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EU Envoy: Macedonian Peace Deal Marks Start of European Diplomacy
The peace deal made with Macedonia marks the beginning of European diplomacy that is active and incisive, European Union special envoy to Macedonia Francois Leotard said Tuesday.
"I am very impressed to see that there is now a European 'task force', diplomatic of course, that can provide intervention at the beginning of a crisis and resolve it through peaceful means," said the former French official at Radio France Internationale.
"I believe it is the beginning of real European diplomacy, which is active, incisive and makes it impossible for a war to root itself at our doorstep," he said.
Macedonia's rival political leaders signed a peace accord Monday brokered mainly by Leotard and American envoy James Pardew. It was intended to end a six-month conflict between government forces and ethnic Albanian rebels.
"I am very proud of being European, for it seems to me that we have done a good job. And I am not only speaking about myself, but also about all the diplomats who have made efforts in this direction at the instruction of Javier Solana (EU high representative of diplomatic and security affairs)," said Leotard.
However, the peace deal is fragile because of the recent violence in the Balkan countries, he said, adding that "we should always be very attentive to the evolution of things on the ground. "
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