EU envoys suspend Macedonia aid talks

Efforts to bring a lasting peace to Macedonia were plunged into a fresh crisis yesterday as EU officials postponed a conference to raise millions of dollars for the country because vital political reforms are being delayed.

European Union envoys also forced the Macedonian government to suspend police efforts to retake control of ethnic Albanian areas.

The friction with the Slav-dominated government follows the completion of Nato's operation to disarm rebels of the ethnic Albanian National Liberation Army, who handed over more than 4,000 weapons.

EU officials are angry that hardline elements of the Macedonian government have not filled their part of the bargain by passing legislation guaranteeing an amnesty to the rebels, and new linguistic and legal rights to the Albanian minority.

On a visit to Skopje, Chris Patten, the European commissioner for external relations, said it is "absolutely inconceivable" that a donor conference organised with the World Bank to raise cash for Macedonia could take place as scheduled on 15 October.

Mr Patten bluntly accused the Macedonian government of a breach of faith, arguing: "We are disturbed by the amount of time it seems to be taking. We think the parliamentary process here, given the urgency of the situation, is interminable ... The last time we were here [in mid-September] we were given assurances about timing which have now been broken."

The Commissioner added: "I could not possibly get donors to the table in these circumstances and prepared to write large cheques in order to support a political agreement that still hasn't been endorsed and implemented. So I think we'll have to regroup and look at the situation later in the year."

Yesterday a direct clash between government forces and ethnic Albanians appeared to have been averted when the police said they would stop entering ethnic Albanian-populated villages and any future restoration of government authority in the contested areas would be carried out in co-operation with Nato, the EU and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

On Thursday, Macedonian security forces took control of three ethnic Albanian villages but retreated from several others after meeting resistance.

Doubts over the Macedonians' good faith in the peace deal remain, however. The agreement has always been controversial for the Slav majority, some of whom feel that too much is being conceded to the minority population.

That feeling has intensified following the 11 September attacks on the US, with hardliners trying to associate the activities of the Albanian nationalists with international terrorism. The EU insists that the international preoccupation with wiping out terror networks will not distract it from pressing for the full implementation of the agreed peace accord. "Anybody here who thinks they can get away with dishonouring the agreement because our attention is focused on Afghanistan is in for a rude shock," Mr Patten said.