|
Macedonian Leaders Argue Over Way To End Rebellion
SKOPJE, May 18 (News Agencies) - Political leaders warned that Macedonia was still on a knife-edge between peace and war Friday, as sporadic clashes between Muslim Albanian rebels and government troops continued despite an army ceasefire.
Rebels and troops clashed briefly near a string of rebel-held villages north of Skopje after what the army described as a "provocation from terrorists," which apparently caused no government casualties.
However, the army added that the government's unilateral vow not to assault rebel positions was holding.
As the international community allowed itself a moment of optimism, deep divisions remained between those politicians urging talks with the rebels - or even an amnesty for the fighters - and those backing a military solution.
Government spokesman Antonio Milososki said the current ceasefire would show Skopje "will to find a solution without bloodshed."
"It is not a sign of weakness but a sign of strength," he said.
Despite calling off an assault that had been threatened if the rebels had not surrendered by noon Thursday, the Macedonian government still had no intention of holding talks with those it has branded "terrorists", he said.
"It is not reasonable to have a dialogue with people with Kalashnikovs in their hands," Milososki said.
The National Liberation Army (NLA), who say they are fighting for Albanian rights, has seized a 400-square-kilometer (150 square mile) swathe of territory, including a dozen villages, in hills just north of Skopje.
Rather than talk directly with the rebels, Macedonia has formed a government of national unity to co-opt elected Albanian leaders into discussions on reforms to reduce ethnic tensions and prevent support swinging to extremists.
But while European diplomats welcomed the "breathing space" afforded by the government ceasefire, local commentators and political leaders warned that deep divisions over how to deal with the rebel threat could still lead to war.
"There is no sign at all that political dialogue will start soon," warned Iso Rusi, a leading Albanian commentator and editor of the weekly magazine Lobi, calling the ceasefire "a realistic decision".
"It's obvious [the government] should sit down at the negotiating table. If they refuse to do so, the next step will be real war. At the beginning, the NLA didn't have the support they expected among the population, but now they are getting more and more," he warned.
Macedonian Slav opinion, however, remains opposed to talks with the rebels.
Georgi Marjanovic, a criminal law professor and a member of the opposition League for Democracy, said: "There's no question of negotiating with them. They were not elected."
"We have reacted with moderation but that cannot go on forever. We have waited and waited. If they want war, they'll get it, and they'll be cruelly defeated," he warned.
Jovan Manasievski, vice-president of the Liberal Democratic Party, a member of the ruling coalition, said the rebels should be dealt with by force before any political talks could start.
"I am very skeptical about the possibility of beginning serious political dialogue while part of our territory is occupied. We should establish order and security before anything else," he said.
The defiance of the rebels in Macedonia contrasts with events a few miles further north in Serbia, where recent government successes have convinced more than 200 ethnic Albanian fighters to hand themselves over to NATO peacekeepers Wednesday, a NATO spokesman said.
In Macedonia, the latest round of fighting between the army and rebels flared up on May 3rd after the rebels ambushed and killed 10 police in soldiers in separate attacks.
Rebels and troops last exchanged heavy fire on Wednesday night near the northern village of Slupcane - where hundreds of civilians are hiding in cellars - only hours before a ceasefire deadline expired, Markovski said.
Macedonian reports said that hundreds of civilians fled the area of fighting Friday, but in Slupcane, at the heart of the conflict, reporters found hundreds of women, children and old men still holed up.
Macedonia's national unity government has received the full support of the international community.
NATO Secretary-General George Robertson on Thursday said the Alliance would give military assistance to Macedonia in its fight against "extremists".
And Javier Solana, the European Union's high representative for foreign affairs, on Friday supported Skopje refusal to deal directly with the rebels.
|
