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MILS: News from the FYROM, 97-04-10Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: "Macedonian Information Liaison Service" <mils@mils.spic.org.mk>CONTENTS
MILS SUPPLEMENTMILS NEWSSkopje, 10 April, 1997[01] `UNPREDEP' REDUCTION IN FORCES COMPONENT TO BE DECIDED BY END OF THIS WEEKThe Macedonian radio reports that the UN Security Council is expected to adopt a Resolution which would temporarily suspend the Resolution ratified last November (concordant to which the number of UN troops in Macedonia is to be reduced), by the close of this week. This would practically represent the enacting of the recommendation aired by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan two days ago, as it had advised the suspension of the planned UNPREDEP troops reduction by 300 due to instability in Albania. In his recommendation to the Security Council Annan stated that this view was based on a request by the Macedonian Government and the opinion of his Special Envoy to Macedonia Henryk Sokalski.[02] PM CRVENKOVSKI IN GERMANYYesterday PM Branko Crvenkovski began his official visit to the Federal Republic of Germany, upon invitation of Federal Chancellor Helmut Kohl. MTV reports that in Berlin the Prime Minister had been received by Mayor Eberhard Diepgen, he signed the Golden Book of the city of Berlin and visited the construction site of the Macedonian Embassy (which should be finished by the end of May) in Germany. Crvenkovski also addressed the Association of German Businessmen for Cooperation with SE Europe, at the `Berlinger Bank', with a speech on `The Current Political and Economic Priorities of Macedonia'. On this occasion he delved into the problem of an increased trade deficit with Germany, at the same time advocating the intensifying of German investments in Macedonia.After this short visit to Berlin, the Macedonian PM returned to Bonn for a meeting with Finance Minister Theo Waigel, which was characterised by the signing of an agreement on re-programming the dues of Macedonia within the Former Yugoslav Federation towards Germany. Talks had further dwelled on promises of all-inclusive assistance by this country, which had been rendered to Macedonia so far as well, via a series of loans and other benefits. In the late evening hours PM Crvenkovski was also received by the management of the `Krupp' concern. Today he is to meet Chancellor Helmut Kohl and Bundestag Chairperson Rita Suessmuth. [03] FRCHKOVSKI / DE CHARET: `STRESS ON ALBANIAN TRAGEDY'The Head of Macedonian Diplomacy Ljubomir Frchkovski has been received by his French counterpart Herve De Charet and by the European Affairs Minister Michel Barnier yesterday.A-1 TV reports that according to De Charet talks had concentrated on the excellent bilateral cooperation, on the Albanian crisis threatening Macedonia and on French support and understanding of Macedonia's position. It has also been mentioned that France is deploying 1 000 troops to Albania as part of the multinational forces, in order to stabilise conditions in this country. De Charet further claimed that yesterday's meeting focused on projects involving the EU and Macedonia, i.e. on the draft of the Cooperation Agreement which is to be signed soon. In this context the French Foreign Secretary expressed his hope that this Agreement will be transformed into one outlining the associate membership of Macedonia in the EU at present - and its fully-fledged EU membership in the future. Other topics of discussion included security issues in Europe (i.e. the new security configuration defining the continent) and the interest of Macedonia to be admitted into NATO. De Charet once again restated the support his country was rendering to Macedonia in its endeavour to remain a factor of stability in the region, and to overcome the economic problems entailed by transition. After his stay in Paris Ljubomir Frchkovski is to depart for Brussels today, where he is to be received by the ambassadorial council of NATO, in order to promote the Macedonian request for membership in this organisation. Plans have also been made for the Macedonian Head of Diplomacy to meet Euro- Commissioner Hans Van Den Bruck. Talks should once again focus on the scheduled signing of the EU Cooperation Agreement in Luxembourg, on 29th April. [04] TRAINING OF MACEDONIAN MILITARY IN GERMANYDuring the second day of his visit to Macedonia, German Defence Secretary Volker Ruehe has met the Parliamentary Commissions for Foreign, for Internal Affairs and for Defence. The German official also visited the `Ilinden' garrison and the `St. Saviour's' church. As regards the signed Defence Cooperation Agreement, Ruehe stated for MTV that cooperation would mainly focus on the training of Macedonian military in Germany. He further underlined that several Macedonian officers had already stayed in German military academies, and the bilateral agreement made provisions for the training of 30 more Macedonian officers in the FRG. To this purpose present endeavours are to focus on the linguistic training of these officers - in order to render the study of military skills in Germany more efficient.[05] DUMA: `MACEDONIA CONSEQUENT IN IMPLEMENTING SECI INITIATIVE'Bulgarian `Duma' - paper of the country's Socialists - reported in yesterday's edition that Macedonia was growing into the executor of the US Initiative for Cooperation in SE Europe known by the acronym SECI, while retaining its reluctance towards the Bulgarian initiative on regional cooperation. Upon covering the `Royamount' Initiative Conference held in Skopje two days ago, the Sofia paper states that in spite of the fact that several countries have exhibited reluctance towards the US Initiative, Macedonia insisted upon its consequent implementation - awaiting Washington's support for NATO membership as the proverbial `quid' (`quid pro quo').