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MILS NEWS 96-10-08Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: "Macedonian Information Liaison Service" <mils@mils.spic.org.mk>CONTENTS
MILS SUPPLEMENTMILS NEWSSkopje, 08 October, 1996[01] OPENING OF MILITARY OFFICES IN SKOPJE AND BELGRADE AGREEDMacedonian Defense Ministry yesterday officially announced that Macedonian and Yugoslav Defense Ministers, Blagoj Handziski and Pavle Bulatovic had met yesterday in Nis, FR Yugoslavia. The meeting had been attended by representatives of Army Headquarters of both countries, as well as by the Ambassadors Slavko Milosavlevski and Zoran Janachkovic. According to the announcement, the participants had agreed on opening of military representative offices both in Belgrade and Skopje soon, which would be the first move in the improving of defense cooperation. Also, both parties had expressed a maximum readiness to develop measures of reaching mutual confidence and agreed to exchange personal and other documents in order to regulate the status of Macedonian Army officers and military pensioners, who used to work in the former Yugoslav National Army. Also, it was agreed that authorities in Defense Ministries would give all the necessary assistance to the Macedonian-Yugoslav Commission for Border Line Establishing.The announcement said nothing about the previous information of Belgrade agency 'Beta', according to which the Yugoslav party was to suggest to Macedonia to be given a part of Yugoslav Army military equipment, which FRY is obliged with the Dayton Accord to destroy. Meanwhile, A-1 Television reported that this idea had been for the first time promoted by the Yugoslav representatives during the recent talks in Brussels between former SFRY successors and the mediator Sir Arthur Wots. As alleged, Macedonia had rejected the proposal, explaining that the weapons were not corresponding to the standards of NATO and 'Partnership for Peace' Programme. [02] BELGRADE OPTIMISTIC, ZAGREB RESERVED'Macedonian-FR Yugoslav Agreement on Free Trade, which came in force yesterday, will bring to an enlarged goods exchange and employment in the industrial capacities of both countries,' General Secretary of the Yugoslav Economic Chamber Boshko Markovic had stated yesterday in Belgrade. He said the value of goods exchange with Macedonia might increase to over $400 million, which would be twice more than the value realized during the first eight months of this year.The above mentioned Agreement, on the other hand, had provoked reserved reactions of national media in Croatia. There had been even suspicions that it might be seed of a renewal of former Yugoslav integrations. Zagreb daily 'Vesnik' had estimated, according to 'Nova Makedonija', that the Agreement was coming in force at a time when various ideas of new integrations and of reestablishing of former Yugoslavia were given new forms. Macedonian media reported that the Agreement was not applied yesterday at the Macedonian-FR Yugoslav border crossings, i.e. that the previous regime had still been applied. Unofficially, the reason for that was that no instructions had been sent to customs administrations to start with the new regime. [03] 'TA NEA': GREECE WILL DEMAND A DEFINITE TERM FOR ACCOMPLISHING OF NEW YORK TALKSMedia reported yesterday that Macedonian and Greek Ambassadors Ivan Toshevski and Hristos Zaharakis yesterday had continued the talks on the name issue in New York, with mediation of Cyrus Vance. A-1 Television reported that the next round of talks would take place on Monday in Geneva.Greek paper 'Ta Nea' read that Greek party was supposed to ask from Cyrus Vance to set a definite term for ending the Athens-Skopje negotiations, since Greece considered that the northern neighbour only was gaining from postponing of the solution. According to the paper, the number of foreign media that were referring to 'Skopje' as 'Macedonia' was increasing. Further on, it claimed that Vance had agreed that the negotiations should be ended as soon as possible, but that Gligorov would not accept the formula of a triple name. The maximum which Greece would accept would be the following formula: Macedonia to be referred to as 'New Macedonia' in the UN, a second name for internal usage, and a third name which would be chosen by Greece in the bilateral communication, 'Ta Nea' read. [04] GREEK INVESTMENTS IN MACEDONIAN PUBLIC SECTORMacedonian Development Minister Abdulmenaf Bedzeti had a meeting with Head of the Greek Liaison Office in Macedonia Alexandros Mallias yesterday in Skopje, and with Dimitris Platis, a Director of the Economic Bilateral Cooperation Department of Greek Foreign Ministry. Macedonian Radio reported that they had discussed possible investments in the public sector of Macedonia, and Greek representatives had expressed their readiness to invest in certain areas, mostly in transport and power and water supply. Platis had notified that a meeting with Greek investors would be realized at the beginning of the following months.