(italiano / francais / english)
Tetova after Kosova (4)
Ciliegine:
(1) IPOCRISIA E MALAFEDE DEL COMMISSARIO EUROPEO
(2) MACEDONIA PRONTA AL RADDOPPIO DEL CONTINGENTE IN IRAQ / La Macédoine enverra des troupes supplémentaires en Irak
(3) I fantasmi di Tetovo: maxi retata nella regione albanofona in Macedonia, si teme l'effetto Kosovo
(4) Altre notizie / NEWS
(5) Macedonian Special Police Eliminate Armed Albanian Group with Paramilitary, Wahhabi Ties, Seizing Massive Arsenal:
Special Report by Balkanalysis.com Director Christopher Deliso
ALTRI LINK:
Macedonia: torna la violenza
di Risto Karajkov ("free-lance" legato a Soros ed Ahtisaari, vedi: http://www.archiviostampa.it/it/nomi/nom.aspx?id=4012 )
TETOVA AFTER KOSOVA - The previous parts can be read here:
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/5617
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/5639
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/5682
Il dossier in lingua italiana può essere letto qui:
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/5627
Vedi anche / see also: Pan-Albanian intellectuals call for Greater Albania
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/5567
---
Source of most of the following documents is R. Rozoff via stopnato @ yahoogroups.com
---
COME OGNI MACEDONIA CHE SI RISPETTI,
ANCHE QUESTA HA LE SUE CILIEGINE:
(1) ---
L'IPOCRISIA E LA MALAFEDE DEL COMMISSARIO EUROPEO
<< Il Commissario europeo all'allargamento, Olli Rehn, ha affermato che Bruxelles non ritiene che quanto accaduto sia collegato al processo sullo status in Kosovo. “Spero che nessuno utilizzi quanto avvenuto come scusa per causare instabilità nella regione”, ha affermato Rehn. >>
(2) ---
MACEDONIA PRONTA AL RADDOPPIO DEL CONTINGENTE IN IRAQ
BELGRADO - Incurante del fuggi fuggi generale, c'é almeno un Paese al mondo che si appresta a raddoppiare il proprio contributo (invero modesto) alla forza militare a guida Usa schierata in Iraq: è la Macedonia, repubblica-fazzoletto dell'ex Jugoslavia, decisa a farsi notare come può fra i nuovi candidati all'ingresso nella Nato. Presente finora sull'insanguinato fronte iracheno con 44 uomini, Skopje ha annunciato oggi per bocca del governo l'intenzione di portare il contingente a quota 80. Un passo che attende solo il visto (scontato) del Parlamento. "La decisione è presa e conferma come il nostro Paese stia diventando un visibile esportatore di stabilità", ha dichiarato il ministro della Difesa macedone, Antonio Milososki, citato dai media serbi. "Siamo lieti, in quanto rappresentanti di un Paese che aspira ad aderire alla Nato, di poter mostrare che già da candidati sappiamo essere solidali con i partner dell'Alleanza e condividerne le responsabilità", ha aggiunto. Con l'incremento della sua presenza in Iraq, la Macedonia - già impegnata nel suo piccolo nella missione militare Nato in Afghanistan e in quella a guida Ue in Bosnia - punta a riproporsi in veste di Stato affidabile. E a riverniciare una immagine offuscata di recente dai timori espressi da Ue e Nato per il riemergere di tensioni, nel Paese, con la folta e inquieta minoranza albanese locale. Un problema che rischia di frustrare le ambizioni di Skopje e che si somma a quello dei difficili rapporti con un socio importante di Bruxelles come la Grecia: Paese il quale rivendica a una sua provincia l'uso esclusivo dello storico nome geografico di Macedonia e che proprio in questi giorni ha platealmente boicottato un meeting regionale di delegazioni militari di Paesi membri e partner della Nato promossa a Skopje dagli Stati Uniti.
02/11/2007 19:22
La Macédoine enverra des troupes supplémentaires en Irak
TIRANA, 2 novembre (XINHUA) -- Le gouvernement macédonien a décidé d'envoyer 36 soldats supplémentaires en Irak, portant à 80 le nombre total de ses soldats déployés en Irak, selon les informations parvenues vendredi à Tirana en provenance de Skopje.
"La décision a réaffirmé que la Macédoine est une force grandissante de la stabilité. En tant que demandeur d'une adhésion de l'Otan, nous sommes ravis de démontrer notre solidarité envers nos partenaires de l'Alliance", a déclaré le ministre macédonien des Affaires étrangères Antonio Milososki.
La décision devrait être appliquée si elle était approuvée par le Parlement, où le gouvernement jouit d'une majorité absolue.
La Macédoine participe également à la force de sécurité internationale dirigée par l'Otan en Afghanistan et la force de maintien de la paix dirigée par l'Union européenne (UE) en Bosnie.
La Macédoine souhaite adhérer à l'Otan, avec l'Albanie et la Croatie, au début de l'année prochaine au prochain sommet de l'Otan à Bucarest, capitale de la Roumanie.
En revanche, la Grèce, son pays voisin, a menacé à plusieurs reprises d'imposer son veto contre l'adhésion de la Macédoine, si une solution ne pouvait pas être trouvée pour résoudre des disputes entre les deux pays
(3) ---
http://www.peacereporter.net/dettaglio_articolo.php?idc=0&idart=9226
Macedonia - 08.11.2007
I fantasmi di Tetovo
Maxi retata nella regione albanofona in Macedonia. Si parla di criminalità comune, ma si teme l'effetto Kosovo
Reparti speciali che scalano il monte Sara, miliziani asserragliati nei loro rifugi e armati fino ai denti, elicotteri che volteggiano sul territorio macedone al confine con l'Albania, e sparano ripetutamente tra gli alberi. Ieri,dalle prime luci dell'alba fino al tardo pomeriggio, nella provincia di Tetovo è stata battaglia, come non accadeva da anni. Il bilancio finale registra otto miliziani morti, quattro arrestati, un arsenale sequestrato e un elicottero della polizia disperso, forse abbattuto.
