Dear Editor, I will post my comment towards you beacuse it seems that the article written by mr. MacShane does not deserve a direct answer towards him. Firstly I will mention the fact that the newsweek journal I bought was my first. I have always heard that it has some really analytical articles that are always investigated in depth about their impartiality. I was really surprised to read the above article thought and I will try and explain why.
The article has an initial mistake in naming the FYROM as "Macedonia". If mr MacShane (who was Britain's Europe Minister) does not call a country by its official name then it should be up to your Journal to do so by editing it. And adding to that I will not call "a surreal dispute over what Macedonia's name should be" what Greece is doing. It is defending its history and culture, and it mr. MacShane can not understand this then definitely has not spend any time reading any history of Europe, apart maybe from what is written in the tabloits of his country.
The fact that countries like Spain and Greece have not recognised Kosovo, is not about local politics but about the fact that in order for someone to declare its indipedence there has to be an agreemeent from the UN too. I would like to remind mr. MacShane how his country treated other countries that wanted to declare their indipedence (e.g. USA, India etc). It is very rich for him to suddenly being the protector of other countries while his country is still occupying IRAQ.
In reference to his comments about "openly defy the rest of the Union's desire to allow Kosovo to govern itself" I would like to remmind him of the numerous ocassions his country has defied the policies of the EU in matters like IRAQ for example. He should not be using the EU policies for his benefit when its for his interest and vice versa. Its this selective policy of his country, and especially of the previous government of his country under Tony Blair that he was part of, to call on EU policy when its on their interest.
Finally I would like to add that posting and / or publishing articles that are not historically or internationally recognised, and even reaching the point of being untrue, its not something I was expecting when I bought my issue of Newsweek. I expect a correction or / and an apology for this mistake by you or your editing team.
Regards,
Dr. Iordanis Chidiroglou
Nicosia, Cyprus
‘The Balkanization Of Europe’
The European Union, NATO and the United Nations are all turning a blind eye to the troubles in the Balkans.
Member Comments
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Posted By: Iordanis @ 06/17/2008 5:22:56 AM
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Posted By: srbija @ 06/14/2008 12:20:22 PM
Dear Editor,
This article is filed with hate and dirty lies toward Orthodox Serbian People, but shamefuly work in favor of Kosovo Albanian Muslim Terrorist. All writen above is closing eyes before all act af pure Terrorisam that it has been excerised by the Terrorist Albanians from Kosovo. All what this gentlemen wrote is a pure nasty lies. I will ask him how much money did he received from those KLA Muslim Terrorists? What it will take for this kind of politicians and EU and NATO to actept the fact that Muslim Albanian Terrorists are Major Thret for peace in the region? maybe over 150 medival churches and monasteries to be destroyed, or over a few thousand Serbian houses to be burned to the ground, or over four thousand missing persons who were taken by thesse Terrorist to Albania were they were brutaly murdered by taking their internal organs for black market, oh wait all that happen already?! Or maybe to accept the fact that Kosovo now is EU Columbia, were criminals and muredres find peace, and were drugs, arms and human trafficinkg is usual way to earn income. Or were Serbian People in 21st Century in the middle of the Europe are living behind barb wires and in insolated enclaves??? Shame Shame Shame on the face of Christian Europe. This guy is nasty i am sad that people like him can be politicians. More info could be found at Serbian Church web page: www.kosovo.net
Rev. Radovan
Denver, CO -
Posted By: srbija @ 06/14/2008 12:04:23 PM
Dear Editor,
This article shows that Mr. MacShane has very crocket view of the situation in this region. It is obvious that he hates Serb, Greeks and Macedonians, but on the other had he strongly supports Albanian Muslim Terrorist at Kosovo and Macedonia. I wonder how much money did he received from Kosovo Albanian terrorist leaders. It seems that he is closing his eyes before all facts and monstrous act of violence and terrorism that Kosovo terrorist leaders are exercising toward all non Albanian people who lived there. The most recent information is that Albanians were kidnapping Serbs and were taking them to Albania were they would take their internal organs for black market!? how many Churches and medieval monasteries have been destroyed before the eyes of the EU and NATO (over 150)?! how many Serbian homes were burned to the ground (over several thousand)... what it would take for EU to realize that Terrorist from Kosovo are major threat to security in the region? many facts could be fond on Serbian Church web page: www.kosovo.net please visit. This article is shameful and filed with nasty lies and hate toward Orthodox Christian People from Balkans . Shame.
