Syndicate: TOL on Macedonia

[Andreas Broeckmann <abroeck@transmediale.de>]

New at TOL:                                    Monday, 5. March 2001
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--- TOL WEEK IN REVIEW ---

Macedonia: Out of the Shadows
Daily gun-battles between Macedonian police and ethnic Albanian
insurgents are threatening Macedonia's delicate ethnic balance.
by Gordana Icevska
http://www.tol.cz/week.html

        .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .

OUR TAKE:Walking on Egg Shells

While police and terrorists are shooting at each other in Tanusevci, an
ethnic Albanian village on Macedonia's northern border, the country's
citizens are asking themselves once again if this means war.

The National Liberation Army--a new organization made up of ex-Kosovo
Liberation Army fighters and local ethnic Albanians--is supposedly
responsible for the terrorist attacks that are threatening the country's
delicate ethnic balance and stability. Ethnic Albanians are the
country's largest minority, representing perhaps as much as 30 percent
of the population. Many do not want to break with Macedonia, but have
been campaigning for more rights--especially the elevation of Albanian
to an official language.

Exactly why the terrorists have decided to up the ante now remains
unclear. The occupation of Tanusevci is probably the result of the
dissatisfaction of ethnic Albanians in southern Serbia with the border
demarcation agreement between Macedonia and Yugoslavia that was signed
in Skopje recently. Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Nebojsa Covic had
taken steps toward the integration of ethnic Albanians into the south of
the country, partial demilitarization, and financial aid for the region.
Brussels, Moscow, and Washington have shown their support for the plan,
but it has not been warmly received by local Albanians, who would prefer
to be integrated with Kosovo.

Others in Macedonia have been more conspiratorial, suggesting that the
resurgence of terrorism is nothing more than the government's attempt to
divert attention from a recent eavesdropping scandal that has created a
bit of a mess. The biggest opposition party, the Social Democratic Union
of Macedonia (SDSM), accused the government of wiretapping and presented
transcripts as proof that many politicians, officials, and journalists
were being secretly monitored. Government officials denied the
accusations, throwing them back at the SDSM.

Regardless of what caused the fighting to break out, many Macedonian
officials are trying to diffuse the situation. After such terrorist
incidents in Macedonia, the authorities usually deny the existence of
paramilitary organizations operating in the country, explaining that the
attacks are perpetrated by extremists who do not belong to any
organization. The government has been cautious about giving them a name
and a voice. The official line is that the group is a spill-over from
Kosovo, not a Macedonian-based terrorist organization.

Some ethnic Albanian parties have also tried hard to not exacerbate the
situation and have thrown water on the fire. Menduh Taci, the vice
president of the Democratic Party of the Albanians (DPA)--a member of
the ruling coalition?said, "If there is no possible political solution,
the next step is obvious ... the territorial integrity of Macedonia must
be protected by the state armed forces." Many politicians are keen to
distance themselves from the insurgents and say that they want to solve
problems through institutional and democratic means. Opposition ethnic
Albanian parties--making radical statements in an attempt to score
political points--have blamed the police for "torture of the people of
Tanusevci, who are [being] forced to leave the village and [flee] to
Kosovo."

Macedonia's inter-ethnic government is walking a fine line. Presently it
is comprised of two Macedonian parties and one Albanian party. The
authorities would like to find a peaceful solution but are wary about
entering the village and provoking further fighting. At the same time,
it is necessary for the police to step in and prevent the violence
spreading. And waiting for a political solution is eating away at the
country's waning stability, while the citizens' fear is mounting. The
increased violence in Kosovo and southern Serbia has been adding fuel to
the fire.

Such tolerance on the part of the government is admirable--possibly not
as a model of multi-ethnic governance but certainly as an illustration
of a government that is aware of the inflammatory nature of radical and
hasty decisions; of a government that is careful not to upset the ethnic
apple cart. Unfortunately, the same tolerance isn't being practiced at
lower levels. Authorities, citizens, and armed forces on either side
don't always share the same virtues. Regardless of the actions of
politicians, local police can act on their own and can spark further
violence, and citizens--by moral complicity--can set and permit the
level of violence. And then there's the matter of high unemployment and
poverty--often the galvanizing factors that lead young people to
violence.

Since the outbreak of the recent Balkan wars, Macedonia has often been
touted as the next Balkan tinderbox: an ethnic war just waiting to
happen. During NATO's 1999 bombing of Yugoslavia, Macedonia emerged
relatively unscathed, even after dealing with the influx of hundreds of
thousands of Kosovar Albanian refugees. Compared to this recent crisis,
the country has seen much worse. With the same sensible approach,
moderate actions, and help from the international community, the hope
remains that Macedonia will weather the same storm once again.

-- Transitions Online - Intelligent Eastern Europe

Copyright: Transitions Online 2001

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