Macedonians’ Protest to Ask Resignation of President Heats Up

Entering into the parliament building, Macedonian protestors who oppose to stop the fight against the ethnic Albanian militants held an intense demonstration on 25th asking President Boris Trajkovski to resign.

President Trajkovski who quickly left the building with other lawmakers was safe.

Although Skopje , the capital, has regained tranquility in the morning of 26th, the city is filled with tension due to possible recurrence of the demonstration.

Some protestors, among 5,000 others who were outside the parliament building, rallied into the building, and stirred up a riot throwing out the furniture through windows. Some solders and policemen displeased with the cease-fire decision, also joined the protestors firing blanks.

Two BBC reporters who were reporting the demonstration were injured. The rioters inside of the building were quelled by troops, but significant number of protestors continued to protest in front of the parliament building standing face to face with the police.

According to abroad news-agencies, the protestors were disappointed with the cease-fire decision between government troops and the ethnic Albanian militants made by the EU and the NATO’s arbitration. The protestors are denunciating the president as a traitor. They chanted slogans of ``resign Trajkovski` and `NATO is a traitor`.

The protestors were infuriated witnessing the scene in which the NATO troops were escorting the Albanian militants who were retrieving from the strategic points on the outskirt of Skopje. President Trajkovski, a Macedonian Slave, who once rejected the arbitration proposal, accepted the proposal on 24th because of the NATO’s threatening to stop the financial support.

Protestors continued demonstration even after the sun set. Burning candles, some of them prayed for the souls of the security troops who were killed after the fight against the militants.

Although the ethnic Albanian militants are retrieving from major strategic points, battles between the government troops and the militants are being continued near Tetovo, Macedonia`s second-largest city located in Northeast part of the country.

Some NATO troops who were deployed as Kosovo peacekeepers and the NATO officials supervised on 25th the retrieving procedure of the ethnic Albanian militants who had stationed in the suburb areas of the capital Skopje.

Shin Chi-Young higgledy@donga.com