[ALBSA-Info] 3-EU envoy backtracks on confusing Macedonia call

[Gazhebo at aol.com]

3-EU envoy backtracks on confusing Macedonia call

  
PARIS, June 27 (Reuters) - The newly-appointed European Union envoy to 
Macedonia on Wednesday reaffirmed that EU policy in the Balkans continued to 
exclude any political dialogue with ethnic Albanian guerrillas. 

Going back on his comments earlier in the day, former French Defence Minister 
Francois Leotard said: "I would like to clarify the fact that the position of 
the European Union has not changed. 

"The Albanian-speaking guerrillas have no place in the political dialogue 
which should be conducted only with the legitimate representatives of the 
political parties," he said in a statement faxed to Reuters. 

"My work in Skopje as permanent representative of the European Union in 
Macedonia will be totally based on this line." 

Earlier on Wednesday, Leotard, speaking on Europe 1 radio, sowed confusion in 
Brussels and Skopje by saying of the Macedonian government: 

"They have to speak with these guerrillas to try, with the leaders of this 
Albanian-speaking part of their country, to see that a consensus emerges and 
peace can be installed." 

Western officials, desperate to prevent another Balkan war, have been trying 
to foster government talks with politicians representing minority ethnic 
Albanians, but have not said before that the armed rebels should be brought 
into any negotiations. 

In Brussels, EU and NATO officials said Leotard's remarks on Europe 1 radio 
did not reflect the official Western position, which rules out talks with the 
fighters. 

They said he may have misspoken, mixing up rebels with the Albanian political 
leaders. 

"There is no change in the EU position," one EU diplomat told Reuters. 

"The policy remains one of deep negotiations on political reform among the 
leaders of the legitimate political parties, under the leadership of 
President Boris Trajkovski." 

A second diplomat said Leotard "may have used a quick formula" giving the 
impression he was advocating political talks with rebels whereas he meant to 
say Albanian party leaders. 

Leotard, defence minister in Paris from 1993 to 1995, was appointed this week 
to deputise for EU foreign affairs chief Javier Solana. He will try and help 
Macedonia end four months of fighting that has raised fears of another Balkan 
civil war. 

SUPPORT 

Leotard, who is to take up his new post on Thursday, said in the Europe 1 
interview that the Macedonian government enjoyed the support of the 
international community, which wanted to see the former Yugoslav republic's 
borders respected. 

He said a civil war in Macedonia would jeopardise the work the EU had done to 
promote peace in the region since the former Yugoslavia broke up in 1991. 

"Since 1991, we have had 250,000 dead in Yugoslavia -- lots of soldiers, 
civilians, women and children have been massacred. We have to have the 
courage to say 'that's enough'," he said. 

"Macedonia is the last piece of the puzzle. If that piece is missing, all the 
rest will be put at risk," he said. 

"I will try to make peace prevail through negotations between the two parties 
-- the Albanians who are now engaged in guerrilla fighting and the Macedonian 
government which has international legitimacy and which wants to protect and 
defend its frontiers." 

The EU and NATO clearly found Leotard's comment about rebel talks an 
embarrassment likely to prompt "I told you so" comments from critics who were 
opposed to the appointment of a Frenchman out of touch with Kosovo and 
Macedonia Albanian conflicts. 

Leotard was proposed by French President Jacques Chirac, and supported by 
German Chancellor Gerhard Shcroeder. A number of the EU's 15 foreign 
ministers expressed dissent privately but acceded to the posting at talks in 
Luxembourg on Monday. 

NATO said on Wednesday that alliance representatives and EU officials in 
Macedonia did have "technical" talks with the guerrillas to facilitate the 
evacuation but remained opposed to them sitting in on political talks on 
constitutional reform.