The Military Operation Against Albanian Separatists In Macedonia Will Be Continued

The military operation of the Mecedonian security forces against the Albanian separatists will be continued on Tuesday, said Prime Minister of Macedonia Ljubco Georgievski. According to the reports from Skoplje, the head of the Macedonian government also noted that many bases of the separatists had been destroyed, and the Macedonian army and police continued to oust the extremists. Thus, the declaration of martial law is not urgent at the present time, but it can be declared in case of the aggravation of the situation, said the Prime Minister. He also pointed out that the reached agreement on a broad government coalition will be implemented on Tuesday. According to him, the coalition will consist of representatives of the opposition Socialist Party and the Party of Democratic Efflorescence which advocates the interests of the Albanian minority. According to the data of the Macedonian power departments, the extremists have left a number of villages in the Lipkovo Community, towards which the Macedonian security forces are now moving. -O- (kos/lio) 08/05/01 13:40