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Albanian-Macedonian conflict inflamed by new encyclopedia
Published: 21 December, 2009, 10:14
Edited: 22 December, 2009, 11:52
Macedonia, Skopje: An ethnic Albanian child holds a wooden replica of a gun during a protest of supporters of the Democratic Union for Integration. (AFP Photo / Robert Atanasovski)
(14.2Mb) embed videoTAGS: Conflict, Scandal, Kosovo, Hate crimes, Europe, Human rights, History
Conflict in Macedonia has reignited between its Albanian minority and Macedonians as a new encyclopedia has been published. It claims that Albanians were mountain farmers who entered the country only four centuries ago.
But Albanians insist they have been there longer, and so have ancestral rights to the land.
Dzevded Ljvarasi is an Albanian whose family has lived in the territory today called Macedonia for generations. But eight years ago, he moved from his remote village to the mostly-Albanian city of Tetovo, as he feared his former neighbors would turn on him.
In January 2001, Albanian fighters attacked and killed eight Macedonian policemen.
Macedonians set fire to Albanian-owned shops and mosques in revenge. The final peace agreement gave Albanians more rights; they in turn promised to give up their demands for secession.
“We have lived here together for centuries, but the violence in 2001, it just happened suddenly,” Dzevded Ljvarasi recalls. “It just takes a spark and everything is ruined.”
And that spark was recently reignited with the publication of an encyclopedia by the Macedonian Academy of Science. It claimed that Albanians were mountain farmers, who arrived in this area in the sixteenth century.
The encyclopedia also said that Ali Ahmeti, the leader of the Albanian uprising in 2001, was a war crimes suspect, which he strongly denies. At the time, Albanian protestors took to the streets and burnt the Macedonian flag. The situation worsened when the Albanian prime minister later called for all areas where Albanians lived to be united.
Gzim Ostreni was chief of staff of the Albanian National Liberation Army in 2001. He has since replaced bullets with words and now heads one of a handful of Albanian political parties in the country.
“In 2001 we were forced to use force although we knew it wasn’t a democratic way to fight,” Ostreni says. “But we had to fight against state terrorism, so all ethnic minorities could live together with the same rights in this country. Today Albanians in Macedonia feel the state is their own.”
But neighboring Serbs are unconvinced. Political and military analyst Zoran Dragisic asserts that if Macedonia becomes part of the Euro-Atlantic community, the situation could be handled inside Macedonia.
“Eventually this problem will appear on the surface of our political life,” Dragusuc told RT. “I am not optimistic in general…”
Political analyst Albert Musliu disagrees. He says European integration would finally dissolve all Albanian desires to break away:
“Even if Albanians and Macedonians split here, it will just prolong the joining of the European Union, which Albanians see as a place where they can freely commute and live with their brothers in language.”
Albanians make up a quarter of Macedonia’s population of two million. Most of them still do not feel integrated – which is why a spark has so much to inflame.
21.12.2009, 09:13
7 comments
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I have to say that this story shows everyones point of view except the Macedonian. For the sake of good journalism you should report that the encyclopedia has been withdrawn. I am not saying the encyclopedia was well written but you should have seen the reactions not from the Albanians but from Brussels and Washington. So the Albanians backed up by the west complain about everything and a lot of them are evading taxes and not paying electricity. Due to the fact that i live here i would like to be optimistic that we will get into the EU very quickly and these problems will be forgotten but it is really hard to stay optimistic. It looks as if sooner or later a fire will be lit again
Secessionism works in the world that has become unhinged. Under the US post-cold war rule, expediency and the short-term thinking prevailed. This is why it was expedient to support any nationality to break away from Yugoslavia, and within various newly minted states, it was expedient to support some, but not other aspirants. In short, an arbitrary set of rules defined who is the "victim" and who is the "villain" in the story. The "victims" became pets that could do no wrong. Everything has been permitted for them alone. This is why the Albanians in Maceconia can use such language. Poor them, they really did not want to go on a military rampage, as they know that was not democratic. It is the "state terrrorism" that made them do it! No, what "made them do it" is the permission they had from their mentors. Macedonia was forced to agree to unrealistic and unworkable rules. Sooner or later, whenever a minority manages to control the majority via diktats imposed from the outside --- things will unravel. But no worries. Albanians can always go back to "undemocratic" methods. After all, they are armed to the teeth. And in the last election, it was at the point of a barrel that various Albanian "parties" settled their differences. Croatian extreme nationalism is another winner. They did whatever they wanted to do. Killed, exterminated, burned houses and farms to hundreds of thousands of Serbs --- no consequences. The Krajina region is still a gapping sore nearly fifteen years after the slaugher. The region is still a mess. That is not a problem for a hegemon with unending money printing capabilities. But the day will come when at home there will be a need for accounting. All the money spent on "poor" these, and "bad" those, and what for? What is the money spent really for? Only to encourage unrealistic fantasies, create hatreds and callous disregard for the needs and aspirations of the less human "others". When will the madness end?
Albanian aspirations are backed up by America/UK,Germany and Turkey as nations with (in most points) mutual interests in Balkans.So called "Western Balkans" will never join the EU (it's all just empty talk),because they don't need these territories as part of EU,but as a kind of colony,dominated by Greater Albania (Albania,part of Montenegro,Kosovo,western Macedonia and Epirus) and Greater Bosnia (Bosnia-Herzegovina with abolished Republic of Srpska and Sanjak or Raška Oblast,now divided as part of Serbia and Montenegro).This way,Turkey will get two strong islamic allies and reinstated influence in southeastern Europe.On the other hand,America/UK and Germany will get control over Black Sea region and safe passage to the East,below Russia's belly.For this to work,Serbia and Greece must be dealth with.Serbian lands are already torn into pieces,with Sanjak and Vojvodina as future "independent nations",only to be absorbed by neighbouring countries.Greek economy is being systematically destroyed,bringing Greece to its knees.When Serbia and Greece cease to be political factors,Turkey may even try to reconquer Balkans,with blessing from Western partners.History repeating...