[05] TITLE OF HONORARY Ph.D. OF LAW HANDED TO BADENTEURMr. Robert Badenteur was handed the title of an honorary Ph.D. of Law, for special and permanent merits in the areas of law, constitutional and political system and his significant public activities yesterday at the University of 'St. Cyril and Methodius' in Skopje. This was recently decided to be done by the University Senate. Badenteur was given the reward by the University Rector Radmila Kiprijanova, and the event was attended by Macedonian President Kiro Gligorov, Prime Minister Branko Crvenkovski and other eminent individuals.Kiprijanova said the scientific work of Badenteur was constantly present in Macedonian law. She added that it had become especially important at the beginning of 1992, when he, then being the President of the EU Arbitrage Commission, had took the side of the history, science and justice and had declared that the Republic of Macedonia was fulfilling all the conditions to be recognized as an independent country. Badenteur's work 'Death Sentence' was promoted yesterday at the Faculty of Law in Skopje, a book by which he had greatly influenced the abolishing of this kind of a sentence in France. [06] INTERNATIONAL MEETING ON PREVENTIVE DIPLOMACY IN SKOPJE'Preventive Diplomacy Programme - Theory and Practice' will be the subject of the international meeting that will take place from 16 to 19 October, 1996, in Skopje. It has been organized by the Norwegian Institute for International Issues (NUPI), in cooperation with UNPREDEP, OSCE, Democracy Center from Washington and Macedonian Foreign Ministry. Announcement of UNPREDEP, sent to the media, said that the meeting would be financially supported by the governments of Japan, Norway, Switzerland and Sweden, as well as by the German Foundations 'Fridrih Ebert' and the family Furt from the USA.About 60 academics and other scientists from Macedonia and abroad will present their reports at the meeting, while the strategies of pre-conflict situations, initiated by the UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros Ghali report 'Agenda for Peace', is expected to be in the focus of the interest. The main work entitled 'Preventing a Conflict: from Rhetoric to Reality' will be presented by Norwegian Foreign Secretary Ian Egeland. Macedonian Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Ljubomir Frchkovski, and of Defense, Blagoj Handziski, are also expected to address the participants. [07] BULGARIAN TV: 'BULGARIANS LIVE IN MALA PRESPA'Bulgarian National Television emitted a documentary film titled 'Bulgarians in Albania', which message was that Bulgaria should do everything in its power to protect the 'Bulgarians' in Mala Prespa and Golo Brdo in Albania, 'Makfax' agency reported. In the interviews made with the inhabitants of these two settlements, the author had made an attempt to show the 'Bulgarian ethnic character' of the people who live there, or at least to force them to state that Macedonians are Bulgarians and that they speak the same language. According to the information, special attention was paid to some young people from these villages who had been educated for free in Bulgaria during the last three years.[08] RADIO TIRANA: 'UNIVERSITY OF TETOVO' - A REASON FOR CONTINUING THE UNPREDEP MANDATEOne of the main reasons which made Boutros Boutros Ghali to ask from the UN Security Council to extend the mandate of UNPREDEP in Macedonia were the ethnic tensions in the country, especially in terms of demands of ethnic Albanians to establish their own university. According to 'Makfax', this was reported by Radio Tirana the day before yesterday, in context of UN Secretary General's report by which he supported the continuation of the mandate of UNPREDEP in Macedonia.[09] ACTIVITIES FOR IMPROVING THE CONDITIONS IN HEALTH CAREA new humanitarian package for the Macedonian Health Care, about DM 500.000 worth, has arrived in the Republic of Macedonia these days. It was organized by Ms. Flora Kraut, who was born in Macedonia and currently lives and works in Germany. The donation includes medical equipment, hospital furniture, disposable medical materials and over 5,5 tones of medicines. According to 'Vecer' daily, the value of the already sent donations to Macedonia in organization of Flora Kraut has reached a value higher than DM 25 million.The first basic course in arthroscopy started at the Department for Orthopedics in the Clinical Centre of Skopje last Friday. Experts from Macedonia and also from Germany, Slovenia, FR Yugoslavia and Bulgaria took part in it. The general goal of the course was training of staff in a new diagnostic and surgery method in orthopedics and traumatology, which is more practiced in the treatment of traumas and diseases of knees and ankles. At the seminar on the subject of 'Education and Perspectives in the Blood Donation', which was held in Mavrovo during last weekend, it was concluded that during the process of transformation of the Department for Transfusion in Macedonia a new and unique centre is necessary to be formed, which would make a complete insight in the control, deposit and distribution of the blood. It had also been concluded that the blood donation marketing needed a new concept, with a special accent on the changing of the treatment of blood donators, as well as the education of population about the specifics of this branch. The first Macedonian Congress of Cardiology will be held in Ohrid from tomorrow until 12 October, and will be attended by over 300 cardiologists from Macedonia and abroad. Over 400 works from the branch of cardiology will be presented, in which conditions of this medical branch in Macedonia will be treated and the latest achievements in the international cardiology will be presented. [10] VMRO-DPMNE, DP AND MAAK-CP AGREED ON JOINT APPEARANCE'VMRO-DPMNE, the Democratic Party and MAAK-Conservative Party yesterday in Skopje signed an Agreement on Basic Principles for Electoral Cooperation at Local Elections '96', Macedonian media reported. The first part of the Agreement, as alleged, determines the essential principles according to which VMRO-DPMNE and DP will make decisions together about the range and character of participation of other political subjects in the process of the electoral cooperation, nominate candidates for mayors and organize their own party lists with a possibility to have joint