| BorisVM |
Macedonia: Paper says arrests of former NLA members endangers reconciliation 2003-07-28 MK
Text of editorial: "Who needs harassment of former NLA members?"; published by Macedonian Albanian - language newspaper Fakti on 28 July
It seems that no-one is able to stop the imprisonment of former members of the UCK [National Liberation Army - NLA], despite an existing amnesty law and a presidential decree. While one of them was arrested on the eve of last weekend [26-27 July], we learned yesterday that another seven former UCK members have also been indicted. Add to this number those who are already in prison and it is clear that this is becoming a worrying phenomenon.
From all this we can conclude that someone has been trying to provoke
the UCK members deliberately. This is despite promises from government bodies that reconciliation between Albanians and Macedonians must be achieved and the agreements that ended the conflict have to be implemented. There were two things that ended the conflict: the Oher [Ohrid] Agreement; and the amnesty for former UCK members.
Now we are in this situation and, instead of trying to find ways to reintegrate former UCK members, certain government bodies keep arresting them and bringing charges against them. The reasons for these arrests are different, even excluding the most banal ones that, we must admit, have always been used against Albanians by the judicial bodies. It leads us to believe that not many things have changed in this respect.
It seems that it has become a practice in Macedonian politics that its protagonists say one thing, think another, and do something else completely. This is best seen in the case of the "pestering" of former UCK members, which goes against all the claims of the main political forces in the country and the international community about prosperity and peace in the country.
Imagine how a simple UCK soldier feels in the Sutka prison, when he sees a decorated "Lion" in front of him. Until recently - not more than two years ago - they would have looked at each other down the barrel of the gun.
Despite the objections that were raised when they were called paramilitaries, ordinary criminals, and so on, former members of the "Lions" were spectacularly integrated into the system and have now become part of the legalized security structures of the country.
So, if nothing can be done to reintegrate the former UCK members into society (as was done for the "Lions"), then at least they should be left alone and not arrested. Having in mind what situation we were in, what the current situation is, and where we aspire to take Macedonia, it is very hard to see that we will soon arrive there, because these arrests indicate that: "something is not functioning." The more extreme conclusion is that someone is not sincere and does not want to contribute to the creation of a multiethnic society and country. Source: BBC Monitoring |