Perhaps a cancer in Europe

An article from the Ovi magazine

There is something that I have often emphasized, that Africa or south-east Asia are very far away in our minds, much more than they are in reality, and we have connected the embarrassing acts of our times, like human and drug trafficking, with these corners of the earth. The connection is not entirely unfair since a lot happens and there are states like the dictatorship of Myanmar that champion human and drugs trafficking; actually, the dictators of Myanmar hold the record in both ‘sports.’

There is a saying that the camel can see the other camel’s back better than hers and somehow I have the feeling that the same comes to Europeans, we can see the ‘camel’s back’ with the African countries but we cannot see it when it happens with a country inside the European borders, a country that has been accused more and more from NGOs and organizations for human trafficking, women and children and an uncontrollable drugs trafficking. The accusations go as far as the prime minister and his inner circle, or better, say his family, since governing and family has become the same thing in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Actually, more and more countries talk openly nowadays for the situation in this country and what will happen after Kosovo will be recognized as a new democracy.

FYROM has a lot of open issues with Kosovo whether they like or not and the whole dispute with Greece, while they know that they are wrong it has nothing to do with the reality that their state is in serious dangerous to fall in non-existence in the next ten years. The borders with Kosovo are not very clear and the Albanians have dreams about the land - lands that don’t include the name FYROM. Does Nicola Gruevski, FYROM’s prime minister know all that?

Of course he does and what happened during the elections between the Albanians in FYROM was enough to make him worry, that’s why he has turned to blind nationalism, that’s why he threatens all around. But the thing is for how long this policy of self-delusion is going to continue and not to forget the other element of the equalization that keeps him in place of the Bush administration. You see, I was really careful not to use the Americans because with the end of George W. Bush administration a lot of the mysterious plans in the Balkans are going to be terminated. The word ‘mysterious’ was accurate since nobody knows what this temporary, yet best in size, American army base is doing in the area.

Suspicions? A lot! After all, the American secret services have proved often in the past that they can cooperate even with the devil himself if that serves their interests. Perhaps between Kosovo and FYROM is based the alternative, even darker Guantanamo. Perhaps the American secret services can pretend to be blind when women and children are sold like slaves and drugs change routes. Perhaps it serves when the responsible traffic policeman behind all this is accidentally the prime minister’s favorite cousin and head of the secret police. Perhaps in exchange he turns a blind eye for all that happen with the rumored planes that land with prisoners. Perhaps all the talking in the Albanian villages in FORUM is not lies! Perhaps this country is doomed by its own actions and choices.

That would explain Gruevski’s rush for FYROM to become a member of NATO and that would explain Bush’s support, CIA interest and Rice’s hysterics. When Greece vetoed this membership I’m sure it had no idea of what would soon come out, perhaps there were rumors but now these rumors have expanded into reports that increasingly become more chilling and the way Gruevski practiced democratic elections last month reminded more of a dictatorship and one of the worst kinds.

The dramatic thing is that this all happens in Europe not Africa, not in south Asia and the hypocrisy of the whole thing is that Gruevski will dare the coming December to apply for an EU membership. EU was pretty sensitive when Austria elected for chancellor somebody known for his extreme-right opinions, now is time to practice this sensitivity with FYROM showing to Mr. Gruevski that there is no place for his kind in Europe and all the human and drugs trafficking is a total embarrassment for the EU and must stop yesterday, this cancer that has grown in Europe must be terminated now!