Macedonia Peace Plan Faulted

Ethnic Albanian politicians expressed “serious objections” Sunday to a new Western-backed peace plan for Macedonia on the eve of talks to help end an insurgency here that has threatened to develop into civil war.

The ethnic Albanian leaders did not formally reject the draft, which is meant to reconcile Macedonia’s majority Slavs and minority ethnic Albanians. The parties were to meet today to negotiate.

“We have serious objections to the proposed document,” said Zehir Bekteshi, a spokesman for the ethnic Albanian Party for Democratic Prosperity. “But this is only a draft version, it is not something final that could be immediately accepted or rejected,” he said.

European Union envoy Francois Leotard emphasized that the plan is just a beginning in the quest for a negotiated settlement to end ethnic Albanian rebels’ five-month insurgency.

The plan is based on a proposal by French constitutional expert Robert Badinter, who 10 years ago proposed that the former Yugoslav republic become an independent country.

American envoy James Pardew called the draft a “comprehensive framework” arising from the input of local and international experts to Badinter’s proposal.

The leaders of Macedonian Slav and ethnic Albanian parties agreed Saturday that the framework will form the single negotiating document--meaning that all previous peace plans are off the table, a Western diplomat said on condition of anonymity.

He stressed the need to reach agreement quickly to preserve a NATO-mediated cease-fire that extended into its third day Sunday with only sporadic gunfire and no casualties.

Meanwhile, more than 1,000 displaced civilians, mostly ethnic Albanians, returned from neighboring Kosovo, a province of Serbia, the dominant republic of Yugoslavia. An estimated 4,000 refugees had returned since the truce took effect midnight Thursday.

Macedonian Foreign Minister Ilinka Mitreva, after returning from a trip to Brussels, told reporters that she will travel to the United States on Wednesday to meet with Secretary of State Colin L. Powell.

She said she had received assurances from the European Union that it would follow the U.S. in banning travel and financial support for ethnic Albanians involved in the insurgency.

Details of the Western-backed plan have been withheld, but it is likely to be a compromise between the ethnic Albanians’ demands and the majority Slavs’ fears that changes would ultimately lead to a breakup of Macedonia.

Ethnic Albanians have been seeking better representation in public institutions, expanded official use of the Albanian language and veto power in parliament. Currently, ethnic Albanian parties hold about two dozen seats in the 120-seat legislature.