Macedonia: Former Guerrilla Says Gunfire Drove Off Police
Macedonia: Former Guerrilla Says Gunfire Drove Off Police
31 08 2007 Skopje_ A former ethnic Albanian guerrilla leader in a secession-minded Macedonian border village said Friday that fighters under his command had a short exchange of gunfire with police that ended with officers retreating from Tanusevci.
Xhezair Shakiri, who was known as Commander Hoxha during the 2001 armed conflict in Macedonia, told local media Friday that police retreated from the mountain village on the border with Kosovo he claims to control.
The 2001 fighting between the Macedonian security forces and ethnic Albanian guerillas started when the guerillas took over Tanusevci and proclaimed it as “liberated territory." The conflict ended later that year with a peace accord that gave greater rights to ethnic minorities in the country.
Police officials refused to comment on Shakiri’s claims, instead saying in a prepared statement: “The police are regularly practicing their everyday activities on the whole territory of the country.”
“We have information that around ten shots from automatic weapons have been heard from the area of Tanusevci, but we do not know who fired them,” police spokesman Ivo Kotevski told Balkan Insight.
Local A1 TV cited people claiming they witnessed a third version of events. These people said Shakiri and his armed group fired shots from grenade launchers and personal weapons into the air, and that police did not return fire.
Shakiri last week challenged the central government when he said that villagers in Tanusevci want to unite with Kosovo. He said in an interview that the Macedonian police are not welcome in the village. Shakiri also accused Macedonian authorities of disinterest in his village’s problems and of leaving the community “in the hands of destiny.”
“That is why we ask for the unification with Kosovo. Furthermore, our geographic position and family bonds tie us to that country,” Shakiri said.
Shakiri is a former deputy to the Macedonian parliament who is charged with kidnapping the former mayor of the municipality of Studenicani during the 2001 armed conflict. He refuses to face the charges and claims that he is being framed by the police.
The largest ethnic Albanian opposition party formed by the former guerrilla fighters, Democratic Union for Integration, DUI, held an emergency meeting that lasted late into Thursday night to discuss mounting friction with the police.
DUI Vice President Teuta Arifi said after the meeting that Macedonian authorities are harassing the former guerrilla fighters. For example, DUI members contend that party president Ali Ahmeti’s bodyguard was questioned and searched for illegal weapons recently.
Quote:Mobilizacija terorista
Mladen STANČIĆ, 30. avgust 2007
Skoplje – od stalnog dopisnika
MAKEDONSKA pogranična sela Tanuševci, Brest, Malina Mala i Gošince na kosmetskom delu međe sa Srbijom, naseljena isključivo šiptarskim življem, od srede su pod mobilizacijom, tvrde lokalni gorštaci na Skopskoj crnoj gori.
Nasuprot poslovično smirujućim tonovima predstavnika vlasti u Skoplju, iz opozicije se upozorava na činjenicu da snage bezbednosti ne kontrolišu čitavu teritoriju države. U četvrtak su svi mediji u Skoplju objavili vest da u planinskom pojasu prema kosmetskom delu granice sa Srbijom – “sprovodi borbena mobilizacija”.
Lokalni Šiptari tvrde da će svaki ulazak makedonskih snaga bezbednosti biti dočekan – napadom, baš kao što je vlastima u Skoplju prethodno poručio bivši gerilac ONA Džezair Šaćiri, zvani komandant Hodža.
- Mi smo maksimalno pripremljeni i uvežbani. Žao nam je što nas je Vlada prinudila na ovako nešto, ali, pošto nije bilo spremnosti za dijalog, prinuđeni smo na ovakav korak odbrane osnovnih ljudskih prava žitelja ovih sela. Realno je sprovođenje referenduma za otcepljenje ovih sela i pripajanja Kosovu - kaže Šaćiri, koji je bio i poslanik u makedonskom parlamentu.
Tvrdi da su "mobilisane snage" u potpunosti spremne, sa dovoljnim brojem ljudi i potrebnim naoružanjem za vođenje "uspešnog gerilskog rata".
- Mobilizacija je izvršena za samo nekoliko časova. Nikome ne pretim, ali želim da budem ozbiljno shvaćen. Na ovom terenu biće efikasno i brzo poražene sve jedinice koje krenu, nezavisno da li će biti praćene tenkovima, ili helikopterima - poručuje šiptarski komandant Hodža.
Iz sela Tanuševci, Malina Mala, Brest i Gošince, proteklih nekolikodana su evakuisana sva deca, žene i stariji seljani.
OSTAVKA ŠEFA TAJNE SLUŽBE
DIREKTOR makedonske obaveštajne Agencije Kire Naumov u četvrtak je potvrdio da je zvanično zatražio od šefa države Branka Crvenkovskog “da u najkraćem mogućem roku bude razrešen funkcije”.
