Foreign military in Macedonia, Macedonians in Afghanistan and Iraq
Truppe straniere in Macedonia, macedoni in Afghanistan ed Iraq
1. European Rapid Reaction Force to deploy in Macedonia
(La Forza Europea di Reazione Rapida sara' stanziata in Macedonia)
WSWS, 1 February 2003
2. FYROM/Germany/USA:
16/12/2003: Macedonia: Mitreva asks Germany to provide further
support to Macedonia
16/12/2003: Macedonia: Germany approves new donation to Macedonia
24/1/2003: Macedonia: Skopje, Tirana and Zagreb agree on
partnership with US
3. MACEDONIANS IN AFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ:
31/12/2003: SUCCESSFUL ARM REPRESENTATION WITHIN ISAF IN KABUL
"The first Macedonian peacekeepers, Captain Zoran Janev
and Lieutenant Marjan Nakov, received highest marks
for their participation in the Turkish contingent of
the peacekeeping forces in Afghanistan (ISAF) from
August to December 2002..."
("I primi peacekeepers macedoni, il capitano Zoran Janev
ed il luogotenente Marjan Nakov, hanno avuto i maggiori riconoscimenti
per la loro partecipazione nelle forze di peacekeeping in Afghanistan
(ISAF), dall'agosto al dicembre 2002, nell'ambito del contingente
turco [SIC]")
15/12/2003: MACEDONIAN HELICOPTERS TRAIN FOR POSSIBLE WAR IN IRAQ
23/1/2003: MACEDONIA TO SEND MILITARY UNIT TO AFGHANISTAN
=== 1 ===
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2003/feb2003/mace-f01_prn.shtml
World Socialist Web Site www.wsws.org
WSWS : News & Analysis : Europe : The Balkans
European Rapid Reaction Force to deploy in
Macedonia
By Paul Stewart
1 February 2003
Back to screen version | Send this link by email | Email the author
The European Union (EU) is preparing in March to replace NATO's
Amber Fox mission in Macedonia. Javier Solano, EU foreign policy
chief, has said this first military deployment of the EU Rapid
Reaction
Force (EURRF) will put EU-NATO relations "on a different footing."
As his remarks suggest, EU officials aim to use the mission in
Macedonia to prove that Europe can and must develop a military
capability independent of the United States.
The NATO mission in Macedonia was launched in spring 2001 after
Albanian separatists from the National Liberation Army (NLA)
crossed from Kosovo and began an armed insurgency against the
Macedonian government. The NLA had close ties with US forces and
was rescued from Macedonian troops by a US military convoy.
Subsequently the NATO mission has been scaled down from 3,000 to
800 mainly EU troops, assisting observers.
The EURRF will be deployed wearing sky blue EU berets, with EU
insignia stitched onto their national uniforms. After an agreement
signed with NATO last December, headquarters for the operation will
be in NATO facilities at Mons in Southern Belgium, and commanded
by Germany's Admiral Rainer Feist, Deputy NATO Supreme Allied
Commander for Europe.
This first military mission will follow hard on the heels of the
deployment of an EU police force in Bosnia-Herzegovina at the
beginning of January. Five hundred officers, led by a Danish police
commissioner, will train a civilian police force in the protectorate
over
the next three years.
At the inaugural ceremony for the force in Sarajevo, Solano said, "it
was not without emotion that we will see for the first time our
European colours adorn the national uniforms of our police officers in
a
mission on the ground ... a strong symbol of the collective will of
Europeans to act jointly in this key task of consolidating stability
and
security in our continent."
During last December's EU conference in Copenhagen, the president's
summation included a surprise demand that NATO hand over the
entire Bosnia-Herzegovina mission to EU command. In response, a
NATO official declared, "The first we heard of it was in the (EU)
presidency conclusions. The EU has not consulted NATO, SFOR or the
Bosnians. It was a less than optimal way of announcing it." Since the
announcement, Paddy Ashdown, the international representative in
Bosnia, has been summoned to a meeting with Solano to discuss the
proposal.
