MAK-NEWS 09/10/95 (M.I.L.S.)

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

Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory

CONTENTS

MILS NEWS

Skopje, 9 October 1995

[01] CLINTON SENDS LETTER TO GLIGOROV

The President of the USA, Bill Clinton, last Thursday sent a letter to the Macedonian President, Kiro Gligorov, in which he expressed his best wishes for a speedy recovery, following the assassination attempt on his life. "This terrorist crime will not deter us from our mutual efforts for peace and stability in the Balkans. I am convinced that you will continue with your leadership and the courage that you have shown in the past, and that you will continue your efforts towards achieving this aim", stated President Clinton in the letter.

[02] FOREIGN EXPERTS INVESTIGATE SCENE

Expert teams from the USA, Great Britain, Germany and, unofficially, Greece which have offered assistance to the Macedonian Internal Affairs Ministry, regarding the assassination attempt on President Gligorov, have arrived in Skopje and for the last two days have undertaken an intensive investigation at the scene of the assassination attempt. The US experts, from the Explosives Unit of the FBI, the ATF and the Security Service of the State Department have brought in at least seven tones of equipment. They are working alongside a five-member group of experts from Scotland Yard and members of the Anti-Terrorist Squad of the London Metropolitan Police, and together are attempting to obtain further evidence. According to Macedonian media, among other things, the most sought after evidence are pieces of the bomb detonator. Their first official report is expected shortly.

[03] PHOTO-IMAGE OF CAR SUSPECT

In order to stimulate further information from the wider public in the investigation of the assassination attempt on President Gligorov, the Macedonian Internal Affairs Ministry published a photo-image of the person who on September 24 1995, at the auto-market Fershped - Skopje, purchased the Citroen-Ami 8 vehicle, which was used as the car-bomb in the assassination attempt on President Gligorov. The car, bearing registration number KU 240 MB, was manufactured in 1975 and was white in color. The unknown buyer, is believed to be about 30 years old, with blond hair, medium-sized, with no distinguishing marks, and a height of about 170cm.

The MIA has requested all persons who may have information about this suspect, or that may have noticed the vehicle's movements in the period in between September 24 and October 3, 1995, to report to the nearest police station but not take any other action.

[04] GLIGOROV'S CONDITION IMPROVING

President's Gligorov condition is showing signs of gradual improvement. His right eye has stabilized, and thus will now enable further surgical procedures. Brain scans have removed any possible complications. An opthalmological team has now arrived in Skopje from France, and they will be consulted prior to the planned surgery on the President's right eye.

The condition of the other persons injured in the assassination attempt, Jovan Atanasov and Klime Korobar, hospitalized in the Surgery Clinic, as well as Ilco Teovski, hospitalized in the City Hospital, is improving and they are on the road to recovery.

Hristo Hristomanov, who was a pedestrian in the vicinity of the blast, and seriously injured as a consequence, passed away on Saturday. He was buried yesterday in the Skopje City Cemetery.

[05] GRAFFITI AGAINST GLIGOROV

Over the last few day in the city of Prilep, graffiti has been daubed on city buildings, ostensibly in the center of town, with slogans criticizing President Gligorov. The authorities seem unable to control such incidents. The slogans directed against the President include: "Gligorov allied with the Ballists (ethnic Albanian fascist collaborators during W.W.II)", "Gligorov, go home to Belgrade", "Where are you all, Macedonians? (a reference to the song about the former refugee children)", "The flag is our pride". "Death to the traitors", etc.

[06] PARLIAMENTARY BRIEFS

The Macedonian Parliament will hold its 28th session today.

Parliamentarians will debate the Proposal for issuing a law for Ratification of the Interim Accord, signed in New York, on September 13. They are expected to be addressed by the Prime Minister, Branko Crvenkovski.

[07] ANDOV TO STEPHANOPOULOS

According to Athens News Agency, Macedonian Parliamentary Speaker, Stojan Andov, yesterday expressed certainty that relations between Athens and Skopje will be normalized.

