By Natalia Gudzenko

SKOPJE, September 4 (Itar-Tass) - Senior officials of the Macedonian police, army and security services have had a meeting with representatives of the local population in the city of Kumanovo, Macedonia. They enlisted the support of the local population for an operation against terrorist groups, which is under way in the Kumanovo-Lipkovo Region, Mirjana Konteska, press secretary of the Macedonian Interior Ministry, told Itar-Tass on Thursday.

According to her information, members of the Macedonian parliament, representatives of EU and OSCE and of the U.S. embassy, the mayors of Kumanovo and the nearby cities also took part in the meeting. She said the top officials of the Interior Ministry were pleased with the meeting, because they had an opportunity to explain to the population of the region the purpose of the operation.

Gangs of the so-called "Albanian national army" are blocked in the Kumanovo-Lipkovo Region, in the northern part of Macedonia with predominantly Albanian population. The "Albanian national army," recognized as a terrorist organisation by KFOR (Kosovo Peacekeeping Force), repeatedly claimed responsibility for acts of terrorism staged in Kosovo and Macedonia during the past few months, in which several Serbs and Macedonians were killed.

The Macedonian police, army and security services have drawn up a detailed plan of actions, to be taken within the framework of the operation, Mirjana Konteska said.

Copyright 2003 Itar-Tass News Agency
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