The EU has missed two previous deadlines for taking control of the
mission in Macedonia. In the first instance they were unable to
assemble a military force due to political divisions between and
within
European governments. Secondly, access to NATO facilities, seen as
crucial to the planning of the mission by a majority of those
involved,
was blocked by Turkey's veto. Turkey demanded that the EU force
should not be used in any dispute between Greece and Turkey over
Cyprus. Also Turkey wanted agreement that they would be considered
for membership of the EU in the next wave of expansion.
During the recent round of EU expansion negotiations, Turkey secured
agreement that the EURRF would not be deployed in any future crisis
over Cyprus. However the EU, led by Germany and France, refused
membership to Turkey, declaring only that its application would be
"reviewed" in 2004. One French diplomat commented in reference to
Turkey's close alliance with the US that if Turkey was admitted it
would be tantamount to granting America membership of the
European Union.
The EU's knock-back angered both the Turkish government and the
Bush administration. US Secretary of State Colin Powell sent a
strongly worded letter attacking the EU's decision.
In a clear attempt to disrupt the formation of the EURRF, last
September US NATO commanders unveiled their proposals for a
NATO Rapid Response Force. This force would be manned by 20,000
mainly European troops consisting of land, sea and air units.
According
to reports from the Euobserver, US officials asserted that the NATO
force would take on missions "unsuited to the European army".
Without consulting with the EU, NATO officials revealed detailed
proposals for the proposed force at December's summit of the alliance
in Prague. As yet, however, no cooperation agreements exist between
the two forces. NATO officials have insisted that its force be given
priority access to NATO facilities, thereby limiting the remit of the
EURRF.
Since 1999 senior French generals have argued, without consideration
for diplomatic protocol, that the EURRF should develop free from
NATO interference. In March 2002, when the EU first publicly
discussed the details of taking over command in Macedonia, French
President Jacque Chirac said, "Europe ought to go into action under
its
own steam, without having to be systematically subject to NATO."
France argued that instead of using NATO facilities, the EU should use
its own non-NATO headquarters. Other European governments at this
point rejected the French proposal out of concern that one European
power may use this to strengthen its position in the command
structures of the new force.
The Bush administration's attempts to disrupt the formation of the
EURRF are giving French arguments greater credibility. As the EU
force is becoming a reality it is forcing political parties and
parliaments
in Europe's capitals to take a political stand, for or against the
development of the EURRF.
Last March an exchange of letters between the British Foreign Office
and the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) revealed serious political
differences within the British establishment. Foreign Secretary Jack
Straw demanded that British troops be despatched to join the EU
mission in Macedonia and expressed the fear that the British could be
excluded in the future. But the MoD opposed Straw's proposal,
insisting that the EU force is incapable of conducting such a mission.
Its officials insisted that the EU force was incapable of such a
mission
and if an already unstable political situation in Macedonia got out of
control it would threaten the stability of the whole Balkan region.
For
the time being the MOD position has won the day.
Senior European military analysts regard this year as "critical" in
the
formation of a European response to the challenge of US military
predominance. On January 1, 2003 Greece took over the rotating EU
presidency and has said its tenure would be judged on the success of
the
Macedonia mission. It also announced that, with French and German
support, the presidency would work toward the creation of a "common
market for defence products" and the formation of an EU arms agency.
It has also been proposed that the new EU constitution, currently
being
drafted, should contain a "solidarity clause" based on Article 5 of
NATO's Charter, specifying that an attack on a member state will be
regarded as an attack on all the EU-effectively establishing a
military
alliance.
All eyes will be on the success or failure of the EU command in
Macedonia. According to a series of Reuters articles the US is
engaging
in measures to delay and disrupt the handover deadline. Germany's
Sueddeutsche Zeitung has reported that the Bush administration had
written to a number of European governments, and to Solano, insisting
the EU can take over the mission in June only after a detailed
discussion on the relationship between the two fledgling forces.
