From vsherifi at naac.org Sat Nov 6 18:36:48 2004 From: vsherifi at naac.org (Valbona Sherifi) Date: Sat, 6 Nov 2004 18:36:48 -0500 Subject: [Prishtina-E] English/Albanian: NAAC Applauds US Department of State Decision Recognizing Macedonia's Constitutional Name Message-ID: National Albanian American Council 2021 L Street, N.W., Suite 402, Washington, DC 20036 481 8th Avenue, Suite 922, New York, NY 10001 Brigada e Krajishtes, No. 8, 38000 Prishtina, Kosova Telephone: (202) 466-6900 Fax: (202) 466-5593 Web: www.naac.org Email: naac at naac.org For Release: November 6, 2004 Contact: Valbona Sherifi (202) 466-6900 PRESS RELEASE NAAC Applauds US Department of State Decision Recognizing Macedonia?s Constitutional Name Washington. DC, November 6, 2004. The National Albanian American Council issued the following statement in regards to the decision of the US State Department recognizing Macedonia's constitutional name . The National Albanian American Council applauds the decision of the U.S. Department of State officially recognizing Macedonia by her Constitutional name. This bold step was both morally right and essential for peace and stability. We commend Secretary Powell in particular who once again demonstrated that wisdom combined with courage can overcome even the most difficult impasses. We congratulate all of the people of Macedonia. We are confident that tireless work, courageous leadership and forward-looking vision were all determinative factors that led to securing this great achievement. We are proud to have supported this effort. We are pleased that the ethnic Albanians in Macedonia have consistently called for and supported the recognition of Macedonia by her Constitutional name as was reflected in the statements of the Deputy Prime Minister and the DUI leadership during their visits to the United States. We are hopeful that all citizens of Macedonia will look to the future with courage and confidence and will work together to not only further promote and implement the Ohrid agreement, but more importantly work to realize the underlying values therein. By building a society based on those values Macedonia not only assures itself a place in NATO and the EU but also secures a bright and prosperous future for all of her future generations. The National Albanian American Council (NAAC) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to advocating for Albanians and promoting peace and economic development in the Balkans by fostering democratic policy, promoting respect for human rights, and conducting educational and developmental programs. ### You are receiving this message because you have requested information about our organization directly from us or through an Internet listserv. If you no longer wish to receive such information and would like to be removed, please notify us at naac at naac.org or the listserv that has distributed this information to you. K?shilli Komb?tar Shqiptaro Amerikan 2021 L Street, N.W., Suite 402, Washington, DC 20036 481 8th Avenue, Suite 922, New York, NY 10001 Brigada e Krajishtes, No. 8, 38000 Prishtina, Kosova Telephone: (202) 466-6900 Fax: (202) 466-5593 Web: www.naac.org Email: naac at naac.org P?r Shtyp: 6 n?ntor 2004 Kontakt: Valbona Sherifi (202) 466-6900 DEKLARAT? P?R SHTYP KKSHA P?rsh?ndet Vendimin e Departamentit t? Shtetit Amerikan p?r t? Njohur Emrin e Maqedonis? Washington, DC, 6 n?ntor 2004: K?shilli Komb?tar Shqiptaro Amerikan (KKSHA/NAAC) l?shoi k?t? deklarat? p?r shtyp n? lidhje me vendimin e Departamentit t? Shtetit Amerikan p?r t? njohur emrin e Maqedonis?. K?shilli Komb?tar Shqiptaro Amerikan (KKSHA/NAAC) p?sh?ndet vendimin e Departamentit t? Shtetit Amerikan p?r t? njohur zyrtarisht Maqedonin? me emrin e saj kushtetues. Ky hap i guximsh?m ?sht? jo vet?m nj? hap moral, por gjithashtu edhe esencial p?r paqe dhe stabilitet. Ne p?rg?zojm? ve?an?risht Sekretarin e Shtetit Colin Powell, i cili ka demonstruar edhe nj? her? se men?uria e kombinuar me guxim mund t? kaloj? edhe pengesat m? t? v?shtira. KKSHA i uron t? gjith? qytetar?t e Maqedonis? p?r k?t? arritje. Jemi t? sigurt? se puna e palodhshme, udh?heqja