The United States supports Macedonia's Euro-Atlantic aspirations and, as friends, we share common values. The United States supported and it will continue to support Macedonia in its efforts to implement the reforms necessary for it to become a member of the Euro-Atlantic community. This is the message with which Rosemary A. DiCarlo, deputy assistant secretary in the US Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, arrived in Skopje yesterday.

"We want to make Macedonia the strongest possible candidate for membership in NATO at the next summit for enlargement of the alliance," DiCarlo said after her meeting with Macedonian Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki.

DiCarlo also met with Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, Deputy Prime Minister for EU Integration Gabriela Konevska-Trajkovska, and Deputy Prime Minister for Implementation of the Ohrid Agreement Imer Selmani. Today she is expected to meet with President Branko Crvenkovski, PDSH leader Arben Xhaferi, and BDI leader Ali Ahmeti.