MAK-NEWS 21/12/95 (M.I.L.S.)

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

Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory

CONTENTS

MILS NEWS

Skopje, 21 December 1995

[01] MACEDONIA ASKS RECOGNITION OF CONTINUITY FROM 1941

Yugoslav Foreign Affairs Minister Milan Milutinovich stated yesterday in Belgrade that negotiations about mutual recognition of Macedonia and FR Yugoslavia have began, conditioned by the complete continuity of FR Yugoslavia. He added that Croatia has already accepted it, while Macedonia requires recognition of continuity of the country from 1941, about which there is a dispute. A-1 Television cited Deputy Chief of Yugoslavian Diplomacy Zivorad Jovanovich saying that FRY is prepared to solve the debts problems with other countries successors of SFRY. In his interview for the Czech daily 'Pravo', he said that in case of disputes, FRY will accept international arbitrage. The daily writes that EU does not consider FRY a successor of SFRY, adding that its continuity is denied by the other ex - Yugoslav republics, except for Croatia.

Macedonian Television asked the Macedonian Foreign Affairs Ministry to comment on this, but the answer was that Ministry is not informed about the start of mutual recognition negotiations between Macedonia and FRY.

[02] CREDIT FOR RECONSTRUCTION OF THE AIRPORT IN SKOPJE

Macedonian officials, led by the Finance Minister Jane Miljovski signed an Agreement with the European Bank on a loan of 17,8 million DM, yesterday in London. The loan is intended for reconstruction of the Skopje Airport. It was agreed that deadline for returning the credit will be 2004, starting from January 1998 with a variable interest rate of 3,9 percent. Meanwhile, Macedonian Radio reported that the first Macedonian brokers are attending a course in London, organized by the British 'Know How' Fund.

[03] MACEDONIAN ENGAGEMENT IN RECONSTRUCTION OF BOSNIA

The first Conference of the countries donators for reconstruction of Bosnia and Herzegovina began yesterday in Brussels. Macedonian delegation is led by Macedonian Ambassador in Brussels Jovan Tegovski, who stated for Macedonian Radio that possibilities for Macedonian future engagement in the reconstruction will be considered on the Conference. Unofficially, Macedonia will try to obtain an engagement of Macedonian civil engineering enterprises in reconstruction of Bosnia.

[04] SALARIES WILL REMAIN UNDER CONTROL

Salaries of 100.000 Macedonian citizens, which are paid from the State Budget, will remain under control during the next year. This was regulated by the changes in the Law for Salaries adopted by the Macedonian Parliament yesterday.

With this, validity of the current Law for Salaries was extended for another 12 months. Minister of Labour and Social Policy Ilijaz Sabriu explained that salaries will not be limited, but controlled and coordinated with the raise of the costs of living and the inflation. The law does not suspend the collective bargaining contracts and remains in the frames of the monetary policy in the country, coordinated with IMF and World Bank.

Draft Law for Transport was also discussed by the Parliament. Transport enterprises will have to have a deposit of 20.000 DM as a bank warranty in future.

The 'hottest' issue was the Customs Tax Law, and the news is Government will allow 'free shops' to be opened by public competitions and concessions. Persons who have lived in foreign countries for more than two years will pay privileged custom duties, except for the import of cars.

Customs duty for the reproduction materials will be shortened from a year to six months.

Parliament will continue its session today, with the change of the name of Titov Veles as the first issue to be discussed.

[05] CLASH OF DIFFERENT OPINIONS

Macedonian Minister of Economy and President of the Privatization Commission, Risto Ivanov, in today's 'Vecer' answers on questions of some 'hottest' issues these days, such as: releasing from duty the head of the Agency for Privatization; the problems in privatization process; the speculations on the collision in the Government between the Liberal Party and Socialistic - Democratic Alliance of Macedonia (SDSM), considering crucial economical issues, etc.

On the question about the relations between the Agency and the Commission for Privatization, he denied that they are tense and expressed his surprise about such an announcement from the Government.

He added 'the Commission emphasized that the Government should be informed about some particularities by the Agency Board, which is obligatory. It would be wrong to make it a Commission - Agency communication, as it would mean the communication between the Agency and Government was good.

Obviously, in case a different opinion appears, it is considered a collision. In that case, there was one.

Speaking as a Minister, not as a member of the Liberal Party, whatever different opinion I have expressed, it was never out of the information I have at my disposal as a Minister. Until the collision takes place within the democratic institutions, I do not know why it is considered a collision between two political parties. These institutions exist for expressing different opinions.'

