Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-05-16-Speech-3-172"
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"en.20010516.6.3-172"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, at the end of February Albanian extremists took control of the village of Tanusevci on the border between Kosovo and the Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), which caused violent clashes between extremists and FYROM’s army and police force.
Unfortunately, we have to say that the practical reforms have made slow progress. So far, all that has been achieved is avoiding a declaration of a state of war, postponing the public census until October and setting a date of 27 January 2002 for new parliamentary elections. However, the main success is that, after intensive negotiations and pressure from the international community, a broad coalition government has been set up which will function as the political basis for the difficult but necessary decisions which have to be taken in the near future.
The Council believes that there are measures which the government should and could implement immediately. These include starting a third TV channel for minority languages, introducing the long-overdue act on strengthening local self-determination and ratifying the European Charter on Regional and Minority Languages. In the medium term, and ahead of next year’s election, the government must also make the necessary constitutional changes to even out the differences between the position of the Slavic-Macedonian population and that of other minorities in the country, and also take the action necessary to strengthen the representation of the minorities within the administration.
Today, the Troika of EU foreign ministers is returning to Skopje to promote this message. Foreign Minister Mrs Lindh travelled straight from this House to Skopje. At this meeting, the new coalition government will be invited to report on its progress and ongoing action plans in conjunction with the General Affairs Council of 25 – 26 June.
In other words, FYROM is facing a difficult but necessary process of reform, and time is running out if a new civil war is to be avoided. It is important to point out that the main responsibility lies with FYROM’s leaders. The EU has an important supporting role to play, and the Council, along with High Representative Solana and, especially, the Presidency at central and local level, intends to continue its support for this process.
We also believe that there is a vital role for Parliament and its party groups. In the period up to the end of June, the coalition government will need support and encouragement, as well as the exercise of pressure, to be able to implement the necessary reforms and, at the same time, keep the fragile government coalition intact. The Council believes that it would be invaluable if Parliament’s party groups could contact their partners in FYROM and support them in this process, if this is not already happening. It is still possible to avoid all-out civil war in FYROM. We must ensure that we make the most of this chance.
In the middle of March, unrest spread to the town of Tetovo in western FYROM when uniformed men took the villages to the north of the town and then fired on the town at random. The FYROM army launched a counter-offensive against the occupied villages which ended on 1 April. However, later that month, the extremists renewed fighting in villages north-west of the town of Kumanovo, and the fighting is still continuing.
There is clearly a risk of out and out civil war, and the European Union has worked hard to prevent such a development.
The European Union reacted almost immediately to the fighting around Tanusevci and Tetovo by issuing declarations condemning the violence and urging all the parties involved to cease the violence immediately. Intensive diplomatic activity commenced in Skopje to support the FYROM government, the country’s sovereignty and its territorial integrity. At local level, the EU Presidency set up close contacts with the key players. The FYROM government was urged to act with restraint against the extremists, and the leaders of the major Albanian parties were urged to openly distance themselves from and isolate the extremists, while the Slavic-Macedonian opposition parties were urged not to exploit the situation to whip up nationalistic feelings against the Albanian minority. From the outset, efforts were also made, through the country’s media, to get over to the general public the EU’s message of distancing themselves from the extremists.
Then, intensive shuttle diplomacy was also started. Foreign Minister Kerim was invited to discussions with the EU’s President-in-Office and High Representative Solana in conjunction with the General Affairs Council of 19 March. The following day, an EU Troika of political directors travelled with Dr Solana to Skopje, and at the end of the same week the EU Troika of foreign ministers travelled with Dr Solana to Skopje and Pristina to emphasise their support for the government and their condemnation of the extremists’ actions.
One result of the visits was that the Troika got the Albanian leaders in FYROM and Kosovo to sign declarations publicly distancing themselves from the violent methods of the extremists and instead urging them to put forward their demands in political forums and in accordance with democratic procedures. As a further sign of the EU’s support for FYROM’s political leaders, President Trajkovski was invited to the European Council in Stockholm on 23 March. Here, he had the opportunity to present his views on the vulnerable position of the country to the entire European Council.
In order to underpin the political support financially, a review was carried out of the EU’s aid to FYROM for this year. Intensive work was done by both the Commission and the EU Member States to, for example, make up the financial deficit for the new university in Tetovo, offering teaching in Albanian, and to try to rapidly implement measures to rebuild houses destroyed in the villages north of Tetovo and support other projects to strengthen inter-ethnic cohesion in the country.
As everyone is no doubt aware, on 9 April, following almost a year of negotiations, FYROM was the first country in the western Balkans to sign a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the EU. The agreement is a key step in FYROM’s rapprochement with the EU, and the signing was also an important symbol of the EU’s support for the country. Like other countries in the western Balkans, FYROM is currently seen as a potential candidate for EU membership.
However, the unrest in FYROM has made it clear that there is a real need to improve the position and rights of the Albanians and other minorities in the country. In conjunction with the signing of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement, the FYROM government launched an action plan for reforms to speed up the comprehensive adaptation required by the agreement, but also to intensify the inter-ethnic dialogue and strengthen the position of minorities."@en1
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