Skopje - Peace talks between political parties in Macedonia aimed at consolidating a fragile ceasefire between ethnic Albanian rebels and the government were postponed yesterday because of security fears, officials said.
The top-level negotiations, between President Boris Trajkovski and the main Macedonian and ethnic Albanian parties, will now take place today in the south-western town of Ohrid, far from the unrest, according to a joint statement by the EU and US envoys, Mr Francois Leotard and Mr James Pardew.
The two foreign diplomats will be attending the talks, in a sign of the West's desire to strengthen the NATO-brokered truce and avert what earlier this week seemed to be the onset of another Balkans war. The envoys said that instead of the scheduled talks yesterday experts would meet later in the day in Tetovo.