[ALBSA-Info] Human Rights of Displaced People

[Agron Alibali]

Greek Macedonians hold rally to protest at Greek
"discrimination" 

Source: Sitel TV, Skopje, in Macedonian 1700 gmt 23
Feb 01 


Text of report by Macedonian Sitel TV on 23 February 

[Announcer] Throughout the duration of the Balkan
summit, several hundred Macedonians from the Aegean
part of Greece held a peaceful protest rally in the
centre of Skopje to express their dissatisfaction with
the discriminatory attitude of the Republic of Greece
towards the Macedonian minority which still lives
there. They called on the Greek authorities to respect
the human rights of the Macedonians in Greece and
allow them to return to the homes they were forced to
leave some 50 years ago. 

Yesterday Greek Prime Minister Kostas Simitis,
following a meeting with Prime Minister Ljubco
Georgievski, announced a relaxation of the visa regime
for the citizens of Macedonia. 

[Unidentified reporter] Neither the rain, nor the bad
weather could prevent the Macedonians of the Aegean
part of Greece from gathering on the main square in
Skopje to protest against the official Greek policy
which for decades has refused to acknowledge the
existence of a Macedonian ethnic minority in Greece
and has been denying them basic human rights and
freedoms. 

[Unidentified protester] We would like to use this
opportunity to present our dissatisfaction with the
discrimination which Greece has been practising for
many years, with the aim of destroying us. Simply, as
a people and separate nationality, we are not
recognized in Greece, but I must also say that we are
not well represented by our authorities either. 

[Reporter] The associations of the Macedonian victims
of the mass exodus, which was forced by the Greek
authorities some 50 years ago, have asked to return to
their homes and enjoy the widely-accepted human
rights. 

[Protester] The main problem is the people, but also
our property, because the Madzirs from the Middle East
[Greek refugees from Turkey] were given refuge in our
homes and were given the villages to govern. 

[Reporter] Yesterday Greek Prime Minister Kostas
Simitis announced a relaxation of the visa regime
towards the Macedonian citizens, which is particularly
strict towards the Macedonians from Aegean Macedonia
[in Greece]. Today's protest rally was organized by
the Human Rights Forum of the Macedonians of Aegean
Macedonia and received the support of the associations
of Macedonians who were forced to leave for various
European states. These associations called on the
Macedonian authorities not the succumb to the Greek
pressure to change the [Macedonia's] constitutional
name and to build relations with the southern
neighbour in accordance with the principles of
equality and mutual respect for the cultural and
historical differences between the two peoples. At
today's protest rally the Macedonians of Aegean
Macedonia addressed a declaration to the international
associations and organizations, asking the Greek
authorities to abolish the inhuman and discriminatory
decision under which the Macedonians of Aegean
Macedonia had been denied entry to Greece only because
they were not Greek. 



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