Radovan Karadzic, Sarajevo is not your city, and you have no right to say that it is, just as you do not have the right to say in public, even if it’s in court, that someone has dug up bones around Bosnia and brought them to Srebrenica to make a fake graveyard. This is insulting.
Macedonia To Bolster Afghan Deployment
Skopje | 27 October 2009 | Sinisa-Jakov Marusic
Macedonian soldiers in Afghanistan
In early 2010, Skopje will dispatch an additional 80 troops to serve in the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, ISAF, in Afghanistan. This will bring the number of Macedonian troops in the country to 240.
“The main task of our army will be providing military training for the Afghan army. We are sending mentors who will work with Afghan soldiers”, Macedonia’s deputy defence minister, Emil Dimitriev, told reporters.
When taken in the context of the size of the Macedonian military and population, the new deployment will make the country one of the largest contributors ito ISAF, with some 3.5 per cent of its army in Afghanistan.
Macedonia sees its presence in Afghanistan as a good way to improve cooperation with NATO and the US.
Last year, NATO said the country was ready to join the military pact. However, Greece blocked Macedonia's integration in the Alliance over the two countries' long-standing name row.
Athens argues that Skopje’s formal name, Republic of Macedonia implies that it is making territorial claims on a northern Greek province.
According to the ministry, the Macedonian military presence in Afghanistan enjoys considerable domestic popular support.
