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| Europe |
| Macedonian Albanians Transition to Peaceful Politics |
| 2004-06-09 |
| From Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty On 4 June, Ali Ahmeti, the chairman of the governing ethnic Albanian Democratic Union for Integration (BDI), addressed a press conference to mark the second anniversary of the BDI’s foundation. The press conference highlighted a remarkable transformation -- from an armed rebel organization to a moderate governing party. .... The BDI’s founding marked the end of a transition from a rebel organization demanding greater rights for the large ethnic Albanian minority to the major political force among the country’s ethnic Albanian parties. .... Underscoring the positive achievements of the BDI’s participation in the government, Ahmeti mentioned the voluntary disarmament of the rebels and the civilian population carried out in two separate operations in late 2001 and in late 2003. .... As another positive result of the implementation of the Ohrid peace agreement, Ahmeti noted that the representation of Albanians in the state administration has become closer to their share of the overall population. .... |
| Posted by:Mike Sylwester |