Talks on new NATO Macedonia force

Ethnic Albanian rebels have handed over hundreds of guns, NATO says

SKOPJE, Macedonia -- A new "lean but effective" NATO force will be deployed in Macedonia as the West continues efforts to bring peace to the country, NATO chief Lord Robertson has said.

The force will replace the 4,500 NATO troops who have been overseeing the handover of weapons by ethnic Albanian rebels as part of Operation Essential Harvest, which ends on Wednesday.

NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson met President Boris Trajkovski and leaders of the Macedonian-majority government for talks on Tuesday.

Ethnic Albanian rebels have so far handed over 3,300 firearms -- from pistols to a T-55 tank -- according to The Associated Press.

They agreed to the move after leaders of ethnic Albanian political parties agreed a peace deal which would give ethnic Albanians enhanced rights.

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The Macedonian parliament gave tentative approval to the planned constitutional changes on Monday -- but also plans to discuss proposals to put the changes to a referendum -- a move some commentators say could hamper the peace efforts because of opposition to the proposals from the Macedonian majority in the country.

Robertson on Tuesday pledged that NATO would continue to play a key role in Macedonia following the end of Operation Essential Harvest.

He said he would discuss the establishment of a follow-up force to the arms collection mission, a move which has been requested by the government and welcomed by the rebels.

Robertson said the new NATO mission, which would protect international peace monitors, would be a "lean but effective force," but provided no details on size, composition or deployment.

He urged legislators to "remain focused on the parliamentary procedure that is required to fulfill" the peace deal, culminating in the final passage of the constitutional amendments.

He said an amnesty for the rebels was a key part of the deal and pressed the parliament to "enact that amnesty, so that peace can return."

"The world is watching and the politicians of this country know they have an obligation that they must fulfill," he said. "NATO has delivered -- it is now up to the parliamentarians to deliver again."

Violence in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has subsided since the peace agreement was forged and the NATO force arrived to oversee the handover of weapons.

But on Monday an ethnic Albanian man was shot dead in Macedonia after failing to stop at a security checkpoint, according to the Reuters news agency.

The agency, quoting police and army sources, said another man was wounded in the incident at 5 a.m. local time (0300 GMT) on Monday around 15 kilometres (nine miles) north west of Skopje in the mountainous Rasce area.

The killing is thought to be the first related to the country's ethnic conflict since a cease-fire was declared in mid-August.

A police official told Reuters: "Three individuals approached a checkpoint but did not stop after they got too close. One of them was shot dead, one was wounded and a third individual escaped."

An army source told the agency the three persons were ethnic Albanians, adding: At the moment we are investigating exactly what happened."

Violence in Macedonia flared earlier this year. The rebels say they were fighting for more rights for the country's ethnic Albanian population. The government described them as "terrorists" trying to break up the country.