NATO said on Tuesday that it was in final preparations for launching a second phase of weapons collections in Macedonia and could begin shortly after parliament started ratifying the peace accord.
"We are prepared to move in rapidly and immediately as soon as there are indications that the ethnic Albanian rebels are prepared to begin turning in weapons again," NATO spokesman Major Barry Johnson said.
The Macedonian parliament began debate on implementing the August 13 framework peace agreement after the alliance collected just over one third of 3,300 weapons from the rebel National Liberation Army (NLA) last week.
The agreement grants an amnesty to most rebels who disarm, official status to the Albanian language in some areas, more minority jobs in the police force and wider powers for local government.
Once the assembly has voted by a two thirds majority to accept changing the constitution, the second phase of weapons collection will begin, which will lead to another debate on the specifics of amending the constitution.
Parliamentary sources said a vote was expected late on Tuesday, while a NATO source thought it was more likely to take place on Wednesday.
"Momentum is important," Johnson said.
"We feel it is important that we get into these collection sites and establish them effectively and efficiently and begin receiving those weapons so that the goodwill continues to be shown by all sides."
A British military source in Skopje said the collections were expected to resume almost immediately if the vote was successful but would not say where they would take place.
Johnson also said that presumed NLA fighters were leaving Macedonia for the neighbouring Serbian province of Kosovo and that the NATO-led peacekeeping force KFOR had detained almost 800 people since June.
He said KFOR had seized 729 assault rifles, 63 support weapons, including mortars and machine guns, 1,500 grenades and mines, and more than 150,000 rounds of ammunition.
All troops in NATO's Task Force Harvest have now arrived in Macedonia, Johnson added, with a total of 4,800 personnel on the ground, including support staff, and some 3,800 directly involved in the mission -- SKOPJE (AFP)
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