[06] ELISABETH REHN: `MACEDONIA TO REMAIN PART OF HER MANDATE UNTIL SEPTEMBER AT LEAST'The Special Rapporteur to the UN Human Rights Commission for the Former Yugoslav Federation, Ms. Elisabeth Rehn, has recommended in her most recent report that Macedonia should remain part of her mandate until at least this September. It is common knowledge that the Macedonian Government has recently demanded the exemption of Macedonia from Rehn's mandate covering the constituents of the Former Yugoslav Federation, due to differences prevailing in our country with respect to the other former constituents.`Nova Makedonija' reports that the Rehn report highlighted the enacting of new legislation (Criminal Procedures Act, Civic and Executive Procedures Act, Law on Tertiary Education and the Radio Broadcasting Act) and irregularities in the implementation of the bill regulating the use of minority languages in education by authorities as key human rights issues in Macedonia, which have yet to be addressed. According to Rehn there are also further instances of police harassment, excessive use of force and the inviting of citizens to informative chats - all outside legal boundaries. In terms of minority rights Rehn has assessed the suspending of the 10% university admission quota for minorities as a positive change. Instead of this minorities have been granted percentages compliant to the size of the segment of the overall population each ethnicity constitutes. As regards recent protests against the PF-Bill Rehn considers that exhibited slogans reflected a lack of trust and patience of the Macedonian towards ethnic Albanians - sentiments which are undoubtedly being returned in the same fashion. In the end of her report Ms. Rehn recommends the remaining of Macedonia within her mandate, until evidence of a positive legislative development in comparison to last year has been obtained, i.e. by the end of this September. That month Ms. Rehn is to submit her final report to the Commission. Should there not be any unexpected occurrences, Rehn would consider the proposal of Macedonia to be excluded from her mandate. [07] INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORT AGREEMENT WITH BELORUSSIAThis Wednesday the Governments of the Republic of Belorussia and Macedonia have signed the Agreement Regulating International Transport, in Skopje. The paper codifies terms of passenger and goods transportation between both countries this year. It has been agreed that both countries are to be granted 2 000 permits for goods transport by freight vehicles, 50 permits for passenger transport by bus and 100 permits for transit entrance.Additional terms allow the increase of these limits, should this be necessary. [08] NEGOTIATIONS WITH `AUDI' CONTINUEA-1 TV reveals that the Macedonian Ministry of Finance has officially confirmed the receiving of a reply by German car manufacturer `AUDI', in which the management confirms its willingness to continue negotiations as regards the implementation of the `AUDI - Macedonia' project. Though no specific details are being mentioned in this response, A-1 TV claims that a new round of negotiations has been scheduled for the beginning of next week in Skopje. This TV station informed that its sources are implying that this kind of response signals the readiness of AUDI to make additional concessions during negotiations - once the same view had been aired by the Macedonian Government.[09] NEW PAYMENT FLOW CONCEPT AS OF 1ST JULYMacedonian bankers and NBM Governour Borko Stanoevski outlined the new concept on handling the domestic payment flow during a meeting yesterday. This new approach is to be implemented as of 1st July this year. It includes the partial transferring of duties from the National Payment Flow Institute to business banks. In the beginning this mainly applies to large transactions, whereas by the beginning of next year all operations are to be handled by banks.[10] LOWER PRICES AND BETTER MARKETING = SUCCESS ON BOSNIAN AGRICULTURAL MARKETThese days representatives of around 20 agricultural facilities have been visiting Sarajevo under the auspices of the Macedonian Chamber of Economy, in order to re- establish contacts with the Bosnian business sector.Yesterday's briefing on this visit confirmed Bosnian interest in Macedonian agricultural produce - particularly with respect to bakery products, vegetables, fruit and beverages. In the opinion of the Secretary of the Agriculture Dept. within the Chamber, Kiro Topuzovski, the competition for the placement of these goods in Bosnia & Hercegovina is tremendous - so that Macedonian producers would have to consider lowering prices and improving packaging, marketing, etc. Topuzovski stated that another handicap lay in the high customs duty rate of 15% for Macedonian agricultural produce, while the reciprocal rate in Macedonia amounts to 1%. [11] `TAT' BANKING SCANDAL: MERGING OF BOTH CLIENTS' ASSOCIATIONSThe Macedonian Radio reports that yesterday both Clients' Associations formed in the aftermath of the `TAT' banking scandal - headed by Mende Mladenovski and Ilija Nevenovski - have joined forces in Bitola yesterday. So far their activities differed in that respect that one association advocated the resolving of problems within the institutions of the system whereas the other favoured public protests. The only thing known so far is that both sides agreed that restitution should be based on contracts closed with the bank (with the inclusion of standard interest rates) - while special interest rates were not being considered. It has been agreed that investigations should be completed by 15th April, which will be followed by a seven-day deadline in which the Government has to come up with a final mode of client restitution. Both associations agreed to equally communicate with the Government.The request to release Bitola Mayor Siljan Micevski and his spouse - accused of being accomplices in the `TAT' banking scandal - from prison, has again been rejected by the DA of Bitola. This request had been justified with the argument that the largest part of investigations directed against