ABSTRACT
The Spillover Monitor Mission to Skopje was established in September 1992 as a result of a mounting concern in the Western countries. The OSCE presence was consequently willingly accepted at a time when Macedonia suffered from isolation and a lack of recognition from both Western countries and international bodies. Compared to other preventive missions in the Baltic States or in the Ukraine, the mandate of the OSCE Mission to Macedonia is much more restricted and somewhat less intrusive. Had the Mission been provided with a stronger mandate, it could then have supported the Government and its quest for recognition and protection in exchange for a commitment to engage in reforms and improve the situation of the Albanian minority. The Mission did not really lack impartiality, but it avoided to being too critical, fearing this could weaken the Gligorov administration.
