MILS: News from the FYROM, 97-05-15

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

CONTENTS

[01] CLINTON-GLIGOROV MEETING ON 17TH JUNE IN WASHINGTON

[02] INCREASED NUMBER OF ILLEGAL ALBANIAN IMMIGRANTS

[03] LDP RESOLUTION ON EARLY ELECTIONS REJECTED

[04] IMRO-DPMNE: `RESPONSE WITHIN THREE HOURS OR CONTINUOUS PROTEST'

[05] SDSM: `PROTEST AN ATTEMPT TO USURP STATE INSTITUTIONS'

[06] INDEPENDENT TRADE UNION FEDERATION SUPPORTS PROTEST

[07] BITOLA VETERANS' ASSOCIATION CONCERNED

[08] SMALL PROBABILITY OF `TAT' SANATION

[09] CONSTITUTIONAL COURT: `SUSPENSION OF SECRET GAZETTE'

[10] CELEBRATION OF `OCM' AUTOCEPHALY COMMENCING ON 17TH MAY

MILS SUPPLEMENT

[11] `Losses Hiding in Documents' (`Vecher' - 14th May 1997)

MILS NEWS

Skopje, 15 May, 1997

[01] CLINTON-GLIGOROV MEETING ON 17TH JUNE IN WASHINGTON

This first working meeting of both presidents is to take place in an atmosphere of permanent improvement of bilateral relations and cooperation in all domains. It will also embody an advantageous opportunity to exchange views on burning issues on a bilateral and international level, particularly in terms of SE Europe and the Balkans.

The above mentioned official sources further revealed yesterday that the Macedonian President is to visit the People's Republic of China between 9th and 13th July.

[02] INCREASED NUMBER OF ILLEGAL ALBANIAN IMMIGRANTS

Usually the groups retreat after noticing that they have been sighted by Macedonian border patrols. According to a release issued by the Macedonian MOD most of the apprehended people (normally unarmed) who have been captured, are being forwarded to the police. They usually enter Macedonia in their search for food or in order to get to Greece.

The MOD further reveals that there have been several incidents of weapons fired at Macedonian border troops yesterday, in the vicinity of border checkpoints `Sv. Naum' and `Blato'.

The Macedonian Ministry of the Interior stated that in a joint operation with the MOD, 70 more Albanian and 11 Yugoslav nationals (from Kosovo) have been detected in the Tetovo and Gostivar area. These citizens have been handed over to the border authorities of their countries of origin, the police informed.

[03] LDP RESOLUTION ON EARLY ELECTIONS REJECTED

As LDP faction coordinator Stojan Andov explained, the party had decided to submit the Resolution on early elections due to the fact that it had become quite obvious to the Macedonian public that the battle against Organized Crime amounted to `Much Ado About Nothing', i.e. this version of the play dwindled away with uncertain bureaucratic procedures. Due to this the Resolution requests the Parliament to enact its dissolution on 15th September, in order to enable the staging of elections in the first half of November this year.

Secondly, the Parliament has been asked to appoint a new Government of the Republic of Macedonia by the end of May; the Government should be comprised of experts who will enjoy the trust of most parties (indicator: more than 5% in votes during local elections 1996). The Government has been requested to compile and propose all prerequisite legal and other acts for the organizing and conducting of parliamentary elections.

Besides this, the Parliament rejected the admitting of the draft-bill on bank client restitution (of the three ruined banks) into the session agenda - thus accepting the proposal of the Parliamentary Commission and of Finance Minister Taki Fiti to await the final NBM report on the fate of the `TAT' bank: whether sanation procedures are `to be or not to be'.

MPs have also rejected the request by Slobodan Najdovski according to which the Government is being asked to hold a briefing on the development of events with respect to the `TAT' banking scandal. Finance Minister Taki Fiti explained that the Government had no intention to shelve the client restitution issue, and that the Parliament may request the NBM supervision findings.

In addition to this, the Parliament has enacted the Law on Closing, Ratifying and Implementing International Treaties, as well as legal provisions outlining the income of the Mayor, the DAs, the Ombudsman and the National Judiciary Council. Another ratified treaty is the European Convention on Local Self-Government, as well as the Convention on Prohibiting the Production and Use of Chemical Weapons.

[04] IMRO-DPMNE: `RESPONSE WITHIN THREE HOURS OR CONTINUOUS PROTEST'

Speakers are to include representatives of: the IMRO-DPMNE youth, the Independent Trade Union Federation, the Association of Laid-Off Employees, the Association of `TAT' bank clients, the Coordinate Body of other deceived bank clients, the Liberal Civic Party, the MAAK-CP, the National Liberation War Veterans' Association, the DP, the association concerned with the restitution of nationalized property...

