----- Original Message ----- From: Rick Rozoff <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, May 19, 2000 3:33 PM Subject: [STOPNATO] Over 40,000 Protesters Demand Gov't Resign - In Macedonia STOP NATO: NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.COM [I'm sure our free press can explain why this story isn't on the front page of every Western daily.] Thousands demand government resignation in Macedonia May 19, 2000 Web posted at: 6:54 AM EDT (1054 GMT) SKOPJE, Macedonia (AP) -- More than 40,000 people gathered at an opposition rally Thursday to demand the Macedonian government resign and hold early elections. "Down with the government," "We want elections," read the banners carried by the protesters at the rally held at the main city square in the capital Skopje. The Social Democrats and eight other opposition parties announced a series of anti-government protests in a declaration read at the gathering. "The only thing this government can do to save Macedonia is to quit power," Branko Crvenkovski, the leader of the Social Democrats told the crowd. Crvenkovski's party, formerly the Communists, blame the center-right government for the worsening economic situation in Macedonia, the only former Yugoslav republic to secede peacefully. Macedonia is believed to be dangerously close to bankruptcy. With more than half the workforce unemployed and a foreign debt amounting to $1.45 billion, the impoverished Balkan nation is hoping to boost its economy by bringing in foreign capital. The opposition also accuses the government of giving in to the country's ethnic Albanians, who make up one-fourth of the country's 2 million people and have been demanding more rights. Opposition calls for the government resignation have grown since an incident earlier this year in which four Macedonian soldiers were abducted by Kosovo Albanian extremists and reportedly exchanged for a Kosovo Albanian facing trial in Macedonia. The Social Democrats led Macedonia to independence from former Yugoslavia in 1991 and ruled the country for seven years before losing elections to the ruling center-right coalition, which includes pro-Western politicians in the country. ______________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] ______________________________________________________________________ Advertisement: 15% off Ashford Collection jewelry for Mother's Day! Mom will love these gorgeous pieces handpicked by our expert jewelry buyers - now 15% off and shipped FedEx overnight FREE! Spoiled as a child? Return the favor - get her gift at Ashford.com. http://on.linkexchange.com/?ATID=27&AID=1231
