[7] EIU: Macedonia - COUNTRY UPDATE.
Comments:
This edition of MAK-NEWS contains articles relating to Macedonia
and its neighbours, during the past several weeks.
Please Note: Unless otherwise stated, articles are reproduced
without permission for fair use only.
======================== MAK-NEWS ============================
[1] 27Apr95 AUSTRALIA: KEATING PUSHES APEC AS A MINI-UN.
B
y MARK RILEY.
APEC - Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation - should become a
forum for the mediation of political, security and
humanitarian issues in the region, the Prime Minister said
yesterday.
Opening the Global Cultural Diversity Conference in Sydney,
Mr Keating said regional organisations had a more intimate
understanding of local issues and could respond more quickly
to crises than big multilateral organisations such as the
United Nations.
The cultural and historical background necessary to resolve
conflicts was also more likely to lie within the regions.
Mr Keating suggested that APEC could become part of a
network of regional bodies that worked among their member
States to complement, but not replace, the broader work of
the UN.
The Prime Minister is considered to be the prime mover in
expanding the role and weight of the Australian-inspired
APEC. His influence among the member States was also crucial
to the success of the 1994 Bogor declaration, which
committed APEC members to achieving free trade in the region
by 2020.
"(APEC) is a practical example of what used to be called
north-south co-operation; in fact, it is the best example in
the world," he said. "I have no doubt that here, as in
Europe, the act of working together on practical economic
issues will have beneficial political and security
consequences as well."
The conference, at the Darling Harbour convention centre,
has attracted 1,000 Australian and international delegates
to discuss ways of improving co-operation and tolerance
between culturally diverse countries.
Australia is the host as part of its contribution to the
International Year of Tolerance and the 50th anniversary of
the UN.
The Secretary-General of the UN, Dr Boutros Boutros-Ghali,
told the conference that the UN should concentrate on
fostering democracy throughout the world as it entered its
second 50 years.
"This requires not only the creation of institutions and
procedures of democracy, but also a commitment of both the
heart and the mind to the values of democracy," he said.
"This cannot succeed in the absence of a commitment to
cultural democracy."
Mr Keating said Australia had become a "rich, pluralistic
and peaceful" society, but could not claim to be a truly
tolerant State until it had achieved permanent
reconciliation with Aborigines.
"The process of reconciliation is a basic test of our modern
nationhood - on it depends our relationship with both our
past and our future," he said.
Australians had to accept responsibilities to bring about a
tolerant society.
The Minister for Trade, Senator Cook, told the conference
that Australia needed to position itself to take best
advantage of the export opportunities that would appear as
the world continued to move towards an open global economy.
The reduction of barriers to international trade and
investment and the deregulation of financial markets had
created the foundation for the largest change in economic
strength since the industrial revolution, he said.
Outside the conference, about 300 Macedonian Australians
demonstrated against the Government's recognition of the
former yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (editorial note:
demonstrated against NOT recognising Macedonia as simply
Macedonia, but rather the long winded 'fyrom' terminology,)
and its decision to refer to its people as Slav-
Macedonians.
The protesters chanted slogans against the Prime Minister
and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Evans.
SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
[2] 26Apr95 AUSTRALIA: PROTESTS GREET KEATING'S WORDS ON
T
OLERANCE.
By Mark Bendeich
SYDNEY, April 26 (Reuter) - Australian Prime Minister Paul
Keating on Wednesday said his multicultural country was an
example of tolerance for the rest of the world, but his
remarks were overshadowed by ethnic protests.
About 500 Macedonian protesters, and a small group of
Bosnian demonstrators, chose an international cultural-
diversity conference in Sydney to voice complaints against
Keating and visiting U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-
Ghali.
Opening the conference, Keating said Australia had long-ago
abandoned its whites-only immigration policy and was now an
open, outward-looking society made up of over 220
nationalities.
"We like to think we have in our modern nationhood at least
some of the elements of a 21st century model -- diversity,
tolerance, openness and worldliness within the boundaries of
national purpose and cohesion," he told the conference.
"And perhaps, as we pursue those goals, we can help the
world pursue them," Keating said, adding that much work
still needed to be done to improve relations with
Aborigines.
