Posted on 09/14/2001 9:55:57 PM PDT by oxi-nato
BERLIN, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Continued NATO military presence in Macedonia would result almost inevitably in the country's break-up, Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski was quoted on Friday as saying. "NATO has been insisting on stationing its troops along an ethnic line dividing Macedonians and Albanians, effectively a buffer zone between the terrorists and us," Georgievski told the German news magazine der Spiegel. "First we'll see the (NATO) mandate extended by three months, then a year and so on," he said in an interview released ahead of publication.
He said he would not let Macedonia, a month into a nervous peace pact, become a protectorate along the lines of Bosnia or Kosovo. He was willing to accept an international military presence with a NATO or United Nations mandate, but only on its borders with Kosovo and Albania. Georgievski said he did not believe there would be a vaccuum if NATO troops withdrew. Macedonian forces, with neutral observers, must be allowed to re-establish control of the country, he said.
However, his government wanted to win back 12 villages with Macedonian inhabitants and to secure access roads. Georgievski said Macedonia had been a prime example for the past 10 years of the way different ethnic groups could peacefully co-exist, even if co-existence had been destroyed in the space of a few months.
He believed a proposed conference to assess the Balkans appeared inevitable. "The Balkans will not be at peace until a Greater Albania is formed. That's what it's about," Georgievski said, although he said he was not in favour of the creation of such a state.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.