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	CIAO Focus, June 2001: Albania and Macedonia
	Ongoing clashes between Albanians and Macedonians have forced the withdrawal of human rights workers in Macedonia. Complying with ceasefire agreements, last week NATO forces evacuated Albanian forces from Aracinovo, just outside Skopje. However, sporadic fighting between paramilitary forces continues. The National Liberation Army (NLA) claims to seek equal rights for Albanians while the Macedonian government accuses them of seeking the creation of a Greater Albania. Talks are now underway to create a new draft constitution that would further the role of ethnic Albanians in government. Newly appointed U.S. envoy James Pardew is attempting to broker a deal, but diplomatic sources see a breakthrough as unlikely. With Albanian aspirations for a Greater Albania, Macedonia faces renewed identity problems. A quarter to a third of Macedonia's population are Albanians. Since the insurgency began four months ago, over 100,000 ethnic Albanians have fled to Serb controlled Kosovo. This month, CIAO examines ongoing clashes between Albania and Macedonia: From CIAO's database: Civil-Military Relations in Macedonia International Position of Macedonia and Balkan Security Ethnic Fears and Global Engagement: The International Spread and Management of Ethnic Conflict Fear and Loathing in Macedonia: Ethnic Nationalism and the Albanian Problem The Making of a Greater Albania? The Pomaks: A Religious Minority in the Balkans Outside Links*: Rescued from the Memory Hole: The Forgotten Background of the Serb/Albanian Conflict http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=1459 CIA World Factbook: Macedonia http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/mk.html Amnesty International: Macedonia http://web.amnesty.org/report2003/mkd-summary-eng Bosnia Report: "Way Forward in Macedonia" http://www.bosnia.org.uk/bosrep/report_format.cfm?articleid=746&reportid=150 Bosnia Report: "Nowhere Near the Brink" http://bosnia.org.uk/bosrep/report_format.cfm?articleid=744&reportid=150 Bosnia Report: "Tetovo Albanians See Bleak Future" http://www.bosnia.org.uk/bosrep/report_format.cfm?articleid=745&reportid=150 Reality Macedonia http://www.realitymacedonia.org.mk/ * Outside links are not maintained. For broken outside links, CIAO recommends the Way Back Machine [http://www.archive.org/].