From news.alpha.net!solaris.cc.vt.edu!insosf1.infonet.net!newshost.marcam.com!zip.eecs.umich.edu!newsxfer.itd.umich.edu!gatech!swrinde!pipex!uunet!uunet.ca!uunet.ca!io.org!nobody Tue Jan 17 22:07:59 1995 Path: news.alpha.net!solaris.cc.vt.edu!insosf1.infonet.net!newshost.marcam.com!zip.eecs.umich.edu!newsxfer.itd.umich.edu!gatech!swrinde!pipex!uunet!uunet.ca!uunet.ca!io.org!nobody From: yane@io.org (yane) Newsgroups: soc.culture.yugoslavia Subject: MIC NEWS-16 January 1995 Date: 16 Jan 1995 11:04:09 -0500 Organization: Internex Online, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (416 363 3783) Lines: 131 Message-ID: <3fe5dp$5fk@ionews.io.org> NNTP-Posting-Host: nudge.io.org SKOPJE, 16 JANUARY, 1995 (MIC) JAMES BAKER: " TO SEND AN AMBASSADOR TO SKOPJE IMMEDIATELY!" Former Secretary of State James Baker, commenting, two days ago, certain aspects of the U.S. foreign policy at a hearing in the Congressional committee for international relations, said that the Clinton administration should immediately dispatch a fully accredited ambassador to Skopje. "I believe that Macedonia," Baker emphasized, "where we have more than 500 American observers in the field, is a particularly dangerous zone, and I feel that NATO should send a clear message, sustained with a convincing threat with force, that the Alliance will not allow Macedonia to become the focus of a broader Balkan conflict. According to my opinion, that should also encompass a clear signal to Greece that its NATO partners will not tolerate the unfounded and illegal embargo against Macedonia any longer, and that means that the administration should stop complying with the domestic political interests and immediately send a fully accredited ambassador to Skopje." Commenting the situation in the region, Baker expressed support of the efforts of the Contact-group for finding a diplomatic or political solution to the crisis and as well as the idea for the U.S. not to enter Bosnia neither with air, nor land forces. "But, if this war spills over, for example, into Macedonia - that's also why I mentioned it separately in my statement, and there is a true risk for that, then it will come to a broader Balkan war," Baker added. "And history has taught us that the U.S. can't stand an unstable Europe. So, in the end, if it comes to a broader European war, we would find ourselves over there, yet again. And if something happens in Macedonia, it will come to an involvement of an entire line of countries - Bulgaria, Serbia, Macedonia, Albania, Greece." "My opinion," Baker concludes, "is that only way to prevent that is by taking an approach such as we were not in a possibility of taking when Yugoslavia started falling apart, that is, for this to become a mission of the North Atlantic Alliance - to redefine the mission of the Alliance, for it to also encompass the maintenance of the peace and the stability of the European committee. And to tell those who are tempted by adventures in Macedonia, that, if they do that, they will face all the force and fierceness of the Alliance." AMERICAN INTEREST IN THE MACEDONIANS The U.S. Assistant Foreign Minister Nancy Ellie-Rafael, in charge of questions concerning human rights, who is staying in Greece for a couple of days, also met in Thessaloniki with representatives of the Macedonian national minority, whereby she was informed about the position of the Macedonians in Greece. The leader of the "Macedonian Movement for Balkan Prosperity" Pavlos Vaskopolous, who, together with Tashko Bulev, had a longer discussion with the U.S. high official and U.S. consul in Thessaloniki, said that they exchanged opinions as to the ways in which they could change the situation of full denial of the existence of a Macedonian minority in Greece. Previously, Rafael, together with the consul, had a meeting with the mayor Konstantinos Kosmopoulos, as well as the Minister for Macedonia and Trakia, Kostas Trijaridis. In the Greek media, Rafael's entire stay in Greece was literally unnoticed, while some newspapers said that it had come to a meeting with representatives of the self-proclaimed "Macedonian movement for Balkan prosperity," which, as it was stressed, gathered "a group of people who promote pro-Skopje stances." PAPANDREOU TURNED CLINTON DOWN Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou rejected the proposal made by the President of the U.S. Bill Clinton, for dialogue without prerequisites, with, as he said, "Albania, Skopje and Turkey." In yesterday's interview for the newspaper "Katimerini," he emphasized that a dialogue at a high political level would be futile and would create greater tension, if the framework of the dialogue is not previously determined, and if some questions that apply to the human rights are not previously settled. In the same interview, Prime Minister Papandreou underlines that "as long as Gligorov shows no signs of an intention to yield, there can be no direct dialogue." He blames Turkey for the creation of "lasting tension in the Aegean," and in relation to Albania, notes that a "partial step on the Albanian side" has been made. As regards the Greek embargo against the Republic of Macedonia, Papandreou said that "it will remain in effect regardless of the decisions of the European Court." As it is known, the legality of the Greek blockade against its Balkan neighbor will be reviewed by the European Court of Justice on February 1, at the request of the European Commission. Yesterday, Papandreou warned the Macedonian leaders not to put all their hopes into "a criticism of the European Court of Greece." Greece will keep the "stable diplomatic front" against Macedonia, regardless of the Court, stated Papandreou. ELECTIONS IN MACEDONIA - FAIR AND FREE The results of the OSCE Summit held in Budapest around a month ago, were summed up in the meeting of the Standing committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for European Security and Cooperation, which was held in Vienna these last two days. In addition, a number of decisions were made, which apply to the future activities of this Council, during 1995. A discussion was also opened in regards to the report of the delegation of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly on the results of the elections in Macedonia, which were graded as fair, free and democratic. The Standing committee adopted a resolution on the situation in Chechenia, whereby it appealed for an end to the violence and the implementation of the principles and standards of the OSCE. "On behalf of the Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia, I suggested that this forum make a recommendation urging for an urgent implementation of the resolution of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, adopted in July, last year, which requests that the Republic of Macedonia be admitted to this organization as soon as possible, that the Greek embargo be lifted, and that our country be compensated for the embargoes from north and south," stated the head of the Macedonian delegation, the member of the Macedonian Parliament Panche Nasev. IMPERATIVE FOR STABILITY The Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey, Tansu Chiler, in the interview for the newspaper in Turkish language "Birlik," assessed the political and economic stability of Macedonia as a factor of great significance for the stability of the whole region. "Macedonia is located in the heart of the Balkans and its political and economic stability are of great importance for the stability of the region, therefore we are following the democratic processes in Macedonia with great interest..." "Turkey is also giving great importance to the recognition of Macedonia under its constitutional name and the integration of Macedonia into the regional and international institutions," says, among the rest, the Turkish Prime Minister Chiler, stressing, in the interview, that "the Republic of Turkey will continue giving support to Macedonia in every aspect."