Visit our website: HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --------------------------------------------- Fischer said Tuesday that Germany would unblock five million German marks (2.6 million euros, 2.3 million dollars)in financial aid "once the peace accord has been implemented." German Foreign Minister Denies Financially Pressurizing Macedonia SKOPJE, Sep 6, 2001 -- (Agence France Presse) German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer on Wednesday urged Macedonian lawmakers to back a Western-brokered peace plan, but denied putting financial pressure on Skopje by linking aid to the deal's adoption. Speaking during a trip here to visit German troops serving in NATO's Operation Essential Harvest, he called on Macedonian deputies debating the peace plan to show responsibility and pass it. Fischer said Tuesday that Germany would unblock five million German marks (2.6 million euros, 2.3 million dollars) in financial aid "once the peace accord has been implemented." "There is no question of exerting pressure. I call on the parliament to show responsibility," Fischer told a news conference with his Macedonian counterpart, Ilinka Mitreva. But Mitreva urged the German government not to wait for the implementation of the accord to release the aid. "I would like the support to be given immediately," she said. Macedonian lawmakers were continuing for a fourth day Wednesday to discuss the August 13 peace accord, which offers to strengthen ethnic Albanian rights in exchange for rebels handing over their arms to NATO troops. Parliamentary sources said the debate, which was suspended for two days at the weekend due to nationalist concerns, was expected to go to a vote later in the day, although a further delay until Thursday could not be ruled out. NATO forces are waiting for the vote before they can resume collecting arms from National Liberation Army (NLA) guerrillas. Some 1,200 arms were collected last week, in the first phase of an operation to gather a total of 3,300. ((c) 2001 Agence France Presse) __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get email alerts & NEW webcam video instant messaging with Yahoo! Messenger http://im.yahoo.com ------------------------------------------------- This Discussion List is the follow-up for the old stopnato @listbot.com that has been shut down ==^================================================================ EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9spWA Or send an email To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] This email was sent to: archive@jab.org T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
