PM slams FYROM for name impasse

Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis lashed out yesterday at the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's (FYROM) «intransigence» as Greece stepped up criticism of the neighboring country's failure to agree to settle the dispute over its name.

«We have taken all the necessary steps but all we are getting from the other side is an apparently intransigent stance and we are waiting for this to change,» said Karamanlis after meeting with his Slovenian counterpart Janes Jansa in Athens.

Greece was upset last week that Skopje made public a letter from US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that suggested Washington would back FYROM's bid to enter NATO even if it has not settled its dispute with Greece.

Athens insists that it will only settle on a name that is mutually acceptable by both sides and feels that FYROM has shied away from negotiations. Greece has threatened to bar FYROM's way to the European Union if a solution is not found.

Slovenia is due to take over the six-month rotating EU presidency at the beginning of next year.

Karamanlis also said it was vital that further negotiations take place on the future of Kosovo. He said that talks should continue so that a viable solution «acceptable to everyone» can be found.

Serbia does not want to grant the province, which is under UN supervision, independence but its ethnic Albanian majority wants to break away.

US wants to close Kosovo issue this spring

United States of America is against any delay in resolving the status of Kosovo and wants to close the issue in a matter of months, according to Martti Ahtisaari's plan.

"We are standing firmly behind the international mediator Ahtisaari and we are strongly hopeful that the issue of Kosovo status would see its end this spring", US Assistant Secretary of State, Rosemary DiCarlo said in Skopje today.

She added that delay in solving of the "last remaining open issue on the territory of the former Yugoslavia" is not in the region's interest.

"We don't' think stalling of the resolution on this issue would lead to greater stability in the region, nor that postponement would produce improvement of the existing plans. On the contrary, we are dedicated to finding a solution on a manner that would promote the stability of the region and facilitate its way to NATO and EU", DiCarlo said.

After the meetings with the Macedonian leadership, she expressed content of Macedonia's support to Ahtisaari's plan and the country's assistance in the efforts to reach a solution on the Kosovo issue.

US urges Macedonia to accelerate reforms

SKOPJE, Macedonia-Macedonia's government and opposition parties should agree on reforms that could open an invitation for the Balkan country to join NATO next year, a senior U.S. State Department official said Monday.

The United States "wants to see NATO invitations (for the region) issued in 2008," said Rosemary DiCarlo, deputy assistant secretary for European and Eurasian affairs.

But, she said "Macedonia will have to make continued progress" in political, economic and defense reforms.

"More work remains to be done, and time is short," DiCarlo said, after talks with Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski.

DiCarlo also called for further implementation of the 2001 Ohrid peace agreement, which ended six months of clashes between government forces and ethnic Albanian separatists. She also urged stronger action against corruption and human trafficking.

Macedonia, Albania and Croatia, which have been working toward becoming a NATO member since 2002, are hoping to join the alliance in 2008.

DiCarlo also said the U.S. wants the status of neighboring Kosovo resolved "this spring."

"We do not believe that delaying the resolution of this issue will lead to greater stability of this region, nor necessarily improve the plan that is on the table," she said.

Kosovo has been administered by the United Nations since NATO airstrikes in 1999 ended a brutal Serbian crackdown on ethnic Albanian insurgents.

A U.N. plan that proposes internationally supervised independence for Kosovo has been rejected by Serbia, with strong support from Russia, a permanent member of the Security Council with veto power.

Macedonia left out of Reuters poll on EU

Macedonia is the only country in the region that was left out of Reuters poll on which country will join the European Union, Makfax news agency quotes the Montenegrin daily Vijesti as saying.

Vijesti daily quotes the results of a survey carried out April 10-16. The respondents included executives of European and world's largest banks and financial institutions.

Vijesti daily does not specify why Macedonia was not even mentioned in the Reuters poll on countries aspiring for EU membership.

The poll shows that Croatia will join the EU in 2010, according to Western companies.

The other countries in the region - Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia - face a long wait for EU entry. These countries are likely to join the block in 2015. Turkey will join the EU in 2019.

The survey of 31 academic and financial institutions included ABN AMRO; Allianz Dresdner; Banca Intesa; Bayerische Landesbank; Bear Stearns; BNP Paribas; Calyon; Ceska Sporitelna; Citigroup; Cominvest Asset Mgt; CSOB; Deutsche Bank; DIW; Dresdner Kleinwort; DZ Bank; Finans Invest; Fitch Ratings; Global Insight; Helaba; HSBC; HVB Bank Czech Republic; ING Financial Markets; Institute of Public Affairs; JP Morgan; KBC Asset Mgt; Kingston University; Kopint-Tarki; Morgan Stanley; Nordea; Oppenheim Research ; Raiffeisen Bank Romania; RZB; Societe Generale; Standard Bank; Standard & Poor’s; Tera Stock Brokers; UBS i Unicredit MIB.

