MAK-NEWS 25/10/95 (M.I.C.)

From: "M.I.C." <mic@ITL.MK>

Macedonian Information Centre Directory

CONTENTS

SKOPJE, OCTOBER 25, (MIC)

[01] LARGE INTEREST IN MACEDONIA

Parliamentary Speaker Stojan Andov had two informal meetings in New York with the President of the U.S.A. Bill Clinton.

At the reception organized in the New York library in the honor of all heads of state and government, Clinton had an unusually long discussion with Stojan Andov, inquiring about the health condition of the President of the Republic of Macedonian Kiro Gligorov, and offering help. In the discussion, Clinton reiterated the interest of the U.S.A. in the stability of Macedonia.

Two days ago, Andov also met with Hans Van Den Broek, Commissioner of the European Union. The European Commissioner informed the Speaker of Parliament that he had received a mandate from the Union to start negotiations with Macedonia over its association with the European Union. The meeting also dealt with the pending establishment of diplomatic relations between Macedonia and the Union.

Stojan Andov also met with the presidents of Albania and Croatia, Sali Berisha and Franjo Tudjman. It was concluded in the talks with the Albanian President that it is necessary to legally regulate the mutual relations as soon as possible. The signing of inter-state agreements has been postponed until now, because Albania has recognized Macedonia under its temporary name - FYROM. The signing of the Declaration on the East-West corridor was the first document to be signed by Albania with the constitutional name of our state. This is even more important in light of the fact that it has the signature of the head of state Berisha on it.

The talks with Croatian President Franjo Tudjman dealt with the restoration of the economic cooperation, which is suffering because of the war.

Andov also had a meeting with the president of the International Red Cross, Cornelio Samaruga, who announced that the International Conference of the Red Cross will receive the Red Cross of Macedonia as a full member in December.

The formal session of the UN General Assembly finished late last night. The participants in this session were supposed to adopt a closing declaration.

[02] FIVE PROTOCOLS FOR NORMALIZATION OF RELATIONS WITH GREECE

The delegation of the Macedonian Foreign Ministry which took part in the negotiations with the Greek side in Athens last week, announced at yesterday's news conference in Skopje that five protocols had been concluded. The head of the delegation Ljupcho Arsovski stated that the protocols deal with the opening of liaisons offices, customs regulations, green cards, visas and transport and connections.

The liaisons offices will be opened in coordination, in the capital cities, with the agreed characteristics, title of the heads of missions, privileges and immunity, in accordance with the Vienna Convention.

The liaisons office in Athens, provided it is in a private house, will have a board placed on the fence with the coat of arms and flag of the Republic of Macedonia, while a board with the name Republic of Macedonia will be placed in the front part of the entrance door. The Greek side has the right to place a sign with the temporary name FYROM some distance away from the gate of the fence. In the lower part, it will be stated that the board was placed there by a third party.

One of the more significant things to come from the Athens meeting is the resolution of the question with the "green cards," since the recognition of this document, which is issued by the Macedonian National Bureau of Insurance opens the possibility for the same document to be recognized by all EU members soon.

It was said that the normal cargo transportation between the two countries is expected to start soon. Namely, 60,000 tones of crude oil have already been unloaded in the Salonika port, which were supplied by the Skopje Refinery, as well as 6,000 tones of zinc. The Macedonian engines have already crossed the border, which means that the transportation of these raw materials will soon start.

To the question regarding the refusal of Greece to issue visas to citizens born in the Aegean part of Macedonia, the journalists got the reply that the practical problems will soon be the topic of new discussions. As to the question whether these citizens were even mentioned in the negotiations, the journalists were told that it did not matter where who was born, but, for the Macedonian delegation, all the people with Macedonian passports are citizens of the Republic of Macedonia.

To the question whether they had any information that the tourist agencies were already thinking of not accepting citizens born in Aegean Macedonia in busses travelling to Greece, since they could not risk having their busses turned back, the response was that they had no such information. The journalists received a similar reply to the question regarding the fact that upon entering Greece, Macedonian citizens are forced to write FYROM instead of Republic of Macedonia in the forms they are given to fill in. According to Jovan Cicakovski, chief of sector in the Interior Ministry, this ministry does not have any such information. He added that it has been agreed that the Macedonian citizens can write the Republic of Macedonia, however, the Greek side has the right to write FYROM over that, and that no one has the right to force the citizens of Macedonia to write FYROM.