Rev. Radovan Petrovic,
Denver, CO -
Posted By: Apostol @ 06/14/2008 11:45:25 AM
It is sad to read what someone like Denis MacShane talks about Serbs , and on other side giving favorisation to other side , first he should clean mass infront his house eg. Ireland then he should get more educated for someone who was in parlament that shows me that he should be in some 3rd world county since his level of knowlege is bellow high school kid.
Serbs as welll slavs in general know that Vatican and so called free western world hate them . In year of bombing Serbia and killing civilians CNN stated when train full of people was hit by tomahawk it was " colleteral damage " ?? than I can conclude same for 9/11 also .
Albanians from Kosovo on other hand are organized crime nation who even birds know selling heroin big time in EU and guess who gets money from them ??? A lot of politicians in USA and EU do . "Truth" in so called free western world is valuded by money you spent to present same .Albanians are multiplay like rats and avrege family is about 10 kids as a smart tactics to take over lands they live in . Western world is alowing them to crate big Albania what was a project started by Enver Hodja and their old dream .
As for Serbs , everyone can kill them and thats fine according to Denis Macwhatever ,
Croats can make naci state again ,Send 400.000 serbs to refugge camps , why Serbs then can not get Croatian land since they was main population in those parts of Croatia ? Concentarion camp Jasenovac (please google and read ) where 500.000 serbs,jews and gypsies was killed on most brutal way history knows never was presented in western media , Vatican involvement also .
But who cares , lies , western-anglo propaganda supported with Jews from USA makes this world sorry place as it is . West world is and eveyone see it is , looks like it is going downhill and nothing will help it anymore . Thats a free world they created where rich is more rich and rest of slaves are promised better life in Haven . U do have to be very stupid to beleive it those storiers .
And again Serbia is part of EU always is and i do beleive they should not strive to be in EU no benefits from people who was killing them for centuries , They don???t need EU at all
resurces , geografic positon is what they can use in their adventage , every power knowing history wanted that place for them self , dispite Denis non educated comments , from Austro_Ugarians to Otomans etc .
Serbs should conect to Russians , China and Slavs and deal with them , EU will not bring them any good . I hope they will learn leson . -
Posted By: ilir_dardani @ 06/13/2008 3:24:34 PM
Kudos to Mr. MacSahne, he has hit the nail squarely on the head again.
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Posted By: tricky6 @ 06/13/2008 4:26:22 AM
Sir,
This is not the first time Mr. MacShane has expressed his absolute hatred of the Serbian Nation. He has a total ignorance of Balkan history. If I remember correctly, one of his previous articles showed his complete ignorance of the UN listed terrorist organisation the Kosovo Liberation Army. The ex CoC who is now the "so called" liberated Kosov's PM.
Richard Sixsmith, Belgrade. -
Posted By: NikolaXXX @ 06/13/2008 12:16:37 AM
I quite don???t understand what is the author's problem.
Mr. MacShane Do you even read what you write?
Or are you just a fiction character build by the ones spreading the propaganda against the people who truly suffer and have suffered on the Balkans.
I urge anyone who reads these lies, not to take any word said here into consideration or, and as the truth of what is going on in the region.
The public has the right to make their own judgment on who is the guilty party and why all of these things happen in the Balkans, please do your own research, read comments and facts from different sources and make your own judgment, don???t take things said by Mr. Denis MacShane ( if he exists at al0 for granted) -
Posted By: dryman @ 06/12/2008 1:54:09 PM
The viewpoints of this person demonstrate a wide ignorance of the Balkan area and the criminal power games played on this land by all international powers in the past and in present.
