From srinivasan at ssrc.org Tue Jul 17 14:45:09 2001 From: srinivasan at ssrc.org (srinivasan at ssrc.org) Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2001 14:45:09 -0400 Subject: [ALST-L] Fellowship announcement Message-ID: FUNDING FOR RESEARCH AND TRAINING ON ISSUES OF GLOBAL SECURITY AND COOPERATION The Global Security and Cooperation Program of the Social Science Research Council is pleased to announce 4 new funding opportunities for research and training on the underlying causes and conditions of conflict and insecurity. There are no citizenship or nationality requirements. Grants for Research Collaboration in Conflict Zones Applications are invited from teams of researchers working or living in a zone of widespread or intractable violent conflict for short research projects of up to 6 months in length. Each team must have a designated team leader with at least 3 years of professional experience. Maximum award:$12,000.Deadline: February 1,2002. Research Fellowships for Professionals Working in International Affairs Applications are invited from practitioners (NGO professionals, activists, journalists, lawyers etc.) to conduct a research and writing project for 8-18 months under the supervision of an academic mentor in a university or research institute. A significant piece of writing is expected as a result. Applicants should have 5-15 years of experience working in issues related to international security and cooperation. Maximum award:$38,000 per year. Deadline: December 1,2001. Postdoctoral Fellowships on Global Security and Cooperation Applications are invited from scholars holding PhDs or the equivalent for 8-18 months of support. The first half of the fellowship is to be spent working in a nongovernmental, international or multilateral organization outside the applicant's country of residence and involved in peace and security issues. The second half should be spent conducting a research project informed by that experience. Maximum award:$38,000 per year. Deadline: December 1,2001. Dissertation Fellowships on Global Security and Cooperation Applications are invited from students working towards the PhD or equivalent for a two-year fellowship. The first year must be spent working at a non-governmental, international or multilateral organization involved in peace and security issues outside the applicant's country of residence. The second year should be spent conducting a research project related to that experience. Maximum award:$19,000 per year. Deadline: December 1,2001. For more information and application forms please contact GSC at: THE SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH COUNCIL GLOBAL SECURITY & COOPERATION 810 SEVENTH AVENUE, NEW YORK, NY 10019 Email: gsc at ssrc.org Web: www.ssrc.org tel: 212.377.2700/ fax: 212.377.2727 From eqerem at gis.net Sun Jul 29 20:56:56 2001 From: eqerem at gis.net (Eqerem Mete) Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2001 20:56:56 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [ALST-L] Info: Qendrimi i Greqisė ndaj Pakicave Kombėtare* (nga Eqerem Mete**) Message-ID: <200107300056.f6U0uu603862@alb-net.com> Qendrimi i Greqis? ndaj Pakicave Komb?tare* nga Eqerem Mete** * Artikulli ?sht? botuar n? gazet?n shqiptare ?Albania? n? dhjetor 2000 Nga fillimi i vitit 2001, sipas agjencis? Rojter, Bashkimi Evropian do t? d?rgoj? n? Shqip?ri ?nj? komision p?r t? diskutuar rreth nj? marreveshjeje bashk?punimi.? Sekretari i p?rgjithsh?m i ministris? s? jashtme greke i deklaroi kryeministrit shqiptar gjat? vizit?s s? tij koh?t e fundit n? Shqip?ri se ?legjislacioni p?r pakicat duhet t? rishikohet ?n? qoft? se Tirana d?shiron t?i afrohet Bashkimit Evropian,? kurse kyeministri shqiptar paska shprehur bindjen se ?Shqip?ria do t? p?rpiloj? nj? legjislacion t? avancuar, nje nga m? t? p?rparuarit n? Evrop?n Juglindore.? Nisma e BE-s? p?r t?iu m?suar autoriteteve shqiptare se si t? sillen me t? ashtuquajtur?n pakic? greke, q? num?ron rreth 30 - 40 mij? frym?, ultimatumi i t? d?rguarit t? kryeministrit grek, si dhe deklarata e kryeministrit shqiptar t? krijojn? p?rshtypjen se n? legjislacionin shqiptar p?r pakicat komb?tare paska t? meta serioze. P?r t? sqaruar k?t? ??shtje, p?r t? par? se ku jan? dhe p?r hir t? argumenteve, autoritetet p?rkat?se shqiptare e kan? obligim t? studiojn? ligjet dhe praktikat e vendeve t? tjera, natyrisht edhe t? Greqis?, madje edhe t? vendeve, q? mbahen si m? t? p?rparuarit n? k?t? drejtim. A ka legjislacion m? t? avancuar dhe praktik? kaq absurde n? vendet e tjera sesa ?ka v?rehet n? vendin ton? p?r t? ashtuquajturat pakica komb?tare? N? vend q? nx?n?si ta k?rkoj? e t? vej? atje ku ?sht? shkolla, n? Shqip?ri shkolla (greke) i ndjek nga mbrapa nx?n?sit e diaspor?s greke, kudo ata ndodhen edhe kur ky num?r bie n? kund?rshtim flagrant me ligjin. Nga ana e tyre, autoritetet greke nuk e kan? marr? mundimin deri m? sot t? lejojn? zyrtarisht hapjen edhe t? nj? shkoll? t? vetme fillore p?r f?mij?t e qindra mij? emigrant?ve shqiptar?. Greqis? as nuk i shkon nd?rmend t? nd?rmarr? nj? veprim t? till? zyrtar, q? do t? kishte sadopak nuanc?n e njohjes s? t? drejtave t? nj? elementi nacional q? nuk ?sht? e nuk e quan veten grek. N? mentalitetin grek, nj? hap i till? do t? ishte precedent i rreziksh?m q? do t? minonte teorit? rreth t? ashtuquajturit homogjenitet t? shtetit grek dhe do t?u shtonte oreksin pakicave nacionale p?r arsimim n? gjuh?t e veta komb?tare. Ky hap do t? rriste edhe presionin nga brenda e jasht? ndaj Greqis?. Ai do t? b?nte gjithashtu t? shkonin kot mundimet e autoriteteve greke gjat? shum? dekadave p?r t? asimiluar shqiptar?t e vjet?r, qoft? autokton? apo t? vajtur gjat? shekujve, n? Greqi. P?rpjekjet p?r t?i ?komb?tarizuar emigrant?t e rinj shqiptar? n?p?rmjet shkollimit n? greqisht dhe me ndihm?n e kish?s ortodokse greke duke u nd?rruar fen?, si dhe diktati i autoriteteve greke, duke shfryt?zuar pranin? e tyre n? Greqi, ndaj shtetit shqiptar, do t? b?heshin gjithmon? e m? t? paefektsh?m. Nj? politik? e till? e brendshme e shtetit grek ndikon fuqish?m edhe politik?n e tij t? jashtme ndaj fqinj?ve