Macedonia's debt repayment sparks mixed reviews

The Macedonian government announced on April 11th that it will repay about $137m in debt earlier than planned to the World Bank and the European Investment Bank (EIB). Eight credits, taken out before 1997, will be repaid in the move. The original repayment deadline is 2021.

In March, Macedonia repaid $103m to the Paris Club of Creditors. The money is being repaid from the foreign exchange reserves, which have increased rapidly in the past three years, reaching 1.8 billion euros.

"Decreasing our debt by $240m moves us from the list of average-indebted countries and ranks us as a low-indebted country," Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski noted. He said the amount is 20% of the total foreign debt, and 12% of the total foreign and domestic debt.

The World Bank was Macedonia's largest single creditor with $639.5m in January, according to the country's central bank. During the same month, Macedonia was $162.3m in debt to the EIB.

Gruevski also announced that the country would soon repay its debt to the IMF. He said the repayments send a strong signal to international investors, demonstrating a sound and stable economic policy.

The Finance Ministry projects that early repayment will save more than $37m in interest. This year alone, interest savings will amount to 2.8m euros. It will total 5.8m euros in 2008 and 5.2m euros the following year.

The savings will go towards development projects, Gruevski said.

The opposition Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM) disagrees with the government's move. The party says that agencies evaluating credit rating take into account two parameters -- public indebtedness and foreign exchange reserves. Therefore, it argues, nothing is gained if the money from the foreign exchange reserves is spent in order to lower the debt.

At the same time, the SDSM accuses the government of squandering revenues from the privatisation of the power utility Elektrostopanstvo na Makedonija (ESM) -- a move by the SDSM government in 2006 that was opposed by Gruevski's VMRO-DPMNE.

Some Macedonian analysts also call into question the claimed interest savings because Macedonia takes credits from the World Bank under privileged, so called IDA terms.

Father, son - suspects in Rascekor nightclub murder

D.N. (53) and his son J.N. (25), both employed in Rascekor nightclub in Bitola, are the main suspects in the murder of 37-year-old Milenko Stanic, Makfax correspondent reported.

Stanic, after a quarrel with the waiter over the exact sum of money he was to pay for his drink, was reportedly attacked by security guards and then removed from the nightclub. The fighting later continued outside the nightclub.

Stanic suffered severe injuries, as assailants hit him several times with a sharp object. The injuries proved fatal, as doctors could not save his life.

The police called in several suspects for interrogation. The police filed murder charges against a father and a son - both working at the nightclub.

The investigative judge said both suspects will remain in police custody in the next 30 days.

The forensic experts carried out an autopsy on victim's body. The police are still searching for murder weapon.

Bumpy Start for Macedonian Trial

Some observers wonder whether this case should have been brought to the tribunal in the first place.

By Sara Goodman in The Hague (TU No 498, 20-Apr-07)

The case against Macedonia’s former interior minister and his ex-bodyguard began in The Hague this week amid claims that the tribunal is prosecuting only one side of this controversial and complex conflict between government forces and ethnic Albanian rebels

Ljube Boskoski and Johan Tarculovski are accused of “murder, wanton destruction of cities, towns or villages and cruel treatment” during an attack on the predominately ethnic Albanian community of Ljuboten in August 2001.

They were the last two men to be indicted by the tribunal over war crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia and this is the only case from the Macedonian conflict before the tribunal.

Four other Macedonian cases investigated by prosecutors – all involving crimes allegedly committed by Albanians – were sent back to Macedonia to be tried in national courts.

Jordan Apostolski, case manager for the Tarculovski team, told IWPR in an interview this week that that was a “huge distortion of justice” that has led to a mistrust of the tribunal in Macedonia.

“The mission of the Hague tribunal is to try all suspected crimes against humanity committed in the former Yugoslavia,” he said. “That this is the only case being tried here has created the impression in Macedonia that the tribunal isn’t serving the ideals of international justice but has some other hidden agenda.”

A spokesperson for the Office of the Prosecutor, OTP, said the tribunal’s mandate is to focus on those most responsible for crimes in the former Yugoslavia, and only the case against Boskoski and Tarculovski fit that criteria. Olga Kavran also cited the tribunal’s UN-ordered completion strategy which says all trials must be finished by 2008 and all appeals by 2010.