In addition to this, protesters will be addressed by IMRO-DPMNE leader Ljupcho Georgievski. According to Spokesperson Ivanovski the memorandum (compiled by an IMRO-DPME Executive Council member, a representative of the Independent Trade Union Federation and another one of the `TAT' Bank Clients' Association) is to be adopted during this event and then forwarded to the President, the Government and the Parliament. This document consists of the following three requests: the dissolving of the Parliament, the establishing of an administrative government and the staging of early elections. In the opinion of Ivanovski these institutions will be given a reasonable deadline of three hours, within which they are to forward a reply. Should this not be the case, protests are to continue until the fulfillment of all requests.

Ivanovski once again stressed that the meeting represents a non-violent protest, adhering to legal provisions and that the organizer would be seriously concerned with upholding order.

In the end he stressed that the protest has also been announced to the Macedonian Ministry of the Interior.

MTV confirms this by airing the statement of Under-Secretary Dime Gjurev. The latter claims that beside promises made by the organizer, the Ministry would need to undertake all prerequisite measures to secure public order and peace, as well as conditions ensuring the conducting of other activities in the city.

[05] SDSM: `PROTEST AN ATTEMPT TO USURP STATE INSTITUTIONS'

`By adhering to the motto that the (political) end justifies the (violent) means - typical of militant political organisations - the IMRO-DPMNE disregards the actually vital national political interests. This party has not incidentally opted to resolve economic and social issues by implementing an approach and a scenario employed in some neighbouring countries. It is particularly indicative that the IMRO-DPMNE applies such methodology at a time when political dialogue with all parties has been established as regards key issues connected to imminent parliamentary elections. Instead of negotiations we are being offered street politics, instead of dialogue - force, instead of a vision to address the everyday issues of the population - the forceful entering into state institutions. Experience has shown that this has never been a way to solve the existential problems of the population, or to obtain wider support and assistance of the international community. The employment of non-democratic and violent methods - strongly condemned by democratic societies - only lead to a loss in support and undoubtedly threaten the future of this country. Thus the SDSM is convinced that in spite of all difficulties, the citizens of Macedonia will once again cast their votes in favour of those striving to address problems within the institutions of the state, adhering to the Constitution, the law and the legal state i.e. to principles embodying the foundation of every democratic society', states the SDSM press release.

[06] INDEPENDENT TRADE UNION FEDERATION SUPPORTS PROTEST

[07] BITOLA VETERANS' ASSOCIATION CONCERNED

`Not one single issue - not in our state nor anywhere else - can be resolved in the streets, by creating chaos and disorder. We may not allow the transformation of our country into a second Albania or into the Macedonian version of Vallona. Those participating in illegal procedures and desecrating the state, do usurp its financial stability and the social security of the population. Thus they should assume legal responsibility regardless of their position at court - not in the streets in front of the firing squads of these self-proclaimed popular leaders. Do not submit to temptation in these extremely difficult times for our country to allow the destruction of the pillars of this state - earned through the death of thousands', their statement appealed.

[08] SMALL PROBABILITY OF `TAT' SANATION

Governor Stanoevski nevertheless commented on the propose programme on grounds of what has been disclosed by the media in this respect. According to him Sonja Nikolovska not only counted on an interest-free loan from the state, but also on a 2-million-DM credit by the NBM - whereas the latter only grants these to solvent banks, not to savings houses. The Nikolovska counsellors considered this issue as resolved as the agreement on this credit had already been given on 13th February this year through a contract signed by Governor Stanoevski and Sonja Nikolovska. It merely needed to be implemented.

Besides this the NBM Governor stressed yesterday that there is little probability of any physical or legal entity procuring 60 million DM, prerequisite to the sanation of `TAT'. Yesterday the NBM also received the replies of `Makedonska Banka' and `Stopanska Banka', rejecting the offer to appear as the sanation executive of the `TAT' bank. A response ,of similar contents most likely, by `Komercijalna Banka' is expected today. At Bitola the Head of the `TAT' Bank Clients' Council, Ilija Nevenovski, stated that he expected the sanation to be conducted by the NBM, while stressing his skepticism as regards the 20 million DM promised by the Government to aid client restitution. Nevenovski emphasised once more that should an appropriate solution on this issue not be found, the clients would be left with the only alternative of staging meetings and protests. The Chairperson of this Association, Mende Mladenovski, says that the Government is obliged to disburse the bank clients, as the entire scandal was only made possible by the utter failure of all banking control mechanisms.

