Macedonia referendum debated

A Greek soldier watches a metal worker destroy weapons collected from ethnic Albanian rebels

SKOPJE, Macedonia -- Macedonia's parliament is to begin debating a controversial proposal to let voters decide the fate of the country's peace plan.

The referendum proposal was put forward by the small New Democracy party and needs only the approval of a simple majority of 61 votes in the 120-member parliament, according to The Associated Press news agency.

But critics say the peace plan could unravel if a referendum were held.

Under the internationally mediated pact, parliament is committed to approving constitutional reforms to give ethnic Albanians more rights, while ethnic Albanian rebels are committed to handing over weapons to NATO troops.

The reforms are supposed to go into effect within 45 days of August 27, when NATO started collecting weapons. So far, more than two-thirds of the targeted 3,300 weapons have been surrendered.

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On Sunday, isolated gunfights near Tetovo threatened the country's fragile peace. Police said ethnic Albanian rebels in the village of Semsovo exchanged fire with Macedonian forces in nearby Zilce, AP reported.

Earlier on Sunday, Macedonian Defence Minister Vlado Buckovski said civilians who fled ethnic Albanian regions because of real or feared violence would be allowed to return to their homes this week.

Buckovski said the homecomings should begin on Tuesday when residents return to the village of Tearce.

Residents of Lesok and Neprosteno, two other villages in the area, would follow, Buckovski said.

Some 120,000 people -- both Macedonians and ethnic Albanians -- were driven from their homes by the violence sparked when the rebels took up arms in February, demanding broader rights for the large ethnic Albanian minority.

Tearce is in an area north of the mostly ethnic Albanian city of Tetovo, which was plagued by repeated clashes during the six-month insurrection.

Buckovski said police stations that were abandoned during the conflict would also be staffed -- but with proportional ethnic Albanian representation in the police forces, as agreed in the Western-backed peace accord meant to permanently end the ethnic violence in Macedonia.

"Albanians must be part of our police forces," the AP quoted Buckovski as saying.

He said all security forces, including military troops, would return to their bases by the end of the month.

U.N. refugee officials said last week that some 30,000 ethnic Albanians had returned to their homes since violence ebbed with the signing of a cease-fire last month, but many Macedonians still feared coming back.

At least a third of the country's two million residents are ethnic Albanians.