Polyparty-ism - Search for Common Ground

Solve your own problems
A view from Skopje: NATO does very little for Macedonia - A view from Brussels: You
should be able to solve your own, internal problems
Daut Dauti
In my opinion, there have been
"certain obstacles" in the communication
between Brussels and Skopje,
or better said, between NATO and
Macedonia for the last two years.
The idyll, which lasted for almost a
decade, was a little disturbed by the
events in Kosovo
(anti-NATO and anti-
American protests),
and especially this
spring as the lack of
trust toward the
Alliance increased out
of suspicion that it
didn't do enough to
control the border
between Kosovo and
Macedonia. After the
events in Tanushevci,
an avalanche of speculations
and accusations,
which Prime
Minister Ljubcho
Georgievski too nervously,
tactlessly and
undiplomatically
expressed toward two countries
belonging to the alliance (US and
Germany), inevitably led to colder
relations.
Strangely enough, the reaction
that came from the other side was
not identical. It seemed as if NATO
leaders at headquarters tended to
minimize the accusations that came
from the Macedonian side, or, in a
way, silently accepted the remarks.
So, instead of giving an answer, they
continued convincing the
Macedonian public in a diplomatic
manner, and through some concrete
actions, that things are not exactly as
they seem. It was never explicitly
said in those accusations whether it
is NATO as a whole that doesn't do
enough for Macedonia, or whether it
is "individual" parts of NATO forces
(German and American soldiers
from KFOR in Kosovo). Answers
came from individual countries,
which were trying to take certain
measures in order to reassure the
Macedonian public and government.
However, NATO has never given
up Macedonia as a partner in the
region. The author of this text had an
opportunity to see with his own eyes
NATO Headquarters, while he was
staying there together with nine
other journalists from Macedonia.
But the journey to Brussels also
proved that there is a certain misunderstanding
concerning the perception
of critical situations, and
NATO's (in)efficiency
in dealing
with them.
Probably
nobody in Macedonia
has any doubts
about the total support
given by the
alliance. But certain
distrust could be
noticed in many
questions put by
Macedonian journalists
to NATO's
political and military
representatives,
including the secretary
general himself
Lord George
Robertson, during
our time spent in Brussels. It seemed
as if the journalists from Macedonia
wanted to tell their hosts, indirectly
or directly, that their support didn't
help much because "they failed to
fulfil their obligations concerning
the defence of the border from the
side where they should have done
so."
Upon hearing those questions,
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What now, June 2001