[ALBSA-Info] Today's Articles on Albanian Issues, August 22, 2001

[National Albanian American Council - NAAC]

National Albanian American Council
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Email: naac at naac.org
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For Your Information
August 22, 2001

NEW YORK TIMES
Deployment of Troops to Macedonia Approved by NATO
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BRUSSELS, Belgium-- NATO authorized the deployment of 3,500 allied troops to Macedonia, hoping the mission to collect and destroy rebel arms will nudge Macedonians and ethnic Albanians along the road to reconciliation.
An advance party of 400 troops has been in place since the weekend, following an earlier decision by NATO's ruling council. Wednesday's authorization means the main body of troops can be underway within 48 hours. The full deployment, including several hundred U.S. troops focusing on limited logistical duties, is expected within 10 days to two weeks.
Once the entire force is in Macedonia, the clock will start ticking on NATO's self-imposed 30-day time limit for the mission.
Macedonia's government welcomed NATO's decision on Wednesday and pledged its cooperation.
``We have big expectations from NATO's mission,'' said Stevo Pendarovski, an adviser to Macedonian President Boris Trajkovksi.
An ethnic Albanian rebel spokesman known as Besniku also cautiously welcomed the decision, ``provided that NATO will be evenhanded with both sides.''
``If not, we still have arms in our hands -- and more importantly, we have the will of the Albanian people to go until the end in order to gain their rights,'' he said.
The rebels took up arms six months ago, claiming they wanted more rights for the ethnic Albanian minority. NATO moves in under a peace accord signed last week by the country's ethnic Albanian and Macedonian leaders.
On Tuesday, the North Atlantic Council -- made up of ambassadors from NATO's 19 member nations -- authorized Gen. Joseph Ralston, supreme allied commander in Europe, to launch the full mission. But they gave members until noon Wednesday to object.
None did, and when the deadline passed the authorization was automatic.
Ralston will carry out the deployment, to be led by Britain, with about 1,800 troops, and another 1,700 drawn from 10 other European nations and the United States.
The Bush administration has made no secret of its desire to disengage from the Balkans, although it has promised not to make any dramatic troop reductions without consulting with its European allies. U.S. troops in Macedonia will likely play a behind-the-scenes role, such as monitoring unmanned reconnaissance flights, rather than collecting weapons
Roughly 9,000 Americans remain on patrol in Europe's most volatile region -- 500 in Macedonia, 5,000 in Kosovo and 3,500 in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Ralston, who is an American Air Force general, and NATO Secretary-General Lord Robertson assured the council that all the alliance's preconditions for deployment have been met, one diplomat said, speaking on condition he not be identified.
Ralston stressed that while nobody could promise the current cease-fire would hold, the risk of waiting was greater than the risk of moving quickly, diplomats and officials said.
Although violence has subsided since the cease-fire, an explosion early Tuesday rocked Sveti Atanasi Orthodox church in the town of Lesok, about five miles from Tetovo, Macedonia's second-largest city. Government officials blamed the rebels, who denied responsibility.
The Macedonian government claimed Wednesday that ethnic Albanian insurgents have an arsenal vastly greater than previously estimated, adding potential complications to NATO's arms-collection mission.
The Interior Ministry, which controls the police forces, said the rebels have 10 times more firepower than previously believed -- about 85,000 weapons, not counting individual rounds of ammunition. The rebels say they have only 2,000 weapons.
``There's been no decision or agreement'' on how many rebel arms will be collected, said Maj. Barry Johnson, a NATO spokesman. ``The figure must be agreed by all sides involved.''
The NATO mission, known as Operation Essential Harvest, will deploy troops to several locations. Headquarters will be near Skopje. One battalion will be northwest of Skopje and others will be at Petrovec Airport, Kumanovo and Krivolak.
Several sites will be established for collecting weapons. Locations probably will change frequently. Most of the weapons will be transported to a central point, from which they will be taken to Greece and destroyed.

RADIO FREE EUROPE / RADIO LIBERTY
MACEDONIAN AUTHORITIES RESPONSIBLE FOR UCK'S PROPAGANDA WINDFALL? 
"The Guardian" wrote on 21 August that "Skopje's bullying" of Western diplomats and journalists in recent weeks has given the UCK a "public relations coup." The daily suggested that Interior Minister Ljube Boskovski recently showed his opposition to the political settlement by "raging" against the UCK's political leader, Ali Ahmeti, when Ahmeti gave a press conference to announce that the UCK will disarm (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 20 August 2001). The government tried to force the cancellation of Ahmeti's press conference. An unnamed "Western official" told the government: "I hope you are not about to send a helicopter gunship up to Sipkovica [where the press conference was]. This [press conference] was bound to happen, and as long as [Ahmeti] is supportive of the agreement, [his conference] is actually helpful." The daily noted that the Macedonian side has frequently tried to intimidate Western journalists and officials, "draining sympathy for the counterinsurgency, which was initially viewed as a justified crackdown against terrorists." Now, "Western journalists are more likely to report from Albanian areas, where they are welcomed." PM 
PRESEVO ALBANIANS: NO CHANGE SINCE MILOSEVIC 
Several leaders of ethnic Albanian political parties in the Presevo valley and in Kosova told Deutsche Welle's Albanian Service on 20 August that NATO was too hasty in allowing Serbian forces to reoccupy the demilitarized zone along Serbia's border with Kosova, Deutsche Welle's "Monitor" reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 17 August 2001). Behlul Nasufi, the vice president of Presevo's Party for Democratic Activity (PVD), said that the Serbian and Yugoslav authorities proved very diligent in arranging for their forces to return to the zone, but have done nothing to help the region's ethnic Albanians. He added that "nothing has changed" for the Albanians since the collapse of former President Slobodan Milosevic's regime. PM 