Andov expressed his conviction in a telegram to the President Constantine Stephanopoulos thanking him for the government's dispatch of medical aid and his concern for the health of the President Kiro Gligorov

[08] DELEGATION FROM COUNCIL OF EUROPE TO VISIT MACEDONIA

A delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly's Sub-committee on human rights from the Council of Europe, is visiting Macedonia from October 8-11. Official talks will begin today following a reception hosted by the Macedonian Parliamentary President, Stojan Andov. Following this , the delegation will hold talks with representatives of the Constitutional and Supreme Courts of Macedonia, with the President of the Council for Ethnic Relations, non-governmental organizations, Macedonian Council of Trade Unions, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and the OSCE mission.

The delegation will also hold talks with the Justice Minister, Vlado Popovski, Minister for Internal Affairs Ljubomir Frckovski, and Education Minister Emilija Simoska, along with representatives of the Lawyers' Association, and the media. A visit to the Skopje prison is also scheduled.

[09] DIPLOMATIC BRIEFS

- Macedonian Parliamentary President, Stojan Andov, as well as the Prime Minister, Branko Crvenkovski, have had separate meetings with the Chief of Mission of the US Information Office in Macedonia, Victor Comras. Mr. Comras conveyed the condemnation of US President Bill Clinton and the US Government in regarding to the assassination attempt on President Gligorov, as well as their best wishes for a speedy recovery and return to his official duties.

- Parliamentary President, Stojan Andov, sent letters to several State Presidents and Prime Ministers, in which he expressed his gratitude for the support and help Macedonia has received following the assassination attempt on President Gligorov.

- Parliamentary President Stojan Andov, received in a farewell visit the German Ambassador to Macedonia, Hans- Lothar Stepan. Andov used this occasion to declare the mission of the German Ambassador to Macedonia as an extremely successful one.

- Macedonian Prime Minister, Branko Crvenkovski, received the British Ambassador to Macedonia, Tony Millson. They agreed that the assassination attempt on the President was a scandalous and uncivilized act, directed against peace, democracy, stability and prosperity in Macedonia. Ambassador Millson voiced the unreserved readiness of his country to provide necessary medical aid as well as assistance in the investigation of the attempted assassination.

- Ilinka Mitreva, President of the Parliamentary Commission for Foreign Policy, received Yuri Trushin, Charge d' Affaires of the Russian Federation, and Urnal Marasli, Turkish Ambassador to Macedonia. In separate talks, the terrorist attack on President Gligorov was condemned and evaluated as an attack on the very sovereignty and integrity of this country. Mr.Trushin stressed the readiness of his country to send highly trained medical teams to assist in the President's treatment.

[10] STATEMENT OF TUPURKOVSKI FOR "VREME"

The assassination attempt on President Gligorov is an act with possible deep consequences to the Republic of Macedonia and wider Balkan area. It is a stroke on the very delicate democratic processes which otherwise are in great pressure of the complex transitional period which is a reality for us in Macedonia, stated Tupurkovski for Belgrade magazine "Vreme". We, continues Tupurkovski, wish that or not, have to be faced with the basic question, how far our changes have became irreversible process? Are the democratic tendencies with a defined quality or are we indeed far away from the positive potentials of a civil society?

[11] VOTES OF ALBANIANS - NECESSARY

"Whenever the elections will take place, the new President will need votes of the Albanians", stated the President of the Party for Democratic Prosperity of the Albanians in Macedonia, Menduh Tachi, Skopje Vecer reports. Entire political equality of the Albanians will be the price of their support for any candidate. At this moment, according to Tachi, Albanians are citizens of a second rate.

[12] CRITICS FOR THE STATEMENT OF NACEV

The statements of the Bulgarian Interior Minister Ljubomir Nacev regarding the condition of President Gligorov after the assassination attempt has caused severe critics in Sofia. His information for surgeries and possible fatale consequences of the assassination attempt are regarded in Bulgaria as a serious political gaffe. For this reason, the Minister should resign or he will be asked to. Nacev replied that his evaluations were based on unofficial information from people that have passed the borders at that time.