e guximshme dhe vizioni largpam?s i tyre p?r t? ardhmen kan? qen? faktor? vendimtar? q? mund?suan sigurimin e nj? arritjeje kaq t? madhe. KKSHA ?sht? krenare q? ka qen? p?rkrah?se e k?saj p?rpjekjeje. Shqiptar?t n? Maqedoni vazhdimisht kan? k?rkuar dhe kan? p?rkrahur njohjen e Maqedonis? me emrin e saj kushtetues. Nj? p?rpjekje e till? ?sht? reflektuar qart? edhe n? deklaratat e z?v?nd?s kryeministrit dhe udh?heqjes s? BDI-s? gjat? vizitave t? tyre n? Shtetet e Bashkuara. Ne shpresojm? q? t? gjith? qytetar?t e Maqedonis? do t? shohin drejt s? ardhmes me guxim dhe vet?besim, dhe do t? punojn? s? bashku jo vet?m n? implementimin e Marr?veshjes s? Ohrit, por edhe n? realizimin e vlerave q? paraqet kjo marr?veshje. Duke nd?rtuar nj? shoq?ri t? bazuar n? k?to vlera, Maqedonia jo vet?m q? do t? siguroj? an?tar?sim n? NATO dhe Bashkimin Evropian, por gjithashtu do t?u siguroj? nj? t? ardhme t? ndritur dhe me prosperitet t? gjith? brezave t? ardhsh?m. K?shilli Komb?tar Shqiptaro Amerikan (KKSHA) ?sht? nj? organizat? jo p?rfituese dhe jo qeveritare e dedikuar ndaj advokimit t? ??shtjeve shqiptare, promovimit t? paqes dhe zhvillimit ekonomik n? Ballkan p?r t? forcuar politikat demokratike, p?r t? inkurajuar respektin p?r t? drejtat e njeriut, dhe duke mbajtur programe zhvillimi dhe edukative. ### -------------- next part -------------- HTML attachment scrubbed and removed From mentor at alb-net.com Sat Nov 13 20:19:54 2004 From: mentor at alb-net.com (Albanians in Macedonia Crisis Center News & Information) Date: Sat, 13 Nov 2004 20:19:54 -0500 (EST) Subject: [Prishtina-E] [AMCC-News] 1) Comment: Macedonians Turn Away From Ethnic Divisions; 2) Macedonia: Farewell To FYROM Message-ID: --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMCC http://www.alb-net.com/amcc/ --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Comment: Macedonians Turn Away From Ethnic Divisions 2. Macedonia: Farewell To FYROM ### 1 ### Comment: Macedonians Turn Away From Ethnic Divisions http://www.iwpr.net/index.pl?archive/bcr3/bcr3_200411_525_2_eng.txt Referendum result shows public have no appetite for reopening old disputes. By Ana Petruseva in Skopje (BCR No 525, 12-Nov-04) There seems little doubt that America's decision to recognise Macedonia under its constitutional name played a major role in the failure of Sunday's referendum, which would have seen the reversal of a law that would result in more power for the Albanian minority at regional level. Macedonians largely ignored the nationalist-inspired plebiscite, as only 26 per cent of eligible voters showed up at the November 7 polls, well short of the 50 per cent threshold needed. The outcome was a defeat for nationalist attempts to derail the reforms instituted since the ethnic conflict of 2001. But it was not just the US decision, announced three days beforehand, that killed off the referendum. Even without this diplomatic intervention, it was apparent that most voters planned to signal their approval of the multi-ethnic formula introduced under the Ohrid agreement that ended the fighting in August 2001, and their opposition to reviving old ethnic disputes. The referendum about a law redrawing administrative boundaries within Macedonia, part of decentralisation package which see more power devolved to local government. Ethnic Albanians would become the majority in some merged municipalities. The legislation was passed in August 2004 at the Social Democrat-led government's prompting, and is seen both as a crucial chapter in fulfilling the terms of the Ohrid peace deal, and a pre-condition for Macedonia's application for European Union and NATO membership. The referendum has been a burning issue for months, jeopardising the fragile relations between ethnic communities, and raising the dual spectres of Macedonian partition and a "greater Albania". The vote was backed by the main opposition force, the nationalist VMRO-DPMNE, in company with several marginal parties. VMRO-DPME upped the stakes with dire warnings that the new law would effectively split the country in two by according the Albanians majority status in some regions. However, the