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Macedonia reassures Taiwan on ties

"The emergence of the conflict is partly linked to the failure of NATO to request Kosovars to hand in their weapons."

Foreign ministry official

As ethnic Albanian guerrillas spread gunfire into Macedonia from neighboring Kosovo, many in Skopje said the rising tension underscored continuing volatility in the region. However, few felt the increased conflict would seriously impact ties between Skopje and Taipei.

"It [Macedonia] is in a state of confusion now. For a moment it was nothing, but maybe after some time something will happen in Kosovo," Merita Dulatahu, a veteran news commentator from Macedonian Television, told the Taipei Times late Thursday evening.

Dulatahu said he didn't feel that the conflict would become so bad that it would impair ties with Taiwan.

"Taiwan and Macedonian relations are fine ... I recently visited Taipei."

The Embassy of the Republic of Macedonia in Taipei said it is closely watching the latest developments of the conflict.

"According to the latest information from the Macedonian Security Council, the security of the country has been considerably aggravated as a direct consequence of the armed insurgence of terrorist groups infiltrating from neighboring Kosovo. These groups consist of former members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) whose aims are to destabilize Macedonia by attacking inter-ethnic relations and state institutions," said Vera Modanu, charge d'affaires of the Macedonian embassy in Taipei, in a written statement.

"Following the clashes of Macedonian and NATO forces with armed Albanian ethnic extremists at the border, the terrorists are now attempting to spread the violence into adjacent areas. The terrorists' action ... presents a grave threat of a spillover of the armed clashes throughout the country," Modanu added in the statement.

Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) yesterday sent a telegram to Macedonian Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski, expressing his concern.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has urged Taiwanese investors to delay commercial activities in Macedonia for the time being.

Modanu said the conflict was partly ignited by the signing of the Agreement on Delineation of the Border between Macedonia and Yugoslavia on Feb. 23 because Albanian extremists from Kosovo perceived the agreement as an "impediment" to their aspirations for a "Greater Albania" that should include all areas in the Balkans inhabited by ethnic Albanians.

Some said the move, orchestrated by Albanian extremists from Kosovo and echoed by some Albanians in Macedonia's bordering cities such as Tetovo, the biggest ethnic-Albanian town in Macedonia, reflected the sentiment of Albanian nationalism.

"This conflict is unavoidable. The central factor of Kosovo is that the majority of the population is Albanian, and they want independence [of the territory]," said retired ambassador Loh I-cheng (陸以正).

"But on the other hand, the Serbs still consider Kosovo Yugoslav territory. So they then signed a ceasefire [two years ago] with NATO being committed to not allowing the secession of Kosovo," he added.

Loh, in his former capacity of Taiwan's ambassador-at-large, was in charge of coordination to secure ties between Taiwan and Macedonia since both the establishment of ties in January 1999.

The insurgents' struggle is linked to common demands for more rights for ethnic Albanians who form the majority in the two adjoining regions.

The ultimate aim appears to be linking the two areas to an independent Kosovo run by the ethnic Albanian majority. But some said the resurgence of Albanian militant forces was partly due to NATO's failure to demilitarize armed ethnic Albanians in Kosovo.

"The emergence of the conflict is partly linked to the failure of NATO to request Kosovars to hand in their weapons," one foreign ministry official said requesting anonymity.

As far as the security of Macedonia is concerned, Taipei-based Macedonians believed that their government is capable of handling the situation.

Veteran diplomat Loh, however, pointed out the dilemma faced by Taiwan's young Balkan ally in the wake of the recent conflict.

"Macedonia has a similar problem [like Yugoslavia] in that it has 24 percent Albanians," Loh said.

It has to entice support from the minority Albanians; on the other hand, it has to prevent the emergence of separatists," he added.
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