MAK-NEWS 28/08/95 (M.I.L.S.)

From: "M.I.L.S." <mils@ITL.MK>

Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory

CONTENTS

MILS NEWS

Skopje, 28 August 1995

[01] PDP, PDPA AND NDP ADDRESS A LETTER TO KLINTON

The three parties of Albanians in Macedonia - Party for Democratic Prosperity, Party for Democratic Prosperity of Albanian in Macedonia and National Democratic Party sent a letter last week to US President Bill Clinton regarding the initiative for global solution of the crisis in former Yugoslavia. Among other things the letter said "the attitude of the three million Albanians that live in all former Yugoslav republics, previously separated from their home country Albania, and after the separation of Yugoslavia once again divided into three different republics as minorities, is a peaceful approach to a solution to the crisis. Having been faced with occupation from Serbia and Kosovo in former Yugoslavia and also with subduing in the development of Unitarian ethnic slavomacedonian state, the Albanians are now hoping that UN will change its attitude and stop supporting the nations that incite war and will stand against the result of war conflict with a unanimous attitude and global approach to the problem in former Yugoslavia. We would like to remind that Albanians in Macedonia are one third of the entire population. The official information is that they comprise 22,9 % and are deprived of political, economic, cultural and educational rights. This kind of situation, should the war spread south, could affect all ethnic groups in Macedonia and cause problems for the UN. The Albanian political subject played an important role in the maintenance of peace and stability in this newly established republic. But in a situation when there is a lack of will among ethnic Slav-Macedonians to create positive conditions and reach a solution for Albanian issues, it will not be difficult to lose a control over the situation and to have peace options replaced with other options of critical influence to the peace and stability in the Balkans.

Mr. President, Your initiative for calming the conflict in former Yugoslavia is highly evaluated on global level and to us it comes at a right moment. As a nation living in ethic environment with high risk of becoming involved in the war without any contribution on its part, it is our viewpoint that Your initiative will be applied in former Yugoslavia in spite of the ongoing war conflict. In order to prevent enormous tragedy, we think that global peace restoration in Yugoslavia is impossible without a solution of the issues of Albanians in Kosovo, FYROM, and Serbia and Montenegro. We believe that peace and stability in the region can be maintained only if all this is taken into consideration."

[02] MACEDONIAN RADIO COMMENT

The letter of political parties of Albanian nationality to the American president Klinton is a new problem in the internal situation and ethnic relations in Macedonia, Macedonian Radio says in a comment regarding the letter. The purpose of the letter is obvious - to make an old myth (uniting all Albanians into one state) come true with the help of the international community. The consequences of such politics are extremely dangerous for this country, having caused the fire of war which the international community is unable to put off yet. The letter which was sent by Abdurahman Aliti, President of PDP, Arben Dzaferi, President of PDPA and Ilijaz Halimi, President of NDP, is aiming to gain anything while it is still possible. The letter is yet another evidence that the political subject of Albanians is terminating the democratic dialogue as the only possible way to resolve the problems, in an attempt to provide certain exclusivity in Macedonia and alibi before its electorate. Although legally introduced at Parliament and also a co-partner to the Government, PDP in this way ignores all forms of the political system and democratic dialogue, only pretending to be a partner of the Macedonian state, while using methods of threat and blackmail. As a rule, this is happening at a critical moment of the Yugoslav crisis when a plan for its resolvement is to come, undere the disguise of peace protectors in Macedonia and considering themselves as sole safe-guards of peace. The parties of Albanians are actually asking for an ethnically pure Albanian state. This is nothing else but an introduction to a dangerous war game in the already burdened Balkan region, actually revival of a Greater-Albania oriented politics, for centuries trying to unite all Albanians in one country. Playing the role of generators of chauvinism and xenophobia, they are doing this at a moment when all the nations in the Balkans - including Albanians - can see that politics of ethnical exclusivity results in bloody epilogues and terrifying wars. With such false and self-made information, the cosigners of the letter deeply insult the Macedonian state, the Macedonian people and all its citizens by referring to the Republic Macedonia as FYROM and one-national and Slav-Macedonian state. It is also significant that the letter coincides with the recent visit of the Albanian Foreign Minister Alfred Sereci, evaluated as a further step in the development of relations between Macedonia and Albania, as well as with the visit of Mr. Gert Arens to Tetovo and Skopje. The letter also reveals an unrealistic goal of these leaders who seem that neither see nor hear that the world will no longer accept changes of the internationally recognized borders. The international community, including the US, has recognized Macedonia as a subject and factor in the region. Such adventures that have no respect for the reality is a dangerous precedent that shows a deep crisis in ethnic relations and imposes the question - what kind of coalition partner is PDP? The Macedonian Government should openly face this coalition partner and re-examine its own structure. Parliament should most urgently include ethnic relations in the agenda, regardless of how difficult the problem is.

[03] REACTIONS TO THE LETTER

- The Association of Cultural and Scientific Manifestations of Muslim Macedonians: the letter is an open call to the US and international community for creation of a fascist Greater Albania which would include other ethnic territories, such as parts of Montenegro, Serbia and Macedonia. This could create a new flash point in the Balkans. The so-called Albanian question in Macedonia is artificially brought up in order to albanize western Macedonia and bring it back within its 1941-44 borders.

- The Association of Ethnologists of Macedonia: the letter is full with false statistic information on the number of Albanians in Macedonia. The political parties want to incite unrest and armed conflicts in Macedonia.

- VMRO-Democratic Party: the letter is a natural consequence of the wrong and irresponsible policy of the Government towards the minorities in Macedonia. The Government first of all encouraged Albanians and then allowed their political organization on a national basis. Thus it provoked disloyalty and attempts to internationalize the so-called Albanian question. In this way, Macedonia loses the control over this problem and gives up its sovereign right to deal with it in accordance with its own national interests.

