Macedonian leaders are considering whether to declare a state of war, after soldiers hammered ethnic Albanian rebel positions with artillery fire in an escalating offensive, reported the BBC.online on Sunday.
The Macedonian Government has held an emergency meeting to discuss the latest clashes.
Before the meeting, the Prime Minister, Ljubco Georgievski, said they would be discussing whether to ask parliament to declare a state of war.
He said a meeting of the country's parliament, which alone has the right to declare a state of war, had been called for Tuesday.
Mr Georgievski told Macedonian TV that a declaration of war was "probable."
"First of all we should have consultations and then most probably we shall go ahead with the initiative," he said.
BBC said a declaration of war would give the Macedonian army a free hand in its offensive against the rebels.
Recent rebel ambushes indicate that the rebels have lost patience with the peace talks and want to derail them, the news service added – Albawaba.com
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