Skopje, Macedonia — The Macedonian government Wednesday night rejected a cease-fire proposed by ethnic Albanian rebels and said it would proceed with a military offensive aimed at ousting them from villages they have occupied in recent day, government officials said.
The decision was taken at a lengthy meeting of the country's top political leaders, who decided in favor of "a quick and efficient neutralization of the armed groups of extremists," according to a statement issued at midnight by President Boris Trajkovski.
"It is necessary that the army of the Republic of Macedonia firmly takes possession of the border," he said, and only after that will the nation's ethnically based political parties intensify a dialogue aimed at solving ethnic problems.
The decision opens the way for a risky military campaign that Western and Macedonian officials agree could lead to large numbers of civilian casualties and provoke a new full-scale Balkan war.
The rebels, who say they are defending ethnic Albanians from government oppression, have been occupying six or seven villages in the mountains overlooking the western city of Tetovo. One government official said they had recently withdrawn from some of their positions to collect their forces for an expected battle.
Western countries have publicly given a green light to the government's military plans, although some European diplomats have expressed concern in private that it will further stoke ethnic tensions.
Western officials estimate that two-thirds of the country's population consists of Macedonian Slavs, who dominate the government, while ethnic Albanians compose roughly one-third.
Tension has been simmering since the guerrillas began attacking government security forces near Tetovo last week.
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