In the interview for the Macedonian Radio, the President of the Republic of Macedonia Kiro Gligorov, on the occasion of the two-year anniversary of the acceptance of Macedonia to the United Nations, stated: "I had no illusions that even after the acceptance to the UN, our inclusion in the international organizations would go well. The obstacles to our inclusion also in the international community, lie mainly on Balkan soil. The fact that today, out of 15 countries of the European Union, we can say that 14 recognize Macedonia, while the only Balkan country, Greece, does not, alone speaks, de facto that the Union has realized reality, but that there are internal problems, that there are possibilities that our inclusion in the international community might be hindered. To obstruct us, for example in using help from the EU, but those are requisites of a lost battle. In relation to the remarks by Greece that Macedonia has avoided signing an agreement for the existence of the border, President Gligorov emphasized: "Not only are we not avoiding, but from the first day, we have been proposing and we are ready, if necessary, to sign an agreement for non-violation of the borders. We wrote that also in the Constitution. According to that, we are ready for such agreements with the Greeks and any other neighbors. That has never been, on our side, an obstacle for the settling of these, as we always call them, irrational disputes with Greece.
In relation to the request of the FR Yugoslavia to be the only successor of SFRY, which Greece is tabling as a condition for the recognition of Macedonia, Gligorov stated that it is unreasonable and unfounded, as according to all constitutions of the former SFRY, the republics were treated as states. As that community fell apart, every state is the successor of that community. "The question that mostly surprised me in Boutros Ghali's report can also be included in that, and the other issues are matters of impreciseness, mentioning the border between us and the FRY as an administrative border is an absurd, as luckily, all the acts of the international community, including all the resolutions of the UN in regards to the Yugoslav crisis of the EU, the OSCE and NATO, go from the fact that the borders of the former Yugoslav republics are internationally recognized. I would like to believe that that is an oversight, as that in the report is not in contradiction with our views, but with the decisions made within the UN, which is headed by Mr. Boutros Ghali," stated President Kiro Gligorov in the interview for the Macedonian Radio.
The conclusions of the general lawyer of the Court of Justice in Luxembourg Francis Jacobs in the dispute between the Commission of the European Union with Greece, over the economic embargo against Macedonia, according to unofficial sources from political circles in London, will have a serious influence on the final decision of the Court, Makpress reports. Although this European legislative material is new, and the case, so far, is a precedent in the practice of an empirical aspect in Britain, it is regarded that the stances of the independent expert have a serious influence and often announce the final decision.
Great Britain still feels that the Greek embargo destabilizes the situation in the Republic of Macedonia, Radio Skopje quotes official sources in the Foreign Office. The lawyer Francis Jacobs, according to the same source, does not represent the stances of the British Government.
"Athens is right," and "Skopje is reacting nervously." This, as Makfaks reports, is what the most renown Athens newspapers are emphasizing in their comments of the assessment of the general lawyer Francis Jacobs, that the European Court is not competent to rule over the dispute between Macedonia and Greece.
The influential "Katimerini" assesses that these events are very positive for Greece, adding that, if they are "handled reasonably, carefully and methodically," that could "open a good path for the final resolution of the dispute with Skopje." "Katimerini" assesses that Jacobs' stance can have an effect on Skopje as a catalyst.
"Ta nea" assesses that the report of the British lawyer Jacobs "limits the political elasticity of Skopje," as now, not only the U.S., but the European Union also is putting pressure on Macedonia to accept a compromise solution.
The oppositional newspaper "Elefteros tipos," on the other hand, assesses that these events temporarily strengthen the position of the Greek Government, which was already ready, under pressure from Washington, to lift the economic embargo.
The Greek officials, in particularly following the "celebration" in relation to the report of the legal adviser of the European Court, are not missing the opportunity to accuse RM, even more forcefully, of being responsible for the unilaterally broken off dialogue in New York. That was also apparent in the meeting in Athens between the Greek head of diplomacy Karolos Papoulias and the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Holbruk.
Immediately after the meeting, Papoulias stated that he had stressed the adamancy of President Gligorov and Macedonia's insistence on avoiding to come to a negotiating table in New York. The Greek minister explained the failure of the attempts to renew the direct negotiations, mainly, with the "adamancy" of the Macedonian leadership. Following such accusations, Papoulias stated the opinion that the U.S., Clinton and the special envoy Nimetz were making efforts to find solutions which would lead to a normalization between Greece and Skopje, in the end.
Following the meeting, Holbruk did not say anything new, except for repeating the stance that the U.S. authorities are very interested in continuing the procedure at the UN for finding an acceptable solution and normalization of the Macedonian-Greek relations.
Athens, April 10. The giant project for the illegal import of equipment for oil production from Iran, with a final destination in the war-torn oil fields in eastern Slavonia, by Serbs, living outside the country, according to reports in Athens, is uncovered by "The New York Times," calling upon allegedly secret CIA information. The report, without going into details, says that the equipment is transported toward the Serb regions, loaded onto 100 trucks which are passing, these days, through at least three Balkan countries: Bulgaria, Greece and the Republic of Macedonia.