vote showed that most people rejected that argument, as well as the idea that Macedonians will be forced to flee areas that come under the control of Albanian-led local authorities. It also demonstrated that the majority did not wish to see the nationalists using the referendum to derail a deal which had already been approved by parliament. While the terms reached at Ohrid are not greatly loved by many Macedonians, there is a growing acceptance that the peace deal has introduced a new, more positive dynamic to inter-ethnic relations. Nationalism may not have disappeared, but people on both sides have accepted there is no alternative to a multi-ethnic society. The fact that the conflict in 2001 was relatively brief and casualties were limited helped this process. The referendum campaign itself created more ethnic tension, and raised suspicions among the Albanian minority that Macedonians did not endorse a multi-ethnic society. Yet the low turnout showed that the majority among all communities do back Ohrid plan. That result should now prod the Albanians into proffering a hand of friendship, and showing Macedonians that they have no hidden agenda of secession. Although the bulk of the electorate recognised - and rejected - that the vote amounted to a power struggle in which certain politicians were seeking to ride back into power on a wave of nationalist sentiment, that does not mean that they were prepared to let the government off the hook entirely. In the run-up to the plebiscite, opinion polls indicated that up to 60 per cent of the electorate intended to exercise their right to vote. This high figure suggests that people wanted to signal their anger to the ruling coalition that it had failed to communicate its proposals for local government restructuring to them properly. The government urged voters to boycott the referendum, warning that a yes vote would be a serious setback to Macedonia's efforts to join the EU and NATO. The international community reinforced this line. High-profile officials including US Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld, European Commission president Romano Prodi and Britain's Minister for Europe, Denis MacShane flew to Skopje bearing hard-hitting messages that rejecting decentralisation would turn back the clock. Many local journalists and politicians condemned this as an unwarranted intrusion - but some analysts believe the result justified intervention by the international community, which has played a similar role in ensuring that earlier decisions linked to the Ohrid accord were pushed through. Over the past year, Macedonia has faced numerous challenges. In late February, it lost its president, Boris Trajkovski, in a tragic accident. Two weeks later, neighbouring Kosovo exploded in violence. A month after that, a presidential election in Macedonia led to the government resigning as the prime minister took over as head of state. Throughout these tumultuous events, including the latest referendum, the Macedonian people have displayed considerable maturity and an ambition to move forward towards the goals of political normality and economic prosperity. Getting there is the next big challenge facing this small country. As Macedonia moves into a new phase, shedding at last its fundamental dilemmas about ethnic and political stability, and looking for a place in the EU membership queue, the government confronts the crucial task of economic and systemic reform. Only when it reforms its judiciary, public sector, and impoverished economy will Macedonia finally be able to rid itself of the stereotypical image of a Balkan state permanently wracked by pointless tribal feuding, and so develop into a stable, prosperous democracy. Ana Petruseva is IWPR's project manager in Macedonia ### 2 ### Macedonia: Farewell To FYROM http://www.iwpr.net/index.pl?archive/bcr3/bcr3_200411_525_1_eng.txt US recognition of Macedonia as the country's official title is welcomed locally, but meets hostility from Greece. By Boris Georgievski in Skopje (BCR No 525, 12-Nov-04) Jubilant crowds gathered in the streets of Skopje on November 6 to celebrate