MILS: News from the FYROM, 97-05-14

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

CONTENTS

[01] INCIDENT AT MACEDONIAN-ALBANIAN BORDER

[02] PRACTICAL PART OF `RESCUER `97' COMMENCED

[03] IMRO-DPMNE REQUESTS DISSOLVING OF PARLIAMENT AND GOVERNMENT RESIGNATION

[04] IMRO-DPMNE: `SHOULD REQUESTS BE ADOPTED, THE MEETING WILL BE A CELEBRATION'

[05] LDP TO SUBMIT RESOLUTION ON ANNOUNCING EARLY ELECTIONS

[06] PARTIES ON THEIR PARTICIPATION AT THE `IMRO-DPMNE' MEETING

[07] SONJA NIKOLOVSKA WANTS 10 MILLION DM FROM THE STATE FOR `TAT' SANATION

[08] HUNGARIAN CUSTOMS OFFICERS DISCOVER 2 TONS OF DRUGS IN MACEDONIAN LORRY

[09] INVESTOR FOR `CHEBREN' HYDRO-ELECTRICITY PLANT WANTED

[10] MACEDONIA GRANTED MEMBERSHIP

[11] `EBRD' PURCHASING `MACEDONIAN TELECOMMUNICATIONS' STOCKS

[12] AS OF 1ST JULY PAYMENT FLOW HANDLED BY BUSINESS BANKS

[13] NBM: `NORMALIZATION OF DM EXCHANGE RATE AFTER HAVING REACHED 27.2 DENARS'

[14] GREEK SUPERMARKET CHAIN `VEROPOULOS' SOON IN MACEDONIA

[15] FIRST INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORT FAIR OPENED

[16] LAKE OHRID: `OF GLOBAL IMPORTANCE'

MILS SUPPLEMENT

[17] `Files Going to Europe' (`Vecher' - 13th May 1997)

MILS NEWS

Skopje, 14 April, 1997

[01] INCIDENT AT MACEDONIAN-ALBANIAN BORDER

According to press release issued by the Ministry of the Interior an ARM patrol intercepted one Albanian national near the Sterzimir village (Gostivar region), about 10 km deep into Macedonian territory, some time around noon yesterday. The Albanian started firing his automatic rifle at the patrol, wounding two troops. The offender managed to escape while medical assistance had been immediately rendered to the troops, who are not in any critical condition any longer.

Besides this, a police patrol obstructed the illegal entering of a larger group of Albanians near the Gostivar village of Oktushe. Members of this group also fired their weapons at the police. The entailing skirmish resulted in the heavy injury of one Albanian national, who subsequently passed away on his way to the hospital. The Macedonian Ministry of the Interior has also arrested 30 Albanian nationals of this group - as well as 50 more individuals attempting to cross the border. All these are to face corresponding legal action, the police revealed.

[02] PRACTICAL PART OF `RESCUER `97' COMMENCED

[03] IMRO-DPMNE REQUESTS DISSOLVING OF PARLIAMENT AND GOVERNMENT RESIGNATION

This means that an urgent Parliament session is needed in order to study the party's proposal on enacting an election law package and decisions which would dissolve/appoint the Government and the Parliament in extraordinary conditions. According to Parliamentary Chairman Tito Petkovski, the Presidium of this assembly is to focus on these issues today, while its views are to be aired on the next regular session.

[04] IMRO-DPMNE: `SHOULD REQUESTS BE ADOPTED, THE MEETING WILL BE A CELEBRATION'

Should the Government exhibit the will to address current political conditions in the country through the institutions within the system, this would be an opportunity to do so - stated the IMRO-DPMNE during yesterday's press conference. According to party Spokesperson Dragi Ivanovski the party should not be surprised by a rejection of its demands, but only if demands should be accepted would the meeting obtain a festive character.

In addition to this, Ivanovski repeated once more that the meeting has been planned as a non-violent protest during which the memorandum (forwarded to the Parliament, the Government and the President). For now 15 speakers have asked to address the participants, though this list may be extended further on. Ivanovski also stated that provocation may surface during the meeting, but as the organizers (i.e. the IMRO-DPMNE) are responsible for its peaceful execution, the party would do everything in their power to prevent unwanted occurrences.

