Brussels, 27/06/2001 (Agence Europe) - At the close of a further meeting between the Political and Security Committee (COPS) of the European Union and the NATO Permanent Council, on Tuesday evening at the EU Council, the Union and the Atlantic Alliance reaffirmed the need to find a political solution to the crisis and to prevent the internal conflict from amplifying or degenerating into civil war.
The High Representative for Cfsp, Javier Solana, stressed before the press that the participants in the meeting had welcomed the speech made by President Trajkovski, who "clearly reaffirmed that the only possible solution was of a political nature". We must, he went on, continue to work on two fronts: - stabilize the country: the cease fire, negotiated on Sunday, is a first step and it has to continue; - "work hard" and quickly on the political front: the appointment of an EU representative, in Luxembourg on Monday, in the person of Francois Leotard, who will be permanently based in Skopje, must contribute. Javier Solana added that "the clear direction (for Macedonia) is Europe". NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson, who qualified the EU-NATO meeting as "symbolic" (of the new cooperation between the two institutions), "as well as substantial", made a point of stressing "the success of the evacuation" of the ethnic Albanians from Aracinovo and the demilitarization of the locality. This presence close to Skopje was a direct threat for the capital", he said, firmly condemning the "armed extremists who defy democratic institutions", and pointing out that "Europe does not resolve problems through force, but through dialogue and negotiations". If Macedonians want to be part of the European family, they must 'behave as Europeans'", he added. EU and NATO officials said they had been disagreeably surprised by the break in the truce by governmental forces, last Friday, a few hours after Solana's visit to Skopje. Speaking to the press on Tuesday, moreover, the latter said that the failure of this offensive was a "good lesson" for those who preferred a military solution. Javier Solana and George Robertson justified the evacuation of the rebels of Aracinovo, with their weapons, operation that led to the violent demonstrations in Skopje against NATO, among others: the evacuation was carried out with the full agreement of the Macedonian Government, said Lord Robertson (It is not true that NATO helped the Albanians to "flee", it intervened to facilitate a solution, Alliance sources stipulate).