Il ricordo del 2001. La provincia di Tetovo non è un posto come un altro in Macedonia: è la roccaforte della minoranza albanese nel paese, il 25 percento dei due milioni di abitanti. Ogni avvenimento che accade in questa zona, ha una rilevanza determinante, perché le tensioni tra la minoranza albanese e il resto della popolazione sono sempre pronte a incendiarsi. L'annus horribilis fu il 2001, quando davvero sembrava che la guerriglia albanese legata all'Uck kosovaro volesse tentare il colpo di mano. Si preferì il dialogo, che portò all'accordo di Ohrid, ma la tensione è rimasta latente.
"Abbiamo effettuato oggi un rastrellamento nelle zone montane nei pressi di Tetovo per sradicare gruppi di banditi armati operanti nella zona, tra i quali molti evasi dalle carceri in Kosovo”, ha dichiarato Ivo Kotevski, portavoce della polizia di Skopje, incontrando i giornalisti e riferendo dell'operazione e del bilancio dell'attacco.
I media locali, giusto per comprendere il clima, hanno addirittura riportato voci secondo le quali certi personaggi sono stati fatti evadere di proposito dal Kosovo per destabilizzare la Macedonia.
Onda d'urto. E' il cosiddetto 'effetto Kosovo' che, a cicli costanti, torna a far tremare la Macedonia. Dopo la guerra in Kosovo, che sembrava l'inizio del cammino per l'indipendenza della provincia serba a maggioranza albanese da Belgrado, la regione di Tetovo era in fermento, e i fatti del 2001 lo dimostrano. Poi l'accordo di pace e l'amministrazione della Nazioni Unite, che ha reso la frontiera tra il Kosovo e la Macedonia un terreno poroso dove gli albanesi si muovono a piacimento, aveva congelato la situazione. Adesso però, mentre l'amministrazione Onu volge al termine e la diplomazia pare bloccata sull'incertezza della sorte del Kosovo, gli animi tornano a scaldarsi.
I leader politici albanesi del Kosovo hanno parlato chiaro: se entro la metà di dicembre non si troverà un accordo con Belgrado, dichiareranno l'indipendenza unilaterale con la benedizione dall'amministrazione Bush. Che succederà allora in Macedonia?
Tra mafia e indipendenza. La questione viene complicata dal fatto che il limite tra il problema politico e quello del racket, da quelle parti, è molto sottile. Basta prendere ad esempio la figura di Lirim Jakupi, il capo della banda albanese assaltati ieri e sfuggito alla cattura. Conosciuto anche come il 'nazista', Jakupi dopo aver combattuto nelle file della guerriglia irredentista in Kosovo, si è spostato nella regione di Tetovo, per continuare, a suo dire, la lotta di liberazione delle minoranze albanesi. Jakupi non è solo un leader politico-militare, ma anche un criminale internazionale, che controlla con i suoi uomini una parte dei traffici di droga, armi e di donne da sfruttare per il racket della prostituzione.
Questa variabile non potrà non pesare negli equilibri della regione, dove il Kosovo da anni appare una sorta di 'terra di nessuno' eletta a proprio feudo dalla criminalità internazionale che approfitta dell'assenza di un vero e proprio stato. Il governo macedone, in vista dell'indipendenza del Kosovo, teme l'effetto domino. Ieri ha preso l'iniziativa.
Christian Elia
(4) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Southeast European Times
October 10, 2007
Macedonia concerned about armed groups from Kosovo
By Goran Trajkov
[Excerpts]
Skopje - While a solution to the Kosovo status issue
proves elusive, the potential for destabilisation is
becoming more concrete. According to KFOR, armed
groups from the province are infiltrating Macedonia,
taking advantage of weak control by local authorities.
However, many say their goals are more criminal than
political in nature.
The groups are a blend of nationalist sentiment and
mafia-like behaviour. Their main strongholds in
Macedonia are said to be in Skopje, Kumanovo,
Aracinovo, Lipkovo and Vaksince. Analysts usually
divide them into four distinct "families".
The first, nicknamed "Cobra", is led by Avdil
"Chakala" Jakupi and includes about 50 people.
It operates between Aracinovo and Vaksince, and poses
a danger to EUROFOR troops because of its ability to
deploy mines and other heavy weaponry against armoured
vehicles and helicopters.
The second and the third groups are located in the
Gorna Gora region and in Vaksince. They are led by
Bekim Taipi and Naim Halili, who are wanted by
Macedonian police for drug trafficking. The fourth
operates around Skopje. It is led by Hamdi
Bajramovski, the successor to Nedjmedin Demiri, who
was killed this summer.
The groups also operate in southern Serbia, where they
have staged organised attacks aimed at encouraging
turmoil.
....
---
Focus News Agency (Bulgaria)
October 15, 2007
Vecer: DPA organizes rally supporting independent Kosovo
Skopje - In Tetovo, on Friday, October 19th, the
Macedonian Democratic Party of Albanians [DPA] is
organizing a rally in support to independent Kosovo
and a national consensus about Macedonia’s EU amd NATO
memberships, the Macedonian Vecer newspaper writes.
The DPA made the decision on Saturday. The party added
it was backed by the coalition partner Party for
Democratic Prosperity [PDP], Islamic religious
community, and students from Tetovo University and
University of Southeastern Europe.
