Rarely can an official visit end up damaging American interests, as Greek Prime Minister Andreas Papandreu’s visit to the United States did. President Bill Clinton should publicly rebuke Greece for its economic embargo against Macedonia and should be firm in stopping the Greek leader from propping up Serbia. The entire problem behind Greece’s dispute with Macedonia lies in the latter’s name, which the Greeks regard as the exclusive property of their northern region; in the Macedonian constitution, which promises protection to all Macedonians outside Macedonia; and in the Macedonian flag, whose emblem is the 16-point Hellenic star. Papandreu’s predecessor as prime minister, conservative Mitsotakis, showed some restraint in his policy against Macedonia because of his weak majority in Parliament. But Mr. Papandreu, with a stronger majority, has no such fear. He wants to appear to be a modern socialist in the tradition of Swedish Prime Minister Olaf Palme. But he is more like the Argentine leader Joan Peron: a consummate populist. In 1980, Papandreu rose up against the American air bases in Greece, describing them as “American bases of death,” while at the same time condemning the Solidarity movement in Poland as “extremely dangerous and negative.” He supported Muslim terrorists, refusing to condemn many of them who called for the destruction of the governments of other countries. At the same time, Papandreu allowed Abu Nidal’s terrorist group to establish its logistical and financial base right in the center of Athens. With the end of the Cold War, Mr. Papandreu compounded his anti-Americanism with nationalist chauvinism, fueling the destabilization of Macedonia, one of the few post-communist European states with a genuinely multiethnic government. Mr. Papandreu is a proven and loyal ally of Serbian President Milosevic and the Bosnian war leader Karadzic, both of whom have been declared war criminals. He is the only NATO leader who does not support NATO’s ultimatum to end the Serbian siege of Sarajevo. And Greece has been the principal enforcer of the UN embargo against Serbia, transporting fuel and other goods there. For his part, as soon as he received the invitation to visit Washington, Mr. Papandreu announced an economic embargo against Macedonia, seriously damaging the economy of one of the largest newly created states. It cannot be said that the Greek argument over Macedonia is entirely groundless. But imposing sanctions on a state that poses no military threat to anyone and is protected by three American military powers is a hostile act toward the United States. Nevertheless, under pressure from ordinary Greek Americans, Mr. Clinton has softened his stance toward Greece during the visit. He has still not fulfilled his promise, made in February, to establish diplomatic relations with Macedonia. In response to open criticism from the State Department, administration officials have said that Mr. Clinton will be tough in private conversations with Mr. Papandreu. Nevertheless, simply showing the two men smiling together in the Rose Garden will send the wrong signal to the people of the Balkans—or to this part of the Middle East, where it will appear to be nothing more than a parade of celebration. Unfortunately, the White House scheduled Papandreu’s visit to coincide with the anniversary of the 1967 coup in Athens and close to Greek Orthodox Easter, both deeply emotional dates on the Greek calendar. This will further enhance Mr. Papandreu’s prestige among his compatriots. If Mr. Clinton hopes to preserve any shred of credibility he may still have in the Balkans, he must ask Papandreu to stop pressuring Macedonia and assisting Serbia. Otherwise, if war breaks out this year or next in Macedonia and neighboring Kosovo, the Clinton-Papandreu meeting will be seen as a target in precisely the same way as the meeting between Saddam Hussein and the American ambassador to Iraq, April Glaspie, in 1990, which unwittingly gave Iraq the green light to invade Kuwait. ROBERT D. KAPLAN Reprinted from the daily Herald Tribune