pavar?sisht nga mballomat e garniturat evopiane q? e shoq?rojn? at?. Ndaj Shqip?ris?, n? vend t? reciprocitet t? pakt?n p?r hir t? q?ndrimit t? qeveris? s? sotme shqiptare, Greqia e ka rritur intensitetin dhe diapazonin e presionit. Greqia nuk ka hequr dor? nga pretendimet territoriale ndaj Shqip?ris?. P?r t? shmangur nj? akuz? t? till?, por edhe p?r ta mbajtur situat?n n? tension, tani p?r tani, qeveria greke ua ka len? t? ashtuquajtur?ve qarqe ultranacionaliste detyr?n p?r t? ngritur hapur k?rkesa territoriale, kurse n? cil?sin? si qeveri po k?to k?rkesa ajo i kamuflon me parull?n p?r respektimin e t? drejtave t? njeriut dhe t? normave demokratike. N? takime zyrtare t? nivelit t? lart? midis t? dyja pal?ve, pala greke i b?n pal?s shqiptare k?rkesa ultimatum, q? flasin p?r imponim t? raporteve pronar-vasal. N? parlamentin grek b?hen debate lidhur me ?rritjen e nacionalizmit shqiptar, zgjerimin e rolit destabilizues t? grupeve t? armatosura shqiptare n? Kosov?, Maqedoni dhe Serbin? jugore? pavar?sisht se lufta e shqiptar?ve kunder nacionalizmit agresiv serb u mb?shtet dhe mb?shtetet, natyrisht me p?rjashtim t? grek?ve, nga gjith? bota demokratike. Nj? gj? ?sht? m? se e qart? n? k?t? kontekst. Sa m? af?r i afrohet zgjidhjes ??shtja e Kosov?s, aq m? shum? irritohen autoritetet greke dhe aq m? shum? i m?shojn? paralelizmit absurd q? ata b?jn? me k?t? ??shtje. Eurodeputet?t grek?, t? Demokracis? s? Re dhe t? PASOK-ut, k?rkojn? q? Shqip?ris? t?i nd?rpritet ndihma makrofinanciare dhe ajo t? p?rjashtohet nga tratativat p?r fillimin e bisedimeve p?r n?nshkrimin e marr?veshjes s? asosacionit e stabilitetit. Edhe ministri i Jasht?m Xhorxh Papandreu ka hipur n? sken? p?r t? atakuar Shqip?rin?. Ai i shkruan Komisionerit Evropian p?r Marr?dh?nie me Jasht? Kris Patten duke e b?r? problem ?munges?n e t? drejtave t? ?pakic?s greke.?? Edhe pse midis t? dy vendeve ?sht? n?nshkruar Traktati i Miq?sis? dhe i Bashk?punimit, Ligji i Gjendjes s? Luft?s me Shqip?rin? ende nuk ?sht? hequr nga Greqia n? nj? koh? kur me Italin? ajo e ka abroguar nj? ligj t? till? pavar?sisht se ishte Italia fashiste ajo q? kreu agresion ndaj saj n? vitin 1940 dhe jo Shqip?ria. Pasurit? e shqiptar?ve n? Greqi jan? bllokuar n?n pretekstin e k?tij ligji absurd, kurse p?r pasurit? e popullsis? shqiptrare q? u masakrua dhe u detyrua me forc?n e arm?ve t? largohej nga ?am?ria, jepen argumente nga m? absurdet p?r t? mos ua kthyer ato pronar?ve t? ligjsh?m. Duke par? nj? politik? e veprimtari t? till? greke kund?r Shqip?ris?, kushdo mund t? nxjerr? konkluzionin se Greqia akoma jeton n? t? kaluar?n. Q? t? jetoj? n? t? tashmen, asaj i duhet t? zbatoj? proverbin e vjet?r, q? thot? se ?t? njoh?sh t? tjer?t ?sht? dituri, t? njoh?sh vetveten do t? thot? t? pastrosh mendjen.? Pik?risht k?t? t? fundit nuk kan? b?r? fqinj?t tan?. Megjithat?, pik?risht n? k?t? sfond aktiviteti politik nga ana e Greqis? kund?r Shqip?ris?, qeveria e sotme shqiptare marr?dh?niet me fqinj?n jugore i trajton n? kuadrin e ?partneritetit strategjik midis dy partive, dy qeverive e dy vendeve? me shpres? se rruga p?r Evrop? do t? shkoj? nga Athina ashtu si dikur rruga p?r Mosk? shkonte nga Beogradi. Me p?rjashtim t? atyre q? ia kan? lidhur k?mb?t e duart vetes, zor se ka nga ata t? cil?t kan? mend n? kok? e sy n? ball?, q? nuk kuptojn? e nuk shikojn? se ku e ka hallin pala greke. Po t? kthehemi p?rs?ri n? tem?n e fillimit, at? t? pakicave komb?tare, do t? thosha se kushdo do t? b?hej kurreshtar t? m?sonte se ?far? thon? vet? personalitetet greke p?r k?t? ??shtje. Materiali i m?posht?m, i bazuar n? burime nga Greqia dhe Komuniteti Evropian, i botuar me shkurtime n? gazet?n Illyria (Nju Jork, SHBA) mund t? hedh? pak drit? mbi p?rvoj?n e shtetit helen n? k?t? drejtim. x x x Apeli drejtuar kryetarit t? parlamentit grek dhe drejtuesve t? partive n? vigjilje t? 25 vjetorit t? rivendosjes s? demokracis? n? Greqi m? solli nd?rmend nj? raport mbi shqiptar?t e Greqis?, p?rpiluar nga nj? grup hulumtues t? Komunitetit Evropian n? vitin 1987. I n?nshkruar nga tre deputet? turq t? pakic?s turke, shtat? organizata turke dhe tri organizata maqedone per minoritetet p?rfshir? edhe Grupin grek t? Helsinkit p?r Monitorizimin dhe t? Drejtat e Pakicave n? Greqi, Apeli thekson se republika e Greqis? ka nj? dobesi t? theksuar: Ajo nuk njeh pranin? e pakicave komb?tare n? territorin e vet. N?nshkruesit i b?jn? thirrje shtetit grek q? t? njoh? ekzistenc?n e pakicave maqedone dhe turke, t? ratifikoj? Konvent?n Kuad?r p?r Mbrojtjen e Pakicave Komb?tare t? K?shillit t? Evrop?s pa kushte p?r zbatimin e saj dhe t? zbatoj? parimet e Konvent?s si dhe t? dokumenteve p?rkat?se t? OSBE-s? me q?llim nd?rprerjen e gjith? formave t? diskriminimit apo persekutimit t? pjesemarr?s?ve t? k?tyre pakicave dhe respektimin e t? drejtave t? tyre. Esht? e v?rtet? se autoritetet greke, q? gjithmon? kan? luajtur rolin e strucit, si dhe publiku grek, i cili ?sht? indoktrinuar si duhet dekada me radh?, refuzojn? n? m?nyr? kategorike t? njohin pranin? e pakicave komb?tare n? territorin grek. Parimi te cilit grek?t gjithmon? i jan? p?rmbajtur ?sht? se kushdo q? jeton n? Greqi ?sht? grek. Gjith? ata q? nuk jan? grek? duhet t? largohen. Ky ?sht? mentaliteti mbizot?rues n? Greqi, an?tare e Kombeve t? Bashkuara, e Bashkimit Evropian, e NATO-s, e OSBE-s? dhe organizatave t? tjera nd?rkomb?tare. Nuk u shkon nd?r mend grek?ve se n? qoft? se vendet fqinj? do t? kishin zbatuar t? nj?jtin parim, tashm? nuk do t? kishte m? grek? jasht? kufijve t? shtetit grek. T? citojm? shkurtimisht p?rgjigjet e disa autoriteteve greke ndaj Apelit sipas burimeve greke. Kryetari i parlamentit Apostolos Kaklamanis: ?N? Greqi nuk ka as pakic? turke, as maqedone. Ekziston vet?m nj? pakic? fetare myslimane. ?do sajes?, sidomos n? k?t? moment, u sh?rben q?llimeve t? tjera dhe me t? do t? merremi n? m?nyr?n e duhur.? Ministri p?r Shtypin Dimitris Reppas: ?Sajesat antihistorike dhe jorealiste do t? d?shtojn?.? Ministri i Jasht?m grek Xhorxh Papandreu: ?Greqia, q? ndodhet n? nj? rajon t? v?shtir?, ndjek nj? politik? sh?mbullore n? drejtim t? pakicave.? Kurse ish ministri i Maqedonis? dhe