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Updated: 05-Sep-2001 Week of 27 August - 2 September 2001

29 Aug. 2001

Lord Robertson in Skopje

NATO Secretary General, Lord Robertson, travelled to Skopje on 29 August to meet with government officials and assess the progress made so far by NATO troops in collecting weapons from the ethnic Albanian insurgents.

Lord Robertson held frank discussions with President Trajkovski, Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski, Minister of the Interior Ljube Boshkovski, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ilinka Mitreva and Minister of Defence Vlado Bukovski on the present situation. The political process, which is being conducted in parallel with Operation Essential Harvest, is now fully engaged. The political framework agreement signed on 13 August is currently being debated and the vote will take place in Parliament on 4 September. Lord Robertson also met with the Speaker of the Parliament, Mr Stojan Andov, and addressed parliamentary party leaders. He recalled the build-up of events and the crucial role of parliamentarians in ensuring that the political process is successful.

During his visit, Lord Robertson was also able to observe that the 30-day NATO operation, Essential Harvest, is on track. The operation effectively started on 27 August and troops have already seized over 1 200 weapons. In his speech to parliamentarians of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (1), Lord Robertson explained the importance of quality over quantity. NATO is expecting to collect a variety of weapons including mines, hand grenades, explosives, rounds of ammunition for mortars and other support weapons, and rounds of small arms ammunition, which will all be destroyed.

Lord Robertson's visit comes two days after the death of a British soldier whose vehicle was attacked while he was serving in the NATO mission in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (1).

Additional information:
  • Operation Essential Harvest
    • Address to Parliamentary Party Leaders of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (1) by NATO Secretary General, Lord Robertson in Skopje - 29 August 2001
    • NATO Press Release (2001)118 - Statement by the Secretary General of NATO, Lord Robertson, Deploring the Death of a British Soldier - 27 August 2001
  1. Turkey recognises the Republic of Macedonia with its constitutional name.