The Macedonia mission is a risky politically motivated adventure by
the
European bourgeoisie. It can be said, with a degree of certainty, that
one casualty of the EURRF's deployment will be the myth of a more
"reasonable and understanding" European foreign policy.
Copyright 1998-2002
World Socialist Web Site
All rights reserved
=== 2 ===
http://www.makfax.com.mk/news1-a.asp?br=26714
Makfax (FYROM)
December 16, 2002
Macedonia: Mitreva asks Germany to provide further
support to Macedonia
Macedonia expects further support from Germany to
accelerate country?s integration to the European Union
structures, said the Macedonian Minister of Foreign
Affairs, Ilinka Mitreva, in an interview with Radio
Deutsche Welle Macedonian-language program.
Macedonian Foreign Minister is in Berlin talks with
the German Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister
Joschka Fischer, the Minister of Defense Peter Struck
and the President of Bundestag Wolfgang Tirze.
?The talks will focus on bilateral co-operation, NATO
enlargement and modalities to boost the regional
co-operation,? sad Mitreva, adding that the main focus
will be put on economic co-operation.
Mitreva underlined the necessity to strengthen the
long-term co-operation and friendship between
Macedonia and Germany, adding that Germany is the
first country of the EU member-states that she visited
after taking up the post. Germany granted today 150
terrain vehicles to the Army of the Republic of
Macedonia. This is a second consecutive donation to
Macedonian Army.
---
http://www.makfax.com.mk/news1-a.asp?br=26711
Makfax
December 16, 2002
Macedonia: Germany approves new donation to Macedonia
Germany will donate 150 terrain vehicles to the
Macedonian Army, Makfax news agency said.
The donation ceremony will take place today at
Skopje?s Barracks Goce Delcev. Macedonian Minister of
Defense Vlado Buckovski will attend the ceremony. Two
years ago, Germany donated 130 armored personnel
carriers. This grant had boosted the mobility of the
Macedonian Army units.
---
http://www.makfax.com.mk/news1-a.asp?br=29536
Makfax (Macedonia)
January 24, 2003
Macedonia: Skopje, Tirana and Zagreb agree on
partnership with US
The State Secretaries of the Foreign Ministries of
Macedonia, Albania and Croatia adjusted today the text
of the Charter on Partnership with the United States.
The partnmership between the United States and the
three countries will contribute to accession of these
three countries in NATO, said Makfax news agency.
"The document wil be wrapped up at the next meeting
between the representatives of the three countries,
scheduled for February in Tirana. This meeting will
focus on wide-ranging program for co-operation, as
well as the necessary activities due to be undertaken
until the next summit of NATO, scheduled for 2004,"
said the State Secretary of the Macedonian Foreign
Ministry Risto Nikovski.
The Foreign Ministers of Macedonia, Albania and
Croatia will meet in March in Croatain city of
Dubrovnik to adopt the Partnership Charter. The
signing ceremony will take place in Washington.
The Director of the Democracise in Transition Project,
Bruce Jackson, attened the meeting of the State
Secretaries of the Foreign Ministries of Macedonia,
Albania and Croatia. He said the signing of the
Charter will take place in Washington in March.
=== 3 ===
http://www.mia.com.mk/ang/glavnavest/
lastvest.asp?vest=\Refresh1\523-3012.htm
Macedonian Information Agency
December 31, 2002
SUCCESSFUL ARM REPRESENTATION WITHIN ISAF IN KABUL
The first Macedonian peacekeepers, Captain Zoran Janev
and Lieutenant Marjan Nakov, received highest marks
for their participation in the Turkish contingent of
the peacekeeping forces in Afghanistan (ISAF) from
August to December 2002.
Janev and Nakov said they managed to represent the
Macedonian Army (ARM) in the best possible manner
before the ISAF member-countries.
