Macedonia Crisis Deal in Mortal Danger, EU Warns

EU mediator Peter Vanhoutte warned on Wednesday that the EU-brokered crisis agreement will be dead if the Macedonian government and opposition fail to agree on key reforms by the end of this weekend.

There might then be no early elections in April because there will be no time for a new electoral commission and to clear up the disputed electoral roll - which critics say has many fictive voters - Vanhoutte said.

He added that the failure of the deal might reflect badly on Macedonia and did not exclude the possibility that the US and the EU might impose sanctions, freezing politician's foreign bank accounts as well as blacklisting politicians.

"Macedonia may become isolated like Belarus," he noted, adding that the country has to choose between remaining on the Euro-Atlantic course or isolation.

It is the first time that the EU mediator has spoken so openly about the gridlock at the inter-party negotiations on a package of reforms.

The EU facilitator said he was especially worried that the courts were preventing the functioning of the newly appointed Special Prosecution, tasked with probing claims of mass surveillance by the government.

He said that the parties had also wasted most time arguing over a law that would prohibit the publication of wiretaps, which government critics see as an attempt to install censorship.

"Freedom of expression is non-negotiable. Media have the right to publish everything that is in the public interest," Vanhoutte said.

The parties also cannot agree over the appointment of ministers from the ranks of the opposition "because obviously someone wants to limit their jurisdictions", Vanhoutte said.

The deadline for appointing new Interior and Labour ministers and several...