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Friday.

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Exquisitely painted replicas of world classics are sold in central Plovdiv. Pressphoto - BTA. Photo: Vladimir Yanev

13 Prospective Border Crossings Between Macedonia & Kosovo.
 
Reality Macedonia
By Irina Gelevska

northern_macedonia.jpg

Map of northern Macedonia, made before the border agreement of 2001. The red circle designates the area of Tanushevci-Kodra Fura. Source Perry-Castaņeda Library Map Collection.
 
Skopje June 7, 2002 (RM) - Macedonian Ministry of Defense proposed opening of one new daytime border crossing near the village Tanushevci on Macedonian territory and the village Debalde in Kosovo.
 
According to the Army Spokesman Colonel Blagoja Markovski, this offer should defuse the border tensions and help the people from the villages Tanushevci, Malino and Brest, who prefer to shop in Vitina, Kosovo (6km), which is much closer than Skopje (35km)
 
An idea for another border crossing towards Kosovo near the Kumanovo's village Lojane circulates, also. But all these ideas remain just proposals for which the Macedonian Government should decide in the near future.
 
Macedonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs proposed opening 8 border check points for the farmers living in Kosovo and Macedonia who have property on the opposite sides of the border. These farmers should have special identification cards agreed between the Macedonian Ministry of Interior and UNMIK. The UNMIK Spokeswoman Suzanne Manuel says that UNMIK have not yet submitted a list of such farmers' names to the Macedonian Police.
 
Gorans from Kosovo would like to see border crossing Strezimir-Restelica opened, but such act depends of the demarcation of the border.
 
"Viktor Dimevski from the Ministry of Foreign Affiars have told us that the border crossing will open, but he didn't say when," said the President of the Macedonians with Islamic religion Ismail Bojda.
 
Gorans are ethnic Macedonians living in Kosovo. The area they inhabit is called Gora (situated on the northern slopes of Shar Planina Mountain), hence the name. Gora used to be part of Macedonia untill1956 when the socialist Government of then Socialist Republic of Macedonia, a part of former Yugoslavian Federation, quietly ceded this territory to Serbia.
 
Macedonian Muslim Gorans still live in more than 20 villages in Kosovo, although many of them had to leave their homes because of Albanian genocidal reprisals, after NATO occupied Kosovo. In order to come to Macedonia where they have relatives, they must circle more than 150 km. A road though the border crossing Strezimir-Restelica would be much shorter.
 
Army Spokesman, Colonel Markovski, cautioned that having 13 border crossings towards Kosovo would be too much, and opening of 8 border check points might not be a very good idea because of increased security risk, as well as the pending confusion about which agency should be responsible for them--the Army or the Police.
 
Macedonia: "Greater Albania" Gathers Support.
 
Institute for War & Peace Reporting
By Tim Judah in London (BCR No 341, 7-Jun-02)
 
A US government survey in Macedonia reveals ever-worsening ethnic relations and the increased appeal of a Greater Albania among ethnic Albanians.
 
Just over a year ago, a US government opinion poll revealed that the majority of Macedonia's minority Albanians were opposed to the ethnic division of the country. (See BCR No.250, 25 May 2001). Now, a new one reveals some dramatic shifts in opinions but also some confused and contradictory views too.
 
In three surveys - carried out in May 2001, a follow up last October and now the latest one - ethnic Albanians have been asked, "For your own personal future, would you prefer to live in an ethnically mixed Macedonia, or in a greater Albanian state?"
 
In May 2001, only 16 per cent said that they would prefer a greater Albanian state. By October, this had grown to 27 per cent. It has now leaped to 48 per cent. In contrast, the percentage of Albanians in favour of an ethnically mixed Macedonia has slumped from 71 per cent in May 2001 to 61 per cent last October to only 39 per cent now.
 
The surveys were carried out for the Office of Research of the US State Department. The most recent one collected data, face-to-face, from a "nationally representative" sample of 1,097 adults.
 
The May 2001 survey was taken just before the worst period of fighting between the ethnic Albanian rebels of the National Liberation Army, NLA, and Macedonian security forces.
 
Despite the rise in popularity of the idea of Greater Albania, ethnic Albanians also gave oddly inconsistent answers to other questions. For example, a full 68 per cent of them want Macedonia to remain a united country. Unsurprisingly, 99 per cent of Macedonians do too.
 
This contradiction may relate to frustrations amongst Albanians about the slow pace of reforms since last August's Ohrid peace accords. For a number of them, it may also relate to the difference between what they might like in an ideal world as opposed to what is possible in the real one.
 
For example, 55 per cent of ethnic Albanians are only in favour of Greater Albania if it can be achieved by peaceful means while 30 per cent would be prepared to fight for it. By contrast, in last October's survey, 48 per cent said they would support unification even if fighting was involved.
 
On the ethnic Macedonian side, research reveals that 63 per cent oppose the Ohrid agreement. This demonstrates a hardening of opinion since last October when it was opposed by 56 per cent of Macedonians. By contrast 90 per cent of Albanians support the deal.
 
However, the report notes that, "worsening relations between ethnic Macedonians and Albanians calls into question whether the framework agreement will be able to foster long-term coexistence."
 
