Macedonia mourns dead soldiers

Tensions high as 10 soldiers killed by rebels buried

The Macedonian Government has declared a day of national mourning following the deaths of seven soldiers in a landmine explosion just outside the capital Skopje on Friday.

Senior Macedonian ministers decided in a late-night meeting that military action against ethnic Albanian rebels would continue.

Macedonia is facing the threat of civil war. We must not allow Macedonia to perish in flames

Ilinka Mitreva
Foreign Minister

There have been more exchanges of fire between troops and rebels in the north-west of the country and the Macedonian Foreign Minister has called for tougher international intervention to avoid full-blown civil war.

The BBC correspondent in Skopje says recent events have cast serious doubt on the prospects of a peace deal which the two sides are supposed to sign on Monday.

International mediators from the European Union and the United States have said it is critical that the deal is signed on schedule.

But the Macedonian Government believes the latest fighting is proof that the ethnic Albanian rebels will never agree to surrender their arms to Nato as the deal demands.

Plea for help

In an open letter to the UN, Nato and the European Union, Macedonia's Foreign Minister, Ilinka Mitreva said: "It is natural to assume that following everything that has happened, the so-called NLA will not proceed with voluntary disarmament."

"Perhaps this should be a sign for redesigning the process and plan for disarmament," she wrote.

The president has said that the offensive will continue

She warned that Macedonia was on the brink of full-blown civil war and pleaded for more international help to assist Macedonia at "this most dramatic moment."

"Macedonia is facing the threat of civil war. We must not allow Macedonia to perish in flames," she said.

Nato has made it clear that it will not get involved in the peace deal - which would give ethnic Albanians more language rights and greater representation in the police force - if both sides are not committed to peace.

But President Boris Trajkovski said in a statement that the Macedonian army would continue its offensive against the rebels.

Fresh fighting

There was renewed fighting between government troops and the rebels on the outskirts of the northern city of Tetovo following the deaths of the seven soldiers.

Government troops responded with helicopter gunships

Macedonia's army pounded Ljuboten, an ethnic Albanian village close to the scene, from helicopter gunships and several homes were set on fire.

The death of the seven soldiers has caused widespread anger amongst the people of Macedonia.

On Friday evening, crowds who accuse the West of encouraging the rebels took to the streets of the Macedonian capital.

They went on the rampage smashing shop windows and attempted to storm the US embassy, throwing stones and chanting anti-Western slogans.

Tensions were already running high as earlier in the day 10 soldiers who had been killed in a rebel ambush on Wednesday were buried.