PEACE NEGOTIATIONS WATCH
Vol. II No. 4
(Monday, January 27, 2003)
Contents:
Armenia/Azerbaijan Karabakh Authorities Invite Azeri POW’s Parents to Visit
Parents granted permission to see critically injured soldier.
Armenian candidate calls on rivals to adopt common stance on Karabakh issue
Candidate says that negotiations should consider the overall welfare, including economics, of the Caucasus region.
Burundi Fierce fighting reported in Burundi - Tanzanian paper
Peace talks start again. South Africa to dispatch even more soldiers to country.
Politics: African Countries Prepare to Deploy Troops in Burundi
African mission will attempt to maintain beleaguered cease-fire agreement.
Chechnya Europe cares nothing about Chechnya's plight, rebel ex-president says
In interview, states that OSCE and CoE have been ineffective in dealing with the Chechen situation.
Georgia/Abkhazia Georgia considers ways to close railroad from Russia to Abkhazia
Move would reduce ties between separatist province and Russia. Leadership will ask for UN resolution only as last resort.
Russian Leadership to Consider New Georgian Proposals for Abkhazia
Proposals include political and economic restoration of Abkhazia.
Russia denies policy of granting Russian citizenship to residents of Abkhazia
Official claims that Abkhaz are unable to obtain passports from Georgia or Russia.
Abkhazia Looks to Russian Peacekeepers as Safeguard against Georgia
Abkhaz vice-president says that peacekeepers have eased tensions in region, but that Georgia hasn’t been willing to talk with separatist province.
Indonesia Aceh security forces continue to extort drivers
Extortion has made work harder for drivers and increased prices.
Indonesia, Aceh separatist group rapped for truce violations
32 violations are being probed by monitoring group.
Ivory Coast Liberian leader wants to keep out of Ivory Coast war: report
Liberian president respects the legitimacy of Gbagbo’s administration.
Ivory Coast's key city erupts in anger over French-brokered peace deal
Loyalists feel power-sharing deal takes too much power from Gbagbo.
Kashmir Kashmiris demand removal of Blackwill
Kashmiris unhappy with American diplomat’s labeling of “freedom movement” as “terrorist movement.”
Americans not allowed to look for terror suspects in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir
Only Pakistani security agents will search for terrorists in region.
Kosovo Top U.N official says no status talks over Kosovo this year
Announcement comes after Serbian prime minister asks for a decision on Kosovo’s status soon.
Serbian prime minister says Belgrade insists on return of army, police to Kosovo
Police presence seen as part of exercising sovereignty over region.
Macedonia Former rebel leader calls on Macedonia, Kosovo to meet Western standards
Move could benefit both entities and pave the way to final status talks.
Montenegro Montenegro postpones vote on constitution for new union with Serbia
Wants time to examine draft law on implementation of constitution.
Sri Lanka Taking big steps in a new land
Number of Tamils in Canada on rise, census shows. Centre helps community find its way.
Sudan Women Must Take Their Place in Peace Process
Female peace-worker discusses her work in southern Sudan.
Peace Negotiations Watch is prepared by the Public International Law and Policy Group in cooperation with American University and is made possible by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
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Armenia/Azerbaijan
Karabakh Authorities Invite Azeri POW’s Parents to Visit
BBC, 1/20/03
On 20 January the head of the General Information Department under the NKR Nagornyy Karabakh Republic president, Aleksander Grigoryan, held a press briefing in Stepanakert Xankandi . He made the following statement:
"The state of health of Azerbaijani army soldier Elmaddin Abiyev, taken prisoner on 8 January 2003 on the contact line between the Nagornyy Karabakh and Azerbaijani armed forces during an attempt by a sabotage-reconnaissance group to violate the border, is still evaluated as grave. According to the doctors of the military hospital where Abiyev is being treated, he is not mobile at the moment. The prisoner himself is satisfied with the treatment provided by the Karabakh doctors, which was confirmed by representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the OSCE, who regularly visit the wounded.
"According to information from the Nagornyy Karabakh Republic's State Commission on prisoners of war, hostages and missing persons, the relevant structures of Azerbaijan did not submit any official inquiry on the prisoner. At the same time, the NKR authorities, proceeding from exceptionally humane reasons, are ready to receive the prisoner's parents for a meeting with their son. The NKR authorities guarantee the total security of the wounded soldier's parents on the territory of the Nagornyy Karabakh Republic."
Armenian candidate calls on rivals to adopt common stance on Karabakh issue
Yerkir, Yerevan, via BBC, 1/24/03
The Armenian presidential candidate, Vazgen Manukyan, has called on his rivals in the elections to adopt a common stance on the Karabakh problem. In an interview with the Armenian newspaper Yerkir, Manukyan said that the Karabakh talks should continue on the basis of the package settlement option. He also described himself as the most suitable single candidate from the opposition as this will help the opposition remove President Robert Kocharyan from power. The following is a text of Tigran Simonyan report by Armenian newspaper Yerkir on 24 January entitled "If the communists and Ayrikyan are together":
An interview with the presidential candidate, Vazgen Manukyan.
Yerkir correspondent: The settlement of the Karabakh issue will be one of the main aspects of presidential programmes. How do you see the final settlement of the Karabakh problem today?
Vazgen Manukyan: Everybody understands that the Karabakh problem is the most important condition for the future. Some people, including me, think that it is a key to the future which will enable us to make a political and economic breakthrough. Naturally, the NKR Nagornyy Karabakh Republic problem is linked to communications, investment and the countries of the region, which is why the candidates cannot ignore this issue in their programmes. Though I am not really in favour of touching on the Karabakh problem during the elections, one thing is clear - we (the presidential candidates) may have various disagreements, but when it comes to the Karabakh problem, we should have a common position against the whole world community. And even if there are arguments, it will be better to discuss them behind the scenes. As for the settlement of the problem, Armenian ex-President Levon Ter-Petrosyan had offered a stage-by-stage settlement option. Our society was against it and offered a package settlement option. Those negotiations yielded no results.
I think those negotiations should continue today, but I would also like the package option to be the main package. This means that although the package option will help us settle specific problems on the one hand, on the other it does not guarantee that Armenia will integrate into regional communications and economic developments. And I think that Armenia should launch more comprehensive negotiations at its own initiative in order to examine not only the problems of Azerbaijan and Armenia, but also those of Georgia, Iran, Russia and Turkey involving the Arab countries as well. I understand that this is fraught with complications, but in any case, we shall have a precise idea about what we want to do in our region.
Correspondent: Mr Manukyan, you said that it would better to refrain from speculating on the Karabakh issue and present the world with a common position. But on 21 January, six other presidential candidates and you made a statement saying that the incumbent president was not legitimate, which testifies to quite an opposite working method.
Manukyan: I shall not talk about the details of this problem now. Robert Kocharyan's tenure is coming to an end today and it will be very dangerous if there are doubts about the next president's legitimacy again. In that case, it will be difficult for him to stand up to foreign pressure during the negotiations on the Karabakh issue. That is why everything should be done to elect a legitimate president.
Correspondent: Many presidential candidates from the bloc of 16 have quite different positions on joining the Union of Russia and Belarus or joining the rouble zone. What is your approach to the problem?
Manukyan: I am against joining the Union of Russia and Belarus and I have said this several times. As for joining the rouble zone, it is a matter of time. I think that if we form a big bloc with the help of my project, or if the CIS countries follow the example of the European Union and raise the problem of introducing common currency, it will become a subject of serious discussion. I am against such political statements.
Correspondent: Mr Manukyan, will the bloc of 16 manage to put forward a single candidate with such serious disagreements?
Manukyan: You know, the bloc of 16 is only a cooperation club to address different problems. But the issue of a single candidate has not been settled yet. To be correct, if all the Armenian opposition parties (left-wing, central and right-wing) form three blocs and each of them is united around an ideology, they will establish a common alliance in that case. But quite different blocs have been formed today. If the communists and Paruyr Ayrikyan are together in some place, it is very difficult to understand what purpose a single candidate will have. I think that from this point of view, the political game has not been developing in the right direction. Though I do not rule out that some candidates from the bloc of 16 might step down and make way for someone who has a certain purpose.
Correspondent: Since the beginning of your election campaign, you have already managed to visit regions and hold meetings with your voters. Did you encounter any "artificial" obstacles during this period of time?
Manukyan: Certainly, there are such obstacles. For example, let us touch on six minutes of airtime given to the candidates. I am a politician and it is very difficult for me to express my thoughts during these six minutes. It is simply impossible to adopt any strategy. There are also great restrictions in the issue of renting premises for meetings with voters.
Correspondent: In the 1996 presidential elections, you were nominated as a single candidate. Do you think that this is realistic for you this time?
Manukyan: The 1996 election campaign made it necessary to nominate me as a single candidate. There was no other choice as those parties wanted to come to power. Besides that, my programme and my personality probably gave confidence to the supporting parties. The situation is more confusing today. I think that if the opposition wants to beat Robert Kocharyan, then I am certainly the most suitable single candidate for them.
Correspondent: The main question which interests most of the voters is whether a certain candidate is ready to conduct serious social reforms and combat corruption?
Manukyan: If a voter knows a candidate and knows what may be expected from him, he will easily decide who to trust. But if a candidate is a newcomer, then it is very difficult for a voter to find his bearings. Unfortunately, the political sphere has not been fully established in our country and not all the state bodies are functioning. This means that it is necessary to find a person who will try to overcome these shortcomings to the detriment of his private interests.
Correspondent: Are you optimistic about the upcoming elections?
Manukyan: As a man, I am optimistic about one problem - I am sure that it is not by chance that we gained independence at the end of the 20th century. I think that we are a nation of great abilities and I am sure that sooner or later, we shall enter a new stage of development. It is difficult to say whether the elections will promote this or not. Certainly, I would like them to promote this. But even if they do not, I am sure this locomotive will go ahead. I am optimistic about this.
Fierce fighting reported in Burundi - Tanzanian paper
The Guardian web site, via BBC, 1/20/03
Fierce fighting has erupted between Burundi government forces and marauding gunmen from rebel groups in Bubanza Province, western Burundi, leaving at least 15,000 people displaced. Reports reaching The Guardian in Dar es Salaam on Saturday 18 January said that gunmen from armed rebel groups of Pelipehutu-FKN and CNDD-FDD crossed the Burundi-Democratic Republic of Congo border last week before launching military offensive against Bujumbura soldiers. The reports, however, could not establish the number of casualties and deaths.
In the meantime, reports from Bujumbura said yesterday that the State Minister in the President's Office (Peace and Reconciliation), Ambroise Niyonsaba, has said that further talks on outstanding political issues between the Burundi transitional government of Major Pierre Buyoya, and CNDD-FDD of Pierre Nkurunziza, would start today in Pretoria, South Africa. The talks would be chaired by the facilitator of Burundi direct cease-fire negotiations, the South African Deputy President, Jacob Zuma, according to the reports.
The reports added that South Africa is planning to dispatch more soldiers to the tiny central African country for the implementation of the ceasefire accord signed in Arusha, Tanzania, on 2 December last year. South Africa has already deployed at least 700 soldiers in Burundi under a bilateral agreement.
Politics: African Countries Prepare to Deploy Troops in Burundi
Farah Khan, Inter Press Service, 1/23/03
African countries are getting ready to deploy troops to Burundi in an effort to enforce a peace agreement between rebel movements and the government - just in case increased diplomatic efforts to end the civil war fail. South Africa, Mozambique and Ethiopia have begun meeting to discuss the deployment of peacekeepers to Burundi, where an internationally brokered agreement is being hampered because at least one of the rebel movements is refusing to sign a peace pact with the country's transitional government.
Under the peace agreement, signed last year, the rebel movements and the then Burundi government formed a transitional government, which will run the country until democratic elections can be held. Only one of the four main armed rebel groups, the Palipehutu-FNL, has refused to sign the cease-fire and has continued to launch armed attacks on military and other installations of the Burundi transitional government. South African Deputy President, Jacob Zuma, who is facilitating the peace-talks, is meeting with representatives of the Burundi transitional government and the rebel movements that have signed-up for the cease-fire, this week. South African officials say the talks are aimed at: finalizing arrangements for the return of the fighters and leaders of the insurgents to Burundi; the participation of the former armed movements in the transitional institutions of the state and Parliament; and the disarmament and demobilization of the rebel forces and the building of a new, inclusive security apparatus in the country.
The talks have already yielded some successes, with the leaders of the rebel Palipehutu-Forces for National Liberation (Palipehutu-FNL) and the National Council for the Defence of Democracy-Forces for the Defence of Democracy, (CNDD-FDD) – who have both been in exile -- announcing that they plan to return to Burundi in two weeks. The two leaders -- CNDD-FDD's Jean Bosco Ndayikengurukiye and Palipehutu-FNL's Alain Mugabarabona -- say they have concluded discussions on assembly points for their combatants in Burundi and their technical teams are currently working out the rest of the details of implementing the cease-fire agreement.
But, the cease-fire is being hindered by the refusal of Palipehutu-FNL, which is led by Agathon Rwasa, to sign the cease-fire and their continued attacks on the Burundi transitional government. Some of the rebel movements share the same name, but have different leaders. Perhaps not surprisingly, the Burundi transitional government claims their forces cannot always tell the difference between the rebel movements -- which results in continuing clashes between those armed forces that have officially signed the cease-fire. The rebel movements have rejected the transitional government's excuse for what they consider unwarranted contraventions of the cease-fire. Despite the cease-fire, there have been continuing clashes between the rebel movements and the transitional government, in Burundi.