Janev and Nakov will share their precious experience
from Kabul with other ARM soldiers, who will be
engaged in peacekeeping missions. They wish to be part
of other similar missions, considering that such
engagements bring Macedonia closer to NATO.
Captan Marjan Ugrev and Lieutenant Vasil Pacemski have
been included in the Turkish contingent of ISAF since
December 20. In late February next year, ARM will
incase the number of its soldiers within ISAF, by
including its infantry department in the German
contingent.
---
http://www.rferl.org/newsline/2003/01/4-SEE/see-150103.asp
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
January 15, 2003
MACEDONIAN HELICOPTERS TRAIN FOR POSSIBLE WAR IN IRAQ
Macedonian helicopter crews have begun training for
the possible participation of two Mi8 helicopters in a
conflict in Iraq, dpa reported from Skopje on 14
January, citing the daily "Dnevnik." The report added
that Macedonia feels it has an obligation to support
its allies because it is a member of NATO's
Partnership for Peace. PM
---
http://www.ptd.net/webnews/wed/ct/Qmacedonia-afghanistan.RH6A_DJN.html
Macedonia to send military unit to Afghanistan
SKOPJE, Jan 23 (AFP) - The Macedonian parliament voted
on Thursday to send a unit of 10 soldiers to join an
international security force in Afghanistan.
Macedonian soldiers will be part of German contingent
of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)
for a six-month period beginning from February, the
parliamentary press office said in a statement.
Two Macedonian liaison officiers, who served within
Turkish contingent of ISAF, returned in December after
a six-month mission.
Germany and The Netherlands are due to take over the
ISAF leadership from Turkey on February 10 for a
period of six months.
The 4,800-strong force has patrolled Kabul and its
environs since its creation under an Afghan
power-sharing agreement reached in Bonn in 2001.
===
[source of most articles: Questo indirizzo email è protetto dagli spambots. È necessario abilitare JavaScript per vederlo.; R. Rozoff)
Truppe straniere in Macedonia, macedoni in Afghanistan ed Iraq
1. European Rapid Reaction Force to deploy in Macedonia
(La Forza Europea di Reazione Rapida sara' stanziata in Macedonia)
WSWS, 1 February 2003
2. FYROM/Germany/USA:
16/12/2003: Macedonia: Mitreva asks Germany to provide further
support to Macedonia
16/12/2003: Macedonia: Germany approves new donation to Macedonia
24/1/2003: Macedonia: Skopje, Tirana and Zagreb agree on
partnership with US
3. MACEDONIANS IN AFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ:
31/12/2003: SUCCESSFUL ARM REPRESENTATION WITHIN ISAF IN KABUL
"The first Macedonian peacekeepers, Captain Zoran Janev
and Lieutenant Marjan Nakov, received highest marks
for their participation in the Turkish contingent of
the peacekeeping forces in Afghanistan (ISAF) from
August to December 2002..."
("I primi peacekeepers macedoni, il capitano Zoran Janev
ed il luogotenente Marjan Nakov, hanno avuto i maggiori riconoscimenti
per la loro partecipazione nelle forze di peacekeeping in Afghanistan
(ISAF), dall'agosto al dicembre 2002, nell'ambito del contingente
turco [SIC]")
15/12/2003: MACEDONIAN HELICOPTERS TRAIN FOR POSSIBLE WAR IN IRAQ
23/1/2003: MACEDONIA TO SEND MILITARY UNIT TO AFGHANISTAN
=== 1 ===
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2003/feb2003/mace-f01_prn.shtml
World Socialist Web Site www.wsws.org
WSWS : News & Analysis : Europe : The Balkans
European Rapid Reaction Force to deploy in
Macedonia
By Paul Stewart
1 February 2003
Back to screen version | Send this link by email | Email the author
The European Union (EU) is preparing in March to replace NATO's
Amber Fox mission in Macedonia. Javier Solano, EU foreign policy
chief, has said this first military deployment of the EU Rapid
Reaction
Force (EURRF) will put EU-NATO relations "on a different footing."
