Western envoys weighed in today to try to salvage peace talks in Macedonia amid suspicions among diplomats that Albanian leaders may be seeking to draw in NATO to police a partition of the fragile country.
European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana arrived on a flying visit to encourage leaders on both sides of the ethnic divide to keep talking after Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski said the week-old process was totally deadlocked .
Mr Solana said he still hoped to see results by a Monday EU deadline for substantial progress, but declined to elaborate.
NATO special envoy Pieter Feith was also in Skopje pressing Macedonian and Albanian negotiators to compromise when talks resume this evening on finding a way to persuade Albanian gunmen in Macedonia's northern hills to lay down their weapons.
Despite heavy Western pressure, which continued at a dinner hosted by Trajkovski on last night, the Albanians were sticking to demands for radical constitutional changes which diplomats said amounted to a federalisation of the state.
A truce agreed 10 days ago is due to expire early next week and is unlikely to be renewed unless politicians strike a deal.
Two Albanian civilians were reported killed yesterday and today the Red Cross said up to 2,000 people fled the border village of Radusa towards neighbouring Kosovo, saying Macedonian artillery and helicopters had attacked overnight.
Officials said a patrol had responded to a guerrilla attack. "Three houses were hit but no one was hurt", residents said.
The rebels, who took up arms four months ago, say they only want to improve the rights of Macedonia's Albanian minority. But diplomats said Albanian leaders, by demanding a veto on all key government decisions, might be trying to stall the talks.
"There is no one in the international community who thinks their position is reasonable", a diplomatic source said."If they think we are going to help them create a federal Macedonia they should think again."