Press release - 10 August 1998

The International Crisis Group (ICG) publishes today a report examining the Macedonian dimension of the Kosovo conflict.

The 24-page report, entitled The Albanian Question in Macedonia:

Implications of the Kosovo Conflict for Inter-Ethnic Relations in Macedonia is the latest in a series of ICG studies in the southern Balkans and the second to focus specifically on Macedonia.

As the one former Yugoslav republic which has managed to keep itself out of the wars of Yugoslav dissolution, Macedonia has often appeared to outsiders as a beacon of hope in the Balkans. However, inter-ethnic relations in the young state are poor.

As fighting between ethnic Albanian separatists and the Serbian police and military escalates in Kosovo, relations between ethnic Macedonians and ethnic Albanians -- who make up at least 23 percent of the population -- are deteriorating alarmingly. As a result, Macedonia and its entire population, irrespective of ethnic origins, stand to be among the greatest long-term losers of the Kosovo conflict.

The report discusses the domestic context of inter-ethnic relations in Macedonia and assesses the influence of events in Kosovo on the aspirations and strategies of ethnic Albanians in Macedonia. It also analyses the increase in inter-ethnic tension in Macedonia as a result of the conflict

in Kosovo.

It looks at existing security arrangements in the country and the possible ramifications of additional foreign military deployment in Macedonia. The report also considers how the international community might take account of the fragile situation in Macedonia when framing its response to the crisis in Kosovo, and contains a series of recommendations about appropriate international actions to alleviate the tension in Macedonia and to contribute towards longer-term stability.

Appendices at the end list key constitutional provisions and include a useful whoÆs who of Macedonian politics and media.

For further information and copies of the report, contact ICG in Sarajevo on (+387 71) 447 845, 447 846 or 200 447, in Washington on (+1 202) 986 9750, or in Brussels on (+32 2) 502 9038. The report can also be accessed via the Internet on ICGÆs web site - http://www.intl-crisis-group.org.

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