat for the other. If the 
old ideas did not give solutions acceptable for all, then we all have to seek 
for new ones. But, this cannot be achieved until we have a more relaxed 
atmosphere."


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