ones in some municipalities. The second part of the Agreement contains the list of municipalities in which VMRO-DPMNE, DP and MAAK-CP will appoint candidates for mayors, and the third part is in fact the document by which MAAK-CP is joining the electoral coalition. It is stated that VMRO-DPMNE and DP will have candidates for mayors in 41 municipalities each, while MAAK-CP will have its candidates in 11 municipalities.Democratic Party leader Petar Goshev said the main principle was to avoid competition, i.e. all three parties to back the candidates, no matter which party had nominated them. Ljupcho Georgievski, VMRO-DPMNE President, said that coalition arrangements had began before the elections in 1994, but it had been raised to a higher level by creating a new political force in Macedonia. MAAK-CP leader Strasho Angelovski stated that the signal of the 220,000 signatures collected that 'this government is unwanted' would be realized through the local elections and that the opposition would now win. [11] ANDOV: 'MACEDONIAN FOREIGN POLICY IS NOT HARMONIZED'In an interview he made for the Greek paper 'Elefterotipia', Liberal Party President Stojan Andov had stated that 'there were some difficulties in the relations lately, but that they were of an inside-party character and were not expressing the will of Macedonian people', referring to Greek-Macedonian relations. As A-1 Television quoted parts of the interview, Andov had said that the difficulties might be overcome if Macedonian Government would calm down the situation and encourage the cooperation with Greece. In terms of political clashes inside the country, Andov had stated that 'it was obvious that there were serious disagreements between the cabinets of President Gligorov and of the Government'.The reporter of 'Elefterotipia' explained in the text that Andov was avoiding to state the name of the current Macedonian Foreign Affairs Minister Ljubomir Frchkovski, 'whom he had criticized many times because of his political mistakes'. [12] PASSPORT VARIANT OFFERED IS HUMILIATING FOR MACEDONIANS FROM THE AEGEAN PARTThe Association of Macedonians from the Aegean Part of Macedonia, seated in Bitola, had announced yesterday that its members disagreed with the recent solution for the problem with their entering Greece. Namely, the solution was to erase the place of birth of those citizens who were born in Greece and to state 'Republic of Greece' instead. The announcement further said, according to Macedonian Television, that this kind of solution was extremely humiliating both for those citizens and for the Macedonian nation in general.MILS SUPPLEMENT[13] 'Foreign Observers Will Monitor the Elections'('Nova Makedonija', 8 October, 1996)Local elections in the Republic of Macedonia, which will take place on 17 November, 1996, will be monitored by foreign observers of several international organizations and associations. OSCE and the American National Democratic Institute have already notified their participation. State Electoral Commission informed us that the Law on Local Elections allows to observers free movement throughout Macedonia and following of pre- electoral activities and of the voting. Not a single association has so far officially required the documents needed, but in case they do so, the State Electoral Commission would provide the documents in accordance with the Law and the international treaties ratified by Macedonia. Head of OSCE Mission to Macedonia Christian Faber Rod told Macedonian Parliament President Tito Petkovski that representatives of the Organization for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, seated in Warsaw, would monitor the local elections, describing the latter as 'a positive step forward of the further democratization of Macedonia'. National Democratic Institute (NDI) from Washington, these days also announced that it would have its representatives to monitor the elections. This institution became known to the public with its suggestions and proposals in the designing of the Law on Local Elections, which were mostly included in the text. NDI will have an expert group made of three members, who will examine the process of preparing the elections and the 'progress the Government had made', by pointing out immediately before the elections what should be corrected, i.e. improved. As they informed us, the delegation made of Ms. Deborah Seller - an expert for technical- administrative matters of elections, Mr. Tom Kelly - an expert for political parties and a leader of Social- Democratic and Laborite Party of Northern Ireland, and Mr. Carlos Flores Hubeirez, a Professor of Comparative Constitutional Law and Electoral Systems at the University of Valencia, will make a report on their opinions about the elections in Macedonia, which would be available both for the Government and for all the interested parties. About twenty days ago, announcing the date of the local elections, Tito Petkovski said that although Macedonia was not obliged to invite observers to elections, as a member of the Council of Europe, 'we would not mind their attendance'. In fact, the international monitoring by foreign associations and national organizations engaged in protection of human rights and freedom, is included in the recently passed Law on Local Elections, as well. It is well known that the parliamentarian and local elections in 1990 and the parliamentarian ones in 1994 were also followed by a great number of observers from many international associations, which was required by the Macedonian Government in order to provide a democratic atmosphere for carrying out the elections. (end)mils news 08 October, 1996Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |