SKOPJE, AUGUST 29, 1995 (MIC)
The U.S. Congress delegation, led by Mr. Robert Carrie yesterday started his visit to the Republic of Macedonia with meetings and talks with Macedonian Defence Minister Blagoy Handziski, Foreign Minister Stevo Crvenkovski and Prime Minister Branko Crvenkovski.
At the meeting with Prime Minister Crvenkovski, the U.S. congressmen were acquainted with the principles of foreign and internal policy of the Republic of Macedonia, and in that context, they also discussed the relations between Macedonia and Greece, whereby Crvenkovski emphasized the role of the U.S.A. in the bridging of the dispute between the two countries, with an effort to lift the economic embargo implemented Greece, which goes to the disadvantage of the two countries.
In relation to the settlement of the conflict between the countries from former Yugoslavia, Prime Minister Crvenkovski affirmed Macedonia's stance to uphold the principle of mutual recognition of the countries within the existing administrative borders. As part of the internal policy, the U.S. congressmen were informed about he inter-ethnic relations in the country and the inter-ethnic tolerance and efforts on Macedonia's part to settle the problems within the institutions of the system were assessed very highly.
At the meeting with the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Macedonia, the guests were acquainted with the relations with the neighbors and the efforts to develop good relations with the neighbors on a political, economic and cultural plan, all with the aim of stabilizing the prospects in the region. "It is of exceptional importance for the stability of the Republic of Macedonia," minister Stevo Crvenkovski stressed, "to uphold the principle of permanency of the existing administrative borders, which is a guarantee of lasting peace on the Balkans." In the meeting with the Defence Minister, both sides emphasized their satisfaction with the military cooperation between Macedonia and the U.S. Defence Department, and also discussed the development of the situation on the Balkans, on a political and security plan. Following his meeting with Prime Minister Branko Crvenkovski, Mr. Robert Carrie gave a short statement in which he said:
"Today I had a meeting with the prime minister, the foreign minister, the defence minister and I will have lunch with the members of the Parliament. The U.S.A. and Macedonia have maintained close cooperation in the last couple of years. We hope for long-term cooperation, friendship and partnership, and to help Macedonia solve some of the problems it is facing now, the political problems with the neighbors."
In response to the question regarding his impressions about the situation in Macedonia, Mr. Carriee said:
"I believe that the problems are not unsolvable, there are solutions, especially for the problems with Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia and Albania, and the Macedonian leadership is working on those problems, and the U.S.A. and Macedonia, as friends, can solve these problems together."
The U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Holbruk will arrive in Athens this week to discuss ways of solving the dispute between Athens and Skopje with representatives of the Greek Government, the Greek media report.
Washington, according to reports in the Greek media, is showing particular interest in the resolution of the Macedonian- Greek dispute. The Athens news agency, calling upon high U.S. officials, reports that they are optimistic and feel that the dispute between Athens and Skopje would be solved this fall.
Announcing Holbruk's visit to Athens, the Greek media do not specify exactly how the dispute with Skopje would be solved. The Greek Government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos, reiterated Greece's stance at a meeting two days ago, according to which Skopje is expected to make some concrete steps in relation to the changing of the articles from the Constitution and the symbol. When Skopje meets these demands, Athens will be ready to lift the economic embargo - Venizelos stated.
As a sign of protest against the treatment of the Albanian police, 56 Albanians from Macedonia sent an open letter to the highest Albanian authorities, due to the unpleasantness they experienced while traveling from the port Duress to the Albanian-Macedonian border. According to the oppositional Albanian newspaper "Zeri i populit," while returning from Switzerland and on their way from Duress to Macedonia, these Macedonian citizens, mostly from Debar, Struga, Gostivar, Tetovo and other places in Macedonia, were robbed and mistreated by the Albanian police.
One of these transit passengers, Sefki Saiti told the newspaper "Zeri i populit" that he could "travel the whole world, but I'd never decide to travel through Albania again." And Nuredin Mehmeti from Struga stressed, with a similar statement, that he would never travel through Albania again.
Over 50 refugees from Kraina, mainly old men, women and children have arrived in Macedonia these days, the newspaper "Flaka e vellazerimit" wrote yesterday. Calling upon an unofficial source in the Chair assembly, who asked to remain anonymous, the newspaper claims that the refugees have settled in the vicinity of Skopje.
The refugees, as Makfaks reports, have found refuge in a some premises of church and hotel-catering objects in Skopska Crna Gora.
"Flaka e vellazerimit" conveys the statement of the competent refugee officer in the Ministry of Labour and Social Politics Boge Cadinovski, who claims that no refugees have been noticed in the mentioned region or any other place in Macedonia. Still, he does not exclude the possibility that some refugees may have crossed the border illegally, or are staying in Macedonia privately.
The Democratic party of the Turks will use all possible political methods to reduce the percentage "considerable number" - the percentage of national minorities living in the region of a local self-management unit, from 20 percent, as much as is proposed with the Draft-law on local self-management to 10%. This will enable the Turkish language to remain in use, beside in Makedonski brod and Debar, also in Gostivar, Valandovo, Radovish and Resen, where the Turks comprise more than 10% of the structure of the local population.
