Macedonia prepares 'final' assault

Fighting has continued on the outskirts of Tetovo

The Macedonian Government has been preparing what it calls the "final operation" to clear ethnic Albanian rebels from the hills around Tetovo.

Six tanks, four armoured personnel carriers and a dozen trucks filled with soldiers have been sent to the mainly ethnic Albanian city to reinforce security forces bombarding rebel positions.

Rebels are occupying several villages around the city

Government spokesman Antonio Milosovski told Reuters news agency that the operation would take place when commanders in the field decided there was minimum risk of loss of life.

The announcement came as Nato Secretary-General Lord Robertson pledged more troops for the Kosovo side of the border with Macedonia.

He said after a meeting with Macedonian Foreign Minister Srdjan Kerim in Brussels that troops would help cut off arms and supplies to ethnic Albanian guerrillas fighting Macedonian forces.

Scale of the fighting

Prior to 26 February - isolated bomb attacks and raids on police stations

26 February - first shots exchanged

5 members of Macedonian forces killed to date

3,000 people have fled the area

Mr Kerim said that once Nato had achieved its task of cutting off rebel supply lines, Macedonia would be able to fend for itself.

He said: "The Macedonian security forces are able and will be able to take care of the security of our country."

Despite calling up the country's reservists, the security forces have not yet been able to end the violence.

Border control

As Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov prepared for talks with Yugoslav leaders in Belgrade, President Vladimir Putin was quoted as saying that he would back international military action in Macedonia.

The armour will be used for a "final operation" against the rebels

But Lord Robertson repeated that Nato had no mandate to operate inside Macedonia, nor had Macedonia asked it to do so.

He said that Nato would ask its individual members to add to the troops they have in Kosovo to provide more flexibility.

"Nato is committed to tightening control of the border and troops will be put in place to do that," he said.

We are determined that we will starve this limited number of localised extremists from being able to carry out their mischief

Lord Robertson

"The number of troops in the border region will be adequate to the task that is set out and the objective will be pursued with considerable vigour."

But he declined to say how many troops could be redeployed into mountainous and forested border areas where the rebels are operating.

'Taleban in Europe'

Skopje had earlier blamed Western peacekeepers in Kosovo for the escalation of the conflict.

Srdjan Kerim: Macedonia will fend for itself

Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski said the West was permitting the creation of "a new Taleban in Europe", and accused the US and Germany of refusing to act against ethnic Albanian rebels attacking targets in his country.

On Sunday, Tetovo fell under a government-imposed curfew.

A BBC correspondent in Tetovo says that from now on, only emergency services will be allowed to operate at night.

But despite the fighting, residents appear to be getting used to the situation, with some shops and cafes reopening for business.