Rebels from the ethnic Albanian National Liberation Army (NLA) have fled their headquarters in the face of a sustained two-day offensive by Macedonian troops, tanks and helicopters in the hills over the northern city of Tetovo. The Macedonian authorities have pledged there will be no let-up until all rebel positions have been fully captured.
Eyewitnesses said the NLA guerrillas left weapons behind them in the rush to abandon their headquarters in the mountain village of Selce. Several hundred residents also abandoned their homes in the ethnic Albanian communities during the assault, some of them claiming to have been attacked by Macedonian forces.
There were concerns that the military success by the government could arouse sympathy for the rebels among the mass of Macedonia's Albanian minority, which makes up between 20 and 30 per cent of the total population and has largely remained aloof from the conflict up to now.
The NLA rebels claim to be fighting only for equal rights for the Albanian minority and an end to discrimination and second-class citizenship. However, the government alleges the rebels have their inspiration and origin in the neighbouring UN-administered province of Kosovo and that their real aim is the secession of the Albanian minority from the Macedonian state.
A government spokesman said, "Macedonia is a democratic country in which it is not forbidden to talk openly and loudly concerning any particular issue. The doors of democracy are open for everyone, but there is no place for Kosovo's terrorists in our country."
Nato's Secretary-General, Lord Robertson and the EU's high representative on foreign and security policy, Mr Javier Solana, flew to Skopje yesterday for talks with the President, Mr Boris Trajkovski. Afterwards Mr Solana said the EU and Nato supported the people and the leaders of Macedonia.
Lord Robertson said he and Mr Solana had come to "deliver our message of solidarity". He continued: "There are two options for the people of this country - it's a united Macedonia or another Balkans bloodbath and we hope the people of this country will choose the united way forward."
Praising the Government, he said it had acted "with commendable restraint but also with determined thoroughness". Dialogue between the different ethnic groups was already under way and would be intensified in the future, "and that is the way it should be".