Thrak?s Stelios Papathemelis deklaroi: ?Me duhet t?ua them n? gjuh?n e tyre ?Ai sihtir? [P...!].? Udh?heq?si i KKE i shtoi nj? version tjet?r motivit t? Apelit. Ai theksoi: ?Besojm? se publikimii nj? deklarate t? till? ka m? pak lidhje me p?rvjetorin e rivendosjes s? demokracis? sesa me dialogun q? po zhvillohet midis Greqis? dhe Turqis?. Ajo i krijon mund?sin? Amerik?s t? imponoj? kushtet e veta p?r dialog. Ata q? guxuan t? nd?rmarrin nj? veprim t? till? mund t? gjenden jo vet?m n? Greqi.? Gazeta Eleftherotypia botoi nj? artikull shkruar nga profesor Nikolas Stavru, grekoamerikan n? lidhje me Shtetet e Bashkuara q? q?ndrojn? mbrapa peripecive ballkanike. Stavru shkruan se mbrapa Apelit fshihen Ankaraja dhe padron?t e vet n? Uashington me mb?shtetjen e ?industris?? s? t? drejtave t? njeriut n? Shtetet e Bashkuara dhe filialet e saj n? Greqi. Kjo deklarat?, e cila ua hedh fajin Shteteve t? Bashkuara i ngjan deklarimit t? kryetarit t? parlamentit Kaklamanis rreth sulmeve ajrore t? NATO-s kund?r S?rbis?. ?Sulmet e drejtuara nga Shtetet e Bashkuara e kthejn? Evrop?n n? koh?n e Luft?s s? Ftoht?,? deklamoi ai. ?Duhet t?i japim fund q?nies son? pre e nj? fuqie [SHBA] e cila nuk do q? Evropa t? q?ndroj? me k?mb?t e veta.? ?ka t?rheq n? ve?anti v?mendjen ?sht? ngjashm?ria e madhe e reagimeve t? autoriteteve dhe p?rfq?suesve t? partive politike ndaj Apelit dhe deklaratrave q? p?rmban raporti p?r shqiptar?t e Greqis?. P?rfundimi q? mund t? nxirret nga p?rmbajtja e Apelit ?sht? se politika e pushtetar?ve grek? sot p?r t? nj?jt?n ??shtje ?sht? e nj?jt? me at? t? vitit 1987, kur u p?rpilua raporti i sip?rp?rmendur, p?rmbledhja e t? cilit vijon. Raport rreth Shqiptar?ve t? Greqis? nga Komisioni i Komunitetit Evropian Nje grup hulumtues i Komunitetit Evropian vizitoi Greqin? nga 4 deri 10 tetor 1987 p?r t? kryer nj? studim rreth pranis? s? elementit shqiptar dhe ruajtjes s? prejardhjes etnike e gjuh?s. Udh?timi u organizua nga Buroja Evropiane p?r Studimin e Gjuh?ve pak t? p?rdorura, n?n mbikqyrjen e Komisionit t? Komunitetit Evropian. P?rb?rja e Grupit: Antonio Belushi Itali Ricardo Alvares Spanj? E. Angel Franc? Kolom Anget Spanj? Havier Boski Spanj? Onom Falkona Holland? Volfgang Jeniges Belgjik? Robert Marti Franc? Stefan Moal Franc? Kol O?Cinseala Irland? Joseph San Sokasao Spanj? Objekti i udh?timit: Hulumtime n? 300 komunitete shqiptare n? Greqi. Synimi: Tu mund?sohet p?rfaq?suesve evropian? gjat? vizit?s s? tyre t? bien n? kontakt me popullin shqiptar n? Greqi, ku aktualisht flet gjuh?n shqipe, e cila nuk m?sohet n? shkollat greke. P?r t? vler?suar reagimin e partive dhe institucioneve t? ndryshme ndaj ??shtjes s? mbrojtjes s? pakicave linguistike q? ekzistojn? n? Greqi, t? cilat aktualisht nuk njihen madje edhe n?n kriterin minimal si? ?sht? rasti i shqiptar?eve e i t? tjer?ve. Pik?pamjet e partive kryesore: Partia ?Demokracia e Re?: Biseduam me Mihal Papakonstantinu, Efstakios Paguhos, Nikola Martis, Joanis Vulfefis dhe Kaeti Papannastision. Vijojn? disa nga p?rgjgjet e tyre: ?Problemi i gjuh?s shqipe ne Greqi nuk ekziston. Po t? hedhim probleme gjuh?sh n? tavolin?, do t? krijonim probleme shum? t? m?dha p?r shtetin grek. N? qoft? se gjuha shqipe flitet, ajo flitet vet?m n? familje. Nuk mund t? jepet opinion i plot? p?r k?t? ??shtje. Kurr? nuk ka pasur vend p?r shqiptar?t n? problemet tona. Misioni juaj ?sht? shum? delikat. Mos i komplikoni pun?t. Kujdes! ??shtjet e pakicave do t? ?ojn? n? luft? n? Evrop?. Nuk mund t?ju ndohmojm? n? asnj? m?nyr? n? k?to momente. Gjithashtu, nuk duam t? krijojm? p?rshtypjen se ka prani shqiptare n? Greqi. Ky problem p?r ne nuk ekziston.? Partia ?PASOK?: Pyetjet iu b?n? Dr. Jorgos Sklavunas dhe Manolis Azimakis. P?rgjigjet e tyre: ?Nuk e konsiderojm? t? domosdoshme q? shqiptar?t dhe pakicat e tjera t? m?sojn? gjuh?t e tyre amtare sepse gjuha q? ata flasin nuk ?sht? gjuh?. Nuk ka tok? shqiptare ne Greqi. Ka vet?m territore greke ku mund t? flitet edhe shqip. Kushdo q? nuk e flet gjuh?n ton?, nuk i p?rket rac?s dhe vendit ton?. Ministria e Kultures Mbasi d?gjoi pyetjet, Doc. Athina Sipirianti u p?rgjigh: P?r t? zgjidhur nj? problem duhet gjithmon? t? ngrihet nj? komision. Ne nuk kemi mund?si t? merremi me problemin q? ngreni ju. P?rvoja tuaj do t? nda duhet p?r ?ka do t? b?jm? n? t? ardhmen. Vizita juaj ?sht? nj? stimul i madh p?r ne. Departamenti Pedagogjik P?rgjigja e Dr. Trinnidafilotis ishte shum? e ftoht?: Nuk ka m?sim t? shqipes. Kjo q? thoni ju ?sht? m? shum? problem politik sesa kulturor. Nuk kam asgj? tjet?r p?r t? shtuar. Komisioni i revist?s s? pavarur Anti u p?rgjigj: ?Kufijt? midis shteteve nuk jan? t? drejta. Ky interesim p?r minoritetet n? Greqi mund t? fsheh? interesa dominimi nga shtete t? tjer?. Pakicat linguistike, pra, pakica shqiptare, nuk ka fare t? drejta. N? Greqi ka vetem grek?.? Deklaratat e m?sip?rme dhe Apeli drejtuar kryetarit t? parlamentit dhe drejtuesve t? partive greke jan? prov? e qart? e pranis? s? shqiptar?ve, turq?ve dhe sllav?ve maqedon? n? Greqi, t? cil?t vazhdojn? t? flasin gjuh?t e tyre amtare. Sipas studimeve t? kryera nga dijetar?, ne Greqi ndodhen rreth 700 fshatra shqiptare, komb?sin? shqiptare t? t? cil?ve grek?t e mohojn?. Esht? fakt i njohur se gjith? pjes?marr?sit e pakicave komb?tare n? Greqi i jan? n?nshtruar nj? asimilimi intensiv dhe t? organizuar, t? cilin grek?t, nd?rsa mohojn? komb?sin? e tyre t? ndryshme, e justifikojn? duke iu referruar fes? s? tyre ortodokse, sikur feja t? ishte kriteri p?r t? p?rcaktuar komb?sin?. Megjithat?, pretendimeve absurde t? autoriteteve greke iu jan? kund?rv?n? edhe vet? grek?t. N? nj? studim p?r t? nj?jt?n ??shtje, profesori i s? Drejt?s Nd?rkomb?tare dhe z?vend?s president i Gjykat?s Evropiane p?r t? Drejtat e Njeriut Kristos Rozakis e pranon karakterin etnik t? pakicave n? Greqi. P?r sa i p?rket politik?s s? brendshme greke ndaj pakicave komb?tare, ?sht? p?r t? ardhur keq t? konstatosh q? nj? an?tare e Bashkimit Evropian si? ?sht? Greqia nuk ka mundur t? b?het model p?r vendet e tjera ballkanike n? kuadrin e ??shtjes s? pakicave komb?tare, q? shembulli i saj n? k?t? fush? i shtohet imazhit