The Balkans: Independent Kosovo – Episode 2

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Albanian party in Macedonian government has issued an ultimatum. After Macedonian prime minister Nikola Gruevski refused to give in to the demands, leader of Albanians' Democratic Party Menduh Thaci declared his resignation from the government. The situation must lead to new elections in Macedonia, REGNUM correspondent in the Balkans region has reported.

Albanians have demanded from the Macedonian government adopting a law on languages (to ultimately establish equal rights of the Albanian and Macedonian languages), law on compensations for the fighters for the freedom of the Albanian people, the right to display Albanian flag in ceremonies, early recognition of Kosovo's independence, dropping all criminal cases against Albanian terrorists, and the right to quotas for employment of Albanians in state organizations.

To make the long story short, if the government of Macedonia honored the ultimatum, the country would actually become a equal-rights federation of two peoples: Albanians and Macedonians. Given the Kosovo precedent, the option cannot but frighten Macedonian politicians, despite all promises of NATO and EU.

Although the resigned Albanian politician stated that he was not going to leave for “radical and extremist waters,” it is hard not to notice in his conduct a correlation with events in neighboring Kosovo. “Something senseless is happening in the work of state institutions in this so important and historical time for Macedonia. I don't want my party to be part of this senselessness,” Menduh Thaci uttered. As a way of good-bye advice to the Macedonian government, he suggested that it does not argue much with Greece about the state name of Macedonia and listen to “what the US and EU say.”

Before making the statement, Thaci had met with US ambassador in Macedonia Gillian Milovanovic. Upon speaking to journalists, he visited EU ambassador in Skopje Erwan Fouéré.