Macedonia peace votes delay

Rebels surrendered weapons in return for improved rights

SKOPJE, Macedonia -- Macedonia's politicians have taken the first steps in making constitutional changes to give greater rights to its ethnic Albanian population.

The measures are in line with a Western-brokered peace deal to end an uprising by ethnic Albanian rebels.

But hardliners attempted to derail and delay parliamentary approval of the moves in a parliamentary session punctuated by furious arguments.

The first three of 15 reforms passed the first hurdle on the way to becoming law -- a two-thirds parliamentary majority -- by just one vote.

A fourth reform -- that would delete constitutional references to the religious primacy of the Orthodox church -- failed by one vote.

IN-DEPTH Macedonia: Hurdles to peace   •  Balkan hotspots   •  Interactive map   •  Macedonia's military   •  News search   •  Audio/video archive   •  In-Depth: Yugoslavia   •  In-Depth: Kosovo

Debate on the remaining 11 changes resume on Monday with nationalists who dominate the chamber vowing to water down key clauses in committee before ratification.

The constitutional changes were agreed to by Macedonian politicians in return for rebels surrendering their weapons.

Since the deal was agreed a cease-fire has largely held in the rebel strongholds of the northern hills and weapons have been surrendered in the first two of three stages.

NATO spokesman Mark Laity said: "We are on target to take in all 3,300 weapons by the September 26 deadline."

The weapons amnesty was supposed to run hand-in-hand with political change but constitutional reform has been hampered by nationalist objections. And in a potentially serious blow to the peace process, Reuters reported plans to hold a separate vote next week on whether to submit the reforms to a referendum.

The peace agreement does not provide for a referendum and Albanians consider such moves an attempt to scupper the reforms.

The changes agreed by parliament were to drop the exclusive reference to "national state of the Macedonian people" in the constitution's preamble, allow the use of the Albanian language in state and legislative business and give Albanians jobs in public service and the police in proportion to their one-third share of the population.