Posted on 09/12/2001 9:51:58 AM PDT by oxi-nato
SKOPJE (Reuters) - President Boris Trajkovski on Wednesday ruled out a NATO-led security force in Macedonia, saying it would keep only an artificial peace and mutate into the "Green Line" policemen ethnic Albanian separatists wanted. In an interview, he also said Macedonia needed up to $600 million in aid to fund a decentralisation of power, bilingual governance and policing reforms stipulated by its Western- brokered peace accord with rebellious minority Albanians.
The guerrilla National Liberation Army (NLA) rose up in February on behalf of Macedonia's one-third Albanian minority, who had complained of official discrimination since the country won independence from Yugoslavia a decade ago. Initial Albanian demands for autonomy and a NATO buffer force were scaled back after Western diplomatic intervention to end months of fighting, and the NLA agreed last month to disarm and disband in exchange for better civil rights. NATO troops are halfway through a limited 30-day mandate to collect and destroy weapons voluntarily surrendered by the NLA.
But European Union foreign ministers called on Sunday for a longer-term, NATO-led security force to ward off what they fear may be a relapse into violence after arms collectors leave. Ethnic antagonisms still smoulder along brittle truce lines, they argued, and the security of hundreds of foreign monitors expected in Macedonia to check compliance with peace terms, particularly the return of refugees, would be at risk.
But Trajkovski said only Macedonia's security forces could anchor peace in the long run and ethnic Albanians in areas taken by the NLA had no reason to fear a state that had accepted close international scrutiny. "Any longer stay of NATO in Macedonia will show the (arms collections) to have been unsuccessful. A longer NATO presence will create only a false or artificial security and prolong our instability," he told Reuters. "Some terrorist groups would misuse NATO's presence, intending to make it the mediator who separates two sides fighting. They would keep their territory by putting NATO in the position to draw a Green Line. This is a big risk to NATO."
U.N. BORDER FORCE ACCEPTABLE But he reiterated Skopje would welcome back a U.N. force, here from 1992-99, to help patrol porous borders with Albania and Kosovo, the key sources of smuggled firepower used by the NLA. Disarming guerrillas say there will be no stable peace unless NATO troops stay put, convinced Albanians would be persecuted by vengeful police re-entering NLA areas. Trajkovski said: "If our security forces go in with OSCE and E.U. and local civilian monitors who will be selected by local municipalities, I think there is no doubt that there will be no threat from our side."
He said he had no knowledge of what Western observers say are paramilitary gangs with shadowy police connections spoiling for reprisals against Albanians after NATO disarms them. "This (paramilitary element) would be very wrong and very illegal. If (it exists), I will take every step possible in my power to solve this problem." Many Macedonians, including nationalist hawks in a shaky governing coalition with moderates led by Trajkovski, have blasted the peace pact as "capitulation to terrorism". They say rebels are hiding weapons from gullible NATO troops.
Nonetheless, Trajkovski said he expected parliament to ratify constitutional reforms essential to the August 13 peace accord within the agreed 45-day time frame. He cautioned, however, that reforms could not be implemented without major financial infusions from the West. "We welcome the $100 million (already released) but we need about $500 to $600 million to rebuild our country," he said. Tasks included creating local self-government, training and integrating ethnic Albanian policemen, reforming the Communist- bred force in general, and introducing the Albanian language in parliament and municipalities.
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