Chris Burns: Ethnic strife flares again in Balkans

Chris Burns

CNN Correspondent Chris Burns covered the funeral Saturday of Goran Stojanovski, a member of Macedonia's Interior Ministry police killed in an attack by ethnic Albanian rebels along the border with the internationally run Serbian province of Kosovo.

Q: How are Macedonia's ethnic Albanians and its government reacting to the latest incidents?

BURNS: So far the government is taking what some call a measured response and is going after only the rebels. They're not cracking down on the ethnic Albanian community. Members of the ethnic Albanian community are members of the government, and there doesn't seem to be a lot of support for the rebels among them. The Albanian extremists in Kosovo were defeated in elections last year, and some here say they are resorting to violence because it is the only thing they have left.

Ever since last month, when Macedonia and Yugoslavia signed a border treaty that clearly defined the border between them -- that pushes the rebels back to the wall even further. And the southern Serbia border zone is going to be handed back to the Serbs in a gradual manner, and that is making the rebels very nervous, and they are refusing to back down.

Q: What connection, if any, is there between the Albanian rebels operating in Serbia's Presevo Valley and those in Macedonia?

BURNS: It's unclear if they are connected. But there are reports of a possible link. It wouldn't be hard to deduce that there's some kind of link, because the two regions are one next to another.

The ethnic Albanians in southern Serbia are asking for more autonomy from the Serb government. In Macedonia, it's unclear. They have stated in the past that they wanted more autonomy as well, but they have not recently stated their goals. And keep in mind there are ethnic Albanians in the government of Macedonia.

Q: Belgrade and the NATO allies agreed to let Yugoslav security forces back into the buffer zone between Kosovo and the rest of Serbia. How are KFOR troops going about this clampdown on the borders?

BURNS: What was seen in the last few days is they have moved to tighten their patrols on the border. They did shoo out the rebels from Tanusevci, that town along the border with Macedonia, but they have not agreed with the Macedonians to establish a border zone inside Macedonia with Kosovo -- especially with the Bush administration wanting to wind down and not step up U.S. involvement.

Fresh Kosovo border clashes
March 10, 2001
Ethnic tension simmers in Macedonia
March 9, 2001
Fighting traps Macedonia minister
March 9, 2001
Crisis talks on Kosovo tension
March 7, 2001
Gun battle on Kosovo border
March 7, 2001

Macedonian Government
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
KFOR
OSCE
United Nations
NATO

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