Ministers quit Macedonia coalition

Georgievski said the ministers' action could give "extremists excuses for future actions"

SKOPJE, Macedonia -- Macedonia's prime minister has failed in a plea to seven government ministers to remain in the government amid more political turmoil in the country.

The seven are quitting over Macedonian policies for the ethnic Albanian minority following a peace agreement signed in August. The deal came after a conflict between ethnic Albanian rebels and Macedonian forces.

Speaking to the seven before a formal parliamentary vote to approve their resignations on Friday, Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski urged them "to think of what is in the best interest of Macedonia."

"Your leaving will only provide extremists with excuses for future actions," he said.

But the three ministers and four deputy ministers ignored Georgievski's appeal and parliament voted to approve their resignations.

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The vote came after the Social Democrat party decided on Tuesday to leave the government over what it called Georgievski's harsh policies toward minority ethnic Albanians. A smaller party, the Liberal Alliance, walked out on Wednesday.

For the 17-member Cabinet to collapse, at least six ministers have to resign.

Among those who resigned were Foreign Minister Ilinka Mitreva, Defense Minister Vlado Buckovski and deputy prime minister Ilia Filipovski -- all Social Democrats.

The coalition government was created in May under a Western-engineered peace plan.

It brought together top Macedonian and ethnic Albanian parties to seek a political solution to the country's conflict after an ethnic Albanian insurgency had threatened to explode into civil war.

Speaking to Parliament, Georgievski said the government was "a coalition not out of love but of necessity, to save Macedonia from the brink of war.

"The danger for our state is not over, only part of the peace process has been completed and much remains ahead: to reintegrate the country and to have refugees return," he added.

Elections are planned tentatively for January 2002 following the peace agreement. Parliament scheduled a debate on whether to disband and call the elections in January for Monday. Under Macedonian law, the assembly must disband two months before elections.

Ethnic Albanian rebels began fighting Macedonian government forces in February to win more rights for the minority. Last week, parliament passed constitutional amendments meant to give the ethnic Albanians greater rights.