As his remarks suggest, EU officials aim to use the mission in
Macedonia to prove that Europe can and must develop a military
capability independent of the United States.
The NATO mission in Macedonia was launched in spring 2001 after
Albanian separatists from the National Liberation Army (NLA)
crossed from Kosovo and began an armed insurgency against the
Macedonian government. The NLA had close ties with US forces and
was rescued from Macedonian troops by a US military convoy.
Subsequently the NATO mission has been scaled down from 3,000 to
800 mainly EU troops, assisting observers.
The EURRF will be deployed wearing sky blue EU berets, with EU
insignia stitched onto their national uniforms. After an agreement
signed with NATO last December, headquarters for the operation will
be in NATO facilities at Mons in Southern Belgium, and commanded
by Germany's Admiral Rainer Feist, Deputy NATO Supreme Allied
Commander for Europe.
This first military mission will follow hard on the heels of the
deployment of an EU police force in Bosnia-Herzegovina at the
beginning of January. Five hundred officers, led by a Danish police
commissioner, will train a civilian police force in the protectorate
over
the next three years.
At the inaugural ceremony for the force in Sarajevo, Solano said, "it
was not without emotion that we will see for the first time our
European colours adorn the national uniforms of our police officers in
a
mission on the ground ... a strong symbol of the collective will of
Europeans to act jointly in this key task of consolidating stability
and
security in our continent."
During last December's EU conference in Copenhagen, the president's
summation included a surprise demand that NATO hand over the
entire Bosnia-Herzegovina mission to EU command. In response, a
NATO official declared, "The first we heard of it was in the (EU)
presidency conclusions. The EU has not consulted NATO, SFOR or the
Bosnians. It was a less than optimal way of announcing it." Since the
announcement, Paddy Ashdown, the international representative in
Bosnia, has been summoned to a meeting with Solano to discuss the
proposal.
The EU has missed two previous deadlines for taking control of the
mission in Macedonia. In the first instance they were unable to
assemble a military force due to political divisions between and
within
European governments. Secondly, access to NATO facilities, seen as
crucial to the planning of the mission by a majority of those
involved,
was blocked by Turkey's veto. Turkey demanded that the EU force
should not be used in any dispute between Greece and Turkey over
Cyprus. Also Turkey wanted agreement that they would be considered
for membership of the EU in the next wave of expansion.
During the recent round of EU expansion negotiations, Turkey secured
agreement that the EURRF would not be deployed in any future crisis
over Cyprus. However the EU, led by Germany and France, refused
membership to Turkey, declaring only that its application would be
"reviewed" in 2004. One French diplomat commented in reference to
Turkey's close alliance with the US that if Turkey was admitted it
would be tantamount to granting America membership of the
European Union.
The EU's knock-back angered both the Turkish government and the
Bush administration. US Secretary of State Colin Powell sent a
strongly worded letter attacking the EU's decision.
In a clear attempt to disrupt the formation of the EURRF, last
September US NATO commanders unveiled their proposals for a
NATO Rapid Response Force. This force would be manned by 20,000
mainly European troops consisting of land, sea and air units.
According
to reports from the Euobserver, US officials asserted that the NATO
force would take on missions "unsuited to the European army".
Without consulting with the EU, NATO officials revealed detailed
proposals for the proposed force at December's summit of the alliance
in Prague. As yet, however, no cooperation agreements exist between
the two forces. NATO officials have insisted that its force be given
priority access to NATO facilities, thereby limiting the remit of the
EURRF.
Since 1999 senior French generals have argued, without consideration
for diplomatic protocol, that the EURRF should develop free from
NATO interference. In March 2002, when the EU first publicly
discussed the details of taking over command in Macedonia, French
President Jacque Chirac said, "Europe ought to go into action under
its
own steam, without having to be systematically subject to NATO."