ELEFTERIA MAKARIADHIS KARAGJOZIS

Yesterday, the President of Albania, Mr. Sali Berisha, arrived in the Republic of Bulgaria on a friendly visit. At the Boyana Residence, Bulgarian President Zhelju Zhelev hosted an official reception for the Albanian President. After the usual reception ceremony, the two presidents held a face-to-face meeting, without the participation of their respective delegations or journalists. After the meeting between the two presidents, talks began between the two delegations. The Albanian delegation included the Minister of Industry and Economy, Selim Belortaja, Deputy Foreign Minister Arian Starova, Deputy Finance Minister Robert Çeku, and the Ambassador of the Republic of Albania to Bulgaria, Mr. Kota. The Bulgarian delegation, in addition to President Zhelev, also comprised Deputy Prime Minister Valentin Karabashev, Deputy Foreign Minister Ikonomov, the Deputy Finance Minister, the head of the presidential office, and the Bulgarian Ambassador to Albania, Stefan Naumov. Talks between the delegations of the two countries will focus mainly on bilateral issues and developments in the region. During the visit to Bulgaria, the Albanian delegation, headed by President Berisha, is expected to sign agreements between the two countries, including one on economic cooperation and one on the protection of investments in both countries, among others. During his stay in Bulgaria, the Albanian President was to meet the Speaker of the Bulgarian Parliament, Aleksandër Jordanov, and deliver a speech to the Bulgarian Parliament. President Berisha is also scheduled to visit the city of Plovdiv. At the end of the visit, the two presidents will hold a press conference.

A delegation from the US Department of Defense, headed by Charles Wilson, Assistant to the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Assistance Policy, has made visits and held talks during its stay in our country these days, within the framework of the Albanian-American bilateral group. Yesterday at noon the delegation was received by the Minister of Defense, Safet Zhulali, who said, among other things, that all the transformations of the Albanian army in the field of democracy had attracted the attention of those visiting our country. But, he added, material assistance is necessary for it to reach advanced standards. Mentioning several areas of assistance, Mr. Zhulali underscored the need for more organized assistance from the United States for the Albanian army. After welcoming President Clinton’s decision to remove Albania from the embargo list, our minister emphasized the need to further increase the level of cooperation between our two countries and our armed forces. It was agreed that an office would be established in Albania to secure access to assistance from the United States of America. The head of the delegation, Mr. Wilson, expressed his satisfaction with the meetings, talks and visit to Albania, and with the progress made on the path to democracy. He took note of the needs presented and expressed his readiness to do whatever possible to respond to requests concerning the Albanian army.

The PS parliamentary group leaves the chamber At the end of yesterday’s parliamentary session, Kosta Makariadhis, an MP for PDNJ, made a statement protesting against “the arrests made in recent days of around 20 members and supporters” of his party. Makariadhis called for “such things to be stopped and not repeated.” In short, Makariadhi is asking that the laws of the state not be respected when it comes to his party’s supporters. Last night, for the second time within a year, the PS parliamentary group, led by Mr. Namik Dokle, walked out of the parliamentary chamber. On both occasions, the reason was the chairman of the PS, Fatos Nano. The Socialist group left Parliament so as not to take part in the vote on the appointment of the deputy prosecutor general. By a large majority, Mr. Fatos Dervishi was appointed deputy prosecutor general.

Gorazhde — the Serbs withdraw At last, the residents of Gorazhde feel safe: the withdrawal took place during the night of April 26–27, the deadline set by NATO for the withdrawal of the Bosnian Serbs’ heavy weapons. The soldiers of General Ratko Mladic had withdrawn 20 km to the outskirts of Gorazhde, so NATO aircraft did not need to resume air strikes. During the past week, the Bosnian Serbs faced two NATO ultimatums. The first ordered them to move 3 km away from the center of Gorazhde, while the second, which expired the day before, required their heavy weapons to be moved 20 km away from the city, putting it at risk of artillery attacks from 16 km away. Now the residents of Gorazhde can breathe more easily, no longer fearing bombardment, though they must still watch out for snipers. When the UN declared the safe areas, the residents of this city thought they would be included along with those surrounding Sarajevo, so people began going out into the streets, and even cinemas and various public services began operating. But the euphoria turned tragic: a few days later they suddenly found themselves under shellfire from Serbian soldiers. Since then, the matter has remained a constant source of concern for NATO, amid growing demands for an intervention. This is because, as events in the former Yugoslavia have unfolded and continue to unfold, NATO’s credibility has been put at stake. The latest UN decisions have severely tested the Alliance’s ability to act and its military capabilities. Gathered at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, members of the Alliance’s committee followed the implementation of the ultimatum to the Serbs with close attention and anxiety, because of the tension surrounding whether the Serbian besiegers would comply with the ultimatum on time. NATO’s role with regard to direct intervention in developments in Bosnia is uncertain, particularly because of the absence of a unified command, the lack of closer coordination among the staffs in the former Yugoslavia, and the complicated channels linking NATO with the UN, which risk paralyzing Western action in the event that intervention becomes necessary. NATO has been the world’s strongest military organization for 50 years, but, paradoxically, it has not had the opportunity to put its mechanisms to the test. This is because throughout that time it has had no need to engage in military operations. At first, the Yugoslav crisis exposed NATO’s weakness, as its responses continued to be hampered by NATO’s links with the UN, which risk paralyzing Western action in the event that intervention becomes necessary. NATO has been the world’s strongest military organization for 50 years, but, paradoxically, it has not had the opportunity to put its mechanisms to the test. This is because throughout that time it has had no need to engage in military operations. At first, the Yugoslav crisis exposed NATO’s weakness, as its responses continued to be hampered by...

