The status of the Ethnic Albanians in the Republic of Macedonia
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passing through Skopje. | |
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The recent developments in Macedonia have been the topic of many news coverages. However, no conflict can be understood by following the news coverage only, for it presents only the current situation at best. Therefore, in order to provide you with better background info on the current situation in Macedonia, as well as to dissolve the misrepresentation of the recent developments in Macedonia, we have prepared this overview of the human rights enjoyed by the ethnically Albanian population in Macedonia.
Ethnic Albanians comprise about 22.9% of the population of the Republic of Macedonia, accordning to the last EU-monitored census in 1994 (Macedonia Country Report on Human Rights Practices for 1996 by the US Department of State). Their human rights, as well as those of the other ethnic minorities in the Republic of Macedonia, are guaranteed by the Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia, which states the following:
Members of the ethnic groups have a right freely to express, foster and develop their identity and ethnic attributes. The Republic guarantees the protection of the ethnic, cultural, linguistic and religious identity of the ethnic groups. Members of the ethnic groups have the right to establish institutions for culture and art, as well as scholarly and other associations for the expression, fostering and development of their identity. Members of different ethnic groups have the right to instruction in their language in primary and secondary education, as determined by law. In schools where education is carried out in the language of an ethnic minority, the Macedonian language is also to be studied. (Article 48)
The NLA: Human Rights Fighters or Terrorists?
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Given the status of the ethnic Albanian minority in the Republic of Macedonia, most Macedonians believe that the KLA/NLA is a group of thugs with the sole intent of further destabilizing the Balkans, not human rights fighters. After all, following the withdrawal of the Yugoslav security forces from Kosovo, virtually all non-Albanians were forced to flee their homes, and Christian monuments were destroyed. Moreover, if the respect for the human rights of ethnic minorities exhibited by the Macedonian authorities is too grave so as to drive a group of people in an armed insurgency for more rights, why then have we not witnessed other ethnic groups in Macedonia following a similar path to that of the so-called NLA, or why have other ethnic minorities in the Balkans - like the Macedonians and Greeks in Albania for instance, who have none of the aforementioned human rights to enjoy and are economically and socially worse off than the Macedonian Albanians - not taken such steps? The KLA/NLA has shady relations with criminal gangs involved in prostitution, drug-traffic and people and weapons smuggling, as well as bin Laden's organization al-Qaeda, links that shed light on what may be the true reason for the armed conflicts initiated by the KLA/NLA, a reason good enough to explain the aforementioned discrepancy between the claims of the ethnic Albanian terrorists and their deeds.
The origins ofthe KLA/NLA are quite interesting. The New York Times reported that the KLA "began on the radical fringe of Kosovar Albanian politics, originally made up of diehard Marxist-Leninists (who were bankrolled in the old days by the Stalinist dictatorship next door in Albania) as well as by descendants of the fascist militias raised by the Italians in World War II." Congressman Ron Paul of Texas stated that "the United States Government has in the past referred to the Kosovo Liberation Army leaders as thugs, terrorists, Marxists, and drug dealers." The Times called the KLA "Marxist-led force funded by dubious sources, including drug money." The US State Department does not even consider the KLA/NLA as freedom fighters, for it states the following regarding their terrorist activities in the 2000 Report on Patterns of Global Terrorism:
The Position of the EU and NATO On the Current Situation in the Republic of Macedonia
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Macedonia has received the support of the international community in dealing with the current situation. NATO Secretary General George Robertson called the rebels "a bunch of murderous thugs whose objective is to destroy a democratic Macedonia and who are using civilians as human shields" in a cynical bid to provoke "another Balkan bloodbath." Similarly, the European Union's foreign policy chief and former NATO Secretary General Javier Solana, talking about the Albanian extremists in Macedonia, stated that "the terrorists have to be isolated. Even the Albanian prime minister has condemned the activities of these terrorists. All the more reason all of us have to condemn and isolate the terrorists. Nothing can be achieved through violence and nothing should be achieved through violence." Finally, the US Secretary of State Colin Powell stated during the visit of Macedonia's President Trajkovski to the United States: "I once again had the opportunity to express solidarity with Macedonia; the United States' total commitment to territorial integrity of Macedonia; our commitment to this democracy which is facing dastardly and cowardly acts from terrorists and terrorist organizations that are trying to subvert the democratic process in Macedonia."
TimelineThis concise timeline traces the relevant events related to the recent conflict. It starts with the activities of the Albanian political representatives and the Albanian militants in Macedonia, starting from the earliest days of independent Macedonia, through the Kosovo crisis and Macedonia's role in sheltering almost half a million of Albanian refugees from Kosovo two years ago, all the way to the latest developments. |
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White Book on the Terrorism by so-called NLA
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The terrorist attacks of the extreme Albanians in Republic of Macedonia escalate in the beginning of 2001, when NLA fully took responsibility for the brutal, cruel and horrifying murders and massacres committed against members of the security forces of Republic of Macedonia and against civilians. They also took responsibility for the terrorist attacks of police objects and police officers, for occupying territories, kidnappings, and taking civilian hostages and their harassment, recruiting children for terrorist attacks, destroying and rob- bing private property and objects of historical and cultural importance to Republic of Macedonia, as well as for creating humanitarian catastrophe.
This report provides excellent background information to the conflict, it documents the activities of the ethnic Albanian terrorist fighters, as well as the international response to the recent developments.
Some of the material at this web site is graphic, brutal, and shocking. Individuals not wishing to be exposed to such material should not pursue further.
