As of two days ago, a high military Macedonian delegation, led by Major General Yanko Manasievski, are participating in an official visit to the Russian Federation. The visit is a result of the mutual interest to expand the military cooperation. The Macedonian delegation will visit several army bases in Russia, and offers for cooperation are expected once the delegation returns home.
Despite plans to include the Macedonian question at the latest EU summit in Cannes, the issue was not raised, A1 Television reports. Greek reporters from Cannes say that the only statement regarding Greek-Macedonian relations was the one given by the French delegation's spokesman, who reiterated that the Greek embargo is opposed to European Union regulations.
The US President Clinton's Special Envoy in the Greek- Macedonian dispute Matthew Nimitz told the Athens News Agency he hoped the negotiations in New York will soon be renewed.
Makfaks says Nimitz, currently cruising the Greek islands on a summer holiday, will not meet representatives of the Greek government on an official basis.
Macedonian Television says Parliament Vice-president Tito Petkovski was recently interviewed by the Greek newspaper Kathimerini. He reportedly said UN mediator Vance has not come up with a concrete proposal on either a large or a small package of solutions for the Greek-Macedonian problem, explaining the entire story was made up for the Greek public only.
Kathimerini says Petkovski accused VMRO-DPMNE of Skopje and Political Spring of Athens of 'mining every good faith step of both countries,' adding the only way out are further compromises, not mentioning the name issue. Petkovski further said Macedonia would be an easy target for Bulgarian and Serbian appetites, should it change its name and thus become a nationally non-oriented mass. Besides, he added, any change of the name would bring scorn from countries that recognized it under its constitutional name. The paper also quotes Petkovski as saying there is no anti- Greek atmosphere in Macedonia even despite the embargo, and that the Macedonia people expect relations with Greece to improve.
Within the Washington premises of the World Bank, Macedonian representative to the US Ljubica Acevska yesterday signed an agreement with the institution on a $ 99 million credit for Macedonia. $ 85 million are to support the country's payment system, while the remainder is to be used for building social shelters and financing social programs, the Macedonian foreign ministry reported.
Deputies of the People's Democratic Party (NDP) will return to their parliament seats, party leader Iliaz Halimi stated at a press-conference yesterday. According to the party leadership, the act of leaving parliament has achieved the desired effect, as the Macedonian government, Halimi said, has made concessions regarding the university in Tetovo. The university, it was said, functions undisturbed, although under difficult conditions.
The private radio station 'Uskana' of Kicevo released an announcement to inform potential students of the university in Tetovo that the enrollment of freshmen students has begun. The statement came from the Democratic Party of Macedonia (DPM) and was published by the Skopje daily Vecher. DPM also said it was high time that the legal state starts to function in Macedonia, particularly in the western region.
The Macedonian Government held a press-conference yesterday to inform of changes and additions in the regulations of the high-school and higher education system which was discussed at a cabinet session two days ago. New items in the High- school Act refer to ways of organizing and the functioning of high-schools, the establishment of Macedonian and foreign private high-schools, entry and final exams and the use of minority languages in the high-school education. Education Minister Emilija Simoska said higher education will be conducted in Macedonian, in accordance with constitutional provisions; training of teachers at pedagogical academies (producing teachers for elementary schools) can also be carried out in languages of minorities, as well as pedagogical parts of the curriculum for training high-school teachers; subjects aimed at fostering national identity and culture will be in the pupils' mother tongue; and, certain groups of subjects can be taught in one of the world languages. The Law also allows the establishment of private high-schools in a foreign language. Changes in the Higher Education Law refer to the defining of university autonomy, introduction of a special committee for higher education, and enrollment of students free of charge. University degrees will be ratified by the Ministry of Education.
Asked by reporters whether the latest talks with Gert Arens resulted in the possibility of including the Tetovo university in the education system in the country, Simoska said it has neither been accepted nor considered to legalize illegal educational institutions. The government has not been pressed to do so and there have been no discussions whatsoever on such a possibility.
The Macedonian Parliament will hold its 21st session today. The agenda includes laws on expropriation, monitoring of education, prevention of smoking, as well as a proposal to issue a law on awarding medals. MP's will also discuss changes in the pension and invalid security regulations, the profit tax, and the report of the Privatization Agency on the course of the process over the last and the first quarter of this year.
The National UNESCO Commission of the Republic of Macedonia, formed by a government decision 6 months ago, held its first session yesterday. Esthref Aliu is president of the Commission and Ilinka Mitreva his deputy. Commission members, officials of several high state institutions, unanimously adopted the Commission By-laws. This year's priority task of the Commission will be to mark November 16, the international Day of Tolerance, as declared by UNESCO.
A group of about 50 employees in the trading company 'Skopjanka' held a protest in front of the government building yesterday, to express dissatisfaction with 'the illegal privatization of the firm' and the 'illegal sale of the department store with the highest reputation in the country until only a few years ago.' Protesters demanded that the Public Income Bureau re-examine its decision upon which the privatization of a 48.97 per cent stake of the company, previously transferred under the Markovic model, has been annulled. They also requested that high interest rates be lowered, since the company's debt of only DM 500,000 has increased to as much as DM 5 million due to the high interest rates. Demonstrators expressed bitterness with the decision to lower the appraised value of 'Skopjanka' from the initial DM 12.5 to DM 9 million.
After a several-hours protest, they were received by Deputy Minister of Economy Tome Chemerski, who told them the Public Income Bureau's decision has been abolished, which makes them share-holders again.
At an election session yesterday, the Skopje township appointed VMRO-DPMNE member Jove Kekenovski as the new city mayor. Musa Uksheni of PDP was elected his deputy.