tashm? t? njollosur t? Ballkanit p?r shkak t? politik?s s? S?rbis?, q? megjith?se an?tare e NATO-s, pavar?sisht nga ?p?rpjekjet? e qeveris? p?r t? mbajtur nj? t? ashtuquajtur ekuilib?r, Greqia iu kund?rvu sulmeve ajrore t? NATOs kund?r S?rbis? n?n pretekstin fallco t? lidhjeve tradicionale historike dhe fetare me Serb?t dhe heshtazi mb?shteti politik?n e Miloshevi?it p?r spastrimin etnik t? Kosov?s prej shqiptar?ve. N? k?t? fushat? solidariteti me Miloshevi?in kur filluan bombardimet ajrore t? NATO-s, kryepeshkopi i Athin?s Kristodulos nxitoi t? mb?shtes? patriarkun e Mosk?s Aleksi, kreu i Kish?s Ortodokse Ruse duke b?r? thirrje p?r t? p?rkrahur Serbin?. Esht? gjithashtu p?r t? ardhur keq se asgj? nuk ka ndryshuar deri sot n? politik?n nacionaliste dhe teokratike t? Greqis? q? nga periudha 1944-1945 kur grek?t ishin t? par?t n? Evrop?n Juglindore mbas Luft?s s? Dyt? Bot?rore q? kryen vrasje masive n? ?am?ri, rajon i banuar nga shqiptar?, n? veri-per?ndim t? shtetit t? sot?m grek, dhe q? e spastruan at? etnikisht nga shqiptar?t, q? nuk kishin fen? e grek?ve. Esht? e logjikshme q? v?llez?rit e tyre t? fes?, Serb?t, t? p?rfitonin natyrsh?m nga p?rvoja greke e viteve 1944-1945 n? spastrimin etnik t? shqiptar?ve dhe ta p?rdornin at? n? shkall? t? gjer? kund?r shqiptar?ve t? Kosov?s n? vitin 1999. M?nyra si reagojn? grek?t ndaj ??shtjes s? pakicave komb?tare flet p?r nj? tendenc? t? fort? nacionaliste, t? s?mur?, e ngritur n? nivelin e politik?s shtet?rore dhe q? bie ndesh me tendenc?n e p?rgjithshme n? vendet e Bashkimit Evropian. Sipas regjistrimit zyrtar t? vitit 1951 n? Greqi pakicat etnike n? vend p?rb?nin 2.6 deri 3.8 t? numrit t? p?rgjithsh?m t? popullsis?. Si edhe n? rastin e jogrek?ve t? tjer?, edhe numri i shqiptar?ve ishte mjaft i zvog?luar n? regjistrim. Sipas burimeve t? tjera, n? at? koh? t? pakt?n kan? qen? 350, 000 shqiptar?. Fol?s sllav? n? Greqi sot num?rohen deri n? 300 mij? megjith?se shumica e tyre u detyrua t? largohej gjat? dhe mbas luft?s s? dyt? bot?rore e luft?s civile. Megjith?se fakti mbetet, edhe k?to t? dh?na t? zvog?luara tej mase jan? mohuar nga autoritetet greke sa her? q? dikush iu ?sht? referuar. Vet? dy fakte, q? jan? prova t? padiskutueshme t? munges?s s? toleranc?s greke ndaj pakicave komb?tare: Pak vite m? par?, Anastasia Karakasidou, e diplomuar n? Universitetin e Harvardit, iu b?n? k?rc?nime p?r ta vrar? s? pari nga komuniteti grek n? Shtetet e Bashkuara dhe m? von? n? Greqi p?r shkak se ajo kishte folur p?r pranin? e nj? komuniteti maqedon slllavofol?s n? Greqi n? librin e vet ?Fusha me Grur?, Kodra me Shkurre...? Pothuajse n? t? nj?jt?n koh?, Kristo Sideropulos, drejtues i ?L?vizjes s? t? Drejtave t? Njeriut n? Maqedoni? u hodh n? gjyq me akuz?n se ?kishte p?rhapur t? dh?na jo t? v?rteta q? mund t? sillnim shqet?sime n? marr?dh?niet e Greqis? me jasht?.? Faji i tij ishte nj? deklarat? q? ai kishte b?r? p?r maqedonasit q? shteti, i cili u mohonte ekzistenc?n, u krijonte pengesa n? ushtrimin e gjuh?s dhe kultur?s s? tyre. Megjith?se nuk mund t? mohohet fakti se Greqia ?sht? an?tare me t? drejta t? plota e Bashkimit Evropian, sjellja e saj, n? t? kaluar?n dhe sot, q? shum? pak ka t? b?j? me vlerat per?ndimore, po ndihmon gjithmon? e m? shum? njer?z t? kuptojn? se ky vend ?sht? shum? larg nga an?tar?t e tjer? t? Bashkimit Evropian p?r sa u p?rket mentalitetit, kultur?s, si dhe toleranc?s fetare dhe nacionale. Greqia dallohet nga vendet e tjera an?tare t? BE-s? edhe p?r sa i p?rket legjislacionit t? brendsh?m. P?r shembull, shtet?sia, komb?sia dhe feja ngat?rrohen me q?llim n? Greqi. Kushtetuta greke e ndalon proselitizmin. Ka dispozita, sidomos Neni 20 i Ligjit p?r Shtet?sin? n? Greqi, sipas t? cilit imponohen sanksione, denime me burg dhe mohim t? shtet?sis? greke ndaj pjesemarr?sve t? pakicave fetare, q? akuzohen p?r pjes?marrje n? t? ashtuquajtura veprimtari kund?r helenizmit. Pavar?sisht nga fakti se Neni 19 t? i Ligjit p?r Shtet?sin? Greke ?sht? abroguar si rezultat i presionit nd?rkomb?tar, n? baz? t? t? cilit qeveria kishte t? drejt? tu hiqte shtet?sin? greke personave t? quajtur alogjen? [banor? vendas me origjin? jogreke], Greqia nuk e ka b?r? heqjen e Nenit prapaveprues p?r t?ua kthyer shtet?sin? personave q? me pa t? drejt? e kan? humbur at?. Gazeta britanike Financial Times citon Takis Michas, specialist p?r ??shtjet sociale n? gazeten e Athin?s Eleftherotypia, t? ket? th?n? se ?Greqia p?rfaq?son nj? shoq?ri t? mbyllur n? vetvete. Vlerat e ortodoksis? e p?rforcojn? k?t? mentalitet. Ortodoksia e shikon Per?ndimin si rrezik, si vend ku kurdisen komplote kund?r saj,? mentalitet i grek?ve dhe serb?ve ky, i cili e ka origjin?n n? sizm?n e hershme midis kristianizmit per?ndimor dhe lindor. Kurse historiani britanik Norman Davies shkruan n? librin e tij ?Evropa, nje Histori?: Q? nga koha e kryq?zatave, ortodoksia e ka konsideruar Per?ndimin si burim i nj? shtypjeje m? t? keqe se ajo e t? pafeve.? Ky mentalitet shfaqet edhe ne radhet e klerik?ve greke n? Shtetet e Bashkuara t? Amerik?s. Sipas shtypit amerikan, kryepeshkopi Spiridon, kreu i Kish?s Ortodokse greke n? Shtetet e Bashkuara ?sht? akuzuar se ?sht? p?rpjekur q? frekuentimin e kish?s tua ndaloj? ortodoks?ve q? ndjehen m? shum? amerikan? se grek?. Spiridon, i pari udh?heq?s i lindur n? SHBA i kish?s ortodokse greke, deklaron se veprimtaria e tij synon t? mbroj? traditat bizantine t? kish?s, duke provuar k?shtu se ?sht? nj? nga grek?t qe kujtojn? se akoma jetojn? n? perandorin? bizantine. Jeane Karthner i gazet?s Liberacion shkruan: ?Para pak vitesh, grek?t ishin n? armiq?si me shqiptar?t, maqedon?t dhe bullgar?t. Ata jan? armiq t? p?rhersh?m t? turq?ve, kurse tani jan? b?r? armiq t? amerikan?ve, britanik?ve, francez?ve, gjerman?ve dhe pjes?s tjet?r t? bot?s.? ?Per?ndimi ?sht? plot me armiq?, ?sht? cituar t? ket? th?n? presidenti i Greqis?, Kostis Stefanopolus. Analist?t theksojn? se k?to deklarata t? kujtojn? ?nj? gjendje t? brendshme emotive, q? ende ka rrenj? t? thella n? Ballkanin Lindor, dhe se nyja e p?rbashk?t ?sht? tradita fetare. Kjo nyje e ?imenton aleanc?n me Serbin?...? Ky mentalitet q? ka ?uar n? fanatiz?m