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MILS: News from the FYROM, 97-04-15Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: "Macedonian Information Liaison Service" <mils@mils.spic.org.mk>CONTENTS
MILS SUPPLEMENTMILS NEWSSkopje, 15 April, 1997[01] INVITATION FOR BALKANS' STATES TO THE JUNE CONFERENCE IN THESSALONIKIThe Greek Foreign Affairs Minister, Theodoros Pangalos, called yesterday his colleagues from the 7 Balkans' states to come to the Balkans' conference for stability, security and collaboration of East Europe, which is scheduled for 9th and 10th June in Thessaloniki, reports the Macedonian radio. For the conference are invited the foreign affairs ministers of Albania, BIH, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Turkey, Romania and SR Yugoslavia. The Thessaloniki conference, as it is cited, presents the second step in the process of multilateral collaboration on the Balkans which has commenced with the ministry conference in Sofia last year at which there were no Macedonian delegates present due to misunderstandings regarding the name.According to the Greek paper `To Vima', at the conference in Thessaloniki many bilateral meetings are to take place among which meetings of Pangalos with the Macedonian and Turkish Foreign Affairs Ministers, Ljubomir Frchkovski and Tansy Chiler. `To Vima' reports that these meetings are expected to help normalization of the relations and solution of the problems the Greece faces regarding its 2 neighbours. [02] DEFENSE MINISTER HANDZISKI VISITING USA TODAYThe Defense Minister of the Repulic of Macedonia, Blagoj Handziski, today is to go on a 3 day official visit of the USA under the invitation from the American Defense Secretary, William Cohen. The Macedonian Television reports that Minister Handziski will be accompanied in his travel by a high military delegation which will have the third bilateral session of talks with representatives of the US Defense Ministry. At the official meeting between the ministers Handziski and Cohen, as well as at the bilateral session it is expected to dominate: topics regarding bilateral defense collaboration, cooperation within the frames of the collective systems of security; topics regarding the current processes of transformation in the Alliance, the political-security situation in the region as well as the UNPREDEP mission which also includes American soldiers.[03] SECOND PART OF `INSTRUCTOR 97' TRAINING COMMENCESOn the sports airport `Konjari' near Prilep yesterday ended the first part of the third bilateral combined training `Instructor 97' with parachute jumping. This training comprises members of the special forces of the 10th USA Army group from Colorado Springs, and members of the special forces of the Macedonian Army. This training presents a continuation of the continual collaboration between the military special units of both states and today it shall continue on several mountain massifs in Macedonia with tactical training of light infantry. At yesterday's parachute jumping in Prilep the Deputy Defense Minister of Macedonia, Mitko Atanasovski, was present as well as the Defense attach‚ of the USA, colonel Philip Rushioleli.[04] `TAT' SCANDAL - 8 REPUBLIC PARLIAMENT MEMBERS EITHER DEPOSITED OR USED CREDITS FROM THE BANKAccording to a report from the National Bank of Macedonia delivered yesterday to the public prosecutor 8 parliament members have been recorded as clients of the `TAT' bank in Bitola. The Macedonian Television reports, for now there are no specific information regarding their involvement in the scandal, but it is expected the public prosecutor to give more details about this tomorrow. During this week it is expected the supervisor, Gazmen Kadriu, to state a definite report from the control of `TAT' bank and deliver it to the NBM governor, Borko Stanoevski. It is announced that the report to the Government should be delivered until Friday and after that a bill on compensating the clients will be passed.The media yesterday reported that the Main Court in Skopje will prolong the temporary arrest for another month of the deputy-governor of the NBM, Tome Nenovski. Nenovski's defense has made a complaint which will be discussed by the Court of Appeal. The Main Court in Bitola once again has rejected the request of the arrested mayor of Bitola, Siljan Micevski and his spouse, Violeta Micevska, to defend themselves besides the offered guarantee in real estate assets worth 290.000 DM. Representatives from the 2 boards of `TAT' clients tomorrow will come to Skopje in order to have talks with the authorities regarding the modes of repaying the deposits and interests to the citizens. [05] `DNEVNIK' -' MINISTER FILIPCHE `ATTUNED' THE FINAL ACCOUNT OF THE HEALTH CARE FUNDThe Health Minister, Ilija Filipche, during the last few days of February, directly before the final deadline of the yearly financial report of the Fund for Health Insurance has tried to `attune' the final account of the Fund , reports `Dnevnik'. according to this paper, Minister Filipche ordered the health organizations in the country to write off part of their demands for services done on account of the Fund and thus succeeded to `hide' at leas t 4,5 million DM of the public consumption.According to the document that `Dnevnik' possesses, Minister Filipche in this way tried to force the Clinical Centre from Skopje to write off about 16, 5 million DM, but the Centre, i.e. the know replaced director, Miodrag Vrchakovski, has refused to do such a thing. Yet many health care centres in the state have agreed to thus and according to `Dnevnik' there are suspicions that the final account of the Fund has been `attuned' for tens of million DM. Otherwise last year the Fund for Health Insurance had been limited by the sum for public consumption of about 6 billion denars, yet more than 9,7 billion denars have been spent. These assertions in the Fund have been denied with an assessment that everything is within the frames of the Bill on limitation of public consumption