To ratchet-up the pressure on the armed groups outside the cease-fire and prevent unnecessary conflicts between the Burundi government and the rebel movements, efforts are underway to deploy an African peace force in the country. The South African Minister of Defence, Mosiuoa Lekota, says the African mission would have to be a United Nations peace support operation. "All indications -- and expectations – are that it will have to be a United Nations operation, and that is where the funding will have to come from," he says. He was speaking after a meeting with officials from Ethiopia and Mozambique, in South Africa, on Tuesday. The meeting focussed on mandate of the African force and some of the technical and practical problems of a joint peace mission.
Jakkie Cilliers of South Africa's Institute for Security Studies (ISS) points out that most of the troops will most likely have to come from Ethiopia. South Africa already has 700 troops in Burundi -- who are protecting members of the transitional government -- and does not have that many soldiers left who can be deployed on a peacekeeping mission, at short notice. Mozambique also does not have much more that a company of troops, which it can deploy to Burundi. Ethiopia, on the other hand, has a large army that has recently been involved in a conflict with Eritrea -- and is therefore ready for action. There have been indications that the peace force may be as large as three battalions. The Burundi civil war heightened in 1993 and has claimed an estimated 300, 000 lives. The causes of the conflict are myriad, but include tensions between the country's different ethnic groups.
Europe cares nothing about Chechnya's plight, rebel ex-president says
Kavkaz-Tsentr news agency, via BBC, 1/20/03
The former Chechen acting president, Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev, has criticized the role played by the OSCE and Council of Europe in Chechnya. Speaking to the pro-Chechen Union of Journalists of the Caucasus, Yandarbiyev said that the recent expulsion of the OSCE from Chechnya would not influence the situation on the ground as European organizations had mostly been ineffective in dealing with the troubled republic anyway. He denied any links between the Chechen resistance and the arrests in connection with the discovery of toxic substances in Western Europe. The following are excerpt from report by Kavkaz-Tsentr news agency web site:
19 January: The Kavkaz-Tsentr editorial office has received the text of an interview granted by the former president of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev, to the Union of Journalists of the Caucasus. Here is the text of the interview.
Correspondent Peace be upon you. You performed the small hajj in the month of Ramadan last year. Did you hold meetings in Mecca? What is the attitude of the Islamic Umma community towards the Chechen jihad holy war ?
Yandarbiyev And may peace be upon you. After performing the appropriate rites at the Masjid Al-Haram in Mecca, I headed for Medina and was lucky to spend the last week of the month of Ramadan at the holy mosque. I visited the grave of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) many times, visited other sacred placed, including Mount Uhud, a very important place in the history of Islam and jihad. My meetings were not pre-planned. My main goal was to perform my religious duties. Nevertheless, there were meetings. I must say with all responsibility that the Muslim community realizes more and more that our jihad is one of the vital components of the global processes in today's world.
Passage omitted: known reasons for Yandarbiyev's resignation as Chechen rebel president's personal envoy to Muslim countries
Correspondent You are believed to support unconditional and full independence for Chechnya. Do you think the Chechen state might make some concessions?
Yandarbiyev I think that in general, our leadership has been making concessions from the very beginning. They have a negative impact on the situation. This is my opinion. But I am sure that the Chechen people and the mojahedin cannot make any concessions in this issue. This is confirmed by age-old traditions of the Chechen struggle for freedom and independence, as well as by current events.
Correspondent On New Year's Eve, the Russian foreign minister said that the OSCE's mandate in Chechnya had expired and could not be extended. It is also known that the Chechen mojahedin welcomed the end of the OSCE mission. Do you think there is a link between the so-called "constitutional referendum" scheduled by the occupiers for March this year and the OSCE's "expulsion"? Does this mean that the situation has slipped out of international control, and how do you think the absence of international observers can influence the situation? As you know, the war goes on.
Yandarbiyev I would first like to note that the situation in Chechnya has never been under international control, as there is no-one to implement such control. As for the OSCE and the Council of Europe, which are staging a single-act political farce on the Chechen theme, I would like to remind the readers of a quote from an interview by late Chechen President Dzhokhar Dudayev in 1995, at the peak of the Russian-Chechen war, when the Council of Europe was deciding on admitting Russia into its ranks: "Europe can call itself a free European community until it admits Russia. But as soon as Russia becomes a Council of Europe member, Europe will become Russia's internal affair."
The absence of so-called international observers in Chechnya will have no influence on the Chechen people and on the situation as a whole. First, international organizations have never had any control over the situation in Chechnya. The so-called world community today only deals with issuing indults to Russian international state military criminals and to global terrorism, including that in Chechnya. Second, human history shows that the genocide of a nation has never been committed in the presence of observers, but that the crime did not become less grave. Third, as Dzhokhar Dudayev always said, only His Majesty the Chechen Nation can decide on the fate of the Chechen people.
Correspondent It is known that some Chechen activists are making considerable efforts to "associate" Chechens with Europeans, hoping that this could somehow influence Europe's approach to the Chechen issue. Do you think Europe's position could change as a result of these efforts?
Yandarbiyev For an honest person, especially one engaged in politics, it is obvious that both Europe and the so-called world community care nothing at all about the Chechen people, and not only the Chechen people. Efforts to "associate" Chechens with Europeans in this connection seem to be no more than aping and can change absolutely nothing in the situation. It is important that we are sincere in our reliance on God and in our efforts on the path of our holy struggle.
Correspondent Many Russian politicians who back independence for the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria nevertheless advise the Chechens to reject Shari'ah, referring to the first Chechen president, who they believe was for a secular state. You were one of Dzhokhar Dudayev's closest comrades-in-arms and must know his attitude towards Islamic law.
Yandarbiyev It is not only Russian politicians who use Dudayev's name, but also many of our compatriots. Facts answer your question: The Supreme Shari'ah Court of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria was set up by the president of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, Dzhokhar Dudayev, in 1995, and the working file of the late first Chechen president contained a decree on renaming the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria into the Chechen Islamic Republic of Ichkeria. I believe that this decree is among the papers from my archive seized by the Russian occupiers last year.
Correspondent Do you see any difference between the national liberation movement and jihad?
Yandarbiyev No! Punctuation as given The national movement is always a major direction of holy jihad on the path of God.
Correspondent The attitude towards people of Caucasian origin in Russia is common knowledge. You can see the same attitude towards people of Arab origin in America. What do you think are the main reasons for the persecution of Muslims and who is responsible for this?
Yandarbiyev I partly answered this question in some of my books, including the book "Jihad and problems of the contemporary world". This is part of a crusade by Christians and Zionists against Islam.