[09] CONSTITUTIONAL COURT: `SUSPENSION OF SECRET GAZETTE'

[10] CELEBRATION OF `OCM' AUTOCEPHALY COMMENCING ON 17TH MAY

MILS SUPPLEMENT

[11] `Losses Hiding in Documents'

(`Vecher' - 14th May 1997)

Following the order issued to the Ministry of the Interior by the Elementary DA's Office, the necessary papers documenting possible misspending of city funds by the previous city fathers have been gathered as a sort of pre-investigative measure. Thus the atmosphere in city government circles is one of substantial tension.

Law enforcement structures (or financial inspectors) have not yet `permeated' this level of local government but as we have found out, their doing so has already been announced to the Skopje `Dads'. Thus the considerable variety of lounge-room reactions: from those that this police paper `razzia' is entirely unfounded up to those that this investigation is finally identifying the main actor of the `local government sting', based on closing unfavourable contracts with companies belonging to cronies or clan-members.

`I cannot talk of anybody's criminal liability, though it remains a fact that financial records have not been updated regularly and truthfully, i.e. a large number of documents are missing. Cessions and compensation contracts of different businesses closed with the previous city government are simply being presented to us - while we have no notion of what the actual obligations (in terms of scope and quality) are, and for what kind of service that has been rendered to the city.

This is why we check balance sheets with those companies on a daily basis, in our endeavour to determine the real dues of the city.

Prior to this being done, there can be no speculations on legal liability. Another thing is the fact that the previous city fathers - most probably departing from expected income - accrued a far greater amount of dues than the actually collected revenue', states Petar Bochvarov, the Mayor's Financial Advisor.

The examination conducted by `Coopers & Lybrand' upon request of Mayor Penov revealed that bills issued for the use and utilities of development property, as well as in terms of budget keeping, losses amounting to almost 700 million denars (close to 26 million DM) have been inflicted on the city. According to Bochvarov in the first case (property use fees) merely 106 million denars in revenue have been generated, in contrast to the expected 385 million. In the case of utilities even a deficit of 388 million had been created; thus only 312 million instead of the planned 700 million denars had been gathered in 1996. Compared to this the city budget limit has been exceeded by almost 30 million denars (expenditures totalled 120 instead of the `restrictive' 90 million denars). `Still', Bochvarov states, `the reasons for this surplus in spending is to be sought in the illogical restricting of the budget itself (via legal provisions). Due to this the city has - for example - paid much more for lighting than it has been able to collect in utility fee revenue.'

By using the argument that `competitiveness needs to be introduced in order to break up monopolistic prices' it has frequently occurred over the past few years that the city hired other businesses to render services already provided by existing public facilities. Thus the list of city `pets' includes firms like `Elektrosoft' (for the setting up of traffic lights), `Hortikultura' (plants), `Izolacija' (pavement construction), `Eurolinija', `Akcent Medija' and `Metropolis Medija' (leasing and reselling of billboards), `Ingmark' (installing lights, lamps, etc.), as well as `Interfalko', several construction contractors, etc.

In addition to this two `Mercedes' vehicles purchased two years ago by the City Council have cost this body almost 10 million denars, i.e. at least 370 000 DM. They have been procured via `Interfalko' and financial records reveal that in addition to the City Council, the `Beton' construction contractor had been listed as a client.

Besides this - Bochvarov states - the incumbent city government considered the price of 185 000 DM per vehicle as extremely excessive.

Other than this Mayor Penov has determined the reasons for this city budget vacuum created by the previous set of city officials to be inappropriate control, supervision and coordination (among the corresponding public facility and the Ministry of Urbanism) in terms of collecting these public fees. City authorities and services are only partly to blame in his opinion. What remains to be seen is whether this view will be shared by investigative structures as well.

(end)

mils news 15 May 1997

With regards to the M I L S SUPPLEMENT published yesterday, the `Vecher' article `Files Going to Europe' (13th May 1997 edition), we have been contacted by Mr Panayote Elias Dimitras - Spokesperson of the Greek Helsinki Monitor & Minority Rights Group Greece - with the request to rectify two pieces of faulty/incomplete information: firstly, the Greek Helsinki Monitor is also involved in the project on property restitution of Aegean Macedonians (besides the already mentioned organisations from Sweden, Denmark, Austria, the US and Macedonia) and the correct name of the Minority Rights Group representative is Ms. Nafsika Papanikolatou. We agree with Mr. Dimitras that without such clarification `wrong impressions may create unwarranted effects' and would therefore like to thank him for getting in touch with us on behalf of his NGO. MILS / IC.

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