Tanusevci as a Crossroads in the Albanian Politics
Tirana, March 10, 2001
Albania was among the first, if not the first state to condemn the events in the village of Tanusevci in Macedonia and expressed its support to Macedonia's stability and integrity. The Albanian Prime Minister, Ilir Meta, who was in France on March 5, phoned the Macedonian Prime Minister from Paris to express his solidarity. On the other hand, both the Albanian Government and the President of Albania issued a release (it's a rare case for these two institutions to issue simultaneous statements) condemning groups and extremists in Macedonia who, according to the mentioned releases, were acting contrary to the interests of Albanians in Macedonia and the entire region.
It seems that this eagerness of the official Tirana to express its stand of condemnation of acts of violence and to state its support to Macedonia is based on two reasons. Firstly, although neither the Macedonian nor the Yugoslav Governments have referred or alluded to any connection between extremist groups and Tirana, the fact remains that these have been identified as "Albanians" and that made Tirana feel uncomfortable in relations with its international factors.
Secondly, EU, NATO and USA, which Tirana considers its strategic allies, all condemned these acts of violence in Macedonia more strongly than any previous such acts as a token of their support to this country's stability and integrity, which prompted Tirana's swift reaction. It seems that with its instantaneous siding with Macedonia and other countries of the region and the West, the official Tirana managed to save its "clean" position despite the Albanian ethnic affiliation of armed groups and individuals who are creating tensions in Tanusevci. The Macedonian Government and various Western offices commended the Albanian Government's stand regarding the Tanusevci case.
However, its seems that such understanding could not be created or expected on the political plane, both the internal one in Albania, as well as the pan-Albanian one, nor among the Albanian political parties. Although all parties in Albania expressed in principle their condemnation of violence in Macedonia, they clearly took opposite stands regarding the latest events in Tanusevci, as well as regarding their stand to Macedonia. Parties of the Government's majority expressed their support for the Government's stand. In its release of March 8, the Socialist Party expressed its support for the condemnation of violence and asked the Albanians in Macedonia to cooperate with the Macedonian political factors.
The opposition Democratic Party, through its Foreign Affairs Secretary Mustafaja criticised the official Tirana for its too hasty expression of solidarity with the Macedonian Government and demanded of Skoplje to apply democratic standards towards the Albanians in Macedonia. Foreign Affairs Secretary of the New Democratic Party Polo also criticised the Albanian Government, but for its belated reaction.
Differing points of view of the Albanian politics regarding the Macedonian situation were also brought to the surface in a discussion held on March 7 in the Foreign Policy Commission of the Albanian Parliament, which proposed the adoption of a special declaration on Macedonian events by the Parliament. President of this Commission Mr.Godo criticised the Government for hasty expression of support to the Macedonian Government.
The gravity of the position of the Albanian Government in the current situation is also demonstrated in the stand on two issues related to Macedonia. The first one is the proposal of the Bulgarian President, Petre Stojanov, presented on March 5 to the Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski on sending the Bulgarian troops to the border between Kosovo and Macedonia. The Albanian Government, which did not like one bit this Bulgarian proposal on deploying troops on the border that is populated on both sides by Albanians, did not officially and publicly oppose this surprising Bulgarian proposal. It stated that the matter was closed by half-denial of the Bulgarian Prime Minister and Defence Minister, who explained that they had offered to send military assistance and nor troops.
However, the Socialist Party, which is running the Government coalition, through its Foreign Affairs Secretary Art Dada and a release of its Presidency harshly condemned the offer of various states to send foreign troops to fight the so called extremists. President of the Parliamentary Commission Godo also criticised the proposal of the Bulgarian President, same as Genc Polo, President of the New Democratic Party. The Albanian Government sources say that the opposition that Petre Stojanov's proposal met with in Albania has caused concern in Sofia and that the high officials of the Bulgarian Government have taken certain steps on March 8 aimed at clarifying the situation and cooling down the passions.
The second issue that speaks of the difficult position of the Albanian Government, is the Agreement reached between Belgrade and Skoplje on the border line between Macedonia and FRY, which was signed in Skoplje on February 23 by Presidents Kostunica and Trajkovski. This Agreement, which was harshly criticised by the Albanian political leaders in Kosovo, was welcomed at the Summit Meeting of South-East European Countries, held in Skoplje, at which Albania also took part and, nevertheless, succeeded in having milder tones included in that Agreement than the one proposed by the Serbs and Macedonians.
However, this Agreement on Borders was presented by the Macedonian Prime Minister Georgijevski as one of the reasons which "has provoked the Albanian extremists". This Agreement on Borders, on which the Albanian Government kept silent till now, was harshly criticised by the opposition Democratic Party which called it "ill-advised". According to this party the signing of this document, which disregarded the Albanian political factor, has aggravated the situation.
It seems that Albania's stand on the events in Macedonia has created a new space for divergences between political parties in Tirana and those in Pristina. Although the Albanian Democratic Party in Macedonia, which participates in the Macedonian Government through its Vice-President Menduh Thaci, has welcomed the stand of the Albanian Government in regard to events in Tanusevci, no other Albanian political party in Macedonia or Kosovo publicly commended Tirana's stand towards Macedonia. Even some parties in Kosovo, which are considered radical, such as LPK, openly stated their opposition to Albania's stand in relation to the Macedonian situation.
It is stated that there is certain dissatisfaction among the Albanian political parties in Pristina towards Tirana's stand on Tanusevci events and Macedonia in general. The Albanian political parties in Kosovo and those from the Albanian opposition in Macedonia insist on one element, which they consider important, i.e. the admission that one of the causes of the situation is the discrimination of Albanians in the border villages by the Macedonian Government, which did not even register them as citizens of Macedonia and deliberately excluded them from the 1994 population census.
The official Tirana is sensitive towards views of the Albanian political parties in Kosovo and Metohija regarding its policy in the region. That is even more pronounced now, with the approaching parliamentary elections in Albania scheduled for June and when the Government is unable to ignore the reactions of Albanian parties outside Albania's borders. Prime Minister Ilir Meta is planning to organise soon in Tirana a meeting with representatives of the major Albanian parties in Kosovo and Metohija with a view to coordinating the stands of the Albanian factor. It seems that rather an unfavourable position of the Albanian factor in the region, after a major wave of international criticism against (Albanian) extremists in Macedonia or in the Presevo Valley, has convinced the Albanian parties in the region that it would be much better for them if they could speak in one voice with the international community.
AIM Tirana
Arian LEKA