MILS NEWS 96-10-21

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From: "Macedonian Information Liaison Service" <mils@mils.spic.org.mk>

CONTENTS

[01] MINISTER FRCHKOVSKI - A NEW STAGE IN A MORE SOPHISTICATED STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE

[02] THE POSITIVE IMPACT OF THE MACEDONIAN MODEL

[03] PRESIDENT GLIGOROV: THE EUROPEAN OPTION A GOAL FOR ALL BALKAN STATES

[04] INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION INCREASED COMPARED TO AUGUST

[05] 'VECCER' - BUDGET DOES NOT MEET DEMANDS

[06] THE ALBANIAN QUESTION ON THE AUSTRALIAN RADIO-NETWORK

[07] FINDINGS OF THE WHO ON 'TETOVO POISONING' ARE NOT TO BE EXPECTED BEFORE TWO WEEKS

[08] MORE ANONYMOUS BOMB THREATS THROUGHOUT SKOPJE SCHOOLS

[09] THE PEDAGOGICAL FACULTY IN SKOPJE - BOYCOTTING CLASSES AS A MEANS OF POLITICAL PROPAGANDA PRIOR TO ELECTIONS

[10] 18 CANDIDATES FOR MAYOR POSITION IN SKOPJE

MILS SUPPLEMENT

[11] 'A Serious Precedent' ('Dnevnik', 18th October,1996)

MILS NEWS

[01] MINISTER FRCHKOVSKI - A NEW STAGE IN A MORE SOPHISTICATED STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE

those were the words of Mr. Ljubomir Frchkovski, the Macedonian Minister of Foreign Affairs, during a lecture at the Institute of National History in Skopje adding that a great deal of attention should be also dedicated to this circumstance in the future. Assessing the strategic position of Macedonia with regard to international relations as mainly favourable - particularly with respect to its adjoining neighbours - Minister Frchkovski stressed that with respect to our southern neighbour certain issues should be given priority status through the formation of some sort of unofficial commissions on legal_criminal, historical and economic matters. According to the head of the Macedonian Diplomatic Corps, the Greek-Macedonian Agreement is one of the most elaborate and most liberal documents Greece has ever signed with any other country. The intensifying of bilateral relations should, furthermore, by a priority issue to both countries - regardless of the fact that some differences may remain 'permanent'.

As far as relations with Bulgaria are concerned, Mr. Frchkovski emphasised that the latter had been the first state to recognise Macedonia - and that it had been representing a 'window towards the world' throughout the embargo-era. With respect to the language issue, Frchkovski expressed his hopes that there are realistic possibilities to overcome this problem in the nearest future.

Among other things Mr. Frchkovski also gave a retrospective summary on transitional processes in the country, assessing them as more successful than those being carried out in other post-communist countries - especially when one bears in mind the heterogeneity of its people and different economic and political blockades.

[02] THE POSITIVE IMPACT OF THE MACEDONIAN MODEL

The Minister also emphasised Macedonia's endorsement of the prolongation of UNPREDEP's mandate in Macedonia after the 30th November. The reasons for this - according to the media - are to be found in the current situation in Bosnia and the possibility of a rekindling of hostilities; Kosovo and the fact that it represents a permanent threat to peace and stability in Macedonia, as well as the fact that Macedonia's defense potential in still not sufficient to provide successful deterrence of external aggression.

Minister Frchkovski also announced that preparations are being made in Macedonia to host the International Forum on the Europeanisation of the Balkans on Coexistence, which is to be held in January next year. According to Mr. Frchkovski, this event will also be attended by the UN Secretary-General Boutros-Ghali, besides several EU member-states foreign secretaries.

[03] PRESIDENT GLIGOROV: THE EUROPEAN OPTION A GOAL FOR ALL BALKAN STATES

President Gligorov expressed his content regarding the genesis of bilateral relations, and dwelled on the endeavours made by Macedonia to affiliate itself to European organisations and institutions. On this occasion Gligorov stressed that this was being done to facilitate the victory of the European option in all Balkan states.

[04] INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION INCREASED COMPARED TO AUGUST

[05] 'VECCER' - BUDGET DOES NOT MEET DEMANDS

[06] THE ALBANIAN QUESTION ON THE AUSTRALIAN RADIO-NETWORK

According to 'Veccer' this was part of a statement made by the head of the Balkans and Near East Dept. of the Albanian Foreign Office during a broadcast of the national Australian radio-network on the position of the Albanian ethnicity in Macedonia. The broadcast also delved into numerous complaints of Albanians in Macedonia concerning the frequent breech of human rights - and interviewees included the self-proclaimed rector of the 'Tetovo- University' Fadilj Sulejmani.

