Macedonia's government and the main opposition ethnic Albanian party are preparing a quiet deal to break an impasse in the formation of a national unity government, a government source said yesterday.
The West has expressed profound concern that an ethnic Albanian insurgence could push Macedonia to the brink of a disaster that could destabilise the Balkans less than two years after the end of the Kosovo conflict.
The coalition of the main political parties, strongly advocated by the European Union and NATO, is seen as a tool to deprive the guerrillas of grassroots support.
The government source said that under the deal, the army would stop shelling rebel positions in the north-east and give the "National Liberation Army" fighters 72 hours to withdraw from the villages they occupied last week.
Then security forces would move in, the source said, adding such a deal would not be announced publicly, but implemented quietly. The level of shelling was low yesterday.
Leaders of the Party for Democratic Prosperity (PDP) were expected to meet at 3 p.m. yesterday.
"The main obstacle is the action by the Macedonian army. We will not take part in a government that shells civilian houses," Mr Zahir Bekteshi, PDP spokesman, said.
The planned coalition would create an administration with a clear two-thirds majority in parliament, giving it unchallenged power to enact new laws and make constitutional changes to deliver the promise of equal rights for ethnic Albanians.
Announcement of the coalition had been expected on Tuesday after the two main Slav parties reached agreement. But the rebels, who say they are fighting for better rights for the Albanian minority, said there could be no unity government without them.
"Any government that is created with the co-operation of the European Union, without the inclusion of the NLA, would only continue bloodshed," an NLA commander was quoted as saying.