MAK-NEWS 20/04/95 (M.I.L.S.)

From: "Demetrios E. Paneras" <dep@bu.edu>

CONTENTS

  • [01] GERMANY TO AID ECONOMIC REFORMS IN MACEDONIA

  • [02] MACEDONIAN-AUSTRALIAN COOPERATION IN EDUCATION

  • [03] CRVENKOVSKI ADDRESSES DISARMAMENT CONFERENCE

  • [04] DIPLOMATIC BRIEFS

  • [05] FIRST THREE MACEDONIAN COMPANIES PRIVATIZED

  • [06] PARLIAMENTARIAN BRIEFS

  • [07] WHY DID PDP ASK ALIU TO RESIGN?

  • [08] POLICE TEAR DOWN ILLEGALLY BUILT OBJECTS

  • [09] TIRANA PAPER ANALYZES MACEDONIAN-ALBANIAN RELATIONS

  • [10] US CORN ARRIVES IN MACEDONIA SPOILED

  • [11] COMPUTER FAIR IN SKOPJE

  • [12] MILS SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT: ACCORDING TO WHICH LAW?! (Koha, 12 April 1995)

    •

    M I L S N E W S

    Skopje, 20 April 1995

    [01] GERMANY TO AID ECONOMIC REFORMS IN MACEDONIA

    Germany will send a direct financial aid of 38 million German marks, along with an additional 28 million through EU institutions to support Macedonia, said Karl Dieter Spranger, German Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development, at yesterday's press-conference in Skopje. The fact that two German ministers have visited Macedonia only shows how important the cooperation with this country is in the eyes of Germany, Spranger said yesterday, following talks with Prime Minister Branko Crvenkovski and several ministers in the Macedonian Government. "Our cooperation and presence in Macedonia shows that Germany respects and recognizes the current economic and political reforms in Macedonia," he told reporters. He also announced new funds to be sent in the future through the IMF and the World Bank. Germany remains interested in seeing its aid for Macedonia realized quickly and efficiently. To be more precise, he said, Germany plans to donate over 5 million German marks this year for construction of the railroad to Bulgaria. Spranger is in Macedonia also as a World Bank Governor. "I hope", he said, "to be able to report on the situation in and the needs of Macedonia to the World Bank at the next Board session due next week in Washington." He promised Crvenkovski to use his influence at the Paris Club to help Macedonia settle its debt there. During the talks with Crvenkovski and ministers Zhuta, Angelov and Buzlevski in the meeting with the two country's ambassadors, Spranger pointed out the importance of the visit in terms of developing the already established bilateral cooperation and opening new opportunities for a wider cooperation within the framework of the EU. He also stated his Government's readiness to make an effort to accelerate the implementation of EU decisions to support Macedonia. Spranger was also received yesterday by President Gligorov. They expressed mutual satisfaction with the development of friendly relations between the two nations. Spranger will end his stay in Macedonia today, by visiting Ohrid.

    [02] MACEDONIAN-AUSTRALIAN COOPERATION IN EDUCATION

    The delegation of the Macedonian Ministry of Education, consisting of Minister Emilija Simoska and foreign under- secretary Victor Gaber who is currently visiting Australia, met yesterday in Perth with the Western Australia's Secretary General of Education and his assistant. They agreed on possible ways for cooperation between the two ministries including joint efforts on books and schoolbooks for Macedonian immigrants to Australia. The delegation also met with representatives of Macedonian immigrant organizations.

    [03] CRVENKOVSKI ADDRESSES DISARMAMENT CONFERENCE

    At the ongoing Conference on Non-spreading of Nuclear Arms, Macedonian Foreign Minister Stevo Crvenkovski addressed those present, and stated his readiness to work along with all co-signers of the Disarmament Agreement on unconditional realization of provisions in the agreement.

    [04] DIPLOMATIC BRIEFS

    - In Tirana last Tuesday, Macedonian ambassador to Albania, Nikola Todorcevski, met with Eduard Seliami, chairman of the Albanian parliamentarian Committee for Foreign Policy. They discussed the recent decision of the Macedonia Parliament to form a working group for cooperation with the Albanian Parliament. A1 Television reports the decision was welcomed by the Albanian side, which promised to organize a visit to Albania by the Macedonian Parliament's working group, to make contacts with colleagues in Albania and to help improve mutual relations. - Luan Starova, Macedonian ambassador to France and Spain, yesterday presented his credentials to Christina Berios, Protocol Director of the Spanish Foreign Ministry.

