Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 11 Dec 2003

Vol. 577 No. 1

Written Answers. - Foreign Conflicts.

Phil Hogan

Question:

16 Mr. Hogan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on tensions between government forces and the Albanian National Army in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; and his further views on the current situation in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. [30396/03]

Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Cowen)

Despite considerable progress in the implementation of the Ohrid Framework Agreement, which ended the conflict in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in 2001, there have in recent months been a number of isolated violent incidents in the country. Some of the incidents have been blamed on armed gangs engaged primarily in organised crime. The so-called Albanian National Army has also claimed responsibility for acts of violence in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and in neighbouring areas in the western Balkans. The ANA is a loosely organised extremist group which purports to stand for the creation of a greater Albania. It is illegal in Macedonia and its support among ethnic Albanians in the region appears to be very limited.

I discussed the continuing improvement of the situation in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia with Foreign Minister Ilinka Mitreva, when I met with her in Brussels on 9 December, in advance of the EU-Western Balkans Foreign Ministers meeting. The coalition government led by the pan-Slav SDSM party, in partnership with the leading ethnic Albanian DUI Party, is fully committed to the implementation of the Ohrid Framework Agreement. The objective of the agreement is the creation of a truly multi-ethnic Macedonia. It provides for a series of constitutional amendments to safeguard minority rights, strengthen local government and secure equitable representation for the two main ethnic communities at all levels of state administration. Major legislative progress has been made in the past two years and further progress is expected in the period ahead. The Macedonian Government is also committed to the full implementation of all commitments under the stabilisation and association agreement concluded with the EU in 2001.

The EU is playing a central role in support of the reform process in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, politically, economically and in terms of security. This close co-operation will continue during Ireland's EU Presidency in the first half of 2004. The EU military monitoring and stabilisation mission, Operation Concordia, will conclude on 15 December. It will be followed by the EU police mission, Proxima, which will monitor, mentor and advise the Macedonian police force.

The General Affairs and External Relations Council considered the situation in Macedonia at its most recent meeting, on 9 December. It noted in particular the official results of the 2002 census of population, which were presented by the Macedonian Government on 1 December. The census has been judged by the international census monitoring mission to have been organised in line with international standards. It will reinforce the efforts of that Government in the coming months to implement its commitments on the equitable representation of all communities at all levels of administration.