Macedonian soldiers die in rebel 'ambush'

The army has been on high alert for attacks

Ten Macedonian soldiers have been killed and three injured in an ambush by armed ethnic Albanian rebels, a Macedonian Government spokesman has said.

The fierce gun battle, which broke out on a motorway to the west of the capital, Skopje, has overshadowed the final push to negotiate a political solution to the six-month ethnic conflict.

The deaths are the highest number of casualties the Macedonians have suffered in a single day since the fighting began.

Gunfire and explosions have also been heard in the city of Tetovo, reported a journalist from the AFP news agency. Rebels there were said to have occupied houses near a military barracks.

'Rebel offensive'

The military convoy was attacked near the village of Grupcin on the motorway between Skopje and Tetovo.

The rebels reportedly used rocket-propelled grenades and the army responded with tanks and helicopter gunships.

The government spokesman, Antonio Milososki, said the attack, which he described as a "rebel offensive", had cut off the north-western city of Tetovo.

In Tetovo itself, the AFP journalist reported hearing automatic weapons fire and two loud explosions.

Guerrillas from the ethnic Albanian National Liberation Army (NLA) were seen searching Macedonians' houses in the south of the city.

They had also set up a roadblock and were also searching cars heading south towards the town of Gostivar.

Deal in doubt

The fighting is the heaviest seen for a month and constitutes a major violation of a Nato-brokered ceasefire.

The army responded with tank and helicopter fire

It came as Macedonian and ethnic Albanian negotiators hoped to strike a deal after 10 days of talks.

The BBC's Jonathan Charles in Macedonia says the attack casts doubt on whether the rebels really want a deal which would require them to disarm.

Some elements within the Macedonian Government, including Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski, have also said that they want to see the rebels removed by military force.

Western mediators have condemned the violence.

"We condemn all acts of violence and call on all parties to refrain from any violations of the ceasefire," a statement from US envoy James Pardew and his EU counterpart Francois Leotard said.

Talks go on

Peace talks resumed on Wednesday in spite of the fighting, as western envoys tried to iron out the final details of a deal.

Conditional agreement has been reached over the contentious issues of the status of the Albanian language and the ethnic composition of the police force.

The government has also dropped demands for Nato guarantees for ethnic Albanians to be quickly disarmed once a deal is struck.

Nato has pledged to deploy 3,500 troops to oversee rebel disarmament once a political agreement is in place and a general ceasefire is holding.