Visit our website: HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --------------------------------------------- Athens News August 24, 2001 [The majority] believe that Slav parties have caved in to sweeping constitutional reforms in favour of the Albanians, while under severe pressure from both the West and the Albanian rebels who have besieged government forces for six months. As the Slav majority views it, NATO will now harvest the fruits of Albanian nationalism that it planted during its 1999 campaign that transformed a Yugoslav province into a crime-ridden international protectorate and the main weapons and supply post for attacks within FYROM. Can Nato harvest peace? As the alliance prepares to collect Albanian guerrillas' weapons, aproposed referendum could scuttle the fragile agreement between FYROM's Slav and Albanian parties BY GEORGE GILSON A British jeep passes an ethnic Albanian on its way into the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia on August 22 THE FORMER Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) on August 22 joined Bosnia and Kosovo to become the third Balkan country that was once part of the former Yugoslavia to host a large Nato-led international force on its territory. Following a mission to FYROM two days earlier by Nato's top European commander General Joseph Ralston to inspect the durability of a ceasefire there, the North Atlantic Council of Nato member-state ambassadors approved a limited, one-month mission for the 3,500-strong force. Troops are to collect and destroy weapons voluntarily handed over by Albanian guerrillas who continue to occupy the northwestern part of the country following a six-month insurgency. "Today is an important day for Nato and an even more important one for the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Today we are taking a historic step forward for wider stability and security in the Balkans. At noon, the North Atlantic Council decided to authorise Saceur [Ralston] to issue the activation order for Operation Essential Harvest," said Nato Secretary-General Lord George Robertson. He added that the preconditions for the mission set one month before had been met. These were a political agreement signed by ethnic Slav and Albanian parliamentary parties, an agreement with FYROM on the terms under which the Nato force will operate, an agreement by Albanian guerrillas to disarm, a weapons collection plan and an enduring ceasefire. "There are risks involved - we recognise that - but members of the alliance have nevertheless agreed to send their troops because they know that the risks of not sending them are far greater," Robertson stressed, adding a stern message to those who would imperil an evolving peace: "To those who believe in a violent and military solution, I say this: there is no solution in violence, only death, destruction, misery and poverty. A civil war would be a bloodbath and solve nothing." Nato expected the full deployment of its force to be completed by September 1, after which its renewable 30-day mandate will begin. Nato's latest Balkan intervention - approved just a day after the demolition of a 14th-century Orthodox church in Albanian rebel-held territory - comes at the invitation of the FYROM government and follows a delicate political agreement to enhance the ethnic Albanian minority's rights. But while FYROM's Albanian minority appears relatively satisfied by the August 13 "framework agreement" drafted by European legal experts and agreed to by FYROM's ethnic Slav and Albanian parties, the same cannot be said of the country's Slav majority. They believe that Slav parties have caved in to sweeping constitutional reforms in favour of the Albanians, while under severe pressure from both the West and the Albanian rebels who have besieged government forces for six months. As the Slav majority views it, Nato will now harvest the fruit of Albanian nationalism that it planted during its 1999 Kosovo campaign that transformed a Yugoslav province into a crime-ridden international protectorate and the main staging and weapons supply post for attacks within FYROM. "Anti-Western sentiment among the Slav population is, if anything, worse after the signing of the agreement. The Albanians are clearly more satisfied with the agreement than the Slavo-Macedonians," a Western diplomat based in Skopje told the Athens News. Now, Nato will stand guard as ethnic Albanian rebels and FYROM's parliamentarians engage in an unprecedented synchronised dance of weapon handovers and constitutional reforms in which even slight mis-steps or provocations are liable to throw the entire process off track. With a 45-day deadline from the signing of the agreement to pass constitutional amendments, the FYROM assembly speaker is due to open parliamentary discussion on August 31. The last reforms will be put to a vote within 30 days of that date. The influential Macedonian World Congress, comprised of FYROM's diaspora Slavs, has proposed that a referendum be held regarding the framework agreement. But reports indicated that a massive publicity campaign is planned to sell the agreement to the FYROM public over the next few