France argued that instead of using NATO facilities, the EU should use
its own non-NATO headquarters. Other European governments at this
point rejected the French proposal out of concern that one European
power may use this to strengthen its position in the command
structures of the new force.
The Bush administration's attempts to disrupt the formation of the
EURRF are giving French arguments greater credibility. As the EU
force is becoming a reality it is forcing political parties and
parliaments
in Europe's capitals to take a political stand, for or against the
development of the EURRF.
Last March an exchange of letters between the British Foreign Office
and the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) revealed serious political
differences within the British establishment. Foreign Secretary Jack
Straw demanded that British troops be despatched to join the EU
mission in Macedonia and expressed the fear that the British could be
excluded in the future. But the MoD opposed Straw's proposal,
insisting that the EU force is incapable of conducting such a mission.
Its officials insisted that the EU force was incapable of such a
mission
and if an already unstable political situation in Macedonia got out of
control it would threaten the stability of the whole Balkan region.
For
the time being the MOD position has won the day.
Senior European military analysts regard this year as "critical" in
the
formation of a European response to the challenge of US military
predominance. On January 1, 2003 Greece took over the rotating EU
presidency and has said its tenure would be judged on the success of
the
Macedonia mission. It also announced that, with French and German
support, the presidency would work toward the creation of a "common
market for defence products" and the formation of an EU arms agency.
It has also been proposed that the new EU constitution, currently
being
drafted, should contain a "solidarity clause" based on Article 5 of
NATO's Charter, specifying that an attack on a member state will be
regarded as an attack on all the EU-effectively establishing a
military
alliance.
All eyes will be on the success or failure of the EU command in
Macedonia. According to a series of Reuters articles the US is
engaging
in measures to delay and disrupt the handover deadline. Germany's
Sueddeutsche Zeitung has reported that the Bush administration had
written to a number of European governments, and to Solano, insisting
the EU can take over the mission in June only after a detailed
discussion on the relationship between the two fledgling forces.
The Macedonia mission is a risky politically motivated adventure by
the
European bourgeoisie. It can be said, with a degree of certainty, that
one casualty of the EURRF's deployment will be the myth of a more
"reasonable and understanding" European foreign policy.
Copyright 1998-2002
World Socialist Web Site
All rights reserved
=== 2 ===
http://www.makfax.com.mk/news1-a.asp?br=26714
Makfax (FYROM)
December 16, 2002
Macedonia: Mitreva asks Germany to provide further
support to Macedonia
Macedonia expects further support from Germany to
accelerate country?s integration to the European Union
structures, said the Macedonian Minister of Foreign
Affairs, Ilinka Mitreva, in an interview with Radio
Deutsche Welle Macedonian-language program.
Macedonian Foreign Minister is in Berlin talks with
the German Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister
Joschka Fischer, the Minister of Defense Peter Struck
and the President of Bundestag Wolfgang Tirze.
?The talks will focus on bilateral co-operation, NATO
enlargement and modalities to boost the regional
co-operation,? sad Mitreva, adding that the main focus
will be put on economic co-operation.
Mitreva underlined the necessity to strengthen the
long-term co-operation and friendship between
Macedonia and Germany, adding that Germany is the
first country of the EU member-states that she visited
after taking up the post. Germany granted today 150
terrain vehicles to the Army of the Republic of
Macedonia. This is a second consecutive donation to
Macedonian Army.
---
http://www.makfax.com.mk/news1-a.asp?br=26711
Makfax
December 16, 2002
Macedonia: Germany approves new donation to Macedonia
Germany will donate 150 terrain vehicles to the
Macedonian Army, Makfax news agency said.
The donation ceremony will take place today at
Skopje?s Barracks Goce Delcev. Macedonian Minister of
Defense Vlado Buckovski will attend the ceremony. Two
years ago, Germany donated 130 armored personnel
carriers. This grant had boosted the mobility of the
Macedonian Army units.