nacionalist dhe fetar i ka shtyr? gjithashtu analist?t t? nxjerrin konkluzionin e logjiksh?m se prania greke n? Bashkimin Evropian dhe NATO dhe organizata t? tjera ?sht? anomali dhe paradoks. Greqia vazhdon t? jet? jet? partner i v?shtir?, bile edhe sot e k?saj dite ?sht? delja e zez? n? Bashkimin Evropian, q? her? pas here i nxjerr probleme t? sajuara Evrop?s p?r shkak t? q?ndrimit t? saj kapri?ioz ndaj fqinj?ve. Ky konkluzion nuk ?sht? di?ka q? i takon s? kaluar?s, apo fillimit t? viteve 1990, si? thot? nj? tjet?r grek, Lukas Cukalis, i Institutit Evropian t? Shkoll?s Ekonomike t? Londr?s. Pra, ?sht? e gabuar, t? pakt?n p?r t? ardhmen e af?rt, ta konsiderosh Greqin? si ur? q? do t? lidh? vendet fqinj me Evrop?n. Kjo an?tare e Bashkimit Evropian q? e konsideron ?do kritik? ndaj m?nyr?s se si ajo i trajton ??shtjet e saj t? brendshme, sidomos ??shtjen e pakicave komb?tare, si veprim armiq?sor t? frym?zuar nga Per?ndimi p?r t? destabilizuar vendin, nuk mund ta luaj? nj? rol t? till? pa p?rmir?suar imazhin e vet ende n? nivel t? ul?t n? krahasim me standartet evropiane, dhe pa hequr dor? nga mbjellja e farr?s s? intoleranc?s fetare dhe komb?tare. Greqia duhet t? m?soj? si t? sillet brenda kufijve t? saj dhe jo ta k?rkoj? fajtorin jasht?. ------------------- * Artikulli ?sht? botuar n? gazet?n shqiptare ?Albania? n? dhjetor 2000 ** Shkruesi i k?tij artikulli ka qen? drejtor politik p?r Ballkanin dhe Lindjen e Mesme n? Ministrin? e Pun?ve t? Jashtme t? Shqip?ris? n? vitet 1992-1996 From eqerem at gis.net Sun Jul 29 20:57:01 2001 From: eqerem at gis.net (Eqerem Mete) Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2001 20:57:01 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [ALST-L] Greeces Stand on National Minorities* (by Eqerem Mete**) Message-ID: <200107300057.f6U0v1d03878@alb-net.com> Greece?s Stand on National Minorities* by Eqerem Mete** * The article was published in the Albanian newspaper ?Albania? in December 2000 In early 2001, the EU is expected to send a committee to discuss a cooperation agreement with Albania. Greece?s Foreign Ministry General Secretary on a recent visit to Tirana told the Albanian Prime Minister that ?Tirana had to review its legislation on minorities if it wanted to get closer to the European Union,? whereas the Albanian prime minister expressed his conviction that ?Albania will compile and apply an advanced legislation, one of the most progressive in Southeastern Europe.'' The EU initiative to teach the Albanian authorities how to behave themselves towards the so-called 35 to 40 thousand-strong Greek minority, the ultimatum of the envoy of the Greek Prime Minister and the statement of the Albanian Prime Minister seem to imply that there are serious defects in the Albanian legislation on national minorities. To clear up this issue, to see where they stand and for the sake of arguments, the relevant Albanian authorities are in duty bound to study the legislation and practice of other countries including Greece, as well as those of other countries who pose as the most advanced in this regard. Are there more advanced legislation and more absurd practice in other countries than what is observed in our country as concerns national minorities? In stead of pupils going where the school is, in Albania [Greek] schools follow the children of the Greek diaspora wherever they are, despite their numbers, even though these numbers are in flagrant violation of the law. For their part, the Greek authorities have not deigned so far to give official permission to open even a single elementary school for the children of hundreds of thousands of Albanian immigrants. It never occurs to Greece to take such an official step that would have even the remotest semblance of recognition to the rights of a national element, who is not and does not call itself Greek. In the Greek opinion, such a step would be a dangerous precedent that would undermine the theories about the so-called homogeneity of the Greek state and whet the appetite of the national minorities for education in their own mother tongues. This step would also lead to increased pressure at home and abroad on Greece. It would also nullify the endeavors of the Greek authorities over many decades to assimilate the Albanians, those who are native to the land and those who have immigrated during the centuries to Greece. The attempts to change the nationality of the recent Albanian immigrants through schooling in Greek and with the help of the Greek Orthodox churches by changing their religion, and the dictate of the Greek authorities by exploiting their presence in Greece to the Albanian state would be ever less ineffectual. Such a domestic policy of the Greek state has a powerful impact on its foreign policy towards its neighbors despite its European patchwork and ornaments. In stead of reciprocity towards Albania at least for the sake of the position of the present-day Albanian government, Greece has increased the intensity and range of its pressure. Greece has not given up its territorial claims on Albania. To avoid such an accusation and to keep up the pressure, the Greek government lets the so-called ultra nationalistic circles raise territorial claims, whereas for the moment in its official capacity, it covers them up with the slogan about respect for human rights and democratic rules. At high level official meetings between the two sides, the Greek side makes ultimatum-like demands, which signify the imposition of a master-apprentice relationship. At the Greek parliament debates are held on ?growing Albanian nationalism, increasing disruptive role of Albanian armed groups in Kosova, Macedonia and southern Serbia? though the struggle of the Albanians against aggressive Serbian nationalism has been supported by the entire democratic world, with the exception of the Greeks. One thing is more than clear in this context. The closer the Kosova issue edges to a settlement, the greater their irritation and emphasis on the absurd parallel they draw to this issue. Greek Eurodeputies, of the New Democracy and PASSOK, demand that the macro-financial aid to Albania be stopped and that the latter denied the right to start negotiations on signing an association and stability agreement with the European Union. Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou has also mounted the stage. He has written to European Commissioner for External Relations Chris Patten making an issue of ?the lack of respect for the rights of ?the Greek minority.?? Though the two countries have signed a Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation, the Law of the State of War with Albania is still in force. Greece has abrogated such a law with Italy despite the stark truth that it was fascist Italy and not Albania, which committed aggression against it in 1940. The property of the Albanians in Greece have been frozen on the pretext of such an absurd law, while as to the property of the Albanian population, massacred and compelled at gunpoint to flee Chameria, most absurd arguments are put forward not to return it to its legal owners. In view of such Greek policies and activity against Albania, one might as well say that Greece is still living in the past. To live in the present, it should abide by the old Chinese wise saying: ?To know others is knowledge, to know yourself is enlightenment.? It is precisely the latter that our neighbors have missed. It is against this backdrop of Greek political activity against Albania that the present Albanian government approaches relations with its southern neighbor in the context of ?the strategic partnership between the two parties, two governments and two countries? hoping that the road to Europe will pass through Athens the same as in the past when the road to Moscow passed through Belgrade. With the exception of those who have their hands and feet bound, nobody in their right mind can fail to see through what the Greek side is aiming at. To return to the topic of the beginning about national minorities, I would say that people would be really curious to learn what Greek authorities have to say about this issue. The following material based on Greek and European Community sources, published in an abbreviated form in the Albanian-American newspaper Illyria (New York, the USA), can shed some light on the experience of the Hellenic state in this direction. x x x The July 23, 1999 appeal to the Speaker of the Greek Parliament and the Party leaders on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the restoration of democracy in Greece reminded me of a document entitled Report on the Albanians of Greece a group of researchers of the European Community compiled in 1987. The appeal, signed by all three Turkish minority deputies, seven Turkish and three Macedonian minority organizations, as well as three human rights non-governmental organizations, including Greek Helsinki Monitor and Minority Rights Group Greece, emphasizes that the Republic of Greece has an important weakness: it does not recognize the existence of national minorities on its territory. The undersigned call upon the Greek state to recognize the existence of Macedonian and Turkish minorities, to ratify the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities of the Council of Europe without any conditions for its implementation and to implement the principles of the Convention, as well as of the related OSCE documents, so that all forms of discrimination or persecution against members of these minorities cease and their rights be respected. It is true that the Greek authorities, who have always been playing the ostrich, and the Greek public, which has been duly indoctrinated for decades on end, refuse in no uncertain terms the existence of national minorities on Greek territory. The principle that the Greeks have always stuck to runs as follows: ?Those who live in Greece are Greeks. All those who are not Greeks should quit?. That is the prevailing frame of mind in Greece, a member of the United Nations, the European Union, NATO, OSCE, and other international organizations. It does not cross their Greek mind that if the neighboring countries had applied the same principle, there would have been no Greeks outside the borders of the Greek state. Let us cite in brief the responses of some Greek authorities to the appeal according to Greek sources: The Speaker of the Parliament, Apostolos Kaklamanis: ?In Greece there is no Turkish or Macedonian minority. There is a Muslim religious minority. Whatever constructs, especially at this moment, serve other purposes and will be handled in the appropriate way.? The minister for the Press Dimitris Reppas: ?Unhistorical and unrealistic constructs will fall by the wayside.? The Greek foreign minister Papanadreou: ?Greece, in a difficult region, is carrying out an exemplary policy in the area of minorities?? Whereas the former Minister of Macedonia and Thrace Stelios Papathemelis declared: ?I should tell them in their language ?Ai sihtir? (Screw off!). The KKE leader added another version to the motivation of the appeal. He said: ?We believe that the issuing of such a statement is less related to the anniversary of the restoration of democracy than with whichever dialogue is being carried out between Greece and Turkey? it gives the United States of America the opportunity to impose their conditions on this dialogue. The perpetrators of this action can be found not only in Greece.? While the newspaper Eleftherotypia ran an article by Professor Nicholas Stavrou, a Greek-American, on the US being behind the travails of the Balkans. Mr. Stavrou writes that ?Ankara and its patrons in Washington with the support of the human rights industry in the US and its affiliates in Greece are behind the appeal?? This statement, which shifts the blame onto the United States, bears resemblance to what the Speaker of the Greek parliament Apostolos Kaklamanis has said about the NATO air strikes against Serbia. ?The US-led attacks revert ?Europe back to Cold War Times,? he has declared. ?We must stop being prey to a power [read USA] that does not want to see Europe stand on its own.?? What draws one?s attention in particular is