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Posted By: sirivanhoe98 @ 06/11/2008 9:06:17 AM
How dare the author describe Serbs in Mitrovica as criminals when the entire Albanian political leadership in Kosovo is mired deep in graft, corruption and other organized criminal activities! As for the assertion that they were funded by Serbia? If Serbia does not support Mitrovica Serbs in their hour of need, it is clear that the EU is not interested in so doing and NATO is definitely incapable of it. We know what happened in 2004, when Albanians organized a Kosovo-wide pogrom against Serbs, destroying hundreds of churches, destroying Serbs homes and killing 18 Serbs, all under NATO???s watchful eyes. The best NATO could do is help evacuate Serbs from their homes on the pretext that it is too dangerous for them to remain in their homes and in this way and contribute to ethnic cleansing of Serbs from their homes.
Balanced article? The author sweeps under the carpet Western funding, arming and training of KLA (UCK) terrorists, who when unleashed in Kosovo murdered scores of Serbs and whose mass graves are hushed up for fear it might upset Albanians. As Carle Del Ponte, the former ICTY prosecutor reported in her recent book, the KLA also kidnapped several hundreds Serbs and had their organs removed before they disappeared without a trace. The EU knew about these criminal acts but chose to do nothing.
Don???t blame Serbs if they do not want EU integration. EU bombings murdered 1,600 Serbs, while Jamie Shae was lying to the world that Serbs had killed 100,000 men an Prishtina???s sports stadium. Who can forget that Shae???s lie that thousands of children were born to Albanian women as a result of rape by Serbian soldiers, in less than three months, an incubation period that rivals that of rabbits and rats.
As for the death of an Albanian during Macedonia???s election, it would be good if the author gave some back-ground. All the violence leading to Macedonia???s elections was between the two rival Albanian political parties. Sadly, that is the only way they know how to settle rivalries. On Election Day police were called to Aracinovo, an Albanian strong-hold, following reports that men armed with machine guns were intimidating voters. When the security forces did arrive, a gun fight erupted with deadly consequences. The death was not a one sided act of aggression against civilians.
The author???s spin of the established narrative, EU is good and Russia and its supporters are not is getting tiresome. People can see through it. Apologising for Albanian arrogance and chauvinism by describing the victims (Serbs and Macedonians) as aggressors, ignores the 17 May 2008 foundation in Prishtina of movement whose goal is the unification of "all Albanian territories". The organization, dubbed Movement for Unification, also appointed Avni Klinaku as president. By this act alone, Albanians have shown, Albanian demand greater rights, but in reality what they want is more land. They are the true aggressors in the Balkans -
Posted By: A.Berg @ 06/10/2008 11:56:04 AM
Courageous, insightful, ballanced and realistic view on the affairs in the Balkans. We constantly label the Albanians as enjoying the support of the west, but rarely look at the motives and policies of those nations that have constantly proved itself of leading a fiercely biased policy towards the decelopments in the region. For one, I cannot understand the open anti-Albanian stance by Spain. The justification of such propaganda, based on Basque and Cathalan issues in Spain, does not solve the problem of Spain, but it sufrely contributes to destabilization of the Balkans and the return of Serbian provocative policies.
Greece on the other hand is the spoiled brat of the EU, with open disputes with Albania, Turkey, Macedonia, Bulgaria. Comfortably hiden under the skirts of the EU, this country continuosly undermines all the EU and NATO efforts in the region, ever since the shamefull involvement of Greek volunteers in the Srebrenica masacre.
Slovakia, as a newcomer to EU and with its traditionally xenophobic stance towards its neighbors, fits nicely in the profile of pro-Serbian state. Along with the Czech Republic and Romania, the leadership of these countries promotes a new line of division within EU and NATO, allegedly in defense of Slavic people, but so far that is only reduced in regard to Albanians, as the only non-Slavic nation in the region. But once the issue of dicisions between Serbs, Croats, Bosniaks, Macedonians come to table, they are all silent, neutral and 'european'. The open anti-Albanian chauvinist propaganda launched by these countries is already alarming in the EU and NATO, as such attitude based on ethnic bias (now demonstrated in the case of Kosovo) could soon erupt on another similar issue, with much graver consequences.
