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MILS NEWS 96-08-27Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: "Macedonian Information Liaison Service" <mils@mils.spic.org.mk>CONTENTS
MILS SUPPLEMENTMILS NEWSSkopje, 27 August, 1996[01] PANGALOS: 'MACEDONIAN-GREEK ECONOMIC RELATIONS ARE IMPROVING''Economic relations between Greece and 'FYROM' are good and constantly developing', Greek Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos said yesterday at a press conference in Athens. 'Makfax' agency reported that Pangalos said Macedonia would be officially invited to participate at the next Balkan conference, which would take place in Thessaloniki next year, under the name of FYROM. To the question whether that meant that there were no forecasts for the name to be changed in future, Pangalos replied that it was a pessimistic variant. He said the invitations were being sent already and that 'FYROM' should accept its international name and participate at the conference under it.[02] HARMONIZING THE MACEDONIAN-YUGOSLAV AGREEMENT ON TRADEExperts of the Republic of Macedonia and FR Yugoslavia yesterday began the discussion regarding the Agreement which anticipates faster improvement and widening of mutual trade relations, by constant creating of conditions for a free trade zone establishing. Macedonian Ministry of Economy announced that the Agreement should liberalize mutual exchange, according to the rules of the global agreement on customs and trade GATT from 1994.As Macedonian television reported, the document should be harmonized until Yugoslav Prime Minister Radoje Kontic comes to Macedonia in early September. According to 'Makfax', FR Yugoslavia expressed readiness to accept the status of one of the five countries - equal successors of former SFRY in the future relations with the IMF. As alleged, this had been announced by an IMF representative in Washington, where FR Yugoslav National Bank Governor Bozidar Gazivoda was staying at the moment. [03] CULTURAL COOPERATION BETWEEN MACEDONIA AND MONTENEGROAt yesterday's meeting of Macedonian Prime Minister Branko Crvenkovski and Minister of Culture Slobodan Unkovski with Montenegrin Minister of Culture Gojko Chelebic, satisfaction with the current cooperation was expressed, as well as the need for the Agreement on Cultural Cooperation to be signed as soon as possible, which would enable the realization of already planned projects. Macedonian Television reported that the officials had also discussed the economic and political situation in the two countries, and paid special attention to the reforms and effects of their realization.[04] JOINT FIGHT AGAINST FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASERepresentatives of Veterinary Administrations of Macedonia, Albania and FR Yugoslavia had a meeting recently in Tirana and agreed that a joint strategy was necessary in the fight against foot-and-mouth disease, in order to protect the cattle. According to 'Makfax', the meeting was attended by European Union representatives, as well. Meanwhile, Macedonian Radio reported that EU Veterinary Committee had agreed yesterday to alleviate the ban on import of cattle from Greece, which was introduced on 18 July due to the outburst of the foot-and-mouth disease. Greek reply was that this country would make the control on its borders with Macedonia and Albania more strict.[05] THREE-PARTY MEETING ON EAST-WEST CORRIDORVice Transport Ministers of Macedonia, Bulgaria and Albania will meet in Ohrid on 2 September, in the presence of a representative of the American governmental Trade and Development Agency (TDA), in order to define their obligations regarding the agreements on feasibility study for the east-west corridor. The study will be made by 'Behtel International' from USA, and Macedonia is already using $2 million for the reconstruction of Kriva Palanka - Psacha road section, as well as for the study on an inter- modal container terminal in Skopje, 'Nova Makedonija' read.[06] SUGGESTIONS FOR ECONOMY AND FINANCES DISCUSSEDMacedonian Government yesterday discussed the Draft Law on Territorial Dividing of the Republic of Macedonia, as well as a number of suggestions from the field of economy and finances. Also, the proposals for ratification of the Agreement between the Macedonian and British Governments and between Macedonia and FR Germany on transport were subjects of discussion. The Agreement with FR Yugoslavia on regular air transport was also talked about, and the Government was informed on the negotiations between Macedonian and Slovenian delegations about a convention on social insurance.[07] DRAFT LAW ON THE CITY OF SKOPJE ACCEPTED BY COMMISSIONSThe first session of the Macedonian Parliament after the summer vacations should take place today, when the 50th session should be concluded, and the 51st started. The Proposal for passing the Law on the City of Skopje should be on the Agenda, as it was yesterday accepted by the Political System Commission and by the Law Commission, local media reported. 