Civil Coalition for the Protection of Kale Gradiste Action Alert | Summary of Kale Issue | Friends of Macedonia Summary Last year, the Government of the United States of America purchased land atop the ancient and cultural site commonly referred to as “Gradiste” (pronounced “Grad-ish-te”) on a site known as Kale (pronounced “Kah-le” - a Turkish word for ‘fortress’) in Skopje, Macedonia, for the purpose of building a new embassy complex. This purchase, of approximately 4.4 hectares, was made in cooperation with the Government of the Republic of Macedonia. However, since the announcement was made, there has been an uproar of disapproval from Macedonian citizens, organizations, intellectuals and others as the fortress of Kale is registered as a Cultural Monument by the Government of Macedonia. Because of this, we have created a Civil Coalition for the protection of this site. It is our intention to lobby the Government of the Republic of Macedonia, as well as the Government of the United States of America, to find a different site to build the embassy. Members of our coalition include: ►Cultural Institution, CAC – Contemporary Art Center, Skopje ►NGO URBIS Skopje ►Association of Architects of Macedonia ►Architectural Academy of Macedonia ►Subcommittee on Historical Sites of the MNC of ICOMOS ►Subcommittee of Archeological Management of the MNC of ICOMOS ►Subcommittee for Preserving Cultural Heritage from Aggression of the MNC of ICOMOS ►The Forum for the Protection of the Old City Bazar ►NGO OPSTANOK (Survival), Skopje We realize and support the need for the Government of the United States of America to build a new embassy and to include, as they have stated, the offices of USAID. It is our understanding that in response to the wave of terror attacks on American interests abroad (including US Embassies), the United States is in a long-term process of building new and more secure embassies abroad. We support this decision and recognize the importance of it. However, we request that the Embassy of the United States of America, in this instance, be sensitive to the needs of the local population. In our opinion, our Government did not carry out an open and transparent process in selling the land to the US Government. This is an issue which we are dealing with in tandem with the US side of this equation. On the US Government side, we are appealing to lawmakers’ sense of fairness, history and cultural sensitivity to this “cultural landscape” and trust that our arguments will be taken into account when deciding if, indeed, this land is appropriate for the new US Embassy or if, as is our opinion, an alternative site could be found (we have suggested five additional sites). Kale Is Not the Best Site – Reasons Why We have several arguments as to why the United States should not build its new embassy on this location. (1) The proposed building violates the General Urban Plan. The General Urban Plan for Skopje was adopted by our parliament in 2001. In it, it is specifically stated that this particular piece of land is not available for building on. Obviously, our government has ignored this fact but we bring it to your attention as we do not want your government to violate our laws either intentionally or unintentionally. In sum, we believe that this sale violates paragraph 112 of the Constitution the Republic of Macedonia. While our government does not seem to consider this important, we hope your government will. (2) The proposed building will spoil the cultural landscape. Our second argument for choosing another site is the cultural and historical background of this particular location. Since the sale of the land and the proposed building of the new embassy was announced, scores of Macedonians involved in archeology, architecture, history, the arts, and cultural preservation have come forward and voiced their opposition to this in the media, in letters to officials and in public forums. Their opposition to this is well-founded: the word “Gradiste” itself means “city,” and experts point to the fact that this area is adjacent to the ancient fortress of Kale. If the proposed building goes through, we will not be able to create appropriate cultural strategies based on cultural and natural heritage, pointing to the close cooperation of the local government with the international organizations such as OWHC (Organization of World Heritage Cities), UNESCO, etc. Keeping the integrity of this piece of land is of great importance for our European future, bearing in mind that Macedonia has an active role in the implementation of several conventions concerning landscape and cultural heritage (such as the European Landscape Convention – Council of Europe Campaign "Europe, a Common Heritage," held in Florence, Italy, 2000; European Conference of Ministers Responsible for Regional Planning (CEMAT), Ljubljana, Slovenia; Declaration on the Territorial Dimension of Sustainable Development, Ljubljana, Slovenia, September 2003; and many others.) The basic conclusion of this is that the people of Macedonia view their heritage with immense pride. We are convinced the people of the United States, Europe and elsewhere view their heritage with equal measure of pride themselves. (3) The building site has been found to contain Muslim graves. The US Embassy agreed to a preliminary dig in search of historical and archeological sites. While we applaud this responsibility, we believe that the dig, which only finished after a 30-day period, is insufficient to determine if there are greater treasures buried below. As a coalition of archeologists and historians (among others) ourselves, we know that this dig will not uncover what could be there. Having found Muslim grave sites, we continue to believe there is more buried below. The dig, which was only to a maximum of about 6 feet at the most, should be carried to approximately 25 feet to determine the truth. (4) There is the distinct possibility that other archeological sites lie buried beneath the Muslim gravesites. Experts believe there are archeological treasures buried on this site, remains of ancient civilizations and part of our cultural heritage going back some 4,000 years. In addition, the Macedonian Orthodox Church has become involved in this issue as it believes that at least two medieval churches may be buried on the site. Although the Government of the United States has agreed to pay for and complete a preliminary archeological investigation of the site, which we applaud, we believe that a thorough and complete investigation must be made. Such a proper and thorough investigation will not be complete in a few weeks or months and as such, building will not be able to go ahead until a complete dig is undertaken. (5) The proposed building creates a perception that the United States of America is building on this site to look down over Skopje and thus, Macedonia. Our final argument is one of perception. The fortress of Kale sits on a hilltop overlooking Skopje. Our former Turkish overlords specifically chose this location so that they could be perceived as looking down on their subjects. While the proposed site of the Embassy is not directly on Kale, it is still on the hill looking down over the city. We believe this is simply a poor choice and will eventually reflect badly on the United States. Instead of looking down, why not choose a site that is more neutral, as with the site for the new US Embassy complex in Zagreb, Croatia? (It is halfway between the city center and the airport, whereas Zagreb too, has a hill overlooking the city which could have been built on). Image of the United States Perhaps the most difficult argument to make tangible is the image of the United States in Macedonia because of this situation. As mentioned before, there has been a general outcry against this sale and proposed building by Macedonians from all backgrounds, walks of life, and professions. In addition, we have been saddened to see official representatives of the US Embassy (in this case Ambassador Butler) made into laughing stocks by our most popular sitcom, K-15. In one episode, Ambassador Butler is lampooned and made to look like a fool in handing out “contracts” to build the new embassy. This reflects poorly on the image of the United States and her citizens in Macedonia. Building on this site is viewed by many citizens of Macedonia as trampling on a national treasure. Regardless of how desirable this site might be for the planners of the US Embassy and regardless of the fact that the Government of Macedonia has shown an initial readiness to sell this piece of land, we hope that the feelings of the citizens of Macedonia towards our American guests are important to the Government of the United States. We would like to think that no piece of real estate could be worth tarnishing the image of the United States as a considerate guest and friend of the people of Macedonia. Conclusion We trust that our arguments will be taken into consideration and we hope that you will look into this issue more closely. Again, we are also working with our government, the Government of the Republic of Macedonia, and we are encouraging them to take a second look at this, while listening to the voices of the Macedonian people. |