EU's Solana says NATO to act fast if Macedonia deal
( 2001-07-29 09:55) (7)
European Union Foreign policy chief Javier Solana said that if Macedonia peace talks succeed NATO troops could start deploying in the region quickly.
"After the political deal, if the parties can reach one, NATO could start demilitarising the UCK (ethnic Albanian rebels) within 10 days. This would take one, two months maximum," Solana said in an interview to appear in the Journal du Dimanche.
"Then observers from the European Union and the OSCE would be deployed to avoid tension. That is the timetable but its implementation obviously depends on political negotiations," he said.
Macedonia's politicians resumed peace talks on Saturday in a new bid to stave off civil war.
The talks -- which are aimed at undercutting popular support for a five-month ethnic Albanian guerilla rebellion -- resumed after Solana and NATO Secretary-General George Robertson flew to Skopje on Thursday.
On the table in Saturday's talks is a revised draft of peace proposal that would make Albanian an official language in northern and western Macedonia where most of the country's one-third Albanian minority lives.
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