MAK-NEWS 28/04/95 (M.I.L.S.)

From: "Demetrios E. Paneras" <dep@bu.edu>

CONTENTS

  • [01] GENERAL STRIKE TAKES PLACE IN SKOPJE

  • [02] HEAD OF INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AGAINST MEETING

  • [03] LEFTEROV ACCUSES JANEV OF TREASON

  • [04] NO PASSENGERS WERE DENIED ENTRY IN SKOPJE, POLICE CLAIMS

  • [05] GOVERNMENT PRESS-CONFERENCE

  • [06] WARNING STRIKE TO TAKE PLACE TODAY

  • [07] GLIGOROV RECEIVES US CONGRESSMAN

  • [08] ANDOV ENDS VISIT TO TURKEY

  • [09] TURKEY AND MACEDONIA SIGN A TRAFFIC AGREEMENT

  • [10] SIMOSKA INFORMS BOLCUS OF DISSATISFACTION OF MACEDONIANS

  • [11] TRPEVSKI SPEAKS OF MACEDONIAN SECURITIES MARKET

  • [12] ARENS VISITS SKOPJE

  • [13] HEARING AT TETOVO COURT CONTINUES

  • [14] MOST SUCCESSFUL MANAGERS IN MACEDONIA PRONOUNCED

  • [15] OCCASIONS

  • [16] MILS SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT: PROTEST MEETING IN TETOVO (Vecher, 28 April 1995)

    •

    M I L S N E W S

    Skopje, 28 April 1995

    [01] GENERAL STRIKE TAKES PLACE IN SKOPJE

    After a 90 minute delay, the announced general strike started at the Macedonia square in Skopje, yesterday, organized by the Independent Trade Union Association. Around 3,000 demonstrators from Skopje and other cities appeared at the city square. In attendance were representatives of parties which supported the gathering and OSCE and UNPREDEP officials. Strikers read out a declaration which consisted of only two demands: that the current government resign and that a new, temporary government be formed to schedule new elections within 3 months. It is the Union's decision to continue with the strike until the administration resigns. Union president Stojan Nikolov refuted rumors on splits within the Union itself. He also said that the police are preventing people from outside Skopje to enter the city. A larger group of citizens then headed toward the Union Center, demanding to meet with Zhivko Tolevski, president of the Association of Trade Unions in Macedonia (SSM). They requested that Tolevski resign, that the SSM property be divided and that the Independent Union be provided with offices within the Union Center. Tolevski turned down all demands. The meeting ended about 7 p.m. with the Union secretary saying that, unless the Government resigns, the Union will turn aggressive tonight.

    [02] HEAD OF INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AGAINST MEETING

    Stavre Janev, Head of the Independent Trade Union Association's Executive Committee and leader of the Independent Trade Union of Farmers, said yesterday the majority of the members in the Executive Committee and the Independent Unions dissociate themselves from yesterday's meeting. We believe, he said, the interests of workers can be protected only by a politically independent trade union. According to these members, the Union should have given the Government a month to start initiating social programs demanded by the Union. The two demands stated by the Union yesterday, Janev said, are arbitrary and have not been confirmed by Union bodies and the Executive Committee.

    [03] LEFTEROV ACCUSES JANEV OF TREASON

    Atanas Lefterov, main coordinator of the general strike of the Independent Trade Unions Association, stated yesterday that his associate, Stavre Janev, who was also one of the leading organizers, committed a treason. Lefterov expressed deep disappointment with Janev. "Still," he added, "we will complete the scenario even if we remain with only half a man."

    [04] NO PASSENGERS WERE DENIED ENTRY IN SKOPJE, POLICE CLAIMS

    A1 Television cites top officials of the Macedonian Ministry of the Interior as bitterly refuting any rumors of citizens outside Skopje having been intercepted at the roads leading into the capitol. According to them, people did not try to come to Skopje, because no one was prevented from arriving to take part in yesterday's meeting.

    [05] GOVERNMENT PRESS-CONFERENCE

    With reference to the general strike held in Skopje yesterday, the Government held a press-conference in the afternoon, to say, "As far as we know, nearly 3,000 people gathered today at the Macedonia square in Skopje... Following the split in views among the very leaders of the Independent Union, the majority of the Executive Committee members dissociated themselves from the meeting, and it is obvious that the citizens who did come out in the streets had been organized by several political parties. Our sources tell us that the major activities at the meeting were organized and led by VMRO-DPMNE which, of course, just confirms once again that the meeting had a political background. During yesterday's talks with the largest part of the Independent Union leadership, we all agreed that the reform course initiated by the Government is the only way and that it requests that trade unions also get engaged in the process."