and that this presents a normal operation which is carried through every year. Certain circles in the health care have assessed the forced writing off of executed and recorded services as a blow to the economic stability of the medical centres, and as well to the macro- economic policy of the state. `Dnevnik' at the end adds that unofficially the documents with which Minister Filipche forced the health care centres in the state to make write- offs have been delivered to the Finance Ministry, and after the revision a soon reaction is expected regarding this. [06] PRIVATE PHARMACIES POINT OUT THE CHAOS ENVELOPING THE MEDICAMENTS SUPPLYThe Association of businessmen in the private pharmacies in Macedonia yesterday announced that it has been facing for a longer period of time the problem of inappropriate treatment of the private pharmacies on part of the Republic Fund for Health Insurance in Macedonia, although private health care activities are allowed by the Bill on health care. It is cited that the Fund on basis of the so called `blue card' (possessed by health insured persons in Macedonia) does not make agreements with the private health organizations and pharmacies although they had made applications for such. In the report it is pointed out that it is necessary to pass a bill on medicaments very soon which will put order in the chaos enveloping the field of regulating the prices of medicaments.[07] BILLS ON CRAFTSMEN BUSINESSES AND CITIZEN ASSOCIATIONS AND FOUNDATIONSThe Macedonian Government yesterday has established the Suggestion on passing a bill on craftsmen businesses.According to the report of the session with this bill the Government aims to procure conditions for an equal status of the craftsmen regarding their rights and duties concordant to the constitutional regulations of freedom and market. With the bill, the handicrafts as a small business which involved small means should be put in function of larger production systems. At yesterday's session the proposal on passing a bill on citizen associations and foundations. The reasons for passing such a bill, as it has been concluded, had been imposed by the new democratic political system in which the citizens may freely associate themselves and associate their means into fulfilling economic, social, cultural, sporting and other necessary purposes. The established legislative regulative has never so far come across the term `foundation'. Taking into consideration that these two types of organizing perform in the same social area, the government has decided to legally determine the foundation with this normative act, parallel with the resolutions on citizen associations. Vice-president , Ljube Trpevski, yesterday informed the Government about signing of the ESAF - arrangement with the IMF for the amount of 80 million dollars which will be realized as a credit for Macedonia in the following three years. The government at yesterday's session was acquainted with the project for renewal and re-structuring of irrigation in Macedonia prepared by the World Bank mission and as it has been assessed it will enable furthering of the agricultural production by using the waters from the `Tikvesh' and `Bregalnica' systems. [08] MOLOTOV COCKTAILS THROWN UPON TWO HOUSES IN DEBARIn Debar the night between Sunday and Monday unknown doers had thrown a bottle of Molotov cocktail on the house of the brothers Lambe and Mile Kostovski. The fire had caught things kept on the balcony of the house, but is was put down with no large consequences. A day before, in Saturday at midnight two bottles of burning cocktail had been thrown in the yard of the house of Spiro Stojanovski in the `Venec 2' settlement in Debar, but they did not active. `Dnevnik' reports, the police so far has no details regarding these events, and in Debar the citizens are feeling upset, especially the people of Macedonian nationality.[09] GOVERNMENT RECONSTRUCTION CONTINUES TO BE UNCERTAINAccording to information from `A-1' Television, reconstruction of the Government of PM Crvenkovski should be the topic of the Central Committee's session of SDSM scheduled for Tuesday, 22 April. At the session which was held two days ago the Presidency of SDSM, also according to unofficial information, decided to have a yearly conference of the party during May (a mini party congress) where the so far activities of the party will be re- examined and the current events in the state will be examined.At today's session of the Executive Board of the Social Party, according to `A-1' TV, it is expected the further participation of the socialists in the Government of PM Crvenkovski is to be discussed. The session will regard the results of the recent talks between the socialist leader, Ljubosav Ivanov, and PM, Branko Crvenkovski in which Ivanov brought out the demands which are condition for the socialists to stay in the Government coalition. Unofficially it has been revealed that Ivanov considers that the main condition for the Socialist party to stay in the coalition is a member of this party to gain the ministry field of economy. `A-1'TV yesterday, calling upon unofficial sources, reported that this week it is possible that a meeting will be held between PM Crvenkovski and the leader of VMRO-DPMNE, Ljupcho Georgievski. [10] NEW COALITION TO STRENGTHEN POLITICAL CENTREThe Democrat Party of Macedonia and the parties MAAK- Party for All- Macedonian action, the Macedonian Peoples Party and VMRO-MNDS which for starters will be united in DEM will soon form one party. The Macedonian media report that this has been agreed upon at yesterday's joined meeting. At this meeting it has been pointed out that the reason for forming this coalition is strengthening the democrat centre of the political scene. With the coalition the non-parliamentary parties united in DEM (democratic - only - forward), practically through the Democrat Party of Macedonia (the envoy of which is Tomislav Stojanovski) gain their representative in the Parliament, was assessed yesterday at the