MILS NEWS 29/01/96

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

Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory

CONTENTS

MILS NEWS

Skopje, 29 January 1996

[01] TODAY - MUTUAL RECOGNITION OF MACEDONIA AND FRY?

Unofficially, Yugoslav Government has outlined the schedule for mutual recognition with Macedonia and the Yugoslav Foreign Minister, Milan Milutinovic, is expected to arrive in Skopje today.

[02] NERVOUS REACTIONS IN ATHENS

[03] GREECE WILL INSIST ON A COMPLEX NAME

[04] EU FUNDS FOR COOPERATION BETWEEN MACEDONIA AND GREECE

Meanwhile, Paulo Santos of the PHARE Program, Department for Border Cooperation in EU, paid a visit to Kavadarci, where he met with the town officials. The advantages of this particular region for the cooperation with Greece were discussed on the meeting, and Santos said that EU will set aside about 5 million ECU for financing the border cooperation between Macedonia and Greece. One of the major projects, for which this sum will be used, will be the regional road that will improve the connection between Bitola, Prilep, Kavadarci, Negotino and Gevgelija, towns close to the Greek border. The possibility of opening another border crossing with Greece was also a subject of discussion on the meeting.

[05] ADDITIONAL CUSTOMS EXPENSES WILL STILL BE PAID

It was also said that Yugoslav Government is authorized to reach a decision on abolishing the additional customs expenses with all former Yugoslav republics on the basis of reciprocity, but such an agreement has still not been officially realized.

[06] MACEDONIAN AMBASSADOR TO SAUDI ARABIA APPOINTED

It was also agreed with the Chamber of Commerce officials of Saudi Arabia a visit to be paid to Macedonia in June 1996.

[07] RELATIONS BETWEEN THE NATIONALITIES POSITIVE

[08] ELECTION CONFERENCE OF MACEDONIANS IN ALBANIA

According to Macedonian Television, the Conference was also attended by Albanian MP Bari Bregu, President of the Party for Human Rights, Georgi Leka, President of Korcha branch of the Democratic Party, Bajur Isaku, Macedonian Ambassador to Albania, Nikola Todorchevski, as well as leaders of Macedonian political parties and associations of Macedonians from the neighbouring countries.

[09] GRADUAL SOLVING OF THE ISSUE OF KOSOVO

Meanwhile, as Albanian Radio informed, Italian EP deputy, Giorgio Lamanta, and a group of other deputies initiated signing of a petition by EP members for solving the problem of Kosovo. Lamanta and a group of EP deputies visited Kosovo recently and finding there the basic human rights of Albanians are not respected. In accordance with this initiative, said A-1 Television, it was suggested to the European Council not to recognize the right for succession of FR Yugoslavia from former SFRY until a peaceful solution for Kosovo is reached.

[10] 'KOHA JONE' BANNED

[11] LIBERALS WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE RECONSTRUCTION OF THE GOVERNMENT

1. Central Board completely supports the suggestion of the President of SDSM and Macedonian Prime Minister, Branko Crvenkovski, for a reconstruction of the Government, in order to improve the ability of the Government to realize the program it declared, as well as to solve the important economical, political and social problems of the Republic;

2. As the Liberal Party does not participate in the Government as a party, and accordingly, it can not be responsible for the work of the Government (i.e. the Ministers who are members of the Liberal Party participate in the Government as experts), the Central Board of SDSM concluded that they should also be involved in the forthcoming reconstruction of the Government;

3. SDAM will continue its efforts for a complete realization of the program of the Alliance of Macedonia.

[12] FALSE ALARM ABOUT PLANTED EXPLOSIVE

MILS SUPPLEMENT

[13] TWO MILLION ACRES CONFISCATED

('Vecer', 21 January 1996)

'With these two regulations about 2 million acres of land were confiscated, mostly in the bordering Macedonian areas, which before the Civil War were properties of more than 30 000 households', says Kirjazovski. 'The land confiscated included forests, orchards, meadows, buildings, office premises, stores, etc. As a great number of Macedonians from the Aegean part were members of the National Liberation Front and of DAG during the Civil War, more than 15 000 of them were deprived from the right to citizenship, while more than 50 000 were forced to emigrate.'

D-r Kirjazovski reveals the essence of the two resolutions - legalizing the discriminating policy towards Macedonians.

With Article 1 of the Decree M/48, to all participants in the rebellion, to all who were convicted of assisting the rebels, and to all who were deprived from the citizenship right, their complete property is being confiscated. The explanation, in order to justify this regulation in the eyes of the foreign and domestic public, was that the properties are being confiscated to be of use to the state, as most of the owners have 'voluntarily' left it, which is absolutely false. The truth is that Macedonians were running away from the Greek gangs and the official authorities to the neighbouring countries. In order to protect themselves, in accordance with all international conventions, they have obtained the status of political refugees. The Decree included the possibility for the confiscated properties to be given to the closest relatives of the owners. Due to the fact that Macedonians did not have relatives there, as most of them emigrated, their properties were given to others, mostly 'suitable' Greeks, by which a new Greek colonization was done in the Aegean Macedonia.

