Posted on 03/12/2008 12:29:29 PM PDT by joan
12 March 2008
Skopje _ The Democratic Party of Albanians, DPA, the key Albanian partner in the ruling centre-right coalition lead by VMRO-DPMNE, is leaving government, the party leader told media Wednesday.
Menduh Taci explained that the party leadership will confirm its decision by the end of the day.
The move comes after Prime Minister and VMRO-DPMNE head Nikola Gruevski previously rejected a list of demands the DPA chief, had given him on Monday.
“If you ask me, the decision is definite,” Taci told media, after he informed the United States and European Union ambassadors, Gillian Milovanovic and Erwan Fouere respectively, of his party's move.
Taci blamed its coalition partner for “irresponsible behaviour” in times when Macedonia faces the threat of a Greek veto on its bid to join NATO at the alliance's Bucharest Summit in April.
The DPA will not be accomplice in such “irresponsible politics,” Taci said.
The country is under increased diplomatic pressure to reach a quick compromise with neighbouring Greece over the “name” dispute in order to avoid a Greek veto of its membership bid. Read more at http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/main/news/8466/
Previously, on Monday, the party gave two days to Gruevski to change his mind and accept their demands.
The DPA wanted guarantees from Gruevski for the quick completion of six key issues, including the immediate closure of cases against former ethnic Albanian guerrillas that fought Macedonian security forces during a short conflict in 2001. Read more at http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/main/news/8343/
The party also insisted on state pensions for former ethnic Albanian guerrillas, on making Albanian an official language across the country and on the wider integration of ethnic Albanians into public office.
In addition, DPA demanded further concessions on the use of the Albanian flag in municipalities where they form a large proportion of the population and urged swift recognition of neighbouring Kosovo's independence.
“The government is running normally with full capacity”, government spokesman Ivica Bocevski briefly told media Wednesday after his chief, Gruevski avoided commenting for the media.
The break up of coalition would leave VMRO-DPMNE with insufficient seats in parliament to form government on their own since it controls only 40 of the 120 seats in the assembly.
The DPA has 11 deputies.
The main Albanian opposition party, the Democratic Union for Integration, DUI, may fill the gap in government, local media speculate, but the party has so far expressed reluctance over such a move.
“The process is more important than the technicality,” DUI leader Ali Ahmeti told media as he answered questions on whether his party considers entering the government.
Meanwhile the U.S. Embassy has issued a statement urging political parties in the country to focus on Macedonia’s NATO bid rather on their quarrels.
Macedonia has a “Golden opportunity to enter NATO”, the statement said, noting that “the political stability in the country is essential” for such a bid.
The head of the country’s main opposition Social Democrats, Radmila Sekerinska, said the government partners are acting “utterly irresponsibly” just twenty days ahead of a “key” NATO summit.
The current government was formed in 2006.
Macedonian Albanians call for more rights
14:58 Wed 12 Mar 2008 - Elena Koinova
Macedonia is again on the brink of a political crisis after the Democratic Party of Albanians (DPA) threatened on March 10 to exit the ruling coalition in Macedonia if the government failed to heed its demands to give more rights to Albanians.
The news came only three weeks before the Nato summit in Bucharest, at which Macedonia hopes to get an invitation to join the organisation.
DPA leader Menduh Thaci gave Macedonian prime minister Nikola Gruevski a deadline until the summit, scheduled for April 2-4. In particular, the party wants the members of the former Army for National Liberation (ANO) rehabilitated, making Albanian the second most important language in Macedonia, raising the Albanian alongside the Macedonian flag on top of buildings of local authorities, as well as the end of key cases against Albanians who participated in the 2001 revolt. Last but not least, DPA wants Macedonia to recognise its fledgling neighbour, Kosovo.
Some of the requests were first put forth seven years ago, during the conflict that ended with the signing of the Ochrid agreement. Since then, the requests were brought to the fore by either by DPA or the Democratic Union of Albanians (DUA). According to international analysts, Kosovo's secession of Serbia might spark separatist sentiments in neighbouring Macedonia, where the ethnic Albanian community comprises 25 per cent of total population, but is also a majority in some areas, such as Tetovo.
Skopje did not make clear whether the government and DUA signed the so-called May agreement on broadening Albanians' scope of rights. While Gruevski denies its existence, Albanian and US diplomats are firm the agreement existed. Last May, DPA threatened again with pull-out from the cabinet because the agreements concerning the Albanian population were struck without its knowledge.
Observers commented that if Skopje lost its prospect for membership in Nato, the country might face grave consequences such as full destabilisation of the country and a repeat of 2001 events.
If the Macedonian government fell and nobody noticed, did it really fall?
DPA leader Menduh Thaci gave Macedonian prime minister Nikola Gruevski a deadline until the summit, scheduled for April 2-4. In particular:
1. the party wants the members of the former Army for National Liberation (ANO) rehabilitated
2. making Albanian the second most important language in Macedonia
3. raising the Albanian alongside the Macedonian flag on top of buildings of local authorities
4. the end of key cases against Albanians who participated in the 2001 revolt.
5. Last but not least, DPA wants Macedonia to recognise its fledgling neighbour, Kosovo.
What is this slope, why is it slippery, and why am I on it?
“Macedonia Government Collapses”
Yes, two reasons are clear... one involved a “Democratic” party (mentioned in the first sentence of the article) and (not mentioned in the article) the Albanian Fed bailed out the crooked Albanian banks.....
I always confuse the Macedonians with the Macadamians.
Just another bump on the road to Greater Albania.
Your first post doesn’t mention it, but the second does. My reaction is, more fallout from the stupid, stupid position that the EU and the US have taken on Kosovo.
And, yes, Macedonia matters, because it’s one more domino in the Muslim struggle for control of the Balkans.
You’ll notice eventually, perhaps when they seize your neighborhood and demand independence.
And another step on the road to Eurabia and the Third Caliphate.
Albanians in Macedonia are still Albanian. They are not Macedonian. As such they are traitors to Macedonia and should be jailed or deported back to Albania.
Milosevic tried that with Albanian separatists in Kosovo -- but we intervened by bombing Serbia for 78 straight days, including Easter. And we'd likely to do the same to Macedonia if they tried that strategy.
We have basically told the Slavs and Greeks in that region that Albanians and other Muslims in that neighborhood are "untouchable" and protected by us, no matter what they do. Some strategy, eh?
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