|
Rival Sides, West, Welcome Macedonian Peace Accord
SKOPJE, Aug 13 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - The peace accord signed Monday between majority Macedonian and minority Albanian political parties marked a "major day for returning to a peaceful and normal life," said NATO Secretary General George Robertson in welcoming the accord.
In the first official confirmation that a deal had been inked, Robertson said, "I see a light in what has been a long black tunnel."
The peace deal, the fruit of two weeks of tough negotiations brokered by Western envoys - and threatened with continued fighting throughout - is seen as Macedonia's best hope of averting a civil war after a six-month Albanian uprising in the north that split the country along ethnic lines.
The United States also welcomed the accord, saying it "gives hope that peace can return" to the strife-torn Balkan nation.
"Today's settlement promises to strengthen Macedonia's democracy and help meet the political aspirations of all its citizens," the White House said in a statement.
The European Union's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, said people in the former Yugoslav republic would see a "brilliant future" now that the "extraordinary agreement" had been reached.
Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, said the international community would "help and support" the rival sides in Macedonia.
But, he warned that the accord "must be first fulfilled and implemented" by the Balkan country's two communities - the Macedonian majority and the Muslim Albanian minority.
Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski, who also signed the accord, said Macedonia had "confirmed it is a democratic state where all decisions can be made in a democratic manner."
"This is not a political accord, this is the agreement for peace," Trajkovski said, adding the deal should be "welcomed as a lasting solution for the prosperity of our state."
He said both Macedonians and Muslim Albanians "should stop condemnations and doubts and fulfill the accord openly and honorably."
"It is time for us to go forward and we expect the international community to support us in this," he said, warning that "new challenges" might still jeopardize the accord.
Mircea Geoana, acting president of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), also warned that "tremendous work" was still needed to ensure the agreement was implemented.
"The OSCE is ready to help to heal wounds, build trust and confidence and bring the country into the European mainstream where it belongs," he said.
Imer Imeri and Arben Xhaferi, the leaders of the two main Muslim Albanian parties who signed the accord, insisted that the two sides should respect each other.
"I am grateful that we are all sitting around one table and have reached an agreement. There should be no victims. It's time to respect each other," Imeri said.
Xhaferi also insisted the peace deal would be effective only if Macedonians and Muslim Albanians respected each other.
Even though the Albanian activists were not party to the peace negotiations or the final accord, spokesman Captain Shpati told Agence France Press (AFP) by telephone that the activists accepted the deal.
A decision on whether they would disarm would take place in the next 15 days, he said, adding, "The signature of the peace accord represents a victory against Macedonian repression. It's the result of international pressure."
The peace accord recognizes Albanian as a second official language in areas with a significant Albanian population and lays out steps to boost the number of Albanians serving in the local police forces in those regions.
The accord also paves the way for NATO to deploy 3,500 troops to disarm the activists.
NATO chief Robertson said NATO troops and military advisors would arrive in the Macedonian capital Skopje on Tuesday.
The freedom fighters began their insurgency in February. They say they are fighting for more rights for Albanians, who comprise about a third of the country's population of two million.
The signature of the accord was in doubt until the last minute because of intense fighting between Albanian activists and government forces in a string of villages in the north of the country, continuing the violence that menaced the hope of peace every step of the way.
On Sunday, a National Liberation Army (NLA) political representative, Ali Ahmeti, accused Skopje of "continuing the repression of the Albanian population ... burning private houses, religious sites and shops."
He said three people, including a six-year-old child, had been killed when the Macedonian army - "using helicopters and even planes on the villages around Skopje and Tetovo, with weapons of all caliber and tanks" - shelled mainly Albanian-populated villages near the flashpoint northwestern town of Tetovo Friday.
The report, which said several civilians had been injured in the attack, could not be independently confirmed.
A report released Sunday by Human Rights Watch, a New York-based international human rights group, told of Albanians who had kidnapped and brutally tortured five Macedonian road workers this past week.
The report called on the NLA to hold those responsible accountable and to "take steps to ensure that such crimes cease," said Elizabeth Andersen, executive director of the Europe and Central Asia division.
|
