Macedonia rebels 'withdrawing'

The new deal may allow refugees to go home

Ethnic Albanian rebels are reported to have started pulling back their forces in north-western Macedonia, in line with a Nato-brokered ceasefire deal.

We are not there to impose a settlement - we're there to remind people of the dangers of civil war

Lord Robertson

Withdrawal was "underway, without incident", a source close to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe mission in the capital Skopje told French news agency AFP.

The Nato deal is designed to reinstate an earlier ceasefire and allow the return of thousands of Macedonians who have been driven from their villages during four days of fighting.

The government is threatening an offensive

The move came as Nato Secretary-General George Robertson and the European Union's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, arrived in Skopje on Thursday in an attempt to halt clashes between government troops and ethnic Albanian guerrillas.

A BBC correspondent says the diplomatic mission will try to get politicians from both sides to compromise, especially on the key issue of official recognition of the Albanian language.

'Killing and carnage' Lord Robertson said on his arrival at Skopje: "I am told that the withdrawal is under way.

"I hope they will recognise that they have commitments that they have made and that everything here has got to be based on trust."

Lord Robertson said he and Mr Solana realised the scale of what was at stake in their visit.

"If we can help to get the negotiations back on track, then I hope we will save this country from the killing and carnage that has become the hallmark of Balkan civil wars," he said.

Enough is enough - we can no longer live here

Milina Stavreva, Tetovo resident

Tensions rose again on Wednesday after the Macedonian Government renewed its threat to mount an all-out military assault on rebel positions.

But despite the apparent renewal of the truce, a rebel commander near Tetovo warned that his forces might not be able to respect the ceasefire.

Commandant Leka, a 35-year-old veteran of campaigns in neighbouring Kosovo, said his men had moved into nearby villages to protect ethnic Albanians because Macedonian residents had been given guns.

The previous ceasefire was shattered on Sunday night by fighting in Tetevo, which government officials said caused thousands of civilians to flee their homes.

But the government warning of a renewed military campaign has apparently prompted thousands more people in a wider area to leave their homes.

Roads out of Tetovo are reportedly jammed with scores of cars and buses packed with people and their hastily packed belongings heading for Skopje.

"Enough is enough," said 60-year-old Milina Stavreva, a lifelong resident. "We can no longer live here."

Let them leave - they should never return

Ilir Hoxha, ethnic Albanian resident of Tetovo

In an example of how bad relations between the two communities have become, ethnic Albanian Ilir Hoxha, 25, said simply: "Let them leave. They should never return. Tetovo is Albanian and it will remain Albanian."

The renewed fighting and skirmishes in and around Tetovo have inflamed the already dangerous mood in the country.

Tensions boiled over into rioting in Skopje on Tuesday night when angry protesters forced their way into the parliament building before turning on Western embassies and organisations, which some Slavs accuse of supporting the Albanian rebels.

For their part, Western diplomats are thought to be increasingly frustrated by hard-liners in the Macedonian Government stopping the peace process moving forward.

In an attempt to redress the balance, President Boris Trajkovski issued a conciliatory statement on Wednesday, saying peace was only possible "in partnership with the international community".