- The Democratic Party of Macedonia considers the letter to be an attempt to revive the idea for Greater Albania and calls the current leaders to reexamine the artificial coalition with PDP, to cease secret negotiations with the parties of Albanians in Macedonia as well as to discuss the problem openly at Parliament.

[04] PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION VISITING NEW YORK

Delegation of the Macedonian Parliament headed by President Stojan Andov went yesterday to New York to take part in a special session of the Inter Parliamentarian Council of the UN, held on the occasion of 50 anniversary jubilee.

[05] US DELEGATION IN MACEDONIA

An American delegation led by US Senator Robert Carry, Nebraska Democrat representative, came in a two-day visit to Macedonia yesterday. The delegation also consists of Congressman Robert Dornan, California Republican, and Congressman Graig Loughlin, Texas Democrat. The delegation is to meet Defense Minister Blagoj Handziski and Foreign Minister Stevo Crvenkovski today. Later, it will be received by Prime Minister Branko Crvenkovski, and will also visit American troops, part of UNPREDEP in Macedonia.

[06] NEW PROMOTIONS IN MACEDONIAN CHURCH

The Holy Synod of the Macedonian Orthodox Church yesterday appointed Archmandrate Naum a new bishop of Strumica Eparchy and Metropolite Gorazd an Archhierej for Europe.

[07] STIP HIT BY BIG STORM

As a result of a great storm, four citizens of Stip lost their lives. The storm was accompanied by strong wind and falls, causing great material loses and devastating buildings and houses, offices, factories and cultivated land. President Gligorov visited yesterday the damaged area to talked about ways to provide help in overcoming the consequences.

[08] VELES BLOOMERY CEASED PRODUCTION

The bloomery "Zletovo" in Veles stopped the process of production due to large degree of pollution of the air in Veles which is a result of bursting of the tubes in the sulfur acid producing shop.

MILS SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT:

[09] 'WE ARE WORRIED BY THE ANTI-BULGARIAN PROPAGANDA IN SKOPJE'

(Delo, 25 August 1995) The following is an interview of a Delo reporter with Bulgarian President Zhelu Zhelev.

Question: Over the past five years, one of the most explored issues in the bilateral relations was the Bulgarian unconditioned recognition of Macedonia's independence. Please tell us your reaction to the present speculations that the recognition - primarily linked with your name - was a mistake resulting only from election campaigns? Should Bulgaria have recognized Macedonia the first chance it had?

Answer: In my opinion, the then ruling SDS party, along with the parliamentary Foreign Committee and National Security Committee that had long before that been engaged in the protection of the Republic of Macedonia, did the right thing when they recognized Macedonia's independence as early as 15 January 1992. About twenty days later, Turkey also recognized Macedonia, Russia followed after six months, as well as Lithuania, Belarussia and a number of other states, including European Union country members such as Italy; all these states had been ready to take the step much earlier but sustained from it because of the principle of consensus and solidarity in the EU. Nowadays, Macedonia is recognized by all significant countries. Our strategy was that, whenever a federation is disintegrated, it is very dangerous not to recognize the newly emerged states; they are likely to become victims of aggression, provocation, to be destabilized and destroyed from within. This is why it was a matter of principle for us to quickly recognize the Republic of Macedonia, just like we recognized the three other former Yugoslav republics of Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia- Herzegovina. We believe this was our way of contributing to the attempts to stabilize the situation in ex-Yugoslavia.

Question: Those who tend to criticize you usually claim that Bulgaria should have preconditioned this step instead of rushing to recognize Macedonia unconditionally...

Answer: In my eyes, that is very stupid. That is a left-over of past diplomatic ways of thinking, when it was believed that whenever you give something you should ask for something else in return. In these modern times, such attitudes are not only obstinate but also lead to unprincipled diplomacy. We firmly hold on to the principle that Bulgaria thus contributed to stability in former Yugoslavia and the entire Balkans.

Question: You have met with President Gligorov on several occasions and have also met various other Macedonian politicians. Unfortunately, certain obstacles to the development of relations between Macedonia and Bulgaria have appeared as of recently. Do you consider the problems to be essential and how can they be overcome?

Answer: President Gligorov is very well aware of the fact that Bulgaria was the first state to recognize Macedonia and to work hardly to help his country become internationally recognized. We did not do this because we expected something in return, but only because we believed that this state, which has been an apple of discord in the Balkans throughout history, should be recognized by all Balkan countries as a state to be respected and aided by all others, for the sake of a needed policy of peace, stability and understanding among the Balkan nations. Moreover, we believe that borders should gradually cease to be barriers between these countries. We believe that these states should instead become obliged upon an unanimous agreement to establish wide communications and intensify their mutual cooperation, to enable the Balkan peninsula to become integrated in the European Union as a united territory. This was our political strategy. Unfortunately, it is not always welcomed by our Macedonian friends; sometimes we are even concerned with the anti-Bulgarian propaganda in Skopje, especially as Bulgaria is a country that respects the integrity and sovereignty of Macedonia without any expectations, unlike almost all other neighbors of Macedonia. I repeat: we were the first to recognize Macedonia and helped obtain a recognition by other key states and, when Greece imposed its one-sided embargo in order to suffocate Macedonia economically, we opened a corridor leading to the Black Sea. Our friends in Macedonia are also very well aware of this. This is why I myself am deeply startled by certain occasional articles in the Macedonian media that speak of a 'Bulgarian threat' or a 'Bulgarian design'. This entire anti-Bulgarian propaganda is in fact aimed against Macedonia's own interests, despite the fact that Bulgaria is the only neighboring country that gives all it can without asking for anything in return.

(end)

mils news 28 august '95