SKOPJE, Macedonia (Islamweb & Agencies) - Ethnic Albanians signaled their willingness Wednesday to salvage peace talks after Macedonia's largest political party denounced a Western-backed proposal it says makes too many concessions to the country's Albanian minority.
Zehir Bekteshi of the influential ethnic Albanian Party for Democratic Prosperity told The Associated Press that Thursday's expected arrival of NATO Secretary-General Lord Robertson and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana could mark a turning point in the talks aimed at ending an Albanian uprising for equal rights and averting a civil war.
The negotiations hit a snag Tuesday when the ruling party of President Boris Trajkovski lashed out at the Western-backed peace plan in general, and other Macedonians objected to a provision that would make Albanian an official language alongside the majority Macedonian tongue.
Gjorgji Trendafilov, a spokesman for the ruling party, known by its initials VMRO, criticized the draft proposal as ``shocking and unacceptable'' and called it an attempt ``to undermine the unity and integrity of Macedonia.''
Trendafilov refused to say if the objections from the party, which holds 46 of 120 seats in Macedonia's parliament, signaled the imminent collapse of the negotiations. A source close to Western mediators told a reporter the talks were continuing and suggested the VMRO statement could be a negotiating tactic.
In a joint statement, envoys James Pardew of the United States and Francois Leotard of the European Union (Read photo caption below) gave their blessing to the draft peace plan, saying it ``preserves the sovereignty, territorial integrity and unitary character of the Republic of Macedonia.''
The draft retains Macedonian as the primary official language and maintains central state control of the police, but proposes Albanian as a second official language in some areas ``and in restricted circumstances,'' the joint statement said, without offering details.
On Wednesday, Bekteshi expressed hopes that the Macedonian side would accept a compromise and that ``progressive forces can be found to push the deal.''
The language dispute underscores the deep distrust between Macedonia's two main ethnic groups, each of which fears dominance by the other.
Pardew, in comments separate from the joint statement, dismissed the idea of any deadline for a settlement, saying: ``There's no D-day and there's no deadline.''
Despite scattered clashes, a shaky cease-fire brokered earlier this month by NATO and the EU largely has held.
Ethnic Albanians account for nearly a third of Macedonia's 2 million people and live mostly in the north and northwest of the country. Albanian fighters meanwhile continue to control dozens of villages in those areas.
A decentralization of authority, which is also envisaged in the peace plan, would bring a degree of self-rule to ethnic Albanian-populated areas.
If a peace deal is signed, the Albanian fighters would disarm under the supervision of some 3,000 NATO soldiers, who could be deployed within days of an agreement.
PHOTO CAPTION:
U.S. envoy James Pardew, right, and EU envoy Francois Leotard listen during talks aimed at ending the five-month long Albanian insurgency in Macedonia, Thursday July 18 2001 in Skopje, Macedonia. Macedonian politicians rejected the peace plan proposed by Pardew and Leotard. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)