The European Union urged here Thursday Macedonian political parties to resume the work of the parliament, noting it was crucial to the country's bid for the Union's membership.
Unrest disrupted on Tuesday, when Macedonian police special forces clashed with protestors who tried to block the streets around parliament after a row between rival ethnic Albanian deputies.
The row began in a debate over electoral reform as ethnic Albanian deputies of the opposition Democratic Union for Integration (DUI) and the Party for Democratic Prosperity (PDP) of the ruling coalition exchanged punches and dirty words.
The DUI threatened to boycott parliament until an official commission was formed to investigate the incident.
Krisztina Nagy, a spokeswoman for the European Commission expressed her hope that the DUI would abandon the threat, saying " We hope that such a decision can be changed rather quickly, because very clearly in a major democracy, parliament is the best platform to defend political views and represent one's political interests."
"It is crucial for the European future of the country that the reform process continues and for that the legislative work in the parliament is necessary," Nagy said at a news briefing in Brussels. Macedonia is a candidate for EU membership.
She also expressed concern about violence against journalists during the unrest, saying, "Attacks against journalists cannot be tolerated in any democratic society."
Macedonian police beat on Wednesday a cameraman as he was filming a row between police and an ethnic Albanian politician near the town of Tetovo.
Source: Xinhua
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