MILS: News from the FYROM, 97-07-01

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From: "Macedonian Information Liaison Service" <mils@mils.spic.org.mk>

CONTENTS

[01] PRESIDENT GLIGOROV: `COMPROMISE PROPOSAL ON NAME-ISSUE BASED ON REALISTIC POLICY'

[02] ATHENS OFFICIALLY: `LAST PROPOSAL - A COMPROMISE ONLY FOR GLIGOROV'

[03] COSTAS STEPHANOPOULOS: `SATISFACTORY RELATIONS WITH FYROM'

[04] PM CRVENKOVSKI TO PAY RECIPROCAL VISIT TO BELGRADE AS OF TOMORROW

[05] TURKISH `ZHIRAAT' BANK IN MACEDONIA SOON

[06] WEEK OF FRENCH AGRICULTURE IN SKOPJE IN SEPTEMBER

[07] BUDGET DEMANDS MOST SUCCESSFULLY SETTLED THROUGHOUT MULTILATERAL COMPENSATION

[08] GOVERNMENT RESOLUTION ON PAYROLL CONTRIBUTION

[09] JUDICIARY ADMINISTRATION STRIKE TO BE PUT ON HOLD TILL SEPTEMBER

[10] OPEN DISCORD BETWEEN `TAT' BANK CLIENT ASSOCIATIONS

MILS SUPPLEMENT

[11] Interview with Blagoj Handziski `Macedonia Remains a Serious Candidate for NATO' (`Puls', 27 June 1997)

MILS NEWS

Skopje, 01 July, 1997

[01] PRESIDENT GLIGOROV: `COMPROMISE PROPOSAL ON NAME-ISSUE BASED ON REALISTIC POLICY'

Such a compromise aided both sides, it helps us to retain our dignity and it helps the Greek Government and Parliament to remain true to their promise that they have not recognized FYROM by a name containing the term `Macedonia' - stated Kiro Gligorov. `Makfax' reports that in this context Kiro Gligorov warned that the `obstinacy' of Athens may awaken anti-Macedonian propaganda among the Serbs and the Bulgarians - who have affinities towards Macedonia.

President Gligorov further added that Greece should have no fear of Macedonia's possible organizing of people resident in Greece but declaring themselves Macedonian - as minority issues fall within domestic policy, representing the readiness of a country to respect minority rights treaties. In his interview for the above mentioned Athenian paper Gligorov also underscored the fact that Macedonia did not wish to become the member of some sort of new Yugoslav Federation.

[02] ATHENS OFFICIALLY: `LAST PROPOSAL - A COMPROMISE ONLY FOR GLIGOROV'

[03] COSTAS STEPHANOPOULOS: `SATISFACTORY RELATIONS WITH FYROM'

[04] PM CRVENKOVSKI TO PAY RECIPROCAL VISIT TO BELGRADE AS OF TOMORROW

[05] TURKISH `ZHIRAAT' BANK IN MACEDONIA SOON

[06] WEEK OF FRENCH AGRICULTURE IN SKOPJE IN SEPTEMBER

[07] BUDGET DEMANDS MOST SUCCESSFULLY SETTLED THROUGHOUT MULTILATERAL COMPENSATION

As regards major Macedonian companies, the one to fare best is `Makpetrol' with a 47% success rate while the one to do worst was Kavadarci-based `Fenimak' with a mere 0.5% success rate, i.e. the recovering of 10.5 million denars out of a total of 2 billion denars in claims. Another major Macedonian enterprise `Makedonija Tabak' reported 957 million denars in claims, while managing to retrieve only 6.2%. `Fershped' recovered 20.7% out of 219 million denars, Prilep-based `Tutunski Kombinat' 4.7% of one billion denars, `Macedonian Railways' retrieved 21% of a total of 219 million denars in claims...

Besides this, the Payment Flow Institute reveals, domestic indebtedness has been decreased by 2.7 billion denars (100 million DM) during this first round of multilateral compensation. Overall claims reported by companies, ministries, funds and banks amounted to amounted 28.8 billion denars - while 9.4% off all reported debts and claims have been cleared. According to experts of the Payment Flow Institute this round of multilateral compensation yielded unexpectedly good results, as so far the best success rate during clearing procedures amounted to 4.2%.

[08] GOVERNMENT RESOLUTION ON PAYROLL CONTRIBUTION

Proposed amendments - the Macedonian Radio reveals - also proscribe the forwarding of pay from daily yields, or in the shape of coupons or contributions in kind. It has also been determined during yesterday's session of the Parliamentary Finance and Budget Commission, that in compliance to these proposed amendments, employers will be obliged to forward all payroll contributions by the end of this the ongoing month. Should this not be the case, the Payment Flow Institute will be obliged to calculate and recover payroll contributions based on the number of employees listed on the last payroll.

