MACEDONIA: EU SECURITY CHIEF JAVIER SOLANA MEETS WITH LEADERS OF COUNTRY'S TWO-WEEK OLD UNITY GOVERNMENT AS MACEDONIAN FORCES CONTINUE TO SHELL REBEL OCCUPIED VILLAGES

Record ID: 648103

  • Title: MACEDONIA: EU SECURITY CHIEF JAVIER SOLANA MEETS WITH LEADERS OF COUNTRY'S TWO-WEEK OLD UNITY GOVERNMENT AS MACEDONIAN FORCES CONTINUE TO SHELL REBEL OCCUPIED VILLAGES
  • Date: 28th May 2001
  • Summary: MATEJCE, SLUPCANE, AND ORIZARI MACEDONIA, (MAY 28,2001) (REUTERS ACCESS ALL) 1. GV'S: SMOKE FROM FIRING ON HILL OVER MATEJCE; SMOKE RISING FROM SHELLING (3 SHOTS) 0.21 2. MV'S: MACEDONIAN CONVOY INCLUDING APC'S AND HOODED SOLDIERS ON TRUCK DRIVING ALONG ROAD (3 SHOTS) 0.43 3. VARIOUS OF MOSQUE IN TOWN BEING HIT CONTINUOUSLY (2 SHOTS) 1.01 4. VARIOUS OF HELICOPTERS FIRING OVER SLOPCANE (2 SHOTS) 1.14 5. GV: SECOND HELICOPTER SHOOTING FLARES 1.28 6. VARIOUS: EUROPEAN UNION SECURITY CHIEF JAVIER SOLANA MEETING WITH MACEDONIAN PRESIDENT BORIS TRAJKOVSKI (4 SHOTS) 1.46 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 12th June 2001 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: MATEJCE, SLUPCANE, ORIZARI, SKOPJE, MACEDONIA
  • Country: Macedonia
  • Reuters ID: LVADGV115R1TJKFX6S9L1JP96T9T
  • Story Text: European Union Security Chief Javier Solana met with
    Macedonian and ethnic Albanian political leaders of a two week
    old unity government on Monday as Macedonian forces continued
    to shell rebel occupied villages in the north of the country.


    Solana continues diplomatic efforts to return calm to
    the country although the offensive to push Albanian rebels of
    the National Liberation Army out of Macedonian territory
    continues. Rebels have said they would continue to fight
    unless brought into the political sphere, which has been
    rejected outright by the Macedonian government and the West.

    Macedonian forces pounded villages of Otlja, Matejce,
    Slupcane, and Orizari in the northeast as they continue to try
    and clear the region using tanks, artillery and helicopter
    gunships. The villages, containing large Albanian populations
    are under control of the rebels, and there were western fears
    civilians could be caught in the crossfire.

    In Matejce a mosque was fired upon tanks while helicopter
    gunships reigned over Slupcane.

    An army spokesman said the security forces would continue
    their operation to drive guerrillas out of Otlja and Matejce.

    While the Macedonian authorities were able to claim some
    success late last week after capturing two villages from the
    rebels, the guerrillas appear to have struck back by taking
    control of most if not all of Matejce.

    The Defence Ministry said talks were continuing on how to
    get thousands of civilians, most believed to be concentrated
    in the village of Lipkovo, out of the conflict zone.

    Albanian rebels have said they want a part in the political
    discussions which the West and Macedonian government have
    rejected.

    The national unity government, formed two weeks ago by ethnic
    Albanian and Slav Macedonian parties is seen as the best tool
    to avoid civil war and a wider Balkan conflict.

    Solana, who has been shuttling to the region for the last few
    months, was prominent in bringing the political parties
    together in the formation of the new government and will be
    holding talks with political officials.

    The government includes all the main parties representing
    Macedonia's Slav majority and ethnic Albanian minority, which
    accounts for around a third of the population of two million.

    The coalition was plunged into crisis last week after it
    emerged that leaders of the two main ethnic Albanian parties
    had met the rebel political leader, Ali Ahmeti.

    Slav parties and the West expressed horror and called on
    the Albanian leaders to distance themselves from the peace
    plan they agreed with Ahmeti something they have not yet done.


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