Bush moves to choke support for Macedonia insurgents

President George W Bush today moved to choke off the funds and mobility of ethnic Albanian insurgents in Macedonia - part of what the White House called an effort to ‘‘face down extremists’’.

The President signed an executive order barring Americans from any transactions involving the property of known rebel leaders.

In a separate proclamation, Bush restricted their entry to the United States.

He took the action two days after a decision by General Joseph Ralston, the commander of all US forces in Europe and the top Nato commander, to use American troops to protect a convoy of buses carrying ethnic Albanian rebels from the village of Aracinovo, near Skopje, the Macedonian capital, where they had been under bombardment by government forces.

‘‘As the president stated in Europe, we must face down extremists in Macedonia and elsewhere who seek to use violence to redraw borders or subvert the democratic process,’’ said White House press secretary Ari Fleischer.

‘‘Such tactics are unacceptable and we will use the means at our disposal to isolate these groups and individuals and cut their access to financial support.’’

Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral Craig Quigley said the use of 81 troops and several armed Humvee military vehicles to protect the convoy does not indicate a widening US involvement in the region.

There are about 700 US troops in Macedonia - mainly providing logistical support for the American peacekeeping forces in Kosovo - but they had not previously intervened directly in the hostilities.

Quigley said no shots were fired at the convoy and its evacuation of the rebels defused what he called a dangerous situation.

On its return journey to the U.S. military encampment at Skopje, after having deposited the rebels at a mountain village close to the Kosovo border, the convoy was diverted twice after encountering crowds of people - some with guns - at Macedonian government checkpoints.

The US move came as Britons, Americans, Canadians and Germans were urged by their governments to stay away from Macedonia in the wake of fighting and anti-government demonstrations in the strife-torn state.

The rebels were released near the village of Nikustak, where there have been increasing skirmishes.

Sporadic exchanges of gunfire were reported today along the border with the Kosovo and outside the second-largest city, Tetovo.

The continuing attacks and unrest are hampering peace efforts by President Boris Trajkovski, who wants broad support for the government’s fight against ethnic Albanian insurgents.

His chief political rival, Ljubco Georgievski, warned on Tuesday night that there could be no peace dialogue as long as open military fronts remain.

The ethnic Albanians rebels, whose people make up the minority third of Macedonia’s two million population, are demanding equality with the majority Slav population.

Thousands of people have fled the fighting.