Refugees flee gunfire on Macedonian border

Macedonia's main ethnic Albanian party held up final agreement on a national unity government yesterday as thousands of Macedonian villagers fled to Kosovo while their government's helicopter gunship's hammered rebel positions. Wednesday morning saw further machine-gun fire and shelling between rebels and the army, which also ordered people in Slupcane and nearby towns to evacuate.

Macedonia's main ethnic Albanian party held up final agreement on a national unity government yesterday as thousands of Macedonian villagers fled to Kosovo while their government's helicopter gunship's hammered rebel positions. Wednesday morning saw further machine-gun fire and shelling between rebels and the army, which also ordered people in Slupcane and nearby towns to evacuate.

The rain-sodden villagers, in headscarves and anoraks, poured into Red Cross tents on the border at Blace, some clutching black bin-liners full of clothes. One man wheeled his son in on a luggage trolley. Children held hands following mothers bundling babies under their arms. At least 6,660 people have streamed into Kosovo in the past few days, said the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Around 2,500 crossed yesterday. Of these, 1,300 who had passports came through the official border at Blace, and 1,200 were brought in unofficially by the refugee agency, said Astrid van Genderen Stort, spokeswoman for the UNHCR in Kosovo.

Hours before, there had been hope of a political breakthrough in Skopje with the creation of a government of national unity to shore up Macedonia's multi-ethnic administration and leave the political extremists isolated.

The only holdout was the ethnic Albanian party. "We have not taken a decision yet," said Naser Ziberi, head of the parliamentary party, after six hours of talks among party officials. "The session will continue tomorrow. The priority for us is how to stop the war."

Announcement of the broad coalition government had been expected yesterday after the two main Slav parties reached agreement. Rapid formation of such a government is seen by the West as a key to countering ethnic Albanian rebels, who claim to be defending the Albanian minority. The main objection is that a ceasefire in the bombardment of the rebels should come first.

The deal would bring the main opposition Slav parties into the government, taking control of the foreign and defence ministries, and a second Albanian grouping, the Party of Democratic Prosperity led by Imer Imeri, would be in the administration.

Brussels is also putting pressure on the authorities in Skopje to accelerate reform to entrench rights for Macedonia's Albanian minority. Nato's Secretary General, Lord Robertson of Port Ellen, weighed in with the offer of more practical support for the government in its efforts to defeat the rebels, whom he branded "murderous thugs". The Kosovo-Macedonia border is already monitored closely by K-for, and Nato says the extent of more support depends on the co-operation of the Macedonian authorities. Privately, Nato sources say the Macedonian army remains secretive, often unco-operative.

Yesterday Macedonian troops continued their offensive, helicopter gunships, heavy artillery, mortars and machine guns continuing to pound the smoke-shrouded northern village of Vaksince, about 15 miles north of Skopje.

Attacks like this have only fuelled the flight of refugees and neither show signs of ending. At Blace, most of the refugees were coming from the Kumanovo area where the recent bombardment by the Macedonian army has been heaviest.

A looming cement factory covered in grime and its roof coated in feet-thick dust set a gloomy backdrop, but a waiting committee of Red Cross and UNHCR workers provided sweets and drinks.

Other smaller influxes of refugees were reported from the Tetovo region, where they had to make a nine-hour trek across snow-covered mountains. Many of the refugees had family in Kosovo, but Kosovars were waiting to welcome those who might need shelter, regardless of blood ties.

Faruk Hashani, a Kosovar Albanian, pointed to a soaked refugees and said: "Two years ago, I might have stayed at this man's house. Now maybe he'll stay at mine." The Blace refugee camp, where thousands of Kosovar Albanian refugees fled Slobodan Milosevic's ethnic cleansing in 1999, lies only a few hundred yards away on the Macedonian side of the border. Memories of the exodus are fresh.