Unease in E.U., NATO over Macedonia

By Batuk Gathani

BRUSSELS, JUNE 25. There is unease in major European Union and NATO capitals with the developments in the war-torn Macedonia, where the E.U. foreign and security policy chief, Mr. Javier Solana, has managed to structure a parley of a sort between the warring ethnic factions of Christian Serbs and Muslim ethnic Albanians.

Mr. Solana, whose efforts over the weekend involved intensive and often arm-twisting diplomacy and political lobbying, says that a ceasefire has now been in place between the Macedonia government forces and the ethnic Albanian rebels. The E.U. diplomats are now applying pressure to commence political dialogue. The Albanians have consistently argued for a ``separate Muslim'' state as they once did in other parts of former Yugoslavia. The proposal, which amounts to altering the post-war boundary of a European state, is not acceptable to the E.U., NATO and even Russia.

NATO is under pressure to stage another military intervention in Macedonia if the Albanians persist with their secessionist demands. At best, NATO and the E.U. can agree to offer Albanians greater rights within a reformed Macedonian government. The E.U. has also resolved to deploy a permanent diplomat in the Macedonian capital Skopje to monitor progress on diplomatic and military front. Last Thursday, NATO agreed to deploy 3,000 troops in Macedonia on temporary basis for a ``quick operation'' if the current ceasefire collapses.

The 19 NATO allies run a large peacekeeping operation in Bosnia and Kosovo - parts of former Yugoslavia. The feeling at the NATO headquarters here is that the Macedonian conflict needs urgent attention before it ``gets out of hand''. According to estimates, Albanians make up about a quarter or third of Macedonia's two million population and not all ethnic Albanians are particular about creating a separate Muslim state. For some time now with rising tide of ethnic and secessionist violence in the Balkan region generally and Macedonia particularly, the western world - the E.U. and NATO - is seen groping for a suitable response.

The vast majority or over 60 six per cent of Macedonia's two million population are ethnic Slavs and orthodox Christians.

The Russian Foreign Minister, Mr. Igor Ivanov, was also in the region for talks with the Macedenian and Yugoslav leaders. The neighbouring Albania is one of Europe's smallest and poorest countries with a population of some 35 lakhs - 75 per cent Muslim and 25 per cent orthodox Christians. Albania was the smallest communist country in the heyday of Soviet empire.

For many post-war years, Albania's only claim to fame was that it was the first client state of communist China and followed the directives of Chairman Mao with some fanatical zeal.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : International
Previous : Burnley, Oldham not linked: police
Next     : Turkey's Islamist party headed for split