the decision of the United States to call their country Macedonia by that name. The Americans will now officially refer to the state by its chosen title, the "Republic of Macedonia", in spite of bitter opposition from neighboring Greece. The Greeks have blocked international recognition of the "Macedonia" title ever since the republic declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. They claimed its application to a sovereign state signified territorial pretensions towards the region of northern Greece bearing the same name. The US move, announced on November 4, came only three days before a referendum in Macedonia held to oppose new municipal boundaries - part of a decentralisation package that forms a crucial part of the Ohrid peace deal which ended a bout of ethnic fighting in the republic in 2001. The decision was interpreted as a bid to strengthen the Macedonian government's hand ahead of the November 7 referendum, in which a "yes" vote would have upset plans to implement the municipal reorganisation law passed in August this year. The plebiscite failed when only a quarter of the electorate showed up at the polls. Macedonia has proved an ally in the United States-led campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan. "We have now decided to refer to Macedonia officially as the Republic of Macedonia," US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher announced in Washington, heralding the diplomatic about-turn. "By recognising Macedonia's chosen constitutional name, we wish to underscore the US commitment to a permanent, multi-ethnic, democratic Macedonian state within its existing borders." Local politicians and analysts said the US move gave a major boost to the country in its diplomatic struggle with Greece, which at times has threatened to spiral out of control. In 1994, Greece imposed a trade embargo on Macedonia and closed the border. The embargo was lifted the following year, only after Macedonia amended its constitution and changed the design of its flag, which the Greeks felt to be too closely associated with their national hero Alexander the Great. Under Greek pressure, the European Union, NATO and the United Nations recognised the state as the "Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" - and for the sake of convenience the acronym FYROM entered common currency. Most Macedonians strongly resented the clumsy terminology imposed on them. "Goodbye FYROM, Hello Macedonia!" cheered the crowds in Skopje, where President Branko Crvenkovski addressed several thousand people on November 6. After 13 years Macedonia had won "what it deserved", he said. Macedonian jubilation has been matched by disappointment in Athens. In Brussels, Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis attacked the move as "misguided and wrong". Greece has threatened to veto Macedonia's membership of NATO and the EU unless a solution to the name dispute can be found that is acceptable to everyone. "The European Union position remains clear that if FYROM wants to have any hopes of joining the EU, they must find a commonly acceptable solution," said Karamanlis. Athens said it would initiate more intensive talks with Skopje over the name issue before the end of November. Skopje has said it too is ready to resume the dialogue. "We are prepared to continue to talks at the UN to resolve differences over the name," said Foreign Minister Ilinka Mitreva. "We will repeat our stance on the use of our constitutional name - Republic of Macedonia - in international communications, and the need to find a mutually acceptable formula that will be used only in our bilateral relations." Matthew Niemitz, the UN envoy mediating negotiations on the name dispute that have been ongoing since 1993, told Macedonian media that the US move would undoubtedly have political ramifications, but that he too expected talks to continue. In Washington, Boucher stressed that the name-change should not be seen as an attempt to prejudice the outcome to the UN-led negotiations. "We hope those talks will reach a speedy and mutually agreeable conclusion," he said. However, analysts