U.S. Concerned about Possible Outcome of Macedonian Referendum

(A ‘yes' vote would run counter to Ohrid Framework Agreement) (490) By Christine Johnson Washington File Staff Writer

The United States is concerned about the potential consequences of a nationwide referendum in Macedonia that could overturn the new Law on Territorial Organization, which strengthened the country's move to decentralization.

The referendum is scheduled for November 7.

The Law on Territorial Organization restructured and strengthened decentralized local government in Macedonia, and it redrew municipal boundaries to increase participation by ethnic Albanians in some areas. This was a goal that was endorsed by all parties to the 2001 Ohrid Framework Agreement, which the United States helped facilitate.

The United States supports decentralization and says it would be "a significant step forward" toward stronger democracy in Macedonia and integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions. It says the decentralization legislation not only complies with the Framework Agreement but would help to create "inclusive, ethnically diverse, fiscally stronger, and politically sounder municipalities."

Several groups opposed to decentralization drafted a petition calling for a referendum on the legislation. Their intent is to abolish the Law on Territorial Organization, which was passed by the Macedonian Parliament in August.

Under Macedonia's constitution, the government must agree to a referendum if petitioners collect 150,000 signatures. The organizers, led by the World Macedonian Congress, said they exceeded this number. The U.S. State Department says the government is therefore obliged to uphold its constitutional responsibilities and hold the referendum.

Political developments in Macedonia were discussed during a regular session of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Permanent Council in Vienna, Austria, on September 16. Ambassador Carlos Pais, head of the OSCE Spillover Monitor Mission to Skopje, reported on the mission's latest efforts to promote stability and security in Macedonia.

After the ambassador's report, Bruce Connuck, political counselor at the U.S. Mission to the OSCE, explained U.S. concerns about the outcome of Macedonia's referendum.

Connuck said a ‘yes' vote would be a vote against greater local control of government services, a vote against more transparent and more responsive institutions. A ‘yes' vote, he added, would also "run counter to the word and spirit of the Framework Agreement, which calls for fair opportunities for minority communities as the basis for an integrated, multi-ethnic, democratic Macedonia."

The U.S. diplomat said decentralization, as envisioned in the Framework Agreement and embodied in the Law on Territorial Organization, would benefit all of Macedonia's communities while ensuring that the rights of all ethnic groups are fully respected. He said the United States appreciates the work of the OSCE mission in Macedonia "to neutralize any attempts to create a negative atmosphere" in connection with the impending referendum.

[The text of Connuck's statement is available on the Web site of the U.S. Mission to the OSCE: http://www.usosce.rpo.at/archive/2004/09/Rply_to_HoM_Skopje.pdf.

The text of a State Department statement on the Macedonian referendum is available at: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2004/36219.htm]

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site:

http://usinfo.state.gov)

 

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Обратно към "Македония"