MAK-NEWS 10/01/96 (M.I.L.S.)

From: "M.I.L.S." <mils@MILS.SPIC.ORG.MK>

Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory

CONTENTS

MILS NEWS

Skopje, 10 January 1996

[01] AGREEMENT FOR REPROGRAMMING THE DEBT TOWARDS SWITZERLAND

An Agreement for reprogramming Macedonian debt of 21.7 million CHF to Switzerland, as a member of the Paris Club, was signed yesterday in Skopje by Swiss Secretary of State for Foreign Economy Relations, Franz Blancart, and Macedonian Finance Minister, Jane Miljoski. With the Agreement the credits which were used by Macedonian enterprises in former Yugoslavia are reprogrammed. According to Blancart, regulating the complete economy and finance relations between the two countries will make possible for Macedonia to enter the international finance market, as well as to obtain help from international financial institutions.

It is planned two more agreements to be signed between the two countries: one on the reciprocal investment protection and another on avoiding double taxation.

Minister Miljoski said that signing this Agreement means, in fact, recognition of Macedonian legality on the inheritance of former SFRY by Switzerland.

Swiss delegation yesterday also met with President of Macedonian Parliament, Stojan Andov, Macedonian Premiere, Branko Crvenkovski and Minister of Development Bekjir Zutta and discused future economic asistance of Switzerland to Macedonia.

[02] VISA FOR MACEDONIA TO JOIN THE PHARE PROGRAM

Foreign Politics Committee of the European Parliament yesterday gave a visa for official joining of Macedonia in the PHARE program. According to Macedonian Television, the definite green light is expected to be given at the beginning of February. European PM Dorris Pack, who recently visited Macedonia, stated that, despite different political colours in the EP, the way for Macedonia to join PHARE must be urgently de-blocked. Italian Euro - emissary, responsible for the report on Macedonia, Kastanieti, emphasized that PHARE in Macedonia would be a part of the policy to strengthen the peace in the region, adding that decentralization, presence of nationalities in the institutions, reforms, and the danger for Macedonia to become a centre of the organized crime on the Balkans, are greatest problems of the country. For all these reasons, Macedonia needs urgent help.

Greek representative Lambrakis agreed with a positive opinion to be asked on Macedonian to be included in PHARE on the session in February. Kastanieti should prepare the final report till then, after which voting will follow.

PHARE was constituted in 1989 as a program that should help the east European countries in their democratic reforms and joining European Union more easily. Humanitarian help of about 60 million ecu was given to Macedonia from this Program during last several years.

[03] PARTICIPATION IN THE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY OF NATO

President of NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Kristend Fogt, met yesterday with Macedonian Ambassador in Germany, Srgjan Kerimm, in Bonn. They discussed the improvement of the cooperation between Macedonia and NATO. Fogt informed Macedonian Ambassador that representatives of Macedonian Parliament will participate in the work of NATO Parliamentary Assembly with a status of joined member in April 1996 in Athens, which will complete the process of Macedona being included in the political and military structures of NATO.

[04] LIAISON OFFICES THIS MONTH

Liaison offices of Macedonia and Greece will be opened at the same time at the middle of this month in the capital cities, informed Macedonian Radio yesterday, according to information obtained from Macedonian Foreign Ministry. The Radio explained that rumours about Aleksandros Malias's taking his position of Chief of the Greek Liaison Office in Macedonia yesterday were connected with preparing the Office to start its work.

[05] REPUBLIC OF NEW MACEDONIA?

According to A-1 Television, the discussions on the name between Macedonia and Greece, previously scheduled for tomorrow, might be postponed due to the bad weather and the closed airport in New York.

According to the sources of this TV station, Cyrus Vance will suggest to the representatives of both negotiating teams Macedonia to be registered in UN as Republic of New Macedonia, which will most probably be refused by both parties.

A-1 anticipates the UN member countries will be given the freedom to decide separately whether they will address Macedonia with its constitutional name or with the new reference, while Greece will address Macedonia as it decides. This would mean the formula for a triple name will be adopted, as Republic of Macedonia refuses to change its name, while Republic of Greece refuses any name that would include the word 'Macedonia', and UN are interested to solve the problem as soon as possible.

The Chief of the Greek Diplomacy, Carolos Papoulias, confirmed yesterday that Greece will not accept either with 'New Macedonia' or any other name which would include 'Macedonia', adding that Greece will present its well-known attitudes in the discussions.

