Nyköping, 07/05/2001 (Agence Europe) - The debates over the Balkans, during the informal meeting of EU Foreign Affairs Ministers in Nyköping, mainly concentrated on the return of violence in Macedonia and the draft "state of war" presented to the Parliament of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. On the eve of the departure to Skopje of the High Representative for common foreign and security policy, Javier Solana, and the NATO Secretary General, Lord Robertson, the Ministers for Foreign Affairs confirmed the EU's two aims: isolate the Albanian extremists by condemning the terrorist acts and encouraging the government to continue down the road of moderation and negotiation with the opposition in the State reform process.
It is vital that the Macedonian government persists in negotiations and continues the dialogue with the opposition for the reform process to move forward, stated the EU Council President, Anna Lindh. A declaration a state of war would not be a line that the Union wants to cross stated the Swedish Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Hans Dahlgram. Anna Lindh announced that herself and Commissioner Patten must go, immediately after Javier Solana, to Skopje in Macedonia, to Tirana in Albania, and to Sarajevo in Bosnia, to defend the same position.
Skopje postpones examination of draft declaration of state of war
After the talks between political parties and with Javier Solana, the Macedonian authorities have, according to diplomatic sources, decided on Monday afternoon to postpone the Parliament session that should have examined the proposed declaration of a state of war. Mr Solana had cancelled his planned visit to Kosovo, Monday afternoon, to continue the talks and try to persuade the government not to call on the Parliament to declare a state of war. Mr Solana wants to put across to his counterparts two messages, explained his spokesperson from Skopje: find the consensus, if possible form a government with a wide ranging coalition and bring them to talk of a peace declaration rather than a declaration of war. Accompanied on Monday by the NATO Secretary General, Lord Robertson, Mr Solana met the leaders of the various political parties, the President Boris Trajkovski and the Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski.