HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK ---------------------------
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30340-2002Jan11.html Rebels Displeased by Macedonia By Ermira Mehmeti Associated Press Writer Friday, January 11, 2002; 7:52 AM TETOVO, Macedonia –– The disbanded ethnic Albanian rebel army that launched an insurgency last year announced Friday it was "reorganizing and reactivating" its units and accused the Macedonian government of ignoring a peace accord. In a communique delivered to The Associated Press, the rebels' self-styled National Liberation Army warned the troubled Balkan nation's Slavic majority to grant minority ethnic Albanians more rights under the Western-brokered agreement or face the possibility of fresh conflict. "Just as the Slav Macedonians do not feel any commitment to the agreement, we – the members of the NLA – as of today are forced to declare that we have no commitment toward the agreement whatsoever," the statement said. "We have proved that we are ready to live freely and in peace with an agreement," it said, but added: "We have proved that we can fight for our rights." The rebel force handed in its weapons to NATO troops in October and said it was disbanding in a show of good faith after the leaders of Macedonia's rival ethnic groups signed the peace accord, which ended months of conflict that began in February 2001. But the slow implementation of the accord has angered ethnic Albanians, who have accused Macedonian political leaders of stalling on constitutional changes that would give the minority greater rights and recognition. "We have respected our part of the agreement. We have been fair in the implementation of the whole agreement," the NLA statement said. "The Slav Macedonian bloc has avoided any kind of agreement with us. It has neglected and finally blocked the signed agreement and basically has completely ignored it. They have basically made it nonexistent." "Every effort of ours to preserve the agreement has failed," it said. The statement, which was signed simply by "the spokesman for the NLA," accused Macedonian authorities of using the past several months to purchase weapons, arm paramilitary groups and step up patrols in ethnic Albanian settlements. It warned the Macedonian government to cease patrols in villages where ethnic Albanians form a local majority "until all rights of our people are put into practice." "We warned Slav Macedonians' police and military forces that we will take no responsibility for their security," it said. There was no immediate reaction from the Macedonian government. The changes envisioned under the peace accord would grant the ethnic Albanian minority a greater role in the police, parliament and educational systems and expand the official use of the Albanian language. Ethnic Albanians account for nearly a third of Macedonia's population of 2 million. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Send FREE video emails in Yahoo! Mail! http://promo.yahoo.com/videomail/ ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9WB2D Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