Passage omitted: about his book "Whose caliphate?"
Correspondent What is your position on the recent propaganda by the Russian side on the search for the so-called "Chechen trace" in connection with the discovery of toxic substances in the West?
Yandarbiyev It is obvious to a thinking person that this is all bluff and lies. The fact that the West is willing to accept this bluff and lies is quite a different matter. Some European publications report this, evidently hinting at Chechnya. Although everyone understands that these statements by Moscow and their accomplices in the West are nonsense, everyone is keeping silent or agree with the Kremlin's lie. We do not have chemical weapons plants. Our country has been occupied. There are big plants and secret compounds for producing chemical weapons in Russia. The Russians have chemical weapons, and they use them. The same way they used the notorious ricin to kill the Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov in London in 1978 . Incidentally, the Russians use chemical weapons not only against Chechens, but also against their own citizens. It suffices to remember the Nord-Ost hostage crisis in Moscow . So, all those accusations have nothing to do with us. People all over the world know this perfectly well.
Georgia/Abkhazia
Georgia considers ways to close railroad from Russia to Abkhazia
RBC Network, 1/21/03
A meeting of the National Security Council of Georgia, devoted to the situation in breakaway Abkhazia and around it, will be held in Tbilisi on January 22. A Georgian government spokesman told RBC that real ways to stop the railway service between Abkhazia and Russia and the process of systematic granting of Russian citizenship to residents of Abkhazia would be discussed at the meeting. The possibility of closing Georgian airspace for Russian military aircraft carrying out flights to Russian military bases in Georgia and Armenia will be considered among other possible measures.
The National Security Council meeting will be held before a session of the UN Security Council on January 31, where the situation in Abkhazia is to be discussed. According to the spokesman, Georgia intends to make every effort to achieve real progress in settling the conflict, so that the UN Security Council's session would not end with the adoption of a formal resolution. The spokesman added that influential political parties of Georgia insisted on raising the question of forceful restoration of peace in Abkhazia at the session of the UN Security Council.
Russian Leadership to Consider New Georgian Proposals for Abkhazia
Rustavi-2 TV, via BBC, 1/22/03
Visiting Georgian parliament speaker Nino Burjanadze has presented Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov with Georgia's new proposals for the settlement of the Abkhaz conflict. Ivanov is said to have agreed to pass to his country's "supreme leadership" and inform the Georgian authorities of its conclusions. In a TV interview, Georgian ambassador in Moscow Zurab Abashidze, who was present at the Ivanov-Burjanadze meeting, said that the proposals envisaged a simultaneous process of economic rehabilitation of Abkhazia and political settlement of the conflict. Abashidze said that the two countries "should try to find a compromise decision" on Georgia's proposals in time for next week's meeting between presidents Vladimir Putin and Eduard Shevardnadze. The following is an excerpt from Eka Khoperia's interview with Abashidze, broadcast by the Georgian TV station Rustavi-2 on 22 January:
Interviewer The main issues to be covered by our programme today are Abkhazia and the Georgian-Russian talks in Moscow involving Georgian parliament speaker Nino Burjanadze ...
Talking to us live from Moscow is Georgian ambassador to Russia Zurab Abashidze. Good evening, and thank you for agreeing to take part in our programme. Can we expect specific results from these talks?
Abashidze The visit by our delegation here and its meetings at the State Duma and elsewhere were very timely and necessary in this complex situation. We stated our position. At all meetings, we communicated our demands concerning Abkhazia in the strongest possible terms. The delegation presented our vision of how the problems that are causing us concern could be resolved. I mean, primarily, the issuing of Russian passports to residents of Abkhazia and the reopening of rail services between Russia and Abkhazia . These issues have created tension in our relations recently. I would not say that those have been easy conversations and that we have met with understanding everywhere we went. Nevertheless, the visit by our delegation and these discussions were necessary. A meeting with the foreign minister, Mr Igor Ivanov, was held today. In my opinion, this was the most businesslike of all the meetings and it focused on specific points.
Interviewer Since it was indeed a very important meeting and it involved a senior Russian government official, can one assume that issues such as the railway and passports may be resolved? Was anything said about that?
Abashidze Naturally, a lot was said about it. I will tell you briefly: As regards the issue of passports, our Russian colleagues are assuring us that passports are not yet being issued in Abkhazia. They have received applications from local residents and are now considering them. I repeat that that is what our Russian colleagues are telling us. We said that this process should not continue any further. We and the Russian side, with the involvement of international organizations, probably, primarily the UN, should try to find a way out of this situation. We may find alternative solutions. For example, we could revisit the proposals that were discussed several years ago, namely issuing Abkhazia's citizens with temporary international documents for the period while this conflict has not been settled. By the way, we discussed this issue a week ago at the Foreign Ministry, and the Russian side accepted the view that this could be tried.
As regards the railway, it was said that since the rail service is absolutely illegal and so on - we all know what our arguments on that are, and a lot has been said about it in recent days - this service must stop for the time being. At the same time, a high-ranking commission or work group must be formed without delay, which will discuss a set of issues concerning Abkhazia's economic rehabilitation, including the restoration of the railway. This will happen in parallel with the resolution of political issues that are a matter of concern to us, such as the return of refugees, the start of discussions on the Boden document on devolution and the change of the peacekeepers' mandate. Those are the main issues. We see it as a possible solution.
So, we presented these two concrete proposals to our Russian colleagues. I must say that Mr Ivanov told us that he would convey our proposals to Russia's supreme leadership and that we would be informed of their conclusion. It was also said that, since the presidents of our two countries are due to hold a meeting in Ukraine on 28-29 January, both sides should try to find a compromise decision on these issues so as to make it a productive meeting. That is one specific result of that meeting. I repeat that we have not yet received a definitive answer on this but we were promised that Russia's supreme leadership would examine these two proposals...
Russia denies policy of granting Russian citizenship to residents of Abkhazia
BBC, 1/24/03
There is no policy of issuing Russian passports in Abkhazia, Russian Ambassador to Georgia Vladimir Chkhikvishvili said in an interview with a Georgian radio station. According to him, people are mainly given special ID cards for former Soviet passports, "which give residents of Abkhazia a basic right to travel." Chkhikvishvili explained that old Soviet passports were not valid for travelling, and there were no Abkhaz IDs, and even if there were any, Russia would not recognize them. For various reasons, residents of Abkhazia have no Georgian passports either. Therefore, residents of Abkhazia were just unable to travel because they had no valid documents. "This problem is not political but humanitarian," the Russian ambassador underlined. According to him, very few residents of Abkhazia received Russian passports. He pointed out that this did not violate Russian law, since any person wishing to obtain Russian citizenship can submit an application to a respective agency, and its refusal to consider it would violate Russian law.
