Macedonian and ethnic Albanian party leaders signed a Western-backed peace deal yesterday to try to end more than six months of guerrilla fighting that threatened to ignite into another Balkans war.
The leaders raised glasses of champagne and made a toast to the success of the peace accord after signing the document in the presence of several international dignitaries.
"This is a major day for returning to a peaceful and normal life. I see a light in what has been a long black tunnel," the NATO Secretary General, Lord Robertson, said after the accord was signed.
The agreement provides for NATO troops to be deployed in Macedonia to disarm the rebels while the government enacts measures to address complaints by the ethnic Albanian minority of being treated like second-class citizens.
It recognises Albanian as a second official language in those areas predominantly inhabited by ethnic Albanians and lays out steps to boost the number of ethnic Albanians serving in the local police forces in those regions.
While the rebels were not represented at the negotiating table, one of the commanders of the so-called National Liberation Army (NLA) said minutes before the accord was signed that he accepted the peace terms.
But he added that the guerrillas would decide in the next two weeks on whether to lay down their arms. "The NLA accepts the peace accord," Commander Shpati said.
Signature of the accord had been thrown into doubt over the past few days following intense fighting in the north of the country in a string of villages between rebels and government forces.
Clashes were reported overnight and question marks remained as to whether the politicians who signed the accord would be able to persuade fighters to put down their arms.
NATO maintains that it will deploy its troops to disarm the rebels once a cease-fire has proved solid and guerrillas agree to voluntarily surrender their weapons.
"Clearly there has to be a sustainable cease-fire, there has to be a clear indication from the insurgents that they mean business in terms of disarming completely and handing over all their weapons and all their ammunition," Lord Robertson said after his arrival for the signing ceremony.
NATO has earmarked some 3,500 mainly European troops to send into Macedonia after a cease-fire comes into effect.
The signing came a week after some of the fiercest fighting yet seen in the Macedonian forces' six-month struggle with ethnic Albanian guerrillas, and few in Skopje were betting on a rapid return to peace.
The peace accord was signed in the presence of Lord Robertson, the EU foreign policy chief, Mr Javier Solana, the chairman of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Mr Mircea Geoana, and Mr Louis Michel, the Foreign Minister of Belgium, which now holds the EU presidency.
The UN Security Council welcomed the signing of the framework document and urged its full and immediate implementation. Ireland strongly supported the call, a spokesman for the mission to the UN said.