RADIO 21
Ilir Meta, the 31 year old, to head Albanian Government for 2nd time in succession
Ilir Meta, the 31-year old socialist, on Monday was elected candidate for Premier of Albania for the second time in succession. Meta, born in 1969 in Skrapar, has been involved in the political life of the country in the beginning of the '90ies, where he became part of the Students Movement leadership which brought about the collapse of the 50 year long communist regime. He has been member of the Socialist Party General Steering Committee since 1992, while from 1995 up to 2000 he has been chairman of the Euro-Socialist Youth Forum of Albania. Member of the Socialist Youth International Ilir Meta has been vice/chairman of SP during 1993-1996 period. Meta was elected deputy for the first time in '92 winning also the regular elections in '96, '97, '01 respectively. In 1996-1997 he was vice/chairman of the Parliamentary Commission for Foreign Affairs. Ilir Meta was elected the 31st Prime Minister of Albania on October 29, 1999. Before being appointed to this office he was deputy/Premier. Ilir Meta has been also State Secretary for Integration in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ilir Meta, is married and has two children. He was graduated from the University of Tirana, Faculty of Economy, Politic Economy branch. The candidate for Prime Minister, Ilir Meta, will be voted by the newly-elected Parliament of Albania.
Namik Dokle, member of Parliament since '90, elected candidate for Parliament Speaker
Namik Dokle, member of all legislations of Albanian Parliament after the 90's, was elected by Socialist Party as the main candidate for Speaker of Parliament of Albania. Dokle, 55, one of the principal authorities of SP, was born in 1946 in Durres. He was graduated in 1970 from the Agricultural Institute of Kamza, Agrarian Economy branch and in 1968-1970 attended studies in journalism. In 1970 he began to work as journalist in "Puna" (Labor) newsletter, leading this paper from 1983 to 1989. In 1991 he worked as editor in chief of "Zeri i Popullit", newspaper of the Socialist Party. Dokle, commenced politic activity in 1991, when he was elected member of Socialist Party chairmanship. Since 1992, he represents Parliament of Albania in the Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe. Dokle led the SP Parliamentary Group in the Legislation of 1992-1997, while during 1996-1997 he held the office of SP Organization Secretary. In the last legislation of Parliament of Albania, in 1997-2001, he was vice/chairman of Parliament of Albania. Namik Dokle, the candidate running for Speaker of Parliament of Albania is the deputy of Cerrik town.
Interim Administrative Council dissatisfied with progress of voter registration
Interim Administrative Council (IAC) representatives said Tuesday that the voter registration process was moving very slowly, and no double mandates will be permitted for deputies elected to assembly in the November general election. U.N. chief administrator Hans Haekkerup also expressed his concern about voter registration at a news conference. "We hope to get a response from Belgrade for Kosova Serbs to register," he said. Head of the Democratic League of Kosova (LDK) Ibrahim Rugova called upon the people of Kosova to register and complete their "civil duty," in order for the elections to be successful. At Tuesday's IAC meeting, it was also decided that members of the new Kosova assembly would not be permitted to hold two mandates. "A member of a municipal assembly can be a candidate for the Kosova-wide assembly, but if elected, they will give up their place on the municipal assembly, said Haekkerup. "This is a compromise solution, which is also in accordance with parliamentary regulations," said Arsim Bajrami, deputy head of the Democratic Party of Kosova (PDK). However, Bajrami expressed concern about how current power holders will use their positions during the campaign. Alliance for the Future of Kosova (AAK) representative Bajram Kosumi asked the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to require that municipal assembly representatives who run for the Kosova's assembly resign from their municipal positions before, and not after, the elections are held. The OSCE is responsible for elections in Kosova. Mr. Haekkerup and KFOR commander Lt. Gen. Thorstein Skiaker met with Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Nebojsa Covic last week. Albanian representatives have taken the position that "Belgrade can get interested and help Kosova Serbs to integrate into Kosovar society, but Belgrade cannot interfere in Kosova's affairs." According to Rugova, UNMIK's stand is the same as that of the Albanians. Bajrami said the IAC wants Haekkerup to voice his opposition to the current Serb tendency to establish parallel institutions in many fields, when he next meets with Covic. "We have information that UNMIK is talking with the Serbian government specifically about a project that would grant Serbs parallel institutions in education, especially higher education," Bajrami said. He demanded that UNMIK put pressure on the Serb minority to integrate into the political life of Kosova. Bajrami has also called for a detailed report on the use of violence against protestors by the police in Prizren, where several civilians were injured in demonstrations. "People in Kosova should learn to respect the decision taken by the institutions. Naturally, they also have the right to protest in a peaceful way against a decision taken by the institutions. However, when violence is used by the protestors, it is also the right of the institutions and police to protect [those] decisions," said Rugova. COMKFOR Skiaker has updated IAC members on the security situation, assessing a positive trend with fewer incidents.
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