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Macedonia gains support
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THE European Union's high representative for foreign security policy, Javier Solana, arrived yesterday in Tetevo, scene of weekend clashes between Macedonian Government forces and ethnic Albanian rebels.
Solana went directly to the offices of the moderate ethnic Albanian Party, the PDA, where he was to meet party leader Arben Xhaseri to express his support, his spokeswoman Cristina Gallach told reporters.
"We want to express our full support for the government, we want to isolate the extremists," Gallach said, adding that Solana was visiting Tetovo because "it is from this area that most of the problems have come".
Solana met with Nato Secretary-General George Robertson and Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski in Skopje late on Monday.
Gallach earlier said the EU security chief would be taking a "clear message of support to the Macedonian Government and an appeal for moderation so that Macedonia's Albanian population does not take sides with the rebels".
The message from Robertson however was more hardline, with the Nato chief praising the Macedonian Government for its "commendable restraint", rather than delivering an expected rebuke about the use of force.
Early yesterday the situation was calm in the hills above the northwestern town of Tetovo, the scene of heavy fighting on Sunday and sporadic shelling since.(SD-Agencies)
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