MAK-NEWS 08/05/95 (M.I.L.S.)

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

CONTENTS

  • [01] GLIGOROV ATTENDS CEREMONY IN LONDON, PARIS

  • [02] ANDOV INVITED TO SLOVENIA

  • [03] FRENCH-MACEDONIAN AGREEMENT ON TRANSPORTATION

  • [04] MACEDONIAN ECONOMIC DELEGATION VISITING MONTENEGRO

  • [05] AUSTRIA INTRODUCES VISAS FOR MACEDONIANS

  • [06] MACEDONIAN TRADE UNION ADMITTED TO EUROPEAN ORGANIZATION

  • [07] NDP DELEGATION VISIT ALBANIA

  • [08] PDP INSISTS ON PRE-COALITION AGREEMENTS

  • [09] PEACEFUL PROTEST MARCH IN GOSTIVAR

  • [10] VMRO-DPMNE HOLDS SECOND CONGRESS

  • [11] RED CROSS DAY

  • [12] MILS SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT: SECOND CONGRESS OF VMRO-DPMNE (Nova Makedonija, 7-8 May 1995)

    •

    M I L S N E W S

    Skopje, May 8, 1995

    [01] GLIGOROV ATTENDS CEREMONY IN LONDON, PARIS

    Macedonian President Kiro Gligorov visited London last Saturday to attend the ceremony on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of victory over fascism. He met with British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Douglas Hogg, under- secretary in the US State Department Richard Holbrooke, US vice-president Al Gore, Russian Prime Minister Victor Chernomirdin, British Foreign Minister Douglas Herd, baroness Margaret Thatcher and Lord Carrington. Today, Gligorov is to attend a ceremony for the same occasion in Paris, France.

    [02] ANDOV INVITED TO SLOVENIA

    Macedonian Parliament President Stojan Andov received Vladimir Topier, vice-president of the Slovenian parliament, accompanied by Jozhica Puhar, Slovenian ambassador to Macedonia. They discussed the situation in the region and the work of the two parliaments. Andov was invited to visit in Slovenia.

    [03] FRENCH-MACEDONIAN AGREEMENT ON TRANSPORTATION

    The republics of Macedonia and France signed a document to regulate transportation of passengers and goods between the two countries. The agreement protocols had been agreed upon during the Macedonian-French bilateral talks in Paris.

    [04] MACEDONIAN ECONOMIC DELEGATION VISITING MONTENEGRO

    A delegation of the Macedonian Chamber of Commerce, led by Dushan Petrevski, is currently visiting Montenegro. The visit is the result of a mutual interest in intensifying economic relations between the two countries after the UN lifts its sanctions against Yugoslavia.

    [05] AUSTRIA INTRODUCES VISAS FOR MACEDONIANS

    The Austrian foreign ministry sent a note to the foreign ministry of Macedonia, to notify the latter of the May 15, 1995 Austrian Government's decision to require border entry visas for Macedonian passengers. Travelers having visas to enter all EU member countries are also required visas when traveling to or through Austria. Citizens of Macedonia can obtain visas at all Austrian diplomatic and consular offices.

    [06] MACEDONIAN TRADE UNION ADMITTED TO EUROPEAN ORGANIZATION

    Macedonian Trade Union Association's president Zhivko Tolevski left for Brussels to attend the 8th Congress of the European Trade Union Association, scheduled for May 9 to 12 . The agenda of the conference includes official admission of the Macedonian Trade Union as a full member.

    [07] NDP DELEGATION VISIT ALBANIA

    A delegation of the People's Democratic Party (NDP), party of Albanians in Macedonia, led by president Iliaz Halimi, is currently visiting Albania. They met with Pietr Arbnori, Albanian parliament president, to discuss problems faced by Albanians in Macedonia. NDP delegates pointed out that Albanians still have no equal rights in Macedonia and are not allowed an education of their own choice. They underlined their intention to undertake all democratic means in the future to contribute to better democracy in Macedonia. Nova Makedonija writes that PDP president Abdurahman Haliti and Kosovo Albanians leader Ibrahim Rugova met secretly in Tirana yesterday.

    [08] PDP INSISTS ON PRE-COALITION AGREEMENTS

    PDP will not accept the position of parliament vice- president, left empty after the resignation of Abdurahman Haliti, until certain agreements in the pre-coalition talks are met by the Macedonian side. Mevliam Tahiri said PDP insists on a dialogue on fundamental issues, such as the status and rights of Albanians and other minorities in the country and the workings of parliament.

    [09] PEACEFUL PROTEST MARCH IN GOSTIVAR

    About 4,000 citizens of Gostivar, Tetovo, Debar and Kicevo held a peaceful protest march in Gostivar last Friday, to express dissatisfaction with the Tetovo Court's sentences against Fadil Suleimani and Milaim Feiziu. Demonstrators, all ethnic Albanians, said the proceedings were fabricated and aimed against the Albanian nationality and its right to an education. They requested that the sentences be appealed and that the prisoners be set free. The protest was conducted in a peaceful atmosphere.

    [10] VMRO-DPMNE HOLDS SECOND CONGRESS

    In Kicevo, yesterday, VMRO-DPMNE began its Second Congress with 223 party delegates in attendance and several hundred guests from Macedonia and abroad. Leader Ljupco Georgievski gave an introductory speech on the work of the party in between the two congresses and plans for future activities. The basic goal of VMRO-DPMNE, he said, is to organize new parliamentary and presidential elections next year. He announced an agreement for cooperation on this agenda with some other out-of-parliament parties. He also announced changes in the party's strategy from ideological to practical activities. On the second day of the congress, Georgievski was re- elected party president with a large majority of votes.

