SKOPJE, (Islamweb & News Agencies) -Macedonia's parliament was to meet Friday to approve a peace accord aimed at ending an ethnic Albanian uprising for equal rights as a German military convoy moved in from Kosovo to join the NATO operation to collect weapons from ethnic Albanian fighters. (Read photo caption below)
On the eve of the key parliamentary session called to ratify the August 13 agreement, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw met with Macedonian party leaders who said they were lobbying for a vote in favor of the accord.
"All the political party representatives, leaders who I've met today, emphasised their commitment to ensuring that their parties vote in favour of the framework agreement," Straw told reporters at parliament here.
Straw's visit to the troubled Balkans state came as NATO announced that it had met an interim target of collecting one third of 3,300 weapons held by the National Liberation Army (NLA) fighters -- a commitment the alliance made to ensure that parliament began ratifying the accord.
The agreement signed between Macedonian Slav and ethnic Albanian political leaders grants official status to the Albanian language in certain areas and creates more jobs for the Albanian minority in the police force and in the administration.
But many Macedonian politicians are sceptical about the accord and the number of weapons the NLA is holding. Figures made public here on the number of arms have ranged from 6,000 to 85,000. The reputable military review Jane's Defence Weekly put the figure at 8,700.
"As far as weapons collections is concerned, I think it is fair to say that this has gone smoothly and at the higher end of expectations," Straw said.
"Already the interim target of a third of weapons to be handed over has been met and that is an important milestone on the route to putting in full place the framework agreement to secure peace in this country."
President Boris Trajkovski said NATO had met the conditions for parliament to begin implementing the peace agreement after meeting with security officials to review information given to them by the head of the NATO arms collection operation in Macedonia, General Gunnar Lange.
Lange said he advised parliament that NATO had gathered one-third of the NLA's weapons and that he hoped the results would help sway parliament to approve the deal.
A 100-vehicle convoy with 250 German soldiers serving in Kosovo headed late Thursday for the border into neighbouring Macedonia to join the NATO operation.
Ethnic Albanian fighter leader Ali Ahmeti meanwhile called on the European Union and NATO to ensure that the Macedonian parliament respects the accord.
In an interview with AFP and French radio, Ahmeti said: "An accord was signed and we are confident -- the guarantee for this accord is the European Union and NATO."
"We have confidence in the Europeans and the Americans -- if there is a problem we will take it up with them," Ahmeti said in his stronghold in Sipkovica in northwest Macedonia.
Ahmeti also tried to allay Macedonian fears that the Albanians would take up arms again once NATO finished its mission on September 26.
"We will respect all our engagements, all that was agreed," he affirmed.
"A rejection of the text by parliament would not be good news, it would not contribute to peace," the NLA political leader said.
The constitutional amendments needed to implement the accord require the approval of two-thirds of parliament's 120 members.
Hardliners in the Macedonian government and some members of parliament are suspicious the NLA is giving up only a fraction of its arsenal and planning to keep control of a swathe of territory it holds along the borders with Albania and Kosovo.
PHOTO CAPTION:
German army vehicles make their way near the southern Kosovo town of Suhareka for Macedonia to join NATO's Operation Essential Harvest to collect ethnic Albanian rebel weapons Thursday Aug. 30, 2001. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
- Aug 30 5:08 PM ET