SKOPJE (AFP) - Macedonian Prime Minister Hari Kostov submitted his resignation to parliament, citing policy disputes and a lack of "teamwork" within the ruling coalition in the former Yugoslav republic.
"I resign as prime minister as there is no will in the coalition for genuine teamwork aimed at crucial goals," Kostov told reporters.
He said the government had made some progress but internal differences were slowing reforms and jeopardising Macedonia`s efforts to join the European Union and NATO.
"I personally think that in the past two years, including the last five months in which I was prime minister, in general there have been positive results," he said.
"But I think that within the coalition there exists no full understanding or teamwork to realise the strategic aim of Macedonia."
Kostov earlier sent a letter of resignation to parliament speaker Ljupce Jordanovski. The parliament will meet on Thursday to decide whether to accept the move.
In the letter, the prime minister indirectly accused the ethnic Albanian party in the coalition, run by former rebel political leader Ali Ahmeti, of working only in the interests of the minority community.
"I`m personally not ready to work in such ways," he said, blasting his coalition partners for placing "conditions and obstacles" to reform for short-term political ends.
"I`m sure my resignation will influence and mobilize the coalition partners to agree not only on superficial statements but on practical work to realize the real strategies of the Republic of Macedonia."
Macedonia is still implementing EU-backed reforms under the 2001 Ohrid peace accords, which ended seven months of violence between ethnic Albanian guerrillas and government forces.
The rebels have agreed to disarm but the mainly Muslim ethnic Albanian minority in the predominantly Orthodox Christian country continues to agitate for greater political and civil rights.
If parliament accepts the resignation, President Branko Crvenkovski will ask the Social Democratic Union, the largest party in the assembly, to select a new prime minister.
Analysts said Kostov`s move was expected as he had been locked in disputes with coalition partners over various political and economic issues since he took the reigns of government earlier this year.
"The government has a low political culture. Party interests and loyalties cannot be above state interests," said analyst Ljubomir Frckoski.
"No one is listening to what the prime minister proposes, but what their party wants," he said.
Kostov, 49, is an economics graduate and former deputy finance minister. Before he entered the government he was an assistant of the executive director of the World Bank and the general manager of Commercial Bank of Macedonia.
11/15/2004 - 16:36 GMT - AFP