The transport documents, which state that it is intended for detecting water layers, allegedly have Macedonia as the final recipient. It is also mentioned that the company importing the equipment is Canadian. According to well-informed Belgrade circles, it is claimed that, a couple of months ago, the same company illegally imported a large quantity of petrol in the regions of the Bosnian Serbs. Contrary to claims of the American newspaper, the customs officers in Evzoni, on the Macedonian- Greek and Promahona, on the Greek-Bulgarian border, have no information about the entire project. It is also reported in Athens that the customs and port authorities also in Salonika, have no information about the giant illegal transport of equipment.
"The young Macedonian state has an exceptionally well reception in the whole world, and the German Foreign Minister Claus Kinkel rates that very highly and will give his contribution for the stability of the country and its development," said the German ambassador to the Republic of Macedonia Hans Lotar Stepan in the interview for Radio Skopje.
Mr. Stepan assessed the Macedonian-German relations as excellent, emphasizing the enormous significance of the economic links between the two countries. "It is of great importance for Macedonia that despite all outside pressure and blockades from north and south, there is still a positive trade balance toward Germany," Mr. Stepan added.
"Two years have passed since the undignified acceptance of RM to the UN under the unnatural and unconstitutional name 'Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia' and the humiliating act of failing to raise our flag among the flags of the other members, in front of the building of the UN," the president of IMRO-DPMNU Ljupcho Georgievski stated at the press conference on Friday. "That," according to Georgievski, "was also the reason for confederation."
Due to these two fact, IMRO-DPMNU feels that the Macedonian authorities have not managed to provide RM with the status of an equal member of the UN. On behalf of his party, Georgievski added that "President Gligorov lied to the public that the name was temporary for two months, but those two months became years. We are saying this out of a simple reason," said Georgievski, "because we are certain that tomorrow, the political authorities and the media will not mention the fact that two years have passed since this regretful and shameful act." Otherwise, IMRO-DPMNU, as it was explained, has no intention of taking any concrete steps to manifest its dissatisfaction with that.
The Ministry of Information has submitted a request to the Institute for the protection of industrial ownership, to prepare information for the situation with the protection of the intellectual ownership in Macedonia.
According to Valentin Pepeljugovski, assistant director in the Institute, the existing laws do not provide adequate protection for the bearers of the copyrights. These rights, otherwise, are regulated with the Law for copyright from 1990, from the former SFRY.
Certain spots in the law are not quite clear, Pepeljugovski claims, in particular those that apply to the film, video, satellites, television and software, and the penal measures are also not adequate, that is, there is no criminal act for disrespect and unauthorized use of another persons copyright.
Therefore, the Macedonian Government has come to the conclusion to form a working group from the ministry of development and for culture, which will work on a new law dealing with this problem.
Of the contacts made so far, according to Mr. Pepeljugovski, the degree of protection of the industrial ownership has been assessed positively by the World organization for intellectual ownership, however, the copyright protection is assessed as unsatisfactory.
Furthermore, the Institute for patent representatives of Macedonia has made an initiative to change the name and authorization of the Institute for protection of industrial ownership, and has asked this Institute to also protect the copyrights and other related rights.
The Macedonian Government has accepted and submitted to Parliament the draft-law for public companies, which regulates the work of the companies that are of special state interest.
The law determines the foundation, organization, manner and conditions for work of the public companies from the economic activities of public interest. The law applies to the public companies from the field of energetics, railway traffic and public transportation of passengers, maintenance of the public network, air traffic, telecommunications and postal traffic, radiodiffusion, petrol and gas transportation. Then, it also applies to the management of forests, waters and roads and other natural resources, public utilities, production and trafficking of arms and other military equipment, as well as other economic activities.
In parallel with the preparation of this law, also underway is the preparation of separate laws which also determine the work of the public companies in certain fields, which will predict the conditions under which the economic activity of public interest will be able to be carried out.
According to the law, if funds of private or physical persons are invested in the public companies, which are otherwise state-owned, this foresees the possibility of the public company being organized as an incorporated company or a stock company. In the public companies, the inclusion of legal or physical persons is carried out on the basis of concessions.
Every public company, according to the law, is founded with a decision of the Government and it has the status of a legal entity. The funds for work and development, as a rule, should come from personal sources, and not the state budget. Otherwise, the municipalities can also found public companies in certain communal and other economic activities, with an approval from the Government.
As administrative organs, the law foresees the managing and supervising committee, as well as the director.
Among the rest, the laws also includes the possibility and conditions for organizing strikes in these companies.
In Washington, yesterday, an agreement was reached for financial support from the World bank for structural reforms in Macedonia, after several-day negotiations which were took place in the capital of the U.S.A., between the Macedonian delegation and the bank's representatives.
Two credits are in question - of which one is for structural adaptation, of US$ 85 million, and the other one, for the social sphere, of up to US$ 14 million.
The Macedonian delegation also had talks in the International Monetary Fund, for the signing of a stand-by arrangement of up to US$ 55 million, in the next couple of months.