"Albanians plotting conflict between Serbia and Macedonia"

Serbian intelligence services have received information of a risk of tension between Serbia and Macedonia, "in which Albanians would be involved."

SOURCE: VECERNJE NOVOSTI TUESDAY, AUGUST 1, 2017
 

Apart from them, "a part of the authorities in Macedonia" is included in this scenario, Belgrade daily Vecernje Novosti writes.

The newspaper said it learned that "the plan is for well-armed groups of Albanians to infiltrate the border zone between Serbia and Macedonia." Allegedly, they whould be dressed in Serbian military or police uniforms.

Their task would be to cross the Macedonian border in inaccessible parts of the territory and conduct reconnaissance, said the newspaper, referring to the information it received from "field operatives."

These operatives also said "the plan then is to wait for the intruders in Serbian uniforms to be recorded - which would immediately lead to tensions, where Serbia would be accused of violating the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Macedonia, because this would be interpreted as its attempt to organize an armed rebellion in Macedonia."

Furthermore, the plan is for Belgrade to be accused of having pretensions in the territory of a neighboring state, and of wanting to "tear up the territory of Macedonia."

The second part of the plan, the daily reports, would play out through a set-up spy affair, which would begin with "a spectacular arrest" of a fictitious network of Serbian agents in Macedonia. This would imply the arrest of former, retired members of State Security (DB) and the BIA, who live in Macedonia and who are mostly of poor financial means.

The goal of this would be "to create confusion and tension that would eventually spill over into Kosovo," claims Novosti's well-informed source. Some top state officials in Macedonia have been acquainted with this information coming from Serbian operatives in the field, said the newspaper.

This scenario "casts a shadow on recent statements made by Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev that all disagreements between the two countries have been resolved in conversation with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic."

However, writes the daily, security information indicates that "all this is just an illusion of a normalization of relations" - as the authorities in Skopje have an interest in opening a new package of accusations at the expense of Serbia. Behind all this is Albanian pressure on the new Macedonian government, while the list of their expectations is especially important if one takes into account that Vucic has initiated an internal dialogue on Kosovo, the article said.