Letters.

• Position: Letter to the Editor

Thank you from Daniela Stojanova, The Ecologists' Movement of Macedonia

Dear all,

Thank you for your solidarity and expressed opinion against NATO bombing on Yugoslavia. I want to mention that I am writing this message as my personal opinion and wish to stop not only NATO bombing, but and other violence that is happening here in the Balkans, and it does not reflect the opinion of my organization, The Ecologists' Movement of Macedonia. On the border with Yugoslavia are over 100,000 refuges who are waiting to enter into Macedonia. Macedonia is small country (25,713 km2) on the Balkan Peninsula, with [sim]2,000,000 inhabitants. Here are living Macedonians, Albanians, Turkish, Serbs, Vlaha, Gypsy etc. We are living in peace and understanding, and I hope that it will be like that in future too.

So, you can understand that we are a small country, but very old, and a country that is always open for giving help. In the Bosnian war we accepted over 80,000 refuges, and, the Government of RM (Republic of Macedonia) before the NATO air strikes, says that we could accept only 20,000 refuges from Kosovo. But, now we have more then 35,000 refuges, and 100,000 refuges are on the way for Macedonia. The International community does not help us a lot. We are sorry for refuges, and we will accept all who want to come here, but it is really sad when you are watching small kids and babies crying, and waiting on the border for days to enter our country.

Some of them do not want to go to camps, they want to go to hotels and families, and we can not give them that. (All hotels are busy because of the NATO soldiers, and of course it is so expensive). The schools are adapted for accepting the refuges, some of sport halls, and so on. The other neighbor countries do not want to accept refuges, they only say that they will give to Macedonia and Albania humanitarian help. They are afraid from the similar problem that Kosovo is. Just imagine, only one half from refuges to do not come back in Kosovo. It will change the ethnic map of Macedonia. Anyhow, in Macedonia the number of Albanians is growing, they have a lot of children. Very soon we can ask for autonomy of Macedonia. But, I hope it will not come soon, because in Macedonia, Albanians have in Albanian language complete education, they in the Government, in all institutions and so on. Separately from these refuges in Yugoslavia, especially in Belgrade and Nish, are refuges from Kosovo of Serbian nationality. The y are running away because of NATO bombings, and in my opinion it is that that Albanian refuges are running away. On TV they are saying that there are not many male refuges, and that is because Serbs are killing them. Do not believe that story. Maybe it is true, but they could be members of the Kosovo terrorist army, and they of course are staying to fight against the Yugoslav army. Nobody knows the real truth on "What is happening in Kosovo?" Only if you are living there will you understand everything.

In the last bombing on Belgrade, a gynecology hospital is located near the target that was bombed. All babies and mothers were dislocated in the shelter of the hospital. I will suggest to the Yugoslav people that we celebrate April 3 as a day of babies, because they stayed alive. NATO is making anything to Milosevic, it is doing a lot to Yugoslav people. But, they are strong, and I am really proud on them. The last nigh a lot of citizens of Belgrade went to the bridge and they stayed all the night to defend it. Concerts are going on every day on the...