    [05] FIRST THREE MACEDONIAN COMPANIES PRIVATIZED

    At the Privatization Agency of the Republic of Macedonia, officials ceremoniously signed the first 3 agreements on sale of the companies "Fershped" (appraised at 21.779,000 German marks, managerial team of 15), "Skopska Pivara" (appraised at 39.731,000 German marks, managerial team of 6), and "Makedonija Turist" (appraised at 23.295,000 German marks, managerial team of 14). The managerial teams are obliged to buy out shares of the control package, i.e., up to 51 per cent of the companies' total value, within the next 5 years. The next company to be sold today is "Angroteks". Unofficially, A1 Television says the next step of Fershped, Skopska Pivara, Makedonija Turist, Herc Makedonija, Makpetrol and Alkaloid will be to form a joint bank. This would mean that the companies will withdraw their deposits from Stopanska Banka, despite their claims that they would leave the deposits where they are. If this happens, chances are Stopanska Banka will have to be divided into parts even smaller than those set by the World Bank as a condition for signing new financial arrangements with this Macedonian bank.

    [06] PARLIAMENTARIAN BRIEFS

    At yesterday's 17 th session of the Macedonia Parliament, MP's passed 5 laws. The Law on Trade is expected to put an end to illegal trading in the country, which, according to some calculations, comprises as much as 50 per cent of the total trading operations in Macedonia. MP's also passed the Tourist Activity Law, which sets midnight as a closing time for restaurants, with an additional two hours after midnight in tourist areas and during tourist seasons. Night clubs and cabarets are allowed to stay open until 3 a.m., while discotheques can operate until 1 a.m. Liquors are not to be served from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., and not at all to underage individuals. Parliament members also passed laws on standardization, control of products made of precious metals, and measurement units.

    [07] WHY DID PDP ASK ALIU TO RESIGN?

    A few days ago, the PDP leadership asked Eshtref Aliu to resign from his position as a member of the party leadership. The reason stated was Aliu's statement in an interview with the papers Rilindia and Bujku, which, according to PDP leaders, is contrary to the party's basic policies. A1 Television reports Aliu had said the ethnic Albanian ministers in the Macedonian Government were in favor of a university in the Albanian language, but admitted that such a university would impose an additional burden which the weak Macedonian economy could not bear. In his interview with Bujku, Aliu had said ethnic Albanians in Macedonia have no need for a university at which lectures are given in basements and private houses; they do need an institution with well organized and well established methods, with modern objectives and with qualified professors. Ethnic Albanians ought to turn to the Skopje University of "St. Cyrill and Methodius" as their real need, he said, adding that the university in Tetovo issue is to be resolved within the framework of the already existing higher-education institutions. Ethnic Albanians, Aliu said, see no problem in having an Albanian-language university, but the Macedonian side does as a result of its incomprehensible desire for domination. PDP president Abdurahman Haliti said in an interview with Nova Makedonija that these statements are opposed to the basic PDP viewpoints, and therefore the party has asked Aliu to resign from the leadership.

    [08] POLICE TEAR DOWN ILLEGALLY BUILT OBJECTS

    The illegal high-school in the Albanian language "Hajdar Dushi" in the village of Radolishta near Struga was closed down by the police yesterday. The act went peacefully and with no unrest. Prior to shutting the doors of the school and taking the sign down, an official of the local unit of the Ministry of Education spoke with a delegation from the local self-government and delegates in the township committee. He told them talks are to follow shortly at legal institutions on the possibility of the inclusion of the remaining school children of the village in the legal educational system. UNPREDEP and OSCE officials were also present in the village for a short period during the closing of the school. Yesterday evening, representatives of the closed school and local PDP and Dzaferi-led faction officials discussed the event and announced their intention to issue a public statement. An illegally built mosque was torn down in the village of Kocivari, near Titov Veles, also yesterday. Villagers had built the structure without any legal documents or permission of the local unit of the Ministry for City Planning and Construction. The action went without any problems.

    [09] TIRANA PAPER ANALYZES MACEDONIAN-ALBANIAN RELATIONS

    Following the recent border incident near Debar including the killing of an Albanian citizen trying to illegally cross the border, the Tirana newspaper Koha Yone published an article two days ago, analyzing current relations between Macedonia and Albania. The article says 14 Albanian citizens have been killed by Macedonian border guards over the past 3 years. The initial process of establishing good neighborly relations was interrupted two years ago, the paper writes, after the meeting between presidents Gligorov and Berisha in Podgradec and Ohrid. After this, neither Gligorov visited Tirana nor did Berisha go to Skopje, the paper comments. The text concludes by stating two dominant opinions held by analysts : one says relations have worsened following the events in Tetovo, and the other claims that those events are a mere result of the already declining relations.

    [10] US CORN ARRIVES IN MACEDONIA SPOILED

    Nearly 3,000 tons of the 40,000 tons of US humanitarian corn sent to Macedonia are of a bad quality and have been disposed of. General State Inspector for Plant Protection Kiro Jankovski says analyses have shown that the corn reached Macedonia in perfect condition and of proper quality. According to him, the corn was spoiled due to the prolonged and improper transportation. The cargo arrived through the Greek port of Salonika and the transport was delayed for 20 days due to problems caused by the Greek- imposed embargo. On top of this, he adds, Greece had refused the offer of Macedonia to provide closed freight-cars for the transportation. Meanwhile, only 2,500 tons of the corn have been sold so far. Cattle food producers and farmers are not interested in the corn because of, as they say, the high price of 8 Denars per kilogram set by the Government. Other producers are selling corn at 4 Denars per kilogram. The Government lowered the price of American corn to 6 Denars. The cargo cost the Government $7 million, provided through a credit to be returned in 30 years, after a grace period of 3 years and an annual interest rate of 3 per cent.

