Macedonia Balks at EU Pitch for NATO Security Force

SKOPJE (Reuters) - A row brewed between Macedonia and the EU over NATO's future role in the shaky Balkan state as alliance troops collected more arms from rebels in a voluntary disarmament scheme dismissed by many Macedonians as a sham.

Insecure about its sovereignty and convinced a Western-sponsored peace plan rewards Albanian aggression, the government signaled through senior sources on Sunday that a NATO-led security force proposed by European Union foreign ministers earlier in the day was a non-starter.

The ministers were addressing fears of ethnic score-settling that could reignite war after NATO troops now gathering in Albanian guerrilla guns under a peace pact promising minority Albanians better civil rights complete their mission on September 26.

"We all insisted on the need to avoid a security vacuum when NATO withdraws. The option considered most realistic would be to deploy a 'NATO-plus' force based on the troops already on the ground," Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel said.

Meeting near Brussels, the ministers made no formal decision as the Macedonian government would have to request any new military presence and international institutions -- including the U.N. Security Council -- will be asked to endorse it.

In Skopje, senior security and Defense Ministry sources said the former Yugoslav republic's Security Council of top ministers had decided last week that NATO's presence should not be extended.

"Thanks to NATO, but we can handle things. After the end of this mission they should leave," said the security source, who asked not to be named. "At the moment there is no mood for accepting an extended military mission. Only civilian monitors are acceptable."

One EU minister, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the fact that a donors' conference for Macedonia was planned for October 15 should give the West leverage to persuade Skopje to accept a NATO-led force.

Ethnic Albanian guerrillas desultorily dumping arms at a makeshift NATO depot in mountains 50 km (35 miles) northwest of Skopje, the fifth exercise in disarmament since August 27, warned that if NATO left, war would return.

A prominent think tank said in a report released at the weekend that armed radicals on both sides would pitch Macedonia into an abyss of violence, preventing refugees from going home and leading to ethnic dismemberment of the country unless NATO stayed.

"NATO's sheer presence (so far) has been critical in maintaining a precarious cease-fire -- there have been hundreds of incidents in the past month which would have escalated into major conflict but did not," the International Crisis Group (ICG) said.

NATO has said its 4,500 troops will pull out when the "Essential Harvest" operation to collect 3,300 weapons from the rebels winds up, by which time parliament is supposed to have amended the constitution to devolve power to mainly Albanian areas.

"If the security vacuum is filled only by ethnic paramilitaries and guerrillas, the progress that has been made will be quickly forfeited," the ICG said. "A residual but more active NATO or equivalent force will be needed..."

Diplomats said German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer proposed a smaller but robust NATO-led force with a U.N. mandate to protect international monitors whose presence would encourage the return of refugees to their homes.

The force should be open to non-NATO countries such as Russia, Ukraine, Sweden and Finland, he said. Skopje would be more amenable to accepting a force with Russian or Ukrainians given their Slav Orthodox kinship with Macedonians, analysts say.

Diplomats said Fischer warned of the risk of a "silent coalition of extremists" exploiting any protracted dispute over a future role for NATO to resume fighting and partition the country.

Ethnic Albanians have called for weeks for a robust NATO-led security force after guerrillas are disarmed, but Macedonians fear such a mandate would mutate into policing of a "Green Line" shielding a separatist rebel entity.

Imer Imeri, head of the second biggest ethnic Albanian party in the rocky government coalition, said rejection of a new security arrangement was "a serious obstruction to the peace process."

"We need a serious monitoring of the whole situation and a sufficient number of NATO armed troops," he said.

"There is agreement that the Union must remain involved. Everyone agreed to increase the number of OSCE and EU monitors and on the need for a military force...probably under a NATO flag," French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine told reporters.

Rebels handing in arms in the mountain village of Brodec said that without guns or NATO they would be sitting ducks for police run by a rightist who has called arms collections a farce that would be rectified only when his men sweep in afterwards to root out "terrorist bandit groups."

"Just 30 days is out of the question. The Macedonians only want us to give up the guns and NATO to go away so that they will be free to interrogate, arrest, beat, rob or kill all of us," said Afrim Ziberi, 40, an NLA fighter.

Thanks to NATO, but we can handle things. After the end of this mission they should leave," said the security source, who asked not to be named. "At the moment there is no mood for accepting an extended military mission. Only civilian monitors are acceptable."

O-oh, the Macedonians better watch out now as if they continue with this beligerent stance of wanting NATzO to get out another "massacre" might be in the works from the boys down at "The Human Rights Watch"

'Nuff said.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.