Rebels Disband in Macedonia

Macedonia’s ethnic Albanian guerrilla movement announced its dissolution Thursday, and NATO launched a security mission to buttress a fragile new peace while parliament grappled with reforms.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization said it hoped there would be no serious problems with the government’s intention to move police and refugees back into rebel-dominated areas in coming weeks, because these steps were being coordinated with international peacekeepers.

But with constitutional changes to boost the rights of minority Albanians and an amnesty for former rebels bogged down by ethnic Macedonian resistance in parliament, NATO planned to deploy its security force swiftly to preempt any security vacuum.

Western envoys mediated a peace accord six weeks ago to end the conflict between the government and the guerrillas, who say they were fighting for greater rights for ethnic Albanians. The minority group makes up at least 25% of Macedonia’s 2 million people.

Ali Ahmeti, erstwhile commander of the guerrilla National Liberation Army, announced that the NLA no longer existed a day after his men turned in the last of their declared arsenal in a disarmament program overseen by NATO.

“As of midnight last night, the NLA is formally disbanded. The signal has been given to all former fighters that they should reintegrate as ordinary civilians of this country. I am a former leader now,” Ahmeti said.

At his news conference, Ahmeti struck a conciliatory note.

He said that he favored displaced ethnic Macedonians returning to their homes soon and that state security forces could start moving into areas hitherto held by the NLA as long as they had ethnic Albanians in their ranks.