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MILS NEWS 20/06/96Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: "Macedonian Information Liaison Service" <mils@mils.spic.org.mk>CONTENTS
MILS SUPPLEMENTMILS NEWSSkopje, 20 June 1996[01] NEW CONSULTATIONS ON MACEDONIA-EU AGREEMENTNew consultations on the name problem that appeared in the Cooperation Agreement between Macedonia and the European Union started in Brussels yesterday. It was suggested notes to be exchanged instead of signing an Agreement in which Macedonia is referred to as 'FYROM'. As it was announced yesterday, the signing was postponed because Macedonian negotiating team, led by Vice Prime Minister Jane Miljoski, refused to sign the Agreement with 'FYROM' reference, which was imposed due to the insisting of the Greek representative in the Union.Jane Miljoski stated for A-1 Television that, except for several minor problems, both parties had agreed about all other issues regarding the Agreement, adding that he was an optimist about the final solution. Macedonian Television reported that European Commission was to present the compromise solution to the member countries and to make a decision today after they (especially Greece) present their stands. [02] MACEDONIA AT MINISTERIAL MEETING IN SOFIA'Makfax' agency reported that, according to the announcement of the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry, the previously postponed meeting of Balkan countries Foreign Ministers in Sofia would take place on 6 and 7 July. The announcement adds that official invitations had already been sent to the participants. Macedonian Foreign Ministry previously rejected the participation under the reference FYROM, which was proposed by the hosts. The latest information of A-1 Television are that Macedonian Foreign Minister Ljubomir Frchkovski will, however, participate at the meeting, and that Macedonia will not be referred to as FYROM.[03] GREEK-MACEDONIAN NAME DISPUTE AT FOCUSMacedonian Parliamentarian delegation, led by Tito Petkovski, met yesterday in Bon with Rita Zinsmut, President of the German Bundestag. The subject discussed was cooperation between the two countries and their Parliaments.According to Macedonian Television, they had paid special attention to the Macedonia-EU Cooperation Agreement and, in context of that, to the Greek-Macedonian name dispute. At the meeting Macedonian representatives had with EU Issues Commission President Norbert Vidorek, he stressed the German interest in reform processes in Macedonia, as very important for the stability of the country and of the whole region. Vidorek also said Macedonia and Greece should find a solution for the name issue through a dialogue, estimating that a progress could be seen in it. [04] SPECIAL NATO UNITS WILL BE TRAINED AT KRIVOLAK'The location Krivolak might be constantly used for special NATO units to be trained for actions in case of disasters,' said Macedonian Defense Minister Blagoj Hanjiski for A-1 Television. He denied the speculations that this military polygon would be made a NATO or USA base.Referring to nuclear installations, Hanjiski said Macedonian stand was the same as that of NATO, i.e. that the existing installations were sufficient to perform the functions needed. [05] FAREWELL VISIT OF TORE BOGHChief of OSCE Mission to Macedonia Tore Bogh paid a farewell visit to Macedonian Prime Minister Branko Crvenkovski yesterday. They discussed the current political situation in the country and in the region, and emphasized the importance of the presence of OSCE. As Macedonian Radio reported, Mr. Bogh positively viewed the situation in Macedonia in comparison with other countries in the region, saying that the country was quickly moving forward toward integrating with European and international institutions.[06] CRVENKOVSKI AT 'CRAN MONTANA' FORUMMacedonian Prime Minister Branko Crvenkovski is leading the delegation which will attend this year's forum 'Cran Montana', beginning today. High officials of over 40 countries in the world are expected to participate in the forum, and Macedonian delegation is going to take part in several plenary sessions and to have a number of bilateral meetings.[07] CANADA MIGHT RECOGNIZE MACEDONIA TILL THE END OF JUNE'Canadian Government should decide about the recognition of Macedonia till the end of June or at the beginning of July,' said Canadian Foreign Minister Lloyd Asworthy to the representatives of Macedonian Community in Canada. According to Macedonian Radio, he said there were no reasons for Canada not to recognize FYROM, as it was the only former Yugoslav Republic which became independent peacefully. After these talks, Macedonian Community representatives decided to postpone the planned peaceful protest in front of the Parliament in Ottawa and to wait for the final decision of Canadian Prime Minister Jean Cartienne about the recognition.In the meantime, Prof. d-r Harold Drac from Toronto University, a well-known expert in uro-gynecology, was made an honored professor at the University 'St. Cyril and St. Methodius' in Skopje yesterday. [08] JANACHKOVIC WILL HAND THE CREDENTIALS TODAYMacedonian media reported yesterday that the