MAK-NEWS 24/10/95 (M.I.L.S.)

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

Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory

CONTENTS

MILS NEWS

Skopje, 24 October 1995

[01] DECLARATION SIGNED IN NEW YORK ON THE PROJECT EAST-WEST

The Macedonian Parliament President, Stojan Andov, the Bulgarian President Zhelju Zhelev, the Albanian President, Sali Berisha, and the President of Turkey, Sulejman Demirel, have signed an accord on the project East-West Corridor, in New York yesterday. At the meeting, the European commissioner, Hans van den Broek, acknowledged the signing in the name of the EU. After the agreement, President Andov stated that the document expresses cooperation which may change the whole Balkan region.

The Albanian President, Berisha, said that the project was "a corridor for integration in the long term". According to the Bulgarian President, Zhelev, the Balkan conflicts cannot be solved without modern links. The Turkish President Demiral said the project is a part of the new Europe which will connect the Black and Adriatic sea.

The Macedonian delegation had bilateral meetings with the Albanian President, Sali Berisha and the commissioner of the EU, Hans van den Broek. The delegation plans to meet the Croatian President, Franjo Tudjman, the Czech President, Vaclav Havel and the Indonesian President, Sukharto.

[02] DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS ESTABLISHED BETWEEN AUSTRALIA AND MACEDONIA

The Macedonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Australian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade exchanged credentials yesterday to establish diplomatic relations between the two countries. Temporarily, the ambassadors of both countries will have non-residential status, Macedonian media reports.

The decision was announced by the Australian Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bob MacMallan. The establishment of diplomatic relations between Macedonia and Australia will enable, as he said, direct international cooperation between both countries. Yet, the diplomatic representatives will not have permanent missions until the name problem between Macedonia and Greece is solved, Macedonian radio reports from Australia.

[03] DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS BETWEEN MACEDONIA AND THE EU SOON

The EU will soon establish diplomatic relations with Macedonia. 'Makfaks' reports that according to a statement of the European Commissioner, Hans van den Broek, the European Union will expand economic and trade cooperation with Macedonia.

[04] THE FIRST OIL TANKER FOR MACEDONIA UNLOADED

After a long period of stagnation, 60.000 tons of oil for the Skopje oil refinery were unloaded at the Salonica port according to the agreement for delivery to the end of the year. As A1 TV reports, this will be the beginning of a continual delivery of oil for Macedonia through the port of Salonica.

[05] TALKS ABOUT THE NAME OF MACEDONIA

The mediator, Cyrus Vance, and the Greek ambassador for the UN will start today with the preliminary talks on the name of the Republic of Macedonia, 'Makpres' reports according to statements in the Greek media. The Greek daily 'Ta Nea' reports that Cyrus Vance will meet the Macedonian side ( the Foreign Minister, Stevo Crvenkovski, and the Ambassador at the UN Denko Maleski). The meeting between the two parties is expected to be next week. The newspaper mentions that the last proposal in 1993, according to the plan of Vance and Owen, was the name "New Macedonia". It says that " Skopje under American influence is ready to accept a compromise for the first time".

Athens News Agency reports from New York that the Greek President, Kostis Stephanopoulos, speaking before the American Hellenic Council, said: 'If the state (Macedonia) stops creating issues with Greece, through the name and other annoyances, it is we who will, more than anyone else, guarantee its (FYROM's) integrity'. Meanwhile, the Greek extremist leader Andonis Samaras, in an interview for 'Ta Nea' called for division and cantonization of Macedonia, using Bosnia as an example.

[06] COOPERATION WITH RUSSIAN CORPORATIONS IN EXPANSION

A delegation of ten Macedonian corporations has departed to the Russian Federation. The delegation is led by the chief of the Macedonian Trade Chamber, Dushan Petrevski. The aim of the visit is to expand the cooperation with the Russian corporations. During the five-day visit, Petrevki will meet the chief of the Russian Trade-industrial Chamber, Aleksej Smirnof. The meeting will be used for the opening of an official Macedonian office of the Chamber of Comerce in Moscow. The Macedonian delegation will also visit the Jaroslav area which is compatible with the Macedonian economy. It is expected that an agreement will be signed between the Macedonian 'Fas 11 Oktomvri' and the Russian ' Tutaev Motor Institute'.

[07] INCIDENT AT THE OPENING OF THE EUROPEAN CONFERENCE ON ECOLOGY

The first day of the work of the third European conference on ecology which is taking place in Sofia, Bulgaria, started with an incident. Namely, as Macedonian radio reports, the incident happened at the opening of the conference when the official delegations were taking their places. At the place of the Macedonian delegation, the the country plate with the name was missing and the delegation refused to enter the conference hall. The host delegation apologized and immediately placed the plate with the constitutional name of Macedonia. The Macedonian delegation entered the hall and the Bulgarian Ecology Minister once again apologized for the incident. As Macedonian radio reports, the plate with the name had been withdrawn by Barbara Iling, a member of the International organization board, saying that a country with such a name is not in the UN register.

[08] MACEDONIAN GOVERNMENT IN SESSION

The Macedonian Government was informed yesterday about the talks in Athens and the signed protocols. It was also informed about the difficulties with the pension payment in the country. The Government reviewed the proposed Law on sports to make it compatible with the new constitutional changes. As it was said, the new law will affirm and regulate sport activities. The Government also discussed other issues of economy, finances and the political system.

