[ALBSA-Info] Neighbors offer support to FYROM

[Gazhebo at aol.com]

Neighbors offer support to FYROM
Encouraged by unequivocal stance of international community, Skopje strikes 
back at separatists

Inspired by the strong support coming from the international community, the 
government of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia yesterday sent 
troops, armored personnel carriers and tanks into the hills surrounding 
Tetovo in its boldest action to quell separatist Albanians since their 
insurgency began earlier this month. 

At the same time, in a way not seen since the outbreak of NATO's war on 
Yugoslavia over Kosovo two years ago (which raised fears that the 
conflagration could spread) the Balkan countries hastened to ensure each 
other that all were working for the stability of the region. Even the 
Albanian government condemned its ethnic kin in FYROM and expressed support 
for the country's territorial integrity.

In comments after attending the annual March 25 independence day parade in 
Athens, where some of Greece's sophisticated weaponry was on display, Prime 
Minister Costas Simitis said, "The Greek armed forces are a force of peace, 
and the EU summit in Stockholm yesterday and the day before showed that the 
members of the EU but also the whole world expects Greece to guarantee 
cooperation and peace in the region. This is what we have done and will 
continue to do, effectively as always." Athens has provided Skopje with 
armored personnel carriers and, reports said, two military transport 
helicopters.

Greece was instrumental in having FYROM President Boris Trajkovski invited to 
Stockholm where he met with EU leaders before the EU issued a statement 
strongly supportive of Greece's small northern neighbor. Simitis met 
privately with Trajkovski in Stockholm. At the end of the summit on Saturday, 
he told reporters that Greece's and the EU's positions on the issue were the 
same. 

"We support the territorial integrity, the security, the sovereignty and the 
inviolability of FYROM's borders," Simitis said. "We condemn - we all condemn 
- the acts of violence and terrorism on the part of some Albanian groups and 
we recognize that these actions undermine the country's stability and create 
conditions for the violence to spread. We are opposed to the logic of faits 
accomplis. We are opposed to extremist nationalism and irredentism."

But Simitis expressed support for FYROM's moderate Albanians and said that 
the ethnic Albanian community could be given support, such as opening an 
Albanian-language university in Tetovo. "When I visited Skopje a few months 
ago I had said that Greece is willing to provide some funds for this 
university to function," he said. 

Simitis said that the EU and the United States had shown such a firm stand 
"that there is no room for anyone who would like to achieve changes... and so 
this situation will return to normal, sooner or later."

Simitis has been in contact with his Bulgarian counterpart, Ivan Kostov, 
since the FYROM crisis began, as well as the leadership in Skopje. On Friday, 
Kostov said that the two were urging all parties in FYROM's Parliament to 
start talks on a political solution to the problem. On Thursday, Greek 
Defense Minister Akis Tsochadzopoulos called on Ankara, saying that the 
region's peoples depended on Greece and Turkey to help stabilize the region. 
Just as the Turkish and Greek earthquakes of 1999 had helped break the ice 
between the two nations, so should the current Balkan "earthquake" lead to 
stronger ties, Tsochadzopoulos argued. 

On Friday, Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit wrote to US President George 
W. Bush, NATO Secretary-General George Robertson and the prime ministers of 
FYROM, Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, Yugoslavia and Greece. He condemned the 
separatists and called on the international community to "act with 
determination to overcome as soon as possible this crisis which can have 
negative effects on the security and stability of the region." 

On Saturday, Tsochadzopoulos paid a quick visit to Plovdiv, Bulgaria, for 
talks with his Bulgarian counterpart, Boiko Noev, to discuss the developments 
in FYROM and preparations for a meeting of Balkan defense ministers in Skopje 
on April 5. 

Balkan peace force to debut?

Greece has suggested that the nascent southeastern European military force 
aimed at achieving stability in the region could be called on to help ease 
the tension in the Balkans. In a brief visit Saturday to the Bulgarian city 
of Plovdiv, the headquarters of the brigade, Defense Minister Akis 
Tsochadzopoulos suggested that an upcoming meeting of Balkan defense 
ministers, slated for Skopje on April 5, should also include the defense 
ministers of the United States and Italy, whose countries are part of the 
brigade. Other participants are Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, Albania, FYROM and 
Romania.

"Everyone must realize that we all have an obligation and the right to build 
a peaceful southeastern Europe that will be based on the principles of 
democracy and freedom," Tsochadzopoulos said after returning from Bulgaria. 
"There is the possibility of including the brigade in the Kosovo region, but 
there are other ideas as well," he said. The brigade has been ready 
operationally since the beginning of the year.