MAK-NEWS 18/01/96 (M.I.C.)

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

Macedonian Information Centre Directory

CONTENTS

SKOPJE, JANUARY 18, 1996 (MIC)

[01] LIAISONS OFFICES OPENED

The Macedonian and Greek liaisons offices were officially opened yesterday, following the symbolic raising of the Greek flag in Skopje and the Macedonian flag in Athens.

"The offices will function in a positive atmosphere, which has been created after the signing of the Interim Accord between the two neighboring countries," Aleksandros Maljas, the head of the Greek liaisons office said on this formal occasion. He added: "The personnel of your office in Athens and ours here in Skopje will definitely work on the further development of relations and the stabilization of the direct communication channels."

The Macedonian ambassador Ivan Toshevski emphasized that the opening of the offices presents a major step in the implementation of the Accord, which should contribute to the strengthening of the relations between the two countries.

Makpress reports from Athens that the Macedonian flag was raised at precisely 12 hours yesterday, with an appropriate ceremony, on the three-storey villa in the neighborhood Paleo Psihiko, in the northern part of Athens, which marked the official opening of the liaisons office.

The ceremony was also attended by representatives of the Greek Foreign Ministry.

"This act, which took place simultaneously in Athens and Skopje, rounds off the first part of the Interim Accord from New York, and creates conditions for the speedier development of relations between the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Greece," Cvetko Savovski, advisor in the Macedonian Foreign Ministry said.

Expressing hope that the present liaison services will be elevated to a higher diplomatic level, he emphasized that the representatives of the two countries will manage to take advantage of such opportunities, to expand the scope of cooperation in all fields.

According to Savovski, that is in the interest of the two countries and their peoples.

"The raising of the flag and the opening of the diplomatic mission in Athens is an important historic moment for the two countries, since it creates conditions for mutual cooperation," Grigoros Papadopoulos, adviser in the Department for Balkan questions with the Greek Foreign Ministry, said. "The climate at this moment is very favorable and therefore we believe that the relations between the two countries will improve even more," he added.

The absence of the host, the Macedonian head of the Liaisons office could not go by unnoticed yesterday. According to some Greek newspapers, there is a struggle going on between Victor Gaber and Ljupcho Arsovski for this position.

The Macedonian liaisons office is expected to start working towards the end of this, i.e. the beginning of next month.

[02] BRITISH BRIDGE TO THE EU

President Kiro Gligorov received Foreign Office Undersecretary Tom Richardson, yesterday. In the longer and friendly discussion, which was also attended by the British ambassador to Macedonia Tony Milson, the two sides exchanged opinions on the mutual relations, assessing that they are constantly improving.

An accent was placed on the current situation in the Balkan region, with both sides expressing the conviction that the peace agreement for Bosnia and Herzegovina will be implemented successfully. In this context, it was assessed that from the aspect of wider stability in the region, it is very important for Macedonia and FRY to recognize each other as soon as possible.

Undersecretary Richardson delivered to President Gligorov a message from British Premier John Major, expressing willingness to strengthen the otherwise excellent relations between the two countries, and to help Macedonia develop closer ties with the EU.

Prime Minister Branko Crvenkovski also received Undersecretary Richardson yesterday. In informing his guest about the current political and economic situation in the country, Macedonia's relations with the neighbors and the situation in the region, Crvenkovski expressed hope that Great Britain will help to develop Macedonian relations with the EU. Underlining his country's active participation in the European and international integrations, Richardson promised British support for Macedonia's speedier integration in the international organizations and institutions.

[03] MACEDONIA AND SLOVENIA SIGN TRANSPORT AGREEMENT

The ministers of transport and communications of the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Slovenia, Dimitar Buzlevski and Igor Umek, signed an international transport agreement in Ljubljana yesterday.

Minister Buzlevski told the Macedonian Radio that the to-date cooperation between these two ministries is positive, and that what has been done so far provides a sound basis for the strengthening of the overall economic relations between the two countries. "The signing of the transport agreement," Buzlevski stressed, "will create better conditions for quicker, more efficient and more rational transportation."

