Thaci's statement without doubt reminds one of the question put forward in front of cameras by one of his female compatriots: "Can we turn rifles into flowers?" Her dilemma was pulled out of the two-day long absurd debate regarding the correct term that should be used to refer to the "persons" who have taken over the Sar Mountain - extremists, terrorists or armed groups? Newspapers in Albanian language published in Macedonia claim that the two men killed in Tetovo were civilians. Thaci's statement also implies that the dead were civilians whose only sin was that they had mobile phones. Fakti emphasizes that the dead were a father and a son. What is that supposed to mean? That a father and a son cannot be terrorists? That terrorists do not wear civilian clothing? That they must wear special space suits on which the word "terrorist" would be written with large letters and in two languages? We do not doubt that father Razim and son Ramadan Koraci were subscribers to one of mobile telephony companies. Although their names cannot be found among the subscribers of Macedonian mobile phone companies, that does not mean that they were not subscribed under some other name or that they were not customers of a mobile company from Kosovo. However, none of that has anything to do with bombs in their hands, nor with bombs found in the trunk of their car.
Nevertheless, this is not the first statement with which Thaci has attempted to transfer blame to the Macedonian Police. He suspects that the death of the first civilian casualty in Tetovo is the result of a bullet fired by the Police. He again blamed the Police for the sniper shots fired at a crew of the Macedonian TV. He dismissed the attack on the policemen in "Cairanka" shopping center as a criminal act. As the treacherous murder took place in a mobile phone shop, it is only the matter of time before Thaci's "investigation" concludes that that incident is simply a case of theft of mobile phones by a group of civilians who are ethnically oppressed in the world of unlimited possibilities of global communication.
Besides, Thaci before every party meeting emphasizes that he is about to "blurt out" all sorts of compromising details but he holds back to calm down tensions. No need. If he has any evidence that the bombs were actually mobile phones, that the Police shot at the MTV crew, that ordinary criminals shot at the policeman's back in "Cairanka", in the interest of the truth he should immediately pass the evidence to the competent state institutions. There is no need to hold back. Let him be free and immediately explain whether he understands the difference between being a legitimate representative of the ethnic Albanian electorate and the advocate for a group of mountain extremists.
Do we need certain Tom Marku, the president of the Union of Albanian Associations in Croatia, to inform us over the Croatian TV that the Macedonian government hasn't fulfilled its promises to Albanians? That it did not take care of two-three thousands of veterans from Macedonia who fought in Kosovo and today cannot return to the country. So, is all of this simply an attempt of veterans to return to the country over the Sar Mountain armed with "mobile phones"? Are they making Thaci "hold back" since he cannot force the government to resolve their demands, even though his party participates in that same government?
As long as the two leaders of the DPA play dual role, on the one hand a stable partner in the government and on the other hand a free advocate for the extremists, their work will always boil down to a phone. Usually a broken one.
A gray car, make "Suzuki Marutti", with number plate TE-425 AN was stopped for routine control at a military-police checkpoint near the soccer stadium in Tetovo. The car was moving in the direction of the settlement Drenovac and was directed to the line of three cars that were searched. The driver got out of the car to open the trunk for search. At that moment the passenger was also ordered to get out to be searched. One special-forces policeman was standing next to the driver and started to search the inside of the trunk. The other one was searching the passenger. At that moment a bomb was found on the passenger. The searched passenger resisted, pushed the soldier away and pulled the bomb out. The soldier tried to stop the passenger by hitting him, but he failed. His colleagues reacted promptly and shot the terrorist at the moment when he tried to throw the grenade on the nearby armored troop carrier. Fortunately he failed, as the bomb remained in his hand. Due to the shootout, there was danger of an explosion, if one of the bullets set on fire the fuel leaking from the trunk of the vehicle. Soldiers and policemen managed to control the situation, having in mind that at that moment there was danger that the hand grenade could have detonated. Several minutes later, crews of journalists that were near the place of the incident were taken from the danger zone. Two more hand grenades were found in the trunk. Thirty minutes later, an investigative team carried out the investigation at the spot of the terrorist attack and two hours later an expert team disarmed the bomb.
At the same time the ARM artillery was firing with low intensity at the terrorist positions in the regions of the villages of Lavce and Selce. Military-Police teams were clearing the terrain in the local Banjice, on the north side of Drenovac, Poroj in the direction of the village of Germo. Later in the afternoon the clearing of the vacation-settlement on the right side of the Tetovo Kale fort took place. Terrorist did not offer significant resistance. Dnevnik unofficially learned that seven terrorists were killed and twelve wounded. The Army stayed on the same positions as before, and yesterday afternoon combat helicopters MI-24 carried out intensive shooting exercises at the military training grounds Petrovec near Skopje. Tension returned to the streets of Tetovo and the authorities claim that they remain at their stations and expect the action of the liquidation of armed extremists to continue today.
"While I write these words, on the northern border of Macedonia with Kosovo, Albanians and Macedonians are shooting at each other. First casualties have already been buried. The rumbling of war is eerily spreading, followed by cries and tears of innocent young families and their orphaned children. Terror and fear have also overwhelmed ethnic Albanian citizens of Macedonia. They are escaping and seeking new safer shelters. The international community is making big efforts to stop fighting and to diffuse a new Balkan hot spot. And while I watch TV reports 'from the spot', in which 'democratic and independent media' edit scenes in such a way as to consciously distort the truth I am wondering whether, Mr. Popa, this is a real or staged war. That gives me the right to face the fact that in the Balkans history is perverted this time, and tragedy becomes a farce.
"Two years ago, Mr. President, our two Academies exchanged views in two opposing documents. One was yours, 'Platform for the solution of the Albanian national question', the other ours 'MANU's response to the Platform for the solution of the Albanian national question'. When last summer we spent some time as your guests in Tirana we tried to in our talks restart our initiated but never finished dialog. Then, you said that the Platform of your academy was already obsolete. Thus, we never got an answer to our critical views. The answer did not come from you, but these days it came from Tanusevci. In that armed cannonade that went on for several days and nights, I seemed to recognize an echo of statements from your Platform regarding 'united Kosovo with its capital Skopje', or 'southern part of historical Kosovo, or the northern part of the Republic of Macedonia as a historical Albanian land' and 'the unification of all Albanian ethnic territories in one, single, national state'. I did not believe that these words, even though based on sensitive 'national emotions' would be fulfilled so soon.
"However, I am not writing only to let you know about some unpleasant historical foreboding stirred up in me by these shots. On the contrary, my idea is different. At the time when from different sides weapons are offered to silence other weapons, I want to offer you friendly words and to appeal to you. You and all of us together in the world of sciences and arts, should do everything in our power to immediately stop this irrational madness, which is bringing to all of us a lot of evil, grave misfortune and limitless suffering, and will bring people, even though they are similar to each other, to kill each other!
"Dear colleague Popa, we both, based on our scientific profession, cure people and assist them whenever they are in trouble. I write these words to invite you, in these tragic moments for all of us, to together find curative words, words with a lot of hope and trust, which have nothing to do with the Balkan ideology of soil and blood and find small nation-states too limited, because they want to rise to the big wide world of western-European universalism and humanism.
"I am looking forward to our upcoming meeting in Skopje at the international scientific conference 'Balkans in the New Millennium' where, I am convinced, we shall find intellectual and moral force to build projects for a new European future of our peninsula," concludes the letter of the president of MANU to the president of the Academy of Sciences of Albania.