[06] AMERICAN MISSION ON KOSOVO

'USA intend to establish their official presence on Kosovo to reduce the tension in this Serb province', said American Assistant Secretary of State, Richard Holbrooke for 'Voice of America', adding that intensive discussions with Serb President Miloshevich on this issue took place. According to Holbrooke, the form of the presence will be an Office of the American Information Agency 'USIA' and said that Serb repression on the Albanians was excessively big.

[07] CONSTANT SOURCE OF NEW STRENGTH FOR MACEDONIAN PEOPLE

On the occasion of Orthodox Christmas, head of Macedonian Church, Archbishop Mihail, organized a party for Macedonian state leadership and the diplomatic corps in Macedonia. In his addressing the guests, he said: 'The day of Christ's birth is of great importance for our people. Its celebration has been a source of new strength, faith and hope during centuries, that the day of the liberation of Macedonian people will come. Those days have come and we are happy to join the whole free world in its way to the new future, peace, welfare, humanity.'

[08] THE AGONY OF STRIKERS CONTINUES

The planned meeting between the hunger strikers in Kumanovo with the President of Bankruptcy Council of 'Chik', Slobodan Dzipunov, the trustees, members of the Bankruptcy Council, Bankruptcy Director, representatives of the Town Council of Kumanovo, and representatives of Ministry of Law and District Court of Kumanovo, did not take place till yesterday, when was the last term. The strikers instead met with representatives of the Trade Union, who could do nothing more but sympathize with the strikers. Strikers are a subject of interest of great number of journalists, and, according to doctors, their health is getting worse.

[09] BBC SERVICE IN MACEDONIAN

BBC yesterday officially opened a new service in Macedonian language, which will be the 42nd language in which its program is broadcasted. The Contract was signed by the Executive Manager of BBC World Service, Sam Younger and the General Manager of Macedonian Radio and Television, Melpomeni Cornetti.

Cornetti said the direction of Macedonian Radio and Television development is to be transformed into a public service, according to its media and social status. The new BBC service will broadcast news four times a day from Monday to Friday on Radio Hertz, two 15 minutes programs on Radio Skopje and 5 minutes English language teaching program in the frames of the educational program. Local radio stations will also be given the possibility to broadcast these programs, and they will be listened to in some regions of Albania, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia.

MILS SUPPLEMENT

[10] UNFAVOURABLE RESULTS

('Nova Makedonija', 9 January 1996)

The end of the year is a time to sum up the results accomplished, especially when these results or effects are connected with obtaining money.

In accordance with that, the effects from the last year of reforms will also be summed up, i.e. the results of the privatization, of restructuring or saving the 25 enterprises with greatest losses and of the bank system. Macedonia needs this summing up to realize what is the situation in the transformation of basic links of the economy chain and in the improvement towards the market system. The financiers also need it, as they have promised, and partly have given, a finance support for the reforms.

More precisely, we are speaking of the FESAL credit of 99 million US dollars (85 million is the credit, plus 14 million for social reforms), obtained by the Government last spring. The conditions for the credit to be given were to successfully accomplish the above mentioned reforms, including the condition to privatize 790 enterprises till the end of 1995, and to finally restructure the previously biggest bank in the country, Stopanska Banka. As for restructuring the enterprises with greatest losses in the country, the financiers are strict - they must be either privatized or liquidated.

The analyses show we were not too successful in any of these reforms, which was realized by the missionaries of the World Bank and of the International Monetary Fund. Privatization process was most positively estimated, as it became a prompt and successful process, despite lack of form to efficiently complete the tasks. If we stick to figures, however, the plans were not fulfilled, as 582 enterprises were privatized, which almost 200 less than planned. We may excuse ourselves by the internal political and economical issues that influenced the speed of privatization process, but whether the world financiers will tolerate this is another question.

Bank system restructuring went also rather slow and the results are far from expected. The most obvious action of the competent Agency was to change their first man, but they also took actions such as some payments to the trustees, or regulating balances of the banks (lately more intensive).

It is obvious the reforms of the enterprises with greatest losses showed smallest results. The initial reports, the conversion of the debts to deposits, the establishing legal acts etc. were overdue. The final result is 23 legal subjects broken to 130, 14 000 dismissed workers(not selectively) and additional 65 percent losses by the same enterprises. The Law for Restructuring was adopted, the results are obvious, and the process continues. Those saved are saved, the rest depend on trustees or on further owners who will decide about their destiny.

All these positive and negative occurrences should, however, be a proof for the financiers that Macedonia will not decline from the present way of reforming and will never return to the past. They should, based on all this, decide whether it is worth or not to finance our economy transformation or we should be left for some better time.

(end)

mils news 10 January 1996