Referendum threat to Macedonia peace plan Posted September 19, 2001
http://www.portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2001/09/19/wmace19.xml

Referendum threat to Macedonia peace plan

By Julius Strauss, Balkans Correspondent
(Filed: 19/09/2001)

MACEDONIAN MPs threatened to derail the Balkans peace plan last night as they considered putting it to a referendum, a procedure that would take months.

Surrendered Albanian weapons are burnt in Athens
Stojan Andov, the hardline parliamentary speaker, tabled the debate despite warnings that such a move would breach the terms of an agreement signed by political leaders a month ago.

With Nato troops due to finish collecting rebel weapons and begin their withdrawal in a week's time, the debate threatens to throw the timetable for a peaceful settlement to the seven-month-old conflict into chaos.

Renato Ruggiero, Italy's Foreign Minister, in Skopje for talks with political leaders, said: "A delay of some months to organise and carry out a referendum seems to us to be a very serious danger for the political stability we are trying to reach."

The move is the latest obstacle thrown up by Macedonian hardliners trying to prevent the implementation of comprehensive reforms that would benefit the ethnic Albanian minority.

In a reciprocal arrangement the rebel National Liberation Army agreed to hand over its weapons in three phases, timed to coincide with the adopting of new laws. The fist two phases are now complete and the third is due to begin this week.

Nato sources said yesterday that the leader of the NLA, Ali Ahmeti, told them his fighters would continue to surrender their weapons even if the Macedonian government stalled a vote on implementing political concessions.

A Nato diplomat said: "We have received a commitment from Ahmeti that the final set of weapons will be turned in regardless of parliamentary action and that means we hope we can conclude the process by the expiry of our mandate on Sept 26."

The NLA is thought to have been heartened by a decision by Macedonian authorities on Monday to allow a small Nato security force to stay on to provide security for unarmed monitors. The decision means that a small British force could remain in the country for months or even years.