Abkhazia Looks to Russian Peacekeepers as Safeguard against Georgia
Interfax News Agency, via BBC, 1/27/03
Abkhazia's authorities have not ruled out the possibility of Georgia yet again attempting to invade Abkhaz territory in April or May 2003. The Abkhaz vice-president, Valeriy Arshba, told Interfax on Monday 27 January that the republic's leaders "do not rule out that in April or May of this year after the snow thaws in the mountain passes, Georgia may again try to invade Abkhazia by using the upper part of the Kodori Gorge". Arshba believes that in this military operation, "Tbilisi will involve international terrorist groups". "At present about 1,000 armed people, including Georgian special-task units, are stationed in the upper part of the Kodori Gorge," the vice-president said. He also underscored the need to set up a permanent Russian peacekeeping post in the upper zone of the Kodori Gorge. "The current patrols of the Kodori Gorge conducted by peacekeepers and UN military monitors are not very effective," he believes.
Commenting on Tbilisi's official suggestion to change the mandate of the peacekeeping forces in the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict area, Arshba said, "We are categorically against any expansion of the peacekeepers' area of action and giving them police functions. The peacekeeping forces have been strictly adhering to their mandate and have created an environment for peaceful dialogue between Sukhumi and Tbilisi. Unfortunately, Georgia has not even tried to make use of this." The vice-president also spoke out against creating joint Georgian-Abkhaz administrations in some of Abkhazia's districts. "Heads of district administrations are appointed by the Abkhaz president, while local authorities are elected. There will never be any other bodies of power in Abkhazia," Arshba stressed.
Aceh security forces continue to extort drivers
Nani Farida, Jakarta Post, 1/20/03
Not only has last month's peace deal failed to bring a complete end to bloodshed in Aceh, it has also failed to stop security forces from extorting truck drivers across the troubled province. The extortion is listed as a serious violation of regulations outlined by the Joint Security Committee (JSC) tasked with monitoring the truce in Aceh. Many truck drivers have complained about soldiers and police officers demanding money and other valuables in East Aceh and West Aceh. The demands were often accompanied by threats of violence.
Usman, one of the victims, said he had to pay up to Rp 1.2 million in bribes to security personnel stationed at different posts on the highway during a one-way trip. The amount could increase markedly if he was stopped by other troops or police officers outside those security posts. "Although there is a sign in front of every security post, which states people should not give anything to military or police officers, it is not effective at all," Usman told The Jakarta Post. "The peace agreement has only affected street security, but does not stop extortion," he added, referring to the Dec. 9 truce signed by the government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) to end the 26-year-old separatist conflict.
He said soldiers not only asked drivers for money coercibly, but sometimes looted the contents of their trucks, particularly those carrying shrimp and crab. "Extorters even sometimes treat us rudely by pointing guns," added Usman, who has been working as a driver for 15 years. He said that in Aceh there were around 60 security posts set up where truck drivers had to pay bribes. "There are dozens of other security posts in North Sumatra, where officials also extort us," Usman said, adding that each post demanded between Rp 2,000 and Rp 400,000.
Another victim, Udin, confirmed Usman's account. He said he and his colleagues were provided with between Rp 1.000,000 and Rp 2.000,000 by their bosses every time they traveled through the main highways. From that amount, Udin said he only received Rp 400,000. "The money must be shared with my two driving assistants, after being cut for food allowances."
Trucks traveling through western parts of Aceh are not immune. The worst extortion was faced by trucks carrying logs as they could spend up to Rp 7.000,000 per one-way trip, a driver who wished to remain anonymous said. The extortions have forced truck operators in Aceh to raise the prices of cargo deliveries, which consequently increased the prices of commodities. The owner of a cargo transport company, who declined to be named, slammed the security force's methods, which had been occurring for a long time, saying he had to raise delivery charges to cover operational costs.
There had been no clear effort to fight the extortions, or take action against the culprits. Since 2001, truck drivers and operators have staged strikes at least four times but the unlawful practices have continued unchecked. JSC officials pledged to move to stop the extortions after they verified the crimes in the field. Meanwhile, Brig. Gen. Safzen Noerdin, an Indonesian serving with the JSC denied involvement of soldiers in the extortions. "I will talk with the Aceh police chief on this issue," he said.
Indonesia, Aceh separatist group rapped for truce violations
Nurdin Hasan, Agence Presse France, 1/25/03
A committee monitoring a ceasefire in Aceh province has for the first time criticised both the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) separatist group and the Indonesian government for truce violations. The Joint Security Committee (JSC) of the government, GAM and foreign representatives monitoring the December 9 ceasefire delivered the rebuke after the two sides publicly admitted wrongdoing.
Under the agreement to end 26 years of fighting in Aceh, paramilitary police are forbidden from taking offensive action against GAM members who abide by the ceasefire. The JSC is in charge of investigating violations and at least 32 alleged violations have already been probed. "Both sides came together to agree that the conduct by members of their respective sides in the field is unacceptable and violates the peace agreement," said JSC senior envoy General Tanongsuk Tuvinun of Thailand. "This not only shows faith in the process, it's also a huge symbolic step toward making Aceh a safe and peaceful place to live," Tuvinun said in a statement released Friday night.
One reprimand was for a January 14 attack by GAM members against eight Indonesian soldiers travelling on motorcycles in the Lokop area of East Aceh which killed one soldier and injured another. Indonesia was rebuked for intimidating a member of the GAM peace monitoring team and a driver while they were witnessing a confrontation in Bireuen between demonstrators and police on January 14. Another criticism of GAM was for a January 16 incident in Lamno, West Aceh, in which a soldier was shot in the shoulder. The JSC verification committee was also investigating an alleged GAM attack on soldiers on December 22 in South Aceh. "It is now up to each party to discipline the violators," Tuvinun said. "This is about recognizing the problems, taking steps to fix them and making the process accountable to the people of Aceh."
A crowd of civilians and JSC representatives and some 5,000 civilians packed a football stadium in the town of Indrapuri in Aceh Besar district meanwhile to witness the formal introduction of a "peace zone" by the JSC. A banner reading "Welcome to the peace zone" and others urging the public to live in peace were seen on the streets Saturday in Indrapuri, 24 kilometers (15 miles) east of Banda Aceh. Tuvinun said the "peace zone" -- which bars anyone from carrying weapons except regular police -- marked "the beginning of concrete steps toward achieving peace for all Acehnese." "Today the JSC proudly chooses Indrapuri as our first peace zone of Aceh and I intend to witness the real peace happening here.
"From this day on, the world will be watching every move we make in the peace zone of Indrapuri and it is up to all of us to prove that we have started to embrace peace as a solution to a long-standing conflict in this part of the world," the Thai general told the crowd. The peace agreement aims to end a 26-year conflict in Aceh that has claimed an estimated 10,000 lives. An average 87 civilians were killed in Aceh every month in most of 2002.
