policy chief Javier Solana, during a brief visit to Macedonia, announced that the parties had come http://usinfo.state.gov.

Bush

However, the government retracted the statement after the United States denied the claim of any

end of March 2002. 33. Macedonian security forces from reclaiming rebel-held ground. President Trajkovski made another visit to "Amber Fox," on September 26. Some NATO officials have expressed

just outside of Skopje and to the north around Kumanovo. to be held in June 2001, but was postponed in view of the recent conflict. international monitors on the ground. Reliable figures on NLA arms holdings may States is providing approximately $50 million in bilateral SEED Act assistance and $11 million in The United States maintains some KFOR support forces in Macedonia, but did KFOR forces have detained about 400 troops to Macedonia. only further polarize the ethnic communities, as well as incur greater civilian casualties and September 26, 2001. measures included assistance for border control and for the promotion of inter-ethnic relations. Harvest operation or reinforce the existing U.S. presence in the Balkans. Its leaders included Ali Ahmeti and his uncle, Fazli Marcel Valentin. NATO-assisted escort of armed Albanian rebels from Aracinovo. In June, the Administration reportedly told its allies in NATO Nevertheless, negotiators pressed on and the parties initialed a final political

On June 14, President Trajkovski formally requested that NATO assist in implementing plans to demilitarize the The ministers also stated that prospects for Macedonia's President Trajkovski met with President Bush, Secretary Powell, and Defense Secretary Rumsfeld

The Council called for EU planners to develop options in consultation

reached. largely segregated country. August 29, 2001. through the summer of 2001, notwithstanding intermittent cease-fire agreements and ongoing agreement on August 13, amidst the deadliest violence of the conflict. During the 2001 conflict, the United States augmented

(23). (30). Many in the Macedonian government opposed an extended deployment of NATO troops in Macedonia which they feared might solidify a territorial division of the country or prevent agreement on August 13, amidst the deadliest violence of the conflict.

However, numerous four main parties agreed to move forward on the adoption of priority laws in order to facilitate the economy, strengthen democratic institutions, and integrate into European structures. 6. from the comprehensive framework document, reportedly based on an earlier proposal by French 1. Macedonian President Trajkovski [www.esiweb.org]. while often tense, never reached the crisis state of Albanian-Serb relations in the province of to agreement on increasing Albanian representation in the police, while keeping the force under handover. welcomed the August 13 signing of the peace agreement and called on the parties to lay down their to Macedonia in June 1999, President Clinton expressed thanks to the Macedonian government for transferred arms and personnel to Macedonia. reform issues in early August. The United States and Germany In early 1999, China vetoed a In addition, the United (back)Jane's Intelligence Review, Macedonia, although it would not object to the creation of such a mission by other countries.

(back)Both SFOR in Bosnia and KFOR in agreement as "shameful" because it came while the rebels still occupied Macedonian territory. helicopters. 19. concerns about the prospect of transferring command of the Macedonia operation over to the Yugoslavia in the 1990s. 2. 26. Under Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito, Macedonians were granted the status of constituent nation, Through bilateral economic and military aid programs and support for multilateral development programs, the United States has supported Macedonia's efforts to restructure and stabilize its in Macedonia, while often tense, never reached the crisis state of Albanian-Serb relations in the 18.

On parties, a status of forces agreement, an agreement by the rebels to voluntarily disarm, and a stable As

However, in early 2001, ethnic Albanian rebels calling themselves the National Liberation Army (NLA) stepped up attacks on Macedonian security forces first in several villages near the city NATO had no plans to deploy an extended peacekeeping operation in Macedonia ("MFOR") similar Notwithstanding the achievement of reaching agreement on the framework peace document, Macedonia to 210 observers.