[05] LDP TO SUBMIT RESOLUTION ON ANNOUNCING EARLY ELECTIONS

In connection to the planned IMRO-DPMNE meeting, LDP leader Petar Goshev stressed that his party is attempting to exhaust all options of an institutional resolving of these issues and the overcoming of the evident crisis. The IMRO-DPMNE expressed the wish to act as the sole organizer, and in the opinion of Goshev the LDP as a serious party may only participate in this event as a co- organizer.

[06] PARTIES ON THEIR PARTICIPATION AT THE `IMRO-DPMNE' MEETING

[07] SONJA NIKOLOVSKA WANTS 10 MILLION DM FROM THE STATE FOR `TAT' SANATION

Concordant to estimates compiled by Nikolovska such an interest-free loan would ensure the beginning of the sanation process in two years. In this context Nikolovska has also requested the implementation of a two-million- DM credit arrangement with the NBM, for which she had already submitted a mortgage. Nikolovska also mentioned the possibility for the state to purchase the real estate property owned by this bank via its institutions (the public facility for the management of residential and business real estate), on grounds of implemented mortgages. The Privatization Agency could also purchase shares of several businesses owned by the bank. The legal counsellors of Nikolovska indicated that a more detailed sanation programme for the `TAT' bank would require more time and completed investigations.

MTV reports however, that NBM Governor Borko Stanoevski has denied the reception of any proposal by Nikolovska, or by anybody else with regards to introducing sanation procedures at the `TAT' bank. It has been denoted as improbable that any of the three largest Macedonian banks will become involved in the sanation of this bank. The deadline for the submitting of sanation proposals is officially expiring today, but as they could be forwarded by (snail) mail a tolerance of two days has been introduced - according to Stanoevski. In this context it has been stressed that should a sanation scheme not be determined by Friday, the NBM would opt for the creating of conditions to instigate bankruptcy procedures. The corresponding court though will have the last word in this matter.

Besides this, MTV reports that Stanoevski had dismissed Vice-Governor Tome Nenovski from all duties entailed by his office. This means that he remains a member of the NBM Board and nothing else. In this context Nenovski stated that the Governor had overstepped his competencies and imposed himself upon the Parliament - as this action violates his appointment by this body. It is common knowledge that Tome Nenovski has only recently been released from prison, in order to set up his defence with respect to charges brought up against him in connection to the `TAT' banking scandal.

[08] HUNGARIAN CUSTOMS OFFICERS DISCOVER 2 TONS OF DRUGS IN MACEDONIAN LORRY

[09] INVESTOR FOR `CHEBREN' HYDRO-ELECTRICITY PLANT WANTED

[10] MACEDONIA GRANTED MEMBERSHIP

The BIS Directorial Council, comprised of the Central Bank Governors of the 10 most developed countries, has forwarded this offer to the former Yugoslav constituents with the condition that they enter their shares into the bank.

Such a decision represents a temporary solution while succession negotiations are still in progress, as part of the Federal hard currency reserves (660 million dollars in gold and hard currencies) are still at this banking house in Basel. These assets of the Former Yugoslav Federation will have to be divided among its five constituents, upon insistence of the BIS and the IMF.

[11] `EBRD' PURCHASING `MACEDONIAN TELECOMMUNICATIONS' STOCKS

[12] AS OF 1ST JULY PAYMENT FLOW HANDLED BY BUSINESS BANKS

After the session of the Banking and Insurance Association this Tuesday, Bishev revealed that denar transactions had risen by 310 million denars over the first quarter of 1997. Of these 220 million were generated for the state, and merely 80 million were invested in the economic sector. Over the same period banks generated a total of 598 million denars in revenues, with a profit rate of 7% - which equals that in banks throughout the world.

`Vecher' reports that during yesterday' session bankers indicated the emerging of many problems, in spite of positive achievements, particularly in terms of recovering mortgages and the high tax burden. Banks have also underlined the need to become more actively involved in legislative procedures, especially with respect to the Law of Transforming Hard Currency Debts, the legal provisions providing specific solutions for several banks and other laws affecting the financial sector.

[13] NBM: `NORMALIZATION OF DM EXCHANGE RATE AFTER HAVING REACHED 27.2 DENARS'

[14] GREEK SUPERMARKET CHAIN `VEROPOULOS' SOON IN MACEDONIA

[15] FIRST INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORT FAIR OPENED

[16] LAKE OHRID: `OF GLOBAL IMPORTANCE'

The project design stage should be completed by the end of this week, and then sent to the WB for approval. `Dnevnik' reveals that the total costs for this project amount to 4 million dollars. Of these funds, 55% go to Macedonia and 45% to Albania. Besides this, the Government of Switzerland has granted another 2 million dollars to Macedonia, for procuring a laboratory & monitoring ship, for the furthering of agriculture i.e. organic food production, etc.

