[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 103 Introduced in House (IH)]

  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 103

Expressing support for equal and fair access to higher education in the 
    Albanian language in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 21, 1995

  Mr. Gilman submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
          referred to the Committee on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
Expressing support for equal and fair access to higher education in the 
    Albanian language in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Whereas failure to achieve fair and cooperative inter-ethnic relations often 
        leads to governmental repression and conflict between peoples of 
        different ethnic backgrounds;
Whereas the achievement of fair and cooperative treatment of all citizens, 
        regardless of their ethnic backgrounds, is a serious challenge for all 
        of the states of the Balkans region, including those states that gained 
        their independence after the dissolution of the Socialist Federal 
        Republic of Yugoslavia;
Whereas, as is seen in the ongoing conflicts in the Republic of Croatia and the 
        Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, attempts by any one ethnic group to 
        engage in so-called ``ethnic cleansing'' or to divide states along 
        ethnic lines can lead to vicious conflict and tremendous suffering;
Whereas, as is seen in the repression of ethnic minorities in the regions of 
        Kosovo and Vojvodina in the state of Serbia and Montenegro, failure to 
        properly incorporate citizens of different ethnic backgrounds within 
        political, social and governmental spheres can lead to violent 
        repression of those ethnic minorities and merely promote the use of 
        violence by such repressed minorities to gain their proper political and 
        social rights;
Whereas the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, as a successor state to the 
        Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, faces important issues 
        involving the fair and equitable treatment of all of its citizens, 
        regardless of their ethnic background;
Whereas the extraordinary census conducted by the Government of the Former 
        Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in June 1994 determined that those 
        citizens of Albanian descent constitute at least 23 percent of the total 
        population;
Whereas Macedonia's citizens of Albanian descent are increasingly concerned to 
        ensure fair and equitable treatment as citizens of the state of 
        Macedonia, including appropriate opportunities for education at all 
        levels of instruction;
Whereas the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is an applicant for membership 
        in the Council of Europe, an organization that encourages its member 
        states to provide the opportunity for educational instruction in the 
        languages of minority groups that constitute the citizenry of those 
        states;
Whereas the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is an applicant for membership 
        in the Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe, an 
        organization that, in the ``Copenhagen Document'' of its 1990 Conference 
        on the Human Dimension, noted the need for adequate opportunities for 
        educational instruction in the native languages of citizens from 
        minority groups;
Whereas international documents and conventions recognize the right of persons 
        belonging to national minorities to establish their own educational 
        institutions within the framework of and in conformity with the 
        legislation of the state within which they live;
Whereas admissions of ethnic Albanian citizens of the Former Yugoslav Republic 
        of Macedonia to the Universities at Skopje and Bitola extend only up to 
        10 percent of total new enrollments, a figure far below the 23 percent 
        of Macedonia's population that is composed of ethnic Albanians;
Whereas higher education for ethnic Albanian citizens of Macedonia is made more 
        difficult by the lack of general usage of the Albanian language at that 
        level of instruction;
Whereas ethnic Albanian citizens of Macedonia had benefited from the creation of 
        an Albanian-language University in Prishtina in the neighboring region 
        of Kosovo after 1974;
Whereas the Albanian-language University at Prishtina was closed by the 
        government of Serbia in 1990, preventing ethnic Albanians from Kosovo 
        and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia from receiving university-
        level instruction in their native language;
Whereas there are increasing reports that the ethnic Albanian citizens of 
        Macedonia are concerned that efforts to ensure access to higher 
        education in the Albanian language have met with little success;
Whereas an application was filed with the Ministry of Education of the Former 
        Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in October 1994 seeking permission to 
        open an Albanian-language university as part of the established system 
        of education;
Whereas ethnic Albanian students at the Pedagogical Academy of the University at 
        Skopje conducted a strike in November 1994 in support of instruction in 
        the Albanian language to better ensure their ability to properly 
        instruct students at the primary and secondary levels employing the 
        Albanian language;
Whereas, in the absence of a response to the application filed with the Ministry 
