http://www.edicom.ch/news/international/040723233804.fr.shtml
23 juillet 2004
23:38 Macédoine: des
émeutes font une trentaine de blessés
SKOPJE
- Trente personnes ont été blessées vendredi à Struga, en Macédoine, lors
de heurts entre policiers et manifestants qui dénonçaient un accord donnant
plus de pouvoirs aux Albanophones. Il s'agit d'un incident sans précédent
depuis le plan de paix de 2001.
De source policière, on
avançait un bilan de 30 personnes blessées, dont 15 policiers et un membre de
la mission de police européenne, qui a pris le relais de l'OTAN en Macédoine
en décembre dernier.
La police macédonienne
a fait usage de grenades lacrymogènes pour disperser la foule qui a jeté des
pierres sur les magasins appartenant aux Albanophones et brûlé des voitures du
gouvernement de coalition.
Les trois partenaires de
la coalition au pouvoir à Skopje ont conclu la semaine dernière un accord qui
constitue la dernière phase de l'application du plan adopté en 2001. Ce plan
avait mis fin à sept mois d'affrontements entre les forces de sécurité et des
mouvements rebelles de la communauté albanaise.
L'accord prévoit
notamment un redécoupage administratif des communes - la ville de Struga
deviendrait ainsi majoritairement albanaise - et la décentralisation de
prérogatives portant sur l'éducation, la santé et le développement
économique local.
Le ministre de la
défense, Vlado Buckovski, a dû être évacué du siège local de sa formation
politique, encerclé pendant deux heures par une foule jetant des pierres et des
bouteilles incendaires sur le bâtiment.
Des manifestants ont
également mis le feu à des véhicules de l'Union européenne, l'un des acteurs
essentiels du processus de paix, dont la mission de police compte 160 personnes
sur place.
© ATS
http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=552496§ion=news
Riots
hit Macedonian town
Fri
23 July, 2004 12:27
|
|
By Kole
Casule
SKOPJE (Reuters) - Dozens of people have been injured
in clashes between Macedonian police and protesters after violence flared over
plans to give greater local powers to the country's 25 percent ethnic Albanian
minority.
The rioting in the early hour of Friday morning in the
southern town of
Mobs stoned Albanian-owned shops and torched vehicles
belonging to the coalition government which approved the "decentralisation".
Defence Minister Vlado Buckovski had to be evacuated
from his Struga party headquarters after two hours under siege by a crowd that
threw molotov cocktails. He was unharmed.
Demonstrators, some reportedly with guns, also set fire
to cars from the European Union, the key broker of the peace accord which has
160 police stationed in
"Obviously there are more protests planned so
we're monitoring the situation closely," said EU mission spokeswoman Sheena
Thompson, referring to a rally planned for Monday in the capital
Struga police said at least 30 people were hurt,
including 15 local officers and one person from the EU police mission, which
took over from NATO peacekeepers last December.
CRUNCH PHASE OF PEACE PLAN
NATO sent troops to
The deal that stopped the fighting is only now coming
to fruition, in a final phase that will make Albanian the main language in
Albanian-dominated areas.
The plan proposes redrawing municipal boundaries so
that Struga, for instance, would become predominantly Albanian. Control over
schools, health and local economic development in such areas would pass to
Albanian political leaders.
It has sparked fierce debate among
If the plan is adopted
Most ethnic Albanians in
Western powers are anxious to ensure Kosovo's demand
for independence, which is expected to come to a head sometime next year, does
not encourage another bid by armed extremists to forge a "Greater Albania"
in the southwestern Balkans.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/3920087.stm
Published: 2004/07/23 11:35:46 GMT
© BBC MMIV
Mob
besieges Macedonian minister
The
Macedonian defence minister has been rescued by police after coming under siege
from a mob hurling bottles.
Nationalist
protesters had to be forced back with tear gas in clashes that left about 30
police and rioters injured, a government spokesman said.
They
were angry at concessions to the ethnic Albanian minority.
Minister
Vlado Buckovski and a party colleague were trapped for several hours inside
their party's headquarters in the south-western town of
Western pressure
Mr
Buckovski and the general secretary of the Social Democrat Party were taken away
unharmed, a police source said.
But
the violence spread across the town, targeting Albanian-owned shops, the source
told the Reuters news agency.
The
revolt was in response to an agreement to restructure local government and to
allow greater Albanian language rights.
The
moves follow Western pressure to give ethnic Albanian areas more autonomy.
A
decision last week by
In areas
like Struga, that means Albanian political leaders could be given control over
schools, health and local economic development.
Opposition
parties say the proposals will divide the country along ethnic lines. More
protests are scheduled for Monday, when the measures will be debated in
parliament.
A
quarter of
The
communities clashed for seven months three years ago, as ethnic Albanian
guerrillas battled security forces for greater recognition.