the couple was completed. MTV reports that the Court of Bitola had set the bail at 280 000 DM, while everything the Micesvki family could offer (by mortgaging real estate assets) amounted to the value of app. 120 000 DM. The Executive Board of the nationally-owned `Electricity Supplies' facility of Macedonia has suspended Siljan Micevski from the position as its Chairman. the new Head and his Deputy are to be elected during the next session scheduled for next Monday. [12] FEEDBACK ON DECISIONS PASSED BY MINISTER FILIPCHEMacedonian media report that yesterday severe reactions were being forwarded to Health Minister Filipche (with regards to his decision to suspend three directors of public health facilities) by the Macedonian health sector.These decisions have been denoted as `personal assaults carried out against honest employees in the health sector... the last attempt of the drowning to grab the straw of nepotism and crime'. The heads of 15 public health care centers have threatened to submit their resignation - in support of Petar Chadikovski (now former head of the public health care centre in Skopje) - should Minister Filipche not reconsider and nullify his decision. [13] 2 000 000 ECU `PHARE' FUNDING FOR ECOLOGICAL PROJECTSThese days a `PHARE' Programme official has been visiting Skopje, in order to discuss several ecological projects (to be funded by this Programme) with representatives of the Macedonian Ministry of Urbanism, Civil Engineering and Environmental Protection. The projects (to be implemented this year) cover the institutional strengthening of the environmental protection system, the National Agenda on Waste Water Treatment, the disposal of solid waste, the management of waste disposal facilities in the country and the improving of drinking water quality. According to `Puls' all these projects are to be financed by 2 000 000 ECU of `PHARE' funds.MILS SUPPLEMENT[14] `Government to Stop Suspensions of Directors'(`Nova Makedonija' - 9th April 1997)The announced `sacrificial offering' of five key executives of Skopje's nationally-owned companies has generated a great number of categorical reactions within the Government of the Republic of Macedonia. It is threatening to grow into a genuine confrontation between local and national government. The latter is questioning the decisions of the former, as these have laid the foundations for the suspending of the directors of these nationally-owned facilities and postponed the election of functionaries within the Skopje City Council. At the same time the Government has announced the examining of the legitimacy of all acts brought on by the Skopje City Council at the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Macedonia. This measure questions the legitimacy of the City Council as an institution. The Government has opted for this step four months since the establishment of this Council. This practically embodies the governmental act of defiance with regards to the announced personnel changes in the country's capital. It may also be ascribed to the number / structure of city counsellors. The Executive Government considers the City Council legitimate if it is attended by all 39 counsellors: the 25 directly elected ones and the 14 delegated municipal counsellors - who represent a contentious category since the very forming of this Council. Should they be discarded, power would shift considerably. Thus the IMRO-DPMNE, DP & LP block would lose its majority status, being left with 19 votes. In opposition to this the 20 counsellors of the SDSM, IMRO-DP & PDP-NDP would be in the driving seat. This has been creating two different views: one favoured by the local government and advocated by Minister Vlado Popovski according to whom the Council may choose its leadership with only 25 counsellors (though Popovski clarified that this was merely his personal opinion - something ignored by the City Council which considers this an official view). The other has been supplied by the Legislative Parliamentary Commission, and it outlines that the chairperson, its deputy and the secretary may only be elected by all 39 counsellors (the 25 directly elected ones and the 14 municipal delegates of the seven Skopje municipal units). Therefore counsellors affiliated to the SDSM, SPM, DP & PDP-NDP have chosen to either boycott or leave all City Council sessions so far. This was followed by announcing suspensions, then by political / partisan bartering and debates on `splitting up' the five nationally-owned facilities. The results provided `executive armchairs' for the IMRO-DPMNE at the public transport facility `Skopje', at `Roads and Streets Networks' and of `Drisla' (waste disposal). In addition to this the PDPA counsellor had been offered two `slots' in exchange for his voice at `Parks and Garden Complexes' and `Water Supplies and Sewage Systems'. Rumour has it however, that the extraordinary, hastily scheduled City Council session which was to seal the fate of the old executive cadre, has been postponed suddenly - as one of the counsellors had not been pleased with his share of the cake. This immediately entailed the Government measure questioning the legitimacy of the City Council of Skopje, thus also questioning all decisions passed by this body so far. The last say is to remain with the Constitutional Court. CONSTITUTIONAL COURT: `ALL DECISIONS PASSED BY SKOPJE CITY COUNCIL ILLEGITIMATE' The City Council of Skopje may only adopt any decision in presence of all 39 counsellors... this means that all decisions passed so far are not legally binding, as all acts have been adopted on grounds of a 13 votes majority... This is the ruling passed by the Constitutional Court of Macedonia yesterday, based on the argument that all 39 counsellors enjoy an equal status, whether they belong to the 25 directly elected ones or to the 14 municipal representatives. (end)mils news 10 April 1997Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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