BALKANS: UNABLE TO CONTROL ALBANIANS, NATO CALL ON SERBS TO GO BACK INTO DEMILITARISED ZONE IN SOUTHERN YUGOSLAVIA

Three Yugoslav Army Generals signed a treaty with NATO on Monday which brings Yugoslav Army troops back into the province of Presevo for the first time since withdrawing in 1999, as the multinational force declared itself able to control the lawlessness perpetrated by the Albanians. Such has not been the case and as the situation deteriorates by the day, the only solution was to call back the Serbs. A treaty between the Albanians and Yugoslav Army in Presevo resulted in a ceasefire in southern Yugoslavia, where the UCPMB (Albanian extremist faction) has been fighting for independence of the enclave of Presevo-Medveja-Bujanovac. The ceasefire is reported to be holding still today, with an absence of clashes between Yugoslav Army units and Albanians. This situation followed a diplomatic offensive by Belgrade, Skopje and Tirana. Albania declared itself willing to contribute towards the easing of pressure along Kosovo’s border with Macedonia, after weeks of attacks by Albanian extremists (KLA, National Liberation Army), which left the population of Skopje destabilised. Typically, Tirana attacked all the other governments in the region, criticising Belgrade, Skopje, NATO, Greece and Bulgaria. A statement issued by the Albanian Parliament criticised these states for over-reaction to minor problems and creating problems where none existed. “The interior problems of Macedonia are not Kosovo’s problems and even if provisional, the decision by Skopje to close the borders with Kosovo is not acceptable…Macedonia should not transform an isolated incident into a general crisis which could lead to the exodus of the Albanian population from Macedonia”, the statement said. Obviously, there are Albanians and Albanians and not all are radical terrorists. However, given the way this population has been behaving in recent history, it would not surprise one at all if the Slavic Macedonians breathed a huge sigh of relief seeing the Albanians all filing away into the sunset over the mountains into Kosovo and Albania, taking their belongings with them. After centuries of peaceful cohabitation, NATO entered the arena in a wave of idiocy and arrogance, broke down delicate boundaries between the local population, contaminated the area with radioactivity, bombed, killed, destroyed and now that it sees that the Albanians are not the poor, downtrodden unfortunates which they misguidedly thought at first, they call the Serbs back to sort out the mess they made. Next time, NATO, just stay at home! TIMOTHY BANCROFT-HINCHEY, PRAVDA.RU, LISBON