SKOPJE, April 5 (Hina) - Macedonia is determined to defend its territorial integrity and democracy, Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski said at the opening of an international conference on stability in Southeast Europe in Skopje on
Thursday. Everything will be done to enable Macedonian Albanians and other minorities to integrate with the crisis-solving process, but not those suggesting a federal concept because the past decade taught us that such requests are a mask for ethnically cleansed countries, the Macedonian President stressed. Present at the conference are defence ministries of Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine, the United States, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and representatives of NATO and the United Nations, the European Union, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and the UN Mission to Kosovo. All parti
SKOPJE, April 5 (Hina) - Macedonia is determined to defend its
territorial integrity and democracy, Macedonian President Boris
Trajkovski said at the opening of an international conference on
stability in Southeast Europe in Skopje on Thursday.
Everything will be done to enable Macedonian Albanians and other
minorities to integrate with the crisis-solving process, but not
those suggesting a federal concept because the past decade taught
us that such requests are a mask for ethnically cleansed countries,
the Macedonian President stressed.
Present at the conference are defence ministries of Albania,
Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden,
Turkey, Ukraine, the United States, the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia, and representatives of NATO and the United Nations, the
European Union, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in
Europe, and the UN Mission to Kosovo.
All participants advocated stability in the region and better
international community efficiency in defusing the crises,
particularly in Macedonia.
In his address, Croatian Defence Minister Jozo Rados stressed
Croatia's firm orientation toward Euro-Atlantic integration and
regional cooperation. He added, however, stability and peace in the
region depended on a peace process in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the
solution of the crisis in Kosovo, and the situation in Macedonia and
along its northern border, as well as on future relations between
the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Montenegro.
Regarding the situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Rados expressed
Croatia's concern over the latest developments which he said led to
self-isolation for Bosnian Croats. He added this was assisted by
inconsistent and rushed political solutions on the part of the
international community, which he said were not helping the Bosnian
Croats' moderate representatives.
Addressing the situation in Macedonia, Rados said Croatia was
shocked with the waves of violence of extremists in a country which
was a regional model for ethnic tolerance. Stressing Croatia
supported Macedonia's territorial integrity, Rados welcomed a
political solution for the problem and the general support
Macedonia was receiving from the international community.
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