[CTRL] Macedonia Destabilization Threat Causes Concern

[Mrs. Jela Jovanovic, Secretary General]

===========================
The Committee for National Solidarity
Tolstojeva 34, 11000 Belgrade, YU


>
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewGlobal.asp?Page=\Global\archive\GLO20000621d.html
>
>>>
> Macedonia Destabilization Threat Causes Concern
> By Louis Economopoulos
> CNS Correspondent
> 21 June, 2000
>
> Athens (CNSNews.com) - Ethnic Albanians from Albania
> and Kosovo are involved in attempts to infiltrate and
> destabilize the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
> (FYROM), according to press reports from Skopje, the
> capital of the small Balkan country.
>
> Should the situation get out of hand, observers fear,
> it could lead to yet another open conflict in the
> powderkeg region still trying to recover from last
> year's Kosovo flare-up.
>
> A Greek member of the European Parliament, Yiannis
> Souladakis, told reporters here that the groups
> involved originated from Kosovo and were linked to the
> Kosovo Liberation Army.
>
> The KLA was ostensibly disbanded last September and
> reconstituted as the NATO-approved, purely civilian
> Kosovo Protection Corps.
>
> Souladakis said the infiltrators were "involved in
> drug-trafficking, illegal arms and women trade, while
> lately...attempting to acquire a political character."
>
> Souladakis appealed for stability, peace and security
> to be safeguarded in FYROM.
>
> Given the fact that administrative bodies in Kosovo
> were responsible for their actions to the European
> Union, Souladakis called for EU bodies to state the
> steps they intend to take to stop the destabilization
> attempts.
>
> FYROM, a poor landlocked country about the size of
> Vermont and with a population of just over two
> million, gained its independence from Yugoslavia in
> 1991 after the republic's break-up. One-fourth of its
> population is Albanian with virtually the rest made up
> of native Yugoslavs. It borders Greece, Kosovo,
> Albania and Bulgaria.
>
> FYROM was admitted to the UN in 1993 under its
> current, provisional name because of a dispute with
> Greece over the name Macedonia.
>
> The Greek newspaper Kathimerini reported last week
> that the 40-mile border between FYROM and Kosovo is
> riddled by smugglers who are tied to armed gangs
> fomenting rebellion among FYROM's ethnic Albanians.
>
> The newspaper said ethnic Albanians from both sides
> crisscross the border with large quantities of
> cigarettes, alcohol, guns and - frequently - women
> whom they force into prostitution.
>
> "The smugglers move without any hindrance, because on
> the side of Kosovo patrolled by the NATO-led KFOR,
> which is responsible for border security, they appear
> to see this duty as a chore while the Albanians of
> FYROM, who live in the border area, have enforced a de
> facto abolition of the border," the report said.
>
> Skopje newspapers have highlighted an alleged
> connection between organized smuggling rings and the
> political leadership of the ethnic Albanians of
> western FYROM, centered in the city of Tetovo.
>
> The repeated attacks on police targets in ethnic
> Albanian regions, culminating in the shooting of two
> border guards at Blace earlier this month, are
> attributed to the activities of Albanians who, beyond
> smuggling, are forming the nucleus of an armed
> movement in FYROM.
>
> The reports say armed groups are forming under the
> leadership of extremists from the KLA. No proof has
> been provided, according to the press reports, but the
> rumors are fuelled by reports by the FYROM secret
> service and statements by government officials who say
> such groups exist and are tied to the
> military-political leadership of Kosovo.
>
> Because of the number of incidents on the border,
> FYROM's chief of general staff, Jovan Andrevski, has
> given orders for more soldiers and equipment to be
> deployed there.
>
> In a recent interview with Kathimerini, FYROM Defense
> Minister Nikola Klusev said the dangers for his
> country come from Kosovo or the borders with Albania.
>
> "We cannot guarantee absolute border control, despite
> the fact that we have soldiers and mercenaries there.
> We need more control in the area, and we have
> discussed this with NATO as well as with the prime
> minister of Albania," he said.
>
> Klusev said military assistance now being received
> from the United States, Britain, Germany, France and
> Greece was important, but the needs were great.
>
> "During the Kosovo conflict, we did not take a penny
> from NATO. On the contrary, we had some soft replies
> in words that did not correspond to our needs. The
> economic aid we received recently from NATO is too
> little to pay even for construction of barracks or
> basic expenses such as water, telephone and
> electricity bills, let along military exercises,"
> Klusev said.
>
> Name Controversy
>
> Meanwhile, FYROM and Greek officials at the United
> Nations have met in New York to further explore the
> question of the country's official name.
>
> The Skopje government wants the name Republic of
> Macedonia while the Greek side would want to secure
> the addition of the country's capital as part of its
> official name, Republic of Macedonia-Skopje.
>
> Greece feels that use of the name Macedonia touches on
> its \plain\lang1033\f2\fs23\cf0 territorial rights as
> there is a region called Macedonia in northern Greece.
>
> Any change to the provisional name will require a
> decision by the UN Security Council followed by
> ratification by the General Assembly.
>

Secretary General
Mrs. Jela Jovanovic
Art  historian
===========================

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