“It’s the best we can do within the mandate we were given,” said Kavran, adding it is important for this case to be before the court because the two men are indicted for serious crimes.

Tribunal observers told IWPR that the Boskoski/Tarculovski trial is a landmark case in several ways.

Of particular significance, they said, is the fact it is the only case before the tribunal in which a high-ranking government official is charged with one act that took place at a specific location and time.

In other high profile tribunal cases - such as the trial of former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic - the indictments were broader and more complex, and the prosecution was charged with proving a whole range of allegations. The Milosevic trial lasted for years because prosecutors had to prove a campaign against another political entity and the intent to commit genocide.

In the Boskoski/Tarculovski case, however, the indictment is rather straightforward. Boskoski is accused of knowing about the attack on Ljuboten and, as a superior, failing to make the appropriate response and punish the perpetrators.

Tarculovski is charged with leading the attack on the village, which ended with the murder of seven Albanian men, the destruction of at least 14 houses and the abuse of more than 100 villagers.

The attack on Ljuboten seems to have been in response to a landmine explosion that killed eight Macedonian soldiers the day before.

It came at a time when Macedonia was embroiled in a near civil war, pitting ethnic Macedonians against the ethnic Albanian minority, who constitute approximately one-third of the country’s two million people.

Although Macedonia avoided the bloody conflict that consumed the rest of the Balkans following the break-up of Yugoslavia in the Nineties, fighting began in early 2001 when ethnic Albanian rebels seized control of villages in the north and demanded greater rights for the ethnic Albanian minority.

The conflict, which lasted approximately six months, came to an end with a negotiated peace agreement led by the international community that gave ethnic Albanians greater local autonomy.

Proving that at the time of the attack on Ljuboten Macedonia was in a state of armed conflict will form the backbone of the prosecution case, with prosecutor Daniel Saxon claiming in his opening remarks this week that there was sufficient organisation and structure on both sides to allow for military operations.

He also said the intensity of the fighting led to a violation of international law.

The defence argues there was no war in Macedonia at the time, so war crimes charges are not legitimate.

Slagana Dimiskova, Skopje correspondent for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, told IWPR that because there was never a formal declaration of war in Macedonia debate about what actually happened still continues.

“We [in Macedonia] don’t know what happened in 2001,” she said. “Some people say it was a bloody war, and others say it was nothing serious. It’s a problem in Macedonia, because we didn’t talk about it. Now it’s up to the courts to decide.”

In the past, she said some Macedonians felt it was best not to look back and preferred not to discuss what happened. That has changed since the beginning of the trial with the public reacting strongly to what they have seen reported about the case.

“People feel the case is against Macedonia, not just against Boskoski,” said Dimiskova. “The longer it goes on in The Hague, the more people are becoming aware of what happened, and they are angry that there is only this one proceeding at The Hague. They see this as a political trial.”

Balkans expert Spyros Economides from the London School of Economics agrees the case will be carefully watched within Macedonia.

“You can be guaranteed there is an audience in Macedonia that is following this trial very closely,” said Economides. “It remains to be seen what the reaction will be, but [whatever the outcome], it will resonate within the country.”

The case has now been adjourned until May 7 when the prosecution will present its first witnesses. Prosecutors estimate they will need about 11 weeks to present their arguments.

Macedonian police frees Bulgarian woman, abducted by two Macedonians, who demanded EUR 20,000 ransom

Skopje. Two citizens of the Macedonian town of Tetovo have abducted a Bulgarian woman, the correspondent of FOCUS News Agency in Skopje Dejan Nikolovski informed.
K.D. (34) and S.S. (24) abducted the the 23-year-old woman from Bulgaria on January 2 in the Macedonian town of Debar. They took her to the Macedonian village of Kamenjane, in the home of K.D. He requested that the woman pays him money he claimed she owed. After the abduction the two called the boyfriend of the girl and threatened to kill the girl if he doesn’t pay them EUR 20,000. He reported the case to the police and the girl was released.
The police in Macedonia did not report whether they have arrested the abductors.

Fi-Kom owners sentenced

Basic Court Skopje 2 sentenced Wednesday couple Nikola and Vesna Nikolic, owners of construction company "Fi-Kom", to 10-year imprisonment each for a fraud worth about Euro 30 million. Company employees Muzafera Kaevic and Snezana Zorbevska received three years sentences each for assistance in execution of the criminal act.

Couple Nikolic was indicted of a fraud involving double selling of company flats. Together with employees Kaevic and Zorbevska, they sold apartments and offices to citizens that had already been sold.