As far as Macedonia is concerned, I applaud Mr. MacShane for his insights, especially since he was an observer during last elections in that country. It is high time, maybe last moment, for EU and NATO to start speaking openly, clearly and decisively to Skopie: no righst for Albanians, no membership in EU and NATO! The treatment of Albanians in this country, by all standards and reports, is equal to an appartheid. The attitude of Slavic speaking Macedonians to their Albanian citizens is shamefull and discusting, especially if one takes into account that of all the neighbors of Macedonia, Albanians and Albania proper are the only ones that recognize the Macedonian nation, language, hustory, church etc. Much like Slobodan Milosevic in Serbia, the extreme right PM Gruevski of Macedonia leads a rather vulgar populist policy of rallying support of his kin by avocating hate against Albanians and Greece. EU and NATO must not wait for a decade like they did with Serbia, but must draw a line and make it clear to Mr. Gruevski that he cannot demand justic for himself and deny justice to Albanians.-
Posted By: ilir_dardani @ 06/13/2008 3:41:46 PM
Good afternoon Mr. Berg, I just wanted to thank you for the very insightful comments you have stated concerning the likes of Greece.
Greece is the laughing stock of both NATO and the European Union; absolutely no one takes Greece seriously. You are right Greece is hiding behind the skirt of both NATO and the EU. A British friend of mine is still scratching his head trying to figure out how in the hell Greece was allowed into both NATOO and the EU in the first place. Greece is a "Balkan" as both Serbia and Macedonia.
For a better understanding of Greece, I would refer you to the book, "Unholy Alliance: Greece and Milosevic's Serbia", by Takis Michas.
As for Macedonia, yes, it is basically an Apartheid State, in which the ethnic Albanians, whom happen to be the actual "Macedonians" (meaning they are the aboriginal population of the Balkans, dating back to the Pelasgians) and yet they are being treated as "Second Class" citizens in their own territory. Modern Day "Macedonians" who actually are speaking a Bulgarian Dialect are the children of Serbs, Bulgarians, and Roma that have adopted the name "Macedonian".
Btw, The Modern Day "Greeks" are actually the Byzantinized children of ethnic Albanians (Arvanites), Slavs, Turks, Vlachs, and Roma. Yet, they want the world to believe that they are the children of Plato and Socrates.
Here is what Paul Theroux wrote about his visit to Greece, in his Book, "The Pillars of Hercules, A Grand Tour of The Mediterranean, pp. 314-316, 322, G. P. Putnam's Sons (1995)
"The whole of Greece seemed to me a cut-price theme park of broken marble, a place where you were harangued in a high-minded way about Ancient Greek culture while some swarthy little person picked your pocket . . . The Greeks were not Greek, but rather the illiterate descendants of Slavs and Albanian fishermen, who spoke a debased Greek dialect and had little interest in the broken columns and temples except as places to graze their sheep . . . the Greeks struck me as being more xenophobic than the French, and more ill-tempered and irrational, in a country more backward than Croatia . . . Greece is the degraded fringe of Europe, basically a peasant society, fortunate in its ruins and its selective memory . . . More than any other place I had seen so far on the Mediterranean, Greece was purely a tourist destination, a theme park of shattered marble and broken statues, and garbled history."
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Posted By: A.Berg @ 06/10/2008 11:55:19 AM
Courageous, insightful, ballanced and realistic view on the affairs in the Balkans. We constantly label the Albanians as enjoying the support of the west, but rarely look at the motives and policies of those nations that have constantly proved itself of leading a fiercely biased policy towards the decelopments in the region. For one, I cannot understand the open anti-Albanian stance by Spain. The justification of such propaganda, based on Basque and Cathalan issues in Spain, does not solve the problem of Spain, but it sufrely contributes to destabilization of the Balkans and the return of Serbian provocative policies.