'Greek government, with the Law 2536/53, intended to definitely deal with Macedonians, i.e. to finally solve the Macedonian question. The Law predicts 60 kilometres from the border inward to be cleaned from ' not loyal' citizens and Greeks with proved national conscience to be brought, which is precisely the area where Macedonians were majority.'

The Article 6 of the Law reveals its essence: 'The real estates that belong to persons who have illegally emigrated in the foreign countries without possessing any license or passport issued by the authorities, are considered not to belong to these persons any more, they have no legal right on the possession, and without any legal procedure their possessions are becoming a property of the state. Even in case the owner appears, he can not obtain the right to own the property, and he will not be returned this right.' The Article continues: 'Cultivating and using the property by relatives, representatives or hired persons, are not bases for raising legal charges for excluding the property from confiscating', and ends that 'the regulations of this Law refer to and are valid also for the properties obtained by the agrarian reform.'

The agrarian reform in Greece took place between the two World Wars, by which fields and woods of former Turkish estates were given for permanent usage to the inhabitants of these estates.

Due to the pressure of democratization, a new Constitution was adopted, by which the private property becomes an inalienable right. The Article 105 of the Constitution, according to Kirjazovski, suspends all other regulations which are not in accordance with it. It means that all previous regulations on confiscation were annulled, and that all decisions for confiscating were abolished, as they were brought without any legal procedure.

'Constitutional Court of Greece brought the Resolution 1636 in 1956, by which the Law 2536/53 'On re-settlement of the bordering regions' was declared as non constitutional, and all resolutions on the confiscation were annulled. In accordance with this decision, all the confiscated properties should be returned to their legitimate owners, no matter their nationality or religion, which includes Macedonians from the Aegean part of Macedonia.' - says Kirjazovski. 'And there is a small number of Macedonians who, thanks to their persistence, managed to return their properties or to obtain a compensation.'

The inalienable right of ownership is confirmed with the Constitution brought in 1975, by which this right is protected by the Government. And the antidemocratic actions and regulations on confiscation are once more suspended.

In his researches in the archives of Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, etc., d-r Kirjazovski finds the legal regulations of the Greek government on the returning of the properties to the participants in the Civil War. He mentions: Law 2951/54, Law 3958/59, Decree 1108 from 1972, Law 666 from 1977 'On changing and annexation of the settlement regulations', the Law suggested by the Ministry of Laws and adopted in 1979, as well as the last two adopted by the Government of Andreas Papandreou in April 1982 and December 1983.

The last two laws offer three possibilities for returning the confiscated properties. First, the confiscated property is returned to the owner. Second, in case that is not possible for some reasons, the owner is given an adequate land on some other location. Third, in case that is also not possible, the owner is given a compensation determined by the Commission for Expropriation. These regulations are respected for the political refugees of a Greek nationality, but absolutely not for those of a Macedonian nationality.

Macedonians are even forced to break up their connections with the native places and to settle in other areas. The problem is the self-will of the administrations and the commissions of expropriation, as well as the officials of the communities and police, who still work with the previous regulations, abolished by the Constitutional Court.

Such actions of the local authorities only confirm the Greek policy of discrimination of Macedonians from the Aegean part of Macedonia. Greek officials would do anything to avoid their own Laws and resolutions of the highest institutions in the country.

'In order Macedonians from Aegean part of Macedonia to be prevented from using their right for de-confiscation of their properties, Greek authorities do not allow them to visit their native places. These Macedonians, no matter where they live at the moment, still have the legal ownership right to these properties. The condition set by the local authorities, that the owners must be citizens of the place where their property is, is a self-will. Chaos in the legislation and allowance of self-willing acting is a tendentious discrimination towards Macedonians, which is being systematically done in Greece.' - says d-r Kirjazovski.

There were cases in practice of some Macedonians from the Aegean part of Macedonia to manage to cross the border with Greece, to raise legal procedure and to have their properties returned or compensated. The experiences show that Greek authorities are much more serviceable for compensating, but how much is the sum paid real is another issue. The fear from increasing the number of Macedonians in Greece is obvious.

'The issue of the properties of Macedonians, now citizens of Republic of Macedonia, is very serious and acute. It can be solved by mutual engagement of the governments of the two countries and by including the citizens interested. Greek Constitution gives the possibility for returning the confiscated properties to their legal owners and they should decide by themselves what will they do with it.' - says Kirjazovski categorically.

(to be continued)