the striking similarity of the responses of the Greek authorities and of representatives of the political parties to the appeal and the statements contained in the Report on the Albanians of Greece. The conclusion that can be drawn from the content of the appeal is that the policies of the Greek authorities on the issue at present are the same as they were in 1987, when the above-mentioned report, a summary of which follows, was compiled. REPORT ON THE ALBANIANS OF GREECE by the Commission of the European Community A group of researchers of the European Community visited Greece from the 4th to the 10th of October 1987 to study the existence of the Albanian element and the preservation of its ethnicity and language. The trip was organized by the ?European Bureau? to study the lesser-used languages, observed by the Commission of the European Community. Composition of the Group: Antonio Belushi Italy Ricardo Alvares Spain E. Angel France Kolom Anget Spain Havier Boski Spain Onom Falkona Holland Volfgang Jeniges Belgium Robert Marti France Stefan Moal France Kol O?Cinseala Ireland Joseph San Sokasao Spain Object of the trip: Research in 300 Albanian communities in Greece. Aim: 1. To help European representatives on their visit to get in touch with the Albanian people in Greece, who are currently speaking Albanian, which is not taught in Greek schools. 2. To assess the reaction of various parties and other institutions to the issue of protection of linguistic minorities existing in Greece, which are not recognized at present even below a minimum criterion as is the case with the Albanians, etc. Views of the main parties: The ?New Democracy? Party: We talked with Michael Papakonstantinu, Efstakios Paguhos, Nikola Martis, Joanis Vulfefis and Kaeti Papannastasion. Here are some of their answers: ?There is no problem of Albanian language in Greece. If we put linguistic problems on the table, we would create very great problems for the Greek state. If the Albanian language is spoken, it is spoken only in families. No opinion can be fully expressed on this issue. There has never been room for the Albanians in our problems. Your mission is very delicate. Do not complicate things. Watch out! Minority issues will lead to war in Europe. We can in no way help at these moments. Likewise, we do not want to give the impression of Albanian presence in Greece. This problem does not exist for us.? The ?PASOK? Party: Questions were addressed to Dr. Jorgos Sklavunas and Manolis Azimakis. Their answers: ?We do not deem it necessary for the Albanian and other minorities to learn their mother tongues because the language they speak is not a language. There are no Albanian territories in Greece. There are only Greek territories where Albanian may also be spoken. He who does not speak our language does not belong to our race and our country.? The Ministry of Culture: Having listened to the questions, Doc. Athina Sipirianti said: ?To solve a problem, you have always to set up a commission. We do not have the possibility of dealing with the problem you are raising. Your experience will be necessary for what we shall do in the future. Your visit is a great stimulus to us.? The Pedagogical Department: Dr. Trinnidafilotis? answer was very cold: ?There is no teaching of Albanian. What you are saying is a political rather than a cultural problem. I have nothing else to add.? The Commission of the Independent Magazine Anti: Answers: ?Borders between states are not fair. This interest in minorities in Greece can hide interests of domination by other states. Linguistic minorities, namely, the Albanian minority, have no right whatsoever. In Greece, there are only Greeks.? The above statements and the appeal to the Speaker of the Greek Parliament and the party leaders are clear evidence of the presence of Albanians, Turks and Macedonian Slavs in Greece, who still speak their mother tongues. According to research done by scholars, there are about 700 Albanian villages in Greece, whose Albanian ethnicity the Greeks deny. It is a well-known fact that national minority members in Greece have all been subject to intense, organized assimilation, which the Greeks, while ignoring their distinct ethnicity, justify by pointing to their Orthodox religion, as though religion were the criterion to determine one?s nationality. However, there are also Greeks who contradict the absurd claims of the Greek authorities. In a study on the subject, Professor of International Law and current Vice-President of the European Court of Human Rights, Christos Rozakis, acknowledges the ethnic character of minorities in Greece. In view of Greek domestic policies on national minorities, it is regrettable to observe that an EU member like Greece has so far failed to be a role model for the other Balkan countries, that its example in this area adds to the Balkans? already tarnished image as a result of Serbia?s policies, that though a NATO member, despite the government?s ?efforts? to keep a so-called balance, Greece opposed NATO?s air war against Serbia under the threadbare pretext of its religious and traditional historical ties with the Serbs and tacitly supported Milosevic?s policy of genocide and ethnic cleansing in Kosova. In this campaign of solidarity with Milosevic when the NATO bombing began, even Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens hastened to join Patriarch Alexii of Moscow, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, to call for support for Serbia. It is also a pity that nothing has so far changed in Greece?s nationalistic and theocratic policies since the 1944-1945 period when the Greeks were the first in southeastern Europe after World War II to perpetrate genocide. They massacred and ethnically cleansed Albanians from Chamouria, an Albanian-inhabited region in the northwest of today?s Greek state. It stands to reason that their religious brethren, the Serbs, would naturally draw on the Greek experience of the ethnic cleansing of Albanians and extensively use it against the Kosova Albanians in the year 1999. The way the Greeks respond