The Macedonian-Greek dialogue is over, the Greek newspapers "Katimerini" and "Ta nea" said yesterday. The UN mediator Cyrus Vance is waiting for President Kiro Gligorov to announce that to the public in his country, Makpress reports.
According to the agreement which is claimed to have been reached, first, Vance will invite the representatives of both sides, separately, and ask them to informally promise to make concessions foreseen with the so-called "small package." That means, the Greek press claims, that the Macedonian side is required to change its flag and article 49 of its Constitution, while the Greek side is required to lift the embargo and establish economic cooperation with its northern neighbor. Calling upon diplomatic sources in the world organization, the Greek newspapers claim that the Macedonian Government had accepted to change the flag, without voting in Parliament, which would enable the simultaneous lifting of the Greek embargo.
As Makpress reports, the official representative of the Greek Government Evangelos Venizelos stated yesterday that Greece will not recognize a state that's called Macedonia or a derivative under that name. This statement of Venizelos' was actually a response to the attacks of the opposition, which strongly criticized the Government over accepting the so-called "small package" in the negotiations with Skopje. The leadership of the oppositional New Democracy announced that the Government, by accepting the so-called "small package," had given up the negotiations over the name with its northern neighbor. The ultra- nationalistic party "Political Spring" wants the Government not to lift the embargo until the adamancy of the Skopje leadership is not broken, and the usurpation of the name Macedonia.
In relation to the writing in yesterday's Greek press, over the allegedly completed "direct Macedonian-Greek dialogue and the acceptance of the so-called 'small package' by the Macedonian side," the minister-spokesman in the Macedonian Government Gjuner Ismail stated for Makpress: "During his stay in New York, Foreign Minister Stevo Crvenkovski did not meet with any Greek representatives, nor were any Macedonian-Greek talks held. All information in regard to that is plain speculation."
The Macedonian Foreign Minister Stevo Crvenkovski took part on Wednesday in the general debate at the Conference for reviewing and continuing the Agreement for the non-spreading of nuclear arms (NPT).
In welcoming the work of the Conference, minister Crvenkovski informed the Conference at the beginning of his speech that the Republic of Macedonia became the 178th country to join the Agreement for the non-spreading of nuclear arms on March 30, 1995. The minister emphasized the importance of Resolution 984 by the Security Council on April 11, as an important step toward the strengthening of the regime for the non-spreading of nuclear arms. He expressed the conviction that countries with nuclear arms will continue taking steps for effective measures for nuclear disarmament, under international control.
The minister reminded that at its 48th session last year, at the initiative of Macedonia, the General Assembly adopted Resolution 48/84-b for the development of good-neighborly relations between the Balkan countries, which stresses the urgency of consolidation on the Balkans as a region of peace, security, stability and good neighborly relations, a region with a lower level of armament and higher level of trust. At the end of his speech, minister Crvenkovski expressed the readiness of the Republic of Macedonia to work on the unconditional and unlimited realization of the decrees from the agreement, together with the other member states of the agreement.
Yesterday, Stevo Crvenkovski met with the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria Stanimir Aleksandrov. The talks focused on the initiative for a collective demarche of the countries hit by the sanctions of the UN Security Council against FRY, in relation to the difficulties from the realization of the sanctions and the compensations to these countries.
Following his two-day stay in the Republic of Macedonia, the German Federal Minister for Development Carl- Dieter Spranger left yesterday from the Ohrid airport. The German delegation visited HMS "Tikvesh" in Negotino on Wednesday, and the factory "Struzanka" from Struga and the cultural-historical sights in Ohrid on Thursday.
Before leaving, minister Spranger said that during the talks with the Macedonian side, he had been informed in detail about the situation of the Macedonian economy and the necessary structural changes, which are announced by the Macedonian Government. Once more, he emphasized that Germany would give support to the Republic of Macedonia at the upcoming annual Assembly of the World bank and IMF in Washington, in the Paris club and the other international economic and financial institutions. Also, minister Spranger added that the Government of FR Germany is taking part in the realization of certain infrastructure projects of priority importance for the development of RM.
The delegation of the Government of the Republic of Macedonia yesterday continued its meetings with officials from the political life of Australia in Perth, Western Australia, as well as the organizations of the Macedonian immigrants and the immigrants from the Romano community in Western Australia.
The Minister of Education Emilija Simovska was received by Paul Omoden, Minister of Multi-Culture and Ethnic Issues of Western Australia, whereby an emphasis was placed on the education of the ethnic groups in Western Australia. She also took part in the most popular radio program in this part of Australia.
The Under Secretary in the Macedonian Foreign Ministry Victor Gaber held meetings with the members of the shadow government of the Liberal party Johan Kabelki and Nick Katana, with whom he exchanged opinions about the cooperation between Western Australia and Macedonia on an economic, cultural, consular plan, and the revival of the traditional links between Macedonia and Western Australia.
