MAK-NEWS 08/11/95 (M.I.L.S.)

From: "M.I.L.S." <mils@ITL.MK>

Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory

CONTENTS

MILS NEWS

Skopje, 08 November 1995

[01] CEREMONIAL PROMOTION OF MACEDONIAN ADMITTANCE IN THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE

The ceremonial promotion of the acceptance of Macedonia in the Council of Europe membership will be held tomorrow in Strasbourg. Macedonian delegation will be led by the foreign minister, Stevo Crvenkovski. It is also expected that at the same ceremony the acceptance of Ukraine will be confirmed.

Macedonia was admitted in the Council of Europe unanimously at the session held from 25 to 29 September, and it became the 38th member of the Council.

[02] INDICATIONS OF DESTABILIZATION OF THE REGION

The Greek Minister of Defense, Gerassimos Arsenis, stated that there are certain indications of destabilization of the region and called for preserving the peace. As 'Makfaks' reports, the motive of the Arsenis's statement is the assassination on Israeli Prime Minister, Yitzak Rabin.

According to Arsenis, it is strange that the assassination was done after the assassination attempt on Macedonian President, Kiro Gligorov.

[03] EU MEMBERS ARE OBLIGED TO PAY INSURANCE TAXES AT THE MACEDONIAN BORDER CROSSINGS

As Macedonian Radio reports, Macedonian authorities have adopted reciprocal measures against the countries of the EU on the issue of the green card for vehicle insurance. The member states will have to pay 120DM for automobile insurance and 520DM for transport vehicles. Vehicles that come from countries that have recognized Macedonian green card (Slovenia, Croatia, and other neighboring countries) will not have to pay special insurance taxes at the Macedonian border crossings.

In the mean time, according to information from Macedonian Radio, several vehicles passed the Macedonian-Greek border in both ways and paid taxes on vehicle insurance.

[04] MACEDONIA ATTEMPTS TO HAVE A SPECIAL STATUS IN THE TURKISH ECONOMY

Yesterday the Macedonian delegation, which is in a five-day visit of Turkey, had many bilateral meetings with Turkish representatives, and few concrete agreements have been arranged in the field of food, chemical, tobacco, metallurgy, and other industries.

'Jugohrom' from Jegunovce, which cooperates with Turkish companies more than 20 years has arranged to import 1.000 tons of phero-alloys and to export medical plastic for the Turkish market.

As Macedonian Radio reports, the Macedonian delegation insisted on having a special status in the Turkish economy.

In that respect, Macedonia will open an office of its Chamber of Commerce in Istanbul.

[05] MACEDONIAN-SWEDISH CONSULTATIONS

Delegations of Macedonian and Swedish Ministries of Foreign Affairs had a meeting in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Stockholm. The delegations were led by Under-Secretaries Victor Gaber and Ian Eliasson.

During the consultations, the delegations paid attention to the possibilities of expansion of bilateral relations between the two countries, as well as issues on international cooperation and separate regional questions.

During the visit, the Macedonian delegation was received by the Swedish Minister of Development and Cooperation with the East European Countries, Piere Shuri.

[06] FIVE LAWS HAVE BEEN ADOPTED

Yesterday, at the 29th session of the Macedonian Parliament five laws were adopted. The debate on the Law on denationalization will continue today.

The Law on public meetings was adopted with 73 votes. It regulates the constitutional right of public meetings as well as cases when such meetings are prohibited. The Law on economy violation will provide two Law principles concerning the penalties. According to the first the sentences may be reduced, and according to the second the sentences may be suspended.

The Law on companies was adopted with 53 votes, and it will lower the number of companies that do not have at least one registered employee.

The deputies also adopted the Law on health prevention which will provide a rational functioning of health insurance companies and improving their financial position. The Law will also provide for choice of medical staff by patients.

The Macedonian Assembly also ratified the Friendship and Cooperation Agreement between Macedonia and Turkey.

