MACEDONIA: CEASEFIRE BETWEEN ETHNIC ALBANIAN REBELS AND GOVERNMENT TROOPS APPEARS TO BE HOLDING

Record ID: 566297

  • Title: MACEDONIA: CEASEFIRE BETWEEN ETHNIC ALBANIAN REBELS AND GOVERNMENT TROOPS APPEARS TO BE HOLDING
  • Date: 15th August 2001
  • Summary: (W7) POROJ, MACEDONIA (AUGUST 13, 2001) (REUTERS) 1. WIDE OF ALBANIAN POROJ VILLAGE 0.05 2. SLV PEOPLE WALKING DOWN STAIRS; SLV DAMAGED HOUSE; MV INTERIOR OF HOUSE WITH SHELL DAMAGE; SCU BROKEN WINDOW (4 SHOTS) 0.34 3. SOUNDBITE (English) FATON ALILI, ALBANIAN RESIDENT, SAYING "We, especially the people of this village are still afraid that some military forces will come into the village and do who knows what, we can't be sure yet before the NATO forces come" 0.50 4. SLV BURNT HOUSE; MV BURNT TRACTOR (3 SHOTS) 1.09 LOPATE, MACEDONIA (AUGUST 13, 2001) (REUTERS) 5. MV SOLDIERS IN POSITION; SCU SOLDIERS LOOKING THROUGH BINOCULARS; SCU SOLDIER ON RADIOPHONE; MV SOLDIERS WITH MORTAR GUNS; VIEW OVER RIFLE BUTT (9 SHOTS) 2.07 6. WIDE OF CITY WHERE FIRING WAS ON SUNDAY (AUGUST 12, 2001) 2.18 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 30th August 2001 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: POROJ AND LOPATE, MACEDONIA
  • Country: Macedonia
  • Reuters ID: LVAWKJ25K3GK9YBQJDZNP7YIG68
  • Story Text: A fragile ceasefire across Macedonia appears to be
    holding, but many fear violence could erupt again despite the
    signing of a historic peace agreement between ethnic Albanian
    rebels and the government.

    The Macedonian government and minority ethnic Albanian
    political leaders signed a peace agreement on Monday (August
    13) meant to end a guerrilla uprising and avert the fifth
    Balkan war in a decade.

    But the Western-mediated accord cannot succeed unless
    Albanian rebels vacate occupied land and hand over weapons to
    NATO. Terms for disarmament as well as an amnesty for rebels,
    opposed by many Macedonians, are to be worked out shortly.

    The pact grants state funding for Albanian higher
    education and gives the Albanian language limited official
    status alongside Macedonian. Its terms also include a
    guarantee for Albanians of jobs in the police reflecting their
    proportion of the overall population.

    In many Albanian villages, residents are anxiously
    awaiting the arrival of Macedonian troops.

    Residents of Poroj, five kilometers north of the Albanian
    majority city Tetovo have faced fierce shelling as Macedonian
    forces launched an offensive on nearby rebel positions.

    Without NATO forces many say they will never feel safe.

    "We, especially the people of this village are still
    afraid that some military forces will come into the village
    and do who knows what, we cant be sure yet before the NATO
    forces come" said 19 year old Faton Alili as he looked at his
    families damaged home.

    An army spokesman in Skopje said general calm across the
    front lines prevailed after mid-morning.

    But rebels now control swathes of the mainly
    Albanian-populated north and northwest and the overriding
    challenge in implementing the peace accord will be getting the
    NLA to dissolve.

    NATO has earmarked 3,500 troops to collect guerrilla
    weapons, which include mortars, heavy machineguns and
    shoulder-fired rocket launchers - but, fearing casualties,
    says the handover must be voluntary and the mission should be
    over in 30 days.

    Disarmament looks improbable without a rebel amnesty.

    But most Macedonians furiously reject the idea given the
    deaths of dozens of soldiers and police in guerrilla ambushes
    and the alleged expulsion of hundreds of Macedonian villagers
    by rebels.


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