Macedonia threatened yesterday to declare a state of war after five soldiers were killed in the deadliest attack by ethnic Albanians rebels in almost six weeks.
The deaths came during fierce fighting in the hills above Tetovo in north-western Macedonia - the country's main ethnic Albanian town - which lasted through the night. Intense shelling resumed yesterday morning for brief periods.
The Macedonian Prime Minister, Mr Ljubco Georgievski, was calling for full military mobilisation and emergency powers, his spokesman said, to allow the country to quell the insurgency.
"A strong military response is the only way to achieve peace," said the spokesman, Mr Antonio Milosovski. "All we lack is a strong political decision for military action," he added.
Macedonian politicians suggested a declaration of war in early May, but were persuaded by the western powers that it would alienate ethnic Albanians and complicate the search for peace.
It was unclear how determined the politicians were this time to seek the two-thirds majority vote in parliament needed for the move. But in a sign of the depth of distrust between politicians from the Slav majority and the ethnic Albanian minority, who govern together in an emergency all-party coalition, Mr Georgievski asked for a declaration of loyalty.
"He (the prime minister) called on both Albanian parties to state publicly what side they are on - the side of the murderers or the side of the state," Mr Milosovski said.
The deaths came after rebels launched concerted attacks late on Tuesday with heavy machine-guns and mortars against three military positions near the village of Gajre, which lies 40 km west of the capital, Skopje. Two soldiers died when they were ambushed making a food delivery and a further three died in the same location during a second ambush as they escorted medics to help the wounded.
Western diplomatic sources said the rebels had been trying for some time to open a second front near Tetovo to widen the conflict beyond the villages north-east of Skopje which they have been occupying for the last month.
The Tetovo area last saw heavy fighting in March, when the Macedonian army beat back rebels from the outskirts of the town.