This was emphasized at yesterday's news conference by the leader of the Democratic party of the Turks Erdogan Sarac. Furthermore, this party expressed its dissatisfaction with the announcement of the Ministry of Education and Physical Culture with which the Turkish children from the center Zhupa are called to join the regular classes according to a shortened program, although they attended the classes in Turkish language over for three years.
IMRO - Macedonian National Democratic Alliance feels that the letter by the leaders of the political parties of the Albanian minority addressed to the U.S. President comes as a direct consequence of the loss of the privileged treatment of the so-called "Albanian question" in the international public.
According to IMRO - MNDA, the letter is filled with untruths and misinformation about the situation of the Albanian minority in Macedonia, and presents one more attempt to disturb the public and create a false picture that the U.S.A., as defender of free democracy, is a friend only to the Albanians and their appetites for the creation of a "Great Albanian" state.
"The Law on local self-management, as a government proposal, has entered parliamentary procedure, and we expect it to reach the daily agenda, from the middle of September. As to Mr. Tairi's views - I regard them as one more contribution to the public debate on this important Draft-law which is taking place these days, but which can not be taken seriously," Justice Minister Vlado Popovski told "Nova Makedonija" yesterday, in relation to Mevljan Tairi's (PDP MP) assertions, that the law will be returned to the Government for re-review. Namely, as we already published, Mr. Tairi told the newspaper "Flaka e vellazerimit" that the return of the draft-law on local self- management to the Government is a result of the talks of the representatives of the parties of the Albanians in Macedonia with Government representatives, in the presence of mediator Gerd Arens. According to Tairi, minister Popovski agreed for the Government to add the results from the negotiations within the International Conference on Former Yugoslavia in Geneva and the remarks pertaining to this law to the new version of the law on local self-management, only after which it would be allowed to enter parliamentary procedure.
However, as minister Popovski told us, the assertions of the PDP representative are incorrect and present an attempt to politicize the process of adopting this major system law. "Such statements mislead the public into believing that the Government is bargaining over this law outside the already set procedure, which is not true," Vlado Popovski says. As for the remarks of PDP in relation to the law, I must emphasize that two versions of the local self-management have already passed in Government, which has ministers - representatives of PDP as well, and if it can be taken as a reality that they represent the stances of this party, then I can say that there are no remarks from that side," says Popovski.
Minister Popovski also made it clear that the review of the Draft-law on local self-management in the Council of Europe has contributed for the final version of the draft to be fully coordinated with the European principles of local self- management. As to the upcoming negotiations in Geneva, says Popovski, there 's no doubt that some rational and acceptable proposals could "fall" over there, which could well be reviewed in the form of amendments even during the parliamentary procedure of the law on local self-management.
The PDP MP Mevljan Tairi, who is also taking part in the Geneva negotiations, told us yesterday that the law on local self-management will still be the topic of negotiations with the representatives of the Macedonian Government who accept negotiations and on a couple of key issues, such as: the competences of the local self-management, the use of languages and the very concept of councils and mayor. He stressed that the competences of the municipalities, especially in the field of culture, education, health protection, are given in the law far under the constitutional framework, that the supervision of the central organs is far too great, which disrupts the autonomic principle of the local self-management. Tairi pointed out the model of mayor and municipal council as a possible obstacle in the inter-ethnic relations, since in municipalities with mixed national composition where the mayor would be either Macedonian or Albanian, the other side would always be practically excluded from the executive power and suggests, as a possible solution, among the rest, the restoration of the old model of assemblies, presidents and executive boards. As to the questions regarding the use of languages, Tairi stressed that there are still great differences in stances in relation to the percentage of nationalities and that that question is intentionally marginalized with the fact that the Government draft-law foresees the use of two languages only in the organs of the local self- management.
Bedredin Ibraimi's (NDP secretary) stance is also similar. Yesterday, he stated that the Government representatives had agreed to return the draft-law to the Government for re- review and to withdraw it from parliamentary procedure in order to clear up all misunderstanding. He reiterated that it had been agreed at the negotiations in Geneva on September 11 to review this draft-law article by article in order to clear up any misunderstanding.
The work on the section Valandovo-Dojran - the construction of the 110 KW long-distance pipeline is coming to an end. The investor in the project is the public company "Electrodistribution" of Macedonia, while the work is carried out by "EMO" from Ohrid. 1.5 million DEM are invested in the project, while the line is long 17 km.
Steel bar columns have been built, with an in-built steel construction of 150 tones, while a total protective and conductive rope of some 70 tones will also be added.
"The construction of the pipeline will provide greater security in the supply of electrical power for the whole region of the Gevgelija municipality, since there will be a possibility to supply electricity from both sides. The Dojran region will benefit from the pipeline the most, where there were frequent problems with the electric energy in the past, caused by atmospheric discharges on the stretch Bogdanci-Dojran," the director of the electrical plant "Nikola Tesla" in Gevgelija Zhivko Alcinov told us.
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