But outside the conference, protesters waving Macedonian
flags and holding placards condemned the Australian
government's recent decision to rename Macedonians as Slav-
Macedonians for official purposes.
"It's discrimination to the extreme," Macedonian activist
Alex Sapker told Reuters as protesters held placards
accusing the government of bowing to Greek pressure not to
recognise the name Macedonia.
Greece disputes Macedonia's name, flag and constitution,
saying the former Yugoslav republic harbours territorial
ambitions on the northern Greek province of the same name.
Boutros-Ghali also addressed the conference on Wednesday,
drawing small protests from Bosnian and Kashmiri
demonstrators.
Respect for different cultures is central to the United
Nations' task of resolving international disputes, he told
the conference, attended by about 1,000 delegates from 43
countries.
REUTER NEWS SERVICE
[3] 24Apr95 JAPAN: JAPAN TO GIVE 1ST GRANT TO MACEDONIA.
Tokyo, April 24 (Jiji Press)-Japan will provide grant aid of
about one billion yen to Macedonia in the current fiscal
year to March 1996, its first economic aid to any of the
f
ormer Yugoslav states, government sources said Monday.
Foreign Minister Yohei Kono will officially offer the grant
when he visits Eastern Europe from Friday, according to the
sources.
Of the grant, 500 million yen will be used for settlement of
import deals to help cover a lack of foreign currency. The
remaining 500 million to 600 million yen will be used for
the purchase of medical instruments and other items. The
government will continue to provide grant aid to Macedonia
in the next fiscal year and beyond, the sources said.
Macedonia's economy has been growing weaker, affected by
prolonged ethnic conflict in neighboring Bosnia-Herzegovina.
JIJI PRESS NEWSWIRE
[4] 21Apr95 EU: INVITATION TO TENDER - EBRD - CONSULTANCY
S
ERVICES.
Fyr Macedonia PTT 'Makedonia' project management and
implementation Invitation for expression of interest PTT
'Makedonia' (MPTT) intends to engage consultants to assist
in the development of sufficient competence and experience
in MPTT within selected areas of management, administration
and implementation of a telecommunications project to ensure
the success of the Macedonian Telecommunications Project.
The main components of the Macedonian Telecommunications
Project were published in Procurement Opportunities Number
34 dated 2/1995. The main objectives of the assignment shall
be: - to assist PTT 'Makedonia' in establishing a project
management and implementation unit (PIU) capable of managing
and implementing the Macedonian Telecommunications Project,
ensuring that the project is executed according to the time
table, within the budget and to the required standards of
quality and performance; - to assist PIU in the process of
procuring goods and services required for the project in
accordance with the bank's procurement policies and rules; -
to assist PIU in fulfilling all reporting requirements under
the terms of the loan agreement in good time; - to assist
PIU in the control of delivery of goods, disbursement
requests under the bank loan, management of claims, contract
amendments and/or changes to orders, ensuring that all
contractual obligations are adhered to; - to assist PIU in
developing competence in operational project management,
utilization of resources and work force, work planning and
project budgeting and accounting; - to assist PIU in
developing competence in use of general electronic data
processing for project management systems. The assignment is
expected to start in May 1995 and will be undertaken over a
period of 30 months. The maximum budget for this consultancy
is 450 000 USD. Interested firms are hereby invited to
submit expressions of interest. A short list of qualified
firms will be formally invited to submit proposals following
this invitation. In order to determine the capability and
experience of consulting firms seeking to be shortlisted,
the information submitted shall include the following: -
company profile, organization and staffing; - details of
experience or similar assignments undertaken in the previous
5 years, including their locations; - CVs of staff who would
be available to work on the assignment. 3 copies of the
above information in English should be submitted to the
address below in an envelope marked 'Expression of interest
for Project Management and Implementation', for delivery not
later than 12. 5. 1995. Further information may be obtained
from: Mrs Menka Efnuseva, PTT 'Makedonija', Orce Nikolov bb,
MK-91000 Skopje, tel. (389) 91 22 50 04, facsimile (389) 91
14 12 08.
