Macedonia's ethnic Albanians at odds
by Garentina Kraja

The Associated Press    Translate This Article
5 July 2006

TETOVO, Macedonia (AP) - A day before crucial parliamentary elections, Macedonia's restive ethnic Albanian minority remains deeply divided on the pace of reforms in a country where ethnic and political tensions remain a potential flashpoint in Europe.

A 2001 peace deal between Macedonia's Slav majority and Albanian minority prevented a brief insurgency by ethnic Albanian rebels from boiling over into full-scale conflict. But the minority's parties remain split over whether the deal—aimed at boosting their civil rights and promoting reconciliation—is working.

The tense electoral campaign has been overcast by violence between supporters of the main two ethnic Albanian parties. Hand grenades have been thrown at political offices and local party headquarters have been sprayed with gunfire or bulldozed. No deaths have been reported, but three people were wounded in a shootout between rival Albanian parties.

The violence only abated after calls for calm by the U.S ambassador and the EU's envoy to Macedonia.

Landlocked Macedonia, a nation of 2.1 million people, gained independence in 1991 in the breakup of the former Yugoslavia, avoiding the bloodshed that occurred in Croatia and Bosnia. Albanians make up about a quarter of the population.

All the country's main political parties support closer ties with the West as a means of securing the country's stability. European Union officials have insisted, however, that Wednesday's vote be free and fair in order for negotiations over Macedonia's entry into the EU and NATO to proceed quickly.

The main Albanian parties running in the election are the Democratic Union for Integration, led by former rebel commander Ali Ahmeti, and Arben Xhaferi's Democratic Party of Albanians.

Ahmeti, whose party is currently part of Prime Minister Vlado Buckovski's governing coalition, argues that ethnic Albanians have increased their representation in state institutions and a state-sponsored Albanian-language university has been set up.

``Of course, we could have done even better,'' Ahmeti told The Associated Press, pledging to accelerate reforms if elected again. ``But, on the whole, we're happy.''

But Xhaferi, his main opponent, said only ``minor results'' have been achieved.

``In Macedonia the rights of the (ethnic) Albanians are not implemented,'' he said.

Xhaferi complained that the peace deal did not make Albanian an official language and there were no legal provisions to address the position of former rebels and their families. Both are emotionally charged issues.

Many ethnic Albanian voters seemed skeptical about the future, with some complaining about the country's double-digit unemployment rate and the poor state of the economy.

Remzije Misini, a 35-year-old saleswoman, said she will not vote in a sign of protest. ``There was a time when I used to cry (with enthusiasm) when I went to the polls,'' she said. ``Now I neither cry, nor vote. (Albanian leaders) care about nothing but their own benefit.''

But Mensur Arifi, a 41-year-old businessman, said Albanians' political rights have improved and he stressed the need to move beyond ethnically based politics.

``Both sides have understood that we have to live together,'' he said.

Copyright © 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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