According to this Government proposal, the first contributions to be paid are to be allocated to the Retirement and Disabilities Pension Fund, then health insurance, employment charges, personal tax and personal income tax. These withheld fees and charges may be forwarded in installments (depending on how many months contributions have not been paid) by the employer as of the effectuation of these amendments. Those capable of settling these dues within one month, will be granted a 70% personal (income) tax and payroll contribution alleviation.

Besides this Commission members also decided during yesterday's session that those having settled their dues but still paying penal interest rates, are to be excluded from doing so with the enactment of this package of amendments. MP Jakim Ivanovski also proposed an amendment concordant to which dues settled so far be transformed into permanent investments or shares, since otherwise certain entities may enjoy a privileged status - which would be contrary to the Constitution.

In addition to this A-1 TV reports that during talks between the IMF and the Macedonian Government it had been agreed to keep this act binding for three years. This is above all being attributed to the fact that compliant to Macedonian law claims are termed with a three-year-long statute of limitation.

[09] JUDICIARY ADMINISTRATION STRIKE TO BE PUT ON HOLD TILL SEPTEMBER

While stressing that the final pay rise rate had not been determined yet, Muratovski revealed that should the Trade Union not be happy with the Government proposal, or negotiated terms be violated, not only the judiciary administration would resume striking - but they would be joined by several public administration structures, by prison and customs personnel, by employees of the Public Revenues Dept. etc. - all of them being stakeholders interested in becoming part of this strike.

[10] OPEN DISCORD BETWEEN `TAT' BANK CLIENT ASSOCIATIONS

With particular emphasis on the fact that the prime objective of the Association was to keep this matter a-political, in addition to recovering the funds through institutions within the system, Mladenovski stressed that over the past four months via several meetings with top Government officials - the contours of a fair restitution deal had been materializing.

In the opinion of Mladenovski the Association was well on its way to maintain contacts with PM Crvenkovski and thus achieve the desired outcomes - whereas the self-proclaimed Council with its request for Government resignation could merely bring about the worst: no client restitution whatsoever. While underlining that the Bank Clients' Association was suspending any sort of contact to the Bank Clients' Council, Mladenovski encouraged all deceived bank clients to abstain from street action - while casting their vote in favour of fair client restitution.

MILS SUPPLEMENT

[11] Interview with Blagoj Handziski `Macedonia Remains a Serious Candidate for NATO'

(`Puls', 27 June 1997)

Puls: After the tour in China and the US Mr. Gligorov has been severely criticized for `trading' the national symbols and selling out Macedonian land. The issue at stake is the proposal on naming our country on part of Greece and the offer to dislocate SFOR soldiers in Macedonia. The proposal of a double formula or an Irish formula has been regarded to have a political consensus including the NATO entering of Macedonia which understands certain obligations. Would you like to explain the reasons for such changes of the political disposition?

Handziski: I suppose your assessments on changes of the political disposition regarding these issues are based only upon brief statements of the leaders of certain political parties as well as on the comments given by particular editors and columnists from the printed media. Everyone has the right to give statements and comments which have been dimensioned and cut so as to serve certain political purposes. That right is also enjoyed by the leaders of the opposition political parties and the commentators of the opposition media. Such is the case with the comments on an alleged `trading' with the national symbols and selling out Macedonian land during Mr. Gligorov's visit to the USA.

It is another question whether these comments have a firm base and whether they are supported by real or distorted and even fabricated facts. In this case, I think that the second one is at stake because during the visit at neither official nor unofficial meeting with any representative of the American Administration our national symbols, i.e. the name, have not been mentioned. Which means that there has been no `trading' with them. The President after returning to Skopje gave a statement and aquatinted our public with the written proposal on solving the dispute regarding the state name with our southern neighbour presented by Mr. Cyrus Vance to the Greek party which cites our arguments that the international name of the state can not be different from its constitutional name, the Republic of Macedonia, and that if this is not to be accepted by our neighbour even the name with which it will address us should be a matter for agreement of both states.

Nothing outside our Constitution, nothing which is not concordant to our national interests. As far as the `selling out' of Macedonian land is concerned, the situation is the following: The Macedonian Republic is a member of the Partnership for peace; our Parliament has brought since 1993 a consensus resolution on a membership in NATO with full civil rights and we have started intensive preparations to fulfill the minimal criteria. With little exceptions, there is practically no state in Europe which is not aware that in the post-block era the defence has an integral character and that a maximum security on the borders is achieved by a total integration in the collective systems for security and defence. This is the reason why, for instance, one of the most acknowledged neutral state, Austria, is today member of the Partnership and may be invited to become a member of the NATO even in the first round.