weeks. While the leader of the Albanian guerrilla National Liberation Army, Ali Ahmeti, pledged on August 19 that his rebels would disarm, the FYROM defence ministry has indicated that the rebels possess as many as 85,000 weapons, though they only plan to turn in 2,500. But that is not the only government concern about the Nato operation. F YROM envoy to Athens Ljupco Arsovski outlined the concerns about the August 13 agreement voiced by the Slav majority in an interview with the Athens News, underlining that a referendum on the deal cannot be ruled out. "There has been a negative reaction because in a matter of months we have seen the terrorists change name to become 'freedom fighters', even though they only want territory and a solid grounding from which to make more demands," he said. While expressing confidence that the agreement can pass through parliament with the appropriate preparation, Arsovski notes that a popular backlash could also develop in that time. "Until the disarmament of terrorists begins, the people might unite to say that such things cannot pass so easily. If they gather 150,000 signatures, they can request a referendum," Arsovski said. The FYROM diplomat stresses that Albanian guerrillas continue to exert tremendous pressure on the Slavs still residing in the many rebel-controlled villages to pick up and leave. "If these people leave, it is the end. They will never again return," he said. Arsovski also expressed doubts about rebel leader Ahmeti's credibility, noting that the FYROM-born ethnic Albanian had pledged his guerrillas would honour a July 5 ceasefire, but that he could not vouch for others. "At the time there were no others, so I think all this was set up," Arsovski added, alluding to the appearance of a new "Albanian National Army" (ANA) rebel group. "I think the KLA and the ANA are one and the same," he said. "Ahmeti is now passing himself off as a legitimate political leader that wants to start his own party, because he is from Kicevo (FYROM). He may want to win the position of [Arben] Xhaferi, [Imer] Imeri and the others", Arsovki said, referring to the leaders of ethnic Albanian political parties in Skopje. "He did everything with weapons - putting him on a US travel blacklist - and now says that he is for peace. Just reading Ahmeti's statements makes one nauseous," Arsovski said, noting that thousands of weapons-smuggling incidents have occurred at Albanian- FYROM borders in the past decade. Regarding how the Albanian rebels occupying a large chunk of northwestern FYROM might disband and leave, Arsovski appeared pessimistic. "You tell me. We have to wait and see how Nato will handle the process of disarming, because the first day of discussion in parliament will coincide with the collection of one-third of the weapons," he said. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpts of Nato chief's statement after decision to launch Operation Essential Harvest TODAY is an important day for Nato and an even more important one for the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Today we are taking a historic step forward for wider stability and security in the Balkans. At 12 noon, the North Atlantic Council decided to authorise Saceur to issue the activation order for Operation Essential Harvest. On 14 June, a little more than two months ago, I received a letter from the president of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Boris Trajkovski, asking for Nato's help in implementing a peace plan aimed at restoring peace and stability in his country. This was a call for assistance from a country with which Nato has a close relationship. It is a country which aspires to be a member of the Alliance, a country which offered generous assistance in the Kosovo crisis and a country which was on the brink of bloody civil war. This decision is not the end of the road; it is one part of a process which will see the implementation of the historic agreement signed by the leaders of the political parties on 13 August. The conclusion of the process, the ratification of the proposed constitutional changes, is now in the hands of the people of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and their leaders. The political agreement is theirs to implement and I fully expect them to meet their commitments. The country and its future are in their hands. The decision made today by the Alliance is the right one, but it has been a difficult one. There are risks involved, we recognise that, but members of the Alliance have nevertheless agreed to send their troops because they know that the risks of not sending them are far greater. There will be trying times ahead, I have no doubt. Some extremists and hardliners will try to derail the operation. I have a message today for those who have faith in the future and do not want war, those who are the builders not the destroyers. Nato is coming to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to help you build a better future in a modern Europe. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Make international calls for as low as $.04/minute with Yahoo! 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