All lost yesterday: the parties, the people of Macedonia, as well as the international community that cares about the future of your country, reads the response of US Ambassador to OSCE Daniel Baer in his the address to Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki.
“We deeply regret that, despite Commissioner Hahn’s efforts, key players did not come to a common position on the details how to move on to early elections and to resolve the current crisis. We urge the parties to redouble their efforts and immediately achieve lasting compromise solutions, based on what was agreed in Skopje on 2nd of June.
Progress is vital in several key areas, which include a framework for the conduct of elections, fighting corruption, strengthening the independence of the judiciary and the prosecution and the continuation of constructive and comprehensive parliamentary debates.
The published wiretapped conversations include significant allegations of abuse and corruption that must be addressed by an independent, transparent and impartial investigation.
Freedom of the media is also crucial to ensure that the allegations in the wiretapping are processed accordingly.
Although many media reported the essence of wiretapping case, this does not eliminate the need for highlighting serious concerns about the violence and the intimidation of journalists and the media, as well as the undue influence of government advertisements on the media and other issues.
While the government cannot bear all the blame for the current crisis, it has a special responsibility on the basis of its status of power. As such, the government should start to make progress on crucial reforms regardless of status of the negotiations with the opposition leaders. We call on Prime Minister Gruevski to start working on it now. At the same time, we urge Mr. Zaev of the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia to return to constructive engagement.
The political leaders of Macedonia owe the people they serve to work together to end this crisis,” reads the address.
