Polyparty-ism - Search for Common Ground

Bridge has been connecting the left
and the right shore of Vardar. It connected
people, artisans, trade, civilizations.
They all put a single stone
in the bridge, building it they made it
timeless.
It is not accidental that the Bridge
opposed every evil and natural catastrophe:
floods, earthquakes, wars.
The wisdom of its endurance is kept
deeply inside. And it's not a case of
luck or misfortune, but a case of destiny;
it was our destiny for it to be the
genetic code of the city and to teach
us the incomparable language of the
shores.
Those who live long, have a long
memory: the Stone Bridge recalls
many stories referring to its history.
One by one, they disappeared; in
spite of that, the Bridge is timeless.
Men have left their traces, and then
disappeared: the Bridge fostered his
spirit, his yearn for eternity. Man and
Bridge - what a strong bond, what a
profound desire to defy space and
time, the fading and the transitory.
One of the last inscriptions on the
Stone Bridge was one dated 1911, the
time of the visit of the sultan,
Mehmed Reshad the Fifth.
The bridge was then expanded
and the iron fence was set up.
Nowadays, after almost a hundred
years, the same fence is being
replaced again with- a stone fence.
Many waters will flow and fences
will change, but the Bridge will
remain the same.
The inscription referring to its
history has vanished, as well as many
others: the one about the restoration,
from 1579/80 (987 by the Hijdra),
during the rule of Sultan Murat the
Third; one during the restoration
from 1817/18, during the rule of
Ahmed Ejub pasha; or the one from
1890…
During the numerous restorations,
some of the stone arcs were
replaced with brick, which is visible
today as well. However, it is just a
scratch on the face of one facing eternity.
The inscriptions disappear; however,
the descriptions live longer.
Almost every writer-traveler that
passed this city admired and
described the Stone Bridge.
Bridges are fascinating, in particular
those that are powerful and beautiful,
like the Stone Bridge in Skopje.
This is how Evlija Chelebija, from
the mid-17th century, describes it:
"On the river Vardar there is a
bridge with fourteen arcs, out of
which four have been destroyed, but
are now refurnished and finished.
The year of their restoration was registered
in this description: those that
have seen the restoration of this unrivalled
bridge praised it saying that it
is much better than the previous one.
The people approved of this restoration.
The date was put by Helali: the
repairer of the Stone Bridge."
Chelebija and the Stone Bridge. A
Bridge that is unrivalled.
That is why this bridge is the
genetic code of the city.
In 1878, the traveler Leon Igone
wrote: "One antique and rather old
high bridge connects the shores of
Vardar. The edgy arcs are made of
stone, the one in the middle is higher
than the rest. According to Turkish
architecture, the floor with the two
bended arcs forms a reef similar to a
roof." The Bridge has been described
by J.G Han, Arthur Evans, and many
famous, less known or anonymous
travelers.
However, bridges are not only a
crossing, they are wisdom accumulated
in years. One cannot do without
the other: endurance is wisdom, and
wisdom is an indelible trace. The
Stone Bridge conceals its origin, but
reveals its wisdom to us. Will we
accept that wisdom, as before, or will
we close our eyes to it?
The wisdom of the Stone Bridge
is the wisdom of existence from
which we have to learn.
(The author is a writer)
93
According to
OSCE and EU
observers, even
though the greatest
part of the
peace process is
successfully implemented,
time is
still needed to
return the trust
between the mixed
ethnic local communities,
as well
as the trust of the
Albanians in the
Macedonian police
Macedonia „licks“
its wounds from the war
Irfan Agushi
Emil Zafirovski
The process of reintegration
of the crisis regions
is slowly coming to an end.
The mixed police patrols
have entered the last villages
from the crisis
regions in Tetovo and
Kumanovo. The police
teams have, for some time,
been patrolling in the villages
of Shipkovica,
Slupchane, Brodec, Gajre,
Rasadishte, Lisec, Veshala
and Bozovice, former centers
of the paramilitary
group, the NLA.
After the fights, and at
the beginning of the
process of reintegration, the
police succeeded in entering
more of the villages
around Kumanovo, which
was not the case with the
villages around Tetovo.
The people there manifested
great resistance towards
the mixed ethnic police
patrols; this was especially
the case with the village of
Shemshevo, where the
Albanian population is still
not satisfied, and occasionally
provokes smaller inci-
Elections for peace, July 2002