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From: yane@io.org (yane)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.yugoslavia
Subject: MIC NEWS-16 January 1995
Date: 16 Jan 1995 11:04:09 -0500
Organization: Internex Online, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (416 363 3783)
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          SKOPJE, 16 JANUARY, 1995 (MIC)

          JAMES  BAKER:   "  TO  SEND  AN  AMBASSADOR  TO  SKOPJE
IMMEDIATELY!"
          Former Secretary  of State James Baker, commenting, two
days ago, certain aspects of the U.S. foreign policy at a hearing
in the  Congressional committee for international relations, said
that the  Clinton administration  should immediately  dispatch  a
fully accredited ambassador to Skopje.
          "I believe that Macedonia," Baker emphasized, "where we
have more  than  500  American  observers  in  the  field,  is  a
particularly dangerous  zone, and  I feel that NATO should send a
clear message,  sustained with  a convincing  threat with  force,
that the Alliance will not allow Macedonia to become the focus of
a broader  Balkan conflict.  According to my opinion, that should
also encompass  a clear  signal to  Greece that its NATO partners
will not  tolerate the  unfounded  and  illegal  embargo  against
Macedonia any  longer, and  that means  that  the  administration
should stop  complying with  the domestic political interests and
immediately send a fully accredited ambassador to Skopje."
          Commenting the situation in the region, Baker expressed
support of  the  efforts  of  the  Contact-group  for  finding  a
diplomatic or political solution to the crisis and as well as the
idea for  the U.S. not to enter Bosnia neither with air, nor land
forces.  "But,  if  this  war  spills  over,  for  example,  into
Macedonia -  that's also  why I  mentioned it  separately  in  my
statement, and  there is  a true risk for that, then it will come
to a broader Balkan war," Baker added. "And history has taught us
that the  U.S. can't stand an unstable Europe. So, in the end, if
it comes  to a broader European war, we would find ourselves over
there, yet  again. And if something happens in Macedonia, it will
come to an involvement of an entire line of countries - Bulgaria,
Serbia, Macedonia, Albania, Greece."
          "My opinion,"  Baker concludes,  "is that  only way  to
prevent that  is by  taking an  approach such as we were not in a
possibility of taking when Yugoslavia started falling apart, that
is, for this to become a mission of the North Atlantic Alliance -
to redefine the mission of the Alliance, for it to also encompass
the maintenance  of the  peace and  the stability of the European
committee. And  to tell  those who  are tempted  by adventures in
Macedonia, that,  if they  do that,  they will face all the force
and fierceness of the Alliance."

          AMERICAN INTEREST IN THE MACEDONIANS
          The U.S. Assistant Foreign Minister Nancy Ellie-Rafael,
in charge of questions concerning human rights, who is staying in
Greece for  a couple  of days,  also  met  in  Thessaloniki  with
representatives of  the Macedonian national minority, whereby she
was informed about the position of the Macedonians in Greece.
          The leader  of  the  "Macedonian  Movement  for  Balkan
Prosperity" Pavlos  Vaskopolous, who, together with Tashko Bulev,
had a  longer discussion  with the  U.S. high  official and  U.S.
consul in  Thessaloniki, said  that they exchanged opinions as to
the ways  in which they could change the situation of full denial
of the existence of a Macedonian minority in Greece.
          Previously, Rafael,  together with  the consul,  had  a
meeting with  the mayor  Konstantinos Kosmopoulos, as well as the
Minister for  Macedonia and  Trakia, Kostas  Trijaridis.  In  the
Greek  media,  Rafael's  entire  stay  in  Greece  was  literally
unnoticed, while  some newspapers  said that  it had  come  to  a
meeting with  representatives of  the self-proclaimed "Macedonian
movement for  Balkan prosperity,"  which,  as  it  was  stressed,
gathered "a group of people who promote pro-Skopje stances."

          PAPANDREOU TURNED CLINTON DOWN
          Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou rejected the proposal
made by  the President  of the  U.S. Bill  Clinton, for  dialogue
without prerequisites,  with, as  he said,  "Albania, Skopje  and
Turkey." In yesterday's interview for the newspaper "Katimerini,"
he emphasized  that a dialogue at a high political level would be
futile and  would create greater tension, if the framework of the
dialogue is not previously determined, and if some questions that
apply to the human rights are not previously settled.
          In  the   same  interview,  Prime  Minister  Papandreou
underlines that  "as long  as  Gligorov  shows  no  signs  of  an
intention to  yield, there  can be no direct dialogue." He blames
Turkey for  the creation  of "lasting tension in the Aegean," and
in relation  to Albania,  notes  that  a  "partial  step  on  the
Albanian side" has been made.
          As regards  the Greek  embargo against  the Republic of
Macedonia,  Papandreou  said  that  "it  will  remain  in  effect
regardless of  the decisions  of the  European Court."  As it  is
known, the  legality of  the Greek  blockade against  its  Balkan
neighbor will  be reviewed  by the  European Court  of Justice on
February 1, at the request of the European Commission. Yesterday,
Papandreou warned  the Macedonian  leaders not  to put  all their
hopes into  "a criticism of the European Court of Greece." Greece
will  keep  the  "stable  diplomatic  front"  against  Macedonia,
regardless of the Court, stated Papandreou.

          ELECTIONS IN MACEDONIA - FAIR AND FREE
          The results  of the OSCE Summit held in Budapest around
a month  ago, were  summed up  in the  meeting  of  the  Standing
committee of  the Parliamentary  Assembly of the Organization for
European Security and Cooperation, which was held in Vienna these
last two  days. In  addition, a  number of  decisions were  made,
which apply  to the  future activities  of this  Council,  during
1995. A  discussion was  also opened  in regards to the report of
the delegation  of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly on the results
of the  elections in  Macedonia, which  were graded as fair, free
and democratic.  The Standing  committee adopted  a resolution on
the situation in Chechenia, whereby it appealed for an end to the
violence and  the implementation  of the principles and standards
of the OSCE.
          "On  behalf  of  the  Parliament  of  the  Republic  of
Macedonia, I  suggested that  this forum  make  a  recommendation
urging for an urgent implementation of the resolution of the OSCE
Parliamentary  Assembly,   adopted  in  July,  last  year,  which
requests that  the Republic  of Macedonia  be  admitted  to  this
organization as  soon as  possible, that  the  Greek  embargo  be
lifted, and  that our  country be  compensated for  the embargoes
from  north  and  south,"  stated  the  head  of  the  Macedonian
delegation, the member of the Macedonian Parliament Panche Nasev.

          IMPERATIVE FOR STABILITY
          The Prime  Minister of  the Republic  of Turkey,  Tansu
Chiler, in  the interview  for the  newspaper in Turkish language
"Birlik,"  assessed  the  political  and  economic  stability  of
Macedonia as  a factor of great significance for the stability of
the whole region.
          "Macedonia is  located in  the heart of the Balkans and
its political  and economic stability are of great importance for
the stability  of the  region, therefore  we  are  following  the
democratic processes in Macedonia with great interest..." "Turkey
is also  giving great  importance to the recognition of Macedonia
under its  constitutional name  and the  integration of Macedonia
into the  regional and  international institutions,"  says, among
the rest,  the Turkish  Prime Minister  Chiler, stressing, in the
interview, that  "the Republic  of Turkey  will  continue  giving
support to Macedonia in every aspect."
                                      