[07] STRATEGY FOR DEVELOPMENT OF MACEDONIA BY 2020

At the press conference of the Macedonian Government yesterday, Spokesman Gjuner Ismail stated that Macedonia accepted the plan for its development by the year 2020 prepared by the UN Agency for Development. President of the Coordination Council is Minister Bekir Zhuta and the President of the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Art, Ksente Bogoev, will be his deputy.

The Government adopted the final version of the Law on transport at the session the day before yesterday. The Law on sports is already in the Parliament procedure. The Government also reviewed the recommendation for realization of the privatization and after some comments on the text, it returned it to the Agency for Privatization.

During the Government session on public companies last Thursday it decided to appoint Alexandar Gestakovski as a new director of the 'PTT Macedonia'. Acting Director of Macedonian Railways will be Stojan Naumov, while Pande Lazarov will be Acting Director of the Macedonian Electric Company. New director of the Administration for Public Revenues will be Bosko Stefanovski.

Spokesman Ismail added that the Government was not involved in the affair concerning 'Multigroup'.

[08] THE GOVERNMENT TRICKED US, TRADE UNION SAYS

After the repealing of the holiday bonus by the government, the Trade Union of Macedonia stated that it will demand protection by European institutions.

At the press conference yesterday the Union stressed that Government and Parliament act irresponsibly as they do not obey the agreed collective accords. "We sent a letter to the Government, but it was not presented in the press", the Union stated.

Employees that want to use their right, defined in the signed document between the Government and the Trade Union, as it was said, may appeal to the Constitutional court of Macedonia or they can individually appeal to courts. The Council of the Trade Union will decide which of these two possibilities is more adequate.

[09] THE PRIZE 'GRIGOR PRLICEV' AWARDED

The Macedonian poet Jovan Koteski is the author of the poem "Tragac" (Tracer) that has won the contest for the prize 'Grigor Prlicev'. The prize amounts to 3.000 DM and it is presented by the publishing house 'Detska Radost' and the institution 'Prlicevi Besedi'. Thirteen poems competed at the contest.

MILS SUPPLEMENT:

[10] ALL ASSASSINATION ATTEMPTS ON PRESIDENT GLIGOROV

("Vecer" 08 November, 1995)

'Vecer' finds out about many assassination attempts on President Gligorov that were revealed and unsuccessful.

Everywhere this kind of information is a top secret, however we have managed to get some information which is exclusively presented in today's edition of the newspaper.

It seems like there were several assassination attempts on President Gligorov in the past few years.

Two years ago, during an international meeting in Vienna there was an attempt on President's life.

When, how, and who prepared the attempt?

According to information sources close to the President, the first assassination attempt had been organized in January 1993. Everything was set up! The attempt should have been done at the time of the President's stay in Vienna when he participated at the Conference on Human Rights.

Immediately before the attempt, the executors had been revealed and enabled to get close to the President when he was leaving the hotel.

Who were the assassins?

Information from the police department for terrorism say that the executors were members of a terrorist organization established in Western Europe. The organization is known as "Macedonian Shadows" or "Macedonian Lions", "Macedonian Patriots", etc.

The same 1993, when President Gligorov had many trips abroad concerning the international recognition of Macedonia, there was an verbal threat on President's life. The threat came from the non-existing terrorist organization "Macedonian Nationalistic Committee-Department for Victoria" which pressured the President to give up the policy on equi- distance.

Last year there was a new assassination attempt on President Gligorov. It happened in Tetovo during the President's campaign. Information say that the attempt was prepared to be done with a mashinegun. One of the President's bodyguards noticed the assassin, however he managed to disappear in the large group of people.

In May this year, during President's visit to Rome in the honor of the All-Slav educators, Cyril and Methodius, a man that was identified as blond tried to get close to the President. He carried a briefcase with installed explosive and planned to approach the President and to assassinate him. He was eliminated without any incident. We have no further information about what had happened to the "blond person' afterwards.

There are certain information about several other attempts on President's life in Strumica, Prilep, Kicevo, and Ohrid.

Other information say there were about 20 anonymous letters with threats on President's life, as well as threateninig letters to President's wife, son and his two daughters.

(end)

mils news 08 November '95