Following yesterday's decision to start a direct dialogue between Athens and Skopje, which is regarded as done business in Greece, according to some news, the U.S.A. is going for official establishment of diplomatic relations with Macedonia. "Nova Makedonija" reports from Greece that the leadership of the State Department feels that the reasons that obstructed the exchange of ambassadors between the Republic of Macedonia and the U.S.A. have ceased to exist. The decision, according to "Nova Makedonija," will be made and announced, most probably, as soon as tomorrow.
UN Secretary-General Boutros Ghali stated Thursday that he had instructed the mediator in the dispute between Athens and Skopje Cyrus Vance to start a direct dialogue between the representatives of Greece and Macedonia, under the auspices of the UN. This news was conveyed in New York by the Athens news agency, calling upon diplomatic sources in the UN. According to the same sources, Makfaks reports, Ghali expressed optimism for the resolution of the problem between Athens and Skopje.
The popular Greek TV station "Mega" reported late Thursday that Boutros Ghali stated in the Security Council that he had "personally instructed the mediator Cyrus Vance to find a formula which would start off the direct negotiations between Athens and Skopje." Boutros Ghali, according to "Mega" said that he could see that there was political will both in Athens and Skopje. Calling upon diplomatic sources, "Mega" announced a direct meeting between the representatives of Athens and Skopje toward the beginning of April.
The Greek Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias repeated that "Greece is still holding the stances expressed in the past," and agreed with the assessment of the journalist that "the Skopje leadership has given up its adamancy."
On Friday, the Greek press does not give great importance to Ghali's statement, but emphasizes the interest of the U.S.A., in the foreground, to settle the problem between Athens and Skopje, as soon as possible. The press followed the visit of the Macedonian Foreign Minister Stevo Crvenkovski to the U.S.A. with great interest. The newspaper "Katimerini," informing about the meeting Crvenkovski-Holbruk, in a text entitled "Holbruk," wants a "solution" to be found as soon as possible. The newspaper points out that the concrete results of the one- hour meeting are not known, but adds that the dialogue between Athens and Skopje will be renewed under auspices of the UN.
The newspaper of the moderate left-wing "Elefterotipia" writes that Holbruk and Crvenkovski discussed the internal situation in Macedonia, as well as the possibilities of the UN forces getting a separate mandate in Macedonia. Stating that Holbruk and Crvenkovski discussed the advancement of the dialogue between Athens and Skopje, "Elefterotipia" claims that "the Greek Government expects large activities for the 'Skopje question' to come very quickly, at the insistence of Cyrus Vance and the U.S. Government."
The police in Petrich (Bulgaria) has arrested the well- known activist of the association of Macedonians in Bulgaria OMO "Ilinden" Janus Sapundziev, under charges of "anti-Bulgarian propaganda and disturbance of the peace."
"All Bulgarians are killers of Macedonians," Sapundziev had yelled from the roof of his house when the police came to take him to prison, the Sofia newspaper "Trud" writes Friday.
Sapundziev's arrest is connected with the publishing of the first number of the newspaper "Pirin Macedonia," on Saturday, distributed by OMO "Ilinden."
The central newspapers in Sofia have already asked prosecutors to intervene for a ban of the newspaper of the association of the Macedonians in Bulgaria.
"A kind of 'Auswitz' of the culture is being conducted toward the Albanians in Kosovo and FYROM," stated the well-known Albanian writer Ismail Kadare for radio "Deutsche Velle."
"In Kosovo," Kadare said, "schools and the university are being closed, while in Macedonia, due to the opening of an university, which is a cultural right of a nation, the police is enforcing repressive measures."
At the reaction of the Macedonian desk of the Radio, with an explanation that the Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia does not foresee the opening of an university of nationalities, Kadare said that he was not interested in such a Constitution that obstructs the interest of a nation that only wants to be educated culturally and scientifically. MACEDONIA"
"Albania is interested in a stable, democratic and market oriented Macedonia, that will uphold the basic rights of the peoples," stated the Albanian Foreign Minister Alfred Sereci at the press conference held Saturday in Tirana, the "Macedonian Radio" reports.
The same source says that the recent events in Tetovo were assessed by minister Sereci as events that add tension to the political relations between the two countries, but, at the same time, expressed will for both sides to overcome the problem.
The same day, Radio Tirana conveys the statement of the president of the National Democratic Party Ilijaz Halimi, who said, among the rest: "The Macedonian side is not showing any readiness, at all, to seriously review the current problems in order to advance the Macedonian-Albanians relations. To the contrary, the Government is even creating conflict situations."
Halimi stated this in the meeting with the member of the OSCE in Skopje colonel Helmut Kohler, who was explained the problems existing between the Albanians and Macedonians, from Halimi's point of view, Radio Tirana announced.
