Abstract

Watching Rights

Greece's bullying' of Albania is of apiece with its efforts to throttle Macedonia, Greece. It did in September when a court in Tiranat, handed down prison sentences ranging from six to eight years to five Albanians of Greek descent for espionage on behalf of the Greek secret service and for illegal possession of weapons. The response by Athens to the prosecutions and sentences has made matters far worse. In addition to blocking urgently needed European Union aid to Albania, during the past several weeks Greece has summarily expelled scores of thousands of Albanian workers as illegal immigrants. The crisis has the potential to disrupt what were the more or less harmonious relations between the country's Slavic majority and its most numerous minority, the Albanians, and to precipitate yet another Balkan conflict along ethnic lines.