Global Policy Forum

The UN has agreed to support a small multinational security force for Macedonia, to replace Nato's Operation Essential Harvest which pulls out today. The UN security council is today due to adopt a carefully-worded resolution which "strongly supports [...] the establishment of a multinational security presence".

The resolution falls short of outright endorsement of the new 1,000-strong force, after Macedonia expressed concerns over the issuing of a full UN mandate. However, Macedonia's president, Boris Trajkovski, has welcomed an offer by Germany to head the new Nato mission, following the completion of weapons collections by the 4,500-strong Operation Essential Harvest. Essential Harvest, whose 30-day mandate expires today, was declared a "resounding success" by Nato's secretary general, Lord Robertson, with the number of arms gathered exceeding the 3,300 target.

Britain, which led Essential Harvest, has signalled it wants to devote less troops to the new force, in an indication of its probable involvement in a US military response to the terrorist attacks in America on September 11. The new German-led Nato mission, currently being discussed at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, would provide security for the civilian monitors.

It would consist of 700 to 1,000 troops and last between three and six months, a Macedonian government official said. On Monday, Macedonia's parliament finally agreed in principle to 15 constitutional amendments, which are a key part of the western-engineered peace deal made in August by the Macedonian government, to secure an end to violence by ethnic Albanian rebels.

The amendments, which give ethnic Albanians greater civil and political rights, should be ratified in 10 days' time, but may be opposed by nationalist MPs who have delayed the adoption of the peace plan.

Hardliners in parliament have slowed down the process by demanding that the provisions of the deal be put to a referendum; a move that would almost certainly derail the peace process due to the overall opposition among Macedonians to making concessions to ethnic Albanians.

Lord Robertson has urged the Macedonian parliament to speed up legislative reforms, warning that if the constitution is not changed, Macedonia will face "the bleak prospect of dissent and civil war."

In a veiled warning against further violence, he said that after the recent terrorist attacks in America, "there is no tolerance left anywhere in the international community for terrorism, barbaric aggression and atrocities". Demands for broader rights were the proclaimed goal of ethnic Albanian rebels when they took up arms in February against government forces.

The government, dominated by majority Macedonians, signed the peace plan in August to meet the demands and try to end the violence.

Meanwhile, the rate of refugee returns to Macedonia from Kosovo has fallen to just under 200 per day, amid concerns over security after the expiry of Operation Essential Harvest, the UN said today.

Kris Janowski, a spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said that the new, reduced force was "insufficient", and warned that a security vacuum "could trigger a new round of violence and displacement".

According to UNHCR, more than 54,400 refugees have returned from Kosovo while 27,400 remain there. The Macedonian Red Cross has registered at least 70,000 people displaced within the country, 60% of whom are ethnic Macedonians.