E.U. looking to U.N. for troop support?

By Batuk Gathani

BRUSSELS, SEPT. 10. The European Union Foreign Ministers agreed last night on a proposal to form an international military force to provide security in Macedonia. The NATO, which is conducting a month-long mission to collect weapons from the ethnic Albanian rebels, have little option but to keep its troops longer in the Balkan country, which has seen violence since the beginning of the year.

According to independent observers, there is little prospect of an accord being reached between the ethnic factions. Over the last two weeks, the weapons collecting process by the NATO soldiers has progressed smoothly with the ethnic Albanians willingly handing over their weaponry. But some observers wondering whether the rebels are only handing in a small proportion of their weaponry. There is speculation of the next course of action after the NATO mission ends on September 26. For some days now, European diplomats and military officials have deliberated on the post-operation arms handover scenario in Macedonia.

The E.U. Foreign Ministers meeting at a small town near Brussels agreed in principle to keep their troops longer in Macedonia and to ensure that rival Albanian factions do not take up arms again. Germany wants wider participation in NATO's Macedonian mission. The German Foreign Minister, Mr. Joschka Fischer wanted the United Nations to give the green light for other countries to participate, which may even include Russia. Many eyebrows have been raised in NATO circles at the German proposal.

Last month, the European Union and NATO structured a ceasefire between the warring ethnic factions in Macedonia but this may not last due to the deep ethnic hatred and mutual suspicion between the two ethnic groups. Under the negotiated peace terms, the Albanian rebels promised to end their six-month- old insurgency in return for the Macedonian Government agreeing to give the Albanian minority broader political rights. This agreement is scheduled to be implemented by the end of this month.

The E.U. Foreign Ministers agreed that there will be a ``security vacuum'' in the region with the exit of the NATO peacekeepers and debated what should replace the NATO troops and under whose flag - the U.N., NATO or the European Union's. It remains to be seen how the 19 NATO member-countries will respond to prospects of getting a U.N. resolution. Senior German officials say this is not a case of ``passing the buck'' to the U.N. Germany maintains that the NATO will continue to bear the burden of security for Macedonia.

Macedonian officials have so far not been enthusiastic about the NATO mission, which they suspect may divide the country along ethnic lines. Macedonian leaders allege that the ethnic Albanians are being overtly ``rewarded'' for their aggression and rebellion. The more extremist rebel factions continue to talk about creating a ``greater ethnic Albanian area'' from parts of Macedonian territory where Muslims are in a majority. This region also borders with Albania in the northern Macedonian zone.

Britain is providing about half of the 4,500 NATO troops and a Danish general is the commander. American participation has been ``very low profile'' and provides only 150 military personnel to carry out logistical assignments. U.S. officials are sensitive about such comparisons and argue that American contribution to the NATO operation should be based ``on our capabilities, not our numbers.''

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : International
Previous : Rajammal Devadas wins top nutrition award
Next     : How the spy was 'spotted'