Liberian leader wants to keep out of Ivory Coast war: report
Agence Presse France, 1/23/03
Liberian President Charles Taylor has said he "does not want to get involved in the war" in neighbouring Ivory Coast, the national Ivory Coast television service said late on Wednesday, showing an undated video recording of Taylor. In the broadcast, the west African leader was shown calling on Liberians living in Ivory Coast -- which has been descending into civil war since an army rebellion last September -- "not to export the war in our country to Ivory Coast." "The state of Liberia does not want to get involved in the war," he said. Liberia, which has a border with the west of Ivory Coast, has suffered over two decades of sporadic civil war, and there have been repeated reports that Liberians have been involved in the Ivory Coast fighting alongside western rebel groups, and have committed serious abuses of the civilian population.
Reports within Ivory Coast have often referred to the presumed Liberians as "English-speakers", as opposed to the local population, whose main shared language is French. In the broadcast, Taylor was shown saying: "The Liberian government, which is itself facing a rebellion, disavows any Liberian who gets involved in a war against a legitimately elected regime" -- a reference to the Ivory Coast government of President Laurent Gbagbo. Taylor also said that he had discussed the crisis with Gbagbo, who is facing calls to step down from the rebel groups which hold most of the north of his country.
In the video recording, which was not dated, Taylor said there were some 70,000 Liberians living in Ivory Coast. Taylor himself is a former rebel leader, who was elected president of Liberia in July 1997. For the past three years his forces have been battling rebels from a group called Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy. On Monday, the Liberian government said that rebels from the group had attacked its territory from bases inside Ivory Coast. The Liberian rebels have previously been reported to have rear bases in Guinea, which borders both Liberia and Ivory Coast.
Ivory Coast's key city erupts in anger over French-brokered peace deal
Austin Merrill, Associated Press, 1/27/03
Loyalist mobs, enraged by a French-brokered peace deal they say gives too much power to Ivory Coast rebels, attacked the French embassy and army base Sunday and beat foreigners. President Laurent Gbagbo urged his people to accept the agreement for ending the four-month insurgency. "There are two ways to end a conflict. Either you win the war" or submit to negotiation and compromise, the Ivory Coast leader said in Paris, where two weeks of talks between his government and rebels led to the power-sharing peace deal which Gbagbo's own security forces called "humiliating." "I did not win the war," he conceded. As he spoke, smoke from fires and explosions filled the sky over the high-rises of Abidjan, a sprawling commercial hub of 3 million people and Ivory Coast's main city.
For hours, French forces fired tear gas, stun grenades and water cannon to hold back the rioters. Most attacks concentrated on the French embassy and other symbols of Ivory Coast's former colonial ruler, blamed for Gbagbo's coming home Sunday with anything less than a clear victory. Thousands of people - some waving sticks and clutching rocks - converged on the French embassy and set fires outside. Men armed with machine guns took positions on the embassy roof. French military helicopters buzzed across the city carrying reinforcements. Elsewhere, mobs looted a French school and French cultural center, and ransacked a main shopping center and a private radio station. Men waving sticks and rocks set up roadblocks, attacking the few foreigners who ventured out to reach safety or their families. Embassies urged their citizens to stay indoors. "France has disappointed us. They gave power to people who took up arms against Ivory Coast. They have opened Pandora's box," declared Ble Goude, an influential youth leader behind weeks of massive pro-government rallies that sometimes turned violent.
U.N. chief Kofi Annan and leaders at a West African summit in Paris dismissed accusations that France had bullied Gbagbo into the deal. "This is an agreement negotiated by the Ivorian parties ... The agreement and peace cannot be imposed," Annan said at the summit, called in Paris to give the accord international support. West African leaders, who had worried the insurgency would ignite another full-fledged war in the region, welcomed the peace deal - however fragile - and pledged to set up a committee to oversea its implementation. They urged the United Nations to send military and civilian observers and said French troops and regional forces already being assembled in Ivory Coast would oversea rebel disarmament. The European Union pledged $434 million in aid to Ivory Coast over the next five years, said European Commission President Romano Prodi, who attended the summit. An initial sum of $163 million would be released immediately.
In Bouake, the northern rebel stronghold, supporters banged drums and danced in the streets, celebrating their chance to share in a transition government to lead Ivory Coast, the world's largest cocoa producer, until elections in 2005. Sharing power is a key part of the accord to end the only war ever in Ivory Coast, which erupted Sept. 19 with a failed coup attempt against Gbagbo. The rebels - who accuse the president's southern-based government of fanning ethnic tensions - quickly seized the northern half of the country and, since November, took parts of the west. The northern-based rebels claim the deal awards them control of the Interior and Defense ministries, giving them say over the army and the heavily pro-government paramilitary police.
Top officials have refused to confirm or deny that split, but it appeared to be the element that ignited the pro-government riots. Crucial to the success of any peace deal would be support of Ivory Coast's security forces. But that seemed in doubt Saturday, when forces failed to enforce a strict - until now - 9 p.m curfew, allowing crowds to spill onto the streets and begin rioting. "It's not normal," army spokesman Lt. Col. Jules Yao Yao said of indications his bosses would now come from the northern rebel flanks. "The Ivorian security defense forces weren't even invited to the peace negotiations. It's humiliating." The loyalty of Ivory Coast's security forces has been a prime worry for leaders since the once-stable and prosperous nation's first and only successful military coup in 1999.
Amid Sunday's attacks, a French Defense Ministry official said France would "reinforce" its military presence - already 2,500 strong - but said details still were being worked out. But French President Jacques Chirac later said he saw "no reason" to increase troops at this point. He played down the violence, saying "an accord of this nature automatically gives rise to a few excesses." Outside the U.S. Embassy in Abidjan, hundreds of Ivorians gathered peacefully to urge Washington to come out against the peace deal. One of the group held a sign that said, "Bush Jr. Save Us." The United States has already welcomed the accord, however, and urged both sides to honor it.
Kashmiris demand removal of Blackwill
Pakistan Press International, 1/21/03
According to the sources of Jammu-Kashmir.com, Senior Kashmiri leaders in Occupied and Azad Kashmir have strongly demanded replacement of US Ambassador to News Delhi Robert Blackwill for his 'malicious' and 'filthy' campaign to dub the freedom movement for Kashmir as terrorism. Blackwill, who is dubbed as an Indian stooge and a dangerous anti-Kashmir element by the top Kashmiri leadership, has on a number of occasions portrayed the Kashmir liberation movement as terrorism, and has backed the state terrorism unleashed by New Delhi in Occupied Kashmir. On Tuesday during the golden jubilee celebration of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in the San Jose (California), in the Imperial Ballroom of the Fairmont Hotel, Blackwill said: 'The US will continue to urge President Musharraf to do everything in his power to end permanently terrorist infiltration into Jammu and Kashmir.' Reacting to the Blackwill utterances, former AJK president, PM and supreme head of All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference, Sardar Qayyum told newsmen that Blackwill should not follow the Indian agenda, rather he should represent his country, the US. 'India has accepted Pakistan as a party to the Kashmir dispute in the UN, and Blackwill's statements against the freedom struggle in Held Kashmir will not stop it, but would affect the ongoing war against terrorism.'