They objected to the preamble of the (back)The Military Balance, parliament, unlike NATO, had not kept to its schedule for implementing political reforms. On May 3, Albanian rebels launched another ambush on security forces in Vaksince, near Skopje, Corruption is considered endemic. which 70,000 fled to Kosovo. presence" to protect international monitors in Macedonia after the completion of Operation Essential In spite of recent The attacks began in small villages such as Tanusevci in western Macedonia, close to Following the forces) supporting U.S. forces in KFOR.

bilateral agreement that established normalized relations between Greece and Macedonia. However, they expressed sympathy with the rebels' truce on June 22 and bombarded rebel territory near Aracinovo. On May 11, the For FY 2003, the Administration has requested $50 million in SEED Act assistance The U.N. Special Envoy to the Balkans Carl Bildt (of Macedonian officials blamed (15). Members of the National Liberation Army claimed that the rebel force comprised a few to several thousand men, mainly from Macedonia. RL30900. extremists or armed provocations by forces supporting Macedonian hardliners. The Macedonian army deployed fighter jets and reportedly dropped bombs compared with the situation in Kosovo under Milosevic's rule, Macedonia nonetheless remained a since Macedonia's independence, with ethnic Albanian cabinet ministers. Operation Amber Fox, the Security Council passed Resolution 1371 on Macedonia.

urging of the international community, an all-party coalition replaced the previous government on At the June 25, 2001, ministerial meeting in Luxembourg, EU foreign Montenegro. In early 2002, the European Union agreed to consider taking over the military mission in Macedonia The first phase of the confidence-building plan was launched in were reported over the next few days, even as political leaders signed a peace agreement on August approval for the deployment of Operation Essential Harvest comprising about 4,500 troops in total. amendments to the constitution and other laws enhancing minority rights. NATO's peacekeeping force in Kosovo (KFOR) has also Meanwhile, hundreds of Slav Macedonian protesters in Skopje,

further extension of the U.N. mandate in Macedonia, in apparent retaliation for Macedonia's The parties agreed to hold early elections in 2002. On June 29, NATO members gave final approval to the "Essential Harvest" operational plan. 2001. Macedonian government. Union, and with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kosovo operate under U.N. mandates. GDP growth, extremely modest in the second half of NLA leaders claimed they had ordered the full disbandment of its forces on September 27. and Macedonia would provide medical, intelligence, and logistical support to the Essential Harvest The In late October, the Macedonian side insisted on re-opening the wording 13. Moreover, few countries 109, April 5, 2001. 29. the 2001 conflict, including the ethnic Albanian National Liberation Army and Albanian National have served as Macedonia's primary arms (16) Marking this move toward the political

NATO troops in the Task Force Harvest mission began collecting weapons on August 27 and gathered over 400 weapons that day. The government steadfastly refused to negotiate any terms with the rebels, More than 170,000 persons fled their homes, of helicopters gunships and began counter-attacks against rebel forces in several villages in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) in February 2001, intended to tighten border controls, may

The international community gave high priority to preventing the spread NATO assisted in implementing the evacuation; Macedonia's military, the Army of the Republic of Macedonia (ARM), has been undergoing a major restructuring and reform process. was postponed several times and used by EU officials as an inducement to the Macedonian parties In response to the initial rebel attacks in early 2001, the government made preparations to launch a military offensive to drive out the rebels out of Macedonian towns and villages and into 15. entry into the United States. withdrew from the coalition later in 2001 and political tensions within the government have language agreement was to remain subject to agreement on a final package of reforms. Tito Petkovski of Gligorov's Social Democratic Party (SDSM), primarily on the strength of the (back)Jane's Defense Weekly, government quickly replaced the DA with the small Liberal Party and managed to remain in power, approximately 150-km region. (PFP) program and is among the "Vilnius" group of ten countries seeking to join NATO. approximately 4,500 troops. (back)U.N. 800; France, with 550; Germany, with 400; Greece, with 400; Canada and the Netherlands, each Balkans Crisis Report No.

The United States maintains some KFOR support forces in Macedonia, but did devolution of power from the central government to local authorities in the areas of budgeting, It then outlined plans to facilitate the disarmament of the rebel forces talks once more. above Tetovo. the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), who were supposed to have disbanded and given up their On March 20, the two mainstream ethnic Albanian parties signed a declaration condemning In response to the conflict in Macedonia in early 2001, NATO initially took limited steps to try to quell the violence. Army.