---
Messy endgame delays U.S. exit from Kosovo
Matt Robinson
Reuters - Thursday, October 18, 2007
PHOTO: A view of the Kosovo village of Debelde on the border with Macedonia April 28, 2006. A new road to Debelde represents the 'soft-power' of U.S. peacekeepers in a region where gunrunners and smugglers flit back and forth over the porous border that cuts Debelde from its sister village of Tanusevci in Macedonia, a niggling threat to stability. REUTERS/Hazir Reka
CAMP BONDSTEEL, Serbia (Reuters) - From the vantage point of a U.S. Black Hawk helicopter, the new road to Debelde cuts a tidy yellow line through tilled farmland on Kosovo's southern border with Macedonia.
The road was a U.S. military project completed six weeks ago, transforming the mud path to the remote mountain village and improving access for the ethnic Albanians living there.
It represents the 'soft-power' of U.S. peacekeepers in a region where gunrunners and smugglers flit back and forth over the porous border that cuts Debelde from its sister village of Tanusevci in Macedonia, a niggling threat to stability.
Stretched by campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. military had hoped to be out of Serbia's breakaway southern province by now, eight years since being deployed with NATO in the alliance's second Balkan mission after Bosnia.
But faced with a Russian-versus-West deadlock on Kosovo's demand for independence, and the prospect of the Albanian majority striking out alone, an influential U.S. presence -- currently 1,600 National Guardsmen -- is seen as crucial.
Thoughts of a drawdown with the planned end of Serb-Albanian talks in December are on hold for at least another 18 months.
At some point in this period, the Albanians are expected to declare independence and seek recognition, in a messy end to their eight-year limbo as a U.N. protectorate.
Leaders of Serbia and Kosovo will hold more talks next Monday in Vienna, with still no sign of breakthrough in sight.
NATO's Kosovo Force, KFOR, "is going to be here for a long period of time, at some level over the next three or four years," said U.S. Brigadier General Douglas Earhart, who hands over command of U.S. troops in Kosovo next month.
"I think the U.S. will be part of that as long as there is KFOR," he told Reuters, adding that the next U.S. troop rotation was no smaller than the current presence and "there's another rotation already planned after them, of the same size."
"In 18 months you can probably make the case that even more progress is going to be made, it's going to be even more stable ... and that a reduced security presence might be okay."
Reports of armed men around Tanusevci, where smugglers and criminals have carved out a police no-go area, have heightened fears of regional unrest if Kosovo Albanians lose patience with the West's stalled bid to grant independence in the face of Serb and Russian opposition.
DISRUPTIVE BAD BUYS
NATO bombed Serbia for 11 weeks in 1999 until then strongman Slobodan Milosevic agreed to stop killing and ethnic cleansing of Albanian civilians in a two-year counter-insurgency war.
It now leads 16,000 soldiers in Kosovo, down from 45,000 when it deployed in 1999 on the heels of retreating Serb forces.
But analysts say that a messy endgame at the end of this year could revive insurgencies by Albanians in Macedonia and southern Serbia, put down in 2001 by NATO and European Union diplomacy. The Macedonian conflict began in Tanusevci.
U.S. troops have a 'forward operating base' in Debelde and soldiers regularly camp in the village for days at a time.
"It's just to keep everybody on an even keel and remembering that we're here not only to support them but to keep order down there, and prevent bad guys doing things that would be disruptive to the process," Earhart said.
"My interest is in making sure that outside influences don't get inside Debelde and create an unstable environment."
The interview took place in the U.S. military's sprawling Camp Bondsteel in southern Kosovo, built in three months in 1999 to house 7,000 troops, inside a 7 kilometer perimeter.
Earhart spoke before flying to the opening of a community centre in the Serb village of Partes in the east, built by Serbs and Albanians with 180,000 dollars of Pentagon funds.
An aerial tour of the U.S. command zone takes in U.S. humanitarian projects in hard-up villages with once-leaking school roofs and remote hamlets, now with new roads to improve medical access - 1 million dollars worth in the past year.
Earhart said he focuses on 40,000 Serbs in enclaves across his zone, about a third of the remaining Kosovo Serb population.
Their future is uncertain, particularly if Kosovo declares independence without a U.N. resolution and wins recognition from Washington and its major European Union allies.
A backlash by the Serb-dominated north could spark violence against Serbs elsewhere. Recognized by some but shunned by others, Kosovo could be a source of tension for years to come.
Earhart dismissed reports that some states might withdraw their troops from KFOR rather than recognize the new state.
"There is no doubt in my mind about KFOR's resolve to manage the situation in a way that keeps everything under control, even in the face of more status delays or perhaps postponement of decisions and that sort of thing," the U.S. general said.
© Reuters 2007
---
MakFax (Macedonia)
October 19, 2007
Rally to support Kosovo independence
Skopje - Democratic Party of Albanians (DPA) and the
Party for Democratic Prosperity (PDP) will stage a
rally at Tetovo's central square on Friday to pledge
support to Kosovo independence and Macedonia's
admission to NATO and EU.
DPA called on supporters and the members of the
Democratic Union for Integration (DUI) to join the
rally.
Ali Ahmeti's DUI qualified the rally as an attempt to
undermine the authority of DUI leader.
Students of the Tetovo University and the SEE
University are expected to show up at the rally.
The head of the Islamic Religious Community called for
participation at the rally.
---
Deutsche Presse-Agentur/FoNet (Serbia)
October 19, 2007
Kosovo police seize weapons cache
PRIŠTINA - Kosovo police said Friday they seized a
major cache of weapons and ammunition and arrested
five people.
