Brussels, 12/03/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 12 March, the European Commission condemned the inter-ethnic violence between Albanians and Macedonians in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). Peter Stano, the spokesman for Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Füle, called for the law to be respected and for all efforts to be made in this connection. He reminded political leaders that they had reaffirmed their commitments with regard to the rule of law. Stano stressed that, “we believe that the political class will tackle the problem calmly and encourage the people to stay calm”. He also explained that the local authorities had begun an investigation into the violence.
Peter Stano stated that the 2001 Ohrid framework agreement, aimed at ending interethnic conflict, was a “pillar of democracy and rule of law in the country”, and that its complete application was important. He said that it would be one of the subjects discussed in the dialogue between the Commission and the local authorities during Commissioner Füle's visit to Skopje on 15 March. Since 8 March, violent incidents have increased and approximately 10 people have been injured. (CG/trans/fl)