Albania-FRY-Macedonia: New IWPR Balkan Crisis Report
Reply-To: [email protected]
Sender: [email protected]
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Date: Sun, 7 Feb 1999 13:07:57 +0200 (EET)
Message-Id: <[email protected]>
Subject: Albania-FRY-Macedonia: New IWPR Balkan Crisis Report
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Original sender: Panayote Elias Dimitras <[email protected]>
Albania-FRY-Macedonia: New IWPR Balkan Crisis Report
WELCOME TO IWPR'S BALKAN CRISIS REPORTS, NO. 01
Each week, IWPR's network of leading correspondents in the region will
provide inside analysis of the events and issues driving the crisis in
the southern Balkans. The reports are available on the Web in English,
Serbian and Albanian; English-language reports are also be available
via e-mail. The project is supported by the European Commission and
Press Now.
*** IWPR ON-LINE: WEBSITE LAUNCHED.***
For further details on how to subscribe to this service, plus further
information on this project and other information services and media
programmes, visit IWPR's Website: <www.iwpr.net>.
----------------------------------------------------------
Issue 01
Follow article summaries. For the full article texts, click here:
http://www.iwpr.net/balkans/mainpage.htm
----------------------------------------------------------
Peace by Spring?
Milosevic, Rugova and NATO all have something to gain from a possible
peace deal in Kosovo, and for the first time in months international
mediators are sounding optimistic. But the recent record casts doubt
on such hopes, and both Belgrade and the Kosovo Liberation Army could
easily scupper any deal. Whatever happens in coming weeks, NATO should
prepare for a long engagement in the Southern Balkans. In English / Na
Srpski / Ne Shqip.
By Dejan Anastasijevic in Belgrade.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Editor: Anthony Borden
News and Internet Editor: Rohan Jayasekera
Translation by Denisa Kostovic and Alban Mitrushi.
Ghost Village
While the international furore over the Racak killings mounted, widows
and orphans from the village hid away in dark rooms and tried to make
sense of the horrible events of January 15. A mother recalls the death
of her son, and a young boy describes how he found the bodies of his
father, cousin and others. Meantime, a Serb policeman who took part in
the events still keeps watch over the village from a nearby
checkpoint. In English / Na Srpski / Ne Shqip.
By Gordana Igric in Racak.
-----------------------------------------------------------
The KLA's Intervention Dilemma
Radicals in the Kosovo Liberation Army may argue that the violence in
recent months has put Kosovo on the agenda as never before. But it has
also created a new dilemma: the KLA has become an excuse for the
West's non-intervention while providing a pretext for further Serbian
violence. It is time for the KLA to develop a political strategy. In
English / Na Srpski / Ne Shqip.
By Fron Nazi.
-----------------------------------------------------------
IWPR gratefully acknowledges support for the project from the European
Union and Press Now.
Come Together
Amid the Racak crisis, all of the prominent Kosovo Albanian political
figures were gathering in Tirana to discuss a possible joint platform
for negotiations with Belgrade. The meetings reflected a new will
among the Kosovars, and a fresh initiative from Tirana, to develop a
fresh approach to the crisis. But one crucial figure was absent:
Ibrahim Rugova. In English / Ne Srpski / Na Shqip.
By Arben Puto in Tirana.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Macedonia Simmering
Macedonia would like to forget about Kosovo, and the media portray it
as foreign news, far away. But the crisis is intertwined with all
foreign and domestic political issues in the country, and Macedonians
and Albanians in Macedonia alike observe events with extreme anxiety.
Meantime, the new government appears open to international plans to
base new NATO troops in Macedonia to participate in any potential
intervention. In English / Na Srpski / Ne Shqip.
By Iso Rusi in Skopje.
------------------------------------------------------------
Also available via e-mail, and in Serbian-language and
Albanian-language versions.
Belgrade v. Podgorica: the New Cold War
Tensions between Serbia and the second Yugoslav republic of Montenegro
continue. Belgrade refuses to recognise the results of the May 1998
parliamentary elections there, and Podgorica is step by step assuming
increasing authority over its own affairs. In this cold war of
attrition, some kind of confederation, if not actual independence,
seems likely, but Montenegro is caught in the Kosovo straightjacket,
and its future likely depend on what happens there. In English / Na
Srpski / Ne Shqip.
By Ljubinka N. Cagorovic in Podgorica.
-------------------------------------------------------------
The Firestorm After Racak
The killings at Racak unleashed a firestorm of argument. While
international monitor William Walker blamed the Serbian forces for the
horrible scenes on the hillside, Belgrade authorities accused him of
rushing to judgement, and Serbs in Kosovo chanted epithets at the OSCE
office in Pristina. Despite some hesitation, Albanians went ahead with
planned meetings, but the violence strained the patience, especially
among the Kosovo Liberation Army, for dialogue. In English / Na Srpski
/ Ne Shqip.
By Gjeraqina Tuhina in Pristina.
-------------------------------------------------------------
______________________________________
Greek Helsinki Monitor &
Minority Rights Group - Greece
P.O. Box 51393
GR-14510 Kifisia
Greece
Tel. +30-1-620.01.20
Fax +30-1-807.57.67
e-mail: [email protected]
http://www.greekhelsinki.gr
_______________________________________
--
==============================================================
MINELRES - a forum for discussion on minorities in Central&Eastern
Europe
Submissions: [email protected]
Subscription/inquiries: [email protected]
List archive: http://www.riga.lv/minelres/archive.htm
==============================================================