Ostavku je Crvenkovski prihvatio.
Basically it calls the armed Albanians gunmen. They've seized (mobilized the population in) 4 villages near the border with Kosovo -- Tanusevci, Brest, Malina Mala and Gosnice -- all of which are Albanian populated. Albanians in the area claim every attempt by FYROM security forces to enter was failed after attacks by Albanians, it is the realization of threats made earlier, they could plan a referendum of seccession and are ready to launch a new guerilla war.
Dijedon Senior Moderator
Posts: 10139
(8/31/07 8:50 pm) Reply
Re: Macedonia: Former Guerrilla Says Gunfire Drove Off Polic
The Macedonian police denied everything it seems. I doubt it will go so far as to a new guerrilla war -- the political profiles representing the Albanian community have already denounced the incident, saying it will not benefit anyone. I just guess people are a litrle frustrated with the delayed implementation of the Ohrid Agreement. And with the fact that Macedonia wants to annexe a piece of land, including the village of Debellde, which is a 100 per cent populated Albanian village. This all based on a pre-war deal made between the Macedonian government and Milosevic. I guess Serbs aren't reluctant to sell parts of their heart and 'dusa' for a couple of bucks, eh ?
___________________
Vëllezër Shqipëtarë,
të prekim urtësinë,
të zëm udhën e mbarë,
të ngjallim Shqipërinë.
Shqipëria ka qenë
dhe do të jetë,
po sot në ditët tona
të metë të mos ketë.
E ka nderuar Zoti
gjithënjë Shqipërinë
ish fort mirë qëmoti,
do bëhet dhe taninë.
Re: Macedonia: Former Guerrilla Says Gunfire Drove Off Polic
Wrong. The deal was amde by post-Milosevic authorities and it regards a transfer of territories between Serbia and FYROM. Mostly regarding land in Kosovo.
Dijedon Senior Moderator
Posts: 10141
(9/1/07 10:21 am) Reply
Re: Macedonia: Former Guerrilla Says Gunfire Drove Off Polic
Before or after the war, it doesn't change the fact that it's an irony that you call Kosova your 'dusa' while simultaneously selling parts of it to your neighbours.
___________________
Vëllezër Shqipëtarë,
të prekim urtësinë,
të zëm udhën e mbarë,
të ngjallim Shqipërinë.
Shqipëria ka qenë
dhe do të jetë,
po sot në ditët tona
të metë të mos ketë.
E ka nderuar Zoti
gjithënjë Shqipërinë
ish fort mirë qëmoti,
do bëhet dhe taninë.
Re: Macedonia: Former Guerrilla Says Gunfire Drove Off Polic
Actually. We weren't selling parts of it *****. Those parts weren't part of Kosovo, the actual border line was different then the one existed and so Serbia and FYROM adjusted it to the proper one *****.
Edited by: Novi Pazar at: 9/5/07 1:19 pm
Dijedon Senior Moderator
Posts: 10149
(9/1/07 4:04 pm) Reply
Re: Macedonia: Former Guerrilla Says Gunfire Drove Off Polic
Instead of resorting to name-calling, which usually implies lack of arguments, you could provide some source or anything. In either case, we're dealing with two states trying to deal with lands belonging to neither of them. Debellde, the village in question, is already an impoverished community, and Serbs wanted to give/sell away their lands without their consent.
If this goes through, trouble will become inevitable, and the residents of the village of Tanusha/'Tanusevci' have an additional motive to aspire for union with Kosova. And they'd be joined by the villagers of Debellde, Bresta and Malina.
___________________
Vëllezër Shqipëtarë,
të prekim urtësinë,
të zëm udhën e mbarë,
të ngjallim Shqipërinë.
Shqipëria ka qenë
dhe do të jetë,
po sot në ditët tona
të metë të mos ketë.
E ka nderuar Zoti
gjithënjë Shqipërinë
ish fort mirë qëmoti,
do bëhet dhe taninë.
Re: Macedonia: Former Guerrilla Says Gunfire Drove Off Polic
Serbia has every legal right to make a deal with FYROM regarding that land as Kosovo is still legally a part of Serbia. However, Kostunica or whoever in the post-Milosevic regime agreed to the deal did something idiotic for three reasons:
- They didn't look at property ownership at all when taking part in the deal. So like you said Albanians would have basically had their privately held land divided by a border.
- The largesr section of land disputed along the border was not even addressed.
- Serbia already has enough problems with Albanians. Doing this was just idiotic. I mean seriosuly if Kostunica had any intelligence he'd try to prevent more problems with Albanians especially as actions like this cause problems for Serbia in it's position on Kosovo's status.
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