The weaponry of Serbian forces in the Bosnian war is among the most modern, [unclear text]. In addition to artillery batteries and anti-aircraft batteries, the Serbs have begun using new weapons manufactured in Kosovo. A high-tech [unclear] is noted, which [unclear] in April 1994. These are high-tech laser weapons, like the American Stingray and Outrider weapons, with exceptionally [unclear] capabilities. Their operation causes serious damage and total blindness. The problems that arose in the Balkan war are not the same as those involving weapons used with UN support. The war in Bosnia and Herzegovina will have [unclear]; this is bound to be highly catastrophic, given that the Serbian generals have the appropriate means at their disposal. Since it is an army, paradoxically it has had no opportunity to put its mechanisms to the test. This is because throughout this time it has had no need to engage in military operations. ...

The Women’s Cultural Center in Durrës hosted a reception on Tuesday afternoon, April 26, to celebrate the official opening of the American Reading Room for nineteen days. [Unclear text] reading room for the city’s primary and secondary schools. Organized by Peace Corps volunteer Kristin Xhonson, who teaches English in Durrës, the room contains all these resources for young writers, including American [unclear], a blackboard, and about 130 books in English, almost three-quarters of which were donated to the room by the officers and crew of the US Navy ship Spartanburg County, as well as by librarians and members of the 4th [unclear] of Marines currently serving aboard the ship. The officers and Marines of the ship Spartanburg donated about a thousand books to the American Reading Room, including multiple copies of textbooks used in American high schools on grammar and style, world history, art and biology, as well as reference books and novels. The American Cultural Center also donated a complete set of the “Library of America” series, containing the best-known works of American writers such as Henry James, Mark Twain, Jack London, Edith Wharton and William Faulkner, as well as works by Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and other distinguished American statesmen. In addition, the American reading room has books on American history and culture. USIA, 27 April 1994

The United States will open an office to facilitate assistance for the Albanian armed forces

“Bashkim Lio Zë-neli and I have the impression that the Greek government showed extraordinary incompetence in connection with the killing of Albanians by Greek commanders,” said the madwoman Ne Kryeqytetit on Monday on “Rrugen e Ambasadorëve.” If the Greeks had not been calm, they would not have killed two Albanians, but might have massacred the whole South. The crime of April 10 should be viewed as it was requested, and simply by the Socialist Party and PASOK. “On Tuesday evening, the madwoman N. got on a bus at the steps of Hotel Arbëritës and said: The great intellectual Agim Zeka, after completing a ten-year autodidactic course in politics, decided to return to political life. He is free to become a member of whichever party he wants, with the exception of the Ecological Party. Zefërna, forgive me, has such a beautiful figure that she could soon even become president. There is new information about the crime of poisoning Arben Imamiti’s canary. It is thought that SHIK used a kind of slow-acting poison. It is very possible that this poison was used at the time when Arben Imami was rushing ahead of the newspapers to publish the motion. A similar crisis, like that of the intellectual deputy who disappeared a few days ago, has been found in the bag of an official from one of the old 75 parties. The scorched chairman of the PS has, for Easter, appointed the servant of Anastasios Janullatos.” THE CHRONICLER