Decree Grants Amnesty to Rebels Who Disarm

Macedonia decreed an amnesty for disarmed ethnic Albanian rebels after weeks of inaction that raised doubts about its commitment to a Western-mediated peace accord.

The move fulfilled a key provision of the agreement reached in August between ethnic Macedonians and ethnic Albanians that will help pave the way for the re-integration of the rebel-inhabited north.

But a second step needed to cement the tenuous peace--constitutional reform to improve the rights of ethnic Albanians, who make up at least 25% of Macedonia’s 2 million people--remains on hold.