EURACTIV logo

Explosions mar start of NATO mission in Macedonia

27-08-2001 (updated: 29-01-2010 )

Languages: Français | Deutsch

A bomb explosion in Tetovo, which killed two
Macedonians, and another explosion in front of the Albanian
embassy in the capital Skopje marred the start of NATO’s
mission in Macedonia. NATO troops began pouring into the
war-torn Balkan country over the weekend for a month-long
mission during which they plan to collect 3,300 weapons from
ethnic Albanian rebel forces.

NATO’s plan to collect 3,300 weapons was disputed by the
Macedonian government. Prime Minister Ljupco Georgievski
said that the figures are “laughable and humiliating for
Macedonia”. Mr Georgievski stressed that NATO should
collect at least 70,000 weapons.

The cabinet of the Macedonian President
Boris Trajkovski condemned the attacks, including the
recent destruction of a monastery in Lesok, as
“monstrosities”. It said that ethnic Albanians have
detailed plans for ethnic cleansing in certain regions
against Macedonians and other non-Albanian population. The
president’s cabinet announced that Macedonian authorities
intend to regain control of the Albanian-occupied
territories.

 

Background

A 3,500-strong NATO force will start collecting weapons
from ethnic Albanian rebels on Monday, 27 August. A peace
deal was signed on 13 August by the Macedonian government
and ethnic Albanian guerrillas with the aim of ending the
conflict that started in February. The deal gives official
recognition to the Albanian language and outlines plans for
the police to reflect more accurately the ethnic balance in
the country. Ethnic Albanian guerrillas agreed on 14 August
to hand over their arms to NATO forces in return for the
promise of amnesty from Macedonian President Boris
Trajkovski.

 

EURACTIV's editorial content is independent from the views of our sponsors.

Languages: Français | Deutsch

Do you value EURACTIV’s reporting? We need your support.

Dear reader,

Now more than ever we need unbiased, expert information on how and why the European Union functions. This information should not be behind a paywall, and we remain committed to providing our content for free.

We know our readers value our reporting, and the outpouring of support we have received since the beginning of the crisis shows that our readers are willing to step up for the journalism that they trust and value. We are seeing record-breaking interest in our journalism as our pageviews have doubled in the last year. At the same time, readers support in the form of recurring monthly financial contributions provides continuous support for our work enabling us to innovate. 

We are more confident than ever in our role bridging media, policy, and the public. And we thank you for your support.

Your recurring monthly financial contributions help us innovate for the future. Please consider making a recurring contribution to EURACTIV Media Network for Europe.

Topics  

Subscribe to our newsletters

Subscribe
Contribute