newly appointed extraordinary and plenipotentiary Ambassador of FR Yugoslavia to Macedonia will hand the accreditive letters to the Macedonian Foreign Minister Frchkovski today.Janachkovic was received by the Serbian President Slobodan Miloshevic before leaving for Skopje, when the importance of improving the good neighbourly relations between Belgrade and Skopje, as well as the interest in the economic and cultural cooperation as a segment of the stability in the region were emphasized. Janachkovic also met with FR Yugoslav President Zoran Lilic and Prime Minister Radoe Kontic. A-1 Television reminded yesterday that the newly appointed Yugoslav Ambassador to Macedonia used to be a Head of Yugoslav Secret Service, and that the initially proposed candidate from Montenegro was rejected, due to Miloshevic's insisting. [09] AMERICAN PRESSURE ON SERBIA'USA will not abolish the sanctions on FR Yugoslavia until Kosovo Albanians are not given a greater autonomy,' said Anthony Lake, National Security Counselor of US president Bill Clinton. Macedonian media reported Lake's statement that Washington considered Kosovo an exclusive zone and that Serbia was warned in 1992 that it would have to confront with an American response in case it jeopardized the peace in this province.Macedonian Radio reported that information about the armed attacks in Kosovo were being put aside not only by Serbian, but by Albanian media also. Belgrade estimated, however, that peaceful solving of Kosovo issue did not suit either Albanian extremists or their supporters. On the other hand, Kosovo papers in Albanian reported about a mass Serbian repression in Poduevo (where a Serbian policeman was murdered last Sunday), emphasizing the brutality of Serbian police. Serbian Resistance Movement from Kosovo asked from Serbian Government to abolish the recently introduced temporary measures in Poduevo, as the most successful Serbian municipality in Kosovo was jeopardize by it. Serbian daily 'Telegraph' read recently that the new terrorist actions in Kosovo were a response of 'the most militant circles of the Albanian separatist movement' to the 'Serbian occupation police' and that it would not stop until Kosovo is liberated. Meanwhile, Macedonian Radio reported the suggestion of Serbian Academy of Science and Arts to divide Kosovo into a Serbian and an Albanian part, which was severely criticized by Serbian Internal Affairs Minister Vukashin Jokanovic. [10] ABOLISHING THE SEA BLOCKADE ON FORMER YU-REPUBLICSNATO and EU announced that they would abolish the blockade on former Yugoslav republics naval forces in Adriatic Sea, which have been in force five years already, reported Macedonian media yesterday. The decision was a result of the UN decision to abolish the arms embargo to the countries of former SFRY.[11] DRAFT LAW ON LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT BODIESMacedonian Government yesterday passed the Proposal for passing a Law on election bodies of local self-government units. As the Law on Local Self-Government is already in effect and due to the decision of the Constitutional Court to abolish some entries of the Law on Elections, Macedonian Government decided to adopt a new text, based on the following principles: de-centralization and de-concentration of governing; democratic freedom of decision; and direct participation of the citizens in decision making process.The new Law completely regulates the conditions for electing councils members and mayors, who would be elected freely and directly. It is suggested council members to be elected by the proportional principle, and mayors by majority principle. The Law sets the conditions the candidates should fulfill, regulates the freedom and secrecy of elections, separates the functions Council Member and Mayor, etc. Also, it is suggested the local elections to be scheduled by Parliament President every fourth year. The Law regulates how should the candidates be proposed by political parties and by citizens, and how should the elections be carried out. [12] SENTENCES FOR 'TETOVO UNIVERSITY' PROFESSORS REDUCEDDistrict Court of Skopje yesterday reduced the sentences of 'Tetovo university' rector Fadil Suleimani, and of Nevzat Halili, Miljaim Fejzi and Musli Halili, which were brought by Tetovo Municipal Court. The sentence of Suleimani was reduced from two and a half to one year imprisonment, of Nevzat Halili from one and a half to one year, of Miljaim Fejzi from six to four months and of Musli Halili from eight to three months imprisonment.[13] THREE SMUGGLERS OF 'OSMIUM 187' ARRESTEDMacedonian Internal Affairs Ministry yesterday informed that three persons who smuggled 20g of 'osmium 187' from FR Yugoslavia to Macedonia were arrested last week. 'Osmium 187' is a heavy metal mostly used in the mechanical and chemical industry, which costs DM 25,000 a gram. The smugglers (two of them Macedonian citizens from villages near Tetovo and one from Radovish) were arrested while they were trying to find a buyer in Macedonia, and Internal Affairs Ministry believes that the final destination was far away from Macedonia.