        of Education of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in October 
        1994, attempts were made in December 1994 to begin university classes in 
        the Albanian language at Tetovo, Macedonia and were prevented by the 
        intervention of police forces;
Whereas several ethnic Albanian Members of Parliament from the Former Yugoslav 
        Republic of Macedonia and Dr. Fadil Sulejmani, former professor and 
        rector at the Albanian Language University in Prishtina, Kosovo, now 
        residing in Tetovo, Macedonia, visited the United States in February 
        1995 and informed United States Members of Congress of their concern for 
        the lack of higher education in the Albanian language;
Whereas in February 1995 a private delegation of United States citizens led by 
        former Member of Congress Joseph DioGuardi visited Tetovo, Macedonia to 
        observe renewed attempts to establish university classes offered in the 
        Albanian language;
Whereas in February 1995 such renewed attempts to open an Albanian-language 
        university at Tetovo, Macedonia were again prevented by police forces, 
        with the death of one ethnic Albanian citizen of Macedonia and the 
        wounding of 28 other persons occurring as a result of the related 
        violence;
Whereas in June 1995 the ethnic Albanian party of Democratic Prosperity in the 
        Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia expressed its concerns to the 
        Council of Europe regarding the lack of adequate opportunity for higher 
        education in the Albanian language;
Whereas the High Commissioner for National Minorities of the Organization for 
        Security and Cooperation in Europe has stated that it is time for a 
        dialogue between the Government of the Former Yugoslav Republic of 
        Macedonia and representatives of the ethnic Albanian minority in 
        Macedonia on issues such as access to higher education in the language 
        of national minorities; and
Whereas the Government and Parliament of the Former Yugoslav Republic of 
        Macedonia are considering the adoption of a new law on higher education: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That it is the sense of the Congress that--
            (1) the Government of the Former Yugoslav Republic of 
        Macedonia should take all appropriate measures to ensure the 
        fair and equitable treatment of all of its citizens, regardless 
        of ethnic background;
            (2) while steps taken by the Government of the Former 
        Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to ensure instruction in the 
        Albanian language and the language of other national minorities 
        in Macedonia at the primary and secondary levels of education 
        are commendable, the ethnic Albanian citizens of Macedonia 
        continue to suffer from the lack of opportunity for higher 
        education in their native language;
            (3) the Government and Parliament of the Former Yugoslav 
        Republic of Macedonia should therefore consider, within the 
        framework of the adoption of a new law on higher education, all 
        means by which higher education conducted in the Albanian 
        language can be provided, including the establishment of an 
        Albanian-language university;
            (4) the Government of the Former Yugoslav Republic of 
        Macedonia should also undertake steps to ensure the 
        establishment of Albanian-language pedagogical faculties at 
        established universities in Macedonia;
            (5) the efforts by the High Commissioner for National 
        Minorities of the Organization on Security and Cooperation in 
        Europe, the Council of Europe, and the Working Group on Ethnic 
        Minorities of the International Conference on the Former 
        Yugoslavia, to offer guidance and mediation to the Government 
        of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and 
        representatives of the Albanian minority in resolving the issue 
        of higher education in the Albanian language, are commendable;
            (6) the President should express to the Government of the 
        Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia the strong support of the 
        Government of the United States for measures that will 
        contribute to democracy and stability in the Former Yugoslav 
        Republic of Macedonia, including efforts to ensure access to 
        higher education in the Albanian language;
            (7) the President should offer appropriate support for the 
        efforts to the High Commissioner on National Minorities of the 
        Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe to resolve 
        the issue of access to higher education in the Albanian 
        language;
            (8) the President should offer appropriate support for 
        efforts by the Government of the Former Yugoslav Republic of 
        Macedonia to ensure access to higher education in the Albanian 
        language, including assistance for the establishment of 
        necessary curricula and the provision of textbooks and related 
        course materials; and
            (9) in the interest of improved inter-ethnic relations 
        within Macedonia, the President of the Former Yugoslav Republic 
        of Macedonia should employ appropriate authority under the 
        Constitution of Macedonia to provide pardons to those convicted 
        of charges relating to the events that accompanied attempts to 
        open university-level classes in the Albanian language at 
        Tetovo, Macedonia in February 1995.
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