The result was a peace deal by which the guerrillas agreed to disarm in return for amnesty, the creation of a multiethnic police force and a programme of economic aid. The deal was made easier because the balance of forces did not favour the guerrillas. Albanians form a majority in the Presevo area, but in Serbia as a whole they are a tiny minority. The Serbian army was also on its best behaviour. It accepted Nato's requirement that it would not use tanks or heavy artillery.
H ere comparisons with Macedonia break down.
In Macedonia, Albanians form a third of the population and many Macedonian Slavs see them as potential state-wreckers. The Macedonian army, not bloodied in the last decade of Balkan wars, is weak and nervous. But on the plus side, Macedonia's politi cal set-up was a source of hope, at least until this crisis started. Albanian parties have been in coalition government for 10 years and although there is a wide measure of social apartheid, ethnic relations are good in public life. Nato and the EU began well.