[14] DENIAL OF HEALTH PROTECTION INSTITUTEHealth Protection Institute of Skopje yesterday denied the information of A-1 television that four rivers flowing through Skopje were enormously polluted. The denial said these rivers were classified at the fourth group not because of the presence of iron and permanganate, but due to the increased quantity of suspended materials.[15] NEW ORGANISATION OF AEGEAN MACEDONIA SUCCESSORSPromotional meeting of Organisation of Macedonians - Successors of Aegean Part of Macedonia, took place in Bitola these days. A Statute of the Organisation was passed and the programme of further activities was presented to the guests from abroad, political parties and Macedonian Church representatives. An Agreement on Cooperation with similar associations in Macedonia and on joining their Union was also signed.[16] 'SKOPJE SUMMER FESTIVAL' BEGINS WITH A PREMIERE OF 'ALEXANDER THE GREAT''This year's 'Skopje Summer Festival' will be officially opened with a premiere of the play 'Alexander the Great', written by Jean Rassin and directed by Violeta Dzoleva, tomorrow evening in 'Univerzalna Sala',' was announced yesterday. 'Skopje Summer Festival' will last till August 6, until when many theatre, ballets, concerts and movie marathon premieres of over 80 films will take place.MILS SUPPLEMENT[17] 'The Name at European Terrain'('Nova Makedonija', 20 June 1996)One issue, maybe of a technical nature for the EU, but essential for the Republic of Macedonia, postponed the Cooperation Agreement signing for an indefinite future time, if not canceled it completely. That issue was neither the 'regional approach' nor the 'evolution clause' adding. It was the name of our country which was to be cited in the Agreement. Macedonian negotiators refused to sign a document in which Macedonia was addressed to as FYROM. It was easy to suppose, at the very beginning of the negotiations, that the name would provoke problems. The first one to mention it was European Commissioner Van den Broek, expressing the illogical situation in which the Union was put - to negotiate on a cooperation with a country, but not under its Constitutional name, but under a name of a 'former republic' of an officially non-existing state. The name was predestined to become an obstacle due to a very simple reason named Greece. Its representatives in the European Commission, as Macedonian negotiators had noticed, were the most careful and the most numerous observers of the negotiations, with an obvious task to prevent anything to be stated in the Agreement that could 'prejudice' the Macedonian-Greek talks in New York about differences on the name. That was the aim of the atmosphere created by Athens in Brussels before the negotiations start, claiming that a solution for the name issue was at hand in New York. The latest accusations of Athens that Macedonia was, allegedly, breaking the Interim Accord with its firm stand about the name, as well as its one-sided straining of relations by discouraging the Greek entrepreneurs in their cooperation with the northern neighbour, obviously had the same aim. Greece is aware that it had began 'the war' with Macedonia about the name inside Europe and lost it, despite the solidarity of its partners in the Union, at the time when our country's independence was fresh, when it was still internationally unrecognized and without any friends or support. Now, it has even smaller chances to win the 'battle'. It does not mean, however, that we should expect from Athens to give up the irrational dispute it has imposed to itself and to us and to let us negotiate with the world normally. On the contrary. It will continue to break the Interim Accord by using Article 11 which reads that Greece 'has the right to negotiate about the membership of Macedonia in international, multilateral and regional institutions and organisations under any other name than FYROM'. The insisting of Macedonian delegation in Brussels on the Constitutional name was news for many, understood as a kind of our more confident and 'more aggressive' performance in front of the international community. It certainly impressed the domestic public, but it is 'new' only because this time a great noise was made about it, thanks to Greece. The truth is that our officials have not signed a single document in which our country was named otherwise than 'Republic of Macedonia'. In all international agreements made so far, in which Macedonia was addressed as 'FYROM', our country had always came out with a note of 'the Government of the Republic of Macedonia'. That is how the relations with the World Bank, IMF and other organisations were regulated. When the name appeared as a problem again in Brussels, Macedonian delegation offered a similar formula, but was prepared not to sign the Agreement in case of rejection. Not that we are not interested to make the 'first step to the associating with the Union', but an incredible damage would have been done if the document was signed under the reference 'FYROM'. It would have been a voluntary agreeing to the changing of the name of our country and our nation. (end)mils news 20 June, 1996Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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