The weapons and ammunition were found in a raid in
Ðeneral Jankoviæ, in southeastern Kosovo, close to the
border with Macedonia, police said.
The cache included a recoilless cannon, an
anti-aircraft machine gun, a mortar, a sniper rifle
and 1,300 rounds of various ammunition.
The five arrested, aged between 30 and 72, were facing
charges linked to smuggling of weapons, police said.
Also Friday in Kosovo, police confirmed that an
explosive device was thrown at a Serbian Orthodox
church in Gnjilane.
The bomb, however, did not explode on impact, leaving
only a black trace on the wall of the St. Nikola
church, a KPS spokesman in the area told journalists.
....
Serb sources in town say that two Molotov cocktails
were in fact thrown at the Orthodox temple.
---
Ireland.com
Agencies
October 19, 2007
Albania rally for Kosovo independence
-After six months of fighting [in 2001], the Albanian
guerrilla army disbanded and entered [the] government,
but the ex-rebels warn they are ready to fight again
if Kosovo is denied independence.
Thousands of Albanians in Macedonia warned at a rally
today that dividing Kosovo would have a knock-on
effect across the Balkans and demanded independence
for their ethnic kin in the breakaway Serbian
province. [No one is suggesting dividing the Serbian
province of Kosovo. This is a total canard.]
Around 5,000 attended the rally in the western city of
Tetovo, the seat of a guerrilla insurgency in 2001....
Kosovo's two million Albanians are losing patience
with the diplomatic deadlock between the West and
Russia over their demand for independence from Serbia,
and NATO allies fear [sic] unrest would spread to
Albanian areas of neighbouring Macedonia.
....
Kosovo Albanian leaders reject partition, warning
[threatening] it would reignite fighting in Macedonia
and in Serbia's southern Presevo Valley.
"We oppose the partition of Kosovo. We think it will
have a domino effect in Macedonia and other parts of
the former Yugoslavia," Macedonia's ethnic Albanian
deputy prime minister, Imer Aliu, said.
...
After six months of fighting [in 2001], the Albanian
guerrilla army disbanded and entered [the] government,
but the ex-rebels warn they are ready to fight again
if Kosovo is denied independence.
The province has been run by the United Nations and
patrolled by NATO since 1999 when a NATO bombing
campaign forced Serbia to pull its troops out of
Kosovo....
---
MACEDONIA:AGGUATO, UCCISO POLIZIOTTO VICINO A CONFINE KOSOVO
(ANSA) - SKOPJE, 24 OTT - Un poliziotto e' stato ucciso e altri due sono rimasti feriti oggi in un agguato compiuto in Macedonia, al confine con il Kosovo. Lo riferiscono fonti ufficiali macedoni. L'agguato e' avvenuto nel villaggio di Kodra Fura, 25 chilometri a nord di Skopje vicino alle montagne della provincia serba a maggioranza albanese del Kosovo. Gli aggressori non sono stati per ora individuati e nella zona e' al momento in corso un rastrellamento. Un mese fa in un episodio analogo un poliziotto e' stato ucciso e altri due sono stati feriti nella stessa zona, teatro nel 2001 di un breve ma sanguinoso conflitto originato dalla rivolta della guerriglia albanese-macedone. In Macedonia la minoranza albanese - la quale ha forti legami con i compatrioti del Kosovo - rappresenta circa un terzo della popolazione. (ANSA). COR
24/10/2007 18:01
---
A Tetovo la polizia controlla la presenza di gruppi armati
Delle persone armate in uniforme, senza insegne militari, nelle ultime due notti hanno fermato il traffico e controllato i viaggiatori sul territorio di alcuni villaggi nel comune di Tetovo, nella Macedonia settentrionale, riportano i media elettronici di Skoplje. Un ufficiale innominato della polizia macedone afferma che il Ministero dell’interno ha ricevuto le informazioni sulla presenza di persone in uniforme sulla strada Tetovo-Jazince, rilevando che le autorità di Skoplje sono molto preoccupate per questo. I media rilevano che esistono dei sospetti che si tratti di membri della sciolta organizzazione terroristica ANA. I funzionari macedoni hanno dichiarato che non sono stati annotati incidenti e che la situazione è sotto controllo.
Fonte: www.radioyu.org - 30.10.2007.
---
MACEDONIA: UCCISO EX LEADER GUERRIGLIA KOSOVARA
SKOPJE - Un capo-banda albanese, originario della provincia secessionista serba del Kosovo e gia' conosciuto negli anni '90 come esponente della guerriglia dell'Uck, e' stato ucciso in uno scontro a fuoco nell'area a maggioranza albanese della Macedonia. Lo riferiscono fonti di polizia della piccola repubblica ex jugoslava, precisando che l'uomo - Dxavid Morina, 44 anni - sembra essere morto in una resa dei conti con un clan avverso.
Il corpo di Morina e' stato trovato stamane crivellato di colpi sulla strada fra Tetovo e Jaznice, vicino al confine con il Kosovo. Stando agli investigatori, lo scenario e' quello di un'imboscata tesa da un gruppo armato rivale formato da albanesi-macedoni: gruppo che fa capo ad Ali Krasniki, rintracciato ferito alcune ore piu' tardi.
Salito in passato agli onori della cronaca con il nome di battaglia di 'Comandante Drenica', Morina risulta protagonista di trascorsi turbolenti. Dopo aver partecipato alla rivolta dell'Uck in Kosovo, fu indicato in seguito tra i capi di una milizia (l'Ana) impegnata a cercare d'esportare il germe dell'irredentismo nella valle di Presevo, modesto insediamento albanese della Serbia meridionale. Coinvolto pure nel conflitto generato nel 2001 dalle rivendicazioni indipendentiste degli albanesi di Macedonia (che in questo Paese rappresentano una minoranza pari a un terzo della popolazione), e' stato infine arrestato in Kosovo per traffici illegali, riuscendo tuttavia a evadere facilmente e a far perdere le tracce. Sino al rinvenimento odierno di queste ore del suo cadavere.
