MAK-NEWS 04/01/96 (M.I.C.)

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

Macedonian Information Centre Directory

CONTENTS

SKOPJE, JANUARY 4 (MIC)

[01] WATERY THREAT RETREATS

The level of all waters in the country, after having increased considerably these days due to high temperatures and profuse rain, and causing floods in some places, started to fall yesterday. According to information from the Ministry of Agriculture, yesterday at 8 a.m. the flow of Vardar river nearby Titov Veles was 370 cubic meters per second, far below the one of the day before that, when 510 cm / sec were registered. The levels of other rivers in the country are also dropping, as well as those of lakes at power stations, where the water was simply overflowing from the beds.

Such water levels have flooded agricultural areas and parts of towns such as Kumanovo, T. Veles etc., says the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Waterworks.

According to forecasts by the Republic Hydrometeorological Institution, in the days to follow rain is not expected, nor are temperatures above 10 Centigrade, so gradually all waters in the country will withdraw.

[02] DOJRAN GOES UP 45 CM

The ample rains in the district of Gevgelija have filled up all rivers and waterworks in the area, and except for some minor floodings of agricultural land on the left bank of the Vardar, this has proven useful in filling the lake of Dojran, its level now already 45 cm up.

[03] THE FUTURE OF MACEDONIA - THE FUTURE OF AN INDEPENDENT COUNTRY

In its recent few editions, Sofia newspaper "Kontinent" has published results of a sociological survey by an agency called "Agora" on various aspects of Macedonian-Bulgarian relations and Macedonian issues.

The first question in the poll was, what will the future of Macedonia be like? Nearly half of the interviewed Bulgarian citizens (as published by "Nova Makedonija"), or more precisely, 48,3%, think that the future of Macedonia is a future of an independent country. 36,5% are not certain about their opinion, and "only" 9% see Macedonia as a part of another country, and out of these only 2% think this other country might be Bulgaria. About 6% think that Macedonia will be divided among the neighbors.

On the question if there is a danger of conflict among the Balkan countries about Macedonia, about two thirds think there will be no conflict or that the chances for such a thing are minute. About 13% think the danger is still great.

On the question if there is territorial dispute between Macedonia and Bulgaria today, one third of the people interviewed has no particular answer, and about 35% think there is no such dispute. The question is meaningful only to 32% of the interviewed, out of which 16% think Macedonia has such territorial claims, and 13% think the same of Bulgaria.

[04] DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH THE REPUBLIC OF TADZIKISTHAN ESTABLISHED

Today at the Macedonian Embassy in Ankara, Macedonian Ambassador Trajan Petrovski and Tadzikisthan Ambassador Jakup Selimov signed a Protocol for establishing diplomatic relations between the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Tadzikisthan.

During the conversation the need was stressed to organize contacts to see the options for cooperation in the field of economy and other fields of mutual interest.

[05] RE-REGISTRATION OF 85,000 ENTERPRISES

Starting from today to the end of this month is the term when the three Courts of Commerce in the country will take in registered contracts on the work of managers, or legal representatives of enterprises. This means that over 85,000 registered legal subjects will have to harmonize their work with the new version of the Law on enterprises. Apart from this, legal subjects will have to deliver working contracts if certain laws demand so. The Law on enterprises does not specify which laws, but according to some lawyers, along with the manager, another person will have to be registered if it's, for instance, a medical organization, a chemist's shop, or some kind of restaurant. This obligation will have to be fulfilled in the next 20 days or so, and persons who are yet to register enterprises have to deliver such contracts to the Courts within 30 days from Court registration. For failure to fulfill this, there will be eradication in the line of duty, and so it will not be viable to register firms which actually do not work. The directions of the previous version of the Law on enterprises did not include the registration of minimum one employee, or of the minimum personal income. Thus the final accounts of January 1995 have shown that only one third of the firms registered have managed to gain some profit shown on their transfer accounts.

[06] FORMING MANAGERIAL BOARDS UNTIL APRIL 1

Until April 1 this year managerial boards have to be created of the enterprises that were included in the Government program for the 23 loss-makers. This will provide a normal direction of the entire process of privatization, having in mind that the implementation of the Law on loss-makers and the mandate of Government trustees has ended on December 31.

Out of the 23 loss-makers (except for the Railways and Electricity), after a year of implementation of the Law on restructuring of some of the large loss-making enterprises, about 230 legal subjects have been created. For most of them, the Government Commission for the implementation of the special program for restructuring has recommended privatization (liquidation only for two).

In the Review by the Government Commission, out of 123 firms and associations, 94 have been reviewed. There can be seen that in 47 firms the state-owned capital is predominant with above 51%, and stock capital prevails in two firms. Bank deposits prevail in 18 firms, state funds in five, stocks of the Agency for financial recovery of banks in five, and in the other 17 there are no dominant stockholders.

Wherever there are dominant and known share owners, until January 15 first constitutional sessions should be held and managerial boards formed, which has already been initiated by Governement trustees within the firms. Such restructuring in enterprises created out of loss-makers has been provided by the newest proposal for conversion of special stocks for restructuring into ordinary voting ones. To avoid excessive domination of the state in these firms, the new owners (previously Government trustees) will manage the firms in proportion with their shares. In firms with predominating state- owned capital, there will be ordinary privatization. Others with known owners should voice a representative of their interests. The Government should do the same in firms with predominant state-owned capital. In firms where there are no dominant owners but there are several investors, they will have to settle management among themselves.

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