Although EU diplomats managed to bring the political subjects in Macedonia to the negotiating table again, it can be safely said that the atmosphere after the "Arachinovo case" is unfavorable for reaching a political compromise
Clashes between Macedonian security forces and ONA members these days in Aračinovo showed that the time of Macedonian restraint is in the past and that only the Western peacemakers and their plans, which are offered in the form of a stick and carrot, can force the Macedonian political and military leadership to adopt a more restrained approach to Albanian extremists. . Even the most persistent advocates of a political solution to the crisis, such as President Boris Trajkovski and the leader of the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia Branko Crvenkovski, evolved in the direction of a military solution to the crisis. When you add to all that the call of the Macedonian Orthodox Church to defend the homeland and the war cries of priests who advocate the thesis that killing is not a sin if it is killed in the name of defending the homeland, then it is clear that the cup of patience in the collective consciousness of the patient Macedonians has been overflowed.
The most responsible for the excessive dose of adrenaline in the Macedonian veins, in addition to the terrorists, were also the representatives of the political parties of the Albanians, who went too far in their demands in the negotiations on the rights of the Albanian minority in Macedonia. The change in the constitution, which was practically a done deal - and meant greater representation in state institutions, greater representation of the Albanian language and many more concessions that the Macedonian side was ready for in order to maintain peace at home - were extended at the last moment with demands for the introduction of a bicameral parliament and functions of the vice president of the state, who would be of Albanian nationality and who would have the right of veto... And the cup of patience ran out. President Trajkovski announced that the political dialogue was blocked due to the maximalist demands of the Albanian negotiators who dramatically changed their positions and began to demand federalization of the country. Only a few days after the termination of the negotiations, a total war with terrorists began in Aračinovo.
Macedonian security forces reinforced by new MI-24 helicopters broke the resistance of the terrorists in less than three days, but when it was already clear that the terrorists in Aračinovo had been defeated, Javier Solana arrived at Skopje's Petrovec airport and in a few hours managed to convince the Macedonian political leadership that abandon the action. Solana offered the Macedonian side a plan for the withdrawal of terrorists under the escort of KFOR, the OSCE and the Macedonian police, and the Macedonians could not refuse it. The following day, the retreat was carried out as agreed. The main organizer of the withdrawal action was the special envoy of the alliance, Peter Faith, who already has good experience with such actions in southern Serbia. On Monday around 18:15, the terrorists were transferred to the Karadac-Lipkovo region in XNUMX buses and accompanied by several American transporters from the KFOR. There is no information yet on whether the terrorists took heavy weapons with them and whether KFOR will take them away.
That same evening, Skopje exploded with anger. A large number of members of the reserve police and army came to the Macedonian Parliament to protest the government's decision to allow the terrorists to withdraw from Aračinovo.
"The terrorists in Aračinovo were cornered on Sunday around 13 pm. They were crammed into only 10-15 houses. There was no escape for them, we were at most half an hour away from complete victory, but then the order came to retreat. We put our heads on the line, and then they let them retire in air-conditioned buses... well, you can't do it like that if you want to have a country," says 34-year-old Mite, a member of the police reserve, angrily.
The citizens of Skopje also supported the reservists. Ten thousand of them managed to break almost all the windows in the Assembly, to demolish a Mercedes of the Macedonian government and to enter the empty parliament. The worst thing that evening was the reporters of the western media, who paid for the guild created by their peace-loving politicians.
Most of the derogatory chants of angry Skopje residents were addressed to the Macedonian president Boris Trajkovski, who won the presidential elections thanks to the votes of the Albanians, and Prime Minister Ljupco Georgijevski was not spared the derogatory chants that evening either.
Although the EU diplomats managed to bring the main political subjects in Macedonia to the negotiating table again, it can be safely said that the atmosphere that prevails after the "Arachinovo case" is extremely unfavorable for reaching any political compromise between the Macedonian and Albanian political bloc. After the humiliating agreement on the evacuation of terrorists by air-conditioned buses, it is difficult to reach an agreement even on those demands of the Albanians that the Macedonian bloc was ready to accept. The public pressure is fierce and the prospects for the eventual agreement to be implemented are increasingly unrealistic. The parties of other nationalities living in Macedonia, which make up 12-15 percent of the country's population, strongly oppose the bi-national agreement of Macedonians and Albanians.
The announcements of military intervention by NATO in Macedonia, which are still unconvincing, raise doubts that the country can be divided along ethnic lines, where Macedonians and Albanians will have their territories, but not other nationalities. The division, of course, will not be called by its proper name at first, but over the years it will become a "reality to be accepted".
The West seems to be in doubt whether to continue the experiment with multi-ethnicism in the Balkans, and the Macedonians have started to abandon the idea that was promoted ten years ago by the former president of the country, Kiro Gligorov, and which was accepted by all the relevant Macedonian political parties. Gligorov and his political disciples, both from the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia and VMRO-DPMNE, have for years amnestied the leaders of various Albanian paramilitaries and given them director's chairs, hoping that pretty secretaries would be enough to calm down the temperamental "human rights fighters". . This tactic gave some results, but at the end of February this year, too many temperamental guys appeared, and there were not enough beautiful secretaries for everyone.
Analysts were alarmed by reports that Iran was enriching uranium to 60 percent, and a series of other reports added to the anxiety in the West. And then, on the morning of June 13, Israel systematically launched an attack on all of Iran's nuclear capabilities, from human to technological to military.
Mafia boss Giovanni Brusca (pictured above) was acquitted on the basis of a law that was insisted on by his most famous victim: Judge Falcone (pictured below). He was released from prison after 29 years. How and why did it happen?
The life and connections of an American citizen and a Russian poet and a Jew, born 85 years ago, an incomplete elementary school student, a metal apprentice, an assistant pathologist and geologist, a poet who was a victim of an ideological turn and political-literary intrigues, tried twice, twice placed in an insane asylum, attempted suicide because of love, for parasitism was sentenced to five years of exile with community service, which a tractor driver on the Danilovsky collective farm he did not appreciate it, nor the song about it, in the village of Norenska he enjoyed respect as an exile who rose up, "voluntarily" obtained a visa without the right to return and meet his parents, achieved a university career, won the Nobel Prize, was a poetic pop star, loved by women, loved cats, smoked a lot, died at 56 - and was buried for the second time in Venice, still a little far from Ezra Pound
And while Vladimir Putin expresses his condolences to Iran and condemns the Israeli attacks, Russian tanks remain in garages. In the background – diplomatic maneuvers, strategic interests and careful weighing of benefits at a time when the Kremlin is looking for a new offensive opportunity in Ukraine.
Chancellor Friedrich Mertz openly said that he hopes for a regime change in Tehran or a return to the negotiating table, otherwise Israel will "go all the way"
The dramatic appeal of United Media employees shows what can happen when the media is controlled by the regime and corporations. It is happening in Serbia now. If the audience does not recognize this, an even blacker media darkness threatens
Aleksandar Vučić now has only the old, proven methods of classic dictatorships left, because these modern methods of insanity and poisoning the public are failing. And that, however, goes against his head
Vučić is not defending the state, but himself from the state. With a drum on his back and a guitar in his hands, this man-orchestra performs two or three of the same songs without hearing, with falsifications and falling out of rhythm. His government and politics are like that. In short - dangerous for the environment
The archive of the weekly Vreme includes all our digital editions, since the very beginning of our work. All issues can be downloaded in PDF format, by purchasing the digital edition, or you can read all available texts from the selected issue.
See all