Document number...........: ND:40365-95 BASE: TEDA
Journal number............: JO S 077
Deletion date.............: 12:05:95
Type of document..........: Invitation to tender
Nature of contract........: Service contract
Type of procedure.........: Open procedure
Regulation of procurement.: European Investment Bank
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
Awarding authority type...: Central government
Type of bid required......: Not specified
Awarding criteria.........: Not specified
Awarding authority name...: PTT MAKEDONIA
Country code..............: MK
Original language.........: English
(c) Tenders Electronic Daily, 1995.
TENDERS ELECTRONIC DAILY
[5] 20Apr95 USA: NOTED MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST ADVISING GOVERNMENT
O
F MACEDONIA.
BEL AIR, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 18, 1995--It was
announced today that Dr. Ichak Adizes (Ah-DEE-ses) was
retained to work with the Macedonian cabinet, including all
members of the coalition.
Adizes first met in January 1995 in Skopje with President
Kiro Gligorov, Prime Minister Branko Crvenkovski, the
cabinet of governing coalition Liberals, Socialists and the
Albanian Party for Democratic Prosperity.
``It is not project specific,'' commented Adizes. ``The
task is to create a problem-solving environment based on
respect for differences of orientation and ethnic interests
and to utilize methodologies on the macro scale developed in
the business world.''
The work with Macedonia is the 12th government which Adizes
has advised over a 25-year career involved in restructuring
organizations around the world, from Fortune 500s such as
the Bank of America, new entrepreneurial companies, to
cultural institutions and governments and their agencies.
Macedonia achieved independence from the former Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia in September 1991. Although the
poorest of the former FRY states, with an estimated 35
percent living below the poverty line, Macedonia is one of
the few multi-ethnic nations in the area that is attempting
to develop according to democratic principles rather than
slipping back into autocratic or authoritarian rule.
The government of Crvenkovski has implemented stabilization
programs of wage controls, fixed foreign exchange, austerity
programs; and, since independence, the government has
implemented privatization programs and legal frameworks for
private enterprise.
``Issue No. 1 is privatization,'' said Adizes. ``Wherever
privatization has been tried in Eastern Europe, there is no
successful experience to copy and it has not been very
successful. We need to establish a privatization program
that makes sense for `buy-in,' creates competitive and
efficiently working companies, and avoids corruption, as has
occurred in other Eastern European countries.''
Other persistent problems have troubled Macedonia's effort
to introduce democratic government, including the role of a
large Albanian population; the influx of 30,000 refugees
from the former Bosnia-Herzegovina; embargo from Greece
directed against the landlocked state because of the name
they chose to call themselves; and a $1 billion trade
deficit inherited from the Former Republic of Yugoslavia.
``The challenge is,'' said Adizes, ``how you successfully
manage a multi-ethnic, multi-religious society and guarantee
its identity.''
Adizes' work with governments has included Sweden, Mexico,
Greece, Israel, Brazil, Iceland, Ghana and others. In 1991,
he met for two weeks with Slobodan Milosevic and other
leading Yugoslav figures concerning issues in the
fragmentation of the then federal republic.
Macedonia's stability is critical to the West, commented
Adizes. ``Macedonia is bordered by Greece, Albania, Bulgaria
and the Serbia's volatile Kosovo Valley -- with Muslim
interests throughout the area. The worst scenario is a Serb
genocide in the Kosovo Valley sending refugees into
Macedonia and setting off a domino effect spreading of the
three-year old Bosnian crisis.''
In addition to his consulting work, Adizes is the author of
several books, including his recent ``Mastering Change.''
Adizes was born in Skopje. Israeli TV is currently
producing a documentary about the WWII escape of him and his
family from the Skopje concentration camp to the mountains
of Albania, where they lived as Muslims for three years.
CONTACT: Adizes Institute Inc., Bel Air
Patrick Griffin, 310/471-9677, (fax) 310/471-
1227
BUSINESS WIRE
[6] 17Apr95 MACEDONIA: MACEDONIA FOILS ATTEMPT TO SMUGGLE
E
QUIPMENT TO YUGOSLAVIA.