He urged the US to take notice of its New Delhi envoy and prohibit him from making controversial statements. 'The world understands the issue of Kashmir. Few terrorism incidents in the Occupied Kashmir have been condemned by Pakistan and the Kashmiris as well. In fact these incidents were plotted to malign the freedom struggle.' Qayyum urged Blackwill to avoid such controversial statements at the time when the world was seeking peace. 'If no difference was made between the freedom struggle and the terrorism the situation could go worse. 'Earlier, speaking to a group of Non-Resident-Indians (NRIs) in New Delhi on January 11 this year, Blackwill, referring to the freedom fighters said: 'They are not religious perfectionists. And they are not freedom fighters. They are terrorists, and we should always be sure to call them exactly that.' Rejecting President Musharraf's observation that there was a freedom movement going on in Occupied Kashmir, Blackwill said it was terrorism and said the war against terrorism included the terrorism against India. Continuing, he said the United States would persist with its efforts to prevail upon Musharraf to 'end permanently' the terrorist infiltration into the State (Held Kashmir).
Americans not allowed to look for terror suspects in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir
Associated Press, 1/23/03
Americans, or foreigners of any kind, will not be allowed to hunt for suspected al-Qaida terrorists in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, a senior regional official said Thursday. Only Pakistani security forces will carry out anti-terrorism operations in Kashmir, the speaker of Pakistani Kashmir's legislature, Sardar Sayyab Khalid, said in response to reports that Pakistani officials for Kashmir have met in Islamabad with U.S. FBI agents. "We will not allow any agency from any country, including America, to operate in (Pakistani) Kashmir," Khalid told reporters in Muzaffarabad, the capital of the Pakistani-controlled portion of Kashmir.
India says Pakistani Kashmir, a semiautonomous region, has become a springboard for suspected Islamic militants wanting to enter its part of Kashmir to join an insurgency there. It says Taliban and al-Qaida fighters have found a new haven in Pakistani Kashmir after their bases in Afghanistan were dismantled by the United States. Pakistan denies both allegations and accuses India of blocking attempts at peace by refusing to discuss the territorial dispute over Kashmir.
Khalid dismissed suggestions that al-Qaida had set up operations in Kashmir. "There is neither an al-Qaida camp nor an al-Qaida member in (Pakistani) Kashmir," he said. Pakistan is a key ally in the U.S.-led war against terrorism and its forces have assisted FBI agents in arresting al-Qaida fugitives in its territory who are blamed for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States. India and Pakistan each claim all of Kashmir. The nuclear-armed rivals have fought two of their three wars since independence from Britain in 1947 over the Himalayan region.
Top U.N official says no status talks over Kosovo this year
Garentina Kraja, Associated Press, 1/20/03
Kosovo's top United Nations official said Monday that there will be no discussions this year about the future status of the U.N.-run province. In a televised speech broadcast Monday, Michael Steiner, the chief U.N. official in Kosovo, said "the time for solving Kosovo's status will come, but not in 2003."
Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic last week called for negotiations on the future of Kosovo, which formally remains part of Serbia, the larger Yugoslav republic. Djindjic accused the United Nations of creating a de facto independent state in Kosovo. Earlier Monday, Djindjic reiterated his stance that Kosovo issues must be discussed "before it becomes too late."
The United Nations took over the administration of Kosovo in 1999, after NATO fought an air war that ended Serb troops' crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists. The U.N. resolution that put Kosovo under U.N.-authority left the province's final status open. The province's ethnic Albanian majority demands outright independence, while the region's Serbs want the area to remain part of Serbia. The U.N. mission has said talks on Kosovo's future would be held once the province is politically and economically stable.
In his speech, Steiner also said he would focus on economic development, fighting organized crime and creating a harmonic, multiethnic society during 2003. Most members of Kosovo's Serb minority live in isolated enclaves protected by NATO-led peacekeeping troops. "We need to boost economy to give your children a future. We need to attack crime to give your families security," he said. "We need to create multiethnic society in order for you all to be welcome into the family of European societies." Steiner also said the province's institutions - which are dominated by ethnic Albanians - must assume their existing responsibilities before they can be given more authority.
Kosovo residents elected a legislature more than a year ago. The legislature, in turn, elected a government. Both bodies are overseen by the United Nations, which has the right to veto any decision. Security, foreign affairs and the return of minorities are solely controlled by the U.N. administration. In recent months, however, the issue of authority has surfaced many times with elected leaders and U.N. mission clashing over competencies. "I am ready to hand over all competencies I legally can by the end of this year to the provisional institutions," Steiner said. "But on one condition. They have to work more seriously."
Serbian prime minister says Belgrade insists on return of army, police to Kosovo
RTS TV, via BBC, 1/24/03
Studio announcer The union of Serbian municipalities, formed last week, should enable the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija to get autonomy. This does not mean the territorial division of the republic, but represents a form of Serb organization in response to the increasing transference of authority to the local Albanian authorities by the international community which will lead to the independence of Kosovo and Metohija, representatives of the Serb National Council SNV believe.
Nikolic - recording The latest example of the abuse by the local authorities formed in Kosovo and Metohija in this manner is the intention to pull down the Christ the Saviour church in Pristina because it was allegedly erected without a building licence. Raska-Prizren Bishop Artemije has appealed for help to Serbian Patriarch Pavle and trusts in the patriarch's call to President Vojislav Kostunica and Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic to finally negotiate a single position which would be in the general interest. Bishop Artemije When it comes to Kosovo and Metohija, we cannot allow the luxury of every leader, minor leader or party leader having his own view and solution to the Kosovo issue.
Nikolic Representatives of the SNV believe that the Serbs who are a part of the interim Kosovo authorities lend legitimacy to these authorities and are therefore a particular problem.
Chairman of the SNV of northern Kosovo-Metohija Milan Ivanovic That is why our joint position is that the Serbs must not return to the interim institutions, that they must not return to the assembly which is based on the repression and outvoting of Serbs, and which allows the Albanians to create, despite the resolution, an independent state.
Nikolic Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic has confirmed the view that the issue of Kosovo and Metohija's status must be tackled immediately and said that the key to the solution lies in the implementation of Resolution 1244.
