Proposals by the ethnic Albanian guerrillas to disarm their units in exchange for a seat at the negotiating table are "absolutely unacceptable," a high-ranking Macedonian government official said here Thursday.
"It is absolutely unacceptable to negotiate with armed paramilitary groups especially when you have legitimate representatives of the ethnic Albanians," said the official under condition of anonymity.
Earlier Thursday, the rebels' political leader Ali Ahmeti said in statement his guerrillas wanted an immediate truce signed by the army and the rebel forces, a place in planned talks on reforms and an amnesty for his fighters, who would be given a chance to join the security forces and enter politics.
But the official said Skopje was against such proposal.
"This not only the position of Macedonia but also of the international community," the official said.
The rebels' proposal came as NATO Secretary General George Robertson and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana flew in to push Slavic and ethnic Albanian parties in the fragile government coalition to accept a peace plan proposed by President Boris Trajkovski -- SKOPJE (AFP)
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