14:34 2001-05-30 MACEDONIA POISED TO SIGN MILITARY COOPERATION TREATY WITH YUGOSLAVIA The Macedonian army’s objective is to “fully neutralize” Albanian rebels, Macedonia’s military spokesman Blagoje Markovskij is quoted as saying. According to him, the troops continued their offensive yesterday to clear the Slupcani village of terrorists. Clashes are also reported in the area of the Matejce village in the country’s north-east. Part of the village has already been captured, but the rebels organized pockets of resistance having sheltered themselves in some houses and in the mosque. The Albanian commander called Sokoli, who is also press-secretary of the so-called People’s Liberation Army of Macedonia, threatens to toughen actions, if the Macedonian forces continue attacking the extremists. According to Mr. Sokoli, the army should be stopped in order to resume the searches of a “political solution of the crisis in Macedonia.” Otherwise, the extremists may attack aerodromes in Kumanovo and Skopje, and to take control of water supply to Kumanovo… Yet, Mr. Sokoli will hardly succeed in intimidating the country’s leadership and the army which has nowhere to retreat to. Macedonia steps up contacts with Yugoslavia. Its ambassador, Biserka Matic Spasojevic, has announced a forthcoming signing of a military cooperation treaty between the two countries. According to “Radio of Yugoslavia,” the treaty envisages an “exchange of information about fighting terrorism, joint measures to cut off the routes of drug, arms, and human being smuggling.” According to Ambassador Matic, Kosovo has turned into the “promised land for organized crime.” The new treaty will be similar to those which Macedonia has already signed with the rest of its neighbours, according to Ms. Martic. She went on to say that all the allegations of Yugoslavia helping arm Macedonia were groundless. Besides, Mecedonian meadia reports that the country’s air force has bought from Ukraine 2 Sukhoi-25 military aircrafts, and several Macedonian pilots have left for Ukraine for training. SERGEI STEPHANOV http://english.pravda.ru/main/2001/05/30/6334.html PRAVDA.Ru Miroslav Antic, http://www.antic.org/ > Serbian News Network [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.antic.org/
