THE KOSOVO CRISIS
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A Macedonian's Point of View
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Hi guys
Zuzka asked how is the situation here... Tell you my friend you do not want to know. In the first 3-4 days when the bombing started in Serbia one could not find bread, flour, salt and cooking oil anywhere. The last three are still very hard to find, and people are panicking. Our army started mobilising troupes today, that is officially. Unofficially it has been going on for quite some time. Mainly people to secure the border but also police reserves to control the internal situation. Fact is that there are some very revolted people here. Nobody likes what is going on!!! Personally I feel very angry (read pissed off), worried, scared and so insecure. Angry with Nato, the States and all other countries that are supporting these actions, I'm especially pissed off because they're not presenting the right situation, but only telling one side. Here beside our Macedonian TV, we receive CNN, some BBC, the French TV5 and some Serbian television. With other words a bit of everything, so Counting that if only half from what one side would be presenting were true- one would get pretty much a real picture. Even though, with the situation here I do not really need a picture. We hear stories and see people every day, and nobody is going to make me believe that it is only one side that is causing all of this... That the others are just innocent people. I do not understand what kind of bombs are those that distinguish between the nationality of the people and their religion. A bomb is a bomb and is killing everyone that is in its range. If it is not genocide firing at maybe the largest Balkan hospital about 30 meters from a birth centre- then please somebody give me the definition for it.
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All I know is that the action that causes young mothers and just born babies to be evacuated in panic is not the most human thing in the world. A friends' aunt is a doctor in Serbia, in a very small town- in the first night of the attacks 10 people all civilians died on her hands only. Imagine the whole of that town and then all of Serbia. Most of the victims are civilians. God -I will bore you with this now but I have tears in my eyes while I'm writing this. The NATO says to be protecting what really is a terrorist organisation. How do I know this let me just tell you some facts: 1941 the population in Kosovo was 61% Serbian and 39% from all other nationalities including Albanians, Turks and others. 1961 this percentage has changed to 80% Albanians and 20% Serbs. It is a bit radical don't you think (I think my dad found this info at the CNN site for Kosovo-check!). Terrors where the Ethnic Albanians weren't the victims were going on on this area and the area of Macedonia) for a long period. How come the world did nothing to stop those? How come it took 3 Days after the bombing had started for CNN to mention the existence of KLA (Kosovo Liberation Army). From what we hear most of them are Illegals from Albania. Do you know that each Albanian that works abroad separates a percentage from his salary to support KLA! I think they have preparing this army much longer than it is told to the >world, or at least it looks so from here, either way they seem to be >fanatics and their main aim is the formation of Great (Big) Albania. I will not say about Kosovo but this happens in my country. Every time when there is some kind of crisis in Albania refugees come in Mac. They stay and few years later ask for citizenship and the right to vote. It was couple of years ago when the Albanians tried to make a republic inside Macedonia called Ilirida. They used the Albanian national flag and the Albanian as the official language, luckily they were stopped in time. They now make (if I am not mistaking) about 28% of the Mac. Population, but many Mac. Families from the west part of our country are "choosing" for certain reasons to move away, so in some parts of West Mac. they are the Majority and the ethnics proportions again will change, Albania had closed it's borders in a key moment directing all the refugees to us (many of them will stay), the KLA leaders have promised the Ethnic Albanians to leave saying that through Macedonia they'll get visas for European countries (we read this in today's papers). Most of the refugees underline that they do not want to be bombed so they have left, and say nothing about being forced out as it is being presented to the world, though in no case I can claim that expulsion has not happened. One thing what really got me angry was an interview with one blond Albanian woman.
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When she talked to the Macedonian TV she said that everything was calm and their journey went very quietly. Later that evening she was talking for CNN and "cried" her eyes out how they've been forced out by Serbian forces- I just didn't know what to think. In the mean time Macedonia has more than 55000 listed refugees, Many who have entered illegally and many that are still waiting to come. The US and Nato are constantly talking about aid to us, not much of which has happened, although I'd be lying if I didn't say that we have not received any. But the situation is very bad, we are a poor country as it is, and can only hold at this stage about 22000 refugees. At the moment we have at least double, and the number is rising. Yet the Nato are not allowing for them to be moved in other countries (and many don't want to take them). I fear that soon we will come to a point when even if you had the money one will not be able to get food, simply because there will not be any.

