Belgrade weekly 'Vreme' brought in its issue of February 7, 1998, an article by Budo Vukobrat, dealing with the recent Macedonian proposal for a humanitarian corridor in the case of a conflict in Kosovo.

Macedonian president Kiro Gligorov, during his recent visit to Slovenia, stated that the Macedonian authorities, if an armed conflict breaks out in Kosovo, are ready to secure a corridor by which the Albanian population from there could withdraw to neighboring Albania. The corridor would lead from border crossing Blato, north of Skopje, pass by the capital, and then through Tetovo, Gostivar, and other cities of Western Macedonia, until Debar on the Macedonian, and Peskopeia, on the Albanian side of the state border.

It is estimated that this route would be used by between 200,000 and 400,000 people, who would run away, as said by those moderate ones - from a flaming war - and by those other - from repression.

The whole operation would be under the auspices of the international forces and in front of the eyes of the world community.

Anyway, the promotion of the Macedonian readiness to secure the humanitarian corridor by which the Kosovo Albanians would drain from their ethnic regions, has caught Mcedonian citizens by surprise, while the promoter of the whole idea, Kiro Gligorov, explained the whole case when he returned to Macedonia saying that we would not be a serious state, government and parliament if we were not to think what and how we should do it if an armed conflict breaks out in the near vicinity.

Some neutral observers, as suggested by Skopje magazine Dnevnik, are ready to believe that the operation corridor has been brewing for a while , that it has been current for a few years now and that it has been already prepared in detail with the members of NATO. Of course, it is hard to deny the right (and obligation) to any serious authority to consider the modalities with which it will protect itself from the war in its neighborhood or from a direct threat of war. Also, it is hard to find in the experience so far which would indicate that the Macedonian authorities, and particularly President Gligorov, could be suspected for having bad intentions. But, the fact is that the presentation of this option puts many things in a much more relative perspective.

Anyway, that is the direction that most critical comments are aiming towards the Macedonian president. With the promotion of the corridor, he indirectly suggests that the Kosovo knot cannot be solved otherwise than with the use of military force and repression, which would lead to ethnic cleansing. But, although, unfortunately, this scenario looks more and more probable, at the time that all international factors are making all the efforts to pacify the militants on both sides and force the tribe leaders to sit down at the negotiating table, Glogorovs corridor seems fatalistic and disturbing. Even Ibrahim Rugova, a man who has been received in Skopje with great respect and understanding for his problems, told the Macedonians without any doubt, not to meddle into the affair in this manner.

The full support for the corridor idea, at least for now, came only from Tirana, with which the relations have been in an idyllic rise in the last few weeks.

But, with, or without the corridor, judging by everything, Macedonia would be involved in, god forbid, armed conflict in Kosovo. What is left to the authorities here is to attempt some voodoo or to seriously prepare itself. Or, most probably, both.

Looking at the situation in that context, the observers who are not inclined towards exaggeration think that it is more the case that, Kiro Gligorov, as an experienced politician sent a message to an address known to him, and not that he made an omission by giving up a state secret.

Source: Belgrade weekly 'Vreme', February 7, 1998