MAK-NEWS 19/02/96 (M.I.C.)

From: "M.I.C." <mic@ITL.MK>

Macedonian Information Centre Directory

CONTENTS

SKOPJE, FEBRUARY 19, 1996 (MIC)

[01] MACEDONIA ACCEPTED TO PHARE

The European Parliament made a decision on Friday to accept the Republic of Macedonia as a member of the PHARE program for help and development of the Central and Eastern European countries.

At the session, it was concluded that Macedonia urgently needed help from the PHARE program. At the start, 25 million ECU will be endorsed to Macedonia, and in future, the PHARE program in Macedonia will finance projects in the field of economy, culture, health, education, infrastructure, etc.

[02] POSSIBLE NAME SOLUTION BY END OF SUMMER

Athens does not expect a solution to the name problem to be reached at the new round of Macedonian-Greek talks, scheduled for February 26 in New York, but to be postponed for the end of the summer. Greek sources say this is owed to internal-political problems in the two countries - in Greece, the incident with Turkey in the Aegean, and in Macedonia, the reconstruction of the Government. A part of the Greek press feels that consultations between the two countries in New York will open the door to future developments that are entering a new phase and which will start a process of careful consideration of the possible options and the search for a final solution.

Analysts assess that the northern neighbor is entering a period of "instable Government," which does not exclude the possibility of early elections. Furthermore, there is also the problem of reaching an understanding with Belgrade, which clearly insists on recognizing Macedonia under its constitutional name.

[03] DELEGATION OF SPM IN BELGRADE

At the invitation of the Socialist Party of Serbia, a delegation of the Socialist Party of Macedonia, led by vice- president Blagoya Filipovski, left for Belgrade yesterday.

During its two-day stay, the delegation is expected to meet with FRY and Serbian officials, to discuss inter-party cooperation, the relations between the two countries and the situation in the region.

[04] $ 7.5 MILLION REPROGRAMMED

Macedonian Finance Minister Jane Miljovski signed an Agreement on reprogramming a part of the Macedonian debt to the Republic of Austria, in Vienna, on Saturday. This represents a bilateral realization of the signed minutes from July 17, last year, on consolidation of the Macedonian debt to the Paris club of donor-states.

The Agreement will come into effect on the day of its ratification in the Macedonian Parliament. Otherwise, Miljovski's visit to Vienna followed a two-day meeting between the Macedonian and Austrian delegation on December 18 and 19, last year, at which the modalities for reprogramming the Macedonian "Paris" debt to Austria were brought into coordination.

The debt is estimated at 75 million Austrian shillings, some $ 7.5 million. The reprogramming of the principal and interest will be over a 15-year period, with a 6-year grace period.

[05] MACEDONIAN-SLOVENIAN PROTOCOL ON SOCIAL INSURANCE

Macedonia and Slovenia signed a Protocol on Social Insurance in Ohrid, last week, which coordinates a number of issues from the field of pension, disability and health insurance, children's allowance. The Protocol serves as a basis for signing the future Macedonian-Slovenian Social Insurance Convention.

[06] HELSINKI FEDERATION CONDEMNS BULGARIA

The International Helsinki Human Rights Federation has been informed that on February 4th, this year, special units of the Bulgarian police forcefully broke off the meeting of OMO "Ilinden" in Bulgaria, which was held at the time, behind closed doors.

OMO "Ilinden" issued an announcement on this occasion which, beside informing that the participants in the meeting, including two representatives of the "Rainbow" association were arrested by the police, and then banished from Bulgaria, also says: "The International Helsinki Human Rights Federation is deeply concerned over these events, which, in essence, violate paragraph 3 of article 43 of the Bulgarian Constitution, which guarantees the freedom of association and which clearly states that it is not necessary to have an official licence to hold meetings behind closed doors. For these reasons, the International Helsinki Human Rights Federation is calling on the Bulgarian authorities to behave in accordance with the Bulgarian Constitution, including article 11 of the European Convention on the protection of human rights and basic freedoms, as well as paragraph 9.2 of the Copenhagen Document from the OSCE, which is also signed by Bulgaria, the announcement of the Helsinki Committee says,

[07] ANTI-VIOLENCE DEMONSTRATIONS IN VELES

Under the organization of the Youth Association, a protest meeting was held on the town square in Titov Veles yesterday, as a sign of protest against the increased number of youth killings in this town.

