Macedonia Wants to Declare State of War After AmbushMacedonia said it wanted to declare a state of war and mobilize its army after five soldiers were killed in a rebel ambush, but Washington, the EU and Balkans neighbours urged restraint.Government spokesman Antonio Milososki told reporters that Skopje no longer believed it could end the ethnic Albanian rebellion in the north through dialogue and that strong military action was necessary. Five Macedonian soliders were killed late Tuesday in an ambush apparently mounted by ethnic Albanian rebels near the town of Tetovo, where the majority of residents are ethnic Albanian. Skopje had in early May considered enacting war measures but gave up the idea under pressure from the international community. The issue could be discussed on Friday, when state radio in Skopje said President Boris Trajkovski would address a meeting of parliament. US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and ministers from Balkan countries urged the government to show moderation in the face of the attacks. In Brussels, EU foreign policy high representative Javier Solana condemned the killings, but also urged Skopje to refrain from declaring a state of war. In Sweden, which holds the EU's rotating presidency, the foreign ministry condemned the ambush as cowardly, but said it wanted assurances that any military response would be "measured" and not harm civilians. However Macedonian Defence Minister Vlado Buckovski said late Wednesday that more force would be needed as he expected the conflict with the rebels to drag on. |
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