The court will additionally pronounce the compensation verdict.

Shootout in Aracinovo

Drive-by shooting took place in the Skopje's nearby village of Aracinovo yesterday, leaving no injured, Macedonian Police announced.

The announcement says that three villagers, identified as R.V., V.V. and S.N., fired several rounds toward a moving car operated by E.S., 57, also from Aracinovo, damaging the roof and the back windshield of the vehicle.

The reason for the attack was unpaid rent for a commercial property owned by R.V, Interior Ministry said.

Police set out an operation for tracking down the perpetrators and for thorough clarification of the case.

Bakoyannis enraged by Rice's letter of support to Macedonia

The United States of America is not bordering with Skopje, but Greece is", the Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis said as commenting the recent support voiced by US to Macedonia. "We are neighbors and it is of Skopje's interest to solve this issue together with us", Dora Bakoyannis said in a statement given in Belgrade, relating the letter of the US State Secretary Condoleezza Rice to the Macedonian Foreign Minister Antonio Miloshoski, expressing support to the Macedonia's constitutional name and membership in NATO. "Everyone has the inalienable right to reiterate their positions and articulate their hopes", Bakoyannis said. "Beyond that, Greece’s friends and partners have been made aware of our well-known, firm positions".

Rogue diggers helping themselves to Macedonia's ancient treasure

DEDELI, Macedonia: "Watch your step," goes a joke by archaeologists in Macedonia, "or you might crack an ancient pot."

It could happen: Tiny Macedonia — which is slightly larger than Belgium but with a population of 2 million — has some 6,000 registered archaeological sites.

Experts warn that since the country gained independence from Yugoslavia 16 years ago, its ancient heritage has become increasingly vulnerable to looters who use sophisticated navigation and excavating equipment, leaving few sites unpillaged.

There is little to stop them.

A third of the country's work force is jobless, and the government says it can only afford to hire one dedicated official to tackle the rampant illegal antiquities trade.

"This is nothing but an open invitation for illegal diggers to come here looking for buried treasure," said 72-year-old Taip Tahiri, a retired teacher from the village of Dedeli, near Lake Dojran, about 180 kilometers (112 miles) south of the capital Skopje. His family home stands next to a rich Iron Age site with 98 excavated tombs.

"This site has been explored a lot ... but groups of illegal diggers are still active in the area. Many of them made a fortune selling famous Macedonian bronzes to Greeks and other foreign buyers."

Irena Kolistrkoska, head of Macedonia's archaeologists' association, warned each year that scores of local and foreign diggers uncover priceless remnants from the Iron Age, as well as Greek, Thracian, Roman and Byzantine artifacts.

"There are two main reasons Macedonia is failing to seriously protect its cultural treasure: A lack of a strategy at a national level and the absence of credible experts in the field," Kolistrkoska said.

Pasko Kuzman, director of the National Directorate for Protection of the Cultural Heritage, said Iron Age archaeological sites in southeastern Macedonia have been extensively looted.

Police, he said, are already overstretched fighting organized crime, adding that fees offered by corrupt art collectors only encourage illegal excavations.

Macedonia, a landlocked nation in southeastern Europe, has a rich and storied past.

The country is part of the broader Macedonia region that includes parts of Greece and Bulgaria that became a major power in the ancient world under Phillip II of Macedon, and his son Alexander the Great. Alexander was one of the most successful military commanders in history, who built a vast empire that stretched to India before his death in 323 B.C.

Modern Macedonia's claim to the region's ancient heritage has infuriated neighbor Greece, which refuses to recognize the former Yugoslav republic by its official name, and is still seeking arbitration of the dispute at the United Nations.

Macedonia's south, on major east-west trading routes, was successively dominated by different civilizations — ancient Macedonian, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman.

"Macedonian bronze is trendy. It is world-famous because of the style and it can fetch very high prices on the black market," Kolistrkoska said.

"Even the smallest piece can be sold for €1,000 (US$1,350)."

East of Dedeli lies Isar-Marvinci, where villagers are usually on hand to guide visitors up to a hillside to hunt for ancient fragments.

"You can easily find Roman coins or ceramics. Just look a little carefully. Every stone here is thousands of years old," said a villager, who refused to give his name or even his initials, fearing reprisals from other guides.

Fifteen other local men have been arrested for illegal excavation and trading in artifacts.

"As locals, we can find artifacts easily. But the state is not paying for them. We are jobless and foreigners are often around with money," the man said.

Kuzman said that during excavations at Isar-Marvinci between 1995 and 2003, an estimated 2,500 artifacts were stolen.