to the national minority issue signifies the existence of a strong, unhealthy nationalistic trend, raised to state policy level, which runs counter to the general tendency in the other countries of the European Union. The official 1951 census in Greece indicated that ethnic minorities in the country constituted 2.6 to 3.8 per cent of the total population. Just as in the case of other non-Greeks, the number of Albanians, too had radically been reduced in the census. According to other sources, there were at least as many as 350,000 Albanians at that time. Slavic speakers in Greece today number up to 300,000 though the majority of them had to flee during and after World War and the Civil War. Facts are stubborn. Nevertheless, these figures that have been drastically reduced, have always been suppressed whenever they have been brought up. Worth mentioning are also the following facts, symptomatic of Greek intolerance in the area of national minorities: A few years ago, death threats against Anastasia Karakasidou, a Guggenheim Fellowship scholar at Harvard University, first came from the Greek community in the United States and then in Greece because she had described the presence of a Slavic speaking Macedonian community in Greece in her book ?Fields of Wheat, Hills of Shrubs?? Almost at the same time, Christos Sideropulos, leader of ?the Human Rights movement in Macedonia? faced trial on charges of ?spreading false information that might cause disturbance in the international relations of Greece.? His guilt had been a statement to the effect that the ethnic Macedonians faced curbs on their language and culture by a state, which denies their existence. Though there is no denying the fact that Greece is a full-fledged member of the European Union, its behavior, past and present, which has little to do with Western values, is helping an increasing number of people realize that the country is a far cry from the rest of the EU members as far as mentality, culture, as well as religious and national tolerance are concerned. Greece is also distinct from the other EU member countries as far as its domestic legislation is concerned. For instance, citizenship, ethnicity and religion are deliberately confused in Greece. The Greek Constitution outlaws proselytism. There are also provisions, especially Article 20 of the Greek Citizenship Law in Greece, under which sanctions, prison terms and denial of Greek citizenship are imposed on religious minority members, accused of involvement in so-called activities against Hellenism. Irrespective of the fact that Greece has repealed Article 19 of the Greek Citizenship Law under international pressure, which entitled the government to deprive those regarded as allogenes [Greece?s natives of non-Greek origin] of Greek citizenship, it has not made the Article retroactive in order to restore citizenship to those who have unjustly lost it. Financial Times quotes Takis Michas, social affairs specialist at the Athens daily Eleftherotypia, as saying: ?Greece is an inward-looking society. Orthodox values reinforce that mentality. Orthodoxy sees the West as a threat, a place where conspiracies are hatched against it,? a mind frame of both Greeks and Serbs, which draws its source from the ancient split between western and eastern Christendom. Whereas British historian Norman Davies writes in his book ?Europe A History?: ?From the time of the Crusades, the Orthodox looked on the west as the source of subjugation worse than the infidel.? This mindset is made manifest in the United States, too. According to recent news reports, Archbishop Spyridon, the head of the Greek Orthodox Church in the United States, who has spent most of his life in Europe, has been accused of trying to keep the church inaccessible to members who feel more American than Greek. Spyridon, who is the first American-born leader of the Greek Orthodox church in this country, says he works to protect the church?s Byzantine traditions, proving to be one of those Greeks who are still living in the Byzantine empire. As Jeane Carthner of the newspaper Liberacion points out: ?A few years ago, the Greeks were enemies of the Albanians, Macedonians and Bulgarians. They are constant enemies of the Turks, while now they have become enemies of the Americans, the British, the French, the Germans and the rest of the world.? ?The West is full of enemies,? the president of Greece, Costis Stephanopolous, has been quoted as saying. Scholars consider such statements ?a reminder of emotions that are deeply felt in the eastern Balkans. The common link is the Orthodox religious tradition. It is a tie that cements the alliance with Serbia ?? Such a mentality that has been conducive to national and religious bigotry has prompted analysts to draw the logical conclusion that Greek presence in the EU and NATO, etc. is an anomaly and a paradox. Greece continues to be an awkward partner or indeed a black sheep in the European Union even today. Time and again, it creates false problems for Europe with its whimsical behavior towards its neighbors. This conclusion is not a thing of the past, of the early 1990s, as another Greek, Loukas Tsoukalis, of the European Institute of the London School of Economics, says. Such being the case, it is wrong, at least in the foreseeable future, to regard Greece as the bridge that will link the neighboring countries to Europe. This EU member country, which regards every criticism of its handling of domestic affairs, the minority and religious issues in particular, as a West-inspired, hostile step to destabilize the country, cannot play such a role unless it improves its image, which is still low by European standards, and gives up sowing the seeds of religious and national intolerance. Far from trying to find the culprit abroad, Greece should mend its ways at home. ------------- * The article was published in the Albanian newspaper ?Albania? in December 2000 ** The article writer was political director for the Balkans and the Middle East in the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Albania from 1992 to 1996