Polyparty-ism - Search for Common Ground

66
Anife, "but we will spend this winter
more calmly if we are closer to our
homes."
Unlike the Albanians, most of
whom have returned to Arachinovo,
Macedonian inhabitants have not
returned to their homes. Except for
those who did not leave their homes
at all, others come to Arachinovo
only during the day, clean their
houses or work in their backyards,
and return to their temporary shelters.
They do not stay after the sun
goes down.
MINISTER BALKOVSKI
PROMISES FLATS FOR
MACEDONIANS IN SKOPJE
Kruna Pavlova, a 58-year-old
Macedonian, is one of the few
Macedonians who remained in
Arachinovo during the war. "I
stayed hidden in the basement of an
Albanian house during those days,
because my house is very old and
does not have a basement," she
explained. "All of my neighbours
are Albanians, and I have never
quarrelled with them since we came
to live here. They belong to a different
religion and different nationality,
but Albanians are people with
a warm heart and they don't break
their word," said Kruna.
She lives alone in a two-room
house. She was born in Vranje in
Serbia. Forty-four years ago, she
married a man from Arachinovo.
"My husband died a long time ago
and the only son that I had lived for
only four months," says this woman
about her unhappy life. "Thank God
that I've got such wonderful neighbours
like Sahin and his wife. Every
day they leave some food for me or
give it to their children to bring to
me," she continued. "The day the
bombing began, early in the morning
around seven o'clock, I decided
to go out and see what was going on.
As soon as I opened the door, I saw
a young boy that I know. I think he
was keeping watch over my house. I
remembered that he was the boy
from the market place, who always
let me choose the best potatoes that
he was selling. Let me tell you honestly,
I scolded him," said Kruna.
"Get away from here," I said, "a
shell might hit you." He shook his
head and told me to go to someone's
basement. I did not tell Sahin's wife
about seeing him in the street."
This woman, who was sheltered
in the basement of an Albanian
house, finished her story. "I did not
leave Arachinovo because I had no
reason to leave my house. There are
a few Macedonians here and
Albanians have never hurt us. Even
those who were armed would have
never done me any harm, although
they knew I was Macedonian," says
this woman convincingly.
There are many reasons why
Macedonians are not coming back,
according to Ferati. "The Minister of
Transport and Connections, Ljupco
Balkovski, promised to give apartments
in Skopje to all the
Macedonians from Arachinovo," he
claimed. "When Minister Balkovski
visited Arachinovo on 10 August
2001, he did not visit a single
Albanian home and did not even find
time to visit my office," said Ferati.
FEAR OF WHAT
TOMORROW'S DAY
MIGHT BRING
Since the war ended, at least thirteen
Albanians have been arrested
around Arachinovo. All were
accused of terrorism yet criminal
charges have not been brought
against them even though legally,
charges should be discussed within
30 days of an arrest.
"On 26 November 2001, it will
be three months and a week since my
son was arrested," said Shefkie, Ali
Nuhiu's mother. "Together with his
brother and his sister-in-law, Ali
went to Skopje to buy some food,"
Shefkie explained. "Kenan and his
wife came back quickly. Their faces
were sombre. I felt that something
bad must have happened." In recalling
the earlier events of 20 August
2001, Shefkie continued, "They told
me that Ali had been arrested,
although I still cannot understand
what act of terrorism my son could
have committed while we were all
refugees in Kosovo. We returned to
Arachinovo, together with Ali, when
the war was over."
"I could not bear it," Musa, Ali's
father, interjected. "With my other
son, we took a taxi to the police station
Avtokomanda, where I suspected
that my son was being held."
"My sons did nothing against the
law," says Shefkie. "Ali's wife was
pregnant when he was arrested, and
she stayed at home with her nineyear-old
daughter Agnesa. The other
daughter Aida was born while Ali
Nuhiu was still in prison in Shutka,
near Skopje. His family has only
one hope left-the amnesty law.
Maybe once they pass the law, he
will be released." Along with her
son, the police have also arrested her
brother Ismail Murtezani and two
nephews, Ramadan and Belul.
"Even now that the war is over,
the state is trying to construct incidents
that present Arachinovo in a
bad light," Mayor Ferati stated. The
latest occurred when three Albanian
civilians were wounded on
21November 2001 near the village
of Mojance. "They went to the
mountain to gather some wood,"
said Ferati. People with horses,
laden with axes, saws, and other
tools, were called terrorists and
accused of attacking a police patrol.
Putting this misinformation into the
public sphere is wrong. "The
Albanians were wounded in the village
of Mojance, on their way
toward the mountain. According to
the pilot project for bringing back
police forces into critical zones, the
police are not supposed to enter this
village for the time being,"
explained Ferati. Besides, the
inhabitants are embittered by the
attitude of paramilitary and military
forces at police checkpoints, and
they are afraid that something even
worse might happen in Arachinovo.
(The author
is a journalist at Fakti)
Return of peace, December 2001