SKOPJE, SEPTEMBER 11, 1995 (MIC)
On the occasion of the 4 year anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Macedonia, Speaker of Parliament Stojan Andov organized a reception in the formal hall of Parliament building. Speaking in front of a large number of guests from the political, public, cultural and religious life in the Republic, as well as representatives of the diplomatic corps in Skopje, Andov stressed the significance of the referendum from September 8, 1991, which signified the gaining of independence, after centuries of struggle of the Macedonian people for their own state.
"We can already taste the fruits of the policy we declared and led. These days, there is hope of a resolution of the dispute with neighboring Greece. This kind of development in the relations with our neighbors is one of the strongest demonstrations of the power of our policy of equidistance. This shows the strength of that policy - the open offer for an equal, open and active policy with all neighbors, right to the end," Andov emphasized.
At the end of his speech, Andov underlined with spirited optimism "We are celebrating the four-year anniversary filled with the hope that a new era is starting, that all the requirements have been met and that we have taken on the right course in our development. We will forget the temporary political quarantine like a dream and develop all the paths towards cooperation and the incorporation of our country into the modern world."
Foreign Minister Stevo Crvenkovski left for New York on Saturday. Minister Crvenkovski arrived in the U.S.A. at the invitation of the UN special envoy in the Greek-Macedonian dispute Cyrus Vance, the Foreign Ministry announced.
Calling upon diplomatic sources in New York, the Athens media report that the text of the agreement, which will probably be signed by the foreign ministers of the two countries Crvenkovski and Papoulias this week, is virtually finished and the only thing left is for a couple of points to be cleared up, which apply to some unfinished matters of a legal nature.
The document entitled "temporary agreement" is written in English language and is five pages long. As it seems, the names of the countries will not be mentioned in it, and the two countries will be referred to as the "two sides." According to information from New York, the differences surrounding the name will be left for discussion in some future negotiations, immediately after the implementation of the temporary agreement, i.e. 30 days.
Otherwise, the "temporary agreement," which will be in effect 7 years, will be signed one or two days after the first direct negotiations between the foreign ministers of the two countries, which, as expected, will take place next Tuesday, with the participation of Vance and Nimetz.
The head of the Greek diplomacy expressed optimism before leaving for New York in relation to the negotiations, stressing that Skopje and Athens will sign an agreement on the flag, borders, symbols, constitution and lifting of the embargo.
The Macedonian Orthodox church communities from Australia sent a letter yesterday to the Macedonian political leadership and the head of the Macedonian Orthodox Church, in which they strongly protest against the changing of a part of the Constitution and the national flag.
Among the rest, the letter says: "To us, the Macedonians, the changing of the flag, or article 39 of the Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia is not acceptable at all. We are a democratic country, so according to the democratic principles, we are asking whether you have coordinated your stances with the oppositional parties, whether you have the consent of the Macedonian people or the Macedonian Orthodox Church?"
In the presence of a large number of guests, including representatives from the embassies of a large number of countries, a seminar on Macedonia was held in Berlin on Friday. The seminar, which was organized in the building of the former Berlin assembly, was opened by the Macedonian ambassador to Germany Srdjan Kerim.
Among the rest, he said that Macedonia's fate was in Europe, and that Greece should play a positive role in bringing Macedonia closer to Europe and the European Union, and not to cooperate with those powers in the Balkans which give the advantage to the policy of force and confrontation."
The Japanese parliamentary delegation, led by the president of the Commission for foreign politics Asiko Mihara, which is staying on a several-day visit to Macedonia, was received yesterday by President Gligorov, Speaker of Parliament Stojan Andov and the president of the Commission for foreign politics Ilinka Mitreva.
After the talks, Mihara stated: "Although our two countries are far from one another, we will do everything in our power to improve the situation in your country. And, not only yours, but the whole region. Peace and stability are very important and necessary for the development of your country, and also the development and stability in this whole region, and you are doing that, you are maintaining the peace."
On our behalf, we would like to help improve the situation in Macedonia and the region of the Balkans, in general. I can't say exactly how much and what kind of help, but when we return to Japan, we will discuss what kind of help you, that is, the Balkans need."
The Commander of the General Staff of the Army of the Republic of Albania Seme Kosova will arrive on an official visit to Macedonia today.
Sources say that the meeting with his host, the Commander of the General Staff of the Macedonian Army Admiral Dragoljub Bocinov was requested to days ago, and according to well-informed sources in Tirana, the visit will be aimed at talks in relation to the latest development in the regions on former Yugoslavia, as well as the situation in the region, at large.
Macedonia's foreign debt for 1995 of US$ 600 million has practically been covered with additional bilateral and multilateral help, the director of the sector for Europe and Central Asia Rachel Lomax, who presided over the meeting of 13 donor-countries and nine multilateral organizations of the consultative group of the bank in Paris, stated on Friday.
Lomax said the foreign financial debts for this year have been reduced some US$ 400 million, as a result of the reprogramming of the debt to the Paris club in July, in parallel with the postponement of the pay-back of the trade debt, the Stand-by arrangement, which Macedonia signed with the IMF in May and the help from the World bank, for structural reforms.
The group of donors stressed that Macedonia meets the fiscal and monetary goals, determined in the agreement with the IMF and has taken the structural measures, as prescribed by the World bank.
Lomax said there were some indications that Macedonia's foreign debt for next year would also be covered, in view of the great support of the bilateral donors and multilateral institutions, adding that the group is "very impressed and is strongly supporting Macedonia's reform program."