[09] SEVERAL COLLECTIVE AGREEMENTS HAVE BEEN SIGNED

Yesterday's signing of the collective agreements on state, judicial and the self-management authorities of Macedonia will practically improve the legitimate rights of the employees in these areas. The parties who signed the act also signed the collective agreement on state organizations and civil associations. The two collective agreements were signed by the Minister of Justice, Vlado Popovski, the President of the Syndicate for state, judicial and administration organizations and civil associations, Vanco Muratovski, as well as by the President of the Trade Union of Macedonia, Zivko Tolevski. The administration and the judiciary for the first time signed such an agreement with state authorities. It happened after a year and a half of negotiations and seven versions of the agreement.

[10] THE BULGARIAN PRESS COMMENTS ON THE BULGARIAN POLICY TOWARD MACEDONIA

Yesterday's most circulated Bulgarian daily, '24 Casa', as 'Nova Makedonija' reports, criticized the Bulgarian policy on Macedonia evaluating it as the most "inadequate in the Balkans". It also criticized the statements of the Bulgarian Minister of Internal Affairs, Ljubomir Nachev, about the health of the President Gligorov after the assassination attempt, as well as statements of some Bulgarian media that Stojan Andov is " pro-Serbian". "The syndrome of Bulgarian incompetence concerning the present political situation in Macedonia has resulted in wrong conclusions. Bulgaria is the only state that announced the rumors from the streets of Skopje and essentially it accused itself of involvement in the assassination attempt"- says the daily '24 Casa'.

MILS SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT:

[11] AMERICAN LANGUAGE COMPANY

This article is intended as an informative supplement to MILS subscribers concerning private business owned by foreigners in Macedonia. It uses a particular business, the American Language Company, as an example and describes its inception, history and revolution up to the present. Also included are particular advantages the company has come to experience here in Macedonia, as well as specific problems the company has faced and faces in a rapidly changing environment. A question and answer format will be employed; answers are provided by John Reeves and Tammy Silver, current directors.

Q: First, what is the American Language Company, and how did it come to Skopje?

A: The American Language Company is a part of a larger American (U.S) company, the Language Company, Inc., out of Norman, Oklahoma. The Language Company has schools in Bangkok, Thailand and San Luis Potosi, Mexico as well as Intensive English Institutes in four locations in Oklahoma and Kansas, U.S.A. It has an interest also in World Youth, Inc.-a high school exchange program based in Oklahoma City headed by a Macedonian who lives there, who, by the way, guided our owner, Don Meeks, to Skopje in 1994. The American Language Company has two locations in Skopje: one in the center of town near the Greek Consulate and one at the far end of Partizanska in Karpos IV. We offer English for kids and adults, we have special American Program for each. We have English for special purposes: TOEFL preparation, Business English, Medical English, and we also conduct courses in German, Italian and Spanish. We serve the foreign community with a Macedonian for foreigners course, and we recruit high-school to study in the U.S. with the previously-mentioned World Youth Organization. When the Macedonian Government gets the pilot-training course off the ground, we hope to teach English first with the school in Kumanovo, then, possibly, others. We have plans for a Summer English- Immersion Camp, also, in 1996. Finally, we are looking at opening similar schools in Bitola, Ohrid and Prilep.

Q: How have you found Macedonia and Skopje?

A: We love it here. The residents are so positive about American products, the flag; President Clinton is like a hero, almost. It just fits that American English, as heard in so many movies and songs, would be so popular. The friendliness of the people here reflects the resistance of the Skopjanci to become big-city with all its accompanying impersonality. There is a traffic problem here, but it's nothing like L.A. or Phoenix. There seems to be a growing sensitivity to the trash problem in the city also. We have been received very well in the country. We have very capable staff of Macedonians, both teachers and administrative personnel, dedicated to making this a great place. We really have a desire to do right by them, and are there fore creating an imployee manual, spelling out the conditions of their work and their rights and benefits, according to current Macedonian law.

Q: What are some of the problems you encounter as a foreign- owner company in Macedonia?

A: First, it must be noted that we are trying to be strictly legal in our operation. and this, frankly, has not been easy, since the laws are in flux. Some of the laws are quite complex, also, since for example, while we are owned by a foreign party, none of our premises may be owned by a foreigner. Therefore, we must rent our premises from a national.

Another stumbling block for us has been receiving work visas from Macedonia. So far we've been to the high Court, to the Ministry of Employment (where we did receive permission to work here), to the Police Department, which sent us out of Macedonia to the nearest Embassy of Macedonia (Sofia) to gain a fresh entrance into the country, and back to the Police, where the visas had been sent, but were not able to be found. This has taken all of two months and everywhere we are told "No problems exist", but, as yet no visas: all in the name of trying to be here legally. Does this remind you of a certain formerly-Socialist bureaucracy? In all fairness to Macedonia, they are taking great pains to safeguard against outside "stripping of wealth" from the country. We can assure you that this is not our aim....; of course we would like to earn some money here, but hopefully we would be putting back more than we take by helping Macedonia become viably competitive in an increasingly English- speaking world marketplace. Personally, we like this country and these people too much to coldly grab whatever wealth we can, irrespective of culture and sovereignty of government.

Q: Where do you see your company heading in the next year or so?

A: After we get our resident worker status worked out, we plan to be here at least two years to see some of the program we've begun come to, we hope, success. In the near future our plans include offering more classes at perhaps a new location, on the campus of the American High School in Kisela Voda. We want to serve other parts of town and be near the schools. We also have this idea of creating an English program for radio and T.V. We have been working with local radio and T.V. already with advertisement, This would be a big step for us, but we would need sponsors.

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mils-news 24 October '95