L'episodio costituisce solo l'ultimo anello di una catena di tensioni riemerse negli ultimi mesi nella zona di Tetovo, con sequestri di armi, sparatorie fra gruppi rivali di etnia albanese e tra miliziani e poliziotti macedoni. Una tensione che ripropone lo spettro dell'instabilita' nella piccola e composita Macedonia e che molti a Skopje temono possa essere aggravata dai contraccolpi legati alla mancata soluzione del nodo dello status definitivo del limitrofo Kosovo.
Proprio oggi il Consiglio di sicurezza nazionale macedone ha tentato di sdrammatizzare il clima, negando in un rapporto che vi siano nuovi rischi per la pace interna del Paese. Ma ha ammesso l'esistenza di pericoli indiretti alimentati ''dalla instabilita' di territori circostanti nella regione''.
01/11/2007 20:30
---
Associated Press - October 24, 2007
1 Macedonian policeman dead, 2 injured in attack near Kosovo border
SKOPJE, Macedonia - A Macedonian policeman was killed
and two were injured after their jeep came under fire
from unknown gunmen Wednesday and crashed on the
country's border with Kosovo, officials said.
The officers were patrolling the border, when they
were attacked by an armed group near Tanusevci, a
village in a volatile ethnic Albanian area some 20
kilometers (12 miles) north of the capital, Skopje,
police spokesman Ivo Kotevski said.
"One policeman was killed, and two others were
seriously injured," Kotevski told The Associated
Press. "The driver lost control, and the vehicle fell
into a gorge."
It was unclear, he said, if the officer died from
gunshots or from injuries sustained in the crash.
Kotevski was unable to confirm a report by state MIA
news agency that the gunmen had entered Macedonia from
Kosovo. He said special police forces had launched a
massive search for the gunmen.
In Kosovo, an official with the NATO-led peacekeeping
force said the gunmen were believed to have fled to
Kosovo.
---
MakFax (Macedonia) - October 24, 2007
Police special task unit deployed at northern border
Skopje - Members of the Macedonian police's special
task unit have stepped up controls at the country's
northern border, after one policeman was killed and
two were wounded in an armed attack on a patrolling
border police vehicle.
The member of the border police Igor D, 24, from
Skopje died, and Trajce R. from Probistip and
Xhemaleti S, 23, from Skopje were wounded in the
attack carried out by unidentified armed group, TELMA
TV station reported tonight.
The policemen were on board of a four-wheel vehicle en
route Kodra Fura - Brest and Malino Malo, situated at
the Macedonia-Kosovo border, Interior Ministry
announced.
The attack took place at about 13:00 hrs.
"We have no information about the identity or the
number of the attackers as yet," said Ministry's
spokesman Ivo Kotevski.
The same source said that the police suspect the group
might have entered on the Macedonian territory from
Kosovo, adding that "nothing can be confirmed at the
moment".
The two injured policemen have been rushed to the
Urgent Care Center in Skopje. One of them is in
critical condition.
---
Focus News Agency (Bulgaria) - October 27, 2007
Dnevnik, Macedonia: Political skirmishes about terror
on border with Kosovo
Skopje - The ambush near the village of Tanusevci,
which killed one policeman and injured another two, is
a terrorist attack, the investigation believes, the
Macedonian Dnevnik newspaper writes.
An armed criminal group dealing with contraband on
both sides of Macedonia’s northern border, is the
possible perpetrator of the attack, Minister of
Interior Gordana Jankulovska thinks.
She informed the parliament at an extraordinary
session about the attacks against the border patrol on
Wednesday, October 24th.
The policemen were attacked by five-six people with
automatic weapons.
Following the shooting the police jeep overturned and
fell into a pit.
One of the policeman called his colleagues in the
department in Tanusevci, who arrived immediately.
A special Tiger squad was also sent to the region.
11 cartridges, a knife and three automatic rifles were
found in the area called Drum near the village, the
newspaper notes.
The daily adds the opposition, i.e. the MPs from the
Social Democratic Union of Macedonia /SDUM/ and
Liberal Democratic Party /LDP/, required that the UN
Security Council hold a session.
....
---
Focus News Agency (Bulgaria) - October 27, 2007
Vecer: Ali Ahmeti threatens with new war
Skopje/Athens - If the problems of Albanians in
Macedonia are not solved, the country will not enter
NATO, but [face] a new crisis similar to the 2001 one,
leader of the Democratic Union of Integration [DUI]
Ali Ahmeti said in an interview with the Greek
Kathimerini newspaper, the Macedonian Vecer newspaper
publishes an article titled “Ali Ahmeti threatens new
war”.
In the interview Ahmeti accuses Nikola Gruevski of
refusing to recognize the Albanian language as a
second official language in Macedonia and to grant
pensions to fighters from the former National
Liberation Army [NLA].
These two topics, NLA fighters’ status and Albanian
language usage, are the “hot issues” in the political
dialog between VMRO-DPMNE and DUI.
---
MakFax (Macedonia) - October 29, 2007
Regional military exercise opens in Pepeliste
Skopje -A ceremony to mark the start of a joint
military exercise "Macedonia Flash-2" will take place
at the Pepeliste training ground on Monday, the
Defense Ministry said.
The exercise brings together special units of the
Macedonian, Croatian and Albanian armies.
