MILS NEWS 25/12/95

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

Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory

CONTENTS

MILS NEWS

Skopje, 25 December, 1995

[01] EU - MACEDONIA NEGOTIATIONS MANDATE APPROVED

European Commission will start the negotiations with Macedonia at the beginning of January 1996, considering future relations. The Association Agreement is expected to be signed after several months negotiating. Aa reported earlier, the preamble of the mandate includes the so- called 'evolutionary steps. The aim of the mandate, adopted by the EU Council Of Ministers last Friday, is to establish relations with Macedonia compatible to the European standards in legal area, economy, human rights and good neighbourly relations.

[02] FUTURE ACTIVITIES ESTABLISHED

Macedonian Ambassador in Stockholm, Tihomir Ilievski, discused with Defense Minister of Finland, Anieli Taina, future cooperation activities in the area of defense, including training Macedonian officers in the leading military shools in Finland. The possibility of Macedonian Defense Minister to visit Finland next year was also discussed.

[03] AMERICAN EXPERTS MET WITH STOJAN ANDOV

Macedonian Parliament President, Stojan Andov met with the representative of the American Agency of International Development - USAID, Linda Gregory, and of the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, Brenda Pearson. They discussed the activities realized by the above mentioned institutions in the frames of their projects in Macedonia.

[04] NEED FOR THE RELATIONS WITH LIBERIA TO BECOME OFFICIAL

During his stay in Tel Aviv, Macedonian Agriculture Minister, d-r Ivan Angelov, met with his Liberian counterpart Roland Masaki, and they discussed the possibilities for Macedonian firms to participate in the reconstruction and development of Liberia in diferent areas. Their mutual estimation was that both countries should take steps to make their relations official.

[05] NIKODIMOS CARKNJAS SHOULD BE RELEASED FROM CHARGES

International Helsinki Federation greeted the decision of the Greek Court to postpone the four trials of Father Nikodimos Carknjas for 8 May 1996 and required him to be released from charges. According to 'Makpress', the Federation announced this after it monitored the four trials of this activist of the Macedonian minority in Greece. The Court postponed the trials after the representative of the Greek Helsinki Committee Panajotis Dimitras testified on serious and complicated issues about the religious freedom and the relations between Greece and Macedonia. Archimandrite Carknjas was charged on 2 December 1994 for false presentation as an Greek Orthodox priest, although the Greek church unfrocked him in 1993.

Carknjas, however, owns a certificate from the Macedonian Orthodox Church (MPC), but the Greek Church denies the right to any other Church, claiming that only it can appoint priests in Greece.

A-1 Television reported the argument of the Helsinki Committee that the Greek Court can not implement the canons of the Greek Church upon a member of another Church, and that the certificate from MPC should be adopted. The Greek Court was also reminded that European Commission and the Europen Human Rights Court call for respect of religious freedom.

[06] PROPERTY OF SFRY IN AUSTRALIA REMAINS FREEZED

Australian Foreign Affairs Minister, Garet Evans, announced that Australia has abolished the sanctions towards FR Yugoslavia, in accordance with the UN Resolution NB. 1022, adding that the properties and finances of former SFRY will be excluded from this, until the problem of succession is solved on an international level. According to Evans, all new formed countries will have the right to require inheritance from SFRY.

[07] ALBANIAN CITIZEN WOUNDED

Albanian Internal Affairs Ministry announced that Macedonian police wounded an Albanian citizen on the Albanian - Macedonian border crossing St. Naum - Tushemishte, last Friday. The wounded was given first aid by the Albanian police, after which representatives of both polices met. Macedonian representatives were left without official arguments, witnesses or material evidence. According to the Albanian Ministry, both parties remained on their contradictory attitudes, and they scheduled a new meeting. According to 'Nova Makedonija', this accident was a first page news for all Albanian papers.

Meanwhile, 'Makpress' reported the information of Radio Tirana, that Albanian President Sali Berisha met with the leader of the Albanians in Kosovo, Ibrahim Rugova, and that they have agreed that after Paris Peace Agreement conditions are made to begin the process of solving the issue of Kosovo. They emphasized that a dialog between Belgrade and Prishtina should start with a mediation of a third party.

[08] SATISFACTORY RESPONSE OF THE VOTERS IN 114 UNIT

Citizens from the electoral unit 114 in Skopje voted for a member in the Macedonian Parliament, yesterday. Response of 43 percent was estimated by the State Electoral Commission as a satisfactory one, adding that there were no significant problems. However, representatives of the candidates claimed the pre-elections silence was broken by Sitel Television, and by putting the posters of the Socialist Party. The elections were monitored by the Association of Citizens Initiative and their guests from the US National Democratic Institute. The eventual second voting is scheduled for 7 January. According to the last unofficial information, on the top of the list was the candidate of PCER Abdi Bajram with about 60 votes more than the candidate of the Alliance for Macedonia, Vasil Drvoshanov.

[09] ON THE OCCASION OF CATHOLIC CHRISTMAS

Catholic believers are today celebrating one of the greatest Christian holidays -Christmas, the Birth of Jesus. Central celebration was held in the Catholic Cathedral in Skopje with a Christmas religious service given by Skopje - Prizren Bishop d-r Joakim Herbut.

Besides a great number of believers, many officials of the Government and diplomatic representatives of many countries attended the celebration. A special Christmas religious service was also held for the members of UNPREDEP in Macedonia.

Bishop d-r Joakim Herbut greeted the holiday to all the believers in Macedonia. Meanwhile, he received a greeting from President Gligorov, saying: 'On the occasion of this great Christian holiday, I express my confidence in future successful fulfilling of our wishes for peace and welfare of our people, about mutual understanding and respect'.

