BBC

Thursday, 21 June, 2001, 00:32 GMT 01:32 UK

Nato warns of Macedonia civil war

Nato Secretary-General Lord Robertson has called on all parties in the Macedonia conflict to reach agreement before full-scale civil war breaks out.

He spoke after Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski said that peace talks aimed at ending the fighting in the country had broken down.

He blamed ethnic Albanian leaders, who, he said, were determined to carve up the country.

"They have dramatically changed their standpoint, practically asking for federalisation offering a two-nation state," he said.

The setback came as Nato said it was ready to send a mission to Macedonia if a peace plan could be agreed.

Lord Robertson urged a rapid deployment of peacekeepers.

The Nato force would disarm ethnic Albanian rebels - but would only go to Macedonia if the unrest ended and a political deal was struck.

"It will happen when, and only when, there is a durable ceasefire and an agreement between all of the parties in the coalition and indeed an agreement by the armed extremists that they will proceed toward disarmament," Lord Robertson said.

Buying time

The Nato mission would comprise about 2,500 troops and work for 30 days to collect arms from rebels.

The plan would not require any mandate from the UN Security Council.

The UK, France, Spain, Greece, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Norway are all possible troop contributors, Nato sources said, with the United States providing logistical support.

The force could be ready to move within 10 days.

President Trajkovski accused the ethnic Albanian negotiators of trying to buy time by spinning out the talks.

He said that they had "an expectation that the international community will intervene and support their unreal political demands, which would include cementing terrorist positions in temporarily occupied territories."

Unreasonable demands

Macedonian Interior Minister Ljube Boskovski on Tuesday resigned from the working group trying to reach a peace deal.

He said the body was too ready to give in to what he called unreasonable Albanian demands and block a crackdown on rebels.

He said the Macedonians were being pushed too far, especially over a possible constitutional change giving equal status to the Albanians who make up some 30% of the population.

The cross-party body was set up as part of President Boris Trajkovski's package of proposals to restore peace in the country and is charged with overseeing military aspects of the peace plan.

The Trajkovski plan, backed by Nato and the European Union, allows for a partial amnesty for Macedonian-born guerrillas and their disarmament by Nato troops.

The rebels have been demanding wide-range concessions, including a constitutional change to name them as an equal community with the Slav majority.

-- Anonymous, June 20, 2001