Help Protect Kale Gradiste

Dear President Bush:
Dear Secretary of State Colin Powell:
Dear Respected Congressmen:
Dear Respected Senators:

The purpose of this letter is to express disappointment and dissention as to the decision to build a new U.S. embassy on the historically sacred Kale Gradiste site in Skopje, Macedonia. Kale Gradiste is a culturally rich archeological zone that is of utmost historical significance to Macedonians and all other ethnic groups living in the Balkans. It is important that you understand the negative impact of building an embassy on the Kale Gradiste site.

As concerned Macedonians, we want to explain to you the reasons why the new US Embassy should be built at another site, which have been taken from the Civil Coalition for the Protection of Kale Gradiste. We would also like to draw your attention to the Conditional Sales Agreement Between the U.S. Department of State and the Government of the Republic of Macedonia, which conditions the sale of the land contingent on a number of items.

We have enumerated five primary reasons, among others, why the new US Embassy should not be built on Kale Gradiste. They are:

(1) The proposed building violates the General Urban Plan. The General Urban Plan for Skopje was adopted by the Macedonian parliament in 2001. In it, it is specifically stated that this particular piece of land is not available for building on. Obviously, the Macedonian Government has ignored this fact but we bring it to your attention, as we do not want the US Government to violate Macedonian laws either intentionally or unintentionally. In sum, we believe that this sale violates paragraph 112 of the Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia. While the Macedonian Government does not seem to consider this important, we hope the US Government will.

(2) The proposed building will spoil the cultural landscape. If the proposed building goes through, Macedonia 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 Macedonias European future, bearing in mind that Macedonia has an active role in the implementation of several conventions concerning landscape and cultural heritage. Macedonians therefore want to keep it unspoiled.

(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. According to the Civil Coalition for the Protection of Kale Gradiste, which is a coalition of archeologists and historians, they state that this dig will not uncover what could be there. Having found Muslim gravesites, they 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 Macedonian 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.

(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. The fortress of Kale sits on a hilltop overlooking Skopje. Macedonias 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.

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 Macedonias 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.

On balance, when weighing the importance of building an embassy on the Kale Gradiste it is apparent that the negative societal detriments severally outweigh any positive gain that may be desired. To be clear, it is not the building of a new American embassy that is at issue, but merely the gross and egregious disregard for the historical and religious value of the site where the embassy is to be built that is irreconcilable.

Many citizens of Macedonia view building on this site 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 Macedonian Government has shown an initial readiness to sell this piece of land, we hope that the feelings of the citizens of Macedonia towards their American guests are important to the United States Government. 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.

To this end, we urge you to look into this matter as you exercise oversight of the US Department of State and thus the US Embassy and its plans. It is vital that your office not ignore particular religious, cultural, and historical social hypersensitivities. I appreciate your concern for Macedonia and the requests of the Macedonian people. We thank you for your time and consideration.