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Voice of America, 01-09-08Voice of America: Selected Articles Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Voice of America <gopher://gopher.voa.gov>SLUG: 2-280194 Macedonia-Indeoendence (L-only) DATE: NOTE NUMBER:CONTENTS
[01] MACEDONIA/INDEPENDENCE (L-ONLY) BY JEFF BIELEY (RADUSHA, MACEDONIA)DATE=09/08/01TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT NUMBER=2-280194 CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: Macedonia commemorates 10 years of independence Saturday, hoping to avoid a return to war. Jeff Bieley reports from Skopje that as NATO continues to collect weapons from ethnic Albanian rebels, peace could be a step closer. TEXT: President Boris Trajkovski told a special
session of Macedonia's parliament the 10th
anniversary of a referendum on independence is a great day in the
country's history.
He said the will of the people was the basis of the sovereignty of
Macedonia, the only former Yugoslav republic to secede peacefully. But
he warned that the insurgency begun six months ago by ethnic Albanian
rebels could destroy that accomplishment.
He said, "When we should be seeing the results of our development, our
state has become the victim of extremist groups from abroad."
NATO's mission to disarm the rebel National Liberation Army resumed
Friday, a day after parliament took the first step toward ratification
of a peace agreement.
In the frontline town of Radusha, the rebels handed over the first lot
of their weapons to NATO. Two hundred guns, along with a Macedonian
tank and an armored personnel carrier captured by the guerrillas, were
surrendered to British troops.
About 200 N-L-A fighters also demobilized, changing back into civilian
clothes in hopes of going home. However, their commander said just
leaving behind their uniforms was no guarantee that they could go back
to a normal life.
The biggest problem, he said, is that his former
fighters do not feel safe because an expected amnesty has not yet
taken effect.
Fearing they could be arrested by police patrols on the roads, some
said they would hike overnight through the mountains to get back to
their families. Others said they would leave the country for
neighboring Kosovo to avoid being captured by the Macedonians.
That will not be easy, the commander said, because NATO peacekeepers
are patrolling the frontier to try to block the former rebels from
crossing the border.
U-S forces in Kosovo say they have arrested hundreds of N-L-A members
trying to enter the province illegally in the past month.
Nonetheless, the commander said, the issue would not prompt the N-L-A
to break its promise to disband. He said, "Decisions are decisions,
and they have to be respected." (Signed)
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