"No one knows how many important national treasures have been smuggled out of the country, but it's clear the police don't yet have the means to stop it," he said.

While illegal digs are impossible to stop, Kuzman takes a long-term view and argues much of Macedonia's looted treasure can still eventually be tracked down abroad and returned.

"Every inch of this soil is so rich that many discoveries are still awaiting us," he said. "One of my dreams ... is to bring back to Macedonia a bronze bowl with a beautiful relief, which was recently traced to New York."

Massive extinction of white-head eagles in Macedonia

The Macedonian rare avian species - white-head eagle - is in grave danger of total extinction, after 16 dead birds have been found Wednesday and Thursday in Mariovo region.

The members of the hunting society "Kajmakchalan" had found ten dead birds yesterday, while the organizations working for protection of these rare birds found another six today, Makfax's correspondent reported.

The latest massive deaths cut the number of this species by a half, as the latest survey showed that as many as 40 of white-head eagles existed in Macedonia.

It is believed that the found vultures have been killed by a poison used by the live-stock
breeders for predatory wild animals.

Bitola Police, as well as the Environment Ministry and the Macedonian Environment Association have dispatched teams at the site for inspection.

Dimce Rolevski, coordinator of the project for vultures protection with the Environment Ministry, said that the cause of deaths will be determined by DNA analysis.

Bombs found at old iron depot

Artillery grenades, warplane bomb and ammunition intended for non-live fire exercise ended up as old iron at a depot in Bitola.

Teams of Protection & Rescue Directorate were dispatched today at Ipce depot in Bitola. They picked up a warplane bomb, a 110-milimterer artillery grenade, two 75-milimterer artillery grenades, a 62-milimterer mortar-grenade and 104 exercise bullets for hand launcher.

Grenades and the bomb, stemming from the World War I, had been brought to the depot as old iron.

Bomb technician Kostadin Popovski said the bomb, grenades and the ammunition were deactivated and removed from the depot.

As of early 2007, around 200 unexploded devices, stemming from the World War I and the World War II, have been discovered in Bitola's area. All explosive devices will be destroyed next week.

Gazprom enters Macedonia

The Russian oil giant Gazprom comes onto the Macedonian market, the Macedonian Vecer newspaper writes.
The Russian company will be included in the implementation of the contract between the Macedonian and Russian governments on paying Russian clearing debt to Macedonia. According to the contract, which is due to be signed soon, the Russian party has to participate in the construction of four gas pipe projects in the country. Gazprom will join the projects as a partner, officials from the Russian embassy in Skopje and state officials confirmed for the Vecer.

USAID, Macedonia sign project on renovation of 100 primary schools

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Macedonia signed a Memorandum of Understanding, which aims to upgrade the primary education.

Through a Memorandum of Understanding signed today by Patricia Rader, the USAID Mission Director, and Sulejman Rushiti, Macedonia’s Minister of Education and Science, the American people pledged to provide funds to the Ministry to upgrade primary education in Macedonia.

"USAID is committed to quality education for Macedonia’s future," said Patricia Rader, USAID Mission Director.

USAID’s five year Primary Education Project plans to provide a portion of the funding for the renovation of up to 100 primary schools to increase their energy efficiency; improve the use and maintenance of computers; improve the teaching of mathematics and science; and improve school-based assessment.

The project also supports the decentralization process, as primary education increasingly becomes the responsibility of municipalities.

The Ministry of Education and Science has committed to provide up to $600,000 to renovate schools; adopt a strategic maintenance and sustainability plan to maintain computers; and collaboratively carry out on-going math and science training for teachers.

"Last month, our project team visited eight cities in Macedonia to introduce USAID’s Primary Education Project to municipalities and schools and listen to the views of School Directors and Mayors about the needs of Macedonia’s primary schools.” said Keith Prenton, Chief of Party of USAID’s Primary Education Project, "The signing of this Memorandum demonstrates our partnership with the Ministry of Education and Science."

Macedonia sends letter of protests to CE for inappropriate naming of state

Macedonian representatives in the Council of Europe (CE) send a letter of protest to the Secretary General Terry Davis for inappropriate naming of the state in the documents issued by the Council.

The reaction was prompted by entering "citizen of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia", instead of "Macedonian" in the citizenship section of documents called "passports" issued by CE.

"That was the reason to give back the 'passport' that was issued to me", deputy Blagoj Zashov told Deutsche Welle Radio.

The same source said that all six Macedonian MPs signed the letter of protest.