Djindjic Resolution 1244 envisages the state of Serbia and the state of Yugoslavia as having partial sovereignty over Kosovo and Metohija. In line with this, the resolution also provides for the return of Serbian and Yugoslav police and army units to Kosovo and Metohija. This has not yet happened, and we now insist on it.
Nikolic However, FRY President Kostunica does not believe that anything significant has changed regarding the Serbs either in the country, in Kosmet Kosovo and Metohija or internationally which would dictate a change of tactics and more forceful insistence. Kostunica believes that anything undertaken hastily in the province at this point could be very detrimental to us.
Kosovo Coordination Centre head Nebojsa Covic If we discuss and negotiate standards, then it can only be in the sense of improving the living conditions and creating a multiethnic Kosovo, rather than just talk about a multiethnic Kosovo on the one hand and the setting up of institutions of an independent state on the other.
Nikolic However, the final resolution of Kosovo and Metohija's status requires a favourable international climate.
Djindjic We enjoy a certain degree of international credibility and we should invest it into this cause. I have recently heard rather strange comments that we are going to lose international support by insisting on this issue. However, I say that international support serves to achieve our state interests. What good is international support if it just puts off the problem.
Nikolic The US Stratford Agency for researching public opinion believes that the Serbian prime minister is trying to open the issue of Kosovo's status while the United States is busy with other issues. According to the same source, Washington does not have the scope in its international policy to simultaneously deal with the issue of Iraq, Venezuela, North Korea and Yugoslavia. The US agency's analysts believe that Yugoslavia is the least significant for the United States and the easiest thing is to pass the problem on to someone else, the EU in this case. It is generally accepted that EU leaders are more opposed to the idea of an independent Kosovo than the United States, the Stratford analysis states.
Former rebel leader calls on Macedonia, Kosovo to meet Western standards
KosovaLive web site, via BBC, 1/23/03
Ali Ahmeti, leader of Macedonia's Union for Democratic Integration (BDI), has said in an interview with a Kosovo news agency that Macedonia and Kosovo should meet European standards. Minority rights should for example be respected in Kosovo while standards for equal ethnic representation should be met in the Macedonian army. Ahmeti, a former rebel leader, also said that all the ideals that the ethnic Albanians in Macedonia have fought for have been achieved and it was of "utmost importance" that the Ohrid peace agreement is now implemented. The following is the text of a report by Lulzim Mjeku: "Interview: Ali Ahmeti - 'Slav Macedonians and ethnic Albanians must accept that they live under Macedonian authority'", transmitted in English by independent internet news agency KosovaLive:
Tetove Tetovo , 23 January: Ali Ahmeti, leader of the Union for Democratic Integration (BDI), has said in an interview for KosovaLive that Macedonia and Kosova Kosovo must fulfil standards of Western democracies. In 2001 Macedonia went through a several-month-long conflict between ethnic Albanian rebels of the National Liberation Army (ONA) UCK in Albanian and state forces. The peace agreement signed between the main Albanian and Macedonian politicians brought the conflict to an end. Ahmeti, whose office is adorned with paintings, graphics and other pieces of art, said that the agreement has improved the status of Albanians in Macedonia. At the same time, this is an appeasing agreement between the two ethnic communities, he says. "The point is, that the Ohrid Agreement is of extremely high importance because it has brought the conflict that was taking on large dimensions to an end. Of course the compromise is not 100 per cent satisfactory, however, it is of utmost importance that the signed framework document be implemented," he said.
There are some difficulties with implementation of the agreement, according to Ahmeti; due to the historical inheritance of "mental maps" of those whose goal it is to dominate the Albanians, and who desire that Macedonia be the state only of Macedonians, but not of Albanians. "By reaching this agreement and by incorporating Albanians in state institutions such as the army, police, the governing administration, they (Albanians) began to love Macedonia as their homeland," Ahmeti said. Ahmeti intends to change the tradition of ethnic domination of one community against the other. He often gives examples of life in high democracy standards from the Scandinavian countries and Switzerland, where he used to live. Four ministers, one deputy prime minister and four deputy ministers currently represent the Albanians of Macedonia at the governmental level. The BDI has gained 16 seats in the parliament. He believes that what Albanians have achieved in Macedonia has been achieved through sacrifice. The Ohrid Agreement also has a four-year deadline for completion.
"Our aim is to be equally represented in the institutions. There have been some obstacles where the previous government intervened in order not to accept people from the outside in the state structures. This decision by the government damages us, the Albanians, because if we do not employ Albanians in the current police ranks or army and administrative structures, we can not move forward to where Albanians would be represented equally in all state sectors," he said. Macedonia elected a new government last September and the Macedonian Social Democrats and the Albanian BDI run it. The PM of Macedonia, Branko Crvenkovski, recently paid a visit to Belgrade and said that the issue of Kosova is a second-hand issue if compared with the rule of law there.
Ahmeti said that Crvenkovski asked him what his message to the Belgrade authorities is. "I do not think that we have to resort to cold war tactics to slow the integration process or to meet the standards that the Macedonian parties are committed to in the spirit and environment of good neighbour cooperation. We are also committed to establishing genuine European standards," Ahmeti explained.
Recently, another armed group called the Albanian National Army warned of a "hot spring" in Macedonia and threatened that it would be ready to fight again. "I appeal to you not to psychologically terrorize the population, either in Macedonia or in Kosova. We have lost children, acquaintances, friends and relatives. We have suffered devastations and we must not be called to join in the war for something which is unachievable," Ahmeti said.
According to Ahmeti, after the constitutional amendment is achieved, its implementation will remain to be achieved. "We should have a serious and substantial approach for asking what Albanians need to further fight for. I do not hesitate to say that all ideals that the Albanians have fought for have been achieved," said Ahmeti. Ahmeti supports UNMIK Chief Michael Steiner's "Standards before status". He said that in all of his discussions he expresses his position that more power should be given to Kosovans, in order for them to gain experience and be successful in governing and thus be prepared for a future of independent governing. The European standards, such as respecting minority rights, should be respected in Kosova. For example, Macedonia does not meet the standards for equal community representation in the army. "In my opinion, Kosova should respect the standards that the international community demands. Without fulfilling them, Kosova can neither determine its final status, nor be an independent state with limitations and conditions," said Ahmeti.
In addition to being involved politically from the time when he studied in Prishtina, Ahmeti was also active in the Albanian National Movement in Diaspora. He was also interested in the issue of national symbols. When the President of Kosova, Ibrahim Rugova, initiated the issue that Kosova should have its own flag and anthem, Ahmeti asked for a solution in the Albania constitution. "The Constitution of Albania rules that the flag that is used in Albania is a national and not a state flag. According to international law, it remains to be determined whether Albanians who do not live in Albania have a right to use this flag. I think that this issue should be discussed, but not with emotions. In order to be independent, Kosova should have its own symbols, and its citizens should decide what they should be," said Ahmeti.