STOP NATO: �NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --------------------------- ListBot Sponsor -------------------------- Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/links/joinlb ---------------------------------------------------------------------- "What we have on the table is a document tailored to break up Macedonia," Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski said. He called the draft "a blatant violation of Macedonia's internal affairs." Georgievski also accused the West of siding with Albanian insurgents, saying their "terrorist actions are performed with logistical support from so-called western democracies." July 18, 2001 Macedonia Rejects US-EU Backed Plan by ALEKSANDAR VASOVIC Associated Press Writer SKOPJE, Macedonia (AP) -- Macedonia on Wednesday bluntly rejected a peace plan backed by the United States and European Union that would give ethnic Albanians more rights, raising fears that talks aimed at defusing an insurgency could collapse. ''What we have on the table is a document tailored to break up Macedonia,'' Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski said. He called the draft ''a blatant violation of Macedonia's internal affairs.'' The unusually direct language was clearly directed at U.S. envoy James Pardew and his EU counterpart Francois Leotard -- both had expressed support for the draft in a joint statement issued just hours earlier. The draft retains Macedonian as the primary official language and maintains central state control of the police, but proposes Albanian as a second official language in some areas, the U.S.-European Union statement said. The Macedonian leadership's objections focused on plans to upgrade the status of the Albanian language as well as giving the minority more say in the appointment of police staff. Macedonia's hard-line stance dimmed hopes that a breakthrough was imminent in the 12th day of talks between majority Macedonians and the ethnic Albanian minority. It also raised the prospect that the negotiations could break up, leading to the end of a two-week cease-fire and the resumption of warfare between the insurgents and government troops. Although Pardew said earlier in the day that there was no deadline for reaching an agreement and it was up to Macedonia's ethnic groups to find a peace formula, Georgievski said the draft represents ''an ultimatum.'' Without elaborating, Georgievski also accused West of siding with Albanian insurgents, saying their ''terrorist actions are performed with logistical support from so-called western democracies.'' He said talks between the Macedonians and representatives of ethnic Albanians parties should continue, but Western diplomats expressed skepticism that they could convince Georgievski and his backers to turn toward moderation. Ethnic Albanian political leaders had appeared ready to accept the plan. Zehir Bekteshi of the influential ethnic Albanian Party for Democratic Prosperity, said he expected a possible signing as early as Thursday, during planned visits by NATO Secretary-General Lord Robertson and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana. Though they said they were not giving up on negotiations, their reactions indicated they were not ready to back away from demands contained in the draft endorsed by Pardew and Leotard. ''I am not abandoning the talks but I have no mandate to reverse the talks to the beginning,'' said Arben Xhaferi, the most influential ethnic Albanian politician. Bekteshi said that the talks would continue. ''This is a critical time but the outcome should be positive,'' he said. President Boris Trajkovski, a moderate, also said the political talks would go on. In Rome, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said any agreement has to respect ''the rights of all the people of Macedonia and the territorial integrity of Macedonia.'' Powell and his Russian counterpart, Igor Ivanov, discussed Macedonia ahead of a planned Friday meeting of foreign ministers representing the G-8 group -- the world's wealthiest nations and Russia. Despite scattered clashes, a shaky cease-fire brokered earlier this month by NATO and the EU largely has held, but there are fears that fighting could resume if the talks collapse. Reflecting heightened tensions in the wake of Georgievski's comment, army spokesman Marjan Djurovski said troops had been issued orders to fire if the rebels come closer than 200 yards. ''Responsibility (for new conflict) will lie with the terrorists and politicians who are proposing unacceptable solutions,'' he said. In Washington, a State Department spokesman, Philip Reeker, said the parties have narrowed their differences and it was time to bring the negotiations to closure. ''This is a negotiation, and I don't think anybody is tied to any particular draft. That's what negotiating is all about,'' he said. � __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ ______________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
