MACEDONIA: ALBANIAN VIOLENCE CONDEMNED BY ALL AS SITUATION THREATENS TO SPIN OUT OF CONTROL

A global Balkans war is more possible than many think and is nearer to reality by the day. The USA and NATO in their arrogant attempt to destabilise the zone, adopted the Albanian cause as their own to use against the Serbs and in so doing, trained and armed the KLA, the result being a monster which they have unleashed, one which will not go away so quickly. The more likely result is for NATO countries to abandon the area, leaving the local residents with a serious problem to solve. Today it is the Macedonians, tomorrow, who knows? The Macedonian Interior Minister, Dosta Dimovska, stated that there are around 200 to 250 Albanian terrorists in the north of the country. Combats in recent days have resulted in 14 injuries, according to the director of the Hospital of Tetovo and one death, an Albanian. The Macedonian Prime Minister, Ljubco Georgijevski, convoked an emergency meeting of his Security Council to see what measures to take. Under the Macedonian Constitution, it is only possible to proclaim a State of Emergency in the event of an invasion or natural calamity. However, the situation is far more serious than many believe. “Macedonia is facing an extremist movement inspired by ethnic hatred”, declared the Macedonian President, Boris Trajkovski, who also declared the Albanians’ claims that they were fighting for improved rights in Macedonia to be a farce. Indeed, the main Albanian political party, the Albanian Democratic Party, is present in the coalition government of Macedonia. Georgijevski stated that the Macedonian government has always adopted a position of negotiation :” In Macedonia, political dialogue with the Albanians is omnipresent but terrorist acts which try to demand a political dialogue are unacceptable…Macedonia will fight with all means at its disposal against Albanian extremism”. President Trajkovski affirmed that “Macedonia is determined to safeguard its territorial integrity and to fight against hatred and separatist ethnic aspirations of separatism”. Meanwhile as the situation deteriorates in the arena, the world sits back and watches. This is not a play or a farce, it is a tragedy of Balkanic dimensions waiting to happen.

TIMOTHY BANCROFT-HINCHEY, PRAVDA.RU