'The Law should be passed as the Constitution and the Law on Local Self Government require that, since Skopje is there defined as a separate unit of local self government,' said Gjorgji Proja, Assistant to the Minister of Justice. Mersim Biljali, one of the members of the Political System Commission, interceded for the competence of the five municipalities in Skopje and of the city of Skopje to be cleared, presenting his opinion that the city was given much greater competence than the municipalities.Mavljam Tairi asked for a new municipality 'Kale' to be formed, while Blagoja Siljanovski and Dimce Nastevski found the delegating of two representatives from the municipality councils to the city council a second-level local self governing, which was not in accordance with the Constitution. There was also a doubt whether the Law should include a term within which there would be an administrative connection between the city of Skopje and the new rural municipalities, until the latter become independent. Similar remarks had been presented by the Law Commission. Hisen Ramadani said that law makers had not used all the possibilities the Constitution offered for an adequate treatment of the city of Skopje as a separate unit of local self governing. [08] MACEDONIAN RADIO ABOUT ELECTORAL CAMPAIGN REGULATIONSDue to the still not passed Law on Pre-Electoral Campaign, Macedonian political subjects will have to carry out their campaigns for the forthcoming local elections according to the Law on Local Elections, i.e. to the part which refers to the campaign, Macedonian Radio reported.The Draft Law on Local Elections, which should be discussed by the Parliament next week, for the first time defines the presentation of political subjects and the financing of the electoral campaign. The campaign can start 30 days and must end 48 hours before the elections. Responsibility for carrying out the campaign and the period within which public opinion can be questioned are also fixed by the Draft Law. Posters will be allowed to be put at places stated by the municipalities, but with obligatory equality of all campaign organizers, while destroying of posters and putting one on another will be banned. Pre-electoral meetings will have to be reported to the police 48 hours before, and in case they are held on locations where public traffic is going on, a denunciation will have to be submitted at least three days before. Pre-electoral meetings will not be allowed in churches, schools, kindergartens or other state institutions, and the only exceptions would be made if the municipality lacks other kind of objects for that purpose. As for the financing, pre-electoral campaign organizer will have to open a giro account at least 45 days before the elections and to submit a full report about the expenses to the municipality council three months after the end of elections. Each organizer can spend mostly 10 denars per voter, 60,000 denars per candidate list and per mayor. The organizer has the right to a compensation in case his candidates win. The media are mentioned only in one Article, which says that they should announce the length of electoral introducing, conditions, advertising methods and media buying conditions at least 40 days before the elections. According to Macedonian Radio, these rules will not be in force after the Law on Pre-Electoral Campaign is passed. [09] HUNGER STRIKE OF THE GLASS FACTORY WOKERSAbout 50 workers of the glass factory ('Staklarnica') in Skopje will today begin a hunger strike in front of the Macedonian Government, in order to express their dissatisfaction with the way the privatization of this enterprise had been carried out. They will protest against the irregularities the Privatization Agency had made, and against an illegally registered part of their enterprise ('Glass wool').Vice President of Independent Trade Unions Gjorgji Stojkovski said the strike was a request for a new privatization to be carried out, i.e. returning of the situation as it was in 1990 and abolishing of all the decisions made by the leadership of 'Glass wool'.'We have been manipulated by the Privatization Agency and by our former leadership, especially by the lawyers who dealt with legal matters of the privatization. The production has been stopped, we have not received our salaries for five months and we will strike until the Government makes a decision in favour of the employees,' stated Stojkovski for 'Dnevnik' daily. [10] MINISTER BUZLEVSKI EASILY HURT IN A CAR ACCIDENTMinister of Transport and Connection of the Republic of Macedonia Dimitar Buzlevski and the General Manager of Customs Administration Ilija Iloski had a car accident yesterday on the main road Prilep-Gradsko. The car went off the road and turned over, and Minister Buzlevski was easily hurt, Ministry of Internal Affairs announced.