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Macedonia's NLA Will Disarm Despite Political Delays
SIPKOVICA, Macedonia, Sept 19 (News Agencies) - The leader of the Albanian fighters in Macedonia, Ali Ahmeti, said Wednesday that his fighters will disarm even if parliamentary debate on the peace plan is delayed, news agencies reported.
"We are going to respect our engagements. If the reforms don't move forward that will be the government's responsibility," Ahmeti told Agence France-Presse (AFP) at his headquarters in the northwest village of Sipkovica.
The leader of the National Liberation Army (NLA) confirmed that their soldiers would hand over arms from Thursday, when NATO opens a new collection site at an as yet undisclosed location.
NATO plans to collect the final third of the 3,300 weapons it estimates the NLA has by September 26th.
So far, the weapons handover has taken place in phases linked to political advances made on turning parts of the August 13th peace agreement with Macedonia's large Muslim Albanian minority into law.
With lawmakers meeting to discuss amending almost a third of the constitution on Wednesday, Ahmeti said he expected some progress and that the deputies would "realize by themselves the need to move forward quickly."
"We have taken steps forward, we are now waiting for the government to do the same," he added.
The leaders of Macedonia's four main political parties - two Macedonian and two Albanian - signed the framework agreement at the lakeside resort town of Ohrid.
The NLA did not take part in the talks, but promised to disarm because the accord satisfied its demands.
However, the more than 30 amendments to implement it must be passed and the new constitution adopted in just over a week by September 27th, and many fear that the assembly may not be able to meet its deadline.
The process has suffered an additional delay as deputies debated a proposal for a popular vote on whether the constitutional package, or part of its preamble, should be accepted.
Despite this, NATO spokesman Mark Laity said he still thought it could be done before the next phase of arms collections on Thursday.
"I understand... that the discussion of the constitutional amendments is today, and I further understand that this is probably a one-day process - it certainly could be," he said.
The accord promises an amnesty to most fighters who disarm, gives the Albanian language some official status, grants wider powers to local government, and creates more minority jobs in the police and administration.
Ahmeti also said President Boris Trajkovski's call for a new NATO mission to protect international monitors once the 4,700-strong Task Force Harvest leaves was a positive development.
Trajkovski is reported to have asked NATO for a new force of at least 150 to 200 troops, but the numbers could go as high as 350 depending on how many observers remain to ensure that the peace accord is being respected.
However, Ahmeti said those numbers would not be enough to maintain stability.
"A force equivalent in number to the one deployed at the moment is necessary so that the situation can be kept under control," he said, denouncing paramilitary groups who he accused of provoking Muslim Albanians.
Laity said NATO had received a letter from Macedonia's president on Wednesday asking the transatlantic alliance to maintain a "light presence" in his Balkan state once the disarmament wraps up next week.
Trajkovski's request was immediately considered by ambassadors of the 19 NATO member countries at a regular weekly meeting of the North Atlantic Council, a NATO official said.
Trajkovski said the "light NATO presence" would be needed to assure the safety of international monitors to be deployed in Macedonia by the European Union and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
He stressed that NATO's presence would be limited to protecting international monitors - and not Macedonian citizens from one another.
Laity said that the force would probably be small and have a specific and limited mandate.
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