The parents of the four youths that were killed in this town in a matter of a year, spoke in front of a large number of citizens, sending out the general message to put an end to the violence and terror that has swept across the town. A special message was sent out to the youths to stop this campaign of revenge, to the police for better protection and vigilance, not to sell alcohol to minors, to uphold the working hours of the cafes, the put down the guns, knives and lead boxers, and to the parents, to pay more attention to their children, and for conscience to prevail over drugs and all other vices.

MACEDONIAN PRESS REVIEW

[08] "NOVA MAKEDONIJA": "INTERESTS SPENT, RISKS ARE SHARED"

After five or six months, when the personal dust from the to-date actors of the Social-Democratic-Liberal quarrel is blown away, and when the aromas of the party kitchens are aired out, which always accompany all divisions (political ones - especially), no one will be interested in the political dimension of that quarrel any longer, because we will be too busy making estimates as to whether and to what extent the most powerful party in the executive power is maintaining its political predomination in a legal framework.

The thesis is hypothetical, but the atmosphere that has been created following the break up of the election coalition between SDAM and LP is making the public behave as a betrayed and hurt lover, so it is occupied with determining who is, more or less, guilty. Look how far matters have gone. While the chroniclers are trying to find the key spot from where the coalition cart started rolling downward, some leaders of the two estranged parties are now even questioning the truth whether a coalition ever existed.

The public doesn't even know that every agreement for a political marriage, even though it's not specified anywhere, is a combination of a true interest and an elaborate fraud.

The interest has, obviously, been exhausted. Now, the weight of the fraud has to be weighed. And, to the dissatisfaction of our former political partners, the box with the unpleasant part of the dowry will be opened on Wednesday.

It is an undivided opinion that the Liberals let power slip from their hands much too easily. I'm not sure whether the words of the renowned intellectual "anti-politician" George Conrad are applicable here, according to whom "he who wins power with great difficulty, tries to keep it as long as possible, and if it's possible - forever." As the rich man tries to multiply his money, so the powerful man strives to fortify his power. The actual and alleged interests for the good of society can never be clearly separated from the personal and other interests.

From the alternatives offered by the upcoming outcome of the political dispute between SDAM and LP, it's most probable that we will receive a much stronger Government and a less obedient Parliament. At this time, perhaps what Macedonia needs more is a strong Parliament and an obedient and efficient Government. For, the questions of vital interest that should take over and change the present role of the "legislative machine" have yet to be discussed in Parliament. However, the distribution of power in the Government, even when it is not fully derived from the figures that go together with the election results, is nevertheless a question of the power of the practicing of the Government, for which the final bill is paid by the citizens. That is, by no means, a right of the individual.

Many assess that Parliament, regardless of how its speaker Stojan Andov will be positioned, gains in quality, for the executive power, which functioned in many ways as if it were superior to the Parliament, will get one more racer who will keep breathing down its neck. There is no better position for one who has chosen to control and publicly criticize the Government, than to parliamentary opposition. The question is, however, if it would not have been better for that racer to have remained in the Government,to trim the prods that tend to get out of control, from the inside.

The monopoly of the Government, according to some theoreticians, is more dangerous than monopoly over the capital, since it can be absolute and has a much greater treasure than the work force. The predominant opinion is that the Liberals control the large capital, but that the Social-Democrats have political power. They are less dangerous when they are disunited and when they don't have a possibility to re-dimension their own power, since power and capital together, tend to get on a citizen's back.

How should the "new political map" of Macedonia be comprehended, following the reconstruction in the legislative and executive power?

The strong parties from the out-of-parliament opposition (with the exception of IMRO-DPMNU, which has not expressed its stand publicly yet, and according to the witty remark of a fellow-colleague, acts as it its illegal), according to the statements of their leaders, don't want, at least in the period until their failed marriage is sanctioned, to approach neither one of the two estranged coalition partners. But, on the other hand, they are not hiding their rapprochement to the constant behind the failed coalition - President Kiro Gligorov. Following his initial public and dramatic appearance in relation to his concern over the break up of the election coalition, he wants to settle the matters and prove that he has not suffered a "second assassination attempt," (as the Democratic Party said), nor does he intend to open a discussion for the changing of the Constitution (which the Labour Party requested), as, in that case, the permanent interests in the state would be brought into question. In the Hall of the Macedonian Army, on Friday evening, the President sat next to Branko Crvenkovski, and the next day, he was on Mavrovo with Stojan Andov. As if he wants to show that what happened was only a matter between two parties and that the two institutions, such as the Speaker of Parliament and the Prime Minister, are here, working together with him and that the state is "breathing" within the Constitution and the laws.

It's time for us to be more pragmatic: as every hope brings doubt, so the destruction of something that has been created with the trust of the citizen, more or less, brings a new quality within itself.

(end)