Greece on the other hand is the spoiled brat of the EU, with open disputes with Albania, Turkey, Macedonia, Bulgaria. Comfortably hiden under the skirts of the EU, this country continuosly undermines all the EU and NATO efforts in the region, ever since the shamefull involvement of Greek volunteers in the Srebrenica masacre.
Slovakia, as a newcomer to EU and with its traditionally xenophobic stance towards its neighbors, fits nicely in the profile of pro-Serbian state. Along with the Czech Republic and Romania, the leadership of these countries promotes a new line of division within EU and NATO, allegedly in defense of Slavic people, but so far that is only reduced in regard to Albanians, as the only non-Slavic nation in the region. But once the issue of dicisions between Serbs, Croats, Bosniaks, Macedonians come to table, they are all silent, neutral and 'european'. The open anti-Albanian chauvinist propaganda launched by these countries is already alarming in the EU and NATO, as such attitude based on ethnic bias (now demonstrated in the case of Kosovo) could soon erupt on another similar issue, with much graver consequences.
As far as Macedonia is concerned, I applaud Mr. MacShane for his insights, especially since he was an observer during last elections in that country. It is high time, maybe last moment, for EU and NATO to start speaking openly, clearly and decisively to Skopie: no righst for Albanians, no membership in EU and NATO! The treatment of Albanians in this country, by all standards and reports, is equal to an appartheid. The attitude of Slavic speaking Macedonians to their Albanian citizens is shamefull and discusting, especially if one takes into account that of all the neighbors of Macedonia, Albanians and Albania proper are the only ones that recognize the Macedonian nation, language, hustory, church etc. Much like Slobodan Milosevic in Serbia, the extreme right PM Gruevski of Macedonia leads a rather vulgar populist policy of rallying support of his kin by avocating hate against Albanians and Greece. EU and NATO must not wait for a decade like they did with Serbia, but must draw a line and make it clear to Mr. Gruevski that he cannot demand justic for himself and deny justice to Albanians. -
Posted By: Drakula @ 06/10/2008 10:02:28 AM
Britain's Europe minister in Tony bLiar's government is lying again.
"New Kosovo" is nothing else than a collection of mobs and criminal gangs.
Greetings from Balkans ! -
Posted By: Drakula @ 06/10/2008 10:01:44 AM
Britain's Europe minister in Tony bLiar's government is lying again.
"New Kosovo" is nothing else than a collection of mobs and criminal gangs.
Greetings from Balkans ! -
Posted By: NikolaXXX @ 06/09/2008 3:01:36 PM
"During Macedonia's election earlier this month, the police opened fire and killed a political activist who was angry about the open stuffing of ballot boxes and other crude election manipulation. The strange thing was that the ruling party did not even need to fix the election???it had the votes it needed to win. But like the scorpion in the fable, Balkan politicians just keep stinging themselves to death."
It is obvious that Mr. Denis MacShane did not do his homework on the Balkans.
The problems in the Macedonian elections were caused in the regions populated by the country's Albanian minority. If he was ever there he might have realised that there is no way to control the Albanian (Kosovar) gangs that manipulate the Macedonian Albanian population. What the police did was in order to protect the votes of the Macedonian Albanian population, as it is clear that teh ruling party did not need those votes in order to stay in power as it already had the votes of the Macedonian citizens, who this time were united.
I suggest that Mr. Denis MacShane should dig up some history and read about the Balkans, visit the region and do some studying on it, before trying to write about an issue that is out of his domain. -
Posted By: Maia P @ 06/09/2008 9:43:11 AM
Quote: "EU member nations like Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece and Spain openly defy the rest of the Union's desire to allow Kosovo to govern itself" ???
The Author makes a confusing statement!!!
Bulgaria as a member of EU recognized independent Kosovo some 2 months ago but Romania is still defying the rest of the Union!!! So, it appears that mixing up the names of the two countries Mrs. MacShane has still to learn more about the region ! -
Posted By: Maia P @ 06/09/2008 9:40:04 AM
"EU member nations like Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece and Spain openly defy the rest of the Union's desire to allow Kosovo to govern itself" ???
The Author makes a confusing statement!!!
