Interview of the chief of General Staff of the ARM, ltc general Metodi Stamboliski, for the daily newspaper "Nova Makedonija"

Interview of the chief of General Staff of the ARM, ltc general Metodi Stamboliski,
for the Daily Newspaper "Nova Makedonia", from 06. July 2002

Entering in NATO is a political decision above all

Recently, you have had the planned half-year briefing about the conditions in the ARM with the commanders of the units. What are your assessments and your evaluations from the briefing?

It is a regular planned activity that emerges from the Annual program, that is, from the Working Plan of the General Staff. The briefing, which covered the period from the first half of the year, has been mainly directed towards the perceiving and analyzing of the realization of the reforms in the ARM, as well as the accomplishments in the field of the structuring of the Army and the readiness for fulfillment of its constitutional and principle tasks. Parallel with that, we have assessed the results achieved so far in our persistence in approaching the NATO standards, with a special emphasis on the activities that should be taken in the forthcoming period. What we can conclude from this briefing is that apart from all the activities realized by the ARM, and which are still ongoing in the field of supporting and implementing of the peace in the crises regions, without stepping aside from the set program, the assignments for the restructuring, putting into function of combat readiness and usage of the newly-formed commands and units of the Army are fully and successfully completed. In that sense, I have ordered that the realization of the program activities in the direction of consistent realization of the assignments that are in front of the Army should continue with the same intensity.

How far did we get with the concordance of the formation according to the NATO standards?

The Macedonian public had the opportunity to be acquainted with the continuity of activities we had in that direction just recently. Teams from NATO command in Brussels were present here, we had a team from Pentagon as well, and the last evaluations presented are the best proof of the achieved reforms in the ARM and our approach towards NATO standards. The expressed positive evaluations had confirmed the high intensity and quality of the realized obligations in the building of the ARM as a modern army according to the needs of Republic of Macedonia, but as well prepared for accepting responsibilities within the framework of its international engagement in peaceful or humanitarian missions.

What are the chances for Macedonia to become member of NATO this November in Prague?

In the Army, we work as we are to be invited for full NATO membership. We are aware that we have a lot yet to accomplish, our message to NATO is that the Portuguese or Spanish way for acceptance in NATO should be applied for as. This means that an invitation, with a certain period and agenda of activities which have to be fulfilled should be sent to Republic of Macedonia, and than, the same moment after the accomplishment of all the standards we would enter NATO. It would be a great motivation not only for Macedonia and what it had contributed for NATO, but for the stability in the broader region. However, we should wait. Entering in NATO is a political decision above all.

Is it better if Macedonia becomes a member of NATO by a political decision?

Of course it is better. NATO membership for Macedonia means many steps forward. We assess that the standards should be achieved as well. We are working on that issue and we believe that we are on the right track. The Prague Summit is very soon and everything is possible. Therefore, we in the Army have called for support from the Government for our reform program planned from 2002 until 2007. On the briefings we had before the highest state leadership, the President of the state, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defence, this was accepted. I am personally satisfied with what has been so far accomplished, because the restructuring of the Army was carried out in a very difficult period, in war conditions, when more expenses had to be made for procurement of new supplies and their maintenance costs. However, the budget for which was so far set for the defence is too small. It is a set rule that the budget for maintenance of the armies should be between 2,4 from the gross national income and in our case is 2,2 percentage. With the raise up to 2,4 % we would reach the standards that we are seeking.

Which are the steps that Macedonia should accomplish before Prague?

MoD and GS have started the initiatives for carrying out a meeting of the President of Republic of Macedonia, Minister of Defence, part of the officers from the GS and in the presence of the Advisor from the United Kingdom in the MoD, concerning the steps which should be taken in fulfillment of the conditions for NATO membership. After the analyses carried out, at the meeting it turned out that there is a need of conducting of such meeting even with greater number of people present, such as representatives from the Ministry of Interior, Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Finance since every planned activity should be considered from the aspect of economy as well, because of the need for financial coverage of the planned activities. Therefore, through the Minister of Defence, we suggested that the Government should discuss on a special session about the support of the Program for the reforming of the Army.

Did you make any analyses in the General Staff after the ending of the military actions regarding the omissions that happened during the last-years crisis?

Yes, and we have overcame some of the evident mistakes. It does not mean that we have accomplished everything. The most important thing is that we have eliminated the catastrophic mistakes of the reform conducted by the MPRI, with which we lived to have commands and units only on paper. On the other hand, having in mind that the ARM is consisted of number of officers which have experience not just from the previous years’ conflict, but as well experience from the wars in the areas of ex-Yugoslavia, but I think that what we do is the real thing which leads us to a more secure future in which the Army is ready at any moment to respond to every threat. Our units, such as the First brigade, The Unit for special actions, Battalion of the military police and Reconnaissance battalion are comprised of 60 % professionals trained with modern military equipment. I have to point that the success of an army depends very much on the relation towards it, and the army should not be referred to only when there is a need of its intervention, because it’s too late then. I would like to encourage the citizens of Republic of Macedonia and to point out that the ARM today, in a positive sense, is not at all like the army it used to be in 2002 and 2001, both in quantity and in quality. I would not wish it to anyone to assure himself in it.

Did the ex-spokesman for the Ministry of Defence Marjan Gurovski have an access to the confidential information, because after he had left, number of highly classified information were available to the public through the media?

The civilian control over the defence does not automatically mean that every employee in MoD has the right and possibility to get acquainted with all the combat documents, such as, for example, the Plan for the usage of the Army. It is prepared in a special room, by professionals who respond to their sphere of planned activity, and on suggestion of the Chief of Staff is approved by the President. The ex-spokesman could have obtained certain documents and made them publicly known while he was working for the MoD. But, he should and he must clear up what is for the public, and what is important for the security of the state and which at certain period of time cannot be publicly revealed. The condition of training, relations, the quality of the unit at certain point cannot be publicly revealed because they could damage the combat readiness. It is an interest of the state. And here the journalistic codex should have its interest as well. On the other hand, anyone could say its own attitudes, and transform them into "information", but that does not mean that he has possesses the right documents.