From: Rick Rozoff <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ------------------------------------------- [As imperialism's echo chamber, the kept media, fan the flames of a brutal and eminently unnecessary tragedy. Quote from an older Macedonian, of Albanian extraction, a few weeks ago: "I'm not worried about rights, I want something to eat." A sentiment not familiar to elites in Manhattan, London and Brussels, but poignantly so to anyone who's known what it's like to worry about their next meal. ] Tuesday July 24 10:29 AM ET Death Toll Rises As Macedonia Crisis Widens By Daniel Simpson TETOVO, Macedonia (Reuters) - The casualty toll from Macedonia's ethnic violence rose on Tuesday and the scope of the crisis widened as Albanian rebels declared for the first time they were fighting in the west of the Balkan state. Hospital officials in Tetovo, 24 miles west of the capital Skopje, said a Macedonian civilian man had died from wounds suffered in heavy fighting between rebels and security forces in and around the predominantly Albanian town on Monday. A 12-year-old girl was also killed and some 31 people were injured, five of them Macedonian military personnel, in combat that left an 18-day internationally-brokered truce in tatters. Sporadic shooting continued into the early hours of Tuesday morning, with mortar blasts echoing through the night in the mountains towering above Tetovo and machine gun exchanges audible from dawn in the eastern district of Cetinska. But the violence died down and a semblance of calm returned by mid-morning. Western officials have been working frantically to patch the cease-fire back together in meetings with Macedonian leaders and in behind-the-scenes contacts with rebels. But they will have to contend with a broader conflict. The ethnic Albanian National Liberation Army said its units were involved in a clash with a border patrol in western Macedonia, in the first acknowledgement it was active in that area. One Macedonian soldier died in the confrontation and the Ministry of Defense said it had sent a letter to Tirana to protest at what it termed a terrorist border incursion. NLA General Staff member Nazmi Beqiri said its 116th and 112th brigades were now operating in the area of the town of Gostivar, which lies in the middle of the largely Albanian western strip of Macedonia bordering Albania proper. And in Tetovo itself, armed and uniformed NLA men could be seen for the first time in the suburb of Tece, to the west of the center, extending the gradual rebel move into the town. MACEDONIAN ANGER Macedonia has complained bitterly that the NLA used the cover of the truce to extend its grip on territory. Defense Minister Vlado Buckovski late on Monday said the rebels would face an all-out assault unless they went back to old positions. But Western envoys say it is not clear what territory the rebels held on July 5, the start date for the truce, which was supposed to help end the five-month rebellion by clearing the way for talks on granting more rights to the Albanian minority. In neighboring Kosovo United States President George Bush, visiting American peacekeepers, urged the rival communities to restore calm. ``I call on the parties to maintain the cease-fire,?? he said in a statement. Russia said it blamed the rebels for provoking fresh fighting. Diplomats worry that hard-liners, particularly among the Macedonian elite, may prefer a total collapse of the cease-fire and another bout of fighting to making the unpalatable compromises that are needed to secure peace. Talks have been at a standstill since last week, when Macedonian Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievksi angrily denounced Western peace proposals as tantamount to destroying his state. Macedonians have agreed to devolve some power, grant some local control of the police and extend other political rights to the one-third Albanian minority but have balked at extending the right to use the Albanian language in official business. Many Macedonian leaders view the primacy of their native tongue as pivotal to the identity of the 10-year-old country and have stoked nationalist fervor against diminishing its role. The NLA denied it started the fighting. ``The NLA has no reason for military operations at a time when we are expecting a political agreement to be signed,?? Beqiri said in a statement. And mainstream Albanian politicians expressed skepticism over a return to the negotiating table. ``We are waiting for something to be decided on the military side,?? said Imer Imeri, leader of the second largest Albanian party. ``If a new cease-fire is not established then there is no reason for the talks to continue,?? he added. _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki Phone +358-40-7177941 Fax +358-9-7591081 http://www.kominf.pp.fi General class struggle news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe mails to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geopolitical news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________