[11] 'TETOVO UNIVERSITY' ACTIVISTS IN PRISON SINCE YESTERDAYTwo activists of the 'Tetovo university' Nevzat Halili and Musli Halimi yesterday went to the prison in Tetovo to serve their sentences of imprisonment. Their requests for postponing of sentences were recently rejected by the Appellate Court in Skopje.[12] PROF. LJUBOMIR CHAPAROVSKI AWARDED BY THE ITALIAN PRESIDENTPresident of the Republic of Italy Oscar Luigi Scalfaro decorated the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine in Skopje Prof. Ljubomir Chaparovski with the order Commendatore, Macedonian media reported. It will be handed to Chaparovski by the Italian Ambassador to Macedonia Faustino Troni on 2 September.[13] DIRECTOR OF MACEDONIAN TELEVISION APPOINTEDVasil Mickovski, former Editor in Chief of the weekly 'Puls', was appointed a new Director of the Macedonian Television, local media reported. Mickovski was one of the three candidates, and was chosen by the General Manager of Macedonian Radio and Television Slobodan Trajkovski.[14] INTERNATIONAL MEETING OF TRANSLATORS IN TETOVOThe 25th meeting of translators of literature was opened in Tetovo yesterday. The meeting, which is attended by around 100 translators from all over the world, began with reading the letter of the President of the International Federation of Translators, addressed to the participants, after which a symposium on the subject of translating the ancient literature began. An exhibition of the most recently translated works was also opened.MILS SUPPLEMENT[15] 'Uncertain Stability of the Balkans Without Russia'('Nova Makedonija', 27 August, 1996)'Without Russia, the stability of the Balkans, especially of its southern part, will be difficult to achieve. Dayton Accord proved that good interest can be found on these territories. Increasing of the influence of certain countries in this part of the Balkans must be understood as a political process. There has always been a rivalry between the big countries here. It is the same today, but it should be done in a civilized way.' This was said in an interview with the reporters of 'Radio Super' in Ohrid by Yuri Trushin, Charge d' Affaires Ambassador of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Macedonia. Speaking about the economic cooperation between the two countries, Trushin said the current exchange worth about $100 million was far less than the realistic potentials are, and that $1 billion is not an inaccessible figure. However, Russian-Macedonian trade relations will be enlivened only after the entrepreneurs realize that such matters are solved by direct contacts, and not by sitting and waiting, and that the times when the state used to do it for them are past. 'The move of Macedonian Economic Chamber, i.e. the joint Business Council forming, was a good example,' underlined Yuri Trushin. Regarding the Agreement between 'Makpetrol' and 'Gasprom' which remained unsigned after the visit of Vjahirev to Macedonia, Ambassador said that such important Agreements are not signed at the very first meeting anywhere in the world, but expressed his hope that it will be finalized. Referring to the military cooperation between Macedonia and Russia, Trushin said the Defense Ministers of the two countries should meet till the end of the year to would sign 'an Agreement that would open wide perspectives for a cooperation in the military field and for supplying of modern weapons for the Macedonian Armed Forces'. He added that this cooperation had been signed during the visit of the Russian military delegation to Macedonia, but unfortunately, on a rather low level. The Ambassador revealed, for the first time in this occasion, that there are Russian soldiers in UNPREDEP units, adding that, therefore, it was unnecessary to 'politicize the former request for a Russian battalion to be stated in Macedonia'. Yuri Trushin stressed the good cultural bilateral relations, adding that the recent unveiling of the monument of Sergei Esenjin in Struga was the first such thing to be done in the Balkans and wider. He notified the possibility for Macedonian theaters to go on a tour to Russia, following the example of Russian artists who participated in Ohrid Summer Festival. Trushin also said that d-r Gjorgji Stalev will be given a high Russian award for his excellent translation of Lermontov in Macedonian in September. 'I often put the cultural relations and connections between our two countries before the political and economic ones, because I am a historian and I have defended a dissertation on Macedonia. Also, Macedonia, more precisely Ohrid, had given to us, the Russians, two great things: literacy and religion,' stressed Ambassador Trushin in the interview for 'Radio Super'. (end)mils news 27 August, 1996Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |