MAK-NEWS 29/08/95 (M.I.L.S.)

From: "M.I.L.S." <mils@ITL.MK>

Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory

CONTENTS

MILS NEWS

Skopje, 29 August 1995

[01] US CONGRESSMEN RECEIVED BY PRIME MINISTER CRVENKOVSKI

Macedonian Prime Minister Branko Crvenkovski received yesterday a US Congress delegation, led by Senator Robert Kerrey. Crvenkovski spoke of Macedonian foreign and domestic policy principles. The talks included relations between Greece and Macedonia, with the prime minister stressing the role of US in the overcoming of the dispute and the effort to lift up the embargo imposed by Greece. Speaking about the conflict in former Yugoslavia, he said Macedonia stands for mutual recognition of the countries in the current administrative borders. They also conferred on ethnic relations in Macedonia and the US congressmen highly evaluated the existing ethnic tolerance and Macedonia's determination to solve the problems within the system. They discussed the preventive mission of UNPREDEP which is conveyed successful so far.

"The US and Macedonia have been closely cooperating for several years and we would like to create one long-lasting and stable partnership in which we would try and help Macedonia to solve a great deal of its problems including the ones with the neighbors...I'm impressed by your leadership and its approach towards resolving the problems and its achievements in the country's progress... I'm very proud of the American presence in Macedonia and I find it effective. I believe that the deployment has saved lots of lives and accomplished to the stability in the country... It is my opinion that we will soon appoint ambassadors in Skopje and Washington. We have good relations with you, as well as with Greece, which is a member of NATO. Therefore, we will help you to overcome this conflict although it is a matter between your two states", Congressman Kerrey said after the meeting.

Foreign Minister Stevo Crvenkovski and Defense Minister Blagoj Handziski also received the delegation. They presented Macedonia's relations with the neighboring countries, as well as the American-Macedonian military cooperation. The Congressmen met with Deputy Chairman of Parliamentary Foreign Policy Commission Slave Naumovski and with representatives of parties included in the parliament.

The Macedonian side stressed the necessity of a soon establishment of full diplomatic relations between the two countries.

[02] WASHINGTON ANNOUNCES SOON SOLUTION TO THE GREEK-MACEDONIAN DISPUTE

US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke will visit Greece this week, Greek Media informs. He will talk about the crisis in former Yugoslavia and relations between Macedonia and Greece. According to the Athens media , Washington shows great interest in the relations, announcing that the Greek-Macedonian issue could be solved this Fall.

According to the Greek government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos, Skopje is expected to introduce concrete changes in its Constitution and national symbol. Athens will be ready to lift the embargo when Skopje fulfills these conditions.

[03] 50 REFUGEES FROM KRAINA ARRIVED IN SKOPJE?

Makfax cites Flaka e Vellazerimit as writing that more than 50 refugees from Kraina, mainly elders, children and women, arrived in Macedonia these days. Citing unofficial sources close to local authorities of the Skopje settlement Chair, the paper claims that refugees are accommodated in hotels in the Skopje mountain Crna Gora. Flaka cites Bogdan Cadikovski, official of the Ministry for Labor and Social Policy, as claiming that no such thing is noticed in the region. However Cadikovski did not exclude the possibility of some refugees having arrived in private visits to Macedonia or having legally crossed the border.

[04] SERECI WARNS AGAINST SETTLING OF REFUGEES IN KOSOVO

"Settling Serbian refugees in Kosovo is the most difficult and risky precedent which could lead to an armed conflict in that part of the region and cause serious consequences not only for the Balkans but also wider " A1 TV reports Albanian Foreign Minister Alfred Sereci as stating at a meeting with Foreign Minister of Egypt Amra Musa, in Tirana yesterday.

Musa supported the Albanian Government position on the Kosovo issue.

[05] TURKS IN MACEDONIA DISAGREE WITH GOVERNMENT DECISION

The Democratic Party of the Turks in Macedonia expressed disagreement with a recent appeal of the Ministry of Education and Culture to Turks in Zhupa to include their children in the regular education in the Macedonian instead in Turkish as over the three past years. The party says Turkish children will not accept decisions which confront their own wish and violate the Constitution.