Source: HINA news agency, Zagreb, in English 0949 gmt 15 Apr
95
The Macedonian Foreign Ministry has announced that an
attempt to smuggle oilfield equipment to the Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia in defiance of the international
sanctions has been uncovered. The following is the text of a
report by the Croatian news agency HINA:
Skopje, 15th April: Macedonian customs officials have
discovered a ring of smugglers running oilfield equipment
into Yugoslavia, in contravention of UN Security Council
trade sanctions. The discovery followed on the heels of the
interception of an illicit shipment of machine parts
destined for Yugoslavia last month. Investigation showed
that the goods had crossed several countries before entering
Macedonia, often changing documentation, the Macedonian
Foreign Ministry said yesterday in a statement. The
intercepted shipment consisted of 16 trucks arriving from
Bulgaria and bearing the licence plates of a "neighbouring
country", the statement said. The investigation was carried
out by Macedonian authorities in cooperation with
international bodies controlling the implementation of
Belgrade sanctions. Several Macedonian companies were
apparently involved in the operation, but a lid was being
kept on their identity in the interests of investigation.
Several other shipments were stopped at the Bulgarian border
this month and prevented from entering Macedonia.
BBC MONITORING SERVICE: CENTRAL EUROPE & BALKANS
[7] 17Apr95 MACEDONIA: COUNTRY UPDATE.
OVERVIEW: Macedonia's economic position has deteriorated
significantly since independence in 1992, under the impact
of sanctions on trade with Serbia-Montenegro and the Greek
e
mbargo on Macedonia itself. The sanctions against Serbia
are estimated to have cost Macedonia $1.9bn so far (Serbia
used to account for 60% of Macedonia's trade), while the
Greek blockade is estimated to cost about $40m a month.
Macedonia's economic position remains extremely fragile.
Under pressure from the IMF and World Bank, which have been
insisting on swift changes, the new government has given
priority to economic stabilisation and speeding up the pace
of structural reform. However, until the embargoes are
lifted and economic cooperation is freely re-established
with Serbia and Greece, little headway can be made.
BUDGET: The budget deficit was held at 4% of SP, against a
target of 5.8%. The government aims to reduce the deficit to
below 2% this year.
INFLATION: The government has had some success in meeting
inflation targets agreed with the IMF. The year-end
inflation rate for 1994 dropped below 60% from 230% the
previous year, and is projected to fall to 30% this year.
CURRENCY OUTLOOK: The Macedonian denar has remained stable,
at around Denar30:DM1 since autumn 1994.
PRIVATISATION: The prospect of receiving sizeable amounts of
aid this year has persuaded the government to speed up the
pace of privatisation. Skopje plans to privatise about 900
state-controlled enterprises through auction sales. The
first will be Macedonia's tobacco processors; the government
hopes that successful sales will open the way for sales to
foreign buyers of companies in other sectors, including
tourism and hotel companies, textiles and marble producers,
and food processors.
EXTERNAL ACCOUNT: There are no available detailed figures on
foreign trade. The current-account deficit in 1994 was
estimated at less than $100m. However, the unofficial easing
of UN sanctions against Serbia-Montenegro has boosted trade,
especially in food, construction materials and spare parts.
The Greek blockade remains an obstacle to Macedonia's
restructuring efforts, however.
The blockade cuts off access to the port of Thessaloniki,
through which 60% of exports used to be routed. Its effects
have diminished somewhat as exporters have found slower and
more expensive alternative routes through Albania and
Bulgaria. Imports of crude oil and raw materials for
industry used to come by rail via Thessaloniki to Skopje.
The government has avoided fuel shortages by importing
petroleum products, rather than crude oil, by truck from
Bulgaria.
POLITICAL OUTLOOK: The main threat to political stability in
Macedonia comes from within rather than outside the
republic. No sooner had the new government been appointed in
December 1994, than it was embroiled in a conflict with the
Albanian minority in the west of the country. The
longstanding Albanian demand for Albanian-language higher
education is becoming the focus of social unrest and
agitation by separatists.
Meanwhile, US pressure has probably been instrumental in
persuading Greece to be more accommodating to Skopje. Skopje
is insisting that its formal name be simply Macedonia,
rather than opting for a compromise such as New Macedonia
which Greece would probably accept. The government is
sensitive to the nationalist opposition parties and is
concerned that making any concessions to the Greek position
would bring protestors on to the streets of the capital.
SOURCE: EIU, Electronic Publishing.
ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT
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