On the question about his personal relations with Mr. Shukarov and their influence on the privatization process, Ivanov answered: 'Those were not personal conflicts, but two different opinions about the aims that should be achieved by the Law, the timing and the effects. I do not deny that the Agency has created its legislation on a lower level, but I think Government should be informed about everything that happens in this field.'

[06] CONSTITUTIONAL COURT DECISIONS

Macedonian Constitutional Court decided to re-estimate the constitutionality of the Law of the Yugoslav National Army Apartments, which was taken over from former SFRY. In case the Constitutional Court abolishes the Law, users of the YNA apartments who have still not paid off the ransom or at least started the procedure, will have the exclusive right to occupy them or to buy them off, but under the same conditions as the ones for the citizens employed in the civil sector.

The Court also decided not to take legal procedures on the article 20 of the Law for changing the Law for Pensions. This means that the receivers of pensions will still have to pay the expenses for the post services.

There will be no legal procedure on the article 15 of the Elementary Education Law, as, according to the Constitution, only the state is authorized to establish elementary schools. According to the articles 44 and 45, citizens can establish private educational institutions under certain conditions, excluding the elementary education.

[07] OBJECTIONS ON THE ELECTORAL LISTS

3.000 families in the electoral unit 114 were sent propaganda materials by VMRO - Democratic Party as a part of their campaign for the elections. The addresses were taken from the electoral lists, but 263 envelopes were returned with a note that receivers are unknown. This Party's candidate Vladimir Golubovski stated this is rather strange, as it is not possible for 3.000 families to change their addresses in a three months period. On the press conference held yesterday, Golubovski emphasized that the evidence materials about this 'manipulation' will be handed over to the Electoral Commission today.

[08] TURKS IN MACEDONIA AGAINST THE STREET DEMOCRACY

President of the Democratic Party of Turks Erdogan Sarach, on a press conference yesterday, criticized the Macedonian Ministry of Education for its irresponsible treatment of the education of Turks in Macedonia. Sarach added that Turks are against the street democracy and they insist on solving the problems within the institutions of the state.

[09] TENDENTIOUS SPECULATIONS

Socialist Party of Macedonia finds the speculations of some media about the personnel solutions within the Party, intolerable and tendentious, which will definitely bring to negative consequences. SPM also denied the information of the Labour Party and VMRO - MNDS that the local community premises were usurped and that the propaganda material was destroyed.

[10] TWO ASSOCIATIONS OF BANKRUPTCY WORKERS

President of the Association of Bankruptcy Workers of Macedonia Spasija Gramosli informed yesterday that the other such Association of Nada Simic is illegal. He supported this statement with the Government's Decision and emphasized that they object to the misuse of their name, although they morally support the hunger strikers in Kumanovo.

[11] BANAL POLITICAL PROVOCATION

The private Fund of Roberto Memo, supported by the Italian and Greek Ministries of Culture, will open the exhibition about Alexander the Great in Rome today. The second part of the manifestation is called 'Macedonians - Northern Greeks'.

According to 'Nova Makedonija', this was reported by the agencies ANSA and Andokronos, and a press conference was held on which only Greek journalists were invited. There were some false reports on the conference, such as the one that Macedonian Ambassador will attend the opening of the exhibition.

[12] REVEALING THE HISTORICAL ROLE OF VMRO - UNITED

The National History Institute organized a seminar on the topic '70 Years of VMRO - United, 1925 - 1995', yesterday in Skopje. The seminar was attended by many scholars, including the Macedonian Minister of Science Sofia Todorova. D-r Ivan Katardziev read the introductory paper '70 years from the establishing and 60 years from the adjourning of VMRO - United', emphasizing that the aim of this seminar is to contribute in resolving many open issues in the history of this organization.

[13] RELIGIOUS INFLUENCES ON THE CULTURE IN MACEDONIA

The seminar 'Religions and Religious Aspects of the Material and Spiritual Culture in Macedonia' has began yesterday in the Macedonian Academy of Science and Art (MANU). The seminar is a part of the macro-project 'History of the Culture in Macedonia', that is being realized for two years already. The head of the project d-r Georgi Stardelov presented an introductory paper. About 50 scholars will discuss the influence of the Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Islam and other religions on the Macedonian culture.

(end)

mils news 21 December 1995

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