MILS SUPPLEMENT

[17] `Files Going to Europe'

(`Vecher' - 13th May 1997)

After an `ice age' of fifty years the issue regarding Macedonians during the Greek Civil War has finally obtained international proportions. The Federation of Helsinki Committee based in Vienna and the Committees of Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Macedonia and the US `Helsinki Watch' are starting the implementation of the project on addressing legal and ownership issues as well as other human rights (especially citizenship and re- patriation). All activities are directly directed to corresponding authorities within the Council of Europe, and later on most probably to the European Human Rights Tribunal. Another interesting fact is that so far the governments of several EU member-states have expressed their willingness to financially support the project.

The necessity to seriously address the problems of Macedonians exiled or escaped from Greece by European NGO structures has been imposing itself due to similar issues brought forward by the armed conflicts in Croatia and Bosnia and the exodus of refugees these generated.

Generally speaking, it is being considered to establish an international institution whose basic task would be to address all those human right issues brought about by war.

With regards to Macedonians from Greece, the first measures in order to familiarize themselves with the cases of confiscated property, revoked citizenship and re- patriation procedures, have been undertaken by the Swedish Helsinki Committee over a year ago. `Almost 95% of all Europeans are not at all aware of the problems confronting Macedonians, and upon learning of them during the conversations we had, we were touched and overwhelmed by how you could survive this for five decades', stated Swedish Helsinki Committee representative Anne-Marie Bostroem.

Concordant to the Greek Constitution, ownership right cases may be re- opened at any time. But with regards to Greece and its discriminatory policy towards Macedonian victims of the Civil War - as well as towards those Macedonians still resident in Greece - many violations of the Constitution emerge via separate government decisions.

Data obtained by the Swedish Helsinki Committee however indicates that if these ownership cases are re-opened within 50 years all property rights are forfeited. In addition to this, both Albania and Greece have already agreed (some time ago) to return all ownership and other civic rights to those Albanians escaped from Greece! In this sense particular attention is being paid to the so- called `Cyprus case', as it has also made its way to the EU Human Rights Commission and the Human Rights Tribunal.

The case is concerned with Greek property on the Turkish side of Cyprus. .

According to Ms. Bostroem an international law expert - Mr. Per Chelson, an eminent lawyer (and former Cambridge graduate) who has made a name for himself in the US - has already been concerned with the entire matter. As of the 19th March he has begun to delve into the `Cyprus case'.

Its solution will most probably serve as a pattern to address Macedonian property issues in Greece as well, in addition to the most recent cases brought about by the latest Balkan conflicts. Specific care has also been dedicated to monitoring the work of the Strasbourg-based EU Human Rights Commission. It has agreed to delve into certain cases, once all other options within the EU member-state(s) and the Council of Europe have been exhausted. These procedures last up to two years and end in the submission of the case at the Human Rights Tribunal. The ruling of the latter may then be implemented as a means of exerting pressure or imposing sanctions.

Bearing in mind the policy employed by Greece towards Macedonians, the majority of the latter are not in possession of the required papers to prove their ownership rights. It is for this reason these days that Ms. Bostroem - together with the Macedonian Helsinki Committee and the Organisations of Aegean Macedonians - have commenced the gathering of the most substantial cases and appropriate documents, in order to forward these to Human Rights Commission. It is said that there are genuine `textbook examples' among these cases. The submitting of any new cases is to be handled via the Organisations of Macedonians originating form the Aegean area, whereas later on it has been planned to hire a number of lawyers in both Greece and Macedonia.

`Europe is aware of the problems caused by the revoking of ownership rights, which is accounting for its readiness to fund such an international institution', says Ms. Bostroem while adding that `It would seem understandable for people to be skeptical about this project since nobody has ever bothered to help them... and the majority still thinks that this is not about to change. Indeed, even this time there is a possibility of disappointment. But as we hope to achieve something, we cannot sit around with idle hands.'

It may be that the European community has not been aware of these issues so far... It remains a fact however, that for the first time ownership documents of exiled or escaped Macedonians from Greece during the Civil War will end up in Europe. The possible implementation of the entire project is nevertheless, another story.

(end)

mils news 14 May 1997

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