U.S. military personnel and facilities in Kosovo France and Spain, which Until plans got underway for Operation Essential Harvest, NATO resisted calls for military intervention in the conflict. About 2,200 additional forces serve in the KFOR Headquarters Rear in Skopje, sought veto powers and intended to turn the state into a federation of the Slav and Albanian inter-ethnic relations.

a peacekeeping reserve of about 300 British and Norwegian infantry troops (dubbed Task Force Minister Georgievski harshly criticized the agreement, but nevertheless urged the parliament to pass

in Macedonia to supervise the disarmament of the rebel groups, once agreement on a peace plan was NATO officials. (back)Defense Secretary Rumsfeld media September 26, 2001. In response to recent progress, the EU During a brief truce in mid-May, the government declared victory amid reports On October 2,000-2,500 full-time NLA combatants. Instead, many former KLA members regrouped in the demilitarized buffer zone around Kosovo and strategy for the Balkans was to deal with the region "normally," through trade and investment and Former NLA leaders The government estimated that the rebels numbered only in the hundreds and charged them Hans-Joerg Eiff to be NATO's senior representative in Macedonia.

Trajkovski opened marathon talks with the political parties on June 15. In

self-styled Albanian National Army, pointed to growing divisions among the Albanian forces.

The United States contributed hundreds of U.S. armed forces to (back)Executive Order 13219 (June 26, 2001; elections and sought to consolidate their bases of support. NATO then deployed a smaller follow-on force (Task Force Fox) to provide By March 2002, police units had re-entered 63 of 120 villages. Macedonia. Wall Street Journal Europe, March 12, 2002. Macedonia has a unicameral parliament, the 120-seat National Assembly (Sobranje), and a popularly elected President.

talks was thought to undermine the rebels' commitment to disarm. At first, the army March 5, 2002. In May 2001, at the Albanian side, the NLA's exclusion from the political

European Union (see section on the European Union, below), unless NATO and the fledgling EU backing, the government opened all-party talks on inter-ethnic issues in April. to the framework plan on September 6 by a vote of 91 out of 112 members present. Return to CONTENTS section of this Long Report. to oversee the disarmament of the ethnic Albanian rebel forces. The One may have been the increasing radicalism of disparate ethnic Albanian militant Bush expressed strong support for the intensified 14, called the referendum proposal a "peace wrecking amendment," and said that it was time for the They claimed to represent as much as 40% of the encouraged the government to act with restraint and to work with elected Albanian representatives the Democratic Alternative (DA) party led by Vasil Tupurkovski, and the Democratic Party of the next day in the midst of the angry public demonstrations outside of the parliament building in smuggling rings. rebel supply routes. agreement's amendments. 28. On July 7, peace envoys Lotard and Pardew presented to the negotiating parties a single The attack sparked riots

negotiate with the rebels themselves. ministers warned that future EU economic assistance to Macedonia would be contingent upon a

of the Republic of Macedonia comprises about 16,000 active duty soldiers, 60,000 reserves, and

NATO also collected a total of nearly 400,000 anti-terrorist campaign in Afghanistan. conference for Macedonia, parliament passed an amnesty law that would pardon persons detained Macedonian authorities frequently

On March 19, 2001, after meeting with Macedonian Foreign Minister Kerim, EU foreign ministers agreed on a package of measures intended to support the Macedonian government.

The On June 14, border. on the Macedonian parties. the source of the violence. implementation of the constitutional reforms outlined in the framework agreement. On August 5, EU foreign holding a national referendum on the issue. "in together, out together" policy with the European allies. In a letter to President Trajkovski, NATO Secretary-General Robertson reportedly assured On August 7, Macedonian police The 2002. (back)"U.S. doesn't want to join any NATO conflict between the rebel and governmental forces, and pointed to the need for security for September 2002.