Such findings and statements entailed reactions of the Macedonian Council of Western Australia which forwarded notes of protest to the Australian national media and the Australian government. These notes stress the fact that Mr. Sulejmani himself - as well as most of the Albanians - had moved to Macedonia from Kosovo throughout the last three decades, as well as the fact that even in Macedonia the Albanian ethnicity has its own publications and radio and TV air time, private radio and TV stations - and active representatives within the Macedonian government.

'Such statements are only conducive to the tightening of traditionally good inter ethnic relations in Macedonia. Any problems of the country should be resolved within the bounds of the legal system, the constitution and appropriate institutions - and not through international media' says one section of the Council's release.

[07] FINDINGS OF THE WHO ON 'TETOVO POISONING' ARE NOT TO BE EXPECTED BEFORE TWO WEEKS

[08] MORE ANONYMOUS BOMB THREATS THROUGHOUT SKOPJE SCHOOLS

[09] THE PEDAGOGICAL FACULTY IN SKOPJE - BOYCOTTING CLASSES AS A MEANS OF POLITICAL PROPAGANDA PRIOR TO ELECTIONS

The management claims that it had been explained to the Albanian students at the beginning of the academic year that instruction at the faculty was to be carried out in Macedonian, except in the case of a few subjects - such as Albanian Language and Literature, the Methodology of Language, Pedagogical Practice, Sociology, Philosophy and Logics. On Friday the dean of the faculty stated that excesses of this kind could no longer be tolerated, and that this issue would soon be codified by the Bill on Tertiary Education.

In order to mark the transfer of the 'management' of the 'Tetovo University': Fadilj Sulejmani, Musli Hazimi and Nevzat Halili from Tetovo prison to penitentiary institutions in Bitola, Prilep and Shtip the 'rectorial council' held a and the 'students' of the 'Tetovo University' held a press conference last Friday. During the latter they expressed their protest concerning this transfer, as well as several instances of the incorrect treatment of the prisoners by authorities. Journalists were also informed of the preparation of a petition signed by all university employees and students stating their protest, their demand to release the prisoners with regard to matters concerning the 'Tetovo University'. It was further said that the petition would be submitted to all national and international institutions in Macedonia.

[10] 18 CANDIDATES FOR MAYOR POSITION IN SKOPJE

As media reports state the Social-Democratic Alliance kicked off its election campaign in Bitola where it presented its 108 candidates for mayor positions. The campaign launched under the motto 'Everything for You, Everything for Macedonia. Always ahead!' was endorsed by the head of the party - and the current PM of Macedonia - Mr. Branko Crvenkovski. The latter stressed that the essential future task of the party would be the development of a sound economy and an increase of standard. This was followed by an invitation to the'winning team' consisting of Parliamentary Chair Tito Petkovski, Vice-PM Jane Miljoski, Defense Secretary Blagoj Handziski, Foreign Secretary Ljubomir Frchkovski, Civil Engineering Secretary Jorgo Shundovski, Party Secretary Ljubomir Popovski MP Aleksandar Geshtakovski and a representative of the party youth to join him on stage.

The impending meeting of the three largest oppositional parties; the Liberal Party, the Democrat Party and IMRO- DPMNE with state organisations in charge of staging local elections did not take place according to yesterday's copy of 'Nova Makedonija'. Thus oppositional parties were unable to submit their own comments. Positive responses to their request for a meeting had come from Mr. Vlado Popovski, the Minister of Justice and from Mr. Trifun Tashevski - whereas the National Electoral Commission denied their request. A common finding of all three oppositional parties was that the lists of registered voters are in a state of absolute chaos, i.e. the lists were the same used throughout the '94 elections, that they had not been updated and therefore lacked two entire generations ('95 and '96) of voters.

Others questions posed concerned the final figure of registered voters in Macedonia, in each municipality, the issue on which organisation would be entitled to publicise this figure, when and where poll stations would be determined, why copies of the general register of voters could not be obtained, how the election procedures in the Diaspora should be codified ... All three oppostional parties - according to the already mentioned source - consider that their candidates are being pressured, and they request the presence of international monitors throughout local elections. The Vice-Chair of IMRO-CPMNE, Ms. Dosta Dimova, lists representatives of the OSCE, the European Council and of the EU member-states as possible monitors. Representatives of the LP, the DP and IMRO-DPMNE assessed that the issue is no longer whether elections are going to be democratic and fair - but whether they are going to be statutory at all.

MILS SUPPLEMENT

[11] 'A Serious Precedent'

('Dnevnik', 18th October,1996)

The Romanovce case lasted 45 days and culminated in a ruling symbolising the defeat of the legal state...The 'poisoning' in Tetovo schools has been going on for several months. In both cases the Minister of education did not think it necessary to visit these two instances of our inflamed educational and political reality. With the unexpected and forced decision to transfer 'the teacher of Romanovce', announced by the head teacher, the legal state suffered a total defeat in this village of the Kumanovo municipality. After 45 days of negotiating irrational demands by a group of parents prevailed... and so did spitefulness and primitiveness, whereas fundamental social values such as coexistence, equality and non- discrimination have been shaken considerably.

