To eliminate mistrust between stakeholders, EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn insisted the first meeting of representatives of VMRO-DPMNE and SDSM to be on neutral ground, i.e. in Brussels, reports “Vest.”
However, even if SDSM accepts to participate in those negotiations, it cannot send its leader Zoran Zaev, because, as a suspect in the “Putch” scandal, his passport was confiscated.
SDSM said that Zaev never planned to flee from Macedonia, so it is illogical that his passport was confiscated and they didn’t want to speculate on what would have been if someone had invited their leader to a meeting abroad.
It opened the dilemma whether and how would the leader of the opposition attend a meeting held abroad and whether he can go to a country (Albania and Serbia) with which the state has contracted traveling with an ID.
Insiders say that Zaev in no circumstances can travel, even with the identity card, because a ban on his leaving the country was issued. His passport was confiscated out of these reasons.
However, Public Prosecutor can return the passport to him at any time, even confiscate it again when Zaev would return to the country.