    [11] COMPUTER FAIR IN SKOPJE

    The first International Computer Fair in Skopje "Infokom '95" was opened yesterday, displaying computers, telecommunication equipment and literature. The fair was opened by the Macedonian Minister of Finance, Jane Miljovski.

    [12] MILS SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT: ACCORDING TO WHICH LAW?!

    (Koha, 12 April 1995)

    Apart from problems in relations with neighboring countries, Macedonia is increasingly being faced with problems caused by itself, the hardest one probably being the judiciary. Statements frequently repeated by Macedonian politicians some 4 - 5 years ago during the times of "democratic" euphoria, designed to correct mistakes made by the previous communist legal system, now resemble towers built in the sand, melting more and more under the waves of reality. It is obvious that daily political games, often determining the scope of the "contingent" of rights to be allowed, are playing quite an important role in defining the social life in Macedonia. The latest example for this are court proceedings against the pioneers of the Albanian-language university in Tetovo. The Public Prosecutor's Office in Tetovo initiated criminal charges against Dr. Fadil Suleimani, rector of the university in Tetovo, Milaim Feiziu, president of the Human Rights Forum in Gostivar, and Nevzat Halili, leader of PDP- Party for National Unity. Fadil Suleimani is charged with inciting to resistance, on grounds of article 206 of the Criminal Law of the Republic of Macedonia. The indictment says Suleimani had been constantly repeating the criminal act he is accused of. As a result of his actions, the indictment goes on, a crowd of people gathered on 17 February in Mala Recica, intending to prevent the implementation of the Macedonian Government's decision concerning the initiative for a university in Tetovo. The other two, Feiziu and Halili, are accused of participation in crowds and preventing police officers from exercising their duty, on grounds of article 205 of the Criminal Law. The temporary imprisonment is extended for all 3 defendants. So far, no details about the proceedings have been announced, except the fact that only statements of eyewitnesses have been taken as evidence. (Let us remind the reader that Macedonia was neither in a war nor under a martial law on 17 February. Mahmut Yusufi, lawyer, says that article 206 of the Criminal Law of the Republic of Macedonia, regarding "incitement to resistance toward decisions or measures brought by the administration agencies or prevention of officials from exercising their duties," is cited in combination with article 51 of the Constitution, which says every citizen is obliged to respect the law and Constitution. According to Yusufi, no constitutional category says that disrespect for government decisions or measures shall imply criminal charges. The final outcome of the initiated indictment will most probably affect the fate of the imprisoned ethnic Albanians. But, having in mind the previous experience in proceedings of similar nature (such as the hearings on the 10 ethnic Albanians convicted in the arms affair), it is difficult to believe that something can change the course of the proceedings. Reporters interviewed following the arrest of Suleimani have also been summoned to court in the role of witnesses for the prosecution. The reporters, sources say, have been asked to testify that Suleimani did state that "200,000 Albanians will rise to defend the university." These very statements were the grounds for bringing charges against Suleimani in the first place. The indictment on Feiziu seems to be based on similar grounds, as it says he had also stated "the university will be defended by all means possible." Nevertheless, the law is read and interpreted in different ways, depending on the need. A year ago, for instance, a certain Macedonian politician (having lost the elections in a large electoral unit in Skopje), stated that "Skopje will be a second Bucharest, as no one could possibly win elections in Macedonia with democratic means." But nothing happened, and this politician, unlike his ethnic Albanian "colleagues", was not even summoned to an informative questioning or asked to explain his threats toward the government and the state, let alone be taken into custody. The question arises by itself: What are the motives behind an act like this, which is no doubt far from being productive or contributing to the development of democracy or a just legal system? In this context, it seems worth mentioning that initiatives have already been brought to have the Constitutional Court re-examine the constitutionality of articles 205 and 206 of the Criminal Law. The initiator is the said lawyer, who points to the fact that article 205, which "sanctions participation in crowds to prevent state officials from exercising their duties" is in coalition with article 21 of the Constitution, which reads "citizens of the Republic of Macedonia have a right to peacefully gather and protest publicly, without previous notification and needing no special permission; this right can be limited only in a case of war or under a martial law." Note: The Macedonian Constitutional Court yesterday turned down the initiative brought by Mahmut Yusufi, lawyer, for re-examination of constitutionality of articles 205 and 206 of the Criminal Law. The Court decided that the said articles are fully adequate for the criminal acts performed by the defendants Suleimani, Feiziu and other demonstrators during the 17 February unrest in Mala Recica. Therefore, the Court will not question the decisions made by the District Court in Tetovo.

    (end)

    mils-news 20 April '95

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