[04] $ 160 MILLION TRADE DEFICIT

Prime Minister Branko Crvenkovski's cabinet has projected a $ 160 million foreign trade deficit in 1996, as a result of the anticipated export values, estimated somewhere around $ 1,270 billion, as opposed to the import transactions, which are anticipated at $ 1,430 billion.

[05] MOLDOVAN AMBASSADOR TO MACEDONIA

Yesterday, the first newly-appointed extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador of the Republic of Molodova to Macedonia, Mihay Koshkodan, submitted the copies of his letters of credence to Foreign Minister Stevo Crvenkovski.

Some time today, ambassador Koshkodan will deliver the originals of his letters of credence to President Kiro Gligorov, and meet with Speaker of Parliament Stojan Andov and Premier Branko Crvenkovski, afterwards.

[06] PAKISTANI AMBASSADOR TO MACEDONIA

President Kiro Gligorov received the ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to Macedonia, Inam Ul Hak, yesterday, who submitted his letter of credence.

The ceremony organized on this occasion in the President's Cabinet, was also attended by Foreign Minister Stevo Crvenkovski.

MACEDONIAN PRESS REVIEW:

[07] "NOVA MAKEDONIJA": SIGNS OF RECONCILIATION

The main political topic that marked the start of this year - the latest conflict between the two major participants in the parliamentary majority and the ruling coalition, the Social Democratic Alliance and the Liberal Party - seems to be subduing.

Following the line of events in the media that marked the latest inter-party confrontation, the representatives of the two parties are no longer showing any intention or inclination to comment the situation any further. For instance, the member of the SDAM presidency Aleksandar Geshtakovski explained to us yesterday that the party has decided not to discuss the subject any further, while the LP secretary Ace Kocevski categorically refused to make any statements, saying that his party has already announced its stance in the public announcement from the session of its Republic Committee. Are the passions finally calming, or will the problems be resolved at a higher level, i.e. with the announced and anticipated reconstruction of Government, which the Premier himself has already announced? In effect, the question is whether the innovation of Crvenkovski's Cabinet will end the lengthy dispute between the two political subjects, which has been lasting the last three years.

In any event, expectations are that the Premier will have the last word on the subject, and his decision will decide the fate of the coalition between SDAM and LP. In this given situation, when, as it seems, both sides are trying to make peace with each other, yesterday's statement of the secretary of SDAM Ljubomir Popovski, for our newspaper, aroused a great deal of interest. In his comment of the recent interview with Interior Minister Ljubomir Frckovski for "Puls," he said that such a folly on the part of a government official, in relation to political questions of such nature, could be politically detrimental. We have unofficially learned that similar opinions were voiced at the session of the SDAM Presidency on Monday, i.e. it was determined that the views of the Interior Minister do not comply with his position as a member of Government. We repeat, this information is unofficial, and the sources wish to remain anonymous.

As a reminder, in the last issue of "Puls," minister Frckovski launched a strong attack against the Liberals, stating a couple of reasons why the "infectious relationship," as he put it, should be broken off. As the top man of the Macedonian police said, before all, this should be done in order to prevent the affirmation and expansion of such political moral, according to which one can rule, and have someone else bear the consequences. As second, it is an unsuccessful calculation with a "thin layer in the SDAM, which is politically similar to the Liberals." Furthermore, the LP was accused of "lobbying in the direction of the northern neighbor."

As it is known, the Liberals reacted to these allegations with a short announcement, which actually represents the stance of their Republic Committee, which was in session on Saturday. It says that the LP "supports the Prime Minister in his efforts to analyze the one-year work of the Government" and that it "hopes that a reconstruction of the Government, based on those grounds, will contribute to better understanding and respect between the parties in the Alliance for Macedonia, to the strengthening of its role and efficiency in the fulfillment of the election promises made before the citizens, as well the trust between the parties in the parliamentary majority."

With this, the Liberals made it quite clear that they have no intention, at this moment, of leaving the coalition and going into opposition, which surprised quite a few people, especially after the attacks by the prime minister and the interior minister. The basic intention of the LP's announcement is quite clear - to shift the responsibility to the prime minister, who has yet to decide if and what kind of reconstruction he will perform in his cabinet.

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