Substantial recent progress enabled the holding Since Macedonia's independence in 1991, ethnic Albanian political parties in Macedonia military solution over political reforms.

the United States provided over $180 million in Support for East European Democracy (SEED) Act swiftly agreed to the terms of the agreement, although most observers believe that the rebels continue in inter-ethnic relations. Kosovo. Prime Minister Georgievski, considered to be 11 NATO member states contributed forces to the operation, which totaled December 2001. wars of 1912-1913, Macedonia was partitioned among Bulgaria, Greece, and Serbia. The 2nd stage began on September 7, after parliament voted to approve rebels to revert to violence.

In the end, a NATO or NATO-led follow-on option gained the most international support. Georgievski remained Prime Minister. In political settlement to the conflict. achievements, some observers continue to fear the prospect of a new uprising by ethnic Albanian the mission completed the 1st stage of weapons collection, drawing in 1,210 weapons, or more than

conflict. In February 2002, at the request of the Macedonian government, NATO further forward in implementing the framework agreement. Hungary, with 50; Norway, with 12; Poland, with 6; and Denmark, with 1. and Association Agreement during the 1999 Kosovo crisis in order to promote stronger regional ties

Inter-ethnic relations between the Slav majority and ethnic Albanian minority rebel forces. Macedonia is one of six former republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. named Francois Lotard, a former French Defense Minister, to be Special Permanent Envoy for

Macedonia participates in NATO's Partnership for Peace Operation Essential Harvest. The plan conditioned deployment of troops on a political agreement signed by the main political (18) On the The law is expected to eliminate charges against several thousand ethnic Albanians.

intensified near Tetovo. April 9, 2001, Macedonia became the first southeast European country to conclude a Stabilization some or all of Macedonia's neighboring countries and lead to a broader Balkan war. March 28, 2002 The parties agreed to allow Albanian to be considered an official In early 2002, international mediators reportedly leaned hard on the Macedonian leadership, warning hardliners against provoking a new crisis and conditioning the offer of international previous governmental parties (VMRO-DPMNE, DPA, and LP) were joined by the Social soldiers were killed in a rebel ambush between Skopje and Tetovo. between the ethnic Albanian rebels and Osama bin Laden or other Islamic extremist groups. measure was considered to be unclear as to who would be covered by the amnesty. Sporadic clashes persisted in some villages in the hills The Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA)

Clashes between the rebels and government forces continued

Although

by Slav Macedonians against ethnic Albanian businesses in the southern city of Bitola, near Greece.

against the United States on September 11, NLA leaders asserted that they had no association with A border agreement between Macedonia and the government forces continued in some areas of the country, as marathon talks among all coalition

among the most hardline and nationalist Slav Macedonian politicians, referred to the peace

Macedonia's economy was hit hard by U.N. sanctions against the Federal He also noted alliance concerns about the security of KFOR's In March, the Macedonian government began a counter-insurgency campaign. extremists or armed provocations by forces supporting Macedonian hardliners. conference was finally held in March 2002, during which donor countries pledged over $500 million Kosovo. On March 16, the Security Council issued a state that condemned the or under investigation for crimes for high treason, armed rebellion, mutiny, and conspiracy against They promoted the strategy of fostering Business News, March 12, 2001. The coalition included Georgievski also criticized the number of weapons that NATO agreed to collect, calling the August 16, 2001. On April 2, President Trajkovski convened the first meeting of representatives of all of Macedonia's political parties to address inter-ethnic issues. The collection included: 4 tanks/APCs, 17 air defense weapon systems, 161 mortar/anti-tank with NATO, and for permanent arrangements between NATO and the EU on military operations to offensives to regain control of rebel-held villages, mainly around Tetovo. Both sides reportedly used the cease-fire period to resupply and regroup their forces. achievements, some observers continue to fear the prospect of a new uprising by ethnic Albanian on ethnic Albanians world-wide to support their movement with volunteers and funds. framework document that was to be the basis for further negotiation. differences with the Slavic majority and determine the exact size of the ethnic Albanian community; Clinton Administration appointed a special envoy to help resolve the Greek-Macedonian dispute.

members Greece and Turkey is currently holding up plans to allow After lengthy debates, parliament gave initial endorsement not contribute forces to either the Task Force Harvest or Task Force Fox missions in Macedonia. In The resolution noted that the from NATO.

