SOLANA ARRIVES IN SKOPJE ON PEACE MISSION

SKOPJE, June 23 (Hina) - The European Union high representative for foreign policy and security, Javier Solana, on Saturday arrived in Skopje to try persuade Macedonian and ethnic Albanian politicians to resume negotiations on reforms in the country and discontinue ethnic clashes between Albanian guerrillas and Macedonian forces. As soon as he arrived in Skopje at noon, Solana started talks with Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski, Premier Ljubco Georgievski and a leader of Social Democrats (SDS), Branko Crvenkovski. After that the EU official is due to meet Albanian politicians: Arben Xhaferi of the Democratic Party of Albanians (DPA) and Imer Imeri of the Party of Democratic Progress (PDP), who have threatened to leave the negotiating table and step down from the coalition government over the ongoing operation of the Macedonian forces in the area of Aracinovo. The Macedonian government has no intention of abandoning its military operation against Albanian guerrillas, which is going in Aracinovo, a dozen kilometres of the Macedonian capital. After late Friday's meeting of Macedonian President Trajkovski with NATO officials and US and EU ambassadors, a statement was released from Trajkovski's office reading that the operation in Aracinovo was taken because of the protection of Skopje and its vital facilities as well as of lines used by NATO and KFOR (international peace keepers in Kosovo). The operation in Aracinovo must be conducted completely and it should not bring into question the political dialogue, read the statement. The Macedonian forces launched an artillery attack on that village on Friday evening and the operation proceeded late into the night. The Interior Ministry special units started cleaning houses at the entrance to the village on Saturday. Albanian rebels were regrouping and columns of smoke were rising above the village were many houses were in flames, reported the Macedonian radio. (hina) ms