Situation in “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Assembly debate
on 27 September 2001 (30th Sitting) (see Doc. 9234, report of the
Political Affairs Committee, rapporteur: Mr Jakič). Text adopted
by the Assembly on 27 September 2001 (30th Sitting).
- Thesaurus
1. The Parliamentary Assembly recalls
its
Resolution 1255 (2001) on
the situation in “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” adopted
on 28 June 2001. It reaffirms the validity of the principles on
which this text was based, in particular the full respect for the
sovereignty and territorial integrity of Macedonia
Note, respect
for the rights of all citizens and ethnic groups, the condemnation
of the armed action by ethnic Albanian extremist groups and the
call for their complete disarmament as well as the condemnation
of all extremist violence in general.
2. In conformity with this resolution, the Political Affairs
Committee established an
ad hoc committee,
which visited Macedonia2 from 16 to 19
July 2001. The Assembly takes note of the statement made by this
ad
hoc committee at the end of its visit, which concluded
that the measures and recommendations contained in
Resolution 1255 (2001) were
justified and should be implemented without further delay.
3. The Assembly is alarmed by the fact that too many members
of the two main communities in Macedonia2 do
not seem to be ready to live together in a common state. Therefore,
it calls for more direct involvement of the Council of Europe in
community work to support all those who want to establish the social,
cultural and political conditions necessary to maintain the integrity
of the country in the interest of all citizens living there.
4. The Assembly reiterates its firm belief that there is no other
solution to this conflict than a peaceful one. Consequently, it
expresses its serious concern that violent activities are still
ongoing and that the tension and feelings of insecurity among the
population remain high, in particular in the north-western part
of the country. In this connection, it condemns the recent bomb
attacks in Skopje as well as the destruction of homes, the forced
displacement of citizens, the burning of their houses and plundering
by extremists, as well as the desecration and destruction of churches,
mosques and other buildings, and calls for an immediate dissolution of
all paramilitary structures.
5. The Assembly welcomes the signature, on 13 August 2001 in
Skopje, of the Framework Agreement, which aims at securing the future
of Macedonia’s2 democracy and permitting
the development of closer and more integrated relations between
the Republic of Macedonia and the Euro-Atlantic community.
6. The Assembly considers that measures foreseen by this agreement
give satisfaction to the Assembly’s previous demands and correspond
to the Council of Europe’s generally accepted standards. Accordingly,
it calls on all political forces to declare their support for the
agreement and to work towards its implementation, in particular
the approval of the resulting constitutional amendments and legislative
modifications by the parliament in accordance with the agreed schedule
and through the regular parliamentary procedure.
7. The Assembly considers that the Macedonian executive power
should co-operate actively with the parliament and civil society
during the implementation of this agreement.
8. The Assembly is also seriously preoccupied about the situation
of internally displaced persons and calls for adequate security
and confidence-building measures to be introduced in order to ensure
their safe and sustainable return. It is also preoccupied by the
humanitarian situation of the people affected by the conflict, both
those who are displaced and those who remain in the villages which
have been damaged by military activities, and calls for increased
assistance to those people, especially for rebuilding their destroyed
homes, in co-operation with international humanitarian organisations.
9. The Assembly considers that the crisis in the Republic of
Macedonia2 necessitates the increased involvement
of Unmik and Kfor to control the borders with Macedonia, particularly
in order to prevent illegal activities.
10. The Assembly considers that as soon as the collection of weapons
has been successfully concluded a smooth transition from the end
of the Nato operation “Essential Harvest”, foreseen on 26 September
2001, towards the presence of international observers and of an
armed international force with a mandate from the United Nations
at the invitation of the Government of Macedonia2 would
be beneficial for the normalisation of the situation and for the
return of internally displaced persons. The Assembly also reiterates
its call for an amnesty to be declared for all those who have not
committed war crimes.
11. Neighbouring countries must provide Macedonia2 with
all possible co-operation and assistance to help it to overcome
the present crisis and, especially, to act resolutely to prevent
all arms supplies from reaching the extremists.
12. The Assembly calls on the Government of Macedonia2 to
fully co-operate with the Council of Europe as regards the adoption
and the realisation of the programmes aimed at assisting the country
in the implementation of the Framework Agreement.
13. At the same time, the financial support without delay of the
international community for the reconstruction efforts as well as
for the planned administrative reforms remain a key element in the
successful implementation of the agreement and for reaching lasting
stability.
14. The Assembly asks its Political Affairs Committee to follow
the political developments in the country and to report back to
it when necessary. At the same time, it calls on its Monitoring
Committee to intensify the post-monitoring dialogue with Macedonia2 and
urges the Macedonian authorities to fully co-operate in this process.
