Macedonia's government today accused ethnic Albanian rebels of breaching a NATO-sponsored ceasefire, a day ahead of key negotiations aimed at hammering out a political settlement.
Macedonian police said rebels from the self-proclaimed National Liberation Army (NLA) opened fire with automatic weapons near Tetovo in north western Macedonia, the latest in a series of reported weekend guerilla activity.
NLA rebels were also accused of firing automatic weapons overnight near the border post of Jazince in the country's northwest, while national radio reported rebels had attacked Macedonian positions overnight near Slupcane, a village northeast of the capital Skopje.
Macedonian Interior Minister Mr Ljube Boskovski said the rebels were not respecting the ceasefire and were behaving "like paramilitary police, controlling traffic and the identity of drivers."
An unlimited NATO-brokered ceasefire came into force at midnight on Thursday.
Over the weekend, political parties were studying draft reforms submitted by EU and US envoys, Mr Francois Leotard and Mr James Pardew, aimed at bolstering democracy at the local level as a means of protecting minority rights.
Talks between the representatives of the four main political parties in the country - Macedonian and Albanains - are scheduled to continue tomorrow.
The progress of constitutional reforms is seen as key to whether or not the ceasefire holds and political dialogue can hammer out a lasting peace settlement.
Macedonia's Foreign Minister Mr Ilinka Mitreva said today she would visit the United States on Wednesday to discuss the ceasefire with US Secretary of State Mr Colin Powell.
Returning from meetings with European Union and NATO authorities in Brussels and Luxembourg, Mr Mitreva said the deployment of NATO troops "was necessary, as soon as possible, with a very precise mandate, to disarm."
AFP