[mova] [Fwd: Macedonia and Official Language (Taken Question)]

[Max Pyziur]

fyi,

MP
pyz at brama.com
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---------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------
Subject: Macedonia and Official Language (Taken Question)
From:    statelists at STATE.GOV
Date:    Wed, August 24, 2005 3:07 pm
To:      DOSPRESS at LISTS.STATE.GOV
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Taken Question                                                          
               Office of the Spokesman                                  
                              Washington, DC                            
                                             August 24, 2005            
                                                            Question
Taken at the August 23, 2005 Daily Press Briefing


  Macedonia and Official Language


  Question:   U.S. reaction to Macedonia Prime Minister's rejection of
request            from Albanian community to designate Albanaian as the
official second language          for Macedonia? Is this a violation of
the Ohrid Agreement?


    * Not aware of any such statement by the Prime Minister of Macedonia
      regarding official national languages. Press reports that the Prime 
               Minister has stated that he is opposed to the use of
Albanian as an                 official language in the military

    * The Government of Macedonia is in the process of preparing a
language law
      that addresses Ohrid Framework Agreement provisions for the use of  
               languages other than the Macedonian language.

    * This is an issue to be worked out by the government and parliament of
      Macedonia.

    * The Framework Agreement has no specific provisions with regard to
language
      usage in the police and military. This too is an issue for the
government           and parliament of Macedonia to decide, in the
spirit of the Framework               Agreement.

  2005/806


  Released on August 23, 2005

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