Kosovo Wreaking Havoc with Macedonia’s Security, Still

balkananalysis ^ | December 8, 2004 | CDeliso

[joan]

In the negotiations that brought Macedonia’s 2001 war to an end, Albanian militants were amnestied and took up new jobs in the state administration - some even in the ministry of defense. With the farcical situation now unfolding in Kondovo, you have the lunacy of the same people who benefited in such a way going AWOL from their jobs, and now showing up in black uniforms in the hills and demanding to be amnestied again.

Yes indeed, the Balkans is truly an exercise in pointless, futile cyclic idiocy.

But the militant demands – if not met, the gunmen promise to shell the city of Skopje – go even beyond that: not only do they want more amnesties, but also special rights for the family members of NLA “heroes” who died during the conflict – this while desperately poor Macedonian refugees continue, almost 4 years since the war started, to live in “temporary” settlements, because they cannot safely return to their former homes in Albanian-dominated villages!

As we predicted almost a year ago, Kosovo would remain the number one threat to Macedonia’s stability in 2004. Now, as the year winds down, the turbulent situation in Kondovo attest to the effect that recent developments in UNMIK’s restless province may have on its southern neighbor.

The latest information we have received states that while he is powerful, local lord Agim Krasniqi is not really pulling the strings in Kondovo; instead, the mastermind of the militant buildup is an unknown figure from Kosovo who “was disappointed to not have achieved his goal at home recently,” and thus plans to create unrest in Macedonia and hopefully expand his influence there. Could this figure be Hasim Thaci, who despite winning 29 percent of the vote, looks to be excluded from the new Haradaninaj-Rugova government ?

While the answer to this is not currently known, it is clear that the militants are ready for war. Although the bulk of the Kosovar ground troops left the village shortly after the Nov. 7 referendum, transit keeps going on back and forth over the border and weapons movements, apparently unrestrained, continue. The newspaper Vreme reported that the rebels are well armed , and repeated the Kosovo assertion:

“…a shipment containing four cases of ammunition, one case with trench mortars, some 20 heavy machine-guns and an 80-mm-caliber grenade launcher arrived at the village last Sunday. Furthermore, four veterans of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) arrived in the village along with the shipment of weapons. The group also possesses two 120-mm mortars.”

Why did Thaci go to Kondovo with Ahmeti, if his party is so down and out? Although it was not widely reported, it is known that the DPA went to review the troops in Kondovo (and other villages) before the referendum, warning them to be ready for war. The DPA voice-president was in fact brought along by Ahmeti this time around because his party currently has more power in Kondovo than does the DUI. In other words, for all his promises Ahmeti may not be able to do much, even if he wants to – something that is not very likely, all things considered. And so it’s put up or shut up time for the Macedonian government and its foreign “allies.”

[joan]

ping

[DTA]

>>>>> Yes indeed, the Balkans is truly an exercise in pointless, futile cyclic idiocy.>>>>>

No, Balkans is the playpen where powers that be can excercise whatever they please without facing any consequences.

Balkans is the place where local scum and scoundrels make millions by providing services to mentioned above.

And sadly, Balkans is the place where millions useful idiots accept this as historical fate and jump like puppets on a string to prearranged script without any personal gain.

Once when the trick becomes transparent and masses of useful idiots figure it out, Deus ex machina intervenes and everything gets back to normal.

The misery of today, based on misery of yesterday provides enough seed for misery of tomorrow.

And bread, butter and caviar for Nazi-Communist-Internationalist scum elites.

[ehoxha]

bmp