    [11] RED CROSS DAY

    An appropriate ceremony will be held at the premises of the humanitarian organization Dare Dzambaz in Skopje, to celebrate 8th of May, the international Red Cross Day. The role and importance of the Red Cross will be presented by Finn Ruda, Chief-of-mission of the International Committee of Red Cross, and Bill Harper, Chief-of-mission of the International Red Cross Federation.

    [12] MILS SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT: SECOND CONGRESS OF VMRO-DPMNE

    (Nova Makedonija, 7-8 May 1995)

    In Kicevo over the last weekend, 223 party delegates of VMRO-DPMNE and several hundred guests from home and abroad, held its Second Congress or, as the party likes to say, the tenth congress of continuity of the legendary Interior Macedonian Revolutionary Organization. The congress began with the standard procedure of electing working groups and adopting working regulations, such as the presidency of the congress, and verifying candidate and election committees. Greeting addresses were given by various politicians, including Aleksandar Jordanov, representative of the Alliance of Democratic Forces in Bulgaria, Elke Lorens, delegate of the Pan-European Union of Germany and CSU, as well as members of other political parties, such as MAAK and the Democratic Party. The most important speech given during the first day of the congress was the one given by party leader Ljupco Georgievski, as it was a report on the work of the party between the two congresses with a special emphasis on basic points of the planned activities for the future. Remembering the party's ideology links with the VMRO party in the past, Georgievski pointed out this was the first congress of a VMRO held in free, independent and autonomous Macedonia. Speaking of previous results of VMRO-DPMNE, he repeated there is no political party in Macedonia whose fundamental principles and goals have been achieved to such a degree as the one achieved by VMRO-DPMNE. He especially proclaimed the activities of the party's parliamentary group in the previous parliament. The group, he said, was the most outstanding fighter for ideas of VMRO-DPMNE, as well as its acceptance by the Macedonian citizens. Georgievski also spoke of the failures and mistakes in the work. The main mistake, he said, made by himself and the top leaders, was that VMRO-DPMNE missed two chances to participate or to even have a leading role in forming a government in the country. The first one in 1990, and the second one two years later. "We were building an image of a party which refused to have anything to do with ex- communists or extreme parties of Albanians, but we lost the sense of pragmatism and missed a chance to form a government." Another party weakness, he said, was that a great number of our members left the party or formed parties of their own with the same prefix. The third significant mistake made by the entire leadership, according to Georgievski, was that the party allowed people from other parties to enter the leadership and move fast in their political careers. It was exactly these people, he said, who damaged the party most strongly. And the last and biggest mistake, he said, was that sufficient efforts were not undertaken before the second elections in the country to create a strong coalition and win the elections. In this context, he proposed active cooperation with three or four out-of-parliament parties to join efforts to defeat the current government by democratic means. "We are aware that, despite the huge support for our party, we cannot come out as absolute winners of any elections all by ourselves. This," he added, "is possible only with a strong coalition of opposition parties. The basic goal of VMRO-DPMNE in this period will be to schedule new elections in the country." He said this could be achieved after the local elections by organizing a general referendum on new elections to be held next year. Georgievski also announced a new strategy of the party, to consist of correcting the mistakes and introducing a philosophy of political pragmatism to win power in the Republic of Macedonia. The second day of the congress, Georgievski was re-elected a party leader by a large majority (195) of votes in favor, 11 against and one abstained. He was the only candidate for the position. Following the election, he thanked the delegates for their mandate and repeated the basic goals of the party, stating that VMRO-DPMNE has always been and will remain a symbol of the struggle for an independent and free Macedonian state. Meantime, at a closed-doors plenary meeting, the party adopted a new Statute, introducing an essential change in the organization. The current municipal committees of VMRO- DPMNE are to be replaced by election committees, organized on a basis of the territorial division of the country into electoral units. Presidents of these committees, under the new Statute, will automatically become members of the party's Central Committee. That is why this congress elected only a party leader, while members of the Central Committee are to be appointed. Party members adopted nearly 20 proposed amendments to the text of the party resolution, which lists 31 points for the main direction of action by VMRO-DPMNE in the future. What was characteristic of the debate was the rational and constructive approach by all participants, resulting in no bitter debates or verbal conflicts. Dzevat Dzuliovski, party delegate of Debar, gave an outstanding speech on problems of Muslim Macedonians in western Macedonia. The former parliament deputy of the party and delegate of Bitola Gjorgji Kotevski insisted on new solutions in appointing members of the leadership. The congress was concluded with the debates and adoption of several declarations, among the more important being the ones against political oppression and position abuse, on the privatization in Macedonia, on unity of the Macedonian nation, on Macedonians of Islam religion as an integral part of the Macedonia nation, against violation of basic human rights and liberties, and on national reconciliation of Macedonians scattered throughout the world. The character of the party was somewhat redefined; from now on, VMRO-DPMNE will be acting as a party of the right center, very close to European demochristian parties.

    (end)

    mils-news 8 May '95

    Due to holidays MILS shall continue its service on May 10.

    HTML by the HR-Net Group / Hellenic Resources Institute
    news2html v2.05 run on Tuesday, 16 May 1995 - 12:54:39