The Prime Minister Zan Videnov and Foreign Minister Georgi Pirinski tried to calmed down the situation. Videnov stated that he does not have more facts than the one presented as official, while the Minister Pirinski can not see a reason for disturbance of the relations between Macedonia and Bulgaria.

[13] WHO IS BEHIND THE ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

- According to Bulgarian press, behind the assassination attempt are ultranationalists of Macedonian, Albanian or Serbian origin. The press does not excluded possible Mafia involvement, which was against the normalization of the relations between Macedonia with Serbia and Greece due to the enormous profits gained from the embargo.

- According to the Greek newspaper of the left oriented Eleftherotipia, the unacceptable statement of Ljubomir Nacev, regardless how it can be interpreted as a political gaffe or something else, even more enforces the suspicions regarding the Bulgarian involvement in the assassination attempt. According to the newspaper, it is indicative that immediately after the assassination attempt some of the lines of nationalistic circles, assigned the assassination attempt to the neighboring countries, first of all to Sofia.

The Greek media consider that still exists a danger of destabilisation, not excluding that those who organized the assassination attempt, regardless where do they come from, will soon try to provoke new incidents. The Greek analysts point out to three possible identities of the perpetrators: Macedonian or Albanian (from Macedonia) radical nationalists and to the Mafia which is losing its business as result of lifting the embargo, agreed in the Interim Accord. The reporters inform that there were threatening letters which the President Gligorov has received the last few days by the extremists compatriots of Australia and Canada, blaming him for the "shameful accord with Athens".

- "Srpska Rec" the weekly newspaper of the Serbian Movement for Reconstruction concludes that assassination attempt on Kiro Gligorov is a deed involving all extreme Balkan nationalists spreading from Athens to Pale, from Sofia to Sarajevo, from Skopje to Zagreb, from Tirana to Belgrade.

According to this magazine, the mysterious trip of Richard Holbrooke to Sofia, following the talks in Belgrade, now gets clear shape. It seems, claims "Srpska rec", that Washington had certain signs that the pro-Bulgarian movement in Macedonian, which does not agree with the normalization of the relations between Skopje - Belgrade - Athens, will try to ruin these processes. According to the magazine "Vreme" there were some indications for the assassination attempt on Gligorov. It stressed that there are too many "free experts" from the former secret services in East European countries former members of the Warsaw Pact, which are ready for money to murder anyone.

- Radio " France Internasional " (RFI) addressing positive evaluations to the policy of the Macedonian President, thinks that the assassination attempt is a deed of nationalists - Macedonian, Albanian or Bulgarian, even some official institutions of various countries or the mob of the previously mentioned nationalists.

[14] SEVERE CRITICISM TO THE STATEMENT OF KIRJAKOV

Members of the Organization of Macedonians in Bulgaria OMO "Ilinden", severely condemned the statement of Atanas Kirjakov, for Sofia newspaper Standard, in which the assassination attempt on the President Gligorov, was evaluated by him as "an act which should have been done by any honest Macedonian". Kirjakov is one of the officials of OMO "Ilinden" who severely criticized the Bulgarian policy towards Macedonians in Pirinska Macedonia. In this statement, he convicted the President Gligorov as a traitor of the national symbols and identity, after signing of the Interim Accord for normalization of the relations between Macedonia and Greece.

[15] "RAINBOW" CONDEMNS THE ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

The Greek political party "Rainbow", condemning the assassination attempt on the President Gligorov, believes that the efforts for bringing closer Macedonia and Greece will continue. The members of the "Rainbow" expect from the Macedonian authorities larger engagement on human rights issues of the Macedonians living in Greece, particularly the perseverance of the national identity, language and tradition, so far denied by the Greek state.

[16] HUMANITARIAN BRIEFS

Macedonian Red Cross received humanitarian aid amounting 300.000 DM from the Red Cross of Baden Vitenbergh, Germany. The humanitarian aid will be distributed through the Red Cross centers in Tetovo, Struga, Kriva Palanka.

(end)

mils news 9 October '95