Macedonia resumes reforms debate

Protesters outside Macedonia's parliament

SKOPJE, Macedonia -- Macedonia's parliament has resumed debate on reforms outlined in a peace plan designed to end the conflict with ethnic Albanian rebels.

The reforms would offer greater political and language rights to the country's ethnic Albanian minority, which makes up about a third of Macedonia's two million people.

On Saturday, parliament speaker Stojan Andov suspended the debate, insisting the president guarantee the safe return home of an estimated 120,000 people who fled six months of fighting.

President Boris Trajkovski met with Andov on Sunday and gave "assurances that the existing problems would be overcome," according to a presidential statement.

"For me, that was enough to restart the process," The Associated Press quoted Andov as saying.

AUDIO CNN's Walter Rodgers reports on who was behind the protests 730K / 67 sec WAV sound    IN-DEPTH Macedonia: Hurdles to peace   •  Balkan hotspots   •  Interactive map   •  Macedonia's military   •  News search   •  Audio/video archive   •  In-Depth: Yugoslavia   •  In-Depth: Kosovo   RESOURCES Picture gallery Operation Essential Harvest

The atmosphere outside parliament on Monday was quiet, unlike the noisy demonstrations on Friday that delayed the opening of the debate by six hours.

Andov came under intense pressure to resume the debate, both from political opponents as well as Western officials who helped design the peace deal and were afraid the delay would take the momentum out of the process.

International officials reportedly warned that NATO might pull its mission out of Macedonia if the reform process stalled.

Under the peace accord, ethnic Albanian rebels are to voluntarily surrender weapons in exchange for greater rights for their people. NATO has 4,500 troops in Macedonia to collect the weapons.

As agreed, debate on the reforms began after NATO collected one-third of the arms to be surrendered.

But rebels have made it clear they will surrender no more weapons until parliament pushes ahead with the promised reforms.

NATO says it does not expect to resume collections until after a vote in parliament, which is expected later in the week.

Meanwhile, U.S. envoy James Pardew said on Monday that NATO troops might need to stay on in Macedonia to protect Western civilians who are monitoring implementation of the peace accord.

"The issue is how to ensure the security of an increased, civilian monitoring mission," Pardew told Reuters news agency.

Western officials say the current monitoring mission of 49 OSCE and European Union monitors will have to be expanded into the hundreds to help fill a security vacuum after NATO finishes collecting the rebels' declared arsenal.

Pardew said OSCE countries may be called upon to contribute unarmed monitors, and they want "increased security in sensitive areas" -- a reference to northern Macedonia, where animosity between Macedonians and ethnic Albanians still simmers.

"Of course local security forces have ultimate responsibility for security. But the question is whether local forces can secure that responsibility adequately (so soon) after a conflict of this nature," Pardew said.

"NATO has no mandate in Macedonia for anything but voluntary collections of weapons at this point," he said.

"But … security (after disarmament) is an issue being raised as we try to increase the number of monitors who will be watching the implementation of the peace agreement."

Analysts say violence is possible unless NATO stays on after disarmament, citing the Macedonian government's conviction that rebels are hiding guns.

Pardew emphasised that no one has decided whether to extend NATO's "military mandate" in Macedonia.