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 Government in Crisis
| 13 March 2008 |
PM Nikola Gruevski
The move comes after Prime Minister and VMRO-DPMNE head Nikola Gruevski previously rejected a list of demands the DPA chief Menduh Taci, had given him on Monday. Read more at http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/main/news/8512/
The DPA wanted guarantees from Gruevski for the quick completion of six key issues, including the immediate closure of cases against former ethnic Albanian guerrillas that fought Macedonian security forces during a short conflict in 2001.
The party also insisted on state pensions for former ethnic Albanian guerrillas, on making Albanian an official language across the country and on the wider integration of ethnic Albanians into public office.
In addition, DPA demanded further concessions on the use of the Albanian flag in municipalities where they form a large proportion of the population and urged swift recognition of neighbouring Kosovo's independence.
“If you ask me, the decision is definite”, Taci told media Wednesday, prior to the party presidency confirming the decision. Read more at http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/main/news/8562/
The break up of coalition would leave VMRO-DPMNE with insufficient seats in parliament to form government on their own since it controls only 40 of the 120 seats in the assembly.
However, the government would still function on a technical level until new elections are held or a new majority is formed in the parliament.
The main Albanian opposition party, the Democratic Union for Integration, DUI, may fill the gap in government, local media speculate, but the party has so far expressed reluctance over such a move.
“The process is more important than the technicality,” DUI leader Ali Ahmeti told media as he answered questions on whether his party considers entering the government.
The DPA's move comes at a time when the country is under increased diplomatic pressure to reach a quick compromise with neighbouring Greece over the “name” dispute in order to avoid a Greek veto of its membership bid. Read more at http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/main/news/8466/
The DPA move comes in a delicate time when Macedonia faces serious challenge to enter the Alliance on the April’s NATO summit in Bucharest.
Meanwhile the U.S. Embassy has issued a statement urging political parties in the country to focus on Macedonia’s NATO bid rather on their quarrels.
Macedonia has a “Golden opportunity to enter NATO”, the statement said, noting that “the political stability in the country is essential” for such a bid.