[10] MEMBERSHIP CARDS FOR THE WRITERS FROM PIRIN MACEDONIA

Slave Makedonski and Sandra Sedrach, writers from Pirin Macedonia were given membership cards by the Macedonian Writers Association last Friday in Skopje. On the occasion, which was attended by a great number of Macedonian writers, the authors presented some of their works and introduced the young poetess Marija Makedonska.

MILS SUPPLEMENT:

[11] THE HAWKS WAITING FOR A VICTIM

('Vecer', 24 December 1995)

Certain announcements about the intentions of the Albanian political parties to leave Macedonian Parliament and Government stirred the public. Albanian 'hawks' appealed to their leaders either to accept what they have or to leave the above mentioned institutions, which confirms that problems considering ethnic minorities are not always taken seriously. What is more, the statement of Macedonian Prime Minister about the 'open doors' of the Government, referring to the misunderstandings with the members of the Liberal Party, was misinterpreted by the leader of PDP Abdurahman Aliti as an invitation to Albanians to leave the institutions. Macedonian Minister of Culture Eshtref Aliu, who attended the Anniversary of the illegal 'Tetovo University', contributed in an additional 'warming up' of the situation.

Although those who are more familiar with the situation claim this should not be taken too seriously, the reactions of the public show the opposite. A small provocation is enough to bring the old polemics and disputes again on the scene, even to endanger the inter- ethnic peace in Macedonia, ensured by the presence of Albanians in the institutions of the system.

The fact that the Albanian issue was not on the agenda on Paris Conference disappointed Albanian politicians in the region. Tirana is now trying to canalize this dissatisfaction with a pressure on Belgrade. They require from the Yugoslav Government to start negotiating with the Albanian leaders on Kosovo about returning the autonomy to this province, which was suspended by Miloshevich.

It is, however, clear that Miloshevich and his Government can refuse or at least postpone such initiatives after Dayton and Paris. Albanian politicians are becoming more and more nervous which will definitely be felt in Macedonia also.

Local Albanian leaders will most probably try to open the issue on the situation of Albanians in Macedonia to strengthen the positions of Albanians in the whole region.

The announcements coming from PDP are probably markers of such a strategy.

This strategy is understandable, as the Albanian leaders in the region found themselves in an unpleasant and difficult situation. The issues of their greatest interest - Kosovo as an independent Albanian country and status of Albanians as a state constitutive nation in Macedonia - seem to be definitely deprived from a more significant international support. Their only chance is, therefore, to raise disputes between the Albanians and Yugoslav, i.e. Macedonian Government.

The situation in Macedonia requires additional carefulness from both Albanian and Macedonian political ,lite. The experience and pure logic show that the best way for Miloshevich to lessen the international pressure on the issue of Kosovo is to transfer the problem in Macedonia.

Although the climate in Macedonia is much better than the one on Kosovo, in case Miloshevich proves 'Macedonian formula' is not the right way to solve this problem, he will provide himself with a great support to his politics in Kosovo.

The situation here, however, is contradictory enough without taking into account the negative influence from the north. The two political ,lites in Macedonia are careful and respectful towards their rivals even when in a dispute, but on the other hand, the hawks from both sides can easily make the people think that the situation can go out of control. This warms up the theses that 'only Miloshevich knows how to deal with Albanians' or that 'Albanians have nothing to lose in Macedonia'.

It is clear that in case the relations are radicalized, both political ,lites will destroy their image in the eyes of the international public. Macedonian Government spent a long time on convincing the international factors that it is capable of a tolerant dialog with nationalities, as well as of implementing the constitutional rights of the national minorities, in order to moderate the greedy requirements of the Albanian parties. This position provided a significant international support, which influenced the result of the internal political conflict between the creators of the politics of good inter-ethnic relations and the 'nationalistic opposition'.

PDP, despite not giving up its attitude 'Albanians as a state constitutive nation in Macedonia', presents itself on the international scene as a party ready to realize its aims through participation in the institutions of the system. According to Aliti's statement for 'Vecer', his party has accepted the only possible logic: to agree on the issues acceptable for both sides, to discuss the issues which can be solved soon, and to postpone those about which there is no possibility to be solved soon. The idea of PDP to establish para - institutions resulted with a skepticism in its Macedonian counterparts (this was the reason why the Liberals did not vote for re-electing the Government), but the peace was preserved.

Aliti's statements show the short-term actions are not the right solutions, but an improvement is possible in case the relations are changed in their bases. The more powerful, i.e. Macedonian counterpart should be the first to start such actions.

Actions referring to implementation of the minorities' constitutional rights should be improved. Macedonia had the exclusive chance to realize at least partly Gligorov's formula of good inter-ethnic relations, estimated by many as an utopia. The moderators, supporters of this formula, are expected to be more creative and more active in this period. Aliti, now left without 'aces in his sleeve' to lessen the pressure of Albanian radicals, will most probably react with restraining from flirting with para- institutions.

Some political parties in this country will maybe become parties of the citizens, not of the national collectives, possibly even earlier than in any other former Yugoslav republic. The politics on the Balkans is, however, still based on political ,lites embracing their ethnic circles. Those who decided to build stable inter-ethnic relations in Macedonia now have to keep that course. Aliti is also aware of that. Outside the institutions some other 'boys' are leading the game, and the chances for him to succeed there are small. In case he definitely decides to leave the institutions, no matter for what reasons, moderators in Macedonian politics will be driven into a corner. And the hawks are waiting for a victim.

(end)

mils news 25 December 1995