Macedonian leaders in crisis talks

Tanks and helicopters fired at the villages

SKOPJE, Macedonia -- Macedonian forces have bombarded ethnic Albanian rebels in northern villages ahead of government crisis talks.

One rebel commander warned of the risk of civilian casualties as helicopters and tanks fired at the villages.

"There are no civilian casualties for now, but if humanitarian organisations do not come there may be a lot of deaths," a rebel commander using the name Shpati told Reuters by telephone.

"We remain in our positions."

President Boris Trajkovski was due to resume talks on Sunday with the main parties in Macedonia's ethnically mixed coalition, with the aim of ending the violence that has trapped about 8,000 civilians in the crossfire.

Both sides said they were confident of eventual victory. Ethnic Albanians say they are fighting for greater rights for Albanians in Macedonia, while the government says they rebels want to create a separate Albanian state.

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"Success is certain, a lot of patience is needed. Time is working against the terrorists," Defence Minister Vlado Buckovski told state radio on Saturday, Reuters reported.

Shpati disagreed with Buckovski's assertion that the rebels lacked weapons and were worn out by continued fighting.

"Time is working against Macedonian soldiers while morale of our soldiers is very high," he said.

"We have good arms and ammunition."

The army also targeted the nearby village of Slupcane -- one of a string of rebel-held settlements on the lower slopes of Macedonia's northeastern mountains.

A key coalition partner said any crisis talks would be futile in ending the uprising if the rebel National Liberation Army (NLA) were not included in negotiations.

"We can only end the war by negotiating with players in the war, and that includes the NLA," Arben Xhaferi, leader of the Democratic Party of Albanians, told Reuters.

Xhaferi was criticised earlier for signing a pact with the rebels by political leaders of the majority Slav community and the West which has ruled out talks with the rebels.

European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana succeeded in persuading Xhaferi to set aside the peace pact.

Trajkovski has proposed a partial amnesty to persuade rebels to lay down their arms.

The rebels have not yet publicly reacted to the offer, which would only apply to rebels who have not committed major crimes or helped organise assaults.

The mayor of Lipkovo, where many of the civilians were concentrated, said conditions were deteriorating and he feared an outbreak of disease.

"People do not have enough food and medicines. There is no drinking water and general water supplies are low," Hysamedin Halili told Reuters.