Politicians from both sides of Macedonia's ethnic divide locked themselves away together today under intense pressure not to emerge until they hammer out a deal to prevent a new Balkan war.
European Union leaders told Skopje's fractious multi-ethnic government to leave nothing undiscussed, including major constitutional concessions to ethnic Albanians - a key demand by Albanian guerrillas for ending a four-month insurrection.
A declaration adopted at an EU summit in Sweden said the 15-nation bloc, which has taken the diplomatic lead in the search for a peace deal, wanted a true dialogue covering all issues on the agenda, including the constitutional issues. The rebels, who have called a truce until June 27 while the emergency unity coalition thrashes out details of a disarmament plan, are waiting to see what role NATO will play in the process after calling for the deployment of troops throughout Macedonia.
Diplomats expect the alliance to accept a formal government request for NATO help in disarming rebels and decommissioning their weapons, provided the guerrillas agree to the terms being hammered out by politicians in Skopje.
But the New York Timesquoted senior US officials today as saying the United States had told its NATO partners it would not take part, leaving Europe to take the lead.
"There is a clear logic for NATO to get involved," a senior Western diplomat in Skopje said, pointing to Macedonia's role as the main supply route for 36,000 NATO peacekeepers in Kosovo.