in Macedonia agree that the US move, following so closely on George Bush's re-election, has greatly bolstered the country's negotiating position. "With this recognition, the name dispute is practically closed," Denko Maleski, a former foreign minister and previous ambassador to the UN, told IWPR. "Justice has always been on our side, as there is no previous case of a country having a name imposed on it when it joined the UN. Now that both justice and power are on one side, it is ridiculous to talk about compromise. The time for compromise is long gone." Maleski added that US decisions in the Balkans had historically proved decisive. "The US stopped the war in Bosnia, ended the war in Kosovo, and now they have recognised our name. When they decide to do something, they stick to it," he said. Former foreign minister Ljubomir Frckoski agreed that the UN-led talks now had little to offer Macedonia, "The Americans have de facto confirmed our own formula." He suggested that Macedonia should avoid taking part in further discussions in case they devalued the US decision. "If we enter negotiations now, we'll be sending a message to the US that we may reach a different deal with Greece and that their recognition was not valuable," said Frckoski. "If we continue with talks, no European country will follow the US example." Kiro Gligorov, the elder statesman who led Macedonia to independence and was its first president, said he expected the EU to follow the US move in time. "I hope that Greece, which imposed this problem, will reconsider its stance," he said. "I would like to assure the Greek authorities and people that the name Republic of Macedonia does not present any danger to Greece." Boris Georgievski is a journalist with the daily Utrinski Vesnik. ______________________________________________________________ If you wish to unsubscribe, send a blank message to: amcc-news-unsubscribe at alb-net.com , or visit AMCC-NEWS's page at: http://www.alb-net.com/mailman/listinfo/amcc-news From mentor at alb-net.com Fri Nov 19 14:23:55 2004 From: mentor at alb-net.com (Mentor Cana) Date: Fri, 19 Nov 2004 14:23:55 -0500 (EST) Subject: [Prishtina-E] if you know a Rutgers student, please e-mail them or let us know Message-ID: Dear friends, There is an effort underway (at the very initial stage) to establish an Albanian Student Association (whatever the official name will be) at Rutgers University, NJ. Rutgers has three main campuses: New Brunswick/Piscataway, Newark and Camden. The initial effort is out of the New Brunswick/Piscataway campus, but students at all three campuses should respond. The idea is to establish the Albanian Student Association that will bring cultural, academic and social events to the Rutgers community. It will also provide the forum for Albanian students at Rutgers to get to know each other, help with academic issues, etc. How can you help? If you are a Rutgers student, or you know an Albanian student from Rutgers University, please contact Alketa Xhuveli at xhuveli at email.eden.rutgers.edu with their e-mail addresses, or ask your friend to contact Alketa directly. Once a certain amount of students are identified (both undergrad and grad), the idea for the establishment of the student association will be discussed (online or on campus) to decide on the next steps. For any inquiries please contact Alketa at: xhuveli at email.eden.rutgers.edu Sincerely, Mentor From vsherifi at naac.org Wed Nov 24 13:58:52 2004 From: vsherifi at naac.org (Valbona Sherifi) Date: Wed, 24 Nov 2004 13:58:52 -0500 Subject: [Prishtina-E] Press Release (24 Nov. 2004) Message-ID: National Albanian American Council 2021 L Street, N.W., Suite 402, Washington, DC 20036 481 8th Avenue, Suite 922, New York, NY 10001 Brigada e Krajishtes, No. 8, 38000 Prishtina, Kosova Telephone: (202) 466-6900 Fax: (202) 466-5593 Web: www.naac.org Email: naac at naac.org For Immediate Release: November 24, 2004 Contact: Valbona Sherifi (202) 466-6900 PRESS RELEASE Washington, DC, November 24, 2004: the National Albanian American Council (NAAC) issued the following statement regarding the National