Substantial recent progress enabled the holding

During a visit On March 23, 2001, President Bush issued a statement strongly condemning the violence by the Albanian extremists and supporting the actions of the Macedonian government. not even exist, given the group's lack of an integrated structure. would lose support among ethnic Albanians if appearing to side with the Macedonian authorities. the NATO operation in Macedonia following elections in Macedonia and at the request of the Under the provisional name "The Former Yugoslav extended the mandate for Task Force Fox until June 26, 2002. Macedonia. late 2000 municipal elections. including Prime Minister Georgievski, opposed any moves to pardon those they considered to be

country's population, not the 22.9% recorded in the June 1994 census. intensify border patrolling to detain suspected rebels and their weapons. 23. Task Force Fox is commanded by German Brig. province of Kosovo. its response to the Kosovo conflict and support of the NATO mission on its territory. In addition to these talks, the parties discussed the creation of a more inclusive coalition government. On June 10, rebel forces captured Aracinovo, on the killing two Macedonian soldiers and kidnaping a third. Other options were also considered, such as the creation of an to have access to arms. In spite of recent The effort to quell the rebel forces. From 1993 to 1999, the United Nations maintained a small military peacekeeping presence in Macedonia under a conflict prevention mandate, the first case of a preventive deployment of U.N. December 3, 2001) and Proclamation 7452 (June 26, The Serbian On June 11, both The timing of such a transfer has yet to be determined. Kosovo in the 1990s. violent protests in Skopje, and battles continued between the rebel and government forces in Tetovo Another truce was announced on August 12, but fresh clashes parliament adopted the constitutional changes outlined in the framework agreement, voting on each Another local cease-fire arranged financial institutions pledged over $500 million in donor assistance in 2002, exceeding pledging In March 2001, NATO SACEUR Gen. Ralston testified before Congress Republic of Macedonia," Macedonia became a member of the United Nations in May 1992. encountered little organized resistance and managed to regain control over some villages. However, the EU repeatedly postponed a planned donors' conference for to gather and destroy weapons surrendered voluntarily by the NLA. The EU designated about $36 million in assistance for Macedonia for 2001. Attacks by ethnic Albanian guerrilla forces on Macedonian police and security forces in late 2000 and early 2001 appeared to catch the Macedonian government and international community

Recurring incidents of violence, meanwhile, periodically threatened to derail further progress in The Another stumbling block in the peace process was the issue of granting amnesty to former ethnic Albanian rebels. The opposition, meanwhile, was not KFOR currently comprises a total radicalism. language at the local level in areas where Albanians comprise 20% or more of the population. They remained suspicious of The conflict in neighboring Kosovo in 1999 exacerbated inter-ethnic tensions in Macedonia. EU leaders have supported extensions of NATO's mandate in Macedonia, but have recently considered the possibility of eventually taking over the Macedonia military mission from the Implementation of the framework agreement has progressed accord and agreed to surrender weapons to NATO. Macedonia. (12) Following the terrorist attacks ethnic Albanian vote.

(10). Another contributing factor to the Macedonian conflict was the continued activism of members of Administration officials said that the It 25. of 37,000 troops from NATO members and partner countries and is commanded by French Lt. Gen. leadership after the fall of Milosevic in late 2000 may have discouraged some ethnic Albanians' Albanian rebels in Macedonia (as well as in Serbia) may have sought to provoke a heavy-handed Albanians in Macedonia as a whole demanded greater cultural and

Gligorov took credit for Macedonia's success in achieving international recognition and for urged it to accelerate progress in advancing inter-ethnic reforms. The deadliest fighting in the conflict occurred in early August, just as political talks were drawing to a successful close (see section on Peace Talks, below). presidential elections, with charges of violence and ballot-stuffing in ethnic Albanian districts, from NATO. reconnaissance, and to increase intelligence-sharing with the Macedonian government. 10. leftist government. recognition of Taiwan, bringing an end to the U.N. operation in Macedonia.

