by Dejan NIKOLOVSKI
Those in trouble have an explanation. "No one in this country cares about us," say the residents who are prepared to head for another city. Threats, shooting, news that their neighbors had been attacked, robbed, kidnapped or beaten up are a daily occurrence for ethnic Macedonian families. Those who live in ethnically mixed parts of the city, such as blocks 70, 72, 77, 80 and 82, then Drenovac, Zicnica, Przova Bavca and Gorno Maalo [upper town] are especially under pressure. The Macedonian Police hasn't entered these parts of the town since March, say the residents. "We can see policemen only when they bring new sentries in an armored car to 'Teteks' or if we go to the purely ethnic Macedonian parts of the city." At dusk these people face insecurity and fear that that night they may end up victims of a robbery, abuse, violence, or even abduction. Most of them have already left. They sold their apartments and moved to other cities. This is confirmed by reports from the schools in the area, where the number of ethnic Macedonian pupils is dropping daily. The remaining ethnic Macedonians now drive their children to schools and wait for them after school.
Residents of Tetovo compare their city with Mitrovica in Kosovo.
"On the one side of the river Pena, all the way to Gostivar, there is purely ethnic Albanian population. The only exceptions are the villages of Zubovce, Galate, Pozarane, and Tumceviste, where several hundreds of ethnic Macedonians live. Unfortunately, they have also been abandoned by the authorities. On the other side of the river, some parts of the city are ethnically mixed, while others are purely Macedonian. The Police patrols and controls only about 10 percent of the city, the districts of Potok, Kotluk, Dva Bresta, and Ajducka Maalo (or as residents of Tetovo refer to it, Alasko Maalo)," claims one resident of Tetovo, an ethnic Macedonian.
Residents of Tetovo have an explanation for the fact that the police does not enter ethnic Albanian parts of the city.
"Many policemen from Tetovo are corrupt and were involved in dirty business, together with some ethnic Albanians. We are mostly concerned that there will be no peace in Tetovo. We daily see what's happening. During the last few days, ethnic Albanians have been driving tractors with trailers full of sand bags to the villages on the Sara mountain. They are getting ready for fighting. On the other hand, it appears that the authorities do not care about the local events. They claim that most displaced ethnic Macedonians have returned to their homes in Tetovo and nearby villages. That is not true. Every returning person has been maltreated, robbed or beaten up. Neither the refugees nor the police will ever return to the occupied territories," residents of Tetovo are disappointed and bitter.
Difficult financial situation is contributing to their troubles. Since the start of the fighting almost all companies have closed their facilities in Tetovo. The local population says that companies still working can be counted on the fingers of one hand. People still go to work to "Zito Polog", Telecom, ESM and "Teteks", where they receive about $50 a month.
An owner of a grocery store, who requested to remain anonymous, said that he would have closed his store a long time ago if it wasn't for policemen and soldiers who buy cigarettes from him.
"I worked even when the worst fighting took place here. I live in Drenovac. In June and August I slept in the store. I sent my family to relatives in Skopje. They are still there. I feel safer in the store, because soldiers and policemen are nearby. My neighbor was kidnapped by the terrorists. He is still missing. Statements politicians make about the situation in Tetovo can work with people in Gevgelija, Strumica or perhaps Kavadarci [towns in the very southeast of Macedonia]. But here, we laugh at them. People here do not trust any political party. They were simply abandoned. If politicians think that we talk rubbish, let them come here, bring their families and stay as our guests for a few days. Then they will learn what it means to hide behind a wall every evening inside your home and pray that a bullet does not come from outside," this resident of Tetovo says.
Policemen manning various checkpoints in Tetovo, on the other hand, have their own troubles. They say that they have been ordered to sit at checkpoints and do not move around, to avoid becoming targets for terrorists-snipers. They claim that they want to assist residents of ethnically mixed parts of the city, but have no such orders. Most of them are from eastern Macedonia. Nights are dangerous for them, as well, because they do not know from which Albanian house snipers will shoot.
The situation in Tetovo proves that the framework agreement was not the final goal of ethnic Albanians. The agreement was signed in Ohrid and constitutional changes adopted by the parliament. But, peace is still not here.
Ethnic Albanians intend to push ethnic Macedonians out of Tetovo and are slowly but surely drawing closer to their goal. That is the only thing residents of Tetovo believe in.
by D.N.
Spokesperson of the UNMiK Police, Roman Ulinovski, yesterday denied that Xhezair Shaqiri, "commander Hoxha", was dead. He claimed that Shaqiri was seriously wounded, but that his life was not in danger and that he was recovering in the American hospital in the camp Bondsteel in Kosovo. According to Ulinovski, the man who shot at "commander Hoxha" fired at least seven bullets. UNMiK police is investigating the incident and consequently cannot reveal more about the case.
Macedonian security forces claim that "commander Hoxha" died an hour after being hit by seven bullets, fired from a machine gun. According to them, the death of Hoxha is being hidden from the public out of fear that it may produce chaos among ethnic Albanians in Macedonia, and a series of reprisal murders.
Similarly, the murder of "commander Hoxha" is, according to them, related to the accident that took place exactly seven days ago, in which six ethnic Albanians from Macedonia died. Police sources claim that the traffic accident was caused deliberately. Three of the victims were members of the so-called UCK. One of them was Fejzula Shaqiri from the village of Aracinovo, near Skopje, and a nephew of "commander Hoxha". Intelligence services state that it is possible that both attacks are related, and a part of organized liquidation of all individuals involved in the theft, by "commander Hoxha", of several million dollars earmarked for the salaries of the UCK fighters.
The name of Ismet Bexheti from Kumanovo is mentioned in connection with the embezzlement affair. Bexheti is a professional singer and has been accused of mysteriously "losing" 20 million Swiss franks. Then, Sadula Abduraki, commander of the 113rd brigade of the UCK, "Ismet Jashari", which was active in the Kumanovo region. Abduraki is allegedly involved in the theft of about 17 million Swiss franks. Before the start of the military crisis in Macedonia, Abduraki worked for the Macedonian customs. Xhemail Jashari from the village of Orizare, near Kumanovo, is charged with stealing 15 million Swiss franks. After receiving news that money had disappeared from the funds, the contributors from abroad, ethnic Albanian emigrants in the West, stopped their payments. Angry with "immature" behavior of his formerly loyal and close collaborators, the leader of the UCK, Ali Ahmeti, announced that he would sort things out with those whose names are mentioned in connection with financial scandals.
Macedonian intelligence services do not exclude possibility that "Zbulim-kontrazbulim", the intelligence service of Kosovo Albanians, is involved in fighting in connection with money stolen from funds "Homeland calls" and "National unification of Albanians".