The exercise is part of practical training and joint
co-operation in the framework of the Adriatic Charter.
The exercise aims to train the military personnel of
the three partner-countries how to conduct NATO-led
joint operations.
The participants of the exercise will fully comply
with NATO standards.
The Alliance's representatives will assess the
perfomances.
The armies of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and
Serbia will send observers to the exercise.
---
Reuters - October 31, 2007
Macedonia concerned at rising Albanian tensions
By Kole Casule
SKOPJE - Macedonia cautioned on Wednesday against the
politicisation of "criminal" elements in the country,
amid growing signs of tension between the authorities
and the ethnic Albanian minority.
The killing of a policeman this month and a row over
the use of the Albanian flag have fuelled fears of
political instability in Macedonia, just as the West
tries to resolve [sic] the fate of 2 million
independence-seeking Albanians in neighbouring Kosovo.
Macedonia's highest security body, the National
Security Council, blamed recent security incidents on
"criminal groups and individuals" acting without a
political agenda.
But it called for vigilance "so that these criminals
and small groups are not politically exploited in the
future".
A Council statement noted "challenges in the context
of regional events" - a reference to talks on the fate
of Serbia's breakaway Kosovo province, due to climax
at the turn of the year.
NATO allies with 16,000 troops in Kosovo fear any
unrest over the Albanian majority's demand for
independence would quickly spread to Macedonia, where
guerrillas fought a 2001 insurgency for greater rights
[sic] for the 25 percent Albanian minority.
President Branko Crvenkovski said criminal groups were
operating in areas "which in 2001 we called crisis
regions."
"We should not underestimate the risk that over the
coming period, somebody might try to exploit them in a
political sense," he told reporters after the Council
meeting.
Serb ally Russia has blocked United Nations adoption
of a Western-backed plan to grant Kosovo independence
eight years after NATO drove out Serb forces....
U.S., Russian and European Union envoys are mediating
fresh talks with a deadline of Dec. 10 to report back
to the United Nations. Chances of a deal are slim, and
Kosovo Albanian leaders say they will declare
independence after the talks end.
...
The Albanian former guerrillas in Macedonia spent four
years in government until 2006, but are angry at being
left out of Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski's current
ruling coalition, which includes a rival ethnic
Albanian party.
A row in the Constitutional Court over implementation
of a clause in the 2001 peace accord regarding when
and where Albanians can fly the Albanian flag led to
the resignation this week of the court's ethnic
Albanian president.
An EU source told Reuters that the European
Commission, in a report next week, would not recommend
opening EU membership talks with Macedonia because of
political problems in the former Yugoslav republic,
dashing government hopes.
---
Focus News Agency (Bulgaria) - November 1, 2007
Runaway from Kosovo prison was killed in gunfight near Tetovo
Tetovo - Dzavit Morina, one of the runaways from the
Kosovo prison “Dubrava,” was killed in a gunfight
early Thursday morning in the village of Odri near
Tetovo on the road Tetovo-Jazince, the Macedonian News
Agency Makfax reported.
Two other people were wounded in the gunfight, one of
whom is Ali Krasniqi, brother of Agim Krasniqi from
Kondovo, famous for his threats of firing over Skopje
several years ago.
The other wounded is Zija Vejseli. The police haven’t
so far confirmed the information.
The incident happened at around 4.00 am local time in
the region where for several days now there is
increased police presence.
FOCUS News Agency reminds:
On August 18 seven prisoners ran away from the Kosovo
prison Dubrava.
Lirim Jakupi, wanted by the Macedonian authorities for
the wounding of three policemen in 2004 in Skopje, is
among the seven runaways.
The other runaways are Ramadan Siti, charged with the
murder of a taxi cab driver and with a bomb attack
against a police station; Faton Hajrizi, who ran away
for a second time from Dubrava prison, and Astrit
Sabani, Djavit Morina, Burim Basa and Amir Sopa.
According to unofficial data the runaways belong to
the Jakupi group.
All of them are accused of terrorism or of some other
heavy criminal offence.
Jakupi was one of the closest collaborators of Shevket
Musliu, commanding at the time the headquarters of the
liberation army of the three settlements – Presevo,
Medvedja and Bujanovac/South Serbia.
A Kosovo court sentenced Jakupi to six years for the
abduction of Albanians civilians in Kosovo in
September 2000.
In Serbia Jakupi was sentenced in default for
terrorism.
Jakupi ran away in Kosovo in 2004 where he was
detained after a gunfight with Macedonian police in
Tetovo in which one man died.
---
Associated Press - November 1, 2007
Kosovo fugitive found shot dead in Macedonia
SKOPJE, Macedonia - A fugitive gunman who broke out of
a Kosovo jail two months ago was found shot dead in
Macedonia on Thursday, police said.
Xhavid Morina, 44, was found dead on a road outside
Tetovo, near Macedonia's border with Kosovo.
Morina was one of seven inmates — convicted of
terrorism, murder and theft — who broke out of the
maximum security Dubrava prison in August after being
helped by gunmen on the outside.
"Police were informed that a body was found near the
village Odri (near Tetovo) with multiple wounds from
automatic gunfire," police spokesman Ivo Kotevski told
The Associated Press.
"Forensic experts identified the man as Xhavid Morina,
who had been wanted on an international warrant
following his escape from a Kosovo prison in August."
Kotevski said police believed Morina was killed in a
shootout between rival criminal gangs operating in the
area.
---
MakFax (Macedonia) - November 1, 2007
Unidentified body found in Tetovo area after shooting
spree
Tetovo - An unidentified body was found Thursday
morning near the Tetovo's village of Odri, Makfax news
agency said.
