Two people have reportedly died in an explosion that flattened a Macedonian-owned hotel this morning in an area controlled by the ethnic Albanian National Liberation Army.

A disagreement over weapons in Macedonia has delayed NATO’s mission to help disarm the ethnic Albanian National Liberation Army.

NATO has authorised the deployment of 3,500 soldiers to Macedonia to participate in the disarming of the ethnic Albanian National Liberation Army.

Nato was expected to give the go-ahead today for the full deployment of a British-led force to disarm ethnic Albanian rebels in Macedonia.

An advance party of British troops was today setting out for Macedonia to begin Nato’s reconnaissance mission in the troubled Balkan state.

NATO has authorised the deployment of troops to collect and destroy weapons held by the ethnic Albanian National Liberation Army in Macedonia.

Ethnic Albanian rebels have killed 10 Macedonian soldiers in an ambush this morning about 10 miles west of the capital, Skopje.

Macedonian Government officials and ethnic Albanian leaders have gathered in the southern city of Ohrid to resume high-level peace talks aimed at ending a rebel insurgency in the north of the country.

Ethnic Albanian rebels have remained in the four villages in northern Macedonia which they invaded earlier this week, despite a promise to withdraw as part of a new ceasefire deal.