"In this country you can be either Albanian or Macedonian, but to be Turk is out of question," said party leader Erdogan Sarac, calling this policy shameful. Discussing the draft-law on self-government, he said he has not yet seen the integral text, but added that in "past communist times the Turkish language, along with the Macedonian and Albanian, was in official use, while now, when we loudly speak of democracy and co-existence, it is not allowed to use a language which was used for centuries. Certain articles of the draft-law and with elimination of using Turkish language, affect the good relations between Macedonians and Turks. Therefore, the DPT will lobby for a local self-government to grant local authorities governing rights if the minority comprises 10 % of the population.

[06] ETHNIC ALBANIANS OF MACEDONIA HARASSED

Protesting against actions of the Albanian police, 56 ethnic Albanians of Macedonia addressed an open letter to the higher authorities in Albania regarding inconveniences they had when traveling from Durus toward the Albanian-Macedonian border, when they were reportedly robbed and harassed by the Albanian police on their way back home from Switzerland.

[07] MACEDONIAN AND GREEK FISHERMEN TO SAVE LAKE DOJRAN

A1 TV informs of an official meeting held yesterday between Macedonian and Greek fishermen, discussing ways to save Lake Dojran. The fishermen met at the Greek-Macedonian border in the lake itself. This is second meeting between them. The first was held 20 days ago when it was said that the Greek part of the lake has an inflow of 650 cubic meters per second, which could be redirected to the Macedonian part of Lake Dojran.

The meeting was held upon approval of both governments.

[08] TETOVO HOSTS INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR OF TRANSLATORS

The 24th International Seminar of literary translators was opened in Tetovo yesterday in participation of translators from the US, Russia, China, Argentina, France, Switzerland, Bulgaria and Turkey. They will discuss current issues and problems regarding translation. The seminar will also include an exhibition of latest translations of Macedonian authors in foreign languages.

[09] OLYMPIC COMMITTEE ANNOUNCES OLYMPIC GAMES '96 TEAM

The Macedonian Olympic Committee (MOC)held a session to announce that the 5 sportsmen to represent Macedonia at next year's Olympic Games at Atlanta are as follows: the swimmers Malenko, Boshevski and Meshkovska, wrestler Sokolov and canoe man Popovski. The list could be expanded if some of the wrestlers, tennis players or athletes fulfill Olympic participation criteria. MOC approved three scholarships for young sportsman to be educated abroad. Olympic Committee President Vasil Tupurkovski said the Committee and the Ministry of Education have agreed to submit a draft-law on sports at Parliament and to have the Committee as the sole organization in charge of all sports matters in Macedonia.

The Chairman of the International Olympic Committee Huan Antonio Samaran will receive a delegation of Macedonia in Lozana, September 31.

MILS SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT:

[10] 'WE ARE WORRIED BY THE ANTIBULGARIAN PROPAGANDA IN SKOPJE' (part 2)

(Delo, 25 August 1995) Question: Do you think that the 'language issue' is an essential problem? How can it be resolved?

Answer: If it was not so dramatic, it would be very funny. Because of language problems, imposed by politicians whose job is other than that, important documents are not signed, documents that are essential, such as agreements on avoidance of double taxation, on mutual investment protection, trade contracts, shipping contracts etc. I'm referring to things that are absolutely necessary for an ordinary intensive communication among two neighboring countries which share similar ideas. And suddenly, we have a formulation of how precisely to sign the papers emerge as a problem which could affect the development of the relations between our countries. Our suggestion was that it should be written down that the documents were to be signed in the official languages of Bulgaria and Macedonia. The other side consider the Macedonian to be a separate language; this is their right, but at the same time a great part of Bulgarians consider it a dialect of the Bulgarian. We wanted to please both sides. It is my opinion that it was a reasonable solution - we will not interfere in other countries' internal affairs, just as we will not allow others to interfere with ours. It was the most tolerant and democratic formulation. The other side insisted that the documents read "in Macedonian and Bulgarian" which was unacceptable for us. Then we suggested that the documents should be signed in English, in order to overcome the language issue.

