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MILS NEWS 13/03/96From: "M.I.L.S." <mils@MILS.SPIC.ORG.MK>Macedonian Information Liaison Service DirectoryCONTENTS[01] MACEDONIA IN THE NORTH-ATLANTIC COOPERATION COUNCIL[02] US MILITARY AID FOR MACEDONIA AND SLOVENIA[03] THE NEW BALKAN COOPERATION ABSURD?[04] INTENSIVE DIPLOMATIC-DEFENSE ACTIVITIES ON THE BALKAN[05] RENEWAL OF DEFENSE COOPERATION WITH SLOVENIA[06] FINANCIAL AID FROM PHARE FOR CONCRETE PROJECTS[07] US AVIATION DELEGATION TO MACEDONIA[08] GREEN LIGHT FOR SIMITIS[09] FRCHKOVSKI - MACEDONIA WILL NOT MAKE A COMPROMISE[10] INTENSIFYING MACEDONIAN-GERMAN HEALTH COOPERATION[11] PREVENTIVE ACTIONS AGAINST CRIME[12] SEMINAR ON ILLEGAL DRUG TRAFFICKING[13] GLIGOROV - UNYIELDING FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM NECESSARY[14] NEW SHAPE OF THE CRIMINAL LAWMILS NEWSSkopje, 13 March 1996[01] MACEDONIA IN THE NORTH-ATLANTIC COOPERATION COUNCILBy a unanimous decision, the Republic of Macedonia became one of the 40 member countries of the North-Atlantic Cooperation Council, a multi-national forum consisting of 16 NATO countries and of 24 countries included in the 'Partnership for Peace' Program. This will enable Macedonia to participate in the creation of the Council's programs and in the political consultations. It will more closely connect Macedonia with the North-Atlantic Military Alliance.Nick Firenza, the Spokesman of NATO said that Macedonia will now be able to participate in all political consultations of NATO on the meetings of Ambassadors. He stressed that, in fact, NATO will now cooperate with Macedonia both on the political and on the military level. Macedonia will participate on the next Ambassadors' meeting of NATO in Berlin in June. [02] US MILITARY AID FOR MACEDONIA AND SLOVENIAMacedonian media informed yesterday that US President Bill Clinton released a Memorandum to US Secretary of State Warren Christopher which declares Slovenia and Macedonia eligible for US military assistance. In the Memorandum, the US President stressed that the furnishing of defense articles and services to the governments of Slovenia and Macedonia would strengthen the security of the United States and promote world peace. Clinton also authorized Christopher to report the above mentioned to the Congress.Meanwhile, President Boris Jelcin of Russia ordered the embargo on selling arms to the former Yugoslav republics, effective since 1991, to be abolished. The abolishing will be done in three phases, and the last one will follow the report of Boutros Boutros Ghali on the implementation of the Dayton Peace Accord. [03] THE NEW BALKAN COOPERATION ABSURD?As Macedonian Radio informed, the interceding of EU for a global Balkan economy cooperation is estimated by the German public as an absurd idea. The German daily 'Frankfurter Algemaine Zeitung' claims that 'those who are trying to involve Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Macedonia in some kind of new Yugoslavia are blind'. According to this paper, some West European countries, such as Britain and France, would like to make 'Belgrade country' the one which would maintain the peace and order in the Balkans, while a new Yugoslavia would be the best visa for Russia to spread the pan-Slavism and the Orthodoxy.[04] INTENSIVE DIPLOMATIC-DEFENSE ACTIVITIES ON THE BALKANMacedonian Television informed that a meeting of the Defense Ministers of Albania, Turkey, Italy and Macedonia with the US Defense Secretary William Perry is scheduled to take place in Tirana at the end of March.Meanwhile, the Athens News Agency reported that Foreign Ministers of Greece, Bulgaria and Romania will meet the following weekend in Sofia to discuss the security and the cooperation in the Balkans. [05] RENEWAL OF DEFENSE COOPERATION WITH SLOVENIAMacedonian Defense Minister Blagoj Hanjiski is paying a two days visit to Slovenia. He is expected to sign a programme for cooperation in the area of defense between the two countries for 1996.[06] FINANCIAL AID FROM PHARE FOR CONCRETE PROJECTSPriorities in the Macedonian-Greek border cooperation, which will be financed by EU - PHARE Program, were fixed two ays ago in Salonika. Macedonian Radio informed that Macedonia and Greece representatives of the Ministries of Development, Transport and Foreign Affairs, as well as PHARE representatives participated in the discussions. The Program plans 5 to 10 million ECU to be given to Macedonia this year, which will depend on the concrete needs of the country.On the issue, Macedonian government decided to form a national coordinating body and appointed the Vice-Premiere, Jane Miljovski, as its Chairmen. The Government will also establish a special department for relations with the European Union, as part of the Foreign Affairs Ministry. On the press conference held after the meetings with Macedonian officials, the Head of the EU-PHARE delegation, Ian Trestur informed that, besides the funds planned for the border cooperation, Macedonia will receive additional 15 million ECU from the PHARE Program this year, intended for the small and medium businesses. The aid Macedonia received so far from PHARE was mostly humanitarian, while from now on, stressed Trestur, it will be a financial support designated for concrete projects. He also informed that the negotiations on the Cooperation and Trade Agreement between the EU and Macedonia will begin during the visit of Minister Miljovski to Brussels on March 28. [07] US AVIATION DELEGATION TO MACEDONIAThe US Information Service in Skopje informed that a delegation of the US Commission for Federal Aviation and of the Federal Aviation Administration will visit Skopje from March 13 to 15. The aim of this visit is to begin with the bilateral cooperation between the USA and Macedonia in the control of the civil and military aviation and the air space.