Clashes outside Macedonian Parliament

SKOPJE, Macedonia, Sept. 26 (UPI) -- Three people were injured and another four arrested in clashes between Macedonian police and legislators outside the Parliament building in Skopje, media said.

A heated debate among ethnic-Albanian deputies inside parliament turned into scuffles which then were transferred into the streets late Tuesday evening in the capital Skopje, the Macedonian Makfax Online reported Wednesday.

Among the three hurt people were two cameramen for Macedonian television channels.

Police detained four people who carried four hand guns and two rifles. Their identities were not disclosed.

Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski urged legislators to resolve their disputes through a peaceful dialogue, Makfax said.

Early in 2001, ethnic-Albanians, who make up about 25 percent of Macedonia’s 2 million population, staged an armed uprising demanding bigger rights for their minority.

Late in 2001, the government of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, with support from Western countries, reached a peace agreement that gave ethnic-Albanians greater local autonomy in regions where they outnumber Macedonians.