Bulgaria as a member of EU recognized independent Kosovo some 2 months ago but Romania is still defying the rest of the Union!!! So, it appears that mixing up the names of the two countries Mrs. MacShane has still to learn more about the region ! -
Posted By: musicmaster @ 06/09/2008 7:44:21 AM
The main problem of the Balkan has always been that Western politicians who didn't know what they were talking about wanted to impose their will for status reasons. The lack of arguments in mr MacShane's vision and his distortion of the facts makes clear where he stands. His only really aim seems to be to annoy Russia and the Balkans are just a tool for him to do that.
In Mitrovica a court building had been occupied by protestors who had a quite reasonable case. Unfortunately some elements in UNMIK chose to undo this occupation in an unnecessarily harsh way and then to wait a long time before they left so that a large mass of protestors could gather. Their really goal in this was to crush the Serb resistance against Kosovo's independence declaration. UN headquarters is now investigating the affair.
As for Macedonia: the killed protestor was armed and part of an armed group. And he was not protesting but trying to influence the elections.
Finally, Ahtisaari's Plan is not nicely balanced. It is blatantly pro-Albanian. What it offers the Serbs is only window dressing for the fact that it robs them in the long term of international protection and leaves them at the mercy of Albanian dominated police and politicians who will drive them out in the end.
EU involvement in the Balkans can help. But if it is by people like MacShane the EU might better stay home. -
Posted By: a.sarris @ 06/09/2008 3:29:57 AM
"Bush's presidency, the United States has little diplomatic leverage, leaving Greece confident enough to snub Washington and kill Macedonia's NATO hopes in a surreal dispute over what Macedonia's name should be."
Only someone totally ignorant of the issues would print this statement, but this is not surprising since Sate department and its opratives show a frightening ignorance of history of the Balkans. The issue is the identity of the Slavs who inhabit the republic of Skpjia. they claim to be direct descendants of the Macedonians of Alexander the Great, and in a surreal fashion they adopt as their flag the sun of vergina (found in a tomb delived to be of Phipip Alexander's father) or they name their airport "Alexander the Great" . What are not surreal are the territorial claims for all the geographiacal area of Macedonia as their unlibarated homeland, the fcitional "Macedonia of the Aegean". And it is this claim that will keep the doors of the EU and NATO closed to them, no matter what Washington wants. For the simple fact is that the 60% of the non-Albanian population of Skopjia are Slavs who migrated into the Balkans in the 6th and 7th century after chrict, who speak a Bulgarian dialect, and who were converted to Christianity by the monks Cyllil and Methodius, and who use the cyrillic alphabet (same as the Russians). The Macedonians of Alexander the Great were greeks, just like the Spartans and the Athenians, spoke greek , and used the classical greek alphabet. A clear inication that the Macedonians considered themselves Greek is that Alexander the Great after one of his many victories in the Persian war he sent spoils back to geece with the dedication "Alexander the son of Philip and the Greeks, except the Lacedemonians" (the Sapratns did not go to Persia with him). So the debate is not about the name, but the name is the front of the real debate.-
Posted By: sirivanhoe98 @ 06/11/2008 8:59:43 AM
After shedding its Roman legacy, the Byzantine State adopted the Greek language, but that did not mean its emperors and aristocracy were Greek. Ancient Hellas was composed of City States. Ancient Macedonia was a kingdom. That is a big difference. Alexander???s army waged war on the Hellenic city states and subsequently conquered them. Adopting the Hellenic language and alphabet was consistent with his modus operandi of whomever he conquered. But that did not make him Greek, as neither was the Byzantine State
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Posted By: sirivanhoe98 @ 06/11/2008 8:55:14 AM
After shedding its Roman legacy, the Byzantine State adopted the Greek language, but that did not mean its emperors and aristocracy were Greek. Ancient Hellas was composed of City States. Ancient Macedonia was a kingdom. That is a big difference. Alexander???s army waged war on the Hellenic city states and subsequently conquered them. Adopting the Hellenic language and alphabet was consistent with his modus operandi of whomever he conquered. But that did not make him Greek, as neither was the Byzantine State
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