The police confirmed that there was a skirmish in the
area of Lesok, near Odri, late on Wednesday, but there
is no information on those involved.
Makfax correspondent says the locals confirmed the
shooting.
Investigative judge and deputy prosecutor general
opened a thorough investigation into the event.
---
MakFax (Macedonia) - November 1, 2007
Kosovo's Dubrava prison fugitive shot dead
Tetovo - Xhavid Morina, one of the fugitives from
Kosovo's Dubrava prison, was gunned down in a shooting
spree Thursday morning in Tetovo's village of Odri on
the Tetovo-Jazince road, Makfax correspondent said.
Two other people were injured in the skirmish. One of
those injured is Ali Krasniqi - the brother of Agim
Krasniqi of the Skopje's nearby village of Kondovo,
widely known by his threats to shell the Macedonian
capital of Skopje few years ago.
Ali Krasniqi was shot in the stomach. The second
injured man was identified as Zija Vejseli, who was
shot in the leg.
The two have been admitted to a hospital in Skopje and
are in stable condition.
Information is still unofficial, although it came from
sources involved in the investigation.
Interior Ministry sources unofficially conformed to
Makfax the identity of the dead man, but they have no
available information as to the identity of the two
injured.
The incident occurred on Thursday around 04 a.m. in
the area, in which extra police forces have been
deployed in the past three days. The official
explanation for the police build-up was a chase after
a notorious criminal gang.
Macedonian security forces unofficially claimed that
the seven fugitives of Kosovo's Dubrava prison snuck
into Macedonia and were tasked to destabilize the
country ahead of Kosovo's status settlement.
....
---
Focus News Agency (Bulgaria) - November 2, 2007
AFP: Macedonian police probe reports of armed groups on patrol
SKOPJE - Police here launched an investigation into
reports of armed uniformed men patrolling in the
northern part of Macedonia near the border with UN-run
Kosovo, a spokesman said Thursday, AFP reported.
The probe was opened after a local television station
- as well as another one in Croatia - broadcast a
story showing five armed men, dressed in green and
black uniforms with no apparent insignia, patrolling
in the area near the northern Macedonian town
Kumanovo.
"Police were informed of this reportage and have
launched a field investigation," police spokesman Ivo
Kotevski told AFP.
Members of the group, seen in the footage, claimed
they were members of the National Liberation army
(ALN), an ethnic Albanian extremist armed group active
in the region since the end of the conflict between
ethnic Albanian rebels and Macedonian security forces
in 2001.
The group appeared in public a week after one
Macedonian policemen was killed and two others injured
in the northern village of Tanusevci, populated mostly
by the ethnic Albanians.
The village was the scene of major clashes in 2001.
Recent incidents have renewed fears of tensions in
Macedonia at a time when the international community
has been trying to find a solution for the future
status of neighbouring Serbian province of Kosovo,
whose majority ethnic Albanian population have
demanded independence from Belgrade.
Serbia, backed by its powerful ally Russia, rejects
any such notion, offering instead wide autonomy for
Kosovo's ethnic Albanians.
In Belgrade, Serbian secret service chief Rade
Bulatovic warned of possible links between various
armed groups present in Kosovo, Albania and Macedonia.
However, Macedonia's Security council estimated last
week that the situation in this former Yugoslav
republic, although marred with "certain challenges"
have still remained "stable and calm."
---
Focus News Agency (Bulgaria) - November 6, 2007
Dnevnik, Macedonia: Ali Krasnici is still not
questioned by police about gunfight in Tetovo village
Skopje - Ali Krasnici was the one wounded in a
gunfight in the village of Tetovo, Odrin, last week,
and is now in the Clinic for Stomach Surgery in Skopje
for treatment, the Director of the clinic confirmed
today, the Macedonian newspaper Dnevnik writes today.
In the gunfight Dzavid Morina, who had escaped from
the Kosovo prison Doubrava, was killed.
It is still not clear why Krasnici was transferred
from Tetovo to Skopje.
His brother, Agim Krasnici, member of the Albanian
Democratic Party, denied immediately after the
incident that his brother was wounded in the gunfight.
According to unofficial data Krasnici hasn’t been
questioned yet by the police about the incident.
---
Focus News Agency (Bulgaria) - November 7, 2007
Police helicopter knocked down by shooting between
Albanian group and police in Tetovo area: media report
Skopje - The Albanian armed group that exchanged
shooting with Macedonian special services in the
Tetovo area managed to knock down a police helicopter,
Pristina media report, cited by the Serbian newspaper
Politika.
The Macedonian police have not confirmed the
information though.
---
Focus News Agency (Bulgaria) - November 7, 2007
Macedonian Special Forces blocked all ways to Brodec, Vejce and Vesala
Skopje - Macedonian Special Forces blocked all the
ways in the Sar Mountain leading to the villages of
Brodec, Vejce and Vesala where a large-scale police
campaign is carried out on the detention of the
criminal groups acting in the region, Macedonian
television A1 informs.
The police control the exit ways from Tetovo to the
Sar Mountain as well.
The movement of journalists and civil citizens in both
directions is forbidden.
According to the police the criminal groups are broken
apart and a part of them hides in the mountain and
other parts in the houses of the local villagers.
---
MakFax (Macedonia) - November 7, 2007
Police launch major operation in Tetovo area
Tetovo - Police special units launched a major
operation Wednesday morning in the village of Brodec,
Shara Mountain, amid a skirmish with gunmen.
In a statement for the Makfax news agency, police
sources could not confirm or deny the shooting spree
in Tetovo area.
Shooting is underway in the village of Brodec and the
locals cannot leave the village that has been sealed
by police, Makfax said, citing statements by local
residents in the mountainous village of Brodec.
