Word: macedonians
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...simply over whether to debate changing the constitution to give ethnic-Albanians greater rights. Enacting the changes agreed in Western brokered peace talks requires three votes before the end of September, and the third one is the trickiest, which is to actually approve the specific changes to the Macedonian constitution agreed in the talks...
...central irony to NATO's dilemma is that its official host, the Macedonian government, is considerably less enthusiastic about the troop presence than are its enemies. Saso Ordanoski, editor of the weekly newsmagazine Forum, says many Macedonian Slavs feel cheated by NATO. "At first they were calling [the N.L.A.] murderers and terrorists," he says. "Now they're sending their highest emissaries to discuss voluntarily giving up their weapons." Nowhere is that sense of betrayal stronger, perhaps, than among the couple dozen Macedonian Slavs manning a roadblock on the road from Skopje north to the border with Kosovo - the main line...
...front of a captured T-55 tank to say he had already begun discussing the modalities of disarmament with British troops. "We're going to hand in all 140 of our guns," he said, as well as the two tanks and one armored personnel carrier captured in fighting with Macedonian security forces in early August. Following the line of his commanders, Mesusi expressed confidence that giving up arms would assure his men NATO's protection for the future. But like most ethnic Albanians, he envisions a NATO presence and mandate far beyond the 30 days in the offing. "I think...
...parlous balance between the N.L.A.'s promises and threats, the Macedonian parliament this week is scheduled to begin the approval process for the "framework agreement" signed by political leaders on August 13. Constitutional amendments establishing rights of language, education and public symbols for the Albanians are supposed to be completed by September 27, about the same time that the NATO task force pulls out. Many Balkan experts, including former Supreme Commander General Wesley Clark, have expressed severe doubts that NATO's limited engagement will be enough to quell the distrust and stanch the violence. Says Mark Thompson, Balkan analyst...
...NATO officials counter that they can't do more than the Macedonian government has asked them to. However shaky the government is, it has sovereignty; the warring parties in Bosnia relinquished their sovereignty at Dayton in 1995, and Serbia lost its over Kosovo after the 1999 air campaign. NATO officials are perturbed that their reluctant hosts can't even stomach clearing the blockade from the Skopje-Pristina road; clearing the constitutional changes will take a lot more political courage than that...