Story from BBC NEWS:
Friday
23.07.2004, CET 16:06
http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/swissinfo.html?siteSect=143&sid=5101328
July 23, 2004 10:45 AM
Defence
Minister Vlado Buckovski had to be evacuated from his party headquarters in the
town of
The deal
represents the final step in implementing a 2001 accord that ended seven months
of clashes between security forces and guerrillas demanding greater rights and
representation for the ethnic Albanian population.
The
violence was the worst since then.
A police
source told Reuters 17 people including some police had been injured in the
clashes, which started at around 2 a.m. and spread across the town, targeting
Albanian-owned shops. Buckovski, a member of the Social Democrat-led coalition,
was taken away unharmed, the source said.
A week
ago the three-party government, which includes a party that emerged from the
Albanian guerrilla force, reached a deal under Western pressure to give more
power to ethnic Albanians in municipalities where they form a majority.
The
agreement proposes redrawing municipal boundaries so that Struga, for instance,
becomes predominantly Albanian, and control over schools, health and local
economic development passes to Albanian political leaders.
The
decentralisation issue has sparked fierce debate among
Opposition
parties say the package will divide the country along ethnic lines, and have
announced protests for Monday, when parliament is due to discuss the measure.
If it is
adopted, the Macedonian capital,
Albanian
will become the second official language in municipalities with an Albanian
population of at least 20 percent.
Reuters
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-07/23/content_1637448.htm
www.chinaview.cn
2004-07-23 21:16:37
TIRANA, July 23 (Xinhuanet) -- At least 17 people, including a European
Union (EU) security officer, were injured late Thursday in a violent protest in
southwestern Macedonia against a controversial draft law by the coalition
government, the MIA news agency reported on Friday.
Hundreds of demonstrators protested against the government's proposal on
decentralization and new administrative divisions in front of the Social
Democratic Alliance of Macedonia (SDSM) party's municipal headquarters in Struga
when Defense Minister Vlado Buckovski and Secretary General Nikola Kurciev were
meeting there with local party members on the proposal.
Some protesters threw stones and bottles at the building and smashed all
the windows. They even destroyed three government vehicles and tried to set the
building on fire.
Police used rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the crowd. At least
17 people, including an EU security officer, were injuredin the conflict between
the police and protesters.
According to the draft law adopted by the coalition government last
Thursday, the number of municipalities in
The plan also allows Albanian to become the second official language in
municipalities with an Albanian population of at least20 percent.
The government proposal, which still needs the parliament's approval, was
strongly objected by the opposition parties and manyethnic Macedonians, who
feared that the move would give too much power to the ethnic Albanian minority.
http://www.realitymacedonia.org.mk/web/news_page.asp?nid=3469
Web
posted
July 23, 2004
Source: MIA - Macedonian
Information Agency
17
Persons Injured in Struga Riots Last Night
At least 17 persons were injured in late Thursday's riots in Struga in
front of the SDSM party municipal organisation when a group of persons threw
stones, bottles and Molotov cocktails at party's building, MIA correspondent
from Struga reported.
Police late Thursday in Struga used rubber bullets, tear gas and shot in
the air to disperse the demonstrators.
Demonstrators were protesting for more than 5 hours in front of the SDSM
party municipal organisation due to the visit of Defence Minister Vlado
Buchkovski and Secretary General Nikola Kjurchiev and their dissatisfaction from
new governmental proposal for the territorial organisation of
Buchkovski and Kjurchiev visited the local party members to hold talks on
new territorial organisation at the party's HQ.
The demonstrators threw bottles and Molotov cocktails at party's
building, shouted and whistled, threatening not to allow the first men of SDSM
to leave the building.
Police used tear gas to quell the gathered citizens in front of Drim
Hotel. Several trash containers were burnt and turned over.
http://see.oneworld.net/article/view/90576/1/3260
DNEVNIK
24 July
2004
Forty
injured and wounded, demolished office building, some 200 detained persons,
shock grenades, rubber bullets and mutual accusations of treason and incitement
to violence between the Government and the opposition is the outcome of the
riots in Struga on Thursday evening.
Special police units, around
The tensions in Struga first started at 19:45 hours, when the citizens of Struga
learned that Minister Buckovski, SDSM Secretary General Nikola Kurkciev and
Sasko Nasev came to Struga to consult with the local SDSM leaders.
About 100 citizens arrived at the Struga seat of SDSM. About that number of
riot-police took cordoned off the offices. The crowds quickly rose to several
thousand, who chanted slogans against the Government and started throwing stones
and Molotov Cocktails at the building.
Yesterday was peaceful in Struga, with noticeable police presence at all the key
points and objects in the city.
http://see.oneworld.net/article/view/90576/1/3260