(29) No U.S. troops took part in the weapons Upon the completion of Operation Essential Harvest, Lord Robertson noted that the Macedonian humanitarian consequences. Government forces ended the Security Council authorization, such a U.N. force would likely need a lengthy period of time to

over the next few days. communities. Without making an explicit reference to Kosovo, the Council said that the violence was southern Serbia. It thought to have ties to the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and rebel Albanian forces operating in University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department, Peace Agreement - Status of Implementation. The emergence of another, more hardline, Albanian rebel group, the 5.

list of political demands by the NLA rebels that included: international mediation to resolve their (back)Prior to this century, Macedonia had 16. of Tetovo and by the western border with Kosovo, and later near the capital, Skopje. authorized under U.N. Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999). region." disarmament terms "humiliating." In a retaliatory anti-terrorist raid on the village of by the nationalist Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-Democratic Party for Essential Harvest operation would adhere to a strict timetable. of brutal ethnic conflict in Croatia, Bosnia, and Kosovo that accompanied the breakup of the former Albanian demands for autonomy, which they feared could lead to eventual secession or partition and have been represented in government and in parliament. (13) The police seized a cache of weapons from Macedonia's political leaders to revive the stalled parliamentary process of considering the peace In March 2001, clashes of the constitution to include mention of the "Macedonian people" instead of just Macedonia's President Trajkovski said that the government had first to "neutralize the terrorist threat," For additional

authorization for such a force. During President Bush's trip to Macedonia, EU foreign policy chief Solana and NATO Secretary General Robertson pressed southern Serbia. a meaningful dialogue among all political parties that could lead quickly to tangible results on that any additional troops being considered for the region should go toward the KFOR mission, not They called on all ethnic Albanians in Macedonia to join their ranks, and Operation Amber Fox. In the long term, she said that the U.S. focus of discussions was on changes to the Macedonian constitution that would elevate the status President Trajkovski announced Many politicians, thought to have ties to the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and rebel Albanian forces operating in Away, in Staten Island," The New York Times, March 19, 10,000 paramilitary police.

Outside of the parliamentary process, international monitors have organized and overseen the phased reintroduction of ethnically-mixed police patrols into former rebel strongholds in an

commitment over four years to support the new multilingual university in Tetovo.

(back)Solana has also had a leading role in for the province to achieve autonomy within the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Britain led contributions with 1,400 armed forces. were wounded in the offensive. to assess the state of the truce, the primary pre-condition yet fully to be achieved. transfer of arms and personnel across borders and to confiscate weapons within Kosovo. Macedonian parliament to fulfill their part of the peace deal. buffer zone (Ground Safety Zone) area between Kosovo and Serbia, or prevent their entry into The alliance sent military advisors to assist the Macedonian government "continuing extremist violence" and called it a "threat to the stability and security of the entire communications, and intelligence, largely utilizing U.S. military assets already on the ground in the rebels, who countered the attacks and advanced toward Tetovo and Skopje. necessary constitutional amendments and legislation." Europe in June 2001, the President consulted on Macedonia with the NATO allies, the European Kosovo's border with Macedonia runs about 220 km, or 130 miles. measures to encourage displaced persons to return to their homes, and assist in the reconstruction were civilians executed in cold blood. information see CRS Report RL31053, Kosovo and U.S. Policy, updated regularly. comprised a much larger geographic area.

In March 2001, the Macedonian government appealed to the U.N. Security Council to address Macedonia's internal conflict. a splinter ethnic Albanian rebel group calling itself the Albanian National Army (ANA) claimed After the Balkan disarmament by force. In August, President Trajkovski pledged to grant an amnesty to the The government's estimates range from 8,000 to 85,000. 31.

Macedonia to provide security for international civilian monitors overseeing the process of