"The Ministry supports the parliamentary democracy, including the Mission in Strasbourg, and stands ready to voice an adequate response if it is established that inappropriate naming was used in the documents", Macedonian Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Shpresa Jusufi told Makfax Agency.

Several years ago, Walter Schwimmer - CE Secretary General at the time, issued instruction for not using the adjective "Macedonian", which is in collision with CE standards.

"We demand from the incumbent Secretary General to withdraw this instruction, if it is still in force. He does not deny its existence, but the attitude of the Secretariat's officers suggests that at least the spirit of this instruction is still lingering on", Zashov told Deutsche Welle Radio.

Macedonia readies to send protest note to Carla Del Ponte

Macedonia will hand over a note of protest if The Hague Tribunal's prosecution, led by chief prosecutor Carla Del Ponte, used the term "Macedonian speaking Slavic majority", government's spokesman said.

At today's press conference in Skopje, government's spokesman Ivica Bocevski commented the reports that the insulting term had been allegedly used at the launch of the trial of Ljube Boskoski and Johan Tarculovski in The Hague Tribunal.

Bocevski said the Macedonian foreign ministry took all necessary activities to check the transcript of the opening statement by tribunal's prosecution.

If we establish authenticity of the term used "Macedonian speaking Slavic Majority", Macedonian embassy in The Hague will hand over a note of protest to tribunal's prosecution, Bocevski said.

He added that the Macedonian government won't comment the indictment against two Macedonian citizens Ljube Boskoski and Johan Tarculovski, which was read out last Monday.

Macedonia is not Bosnia: Interview with Edward Joseph

This interview was conducted in 2000 with Edward Joseph, then head of the Macedonia office of the International Crisis Group (ICG). It proved prescient and is as actual today as it had been then. Ed Joseph's biography is a fair proxy to the history of the Balkan since 1992, the year he landed in Sarajevo, then the beseiged capital of crumbling Bonia-Herzegovina. He was in all the flashpoints ever since: Knin, Mostar, Bihac, Tuzla, Zepa (where he oversaw the evacuation together with the infamous General Ratko Mladic). He held senior positions in the UN, NATO, and OSCE. In 1999, during the Kosovo war working with Catholic Relief Services, he was the camp commander of the most media hyped refugee camp in the world, Stenkovec-1 in Macedonia. He then became the Deputy Administrator of the hotly disputed Mitrovica area in Kosovo. In between these two assignments, he was an advisor to the arbitration panel for the hotly disputed town of Brcko, Bosnia-Herzegovina. He is also a visiting scholar with Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

Q: Albanians and Bosniaks are lumped together as troublemaking Moslems by the media in many countries in the Balkan. Is there a "Moslem instability factor"?

A: The Moslems in Bosnia are different from the Albanians in Kosovo. The former largely refrained from exacting revenge following the end of the hostilities either toward Serbs or Croats.

Q: Macedonia was also often heralded as proof that inter-ethnic, peaceful, and tolerant co-existence is possible...

A: As far as Macedonia is concerned, Bosnia is a frightening precedent. In Bosnia, there were ethnic inter-marriages, close interaction, a common sense of being from "Bosnia" or "Herzegovina", economic ties - and then, suddenly, a bitter, prolonged war. When the war broke out, neighbours identified each other in the warring parties and shouted, for example: "Dejan, why are you shooting at us?"

In Macedonia, people should consider carefully if they even begin with the same degree of multiethnic understanding as in Bosnia. Further, they should understand that war has its own polarizing dynamic. As soon as there are any casualities or refugees, people become self-righteous and self-justifying. They tend to use stereotypes of "the other" and only consider their own victimization. And war quickly creates manifold opportunities for criminals, acting under the cover of "national patriotism", to exploit.

Q: So, you are hearing distant echoes of Bosnia and Kosovo in Macedonia today?

A: Yes, I do. The tendency toward collective blame of "the other" is disturbingly reminiscent. There are stories of discrimination, self-righteousness, stereotypes, ludicrous characterizations. This is dangerous. I saw a window that was smashed by a rock in an Albanian bar here in Skopje after three Macedonian policemen were killed. And there is self-justifying rhetoric on both sides. The essential question, though, is the same as in Croatia, Bosnia, and Kosovo, "where do inequities end and national aspirations begin?" "Is it a struggle for national rights or national secession?" Of course there are important differences with the other wars - the fact that the Serbs inherited the JNA's stock of heavy weapons and the spectre of NATO intervention were major factors influencing the conduct of the fighting these past 10 years. This doesn't make the situation any more stable, however.

Q: Isn't this a vindication of the "ancient ethnic hatreds" theory?