"On the occasion of the signing on Wednesday of the three agreements for the privatization of the 'Brewery', 'Fershped', and 'Makedonija turist', it is our assessment that this presents a crown to the crime in Macedonia. The plain legal robbing of the capital is already knocking at our doors, as that is done at a time when over 200,000 citizens are without jobs and when, toward the end of this year, some 30% of the population will face poverty of the Latin-american type, and here, three persons are privatizing capital worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Therefore, we as a party, strongly condemn this type of privatization and are warning the authorities that this type of privatization will lead to bitter social uprisings."
This was stated at yesterday's press conference by the president of IMRO-DPMNU Ljupcho Georgievski, who added that his party supported the Association of Independent Unions in the organization of a general strike scheduled for the 27th of this month. In addition to standing by the economic demands of the Unions, IMRO-DPMNU will also come out with political demands, including the resignation of the Government and the scheduling of new elections.
"VECER": INVESTIGATION INTO AFFAIR WITH STOPPED CONVOY OF OIL-DRILLING EQUIPMENT FOR FRY: "FIRMS FOR ONE-TIME USE"
The affair with the stopped convoy with oil-drilling equipment which, from Iran, through Greece, Bulgaria and Macedonia, was supposed to end up in FRY, seems to be much too covered with a veil of secrecy, even though there has been some progress in clearing up the mystery. Maybe that is also justified, as a number of state organs are involved in the investigation, and in the interest of the investigation, they don't want to be too hasty with the results that have been reached. However, the fact that five Macedonian firms were involved in the entire international "game," in itself requires that the names of all those involved in the affair should be revealed as soon as possible, no matter up to which level they go.
Yesterday, we tried to obtain some useful information from a number of competent institutions, however, they are hard to come by. At the Interior Ministry, which is most involved in the investigation into the affair, we could not manage to get an official statement, however, unofficially, we found out that the investigation was nearing the end.
At the same time yesterday, we tried to reach the owners (owner) of the four firms that were pointed out by minister Ismail as active participants in a part of the convoy. However, not even the addresses of the firms could be found, nor their telephone numbers, as they are not even listed in the information service. Does that mean that they are four phantom firms formed for a one-time use only, or the owner(s) insured himself quite well beforehand?! That's what the investigation has to show.
Yet, on the other hand, we had more luck in finding out the home phone number of the forwarding company "Karajan-shped" from Gevgelija, from whose owner we wanted to get an official statement about their part in the affair. However, a company employee answered the phone on the home number, who informed us that the director and the owner were absent and that he was not competent to discuss the case.
In the meantime, the statement of the director of the company "Magenta" from Skopje arrived in our offices yesterday, a firm that was mentioned as one of the four involved in the affair. In the statement, the director Aleksandar Trenchovski says "under moral, material and criminal responsibility, I am stating that the company 'Magenta' has absolutely no part in the transport of the equipment, nor any other kinds of services or negotiations that apply to this transport. This information can be checked in the complete inspection into the documentation of the company, which is at the disposal of everyone who shows an interest in finding out the truth about this case."
A new bank has been founded in Macedonia with a deposit which, after being supplemented with additional capital, should reach 15 million DEM.
At present, the deposit is estimated at 11,120,000 DEM, and it has been divided up into 111,200 shares to the value of 100 DEM per share. All 111,200 shares have been distributed among 84 Macedonian firms which are founders of the bank.
Otherwise, these 84 firms are minimum 51% privatized, which means that a minimum of 51% of their capital is in the hands of private legal and physical persons.
The supplementation of the bank's capital to 15 million DEM, according to the director of the bank Najdenko Popovski, will be carried out within a period of 6 months, when another 50 Macedonian firms will become owners of stocks, after they complete their privatizations, and in which the capital is still not 51% privatized.
The newly founded Ohrid bank s.c. from Ohrid previously worked as a branch in this town of the largest bank in Macedonia - Stopanska banka s.c. - Skopje. With an agreement between the Macedonian Government and the experts from the World bank, it was decided to reduce the capital of Stopanska banka, and for it not to be greater than 1.8 times from the second largest bank in Macedonia - Komercijalna banka s.c., Skopje.
Sources close to Stopanska banka s.c. Skopje claim that the same recommendation for reduction of the bank's capital has also come from the London consulting firm "Deloite & Touche," which audited the bank's financial situation.
The decision for the separation of the Ohrid banke was made by the National bank, following its tender for which branch of Stopanska banka would show the best balance sheets, that would show that it could function independently and separately from Stopanska banka s.c.- Skopje.
The Ohrid branch showed the best results and was chosen as bank that could go on to function independently. The net profits of the branch in 1994 reached US$ 6.27 million, or 8% of the overall earnings, while this year's results are expected to be even better, in view of the fact that the state has taken over some bad balance sheets from the bank, in accordance with the Law for revival of the banks.
According to the statement of the director Popovski, the bank will deal with payment operations in the country and abroad, deposit work with the population, credit relations with the population and the economy, transactions with stocks, guarantees and depot work with abroad.
The bank has a total of 128 employees and 6 branches in Ohrid.