---
http://www.makfax.com.mk/news1-a.asp?br=29536
Makfax (Macedonia)
January 24, 2003
Macedonia: Skopje, Tirana and Zagreb agree on
partnership with US
The State Secretaries of the Foreign Ministries of
Macedonia, Albania and Croatia adjusted today the text
of the Charter on Partnership with the United States.
The partnmership between the United States and the
three countries will contribute to accession of these
three countries in NATO, said Makfax news agency.
"The document wil be wrapped up at the next meeting
between the representatives of the three countries,
scheduled for February in Tirana. This meeting will
focus on wide-ranging program for co-operation, as
well as the necessary activities due to be undertaken
until the next summit of NATO, scheduled for 2004,"
said the State Secretary of the Macedonian Foreign
Ministry Risto Nikovski.
The Foreign Ministers of Macedonia, Albania and
Croatia will meet in March in Croatain city of
Dubrovnik to adopt the Partnership Charter. The
signing ceremony will take place in Washington.
The Director of the Democracise in Transition Project,
Bruce Jackson, attened the meeting of the State
Secretaries of the Foreign Ministries of Macedonia,
Albania and Croatia. He said the signing of the
Charter will take place in Washington in March.
=== 3 ===
http://www.mia.com.mk/ang/glavnavest/
lastvest.asp?vest=\Refresh1\523-3012.htm
Macedonian Information Agency
December 31, 2002
SUCCESSFUL ARM REPRESENTATION WITHIN ISAF IN KABUL
The first Macedonian peacekeepers, Captain Zoran Janev
and Lieutenant Marjan Nakov, received highest marks
for their participation in the Turkish contingent of
the peacekeeping forces in Afghanistan (ISAF) from
August to December 2002.
Janev and Nakov said they managed to represent the
Macedonian Army (ARM) in the best possible manner
before the ISAF member-countries.
Janev and Nakov will share their precious experience
from Kabul with other ARM soldiers, who will be
engaged in peacekeeping missions. They wish to be part
of other similar missions, considering that such
engagements bring Macedonia closer to NATO.
Captan Marjan Ugrev and Lieutenant Vasil Pacemski have
been included in the Turkish contingent of ISAF since
December 20. In late February next year, ARM will
incase the number of its soldiers within ISAF, by
including its infantry department in the German
contingent.
---
http://www.rferl.org/newsline/2003/01/4-SEE/see-150103.asp
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
January 15, 2003
MACEDONIAN HELICOPTERS TRAIN FOR POSSIBLE WAR IN IRAQ
Macedonian helicopter crews have begun training for
the possible participation of two Mi8 helicopters in a
conflict in Iraq, dpa reported from Skopje on 14
January, citing the daily "Dnevnik." The report added
that Macedonia feels it has an obligation to support
its allies because it is a member of NATO's
Partnership for Peace. PM
---
http://www.ptd.net/webnews/wed/ct/Qmacedonia-afghanistan.RH6A_DJN.html
Macedonia to send military unit to Afghanistan
SKOPJE, Jan 23 (AFP) - The Macedonian parliament voted
on Thursday to send a unit of 10 soldiers to join an
international security force in Afghanistan.
Macedonian soldiers will be part of German contingent
of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)
for a six-month period beginning from February, the
parliamentary press office said in a statement.
Two Macedonian liaison officiers, who served within
Turkish contingent of ISAF, returned in December after
a six-month mission.
Germany and The Netherlands are due to take over the
ISAF leadership from Turkey on February 10 for a
period of six months.
The 4,800-strong force has patrolled Kabul and its
environs since its creation under an Afghan
power-sharing agreement reached in Bonn in 2001.
===
[source of most articles: Questo indirizzo email è protetto dagli spambots. È necessario abilitare JavaScript per vederlo.; R. Rozoff)