A: I reject this. Yes, in Bosnian villages especially there were some examples of long-standing "blood and vengance", and Tito's Yugoslavia left every nation with some imagined or real grievance. But overall the tradition of interaction and co-existence were predominant. And we forget that some of the "warring factions", as we used to call them in Bosnia, had little history of outright fueding. Why did the Croats attack the Moslems in Bosnia? They were not traditional enemies. And in Bihac more Moslems were killed by Moslems than by any other ethnic group.

Q: Lately, the Croats in Bosnia have declared their own, autonomous mini-state and Croat soldiers and policemen deserted in droves to join a new Croat army (the First Guard Corps). Are the Dayton Accords unravelling?

A: No, they are not, although we should rethink the Dayton assymetry of dividing Bosnia into a largely autonomous Republika Srpska and a more inter-dependent Federation. Aside from that fundamental issue, we all know what it takes to achieve multiethnic coexistence: It requires political change, democracy, the rule of law, return of refugees, economic growth, and most of all, international fortitude. The problem is that no one of these is a panacea. We tend to focus on a "flavor of the month", trade, for example, believing that it will solve all the problems ... forgetting that the "warring factions" traded with each other throughout the war. As for the Croats, this is truly a defining moment for Bosnia. Observers have been speaking for years about going after the "power structures" of the nationalist regimes (HDZ, SDA, and SDS). And now, in Herzegovina, we finally have crossed the last barrier and presented the HDZ leadership with a mortal threat. Having done this, we blink at our peril.

Q: Who is going to do all this? The Bush administration has just withdrawn 800 soldiers from Bosnia and is looking more and more isolationist.

A: People of the Balkans, ever obsessed with conspiracy theories, tend to overlook the most enduring truth of US policy toward the region: its perceived lack of strategic importance. At the same time, they ignore that America's commitment - however reluctant in its formation - remains. No one is willing to accept the consequences - on NATO, on US-European relations, or even in plain human terms - of another catastrophe. In the case of Macedonia, with the potential for wider instability, the stakes are even higher. The consequences of failure in Macedonia are even more momentous than in Bosnia because of the potential for intra-NATO conflict between Greece and Turkey (both NATO members - SV).

Q: This was also a major reason for containing the Kosovo conflict, even militarily, as NATO did. Can Macedonia ever be cast by the West in the role of Milosevic, who suppressed "his" Albanians in Kosovo?

A: The Yugoslav secession wars evolved into a "war against Milosevic". Indeed, one of the many tragedies spawned by Milosevic was that he, deliberately I believe, killed the chances that legitimate Serb grievances would ever get a fair hearing in the West. While Macedonian police tactics leave a lot to be desired, there is no way to compare the Macedonian government to the Milosevic regime.

Q: But now the Serbs are back (albeit only into the narrow security zone bordering on Kosovo). Was "Operation Allied Force" for naught, a futile exercise?

A: This is an over-simplification. Serbs were allowed into a limited region on sufferance of NATO, subject to strict conditions and under strict limitations. Their posture is different, they are not brutalizing the population now. Their return actually proves that the Milosevic tactics were unnecessary. Despite the restraint of the Serb forces, much of the area they are in is pacified. It is another example of how brutality is not necessary, how it only breeds resistance. When repression results in expulsions and ethnic flight, the situation takes on a self-propelling dynamic. The newly displaced become cause for expulsion and discrimination. And even after the war is over and people return to their homes, as in Kosovo, there is an enormous disturbance to the pre-existing social make-up. Villagers flock to the cities making minorities even more afraid and vulnerable. War ruins the social fabric. People feel disorientated and alienated. In the post-Milosevic era throughout the region, it is extremism - not any politician or people - that is our common enemy. We must fight it - not each other. Sam Vaknin ( http://samvak.tripod.com ) is the author of Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited and After the Rain - How the West Lost the East. He served as a columnist for Global Politician, Central Europe Review, PopMatters, Bellaonline, and eBookWeb, a United Press International (UPI) Senior Business Correspondent, and the editor of mental health and Central East Europe categories in The Open Directory and Suite101.

First appearance of the trial against Boskoski and Tarculovski ended

The first appearance of the trial against Ljube Boskoski and Johan Tarculovski ended Monday at the Hague Tribunal. As it was agreed at the pre-trial conference on April 12, the Prosecution presented the opening statements and the trial is adjourned and will resume on Monday 7 May 2007 aimed at carrying out all necessary preparations for conducting efficient trial.

