[ALBSA-Info] Russia worried by Kosovo-Macedonia border clash

[Gazhebo at aol.com]

Russia worried by Kosovo-Macedonia border clash

  
MOSCOW, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Russia said on Tuesday it was worried by a clash 
between gunmen in Kosovo and Macedonian security forces and accused Albanian 
extremists of trying to destabilise the region. 

Macedonian army and police exchanged fire with gunmen shooting from ethnic 
Albanian-dominated Kosovo on Monday. The clash was north of Skopje in a 
largely Albanian area and came after other recent violent incidents in and 
around Kosovo. 

"The actions of the gunmen are aimed at provoking a crisis situation and 
destabilising the internal political situation in this country (Macedonia)," 
said the Russian Foreign Ministry. 

It said in a statement that clashes such as that which took place on Monday 
were part of ethnic Albanian nationalist plans. 

"The continuation of such a situation threatens the security and stability of 
the whole region," the ministry added. 

"Russia believes an effective hurdle to extremists' actions would be a 
confirmation by the international community of the territorial integrity and 
sovereignty of all the states of the region in question," it said. 

Russia, long linked to Serbia by ethnic and religious ties, has worked with 
NATO in providing peacekeeping troops for Kosovo but has often criticised 
what it sees as the West's lenient attitude to Albanian nationalists. It has 
also called for greater steps to protect the remaining Serbs in the region.