Macedonia peace accord to be signed today

Macedonia's feuding factions today prepared to sign a peace to end six months of bitter conflict despite continuing clashes between ethnic Albanian rebels and government forces.

Political leaders representing the Balkan country's Macedonian majority and its minority ethnic Albanian population planned to formally endorse a tentative agreement that gives ethnic Albanians a larger share of power in the police ranks, parliament and education.

Secretary–General Lord Robertson, European Union envoy Javier Solana, French mediator Francois Leotard and U.S. envoy James Pardew were among those attending.

Arriving in Skopje with Mr Solana, Lord Robertson called the signing "a remarkable moment for the history of Macedonia. This day marks the entry of Macedonia into modern, mainstream Europe."

Mr Pardew, who helped broker the accord reached last week, was equally upbeat.

"This is the day when we can begin an end to this conflict and take all the political issues off the table," Mr Pardew said. "After this day, there should be no reason for fighting."

The militants took up arms in February, saying they were fighting for more rights for ethnic Albanians, who comprise about a third of Macedonia's population of two million. The Macedonian government says the rebels simply want to seize territory.

After the accord is signed, NATO will send in 3,500 troops to disarm the rebels. The British–led Operation Essential Harvest would last 30 days and would include troops from the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Greece, Netherlands, Norway, Turkey, Hungary and the Czech Republic.

Before the NATO troops can be deployed, there will have to be a "durable cease–fire," Robertson said.

"Clearly, there has to be a sustainable cease–fire and clear indications from the insurgents that they mean business in terms of disarming completely and handing over their weapons and ammunition to the NATO troops when they come," he said.

Macedonia's government agreed to pave the way for the signing by reinstating a cease–fire that had gone ignored over the past two weeks. President Boris Trajkovski ordered government forces to stop shooting Sunday "to show goodwill and give a chance" to the peace deal, state television reported.

But despite the cease–fire – which one rebel commander called a "farce" – there was heavy fighting overnight in the north of the country. The army accused the insurgents of launching mortar and machine–gun fire on police positions near the rebel strongholds of Slupcane and Orizare, prompting government response "by all available means."

Government troops pounded the ethnic Albanian village of Ljuboten, just five kilometers (three miles) north of Skopje, with mortars and tank fire with a barrage that lasted until late Sunday afternoon. The government said the strike was prompted by an earlier rebel attack.

Speaking from Tetovo, Macedonia's second–largest city, Arben Xhaferi, an ethnic Albanian leader who participated in the peace talks, said Sunday: "We are willing to sign a deal, but physically we cannot go to Skopje now" because of the fighting.

A rebel spokesman who goes by the name of Besniku, or Faith, said about 50 ethnic Albanian civilians had been killed over the last three days alone, but could not estimate rebel casualties.