Some 87 per cent of Macedonians have "little or no confidence" that the agreement will result in a lasting settlement for Macedonia while 60 per cent of Albanians think it will and 37 per cent think it will not.
 
Some of the more dramatic shifts in social views are shown when Macedonians and Albanians are asked if they have negative views of certain situations. Last spring for example, only 25 per cent of Albanians had a negative view of having a Macedonian as a personal friend.
 
Now that figure has jumped to 61 per cent. As for Macedonians, a full 45 per cent had a negative view of having an Albanian friend last year and that figure has now grown to 52 per cent.
 
Last spring, 82 per cent of Albanians and 87 per cent of Macedonians disapproved of inter-ethnic marriage. Those figures are now 91 and 95 per cent respectively. The May survey also suggested that 14 per cent of Albanians and 40 per cent of Macedonians disapproved of shopping in a shop owned by a member of the other group. Now those figures are 35 per cent and 52 per cent respectively.
 
Unsurprisingly, 84 per cent of Albanians - up from 71 per cent last spring - are not happy with Macedonian policemen patrolling their streets and 77 per cent of Macedonians, up from 67 per cent, would not like Albanian policemen on their streets.
 
Curiously, data collected over a much longer period of time shows that Macedonian views of Albanians have been far more consistent than Albanian views of Macedonians, which have fluctuated wildly.
 
Over a series of six polls beginning in June 1998, the data shows that the vast majority of Macedonians - ranging from between three quarters and two thirds - have always had an unfavourable attitude towards Albanians.
 
By contrast, in 1998 only 43 per cent of Albanians had an unfavourable attitude towards Macedonians. In March 2000, this was down to a mere 18 per cent, then 17 per cent in May 2001. By last October, however, that figure had grown to 54 per cent and now stands at 63 per cent.
 
Much of this data is not particularly surprising but it does make for depressing reading. Most alarmingly, it shows that today it would be far easier for hardliners on either or both sides to decide to go to war again than it would have been twelve months ago.
 
In other words, last year's conflict has wrecked far more than lives and property.
 
Tim Judah is the author of Kosovo: War & Revenge.
 

BULGARIA - LIBYA.
 
BTA
 
Libyan Foreign Minister Shalgam Expected to Visit Bulgaria.
 
Sofia, June 7 (BTA) - A future visit to Bulgaria by Libyan Foreign Minister Abd Al-Rahman Shalgam was discussed at a meeting here on Friday between the Libyan Ambassador in Sofia, Farag Gibril, and Bulgarian Deputy Foreign Minister Ivan Petkov.
 
At the end of the meeting, they were joined by Foreign Minister Solomon Passy.
 
Ambassdor Gibril delivered a letter from the chief Libyan diplomat to his Bulgarian counterpart. The date of the visit has not yet been set, the Libyan Ambassador said, emerging from the meeting.
 
"Ambassador Gibril informed me that the Libyan Foreign Minister has gratefully accepted an invitation to visit Bulgaria which has been extended to him," Passy said.
 
In his words, Shalgam's letter expresses satisfaction with the progress of bilateral relations and finds that they are on the upsurge.
 
A forthcoming session of the Joint Bulgarian-Libyan Commission, which will be hosted by Libya, was also on the agenda, Gibril said. He expressed the hope that the Commission will meet shortly.
 
"We did not discuss the trial of the six medics in detail, and I can assure you that the Libyan side is planning to conduct a clear and transparent trial, unencumbered by past politics," Passy said after his session with the Ambassador. He was referring to six Bulgarian medical professionals charged with intentional infection of hundreds of Libyan children with HIV.
 
The six, who have been held in Libya since early 1999, appeared before an Arraignment Chamber in Benghazi on Monday, June 3.
 
According to the Foreign Minister, now that the charge of conspiring against the State has been dropped, the case has entered a completely new case and the court could handle it "more calmly" under the new conditions.
 
BULGARIA-MACEDONIA-BUSINESSMEN.
 
BTA
 
Skopje, June 7 (BTA) - A two-day meeting of businessmen from Vuzrazhdane of Bulgaria and Voskresenie of Macedonia business clubs ended Friday as the participants conferred with Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski and President Boris Trajkovski.
 
Summing up the results of the meeting, the two clubs' chairmen, Mihail Trendafilov of Voskresenie and Emil Kyulev of Vuzrazhdane, stressed the importance of direct contacts for building a new business culture, ethics and training in the process of transition to market economy and democracy.
 
Voskresenie club will draw on the Bulgarian expertise in the institutionalization of the association of local business circles for a more active participation in the country's economy and improvement of the overall business climate.
 
The members of the two clubs discussed the opportunities to step up business cooperation through participation in bilateral projects and in projects in third countries.
 
The businessmen cited infrastructure projects within Corridor VIII, in particular the construction of the Sofia-Skopje railway line and the 400kV power line linking the power grids of the two neighbouring countries, as important common ground for actions, adding that they are willing to join in the common effort to raise funding from international institutions.
 
Conditions for a free exchange of ideas, capitals and information need to be created to help promote business ties in the region, according to the participants in the meeting.
 
The two clubs agreed to hold their next official meeting in Bulgaria in September.

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