[08] GREEN LIGHT FOR SIMITISThe leadership of the ruling political Party in Greece, PASOK, agreed with the Greek Premiere Simitis 'to try to reach a solution on the name issue which would be most benefitial for Greece'. According to A-1 Television, the decision, which understands a complex name, including the term 'Macedonia', was made on the session of the PASOK Executive Committee the day before yesterday.The governmental daily 'Ta Nea' informed yesterday that Cyrus Vance, the mediator in the Macedonian-Greek discussions on the name issue, was irritated by the statements of some Greek officials that 'Skopje agreed to discuss the complex name possibility'. According to sources from New York, 'Ta Nea' reported the stand of Vance that such statement do not contribute to the solution of the dispute and can only postpone the agreement between Athens and Skopje. [09] FRCHKOVSKI - MACEDONIA WILL NOT MAKE A COMPROMISEMacedonian Foreign Minister Ljubomir Frchkovski before the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Macedonian Parliament reported on the recent activities of the Ministry. It was said, such 'hearing' would be held every month in future. According to Macedonian Television, Frchkovski said that the relations with Greece are developing in the spirit of a positive bilateral and multilateral cooperation and that he would like to meet personally with his Greek counterpart, Minister Pangalos, to openly and directly discuss all the issues.Regarding the name issue, Minister Frchkovski stressed that the stand of Macedonia is clear - Macedonia will not make a compromise, and that he will make efforts to settle the differences without changing the Constitutional name of the country. Frchkovski also informed that the main obstacles for signing the Agreement on the normalization of the relations between FRY and Macedonia, remain the problem regarding the succession of former SFRY and dividing of the property. He said, Macedonia stand is that it should be discussed multilaterally, with the Succession Commission. Otherwise, according to Frchkovski, the relations with FRY are good. Regarding the relations with Albania, Frchkovski announced that Albanian Premiere Meksi is expected soon to visit Macedonia, when several documents will be signed, referring to the security of the mutual border and to the name with which Albania will communicate with Macedonia. He said the relations with Bulgaria in the field of communications and trade is positive, but a problem appears due to the changing attitude of Sofia about the Macedonian language. Minister Frchkovski also informed that the new Law on Foreign Affairs, which is under procedure, will introduce the so-called 'hearing' of the future candidates for ambassadors before the Parliament Foreign Affairs Commission. The Commission will inform the President of the Republic about their opinion of the competence of the candidates. [10] INTENSIFYING MACEDONIAN-GERMAN HEALTH COOPERATIONMacedonian Health Minister Ilija Filipce and German Secretary of State Baldur Warner introduced yesterday in Bonn a program on specialization of Macedonian medical experts in Germany and on export of medical equipment to Macedonia.Meanwhile, a visit of the German Development Minister Dieter Schpranger to Macedonia was announced to take place at the beginning of the next week, during which Macedonian priorities for using German financial aid (up to 30 million DM this year) will be discussed. [11] PREVENTIVE ACTIONS AGAINST CRIMEMacedonian Minister of Internal Affairs Tomislav Chokrevski and the Chief of UNPREDEP Mission, Henryk Sokalski discussed yesterday the aspects of the preventive diplomacy, as well as the project plan on crime prevention and drug abuse. It was stressed that these projects will be carried out with a cooperation of the UN experts and the competent Ministries and experts from Macedonia. Minister Chokrevski viewed the current political situation in the country as stable, despite the attempts of certain political structures to present it differently in the public media. The recent political changes in Macedonia and the break down of the governmental coalition are normal and usual processes in the parliamentary democracies, said Chokrevski.[12] SEMINAR ON ILLEGAL DRUG TRAFFICKINGA three days seminar on 'Illegal Drug Traficking' began yesterday in Ohrid, organized by the European Council, the Macedonian Ministries of Justice and Internal Affairs and the Public Prosecutor Office. Experts from Italy, Holland, Great Britain, Germany, Hungary and Macedonia are participating in the seminar.[13] GLIGOROV - UNYIELDING FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM NECESSARYMacedonian President Kiro Gligorov in his message to the 'Summit Against Terrorism' begining in Cairo, today, emphasized that the unyielding fight against terrorism was necessary and should be a care of each country and of the international community in general.[14] NEW SHAPE OF THE CRIMINAL LAW'The new Criminal Law is expressing the need to throw away all the ideology elements in the legal repression of the state. It is adjusted to the transitional social processes and has an effective penalty system, and is partly harmonized with the European principles and standards.' - said Macedonian Minister of Justice Vlado Popovski on yesterday's press conference.Popovski said the new Law consists of 430 Articles. In 237 of them certain changes were made and 121 new crimes were introduced. The basis of the Law was the stand, said Popovski, that a crime was not defined as a socially dangerous act, but as an act against the laws. It means that the protection of state and politics was replaced by the protection of life, freedom and rights of the citizens. The news introduce are: life imprisonment, 15 years imprisonment without parole for major crimes, the possibility to make the 3 year imprisonment sentence payable, and the suspended sentence or reprimand for minor crimes, sanctions agains jeopardizing of the privacy, i.e. unauthorized search, as well as taking away property which may not be a direct result from the crime. Also, the forged bankruptcy, usurping the real estates and ecological crimes are introduced as new crimes. (end)mils news 13 March 1996 |
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