EurActiv, 3 June 2011
Skopje authorities instigating 'climate of fear': leaked US cableshttp://www.euractiv.com/en/enlargement/skopje-authorities-instigating-climate-fear-leaked-us-cables-news-505305Macedonia's Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and his inner circle are making systematic use of the state's judicial and repressive apparatus to quell dissent, reveal US cables obtained by Wikileaks and made available exclusively to Bivol.bg and EurActiv.com.US secret diplomatic cables seen by EurActiv and
Bivol.bg, a Bulgarian investigative journalism website, speak about Gruevski and his entourage from the ruling VMRO-DPMNE party (see background) instigating a climate of fear in the EU candidate country. [
Cable REF: 09SKOPJE601]
US Ambassador Philip T. Reeker, who is in post in Skopje since September 2008, writes in a cable dated December 2009 that Gruevski’s government is using a catch-all corruption charge of "abuse of office" or "misuse of official position" against members of the political elite in Macedonia.
Highly publicised arrests, detentions or investigations of current and former ministers, party members, and the opposition have put pressure on the political elite in Macedonia to refrain from challenging or criticising Gruevski's government, Reeker writes.
EurActiv made the US cables available to the European Commission services and asked for a comment. The official answer was that the EU executive does not comment Wikileaks revelations.
EurActiv also forwarded the two cables to the Macedonian authorities prior to publication but received no comment from their side so far.
Pressure on civil society groupsThe US diplomatic cable informed Washington of complaints from non-governmental organisations whose members have been called in by the police for intimidating "informative talks" on their supposed actions.
These tactics can be sold to the Macedonian public as the government's valiant efforts against corruption, which helps maintain public support for these abusive actions, Ambassador Reeker writes.
On more than one occasion, the US diplomat expresses the view that by giving media prominence to his battles with opponents, Gruevski has been skilled enough to distract public attention from his own inability to advance on a protracted dispute with Greece over the name of the country, which is identical to Greeces northernmost province (see background).
“[Gruevski] continues to insist on a referendum to avoid personal responsibility for a historic compromise,” the US Embassy reports to Washington.
According to EU diplomats, a nation-wide vote on a compromise name has little chance of success, largely due to the nationalist positions of VMRO-DPMNE and the anti-compromise position which government controlled media are expected to advocate.
Gruevski is also described as a politician who is not interested in reforms needed to advance his country's EU integration, and who is in fact opposed to giving independence of the judiciary, which he largely controls.
Corruption in inner circleAccording to the US diplomats, various Gruevskis insiders are believed to be corrupt. Explicitly mentioned in this context is intelligence chief Sasho Majalkov, who is also Gruevski's cousin, and Mile Janakieski, Minister of Transport and Communications. Concretely, the US diplomats cite allegations according to which Majalkov is linked to a corruption scandal involving the purchase of double-decker buses made in China.
At the same time, the US Embassy appears to trust a number of Macedonian clean politicians, many of whom have apparently become the victims of Gruevski's repressions.
The best-known name internationally among those cited is former Minister for European Affairs Ivica Bocevski, who resigned in June 2009 after reportedly realising that Gruevski opposed reforms in areas such as the independence of the judiciary. [
Cable REF: 09SKOPJE332].
Among the various examples of manipulation of the judiciary is the case of Georgi Trenkoski, Guresvski party fellow and a man with the reputation of a clean politician.
According to the US Embassy, Trenkoski, a former manager of the Macedonian health fund, had lost Gruevski’s support for being outspoken. He was publicly arrested and charged of misusing his official position. According to a well-established practice, the arrest occurred in the presence of reporters from the government-friendly press.
The Macedonian legislation allows pre-trial detentions of up to 180 days, with judges being able to extend an initial pre-trial detention of 30 days. Judges have complained to US diplomats for having been put under pressure by the government to make use of the maximum detention period, in an apparent effort to destroy the reputation of politicians.
Slagjana Taseva, head of
Transparency International Macedonia, an NGO, has complained to diplomats and to the media that she has been harassed by the police because of her activity and her criticism of the government. Other NGOs have reportedly complained of similar pressure.
Albanian woesThe US cables also reports about rising intra-Albanian discord in Macedonia. Menduh Thaci, leader of the Democratic Party of the Albanians (DPA), formally advocates for a new inter-ethnic agreement intended to replace the Ohrid Framework Agreement (see background), the US diplomat warns.
Thaci reportedly calls for consensual government decision-making – meaning that the ethnic Albanian party in government gets a veto – and that the Albanian language becomes recognised as an official language together with Macedonian. He also calls for one of the country's three most powerful political offices – Prime Minister, President, Speaker – to be always held by an ethnic Albanian.
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