    [06] WARNING STRIKE TO TAKE PLACE TODAY

    Workers in the textile, shoe and leather industry will go on a warning strike from 1p.m. to 2 p.m. today. The initiator and organizer of the strike is the State Committee of the trade unions of these industries and is supported by five other branches of the Trade Union Association of Macedonia. This was said at yesterday's press-conference by Angelko Angelkovski, president of the Textile, Shoe and Leather Trade Union, which took place immediately after the unsuccessful talks between them and Government officials.

    [07] GLIGOROV RECEIVES US CONGRESSMAN

    Macedonian President Kiro Gligorov yesterday received a delegation from the US Congress led by congressman Jim Morren. The talks, also attended by the Head of the US Liaison Office Victor Comras, focused on the situation in the region and the development of Macedonian-US relations. Morren repeated his country's interest in a stable Macedonia, pointing out the Congress will discuss ways to support the East-West corridor at its next session. President Gligorov spoke of the current economic and political situation in the country and Macedonia's relations with its neighbors, emphasizing losses suffered by Macedonia as a result of the Greek embargo and UN sanctions on Yugoslavia. Congressman Morren was also received by Foreign Minister Stevo Crvenkovski.

    [08] ANDOV ENDS VISIT TO TURKEY

    Macedonian Parliament President Stojan Andov arrived back yesterday in Macedonia after a several-day visit to Turkey. He had attended the ceremony celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Grand People's Parliament of Turkey. During his stay there, Andov met with Turkish President Suleiman Demirel, Prime Minister Tansu Ciller and representatives of parliaments from several other countries. Speaking of results of his visit, Andov told reporters that the good Turkish-Macedonian relations and mutual trust were confirmed once again. He said his talks with Turkish officials focused on parliamentary cooperation and the Turkish minority in Macedonia as a bridge for bilateral cooperation. At the end, Andov announced a coming visit by a senior Turkish official to Macedonia.

    [09] TURKEY AND MACEDONIA SIGN A TRAFFIC AGREEMENT

    In Skopje, yesterday, Macedonian Minister of Traffic and Communication Dimitar Buzlevski and the Turkish ambassador to Macedonia Suha Noyan signed an agreement to regulate the transportation of goods and passengers between the two countries. The system will be carried out without requiring licenses, except for transportation to and from third countries. All documents will conform to European standards.

    [10] SIMOSKA INFORMS BOLCUS OF DISSATISFACTION OF MACEDONIANS

    Macedonian Minister of Education Emilija Simoska and Victor Gaber, under-secretary in the Macedonian Foreign Ministry, met with Australian Minister of Ethnic Relations and Immigration Nick Bolcus during the ongoing Conference on Cultural Variety in Sydney. They informed him of the dissatisfaction of the Macedonian community in Australia with the unjustified Federal Government decision to rename Macedonians in Australia "Slav-Macedonians". Bolcus spoke of current problems in dealing with various ethnic communities in Australia, stressing that respect for variety and tolerance are basic principles of the country. These principles, he added, are at moments violated by the political opportunist and various pressures which must be alleviated.

    [11] TRPEVSKI SPEAKS OF MACEDONIAN SECURITIES MARKET

    The first securities market in Macedonia is expected to start operating in Skopje, sometime in the last quarter of the year. The basic criteria of operations of the market were stated by Minister Ljube Trpevski at yesterday's press- conference: non-profit orientation, openness of the Bourse, having independent financial experts comprising more than half of the members of the board, and centralized trade. The securities market is to be founded as a financial organization with at least 5 founders and a founding capital of at least 1 million German marks in a Denar counter value. The Bourse will be trading with securities only. Members of the market will be legal entities with a capital of at least 50,000 German marks. Operations will be conducted by authorized brokers and the State Securities Committee will control all operations. The first issue of the Bourse publication "Capital" was promoted yesterday.

    [12] ARENS VISITS SKOPJE

    Gert Arens, Head of the Working Group on Ethnic and National Communities at the International Conference for Former Yugoslavia, arrived for a visit to Skopje yesterday. He organized another round of talks between the Macedonian Government, represented by Minister of Justice Vlado Popovski, and political parties of Albanians in the Macedonian Parliament, represented by Ziberi, Ibraimi and Dzaferi. The talks, attended also by an OSCE official, focused on educational issues, use of language and the latest events in Tetovo. The next meeting was scheduled for May 11 & 12 to discuss radio programs in languages of minorities planned to be broadcast throughout Macedonia.