The 22 primary pupils of the combined class (incl. Macedonian children and those affiliated to different ethnicities - note of transl.) which had been receiving instruction in Macedonian, boycotted school upon insistence of their parents. So far they have worked off only three days throughout this school year. Instead of them battling the prescribed curricula contents, those children have been taught the wrong lesson by their parents: the one on how to discriminate people, on how to generate and spread hatred, on how to invade the privacy of others, on how to judge somebody based on her_his 'dubious denomination' and on the inability to raise children 'in the spirit of Christianity'! Lessons much too difficult for first and third grade pupils who have just commenced their education... but this has been a choice made for them by adults.

Ms. Slavica Jakulovska - the main protagonist of the 'case Romanovce' - appears to be unsuitable to instruct pupils in Macedonian if one is to give e free interpretation of the head teacher's decision. Thus she has been transferred back to her old position as a Macedonian teacher of an Albanian class, this being in concordance to the demand of the parents of 22 pupils for whom the fact that a Macedonian married to a Turk could be a 'second mother' to their children seemed unacceptable! According to their viewpoints Jakulovska has not been a good pedagogue, spreading fear and terror among pupils with her pointer.

This has been enough of a reason to push through her suspension - at least when the well-being of their children is concerned. What has been forgotten in the meantime is that Ms. Jakulovksa has been the recipient of highest awards and commendations for her seven year long involvement at the 'Cyril and Methodius' Primary School in Romanovce by pupils, parents and educational authorities alike. The Romanovce teacher did not even obtain the necessary endorsement by the highest educational authority in time, so that the tremendous debacle of 45 days of boycott by initially 22 and then around 200 pupils (on Monday) had to be ended through an intervention by the head teacher of the school. This being done after the Ministry of Education and Physical Culture had left it to the head teacher (!?) to settle the matter on his own.

Eventually the latter, Mr. Jovica Dimkovski, according to the interview he gave our Kumanovo correspondent on Wednesday, 'realised that nobody wanted to deal with this burning issue, so that personal responsibility had to be assumed through the announced decision regarding the transfer' rather than things being handled by the authorities.

After 45 days since the settling of this unorthodox matter, the Ministry exhibited partial involvement by issuing a release of 5 to 6 lines reprimanding the initiative of the head teacher - and implying subsequent legal action to be taken to contest hid decision! In practice this most probably means the suspension of the head teacher who had found himself 'between a rock and a hard place'(i.e. the passive Ministry and the superbly active parents who even threatened to withdraw their children from school altogether) for more than a month - without wanting it to be so.

And yet the indolence of the Ministry of Education and Physical Culture, and its head Minister Sofija Todorova, have had a certain impact. Conditions for the enactment of a ruling as irrational as this one have been created - which might be conducive to the emergence of many more Gordian knots of this type throughout the entire country.

The transfer Ms. Jakulovska represents a dangerous precedent. One only has to consider how many educational workers there are in Macedonia who belong to one or another nationality, and who teach Macedonian children - as well as those receiving instruction in Albanian, Turkish or Serbian. Up to the present this has never represented a problem, but rather an achievement worth nurturing. Whether this will remain possible in the future, after 'the Romanovce case', increasingly becomes a question which can only be answered by hypothetical suppositions. By now it has become quite obvious that the cabinet management of a domain as extremely sensitive as education has not yielded the desired results.

Particularly in a country where education has become the hunting ground where pot shots are being taken at each other and the battle of interests prevails - especially those of a political nature, which are increasingly ascribed to the multiethnic Kumanovo region. After a period of dynamic and active problem-solving we are once again confronted with an utterly bureaucratic and inflexible Ministry - which not only fails to anticipate impending problems, but also misses to contribute to their denouement 'post festum'. One only has to remember the fact that the responsible Minister did not visit Romanovce even once throughout the 45 days of boycott... or the fact that during the aftermath of the poisoning incident in Tetovo it has not been deemed necessary to postpone an official visit to Warsaw, in order to obtain a first-hand impression. This void was immediately 'filled in' by the MPs of Tetovo who held an irregular session in order to bring about the suspension of instruction!

45 days nevertheless remain an extremely long period to transform an unusual problem into a 'case', which represents another precedent causing considerable unrest among educational workers. Such a thing could happen to literally everyone it would be enough to gather a crowd of twenty possessing an identical opinion - and in a jiffy any teacher could be branded unsuitable. The rest is history...

The Ministry of Education and Physical Culture failed to react in time. Considering that it did not anticipate the crises in Romanovce and the Tetovo area, it had more than enough time to respond to both situations in a manner expected of it by the public. So far this has not been done.

(end)

mils news 21 October, 1996

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