Fischer Upbeat About End to Macedonia Crisis

F.A.Z. GENEVA. German Foreign Minister Joseph (Joschka) Fischer said on Tuesday the chances of preempting an escalation of the current conflict in Macedonia are far greater than they were in past clashes in the Balkans.

In a speech before the UN Commission on Human Rights, he said the Albanian extremists could be isolated and the Macedonian government persuaded to take their demands into account while keeping violence to a minimum. He also said that while some headway was made in the past year on human rights in countries such as Yugoslavia and Korea, there was still a "huge gap between dream and reality" worldwide. "The situation in China remains cause for major concern," he said, citing the persecution of political dissidents, members of the sect Falun Gong and the repression of Tibetan culture and religion.

Mr. Fischer also emphasized the importance of eradicating xenophobia in Germany. "It is unbearable and humiliating for us that violence against foreigners and people of color has increased in past years in Germany," he said, adding that both the German government and people were firmly committed to combating all forms of right-wing radicalism, racism and anti-Semitism in the country.