No End to Macedonia Crisis after Brussels Talks Fail

After an intense day of EU-mediated talks in Brussels on Wednesday, there is still no agreement between the Macedonian government and the opposition on ending the deep political crisis in the country.

The talks between Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and opposition head Zoran Zaev failed to achieve any agreement on the details of the transitional government that is supposed to prepare the country for a snap general election set for April next year.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn told reporters around midnight that the meeting had ended without an agreement being reached, following more than 12 hours of talks behind closed doors.

"The European Union urges all parties - in the interest of their country and its citizens - to find a lasting political compromise without any delay and come forward with concrete proposals to this end.

"The reform commitments contained therein, to which all party leaders committed must be implemented as a matter of urgency. This is essential for the country to make any progress on the Euro-Atlantic path," the European Commission wrote in a statement following the meeting of Commissioner Hahn with Macedonian leaders.

The EU said it regrets that the talks have failed but expressed hope that another round of talks can resume soon.

In statements given after the talks, Gruevski and Zaev exchanged blame for the failed talks. 

While Gruevski accused Zaev of setting new conditions, the opposition team blamed Gruevski for stalling the talks by refusing to step down from office.

However, media outlets cited unnamed diplomatic sources close to the negotiations as saying that they could not agree over how long in advance of the April poll Gruevski, who is accused of authoritarian rule and...