Lately some people report hearing detonations near Skopje, and there are thought to be 2 bombs fallen on our territory. The night when the bombing started there were big demonstrations in skopje which finished with breaking the US embassy, tear gas bombs and barricades on the streets. I had to go somewhere at that time, it was so scary...About the Nato soldiers that were captured I'll just say that it has never happened before for Serbian solders to enter inside our borders and not be noticed. On the other hand the Nato forces have signed an agreement with our government to fall back 15km behind our border. If Nato is telling the truth that means that Serbian troupes have penetrated our country by 15km without being noticed, kidnap the soldiers and draw them back again without being seen by our army patrols (rather impossible). If the Serbs are right then these 3 people (all highly trained) got lost and went 15km in the wrong direction without noticing... Hm, both sides smell fishy to me... Nevertheless USA is causing so much trouble about these 3 people and nobody asks what about the thousands that they have killed with the bombing... What exactly do the US want?- First something wrong happened in Rambouillet because Milan Jovanovic did accept that peace agreement (except the presence of NATO military forces), which was also accepted by all parties in Serbia. It was the Kosovo albanians that did not sign it. Instead continuing the talks a 10 day break was given, with the excuse that they'll meet again. Of course there was no other meeting only a demand for the Serbs to sign a new agreement which has not been discussed (otherwise they'll be bombed),it had about 50 extra pages in and contained all the things that the Albanians wanted (referendum with the right to separate from Serbia in 3 years among the others)- Honestly If I were Serbia I would not have signed that either. Nato have shut out the UN, and started bombing. Then they said that they will not come in Serbia unless asked in- now they're talking about the use of ground troupes... What else will happen? A country that was built with genocide (the >Indians), that was developed using slaves, and is now making money >through war is playing the world policemen, selling the idea for Democracy!!! - I thought that ment letting a country decide for it self. If they are after Milosevic (personally I hate that man) they should have hit him when he was killing in Bosnia and Croatia, Not now and not this way- they have no right (but have the power). I think that the US do not care neither for the Serbs nor the Albanians, but for the only force left that although weaker than them can possibly cause damage. As my dad says This most probably is a fight for Russia although not on it's territory. If the US enter Serbia (of course to "guard"the peace), then from there Russia is an easy target. They only need to take it a part (similar methods) recognize some of it's parts as independent and there will be no force on earth that can measure with them... What in the mean time will happen to Mac. I do not want to think. If my above thoughts are right, then we're looking at a second Kosovo in near future, or even worse the macedonians will simply be chased out of here, since it is more than obvious what kind of long term politics the Albanians are leading.(By their laws they're allowed to have more than one wife, and until not long ago each family had on average 10 children). At the moment the whole place looks like an army base... there are loads of weapons brought in by Nato. Policemen in bullet-proof vests and machine guns are virtually on every corner. The entire situation feels like sitting on a time bomb, not knowing how much time you have left. People are stocking up food and clearing the basements and the old hiding places (some probably left from the world wars) As for us my dad is an air defence capetan in reserve and was invited to report in his base ... Many people have been mobilized... It is a kind of situation when one feels the stomach twisting, and "smells war in the air". Honestly I'm a bit more optimistic now then I was before: we have many refugees and Nato forces in here and on the other side people are protesting to stop the bombing, with other words for Serbia.- basically there is something for both sides so let's just hope it will balance. I think it will become very dangerous if the instability with the Albanians here increases, or if Nato uses ground troupes.And then - I don't know... Lets just hope this whole thing stops- more then enough people have died as it is... Well my dear friends- wish me luck because this whole place is going mad. Please write and tell me what do you hear or think about this, and don't be mad if you disagree about something. An opinion is a very individual thing, and mine is just as it is. Beside it will not hurt to hear something from the other side... I want to hear all about, Clare's expedition, Anna's half marathon, all the Stover news, no matter what kind they are, and whatever is new with you Zuzka. I better go now, cause there are things to be done!

Loads of love > >

Bone

p.s Haven't sent this yet, Maybe tonight. this thing will send the country some 10- 20 years back If we're lucky. I don't listen to the news today, just can't take it. Guys whatever you do do not make up your minds after >listening to only one side. I saw a program on BBC yesterday where they completely twisted the history- It made me feel sooo helpless- can't the people just go in the library and look up an old edition of Balcan history, one that has been written before all of this started. The situation seems to be getting worse and I'm taking back what I said because there is no way this whole thing will just go away and stop. It will take many decades to recover from this situation, and start living >normally again. That is if we live long enough and Macedonia as a country still Exists.



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