SKOPJE SKOPJE, May 30 (Hina) - The European Union's High Representative for foreign policy and joint security, Javier Solana, said in a brief statement that agreement was reached on the continuation of political dialogue, and being
satisfied with the achieved agreement, he left Skopje for Budapest on Tuesday evening. In the Macedonian capital, Solana met leaders of political parties - VMRO-DPMNE, Social Democrat Alliance, the Party of Democratic Prosperity and the Democratic Party of Albanians - and at that meeting they signed a document on the struck agreement. The paper will be the basis for this week's continuation of dialogue between Macedonia's President Boris Trajkovski and party bosses on speeding reforms and legal regulations. Politicians agreed that they would step up bids as to improve the Albanian minority's position and set a deadline of 15 June for accomplishing substantial progress in the proc
SKOPJE, May 30 (Hina) - The European Union's High Representative
for foreign policy and joint security, Javier Solana, said in a
brief statement that agreement was reached on the continuation of
political dialogue, and being satisfied with the achieved
agreement, he left Skopje for Budapest on Tuesday evening.
In the Macedonian capital, Solana met leaders of political parties
- VMRO-DPMNE, Social Democrat Alliance, the Party of Democratic
Prosperity and the Democratic Party of Albanians - and at that
meeting they signed a document on the struck agreement. The paper
will be the basis for this week's continuation of dialogue between
Macedonia's President Boris Trajkovski and party bosses on
speeding reforms and legal regulations.
Politicians agreed that they would step up bids as to improve the
Albanian minority's position and set a deadline of 15 June for
accomplishing substantial progress in the process.
According to the document, all the political parties support the
Government of National Salvation and denounce violence as a means
for achieving political aims.
Taking into consideration the international community's
conclusions in relation to the contentious Prizren document which
was signed by Albanian political party leaders and commanders of
the "liberation national army" of ethnic Albanians, the
participants in the Skopje meeting determine that "the status of
(Prizren) document is no longer valid."
"All the present political leaders (in Skopje) have expressed their
commitment to the joint cooperation to the benefit of all
Macedonian citizens," President Trajkovski said after yesterday's
talks.
Solana travelled to Budapest to brief NATO and EU member countries'
foreign ministers about the outcome of the Skopje meeting.
The Alliance's diplomats expect a joint statement of NATO and the EU
condemning the Macedonian Albanians' extremism to be made public on
Wednesday. This will be the first joint document of such kind.
The Macedonian interior ministry has forwarded a call on villagers
of Lipkovo, near the town of Kumanovo, and other civilians who have
found shelter in that village to evacuate the area on Thursday.
Between eight and 10 thousand inhabitants of nearby villages are
believed to have sought shelter in Lipkovo since the start of the
armed conflict.
(hina) ms