Balkan envoys work to cement deal

Macedonian policemen outside the palace in Skopje where the deal was signed

SKOPJE, Macedonia (CNN) -- Western mediators are working to secure a durable cease-fire in Macedonia aimed at cementing a peace deal signed by ethnic Albanian and government leaders.

The accord, agreed at a ceremony in Skopje on Monday, is aimed at ending six months of bloody clashes in the former Yugoslav republic between ethnic Albanian rebels, who are demanding greater rights, and Macedonian forces.

But the deal cannot succeed unless Albanian rebels leave occupied land and hand over weapons to NATO. Terms for disarmament as well as an amnesty for rebels, opposed by many Macedonians, are to be worked out shortly.

NATO Secretary-General George Robertson, who attended the ceremony with European Union foreign affairs chief Javier Solana, described the deal as "a remarkable moment in the history of Macedonia."

"This agreement is a first and crucial step in taking this country away from civil war towards normality," said Robertson at a post-signing press conference at a Skopje hotel.

"It opens the way to a peaceful and lasting solution to the crisis affecting this country."

Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski, Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski, Macedonian Social Democratic leader Branko Crvenkovski and the leaders of the two main ethnic Albanian parties, Arben Xhaferi and Imer Imeri, signed the pact.

Mediators James Pardew of the United States and Francois Leotard of the EU, Robertson and Solana were on hand as patrons of the settlement.

"This is the day when we can begin an end to this conflict and take all the political issues off the table," Pardew told The Associated Press. "After this day there should be no reason for fighting."

The power-sharing agreement gives the country's minority ethnic Albanian population more representation in parliament, the police force and educational institutions, and guarantees the rights of ethnic minorities under the constitution.

Only when a durable cease-fire is in place will NATO troops be deployed to take weapons handed over voluntarily by ethnic Albanian rebels.

Officials from the military alliance will travel to Macedonia on Tuesday, Reuters reported, to assess the sustainability of a cease-fire repeatedly flouted in recent weeks.

Friday's ceremony follows one of the bloodiest weeks of the conflict; about 30 of the total 100 dead, mainly Macedonian soldiers and police, have fallen in the past week.

RESOURCES Details of peace deal     AUDIO CNN's Walter Rodgers: Deal aimed at addressing grievances of ethnic Albanians 1115K / 97 secs WAV sound Amanda Williamson of International Red Cross talks about civilians caught in cross fire 1020K / 145 sec. WAV sound   MORE STORIES • Q&A: What the deal means for Macedonia   • Time.com: Macedonia peace plan will test rebels' intentions      IN-DEPTH Macedonia: Hurdles to peace   •  Balkan hotspots   •  Interactive map   •  Macedonia's military   •  News search   •  Audio/video archive   •  In-Depth: Yugoslavia   •  In-Depth: Kosovo    QUICKVOTE Will the Macedonia peace deal work? Yes No View Results

CNN's Walter Rogers described the historic deal as "a tentative step" towards peace, acknowledging that the two sides still have "more than a few kilometres to travel."

"There's not a lot of confidence in it," he said. "Not a lot of trust between the two parties.

"The Macedonian people are far more wary of this than the news reports suggest."

Parliament, dominated by Macedonian nationalists, must ratify the accord for it to take effect and the vote is to be held within 45 days.

Ethnic Albanian rebels took up arms in February, saying they want more rights for their community, which constitutes about a third of Macedonia's population of two million.

Trajkovski had accused the ethnic Albanian rebels of trying to form their own protectorate separate from Macedonia, a claim that has been denied by ethnic Albanian political leaders.

The rebels have acquired a significant amount of territory since violence broke out six months ago.

NATO is expected to send in about 3,000 troops to supervise the handover of weapons by the ethnic Albanian rebels.

According to Robertson the troops would only enter the country if four preconditions are met: the swift implementation of the signed peace agreement; the maintenance of durable ceasefire; and the drawing of a clear disarmament plan and "status of forces" agreement

The British-led Operation Essential Harvest would last about a month and is expected to include troops from the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Greece, the Netherlands, Norway, Turkey, Hungary and the Czech Republic.

A high-ranking commander in the rebel Albanian National Liberation Army (NLA), named Commander Shpati, told Reuters that he expected rebels would disarm in accordance with the agreement:

"We welcome (Monday's) signing of the agreement by all political leaders. We expect a new agreement on demilitarisation and disarmament of the NLA with precise conditions under which disarmament will happen."

He warned, however, that the NLA would not disarm "without a start to the implementation of the political agreement and required steps by the Macedonian parliament."

A Macedonian air force helicopter returns to Skopje from a combat mission on Sunday

U.S. President George W. Bush welcomed the signing of the agreement, but said it was time for all sides to lay down their arms in order to implement the deal.

"They signed a deal in Macedonia today, an agreement to work out the language as well as the policing," Bush told reporters while on holiday at his ranch in Texas.

"It's a good sign but now they need to lay down their arms so we can implement the deal."

The EU also welcomed the deal but urged quick implementation.