Decree Grants Amnesty to Rebels Who Disarm
Macedonia decreed an amnesty for disarmed ethnic Albanian rebels after weeks of inaction that raised doubts about its commitment to a Western-mediated peace accord.
The move fulfilled a key provision of the agreement reached in August between ethnic Macedonians and ethnic Albanians that will help pave the way for the re-integration of the rebel-inhabited north.
But a second step needed to cement the tenuous peace--constitutional reform to improve the rights of ethnic Albanians, who make up at least 25% of Macedonia’s 2 million people--remains on hold.
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