meeting. Unison into one party should happen before the next regular or pre- term parliamentary elections.The Macedonian radio reports that at yesterday's joined meeting these parties directed a public remark on the modes of resolving the `TAT' scandal, because it has been assessed that the guilt does not lie only in several accused citizens of Bitola, since the roots lie in Skopje. According to the leader of DPM, Tomislav Stojanovski Bombaj, it is about time PM Crvenkovski to start acting against prevention of organized crime which he has already promised in his statement given in front of the Parliament. [11] NEW PARTY LEADERS - DENKO SKALOVSKI AND ALEKSANDAR TORTEVSKIThe initiators for prevention of the Democrat Party these days stated that the majority of the party is on their side after the resolution for unison with the liberals.The representatives of this currency in the Democrat Party informed that the new leader of the party who will remain outside the union with the liberals shall be Denko Skalovski. The Macedonian media, otherwise, these days report that there are intensive preparations to reaffirm the dead party - League for Democracy which had been lead by Prof. Gjorgji Marjanovich. New leader of this party , according to the announcements, should be the layer Aleksandar Tortevski. MILS SUPPLEMENT[12] `Little money, big help'(Vecher', 11 April, 1997)Under conditions when also with the macro-economic policy for this year it has been planned a particular accent to be placed on furthering and development of the small- and medium-sized firms, there is the issue, which becomes more and more popular, of devising concrete sources which will provide the necessary, above all, financial support for all these business subjects. Maria Zarezankova-Potevska, Deputy Minister for Economy in the Sector for small businesses, says: `Within the frames of financial help it is important to make a division of the firms into two categories. The first group are novices who have ideas but do not have money to realise them, while the other category are the established production firms which are stable and have certain grounds but need credits so as to expand of make new investments.' Part of the help intended for the small businessmen currently is realised through the humanitarian organisation called `Opportunities' which possesses Australian, American and British capital. This organisation allows credits for novices in the amount of 35.000 DM intended for equipment and machine supply i.e. for basic means as well as smaller loans for working capital amounting up to 10.000 DM. These are extremely favourable loans because the paying off deadline for the first category is from 6 months to 3 years with participation of the user up to 30% of the value and an yearly interest rate of 10%. The credits for working capital require no participation but they require a guarantee through endorsing directives, the interest rate is somewhat higher and amounts 11% yearly plus 1% for repayment insurance. Otherwise, until now through this institution about 50 projects have been realised. Porevska says:' The procedure of approving these credits is far more simple in comparison to acquiring credit from a bank because they are being approved only upon basis of a questionnaire filled up by the users which in fact presents a small working plan for the firm which shows the possibility for its successful and efficient operating.' Similar loans for starting owned business are being approved through the `Macedonian Centre for Applied Economy'. This is a project realised within the frames of help from the German Government for our state. This covers micro-credits amounting up to 35.000 DM, an interest rate of 10% per year and participation with 30% of the loan value. These credits are intended to supply equipment for the firms, but they can be granted only after a training of the users has been completed. Up till now around 10 such loans have been approved. Through the International Finance Corporation from Washington `IFC', member of the UN, there is an ongoing realisation of the credit line with a total amount of 40 million dollars intended for development of the private sector in 5 states in transition, among which Macedonia is included. `From these means credits are being approved for private production firms which already function as such,'- underlines Potevska, `and that must be stressed because these loans should not be compared to those which are approved for novices. This covers long term credits with a deadline repayment of 3 to 8 years, intended for modernisation, expansion and new investments in these firms. The loans are approved in amounts of 100 thousand to 2,5 million American dollars with an interest rate of 9,5% yearly. So as to apply for gaining such credits the businessmen should send in a letter of request along with main firm and investment data on the basis of which it shall be decided whether the loan will be approved. `Besides the financial support', adds Potevska, ` which is realised through favourable crediting, at this moment the small businessmen need also a consulting and educational help. Thus, through the Economy Ministry a project of the American Government is being realised within the frames of which functions the `Macedonian Business Centre' including American and Macedonian experts. The Centre comprises two parts: one part helps the small- and medium-sized firms while the other is directed towards the agricultural sector. This mainly covers consulting of the firms, regarding organisation of production processes (for instance, elimination of bottlenecks); then there are courses and seminars in the fields of advertising, management, quality of the products; investment programs for the firms are being prepared and at the same time there are processes of connecting the firms with foreign partners for collaboration. (end)mils news 15 April, 1997Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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