NATO and the EU on Monday tightened their efforts to bring peace to Macedonia, vowing after an unusual joint meeting to hammer away at the message that "in a democracy a political route forward is the only route forward."
"A broad political dialogue among all democratic parties is critical and must be pursued urgently to achieve concrete results ... in consolidating a truly multi-ethnic society," said NATO Secretary General George Robertson.
Speaking to a press conference after the meeting between NATO ambassadors and the EU's Political and Security Committee, Robertson and Javier Solana, the EU's high representative for security and foreign policy, called the meeting "a clear signal that this is a team effort."
"The European Union and NATO are determined that there will be no duplication in what we do, that there is a complimentarity in our missions," said Robertson.
Solana, and Chris Patten, EU External Affairs Commissioner, were due in Skopje later Monday for talks with heads of the three-party governing coalitiion as well as representatives of the opposition parties.
Robertson said he would lead a mission of all 19 NATO ambassdadors to Skopje on Tuesday, and to Kosovo on Wednesday.
Monday's joint meeting was held against a background of conflicting reports from the Balkans region on whether fighting between Skopje's security forces and ethnic Albanian rebels had ended.
Macedonian Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski said on the weekend, "Our objectives have been achieved on the military and political levels." – BRUSSELS (AFP)
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