Albanian American Council issued the following statement after the meeting with the State Department Officials The National Albanian American Council (NAAC) hails the successful parliamentary elections in Kosova and the resulting agreement forming the governing coalition. These elections, the third free and fair elections overall and the first under local auspices, once again demonstrate the maturity and determination of the Kosovar people to build a democratic society. The International Community must respect the results of this democratic process and continue to assist Kosova in her democratic development and Euro-Atlantic integration. The peaceful and transparent manner with which these elections were held and the democratic process that resulted in the coalition agreement are but the latest evidence that the time has come for the Kosovars to govern themselves and for UNMIK to be transformed into an advisory body. The immediate transfer of full competencies to the newly elected representatives is an essential step forward for Kosova and will enable her to better prepare for the standards review process that will begin in mid 2005. Once again, NAAC congratulates the people of Kosova for the political maturity shown during the recent electoral process and calls on the new Kosovar leadership to work closely with the international community to realize the will of the people and their aspirations. The National Albanian American Council ("NAAC") is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to advocating for Albanians and promoting peace and economic development in the Balkans by fostering democratic policy, promoting respect for human rights, and conducting educational and developmental programs. For more information on the National Albanian American Council visit us on the web at www.naac.org K?shilli Komb?tar Shqiptaro Amerikan 2021 L Street, N.W., Suite 402, Washington, DC 20036 481 8th Avenue, Suite 922, New York, NY 10001 Brigada e Krajishtes, No. 8, 38000 Prishtina, Kosova Telephone: (202) 466-6900 Fax: (202) 466-5593 Web: www.naac.org Email: naac at naac.org P?r Shtyp: 24 N?ntor 2004 Kontakt: Valbona Sherifi (202) 466-6900 DEKLARAT? P?R SHTYP K?shilli Komb?tar Shqiptaro Amerikan (KKSHA) p?rsh?ndet mbajtjen e suksesshme t? zgjedhjeve parlamentare n? Kosov? dhe marr?veshjen p?r formimin e koalicionit si rezultat i tyre. Duke qen? zgjedhjet e para t? mbajtura n?n organizimin e zyrtar?ve vendor?, suksesi i k?tyre zgjedhjeve d?shmon edhe nj? her? pjekurin? dhe vendosm?rin? e popullit t? Kosov?s p?r nd?rtimin e nj? shoq?rie demokratike. Komunitetit nd?rkomb?tar duhet t? respektoj? rezultatet e k?tij pro?esi dhe t? ndihmoj? Kosov?n n? zhvillimin e m?tejsh?m drejt? demokracis? dhe integrimit euroatlantik. Me organizimin e tyre paq?sor dhe t? suksessh?m, populli i Kosov?s d?shmoi se ?sht? jo vet?m i gatsh?m t? zgjedh? p?rfaqsuesit e vet por edhe t?u besoj atyre udh?heqjen vendit me plot? kompetenc?. Pjekuria e d?shmuar politike tregon se ?sht? koha q? Kosovar?t mund t? udh?heqin vet vendin e tyre, nd?rkoh? q? UNMIK-u dhe komuniteti nd?rkomb?tar t? luaj? nj? rol k?shillues n? k?to pro?ese. Kjo do t?i mund?sonte Kosov?s t? p?rgatitet m? mire p?r pro?esin e vler?simit t? standardeve n? fillim apo gjat? mesit t? vitit 2005. KKSHA-ja e uron popullin kosovar p?r suksesin e treguar n? k?t? pro?es dhe ftojm? t? gjith? ata q? do ta p?rfaqsojn? d?shir?n e tij n? arritjen dhe p?rparimin e aspiratave t? tyre, ta b?jn? k?t? n? nj? bashk?punim t? ngusht? me komunitetin nd?rkomb?tar. K?shilli Komb?tar Shqiptaro Amerikan (KKSHA) ?sht? nj? organizat? jo p?rfituese dhe jo qeveritare e dedikuar ndaj advokimit t? ??shtjeve shqiptare, promovimit t? paqes dhe zhvillimit ekonomik n? Ballkan p?r t? forcuar politikat demokratike, p?r t? inkurajuar respektin p?r t? drejtat e njeriut, dhe duke mbajtur programe zhvillimi dhe edukative. Valbona Sherifi Public Relations Coordinator National Albanian American Council 2021 L Street, N.W. Suite 402 Washington, D.C. 20036 Phone: 202-466-6900 Fax: 202-466-5593 www.naac.org -------------- next part -------------- HTML attachment scrubbed and removed