by Ljubco GEORGIEVSKI
I have been observing politicians in power and some journalists as they discuss this issue with scientific detachment, some of them trying to convince us that AKSh does not exist, while others assert the opposite. Are these armed groups merely criminal gangs or part of a politically organized structure? As is to be expected, the current authorities claim that the AKSh does not exist (except when they are needed to attack Xhaferi and the DPSh), so that the authorities can demonstrate how quickly and efficiently the SDSM and the BDI have secured peace in the country. Without listing all hitherto made statements about the AKSh, let me stress that I am convinced that AKSh exists and that it is not an ordinary criminal gang, although, without doubt, criminals will be its striking force. Why would a criminal gang attack state institutions or plant mines on roads?! It would make more sense to "rob a bank", for example. We do not need to live in an illusion. On the contrary, I believe that AKSh is only one of numerous daughter organizations of whose existence in Kosovo, the south of Serbia and in Macedonia we have heard over the last few years, created and directed by the same center of Albanian extremism. Let me remind you that the AKSh has promoted itself in Macedonia immediately after the signing of the Ohrid agreement with a carefully prepared plan. The UCK was supposed to become a political party, while the AKSh was going to continue the tradition of the UCK,. The AKSh exists and is active not only in Macedonia, but also in the south of Serbia, as well as in Kosovo. That is why a huge mistake is being made when for the sake of daily political needs the authorities claim that AKSh does not exist, that it is a disguise for criminal gangs, rather than a military-political, well organized and armed structure.
Now, let me go back to the important question. Why was the Ohrid agreement signed and what were Macedonians supposed to gain from it? If I recall correctly, just like Israelis offered to Palestinians a peace deal with the motto "land for peace", the motto of our crisis was "Constitution for peace". With the Ohrid Agreement the Macedonian side made big concessions, while in return it was supposed to get financial assistance from the international community (???) and peace from Albanians. Or, more specifically, return of expelled ethnic Macedonians, control of complete territory of the country, peaceful life of citizens and economic development. Unfortunately, none of these three demands has been fulfilled! And now I go back to the AKSh. Therefore the AKSh is exactly the political and military structure that stems both friendly, as well as nationally from the UCK and the KLA [sic]. It has several roles. It is supposed to make sure expelled ethnic Macedonians do not return to their homes and thereby to conclude ethnic cleansing; the AKSh is supposed to endanger police patrols and thereby keep them away from the crisis territories; the AKSh is supposed, on a daily basis, to militarily intimidate Macedonia and the south of Serbia, thereby forcing the current authorities to make daily pilgrimages to various foreign diplomats and beg for assistance in dealing with crisis territories. Or, more specifically, the AKSh is the force that is supposed to prove to Macedonians that with the Ohrid Agreement they made numerous concessions only to get a big nothing in return. The AKSh is the formation that proves that there are neither international nor Albanian guarantees for peace in our country. I have been watching as the current authorities have been obsequiously begging Albanian politicians and certain foreign diplomats, sincerely trying to prevent a new crisis between "two communities", forgetting that we already have the Ohrid Agreement, which includes international guarantees for peace and stability. However, on the other hand, they are showing new readiness for new concession and increasingly loose interpretation of the Ohrid Agreement, failing to understand that no matter how many concessions they make the AKSh will continue to threaten our lives! We can already estimate what will happen with our economy if for the next five years every spring AKSh announces a new offensive! That is why I am one of politicians who believe that there is only one thing worse than an AKSh attack on Macedonia, and that is the failure of that attack to materialize! I know that this assertion will shock all those who prefer to live with false illusions, but I am convinced that if we have to chose whether we'll be attacked now, next year, or in three years, I would vote for "now", Because, if the realization of the plan is postponed for three years, that would mean that at that moment the status of Kosovo will have been already resolved; there will be many more soldiers prepared to fight against Macedonia; there will be much more weaponry available to fight against Macedonia, while Macedonia will be already well on the way to her break up, with stalled economy and ineffective control of her territory; there will be well defined ethnic territories; the security forces will be fully disbanded; the extended agony of the country attempting to avoid something that must happen! And there are other reasons, so that it is better to immediately check rather than wait for three years. It would be good to see how the UCK would react. To check whether they are prepared to defend Macedonia from the AKSh, or are only waiting to join them (UCK's failure to sign the Ohrid Agreement is a clear indicator that the latter possibility is more likely). And finally, to find out how the international community would react. The sooner the better. All these reasons make me believe that the AKSh is a logical extension of all we have been exposed to by the Albanian extremism; instead of trying to live in a fairytale we should above all prepare psychologically and militarily for this historical clash, for its second half, regardless of whether it will come in three months or three years! Thus, I am convinced that the SDSM and the LDP are making a big strategic mistake in accepting the definition of "criminals". There can be no more clear position than to clearly define that the AKSh is what it is, a political-military structure, and that "bill" should be as soon as possible sent to the guarantors of the Ohrid agreement, the BDI and the international community. Besides, let us not forget that diplomats have a big advantage. They are replaced every three-four years, and everything starts from the beginning.