MAK-NEWS 27/02/96 (M.I.C.)

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

Macedonian Information Centre Directory

CONTENTS

SKOPJE, FEBRUARY 27, 1996 (MIC)

[01] FIRST GOVERNMENT SESSION: GOVERNMENT VICE-PRESIDENTS APPOINTED

At yesterday's first session of the reconstructed Government, Prime Minister Branko Crvenkovski firstly congratulated the ministers on their election, wishing them much success in their work. On the issue of the regular activities of the Government, Prime Minister Crvenkovski underlined that enormous obligations still lay ahead for the Government, which will have to be dealt with, with great efforts, the Information Secretariat informed.

On the basis of the Law on Government, Prime Minister Crvenkovski appointed Dr. Jane Miljovski, Dr. Bekjir Zhuta and Dr. Ljube Trpevski as Government vice-presidents, who will coordinate activities in a number of departments that are of priority importance for the Macedonian Government, such as the negotiations with the international financial institutions, the EU, the trade and economic cooperation, etc.

At the session, the Government also accepted the decision to appoint chairmen and members of 11 government commissions.

The decision has also been accepted to appoint chairmen and members of 12 government commissions for decision-making in administrative procedure, of secondary degree.

The Government has made a decision regarding the use of funds to help Japan, which have been allocated to Macedonia for support of the balance of payments, to the amount of 50 million yen. This assistance, according to the decision, and in accord with the inter-state agreement, will be used for the supply of intermediate goods, spare parts and equipment. The final beneficiaries are committed to pay denar funds in the foreign compensation fund of foreign assistance, within a definite period.

Yesterday's daily agenda also contained the proposal for the adoption of a law on ratification of the Agreement between the Macedonian Government and the Swiss Federal Council. The draft-law on ratification of the Agreement between the Macedonian Government and the French Republic, was also discussed.

[02] LJUBOMIR FRCKOVSKI: NAME WILL NOT BE CHANGED

The new Foreign Minister Ljubomir Frckovski stated yesterday that "Macedonia's position is clear. It is willing to discuss the differences over the name, but it will not change the name." According to Frckovski, the dispute with Greece can be resolved even without changing the name of the Republic.

The UN backed negotiations between RM and Greece over the "name differences," led by the ambassadors Ivan Toshevski and Hristos Zaharakis, are set to continue in New York today.

In announcing today's Macedonian-Greek meeting in New York, the Central Greek newspapers assess that the "Macedonian dispute will soon be closed."

The conservative "Katimerini" feels there are certain announcements that proposals for some kind of supplement (geographic, ethnologic or some other kind) to the name will be coordinated at today's meeting. The next meeting, according to this newspaper, could also focus on a concrete proposal which would provide the basis for an agreement.

[03] BELGRADE DELIBERATELY POSTPONING RECOGNITION OF MACEDONIA

In spite of the fact that one month ago, the EU Ministers' Council made it clear to the FRY that the recognition of Macedonia is a condition for normalization of relations between the European fifteen and FRY, contrary to all expectations for that condition to have been met by today's latest session of the EU Ministers, Belgrade is keeping silent on the topic of mutual recognition between Yugoslavia and Macedonia, NOVA MAKEDONIJA comments.

According to some sources, the question of normalization of relations between the EU and FRY is not even on the daily agenda, but if some promising news doesn't come in from Skopje and Belgrade during the day, it would automatically mean placing the topic of normalization of EU-FRY relations on the daily agenda.

The basic question here is why Belgrade is keeping silent when it comes to the fulfillment of the conditions set by the EU. Why isn't it recognizing Macedonia, when some of its high-ranking official are claiming publicly that there are no open questions and when other sources also claim that the document that should follow the normalization of relations with the EU is close to being fully coordinated, in which Belgrade is especially interested!? It's unexplainable why the answer to these questions is absent.

Some feel it is a question of Serb delay, in an effort to gain in time, during which some other important EU country might follow the example of Paris, not waiting for the fulfillment of the conditions of the Ministers' Council, and to recognize FR Yugoslavia at its own initiative.

It is announced that Spain and Italy, and maybe even Great Britain might follow this example, although a British high official categorically said, during his stay in Belgrade recently, that the fulfillment of the EU conditions is a prerequisite for Britain to establish normal diplomatic relations with FR Yugoslavia.

Meantime, the list of "countries-violators" of the common EU decision, today's NOVA MAKEDONIJA comments, has been expanded to include Germany. Bonn mentions the possibility of German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel making a visit to Belgrade soon, which could eliminate the current obstacles to the normalization of inter-state relations.

[04] MACEDONIA AND MONTENEGRO SIGN AGREEMENT ON ECONOMIC COOPERATION

The Macedonian and Montenegrin economy are complimentary, with great perspectives for comprehensive cooperation, and in future, they are not expected to come across any obstacles to their cooperation. The presidents of the Macedonian and Montenegrin chambers of commerce, Dushan Petreski and Vojin Djukanovich signed an agreement on future development of cooperation in Skopje, yesterday.

Petreski expressed concern over the customs dues that obstruct the intensification of mutual economic relations, warning that even more difficulties on this plan can be caused by the FRY's announcement that it intends to implement a most rigorous regime toward Macedonia, as compared to the other neighboring countries. Nevertheless, Petreski said, that interests of the two economies must be respected and the state organs must stimulate their higher forms of connection.

[05] IMRO-DPMNU ANNOUNCES CAMPAIGN TO COLLECT 150,000 SIGNATURES FOR NEW ELECTIONS

The biggest oppositional out-of-parliament party IMRO- DPMNU announced yesterday that it intends to launch a campaign to collect 150,000 signatures for the scheduling of a referendum for new elections.

The party said at yesterday's news conference, that the action for gathering signatures is planned for the first half of this year. This party is open to cooperation with all other parties interested in early elections in Macedonia.

The party's vice-president Boris Stojmenov stated yesterday that "the illegitimate rule so far has led to the robbing of the country's material wealth. The absence of a consistent economic program of the illegitimate Government and the absence of legal regulations have brought the economy to a no-way-out situation, with a rapid drop in the industrial production, an enormously high unemployment rate and over 70,000 families under the social minimum."

IMRO-DPMNU believes that the Alliance for Macedonia has been dissolved. This party explained that the fact that more than 200 initiatives have been submitted to the Constitutional Court, proves best that the legal state is not functioning and that the Constitution is being massively violated.

[06] DEMOCRATIC PARTY ASKING FOR EXTRAORDINARY ELECTIONS ACCORDING TO PROPORTIONAL MODEL

The Democratic Party is asking for a changing of the current election model in Macedonia, from a purely majority to a proportional one, with which the entire country would be made one electoral until, with a census of five percent for entrance in the Assembly.

According to DP, the majority election system makes sense only in bigger countries, where some regional interests have to be upheld, but not in Macedonia, where such a system has only brought damage. This way, it will be made certain Macedonia has a strong opposition, necessary for a democratic environment in the country. Furthermore, such an election model would be much cheaper and more simple, seeing there would be only one election round. The election procedure itself offers more preciseness and transparency, meaning also better possibilities for control, which was not the case with the current communist election model.

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