The Board of the Pension and Invalid Security Fund yesterday issued a statement to make the public aware of its critical financial position. DM 55.4 million are needed for this month's pensions, but companies are not regular in paying in pension taxes and those who are regular often forge the tax basis. The Board has already informed the ministries of finance, labor and social policy and development, the president of the state, cabinet and parliament. The Government is asked to grant the Fund a priority status, as it is obvious that the latter will not be able to pay out this month's pensions without bank credits.
The Socialist Party of Macedonia (a partner in the Alliance for Macedonia coalition) will hold its second congress in Skopje on July 1. Some 450 participants are expected to attend the congress, 236 of which are party delegates. The only presidential nominee is the current party president Kiro Popovski. According to his own words, to nominate any other candidates would only bring about splits in the party. The Socialists have invited all parliamentary parties to attend the congress, as well as VMRO-DPMNE and DP. The Yugoslav Socialist Party and Yugoslav Joint Left Wing will take part as guests of the congress. Popovski said the last two parties have been invited because they are followers of the European socialist movement and this creates a basis for cooperation.
(Delo, 23 June 1995)
According to some sources, Dr. Risto Tatarcev (one of the founders of VMRO) was deeply disappointed when he returned to Thessaloniki in 1893, after a tour of several cities in the 'Vardar Macedonia', saying 'everybody there is concerned solely with their own interests.' The same disappointment is felt even today, more than 100 years later, when the magic circle of history resulted in the case of Macedonia with establishment of statehood, but not with awareness of mutual interests.
In fact, the true and blackest divisions among Macedonians are of a more recent date. The establishment of VMRO and the initial period of its organization of the Macedonian people was followed by schisms and splits within the party, severe and ruthless to the point of self-destruction. The divisions into 'Centralists' and 'Vrhovists' and numerous murders inspired by a desire to dominate the party led to a bloody Macedonian waltz, danced almost throughout the entire of Europe. This was also when the party members divided into pro-Bulgarian, pro-Serbian and pro-Greek oriented groups, depending upon whose occupation was this or that part of Macedonia (and the VMRO membership on that territory). This division was also aimed at the elimination of the other two parts of the party. This no doubt supports the thesis for a fatal impact of the neighbors' appetites and propaganda. Is Hell always other people? These words - supposedly said by Hitler himself - were used in an article in the newspaper 'Mazedonische Zustende' to describe the situation in Macedonia, a small country fatally divided. The situation existed before, but unfortunately also after the People's Liberation War (NOB); the Communist Party, having declared VMRO ideas and goals as its own ideals during the war, suddenly dissociated from VMRO in the post-war period by sending people to inland and island prisons for the very same ideas. With shorter or longer periods, this lasted as long as the former Yugoslavia did. In fact, people joined the Communist partisan forces in the NOB mainly because they were made to believe that the war was fought for independence of Macedonia. Once the war ended, however, the Communist Party of Macedonia joined the Yugoslav federation, severely dealing with those thinking differently, humbly obeying directives from Belgrade, declaring all living (and deceased) independence-seekers to be pro-Bulgarian enemies of the federation. Splits in foreign interests again brought about splits among the Macedonians themselves, giving birth to antagonism and hatred whose influence can still be felt today.
Yet, the Macedonian people showed that it can be united. The example with the referendum on independence and secession from the former Yugoslav federation - voted in favor by a vast majority - showed and proved that all Macedonian forces can only be united under the prospect of independence. And still, the national energy released in the gaining of independence was not used in the right manner. Moreover, the impression is that it has even been destroyed. Ever since the introduction of pluralism, the current post- communist era in Macedonia has been confirming the thesis that unity in Macedonia is a goal hard to achieve. But this time, the main party to be blamed are those who have (and have had) the opportunity to make the right moves. Daily political interests have again divided the Macedonian nation into pro-Bulgarian and pro-Serbian oriented groups. Faced with the possibility of losing power, the current (and also past) ruling party played the old card of repeating the echo of history, declaring an entire party for pro-Bulgarian. Not that there are individuals in the country who have not contributed to further splits among the Macedonians (acting on behalf of foreign forces for personal interests only), but it is really high time to stop labeling people once and for all. Time, working for the completion of the Macedonian side, will on its own eliminate those elements.
The Macedonian nation is in need of a national conscience and not only a feeling of national affiliation. The need of a national reconciliation and a national platform to unite all relevant factors has so far frequently been publicly affirmed. Such was the initiative submitted to parliament for the rehabilitation of individuals oppressed and prosecuted for having VMRO ideas. As expected, this was most bitterly opposed by the so-called Veterans' Association, who again abused the pro-Bulgarian thesis, and was supported in this by the current government. At the same time, there was another reaction - indeed reasonable - that said that the executors cannot rehabilitate their own victims. In fact, the impression is that the primary guilty party responsible for the fact that the national reconciliation has not been (at least symbolically) achieved so far, is again the current government. The hunger for power led to complete marginalization of the opposition by thwarting the elections at the highest level. The Macedonian public was able to witness itself how the second man in the state himself publicly said that Macedonia really does not need a national consensus, as it already has (or had) a state one (?!). Now, this is something that discards any thesis for a national reconciliation.
The issue was recently raised again by a claim that the entire matter ought to be 'dealt with by the president of the country' and an initiative (blessed by the government) made to mark the place of the so-called 'Veles massacre' where 52 prisoners were brutally executed. The initiative was to mark the place and event only formally - probably to avoid upsetting some of the executors who are still alive - and was to come from 'the president of the country' who, after all, is a statesman serving a political group which eliminated its opposition. If the political leaders do honestly desire to achieve a national reconciliation (the need for which is almost aching), they should first of all forget all about partial political interests and unite under one single authority. The Macedonian Orthodox church, being a supporting pole of Macedonia's independence, is the sole entity that will perhaps be able to absorb without prejudice the huge weight and, consequently, huge results of such an act.