Max Van der Stoel yesterday also met with Foreign Minister Stevo Crvenkovski, Minister of Interior Ljubomir Frchkovski and Minister of Education Emilija Simoska.
Leaders and deputies of PDP held a meeting yesterday with NDP leaders. PDP president Abdurahman Haliti spoke of signs of disturbance still to be seen in Tetovo, but he said, it is good that the police have withdrawn. "We will continue to insist on resolving all disputable issues through the legal institutions and all activities will be within the country's legal framework." Haliti said demands for an immediate release of Suleimani are justified. Charges brought against some of the imprisoned Albanians could also be ascribed to some VMRO-DPMNE leaders for their activities of two years ago, when they called the Macedonian people to a rebellion. Suleimani's statements are mild compared with their statements, Nova Makedonija cites Haliti as saying.
- The Italian humanitarian organization CRIC, financed by ECHO, is involved in the project to support 25 boarding houses and homes for orphans in Macedonia. More than 20,000 school children will receive food, clothing, linen and hygiene products, all worth up to 900,000 German Marks.
SITEL Television yesterday announced that Tetovo police submitted demands to the Public Prosecutor's Office for criminal charges against Fadil Suleimani, Miljaim Fejzi, Arben Rusi, Miljaim Shabani, and Shabani Kjemal. The Public Prosecutor initiated a demand for an investigation and the temporary imprisonment of Fadil Suleimani and Miljaim Fejzi, on grounds of their having committed a criminal act of inciting people to resistance, in accordance with article 206 of the Criminal Code; the imprisonment of Kjemal Shabani on the grounds of illegal possession of weapons, in accordance with article 218 of the Criminal Code (the search of his house revealed an automatic rifle - Tompson, caliber 45, a revolver of caliber 6.35 mm, and 9 pieces of ammunition); and imprisonment of Arben Rusi, Arben Murtezani and Shabani Kjemal, on the grounds of belonging to a crowd preventing policed officers from exercising their duty, in accordance with article 205, point 2 of the same law. Fadil Suleimani and Miljaim Fejzi are also accused of having continually incited people to resistance and disobedience of the 19 of February decision of the Macedonian government and appropriate measures of the Ministry of Interior, concerning the university in Tetovo, from the end of 1994 until 17 February 1995, through the media and at public gatherings. The indictment cites Fadil Suleimani as stating "... should the Macedonian government try to stop us, everything will go to hell" in a 2 December, 1994, interview with the paper Nova Makedonija. At the end of January, 1995, defendant Miljam Fejzi called for disobedience of the said government decision during a television show, warning that the university will be defended with all means possible. On 13 February, 1995, defendants Suleimani and Fejzi brought a statutory decision declaring the autonomy of the university in Tetovo. On 16 and 17 February, 1995, the two defendants addressed crowds in the villages of Mala Rechica and Poroy, saying "... come tomorrow in big numbers, to defend us from the police," warning the police not to "...stop us, because 200,000 people will be defending us." As a result of their activities, large crowds of people gathered in Mala Rechica on 17 February, 1995, to prevent the police from undertaking measures as ordered by the Macedonian government. The crowds started fighting with and throwing stones and even opening fire at police officers, causing a considerable damage. Police and Macedonian Television vehicles were damaged and police officers, journalists and onlookers were wounded, and Emini Abduselam of the village of Lisec was killed. Fadil Suleimani and Miljaim Fejzi are facing a possible one- to five-year sentence. Arben Rusi, Arben Murtezani and Shaban Keljami, accused of belonging to a militant crowd, may be sentenced for one to three years. Shaban Kjemal is also facing a one- to ten-year sentence for illegal possession of arms. The current imprisonment order may last up to three months in order to prevent any possibilities of escape, repetition of the activities, and to enable a more successful investigation.
Makpress reports that seven ethnic Albanians from have been sentenced to 30 days imprisonment for refusing to leave the university in Mala Rechica, on 17 February, 1995, where a crowd was disturbing the law and order. Due to the seriousness of their violation and in order to prevent them from repeating the same activities, the court decided to start implementing the decision at once, before the decision even becomes legally effective.