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The international community is bringing pressure on Macedonia trying to persuade it to agree to extending NATO force’s stay in the country after its mandate expires. European Union foreign ministers came to the conclusion that last weekend that after the withdrawal of the 4,000 NATO servicemen Macedonia would immediately face the power vacuum. The ministers suggested the alliance to extend the military contingent’s sojourn in the country. The ministers also agreed that the civilian ceasefire monitors will require protection.
The ministers, meeting near Brussels, took no formal decision since the Macedonian Government has to request any new military presence and international institutions - including the United Nations - will be asked to approve it. Winning Skopje's agreement to a new Nato force could prove awkward. The 4,500 Nato force is due to leave when its mission to gather weapons handed in under an EU-brokered peace deal ends on 26 September. So, the prospect that Nato troops will remain stationed in Macedonia beyond their current month-long mission has moved closer.
Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel, who chaired the meeting, is quoted by BBC as having told a news conference that "We all insisted on the need to avoid a security vacuum when Nato withdraws. "The option considered most realistic would be to deploy a 'Nato plus' force based on the troops already on the ground." EU ministers said their aim was to prevent a relapse into civil war or a partition of the former Yugoslav republic once Nato's mission expires.
Diplomats said Britain argued that a UN mandate, while desirable, was not necessary and might be hard to obtain, creating an opportunity for "mischief-making". Ministers agreed the force should be open to non-Nato countries such as Russia, Ukraine, Sweden and Finland. Several countries said they did not want their troops to come under UN command because of bad experiences in the 1990s. The ministers agreed to double the number of EU civilian observers in Macedonia from 29.
So far, Macedonia has been rejecting the idea of extending the peacekeepers’ mandate due to expire in 2 weeks. Yet, one Macedonian high-ranking official surmised on Monday that the authorities would have to yield to the international pressure. “We are heavily pressurized, and, possible, our stance will change,” he said.
Macedonian Cabinet’s Press-Secretary Antonio Milososki has stated literally the following: “We are surprised by an abrupt change of heart by a number of Western countries… It has been said earlier that only a peace agreement is the guarantee of stability, now we are facing a long-term military presence.”
It is no surprise, however. Such a development has bee predicted both by mass media and by various politicians. Macedonia is now facing a serious problem. The country’s leadership is under pressure, and, at that, the NATO contingent has already been stationed on its territory. And it is only up to the alliance’s leadership to decide whether the force will be withdrawn.
It is just time to ask for help. Of course, in a veiled manner (and it is exactly what the Cabinet’s press-secretary is being engaged with). But the question is: who will protect Macedonia from NATO?
Irish Times : EU agrees to extend stay of troops in Macedonia
http://english.pravda.ru/yougoslavia/2001/09/11/14803.html
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