The Prosecution Monday presented the indictment against Boskoski and Tarculovski for violation of laws or customs of war in relation to Ljuboten case. Boskoski is charged with "commanding responsibility" i.e. as Minister of Interior approved Tarculovski to form and led police unit which conducted the action in Ljuboten in August 2001 where seven citizens of Albanian nationality were killed.

The Prosecution before the Trial Chamber reconstructed the events in Ljuboten, which happened from 10th to 12th of August 2001. According to the prosecutors, the goal of the police action was to conduct illegal attack on civilians and civilian houses in the village of Ljuboten, which was not justified by military necessity.

The Prosecution considered that Ljube Boskoski is responsible for the criminal acts of his subordinates if he knew or had reason to know that his subordinates were about to commit such acts or had done so, and the superior failed to take necessary and reasonable measures to prevent such acts or to punish the perpetrators. Ljube Boskoski in his capacity as Minister of Interior exercised de jure and de facto command and control over the police forces that participated in the crimes alleged in this indictment.

Johan Tarculovski is also individually criminally responsible for ordering, planning and instigating the crimes charged in the indictment by virtue of his participation in the attack on Ljuboten. He directly intended that these crimes be committed or at least he had the awareness of the substantial likelihood that the crimes would be committed in the execution of his orders, plans and instigation.

Representative of the Prosecution at the opening statement pointed out that in 2001 a conflict erupted between the government of Macedonia, Army of the Republic of Macedonia and police on one side and NLA on the other. NLA assumed control over 20% of the territory of Macedonia. The conflict ended on August 13 when Framework Agreement was signed which preceded the disarmament and disbanding of NLA and acceptance of constitutional amendments for promotion of the rights of the Albanian minority. Macedonian Army consisted of 10.000 soldiers and 20.000 reservists, 100 tanks, guns, armour vehicles, helicopters, planes which were deployed in crisis regions. Interior Ministry consisted of 9.750 members and acted together with the army. Also police reservists around of 10.100 members were mobilised. Police forces were under effective control of Ljube Boskoski as Minister of Internal Affairs, representative of the Prosecution explained.

NLA, which opposed the Macedonian security forces according to the Prosecution, had the basis in Kosovo, Macedonia and Western Europe. - NLA consisted of 6.000 armed members and unarmed reservists. It was composed of four components, supreme command, general staff, armed members, and external organisation for political activities and collection of resources. The most famous representatives were Ali Ahmeti, Gzim Ostreni, Fazli Veliu. NLA acted as armed force with command structures. It had infantry weapons, antitank mines, mortars and other weapons. It was not conventional army but it had all elements of armed force. It issued communiqués and had contacts with political representatives of the Albanians, who participated at the developments of the Framework Agreement, the representative of the Prosecution underlined.

The NLA attacked Macedonian police stations and police patrols, planted mines, and engaged units of the Macedonian army. As the conflict spread out from the areas bordering on Kosovo towards Tetovo and Skopje, the NLA established control over a number of villages. In May another front in Kumanovo opened. NLA expanded the conflict to only 10 kilometres from Skopje and controlled the village of Aracinovo. The fight was waged in Tetovo as well.

Sixty-nine members of the Macedonian security forces were killed, 16 civilians and 211 Macedonian Army members were injured. Large material damage was caused, the losses for economy were estimated at a half a billion Euro, 86.000 people were displaced, 80.000 left Macedonia, over 40 religious facilities were damaged, the representative of the Hague Prosecution said.

Also photographs of the armed clashes during the conflict were presented before the Trial Chamber.

Ljube Boskovski was extradited from Zagreb on March 24 2005. Boskovski until his departure to Hague, was detained for several months in pretrial confinement in Pula, Croatia. The Croatian police arrested him upon the request of the Macedonian authorities since he was charged considering the Rastanski Lozja case. The primary Court Skopje 2 and the Appellate Court have acquitted him from the charges. The Macedonian Justice Ministry announced to withdraw the case from Croatia.

Tarculovski was extradited on March 16 2005.

Both had pleaded not guilty on all charges at the first hearing before the Judicial Council of the Hague Tribunal.

Hague judges rejected twice Boskovski and Traculovski lawyers' request to defend themselves while on bail, even though the Macedonian Government provided guarantees for their availability to the Tribunal at any time.

Hague investigators in 2002 began an inquiry on five cases related to the 2001 conflict. Only one formal procedure regarding the Ljuboten case was brought before the Hague Tribunal.

The remaining four cases which were an interest of investigation - closing of the Lipkovo dam, abusing construction workers, the mass grave in Neprosteno and NLA high commanders - are to be returned to Macedonian authorities.