The interest in widening the security zone is huge and this means deploying Alliance forces on territories of the countries enveloped by that zone. The deployment of these forces is being regulated by the familiar international SOFA resolution. It is known that the Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia since 1996, had also via consensus ratified this resolution and it has been deposited in the NATO and Washington archives. This means that a possible deployment of NATO forces in Macedonia is legally regulated with an act of the highest legislative house of the state and through a procedure regulated by the Constitution.

Regarding the unfavourable development of the events in neighbouring Albania which may cause a wider destabilization in the region, the unsolved Kosovo issue, unfulfilled civil part of the Dayton agreement for B&H, in Washington it has been discussed that one of the measures which may lead to stabilization of the situation in the region is deployment of one contingent of NATO units in our country which might effect as a factor of prevention. It is a different matter whether this necessity will occur and whether part of those NATO units will come from the SFOR forces which by the end of June next year will be deployed in B&H with quite a different mandate.

So, selling or renting Macedonian land for a NATO or US base has absolutely not been mentioned. A state that aspires to become a NATO member with full civil rights and to get guaranteed security by widening the security zone on its own territory must be prepared, without loosing any of its sovereign rights to take the same obligations which have been taken by the previous Alliance members and the members knocking on its door today. All polls regarding public opinion realized in the last few years undoubtedly show that our citizens are fully aware of the necessity of entering the Alliance for the security guarantee and this is why the majority support NATO membership. There are different comments on this issue but that does not mean changes in the public opinion. It only means that those comments do not correspond with the public opinion in the state.

Puls: Are negotiations on the name-issue in New York at this stage being pressured by any side, and how realistic are chances that the Greek side will accept the most recent proposal?

Handzhiski: No party whatsoever exerts any kind of pressure on the progress of negotiations in New York. These talks are the result of the Interim Agreement, and based on the good offices of former US Secretary of State Cyrus Vance. Following the signing of this treaty, bilateral relations began to become normal, tension and emotions among the Greek population began to decrease and a climate of trust and cooperation was established in several fields.

I think that the realization that the name we have borne for centuries is tied to our identity has gained momentum, as well as the fact that nobody may demand the changing of our Constitutional name. People have come to realize that we are being governed by an interest in peace and stability in the region. These positive changes have manifested themselves particularly in shape of the constructive policy employed by the Simitis' Government. So far there has been no Greek response to our proposal.

Puls: What are the chances of having the Security Council passing decisions in our name and what will Macedonia do in such a case?

Handziski: So far there are no such clues which does not mean that they may not appear in the future. We will continue the negotiations in New York until a resolution for international use has been adopted and it will not be any different from our Constitutional name. Any other resolution, imposed by anyone, even the Security Council, will not be accepted on our side.

Puls: These last few weeks emphasis have been placed and debated upon defining the state's sovereignty from the aspect of inter-ethnic relations. Tell us more about Krivolak which has been mentioned as a possible drill field for NATO. Where lies the misunderstanding with your political opponents?

Handziski: If you believe that there is any misunderstanding with our opponents regarding these issues you should ask them what upon do they place their opinion which is considerably different from the one they had while being in the Parliament when the resolution on NATO membership has been unanimously adopted. Whether they had thought that it was a matter of conjuncture to vote for such a resolution so as to gain guarantee for state security and other benefits without taking any obligations or they had something else in mind, it's not mine to tell.

Anyway, during the talks in the USA, Krivolak was mentioned as a drill field. And that wasn't the first time Krivolak to be mentioned thus by our side, but neither as a NATO drill field nor with its selling or renting. Namely the situation is the following: on 30 May this year in Sintra - Portugal, at the meeting of the Foreign Affair ministers of NATO the North-Atlantic Council of the Partnership for peace was formed with similar influences as the North-Atlantic NATO Council and the founding documents on a strengthened Partnership were adopted with similar influences as the co-ordinate cell of NATO. This created conditions for the states that could not enter the first round to achieve the necessary level of compliance for a possible entering in the second round. That is why it has been suggested to move towards similar forms of training in the military operations which in NATO are being practiced in stationary centres.

Sweden, Finland and Estonia have immediately given a suggestion to form such a centre in Sweden for training in winter conditions. Turkey has suggested to host the centre for training in desert conditions. The region covered by Macedonia is most convenient for creating a centre for humanitarian peace operations. At the meeting of the Defence ministers of NATO and the Partnership, recently held in Brussels, our Defence Minister suggested the formation of such a centre in Krivolak. By establishing such centres the sovereignty of neither Turkey nor Sweden is being violated and neither the states which already have such centres, Great Britain or Germany, have lost their sovereignty.

(end)

mils news 01 July, 1997

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