[03] VISAS AND PRICES

In the negotiations, it was suggested to the Greek side to abolish the visa regime, or to at least simplify the use of the travel documents, however, that was not accepted. It has been agreed that some other documents can also be requested beside the travel documents upon the issuance of the visas, namely, a personal I.D. card.

In effect, there will be four types of visas: a tourist visa for one trip, transit visas, visas for several trips, valid from 3 to 12 months, and diplomatic visas. The tax for a tourist visa for one trip will cost 900 denars, for more than one trips - from US$ 22 to 80, for transit visas - US$ 10. Furthermore, in order to simplify the protocol, groups visas can also be used, for groups that consist from at least ten persons. The possibility has also been left open for the future realization of the visa-passport regime, and this agreement will remain in effect up to the moment of the inclusion of Greece in the Shengen agreement, when the provisions from this agreement will be applied. Up to the opening of liaisons offices, visas will be issued at the very border points and in the diplomatic-consular missions.

[04] CHARGES AGAINST GREECE DROPPED

The European Commission has dropped the charges against Greece over its economic embargo against Macedonia, now that the two countries have improved their mutual relations, the European Court of Justice announced yesterday.

The Court spokesman stated that the lifting of the embargo eliminates the justification of the charges of the Commission.

[05] CONCEALED DISAPPOINTMENT IN GREECE

The Declaration on the construction of the East-West corridor, signed in New York by Albania, Bulgaria, Macedonia and Turkey, has been received in Greece with restrained comments and hardly concealed disappointment.

The official circles in Athens, accusing Turkey as the main initiator for the construction of the freeway Istanbul- Duress, point out that Greece is already building the freeway "Via Ignatia" which should have the same function as the East- West corridor.

The head of the Greek diplomacy Karolos Papoulias, who stayed in Sofia yesterday, stated at the Athens airport that Turkey has been promoting the idea about the construction of the East-West corridor for more than a year, in an effort to realize "its selfish goals."

Greek commentators are explaining Papoulias' one-day visit to Sofia with the need to remove the "doubts and shadows," about the mutual cooperation, following the lifting of the embargo and the upcoming economic and trade rapprochement between Athens and Skopje.

The meeting between UN mediator Cyrus Vance and Greek ambassador Hristos Zaharikis, has routine importance, the Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias stated in Athens.

At yesterday's "ordinary meeting" with the ambassador Zahirikis, Cyrus Vance "was only examining the field," before the start of the negotiations over the name - Papoulias stated. Papoulias gave a vague reply to the journalist question as to when the negotiations between Athens and Skopje over the name will start. "There won't be a meeting before the start of November," Papoulias said, adding that "it might also be later."

[06] REFINERY TO START WORKING

After an 18-month break caused by the Greek embargo, the Refinery "Skopje" will resume the production of oil derivatives from the beginning of next month, Makpress reports.

For this purpose, the Refinery has already purchased 60,000 tones of crude, light, Siberian oil, which has arrived in the Salonika port. Its distribution from Salonika to Skopje is expected to start these days.

The daily transportation dynamics would be from three to four thousand tones of crude oil. If everything goes according to plan, the plants in the Refinery should start working around the 5th of November.

For the start of the heating season, the Refinery is announcing there will be sufficient quantities of crude oil with one percent sulfur, which is the best possible combination from an ecological aspect.

[07] "ZLETOVO" GETTING SUPPLIES THROUGH SALONIKA

Following the lifting of the Greek embargo, 60 wagons of the Macedonian Railways arrived in the Salonika port yesterday, which will be loaded with zinc concentrates for the Metallurgy-chemical combine "Zletovo" from Titov Veles. These 60 wagons will transport 2,000 tones of zinc concentrates, while the remaining 3,200 tones of concentrates will be transported in the next couple of days.

With the opening of the Salonika port, this combine will reduce its transport costs considerably. Before, it used to spend over five million dollars for transportation through the alternative routes. Raw materials totalling 360,000 tones will be transported annually through the Salonika port.

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