It is in fact a principle problem. It is possible that in the course of time a separate nation could be formed. It is also possible for a separate language to be formed. But we do not yet have conditions for something like that to happen, so the suggested formulation was a most tolerant and reasonable one. They wanted us, after we recognized their country, to also recognize the nation and the language. This is not serious. When a state is officially recognized, what is actually recognized is the state, its independence and sovereignty, the state in whole. Whether such a state will use this or that language or whether it will have this or that nation is up to the state in question to decide; the international law is not concerned with it. For example, Austria and Germany are separate states but they have the same language. There are also cases of the opposite. Such issues are really not relevant, because time and science will solve them. It is our opinion that such policy is not in the interest of either Bulgaria or Macedonia.

Question: Perhaps the language problem is only a pretext to a larger burden on the mutual cooperation. Particularly as the Macedonian side had previously signed the Consular Agreement, only to take a different standing later on.

Answer: You see, if it even is a pretext to impose a barrier, that does not affect us at all. It would first of all affect them, since we are the only state that gives them the air.

Question: What position would Bulgaria take if by any chance the conflict in former Yugoslavia should spread to involve Macedonia as well?

Answer: First of all, let such developments remain only highly hypothetical and let us not predict it. But if it nevertheless does happen, the whole situation in the Balkans will be very difficult. A destabilization of Macedonia is bound to lead to a destabilisation of Kosovo. In such a situation, it would be very difficult to deter Albania from undertaking military actions, although it does not wish to be involved in such a conflict for purely military reasons.

However there are things which could involve Albania in such activities. In a way, we could also be involved, not because Bulgaria wants to but simply because there will be a lot of refugees - children, elders and invalids who could create another social problem - that of destabilization of the public opinion. I could not really tell you what could happen, but I think that we should do our best to prevent any such possibilities. We would not get anything from it. It would be the other two countries - the ones that do not recognize Macedonia's sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence -that would gain from it.

Question: Being a creator of Bulgaria's Balkans policy so far, do you think that the moment has come to reconsider it seriously?

Answer: Absolutely not. I consider our policy on the Balkans, which is conveyed after 1989, as a balanced reasonable policy of good neighborly relations with all Balkans states, and so far it gives good results. We are strengthening our relations with Turkey, Greece, Romany and Albania. We have not made such contracts with Macedonia and Serbia, but this is not our fault. In my opinion, Bulgaria should stick to this balanced policy regarding its neighbors and never allow any neighbor to involve it in certain games or direct it against other neighbor state. This is extremely dangerous. Our relations with Turkey and Greece have a special place in our foreign policy. Beside being neighbors, we are members of NATO too. Therefore, we do maintain to have clear, even crystal clear relations with these two countries; we even have military and other cooperation as part of the "Partnership for Peace" project. This policy has proven to be best for Bulgaria - our country is respected and no one could criticize any of its foreign policy principles. Turkey and Greece have equal trust in us. And one more thing: thanks to that principle to maintain a clear policy towards the two countries gives us the possibility to balance between the two countries, as our relations with each of them separately are better than their own bilateral relations.

(end)

mils-news 29 August '95

[11] MILS EXTENDS A SPECIAL INVITATION

TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY IN MACEDONIA FOR THE OCCASION OF

THE KENTUCKY COLONEL AWARD CEREMONY.

THIS PRESTIGIOUS AWARD FROM THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WILL BE PRESENTED TO FIVE DISTINGUISHED MACEDONIAN CITIZENS FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO WORLD PEACE AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION.

THE EVENT WILL TAKE PLACE, FRIDAY, 1 OF SEPTEMBER, AT 8 P.M., IN THE PREMISES OF MILS: 8 UDARNA BRIGADA 20 B IN SKOPJE.

YOUR ATTENDANCE AT THIS CEREMONY WILL BE MOST APPRECIATED