MILS NEWS 06/02/96

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

Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory

CONTENTS

MILS NEWS

Skopje, 06 February 1996

[01] RESIGNATION OF THE SPOKESMAN GJUNER ISMAIL

'I can not agree with the following few things: 'shooting' a journalist for his publicly expressed opinion, which I completely support; trading with oligarchies that made the sphere of media a grocery, due to which certain printed media, you know which I think of, have been made a sphere to 'install' an unfounded, unexplained, and, most frightful of all, monopolized power, a shame in the eyes of Europe.'

[02] ORDANOSKI :'I PRESENTED THE VIEW OF MTV'

One of the reasons for which he was released from duty was said to be the severe violation of the program and editing policy of MTV. Ordanoski informed the public that, as he was the Editor in Chief of MTV, this policy was of a primary importance to him, so in the apsence of the MTV view on the current political situation in the country, he decided to express himself as a journalist.

On his not respecting the MTV program production and broadcasting, he said his carrier of a journalist is long enough, so that he does not have to coordinate his attitudes with the General Director, Ms. Korneti. He said that Ms. Korneti has also the right to present her comment in the program. 'As the editing policy referring to these occasions is not strict, it is my right and obligation to appear on the screen and to present the attitude of MTV on the current political situation, which was decided on the meeting of MTV staff held in my office', stressed Ordanoski.

On the question referring to his political engagement in SDSM, Ordanoski said he 'was not a member of any political party and that SDSM brought him to the position Director of MTV as an expert, whom they trasted would be able to perform that function properly.'

As for the qualification stated that he violated the principles of an authentic and objective informing, he said it is 'a misdemeanor of opinion', and announced a legal charges, as this implicates he was a liar. Ordanoski informed that he will also raise charges for the way he was released from duty, and he will also officially inform UNESCO, Council of Europe, OSCE and many Ambassadors to Macedonia.

[03] CONTRADICTED OPINIONS IN MRTV

'Replacement of our Director and Editor in Chief, Sasho Ordanoski, because of his journalistic presentation is contrary to the freedom of the press principle. The opinion of the staff of Macedonian Television is that the explanation for this releasing from duty is not the basic motive. The staff belives this decision of the General Director of the Macedonian Radio and Television must be withdrawn.'

According to todays 'Veccer', not all the staff support this view, and some of them find it illegitimate because the staff meetings are not a deciosion making, but a consultative body of the Director. The daily writes that two more meetings took place yesterday in MRTV. The first one was of the Program staff of MRTV, on which the General Director was supported and justified for the decision she brought. The second one was of the complete journalist staff, when they expressed their astonishment from the Saturday night comment and the act of Sasho Ordanoski.

[04] INTERNAL MATTER OF THE TELEVISION

[05] LIBERALS STILL NOT CONSULTED ON THE RECONSTRUCTION OF THE GOVERNMENT

The Presidency of SDSM had its regular meeting yesterday.

The subject on the agenda were supposed to be the reconstruction of the Government, the situation in the Coalition, and the newest happenings, i.e. the releasing from duty of Sasho Ordanoski and the resignation of the Spokesman Gjuner Ismail.

[06] DISSOLVING OF THE GOVERNMENTAL COALITION IN MACEDONIA?

[07] NEGOTIATIONS ON THE NAME ISSUE WILL CONTINUE

[08] NO MORE DISPUTES BETWEEN MACEDONIA AND FR YUGOSLAVIA

[09] NEW COMMANDER OF THE PEACE FORCES IN MACEDONIA

[10] INTERCEDING FOR HELP TO ALBANIANS ON KOSOVO

[11] EU MARKET SHOULD BE MORE OPEN FOR MACEDONIA

This was said on yesterday's meeting of Macedonian President of Chamber of Commerce, Dushan Petreski, and the Dutch Ambassador to Macedonia, Gerhard Van Palandat. They concluded the EU markets should be more open to the Macedonian goods, which would be a kind of a compensation for the damages Macedonian economy suffered from the UN embargo to FRY.

[12] ONE OF THE BIG EUROPEAN INVESTMENTS

[13] AMDI BAIRAM OFFICIALLY A NEW MEMBER OF THE PARLIAMENT

[14] MEETING OF DPM DELEGATION WITH VICTOR COMRAS

[15] 154 CANDIDACIES FOR COMMUNITIES

MILS SUPPLEMENT

[16] The Comment of Sasho Ordanoski

(MTV news, 03 February 1996)

The public dispute between the parties began with the well- known outwitting by the both sides. The things, however, reached its culmination after the assassination attempt on President Gligorov. It seems his chances to survive were misjudged. Some hurried to emphasize their political ambition and perspective on the Macedonian political scene, which was out of the political decency.

When the forecasts for the health of the President, fortunately, became optimistic, the political positions were immediately and panicky re-grouped, presented mostly through certain printed media. The well-known announcements and further political 'roll calls' followed. That seemed to be the drop which filled the cup of SDSM's patience to the brim. The complete leadership of the party backed the intention of its President and a Prime Minister to make a thorough reconstruction of the Government. The other coalition members, including the Liberals, also supported the reconstruction. It then became clear that the future Government with members of the Social Democratic Alliance, Socialistic Party and PDP, and without the Liberals, would have the majority in the Parliament. But, as the fog from the political destiny of the current Government is being cleared, there are attempts to hide other things referring to the reconstruction.

Firstly, there is an attempt to involve President Gligorov in the dispute between the parties, so that he would 'save what still can be saved'. They appeal to the political and ethic responsibility of the President and forget about their own. These attempts come from the very same sides that speculated and guessed his possible inheritors, while he was fighting for his life at the hospital. The obvious political facts, such as the one that Macedonia is a state with parliamentary, and not a presidential establishment, i.e. that the President is a President of all the citizens, and not only of the parties members, seemed to have been forgotten. President Gligorov, we should remember, at the last elections won twice more votes than the Alliance for Macedonia.

Secondly, arguments appear that, as the parties in the Coalition came forth as an alliance on the elections, its dissolving by the reconstruction would be lying to the electors. It is everybody's right to interpret the meaning of 'alliance' in the politics: such connections are always an issue of a political pragmatics, and not of a dogma. And why wouldn't those worried check how will the citizens feel at the following elections. It will be clear then whether the citizens require from the Government to prove how much it was effective and successful, or they care about who promised what at the elections. You all know that politicians promise anything before the elections.

Paradoxically, the Liberals will, as a qualified expert opposition in the Parliament, now much more help to do what could not be done while they were in the Government. Prime Minister Crvenkovski does not have a politically responsible Government now, but he will obtain it in front of all citizens. That will be necessary in the forthcoming period of complicated economical and social challenges for the Prime Minister, and for both current and the future ministers.

(end)

mils news 06 February 1996