Macedonia quiet after cease-fire takes effect

Macedonian soldiers on the road before the cease-fire.

SKOPJE, Macedonia (CNN) -- No fighting has been reported early Friday in Macedonia between the government and ethnic Albanian rebels after a cease-fire took effect at midnight local time.

Fierce fighting and shelling was reported in and around the northwestern town of Tetovo Thursday afternoon before the cease-fire went into place.

It is being reported the rebels have set up a checkpoint very close to one being manned by Macedonian police, near the stadium on the northwest side of this capital city.

The NATO-brokered cease-fire is the latest attempt to end four months of fighting. More than a dozen cease-fire agreements have come and gone in recent months, with some lasting only a few hours.

Rebels have said they will not lay down their arms until their demands are met. They want full amnesty and inclusion in talks on revising the country's constitution. Neither condition has been met up to this point.

The latest cease-fire agreement came a day after the Macedonian government and Albanian politicians agreed to restart talks on revisions to the constitution designed to give Albanians increased rights and a constitutional guarantee of those rights.

AUDIO Juliette Terzieff on why this ceasfire is different 1.02 MB / 97sec. AIFF or WAV sound

A draft version of a revised constitution was presented Wednesday by a French international law expert. It is expected more revisions will be needed before the document can gain acceptance from both sides.

International pressure has been intense on the government and the rebels to find a resolution.

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European Union peace envoy Francois Leotard and Pardew have held a flurry of meetings with leading politicians on all sides of the conflict, including President Boris Trajkovski and Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski.

Rebels said they have been speaking to "the Americans," but were not specific.

Last week, NATO formally approved plans to send a 3,000-strong force to Macedonia to help disarm ethnic Albanian rebels, but it was contingent on a lasting political agreement and a cease-fire taking hold in the country.

The cease-fire comes at a time when Albanian rebels have gained control of a large portion of northern Macedonia. In recent days they have taken control of six villages near Tetovo.

The U.S. State Department issued a statement Thursday calling the cease-fire an "important and necessary step toward resolving the crisis."

"We urge all parties to fully honor the agreements negotiated by NATO and the European Union," said State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher.

He said the agreements "indicate the willingness of the parties in Macedonia to work toward a political solution to their differences."