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Preventive diplomacy in Macedonia
î Preventive diplomacy in Macedonia
David L. Phillips ∗
The Ohrid Framework Agreement (OFA) ended Macedonia’s civil war between
Albanians and Slavs on August 13, 2001. OFA was an historic accord. Unlike other
Balkan countries where ethnic differences escalated into deadly conflict,
Macedonians chose dialogue over violence to resolve their differences. The ten
year anniversary of OFA is an opportunity to take stock. Macedonia still has a long
way to go before fulfilling OFA’s promise and realizing its goal of integration into
Euro-Atlantic institutions.
There are two competing narratives about OFA. One credits OFA for
institutionalizing constitutional power-sharing and enshrining the principles of
inclusivity and non-discrimination. OFA calls for upholding minority participation
in public administration, local governance, fiscal decentralization and
strengthening language rights.
In the other narrative, OFA is aspirational; its potential unfulfilled. Many
Macedonians, especially the Albanian community, still see Macedonia as a
segregated society. There is no discrimination, but nor is there equality or social
justice.
Reality is somewhere in between these two narratives. While OFA helped
Macedonia avoid violent conflict, the government never fully mobilized support
for implementing OFA. The Internal Macedonian Unity Organization (VMRO),
which heads the coalition government, has never fully embraced OFA, which it
believes was imposed by the international community.
VMRO has an expedient but uneasy relationship with its coalition partner,
the Democratic Union for Integration (DUI), which succeeded the National
Liberation Army (of Albanians) that was disarmed and demobilized at the end of
Macedonia’s civil war.
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David L. Phillips is Director of the Program on Peace-Building and Rights, Institute for the Study of
Human Rights, Columbia University’s, USA
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