A number of special police forces and armored
personnel transporters were dispatched in the village
of Brodec.
According to unofficial sources, the police operation
is aimed at arresting a group of gunmen led by Lirim
Jakupi, a fugitive who had escaped recently from
Kosovo's Dubrava prison.
---
MakFax (Macedonia) - November 7, 2007
At least one killed in police operation in Mount Shara
-The casualty is a citizen of Macedonia, who had
escaped recently from a prison in Tetovo. He was a
member of a criminal gang, led by Lirim Jakupi, alias
Nazi, a fugitive of Kosovo's Dubrava prison.
Skopje - At least one member of a criminal gang was
killed in today's police operation in several villages
abutting Shara Mountain, police sources told Makfax
news agency.
The casualty is a citizen of Macedonia, who had
escaped recently from a prison in Tetovo. He was a
member of a criminal gang, led by Lirim Jakupi, alias
Nazi, a fugitive of Kosovo's Dubrava prison.
In a statement for Makfax, police sources did not deny
that there were other casualties among the criminal
gang, but they could not confirm the news reports
alleging seven casualties and a number of injured.
Makfax correspondent in Tetovo said no person with
gunshot wounds was admitted to local hospitals.
The correspondent said the police shut down the roads
from Tetovo to Popova Shapka's villages Brodec,
Veshala, Vejce.
---
Focus News Agency (Bulgaria) - November 7, 2007
Macedonian police operation at Kosovo’s border continues
Tetovo - The police operation against an armed crime
group in the region of Shipkovica–Brodec on the
Kosovo-Macedonia border is continuing, a FOCUS News
Agency reporter informed.
A group of about 15-20 armed Albanians entered into
Macedonian territory from Kosovo.
Their goal is to revenge to Agim Krasnici.
About 10 are reportedly dead according to local
information.
There are civilian persons and Albanian partisans (SIC)
among the victims.
---
Tanjug News Agency (Serbia) - November 7, 2007
Eight Albanians dead in clash with Macedonian police
-Security services claim that the Jakupi group was
allowed to escape from prison with the help of
"certain structures", in order to destabilize the
region "should the Kosovo negotiations go in a
direction these structures do not favor."
Jakupi is wanted in Macedonia for launching a rocket
at a police station, killing a cab driver, and
wounding three officers, as well as for putting the
village of Volkovo under siege and threatening to
"bomb Skopje".
SKOPJE - At least eight members of an armed Albanian
group were killed Wednesday in a clash with Macedonian
police.
The group was thought to be headed by Ramadan Shitij
and Lirim Jakupi, a.k.a. Nazi, who escaped from
Dubrava prison in Kosovo a few months ago.
The showdown took place in the villages of Brodec,
Vesala and Vejce, near Tetovo, spokesman of the
Macedonian Police Ivo Kotevski stated.
All police officers who took part in the operation
escaped unharmed, it was also confirmed.
"The criminal group has been defeated," said Kotevski,
adding that the police units are still in the
increasingly volatile area, MIA news agency reported.
Five people were arrested, among them Habit Ahmeti,
one of the leaders of the group Macedonia says is
criminal. Heavy weapons and ammunition were also
confiscated.
Police will now process the scene, and will later
allow reporters to access the area.
Meanwhile, KFOR has increased its troop level on the
Kosovo side of the border since the start of the
Macedonian MUP operation early this morning.
The issue of a Macedonian helicopter allegedly shot
down during the clashes remains unclear. While
authorities in Skopje deny the reports, KFOR claims
that a helicopter did go down in the area, but that it
did not belong to the NATO forces in the province.
Security services claim that the Jakupi group was
allowed to escape from prison with the help of
"certain structures", in order to destabilize the
region "should the Kosovo negotiations go in a
direction these structures do not favor."
Jakupi is wanted in Macedonia for launching a rocket
at a police station, killing a cab driver, and
wounding three officers, as well as for putting the
village of Volkovo under siege and threatening to
"bomb Skopje".
---
MakFax (Macedonia) - November 11, 2007
6 killed, 12 captured in police operations in Tetovo area
Skopje - Police discovered two more bodies and
detained another six persons, which raises the total
death toll to six and the number of captured to 12
after today's operation in the villages situated in
Tetovo area.
The spokesman of the Interior Ministry Ivo Kotevski
said this to the Makfax agency on Wednesday evening,
adding that "the field work in the area will go on
through the night."
"More casualties may be found and new arrests could
follow," Kotevski explained.
The comprehensive operation codenamed Mountain Storm
aimed at capturing a criminal gang took place at the
section of Shara Mountain including the villages of
Brodec, Vejce and Vesala, and it left no casualties
among the members of the police force or the civilian
population, said earlier the Macedonian Interior
Minister Gordana Jankulovska.
Unofficially, the operation was aimed at capturing the
criminal gang led by the Kosovo Dubrava prison
fugitives Lirim Jakupi and Ramadan Shiti.
The criminals were first to open fire at the police
officers, who then responded. Jankulovska declined to
comment whether Jakupi or Shiti were among the killed
or the arrested.
....
---
Tanjug News Agency (Serbia) - November 8, 2007
Albanian group claims responsibility for Tetovo clashes
TETOVO - Ethnic Albanian para-militaries have claimed
responsibility for yesterday’s clashes in Macedonia.
A group, calling itself the Political-Military Council
of the KLA says it was behind yesterday's armed clash
with Macedonian police forces which left at least six
dead according to information available so far.
In a statement, the organization claims that its
members, formerly of the “Albanian Territorial
Liberation Army“, had been "forced to assem
(Message over 64 KB, truncated)
(Message over 64 KB, truncated)