The Saturday issue of "Nova Makedonija" conveys the statement by Arben Dzaferi, leader of the seceded PDP wing and MP, following his meeting with the president of the oppositional Democratic party Petar Goshev. "We are entering a dangerous phase of competition between nations, which, in any case, can be detrimental for all. The problem is how to redirect that competition in the institutions of the system, in a cultural or sports field, because, otherwise, it can degenerate in other spheres. Our task is to prevent that," said Dzaferi.
In the annual assembly on Friday, the Judges' Association demanded that the law for courts and processional laws be passed in urgent procedure, and that a general selection of judges be carried out as soon as possible. The judges emphasized the absurdity of the present situation in which they have to make rulings in the new social circumstances based on old regulations.
The Minister of Justice Vlado Popovski stated in this meeting "without an independent judicature, there can be no society in which the freedoms and rights of the citizens are a foundation for stability." He said that he believed that "this year, the judicial authorities would definitely be constituted." According to minister Popovski, the proposed law for courts is at a much higher level now, and presents a real "judicial Constitution."
The assembly of the Judges was also welcomed by Jack Paterson from the bar association SILI from the U.S.A.. He expressed readiness to help Macedonia in the constitution of the legal order.
Tomorrow, the first auction sale of shares in Macedonia will be organized in the Agency for Privatization. At the primary stock exchange, functioning with the Agency, the shares of the Ohrid textile company "Oteks" will be quoted, which were issued upon the privatization of the company, and present the non-privatized part. A total of 81,175 shares have been offered on sale, at a starting price of DEM 75 per share or a total value of DEM 6.1 million.
Only authorized participants have the right to take part in the auction, that is, those who fulfill the conditions prescribed with the Rulebook of the Agency, drawn up for this purpose. So far, 8 banks have applied, and the private broker company "Reks-ko." All interested buyers will be able to realize their rights through some of the participants in the auction, for which they will have to pay a certain commission. Also, frozen deposits can be used for the purchase of shares.
The Chamber of Commerce is asking for corrections in the Law for privatization, and according to its arguments, the public is not well informed about the course of privatization, and, a mechanism for following this process is also absent.
According to the Chamber, the legalization of the privatizations according to Prime Minister Markovich's laws are predominant in the transformations conducted thus far. The director of the Agency for Privatization Miroljub Sukarov stated that 70% of the decisions approved so far apply to the purely state-owned companies.
The Chamber claims that the Agency has to privatize up to 700 small companies that failed to submit a program for privatization by December 10, last year, while officials at the Agency claim that their number is not greater than 400. Of them, according to the director of the Agency, 252 are problematic, as the rest have already been included in the privatization process.
The difference in numbers, according to the director of the Agency Sukarov, comes as a result of the imprecise register of companies from the Institute for Payment Operations. This problem will also appear upon the fulfillment of the conditions before the World bank, with which the privatization of 940 companies, over the year, has been agreed, and which will simply be impossible seeing that the list of companies for privatization is much shorter.
The Chamber is also questioning the deadlines, in view of the fact that the small companies were supposed to start their transformation till December 10, last year, while the experts were give authorizations for assessing the values of the companies in June. Now, according to the law, the Agency is supposed to discipline these companies, by deciding about their privatization. This is unacceptable to the Chamber and therefore it is requesting corrections in the Law.
There were also remarks in relation to the work of the agency. According to d-r Tito Belichanec, it should remain coordinator and animator of the idea, and to leave the initiative entirely to the companies, while it is self-willingly expanding its jurisdiction.
The Chamber is also not satisfied with the free interpretation of the Law in terms of the possibilities for transformation of the agricultural combines, forest economies and mines.
Together with last week, 6,811 workers on the list of "losers" have left the companies, while a total of 15,576 are planned to do so. Before the layoffs, the 25 "losers" had 44,000 employees. So far, 15 companies have started laying off the surplus workers.
The state has paid some 79 million MCD (US$ 2.12 million) for taking care for these workers. These funds have been paid to the name of outstanding wages and layoff money, while the contributions for pension and invalid insurance have also been paid. According to estimates, in average, each of the dismissed workers received, 3,700 DEM to the name of layoff money, but the concrete sums, in comparison with this average, vary quite a bit.
According to the Institute for Payment Operation, which has received the statements for the overall debts of the "losers," the total value is MCD 52,844 billion (US$ 1.42 billion).
The 25 "losers" are obliged with that sum to the name of services turnover, bank debts, with the fund for pension and invalid insurance, for customs, with the Health Fund, as well as wages.
The Skopje railways has the biggest debt, and it is immediately followed by "Prespateks" from Resen, the Metalworks "Tito" and "Fenimak" from Kavadarci.