EU offers help in Macedonia crisis

Macedonian troops have tried to flush out the rebels

SKOPJE, Macedonia -- The European Union's foreign policy chief is due to visit Macedonia as fears increase about the safety of civilians.

Javier Solana will hold talks with political leaders on Monday, aimed at defusing a crisis within the country's new national unity government of ethnic Albanian and Slav parties.

The Slavic parties were angry that the Albanian parties had signed a deal with the rebels, plunging the government into a deadlock.

The deal reportedly provided that the rebels would agree to stop fighting in exchange for amnesty guarantees and the power to veto political decisions on ethnic Albanian rights, Associated Press news agency said.

The national unity coalition was formed just two weeks ago under heavy pressure from Solana and other top international figures.

Solana is expected "to express support for the grand coalition government in the current difficult political and security situation," his spokeswoman Cristina Gallach told Reuters.

AUDIO CNN's Chris Burns: Helicopter gunships involved in heavy fighting 553K/51 sec. AIFF or WAV sound    IN-DEPTH Macedonia: Hurdles to peace   •  Balkan hotspots   •  Interactive map   •  Macedonia's military   •  News search   •  Audio/video archive   •  In-Depth: Yugoslavia   •  In-Depth: Kosovo

"Solana will press the leaders of Skopje for an early resumption of enhanced political dialogue," she added.

Solana is expected to arrive in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in the early afternoon on Monday and to hold talks with President Boris Trajkovski, Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski and other party leaders.

The Macedonian army resumed their bombardment of ethnic Albanian rebel position in the north of the country at the weekend.

They used helicopter gunships, tanks and cannon to try and drive out the rebels.

Thousands of civilians are thought to be trapped in villages by the fighting.

CNN's Chris Burns said there were fears of a humanitarian crisis if fighting continues, with food and other supplies running low for the civilians and aid agencies unable to reach the villagers.

Macedonian media and government sources reported that the International Committee of the Red Cross was trying to negotiate an evacuation of civilians from the besieged villages, but the ICRC refused to comment, AP said.

It was not immediately clear how many people are still trapped in the rebel-held villages.

Up to 3,000 have crossed into Serbia, Yugoslavia's larger republic in the past weeks, while an army spokesman said that more then 1,300 left the area during the weekend.

Villagers have been fleeing the conflict

Thousands more have crossed into Kosovo since the crisis began earlier this month.

Siding with the Macedonian government, which says no deals can be made with the "terrorists," international officials have urged the two key ethnic Albanian leaders to renounce their deal with the rebels.

The rebels say they are fighting for greater rights for Macedonia's minority ethnic Albanians.

The government contends they are intent on seizing territory and carving out an ethnic Albanian state.

The U.S. ambassador in Macedonia, Mike Einik, met with ethnic Albanian politicians on Sunday to discuss ways out of the crisis.

After talks with Einik, one of the ethnic Albanian leaders, Imer Imeri, spoke of a new U.S.-European initiative to end the crisis.

"The important thing is that the killing stops and that the civilians are saved," Imeri told AP.

He added that the agreement he signed with the militants "had some positive connotations."