[ALBSA-Info] The creation of a collective conciousness –Kathimerini

[Gazhebo at aol.com]

The creation of a collective conciousness

Former President Kiro Gligorov accuses the FYROM government of negligence, 
NATO of reticence and the Albanians of intemperate nationalism

By Stavros Tzimas
Kathimerini

SKOPJE: From the eighth floor of an apartment block in the largest shopping 
center of Skopje, ex-President Kiro Gligorov follows the dramatic 
developments in FYROM and writes his memoirs. The state which the experienced 
politician founded in 1991 and successfully led until last year, has now run 
into a major storm. Gligorov is worried, but what can he do, now that he is 
out of the political game? The thoughts and concerns he expressed in an 
interview with Kathimerini are of great interest, since the Slav-Macedonian 
leader is one of the most important political figures in the Balkans.

During the Yugoslav wars I asked you if you were afraid for the integrity of 
your state and you told me then that there was no such risk. But now the 
foundations of the house that you yourself built are creaking.

In this particular case it is a question of a small portion of FYROM's 
territory. It is our right and obligation as a state to drive out the 
terrorists, otherwise the consequences may be extremely serious. In my view 
the government was negligent in that respect. Very many people in NATO, the 
EU, OSCE and a number of states, starting with the US, Germany and France, 
thought that if we responded with war measures it would lead to a broader 
insurrection by the Albanians.
But we saw no willingness on the part of NATO or the EU or KFOR in Kosovo to 
take measures to neutralize the ugly situation which was created in Macedonia.

The conviction of the official heads of our state that the invaders would be 
politically isolated with the help of all the above did not produce the 
desired results. The fear that we would have a general uprising proved 
groundless. The population of Tetovo and the border villages did not rise up 
and side with the terrorists.

They want a dual state

I remind you that in Tetovo 5,000 Albanians shouted pro-NLA slogans, 
demonstrating their support for the armed extremists, whom they called heroes 
of the Albanian people, and condemning "Macedonian terrorism."

This is a matter for discussion. Macedonia applies a policy which respects 
all the minority rights provided for in international conventions. What the 
armed bands and others are asking for now is something else.

They are demanding that the Albanian minority be regarded as a co-equal 
people and that we have a state of two ethnic groups, the Macedonians and the 
Albanians. That the Albanian language be introduced to all of Macedonia as 
the second official language. But this is not a demand that has to do with 
respect for minority rights. The Albanians want to introduce a new system 
into Macedonia. That is why they say they are not a minority in the territory 
where they live, but that it is their own national territory. And we ask 
them, since you ask for such rights, what are we supposed to do with the ot
her minorities, the Serbs, the Vlachs, the Turks, the Roma and so on. 
Shouldn't they ask for the same?

It isn't exactly the same. The Albanians comprise 30 percent, maybe 40 
percent of the population, while the Serbs, for instance, are not more than 
three percent. Is it so bad, after all, to give them constitutional equality?

If this demand were met, then the state would not be the Republic of 
Macedonia, but a dual state. All decisions would have to be made on the basis 
of general agreement. Not one law would be passed if these two groups, the 
Macedonians and the Albanians, could not agree. We would end up with a system 
where decisions are not made by the majority, but which is subject to the 
veto of each. The state cannot function that way. I don't know of any state 
that has this system. 

How did things get to this stage? Did you make make mistakes as well?

Perhaps, but that was not decisive in this case. In my opinion, the basic 
problem is the creation of a collectivist consciousness. We started out from 
the principle of a civil society which obtains for every state in which 
individuals have rights, which must be the same. The Albanians start out with 
the view that they are an Albanian collective, and they demand rights for the 
whole group. Thus they ask for proportional representation on the basis of 
the population, and not as individuals, as citizens. This is impossible 
because that strikes at another principle, according to which anyone who 
wants to participate in a state organization must possess certain abilities, 
certain qualifications, and to demonstrate he has them. He might, for 
example, become the president of the state. But it is not right for him to 
rise through the agencies and organizations of the state solely because he is 
Albanian or Macedonian.

I have here some statistics which the Albanians cite, according to which in 
1994-95 at the universities of Skopje and Monastiri there were 24,998 
Macedonian students and only 764 Albanians. Also, that in the army 50 percent 
of the simple infantrymen are Albanians, and they do fatigue duty. Only 63 of 
them are junior officers and none of them officers. Are they wrong, then, to 
complain that you are not doing them justice?

First of all, it isn't quite like that, that there are no Albanian officers. 
The Albanians have a member on the General Staff. The commanding officers of 
various units and departments are Albanians. Albanian soldiers have their own 
cuisine for their own manners and customs. They have the right to carry out 
their religious duties freely and any other rights concerning their identity. 
Efforts are also being made to increase their participation in the state 
mechanism. For instance, until recently our ambassador to Paris, Copenhagen 
and Zurich was an Albanian. So, we do not have any desire to discriminate 
against them.

The situation is dangerous. Are you afraid there will be a war?

I can't say at the moment that there is a danger of war. From the experience 
of Kosovo and then of southern Serbia we had to expect something like this 
here. The police proved incapable and it was a mistake not to have used the 
army at the outset, with a reasonable use of firepower. It had to happen, 
because the terrorists have heavy weaponry.

Nationalism

I expect you would agree that recent events have brought about a split 
between the two ethnic communities.

We can't say that there were no disagreements before this. The state has done 
a lot. No government for 10 years has been without Albanians. They were also 
given the right to create ethnic political parties. From nursery school to 
primary and junior high school they have special classes in the Albanian 
language with their own teachers and a lot more besides. After all, we have 
to live together; there is no other way. Macedonia was and is a multiethnic 
country. We must fight together against Albanian and Macedonian nationalism. 
I don't claim that there are no such tendencies among the Macedonians. Nor do 
I believe we will be driven to civil war. If there were such a danger, it 
would have become apparent by now.

Since you mention nationalism, many people criticize the West for having 
raised the monster of Albanian nationalism, which they are now trying to keep 
in check.

It is true that they did not censure Albanian nationalism sufficiently, they 
tolerated it, perhaps because of the unacceptable things Milosevic did in 
Kosovo. I don't think they support them now as they did previously. The 
events in southern Serbia, what is going on in Macedonia, have had 
repercussions in the West. The Albanians want to show the international 
community that the Albanian problem has not been solved. Anyone you ask will 
tell you it is good for all the Albanians to be in one country. This is the 
same policy that Milosevic himself employed, namely having all the Serbs in 
one greater Serbia. But this is extremely dangerous for the stability of the 
Balkans.

The intention Bulgaria expressed of sending troops to your country surprised 
many people, and horrified many more, who suspected the revival of historic 
ambitions and plots. What is your comment?

We had no need of Bulgarian military assistance. If our army is not able to 
deal with these terrorists, then our state has a big problem. But I believe 
it can. As for Greece, we have very good relations. Its stance, the 
maintenance of the sovereign territorial integrity of Macedonia, is of the 
greatest importance to me.