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Europe
Macedonia |
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Republic of Macedonia is the constitutional name, used by the UK since 1999 for bilateral and internal purposes. Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is used in multilateral forums such as the EU or UN. Last reviewed: 06 August 2009 |
Country information
HISTORY
Recent History
Independence
On 9 September 1991, Macedonians overwhelmingly voted in favour of independence from Yugoslavia. This led to the adoption on 20 November 1991 of a new constitution, which proclaimed the 'Republic of Macedonia' as a sovereign and independent state. In March 1992 the peaceful withdrawal of the Yugoslav army from its territory was successfully negotiated. Macedonia was the only country to accede from the Yugoslav federation peacefully.
Conflict in 2001
Stability in Macedonia was seriously affected by the Kosovo crisis in 1999, during which the country received around 300,000 refugees. Albanians form the principal minority, comprising 25% of the population according to the census of 2002, the results of which were announced on 1 December 2003. They live mainly in the west of the country, neighbouring Albania and Kosovo. Violence between ethnic Albanian insurgents and the security forces broke out in February 2001, starting with a number of isolated incidents between the ‘National Liberation Army’ (NLA) and the Macedonian police in the area of Tanusevci, near the Kosovo border. Macedonian forces were able to establish tentative control of the area towards the end of March. After a lull, violence resumed in late April with an attack that left eight members of the Government forces dead; in early May the NLA seized villages near the northern town of Kumanovo. Following the signing of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU on 9 April 2001 (see below), a parliamentary 'Europe Committee' was established as a means of enhancing political and particularly inter-ethnic dialogue. As the situation deteriorated, however, the political dialogue made little progress. The humanitarian situation worsened, particularly in the NLA-held villages. Tens of thousands of ethnic Albanians managed to flee the fighting to southern Kosovo and Serbia, whilst ethnic Macedonians tended to flee to other parts of the country. According to UNHCR monitoring, most refugees and internally displaced persons were accommodated by local families.
The Ohrid Framework Agreement
Fighting was interrupted in June when NATO negotiated a cease-fire between the two sides. The cease-fire more or less held whilst peace talks continued between the ethnic Albanian and Macedonian political leaders and the late President Trajkovski. These talks, facilitated by the European Union, NATO, the US and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), produced a settlement based around a Framework Agreement. In broad terms, the Agreement called for an end to the conflict by disarming the NLA, offering them an amnesty, and initiating a reform process to address ethnic Albanian aspirations. It was formally signed in Ohrid on 13 August. In late August, as called for in the Framework Agreement, NATO deployed a Task Force 'Essential Harvest', comprising over 3000 troops, to collect weapons volunteered by the NLA. The mission was successful and during September and early October, the level of violence in the country greatly reduced whilst the political process concentrated efforts on implementing the Ohrid Framework Agreement.
After much prevarication, the Macedonian Parliament formally ratified the constitutional changes as agreed at Ohrid on 16 November. President Trajkovski promulgated an amnesty for former NLA fighters and an enhanced mission of international monitors was deployed to facilitate both the return of displaced people to their homes and of the Macedonian police to the areas of conflict. Successive NATO task forces provided necessary security until the 31 March 2003 when this duty was passed over to the first EU military mission, Operation Concordia, which terminated on 15 December 2003.
On 8 March 2002, the Macedonian Parliament passed an Amnesty Law, providing amnesty to those involved in the conflict. In the summer of 2004, a package of laws on decentralisation was passed. A referendum to go back to the 1996 laws was called and held on 7 November. The referendum failed due to low voter turnout (26% turnout against a required 50% plus one quorum). On 15 July 2005, the Macedonian Parliament passed legislation covering the display of national flags and symbols. This completed the legislative agenda of the Ohrid Framework Agreement.
BBC News Country Timeline: Macedonia
