Many trudged along narrow dirt roads through mountain passes, carrying suitcases hastily stuffed with clothes and family mementos. The rebels showed no sign of retreating in the face of the fierce attacks by artillery and helicopter gunships on Vaksince and Slupcane, just west of the city of Kumanovo. A government spokesman, Antonio Milosovski, said the main ruling and opposition parties, representing majority Slavs and minority Albanians, had agreed on a coalition government which will include 96 of the country's 120 MPs. In return, the opposition parties were promised an early election next January. Although the new government, if confirmed, means the military crisis has saved the politicians from splitting into ethnic camps, there is no guarantee of a solution.
Tensions are high.
Macedonian Slavs recently attacked Albanian shops in the town of Bitola, far from the current fighting. In the last few weeks the government has made minor concessions. But Albanian parties want changes in the constitution and the laws on citizenship and language. He said it would pursue a dual policy of political talks and tough military action against the rebels. The army meanwhile seemed to have given up its plea to hundreds of Albanian civilians to leave the area of the fighting.