Brussels, 22/03/2001 (Agence Europe) - The European Union Troika, led by Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh, was, successively, in Skopje and Pristina on Thursday, with Commissioner Chris Patten and the High Representative for Cfsp, Javier Solana. This visit had as foremost objective to confirm the EU's support for the Government of Macedonia in its struggle against extremist Albanian groups, in compliance with the conclusions of Monday's General Affairs Council (see EUROPE of 19 March, p.5). It was also a question of reaffirming that satisfaction of one's political demands can no longer be secured through violence, and to call on all politicians in Skopje and Pristina to condemn these terrorist acts. Stressing that "silence amounts to tacit acceptance", the spokesperson for Commissioner Patten observed on Thursday that "tax-payers would not understand the EU continuing to provide very substantial aid to Kosovo (205 million euro in 2000) if local politicians do not act in a concrete manner in favour of democracy and against terrorism". A report on the visit will be made to the Heads of State and Government meting in Stockholm on Friday. The meeting of the European Council will be broken off at 17.00 hrs. tomorrow to enable the Fifteen to meet the President of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Boris Trajkovski.