Republic of Macedonia's U.S. Representative Grew Up in Ohio

By Grace Halsell

The new nation of Macedonia, one of six republics that formed the country of Yugoslavia, has as its Washington representative youthful and attractive Ljubica Z. Acevska, formerly a consultant on trade and economic development in the Arabian Gulf. Although Ms. Acevska was born in the village of Capari, in the south of Macedonia near the Greek border, she has lived in the United States since 1966, and is a graduate of Ohio State University in Columbus.

In 1991, President Kiro Gligorov led the republic of Macedonia to independence. The United Nations and more than 50 world powers recognized this new nation before the U.S. did in February of this year. The U.S. held up its recognition out of deference to Washington's Greek lobby, reportedly second only to Israel's in its power over U.S. foreign policy.

The Greeks, who have a northern province of Macedonia, object to the Yugoslav republic calling itself the Republic of Macedonia.

Led by Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou, Greece accuses Macedonia, which is the size of Ireland and has an army smaller than many urban police forces, of harboring territorial ambitions in northern Greece. Flexing its muscles, NATO-member Greece has closed its border with Macedonia, forbidding goods to flow in or out of the new country. And 100,000 Greeks staged angry protests in front of the U.S. Embassy in Athens. Many held placards proclaiming the U.S. a "traitor" to Greece for recognizing the new nation.

There have been no comparable demonstrations at the Athens embassies of France, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, Russia or any of the other countries which recognized Macedonia before the United States did. Papandreou, however, has been known for harsh anti-American rhetoric throughout his political career.

Ms. Acevska yearns for the day that landlocked Macedonia can have normal relations—and thriving trade—with its neighbors. "We must trade with Greece," she says. She explains that the United Nations sanctions imposed on Serbia for its war against Bosnia and Croatia are hurting Macedonia as well. "Sixty percent of our trade has been with Serbia, so the sanctions last year cost us about $2 billion in trade." She added:

"Our lifeline has been the outlet to the sea through Greece. There's a good railway system between Salonica and our capital of Skopje. But now, goods can't come in or go out. We are an agricultural society. Our spring crop was pre-sold to Western Europe, and now we have no way to get the products to market."

In addition to Serbia, Albania and Greece, Macedonia has a fourth neighbor, Bulgaria. Trade between Sofia and Skopje is sluggish, however, because of bad roads "and very old trucks" that ply the route. All four of its neighbors have made so many claims on Macedonia—its territory, people, culture and religion as well as its name—that Macedonians call them the "Four Wolves."

"You Take the Job"

Macedonia is gradually acquiring the formal trappings of a nation—taking its seat at the U.N. and opening embassies. Until Ms. Acevska opened her office, Macedonia had no representative in Washington. On her own visits to Skopje, she recalls, "I frequently told government officials, 'You should have a representative in Washington.' Finally the president said to me, 'You take the job.'

"I agreed to take the job for two months," she explains. "The two months turned into more than two years."

The eyes of the world may increasingly be focused on Macedonia. Unlike Bosnia and Croatia, where the violence has stayed within their borders, Macedonia is the most likely place in the region for a domestic dispute to spark a war across international borders. As a result, the U.N. sent 1,000 peacekeeping troops, including 500 Americans, to patrol Macedonia's frontiers with Albania and Serbia.

Victor Comras, a senior U.S. foreign service officer, reportedly will be named the first U.S. ambassador to Macedonia. He was in charge of the mission that opened a liaison office in Skopje.

Before becoming Macedonia's U.S. representative, Ms. Acevska was one of the partners who founded Gulf Enterprises, which deals in trading, consulting and development in the Arabian Gulf. Headquarters of this company are in Washington and Abu Dhabi.

Her family's ties to the United States date back to World War I. "My great-grandfather immigrated here in 1917, and my grandfather in 1940," Ljubica Acevska explains. "My grandfather started a restaurant in Mansfield, Ohio in 1956. Then my parents brought me and a younger brother to the U.S. in 1966. My father and uncle now manage the restaurant started by my grandfather."

Grace Halsell, Washington-based author of 12 books, has made several trips to the former Yugoslavia in 1993 and 1994.