Ethnic Albanian rebels have declared their guerrilla force no longer exists, but Macedonian authorities have made an uncompromising response to the announcement.
A Macedonian government statement hours after rebel leader Mr Ali Ahmeti's announcement said a crisis committee was working on "creating conditions for a lasting return of displaced persons and for freeing all persons abducted by [ethnic] Albanian terrorists".
Mr Ahmeti said his group was holding no hostages and suggested it was time to commit to reconciliation instead of war. The rebels also voluntarily handed over nearly 3,400 weapons to NATO for broader political and other rights.
Although the country seemed to be heading for a stable peace, a top adviser to Macedonian president Mr Boris Trajkovski said the government would no longer tolerate any new challenge to its authority.
"Macedonia's security forces are no longer obliged to act in a restricted manner," said police spokesman Mr Stevo Pendarovski, referring to an earlier ceasefire that had opened the way for the peace process.
"Any provocations or attacks against security forces . . . will be treated as threats against the state and all such persons [who attack] will be legitimate targets," Mr Pendarovski was quoted as saying.
Virtually none of the provisions of the peace plan have been enacted in the legislature, and the Macedonian-dominated government has not acted to amnesty the rebels, despite requests by NATO and Western mediators.