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Bush welcomes Macedonian peace deal, US calls for amnesty provision
CRAWFORD, Texas, Aug 13 (AFP) - US President George W. Bush welcomed as "a
good sign" the peace accord signed on Monday to end six months of fighting in
Macedonia, as the White House and State Department called for ethnic Albanian
insurgents to disarm."It's a good sign, but now they need to lay down their
arms so we can implement the peace deal," Bush said at his ranch here, where
he has been on a month-long break from Washington."Today's settlement
promises to strengthen Macedonia's democracy and help meet the political
aspirations of all its citizens," Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer said in a
statement."To fulfill this promise, the ceasefire must be respected, the
insurgents must disarm and disband, and Macedonia's Assembly must adopt the
necessary constitutional amendments and legislation," said Fleischer.In
Washington, State Department spokesman Philip Reeker echoed Fleischer's
remarks and also called on the government to adopt measures that would allow
amnesties for members of the rebel National Liberation Army."We think it's
important that the government open the way to reconciliation by offering an
amnesty," Reeker said, condemning recent attacks by the rebels and urging
Skopje to act with restraint.The agreement provides for NATO troops to be
deployed in Macedonia to disarm the rebels while the government tries to
address complaints by the large ethnic Albanian minority of being treated
like second-class citizens.It recognizes Albanian as a second official
language in those areas predominantly inhabited by ethnic Albanians and lays
out steps to boost the number of ethnic Albanians serving in the local police
forces in those regions.Fleischer praised Macedonian President Boris
Trajkovski, EU envoy Francois Leotard and US Ambassador James Pardew for
their roles in securing a deal aiming to end guerrilla fighting that
threatened to ignite a new Balkans war.He also said the United States would
continue to support Macedonian territorial integrity and political unity as
well as pursue close cooperation with the European Union and NATO to prevent
further conflict and convince the insurgents to disarm."Today's agreement
gives hope that peace can return to Macedonia and that Macedonia can return
to its path toward Europe," Fleischer said.A day earlier, White House
national security council spokesman Sean McCormack told AFP that several
preconditions would govern when a NATO deployment decision is made."These
include: a durable ceasefire, an agreement to disarm the insurgents, and an
agreement on the status of NATO forces in Macedonia," he said.
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