    [13] HEARING AT TETOVO COURT CONTINUES

    The second day of the trial of Fadil Suleimani and Milaim Feiziu at the Tetovo Municipal Court was spent in questioning the second defendant Feiziu and presenting evidence before the three-member criminal council. Unlike the first day, the public interest in the trial decreased and no people gathered in front of the courthouse.

    [14] MOST SUCCESSFUL MANAGERS IN MACEDONIA PRONOUNCED

    Yesterday in Skopje, "Makmanager '94", the joint project of the newspaper Nova Makedonija and the magazine Express, ended by promoting the most successful Macedonian managers in the past years, on basis of 12 criteria. They are as follows: Kostadin Berzov (Bargala) - Shtip, Gligoroie Gogovski (Tetks) - Tetovo, Gjorge Gjurkovic (Herc- Makedonija) - Skopje, Goce Kamcev (Interkam) - Skopje, Zoran Krstevski (JPAU-Makedonija) - Skopje, Blagoja Madzarovski (Tutunski kombinat) - Skopje, Simon Naumovski (Vitaminka) - Prilep, Slobodanka Popovska (Makoshped) - Skopje, Zoran Trpevski (Makedonska Banka) - Skopje and Milan Hristovski (ZUS) - Skopje.

    [15] OCCASIONS

    - On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of victory over fascism, the State Committee of the Association of Veterans in Macedonia yesterday held a ceremonial session with President Gligorov and representatives of the diplomatic corps in the country in attendance. Association president Borko Temelkovski gave an introductory speech. - The 90th anniversary of the death of the Macedonian revolutionary and president of the Krushevo Republic Nikola Karev was marked in Krushevo yesterday. Senior Macedonian Government officials paid respects at his tomb.

    [16] MILS SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT: PROTEST MEETING IN TETOVO

    (Vecher, 28 April 1995)

    "Never declare someone as your enemy, unless you can defeat them." It was with this old Albanian proverb that one of the organizers of the protest march in Tetovo of two days ago ended his speech in front of the gathered ethnic Albanians before the courthouse in which the initiators of the Tetovo university were on trial. He added that Fadil Suleimani is invincible, because he has the people at this side. The power of this wisdom was just too dangerously expressed on an occasion like this one, because since the very first day since announcing the initiative for an Albanian-language university in Tetovo, there have been attempts to polarize the Macedonian public on national issues. All messages for co-existence and understanding will go down the drain if such and similar "wisdom" is often spoken; speaking of winners and losers, they can only increase the intolerance. The beginning of the trial of Suleimani and Feiziu has only confirmed this polarization, going so far as having the two sides engage reporters who witnessed the event : the prosecution summons Macedonian reporters, and the defense calls ethnic Albanian journalists. What is even more frightening, the executive power is already being identified with the judicial one and spectators seem to be sure that the accused will be sentenced no matter what. The leader of the PDPA, Arben Dzaferi, whose party obviously stood behind the idea of a university in Tetovo, assures that "the entire process will be just another farce." The question is what will happen if the Municipal Court in Tetovo frees Suleimani and Feiziu of the charges? Will the public not say that the court decision has been made under pressure of the Tetovo events, that is the protest march of some ten thousand people? Again, then, a conclusion questioning the independence of the judiciary. The claim of political parties of Albanians in Macedonia that this is a political instead of a court process seems to be literally groundless. The fact that this initiative violates the Constitution and law in Macedonia does not worry them at all. To proclaim someone as invincible because he is backed up by their "people" is too dangerous a thesis to contribute to the attempts to solve all problems through dialogue. On the contrary, it provokes the other side to oppose the idea with more numerous people and prove its own invincibility. Such statements, of course, can win many votes for someone, but certainly bring no good to the country in which he lives and tries to gain as much power as possible. On the other hand, the government also contributed to polarizing the situation with the very fact that it did not find it necessary to point out the possible consequences of the initiative to the initiators themselves and try and find alternative solutions for problems of ethnic Albanians in the field of education, within the legal educational scheme. Communication through public statements and without personal appearance at the scene is bound to lead to such an outcome. In fact, this is not an outcome, but a beginning of something the outcome of which is hard to predict.

    (end)

    mils-news 28 April '95

    Note: MILS-NEWS service will continue on May 3, 1995.

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