SKOPJE, Sept 24 (Islamweb & News Agencies) - With ethnic Albanian fighters about to surrender the last of their arsenal to NATO, the Macedonian parliament was to meet Monday to vote on draft amendments to the constitution aimed at making the peace plan law.
British troops set up a collection point in the village of Brodec to gather perhaps the last of 3,300 weapons the ethnic Albanian National Liberation Army (NLA) is estimated to have before NATO starts leaving Macedonia later this week.
In a highly symbolic gesture, Commander Shpati, one of the Albanian fighters’ leaders, handed a pistol and its full magazine to an Alliance soldier before a crowd of Macedonian media. (Read photo caption below)
But the pace of parliamentary reform has been slow. Under the peace agreement, all measures must be taken to ensure that admendments to the constitution to adopt the accord are ratified by September 27.
This now seems an impossible task.
The agreement with the ethnic Albanians allows some official use of the Albanian language, grants wider powers to local government and provides more minority jobs in the police force and administration.
PHOTO CAPTION:
National Liberation Army (NLA) Albanian fighters’ commander Shpati, crosses his arms in the village of Otlja, Macedonia after handing in his pistol Sundayn Sept. 23, 2001 to Italian 1st Lt. Fulvio Morghese, left, from "Task Force Harvest" of NATO peacekeepers. NATO troops are on a limited 30-day mission ending Wednesday to collect 3,300 weapons being voluntarily handed in by the NLA. (AP Photo/Radu Sigheti/Pool)
- Sep 23 1:17 PM ET