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MILS NEWS 28/05/96Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: "Macedonian Information Liaison Service" <mils@mils.spic.org.mk>CONTENTS
MILS SUPPLEMENTMILS NEWSSkopje, 28 May 1996[01] ELIZABETH REHN: 'MACEDONIA EXCELS IN HUMAN RIGHTS PROTECTION''Situation regarding the human rights in Macedonia is much better than in the other former Yugoslav republics,' said Elizabeth Rehn, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights for the Macedonian Radio yesterday. She added the situation was better in other areas as well, and that the government was trying to find a solution for the Albanian minority request to have their higher education in their mother tongue. Ms. Rehn emphasized that it could be solved by studying at the Universities in Tirana (Albania) and Pristine (Kosovo), as the Swedish people who want to study in Finnish language study in Finland, and those who want to study in Swedish language, study in Sweden.Informing that she had accepted the suggestion of Macedonian President Kiro Gligorov to make a comparative analysis of the minorities' rights in the Balkans, Elizabeth Rehn said the effect from such studies would be positive. She informed that she had contacts in Kosovo, with the Bulgarian minority in FR Yugoslavia and with minorities in Sandzak, and that she would soon visit Vojvodina and Eastern Slavonia. 'My impression so far is that the minorities' rights have been very well regulated in some parts of former Yugoslavia, but they are not implemented in the reality,' concluded Ms. Rehn. [02] MACEDONIA WILL NOT PARTICIPATE AT THE MINISTERIAL MEETING IN SOFIAA-1 Television reported that Macedonian Foreign Affairs Ministry had found unacceptable to participate at the meeting of South European countries Foreign Ministers in Sofia on 8-9 June. One of the reasons was that Bulgaria had invited Macedonia to participate under the name 'FYROM', and not under its constitutional name. The second reason is that the Sofia meeting will be held at the same time with the previously scheduled UN Habitat Conference in Istanbul, which Macedonian delegation is going to participate in.A-1 Television also informed that Sofia was trying to improve the currently cold bilateral relations with Macedonia, about which, according to the Foreign Ministry, they had informed Macedonian Ambassador to Bulgaria Gjorgji Spasov. Bulgarian experts were planned to come to Macedonia to make preparations for the visit of the Bulgarian Foreign Minister Gjorgji Pirinski, but the visit was postponed due to the complex political situation in Bulgaria. [03] POSSIBLE STRAINING OF ATHENS' STAND ABOUT SKOPJEAthens paper 'To Vima' reported on the conclusion of the Greek government that it would be necessary to controllably strain the attitude towards the northern neighbour, in order to convince Macedonian President Gligorov to discuss and try to find solutions for the name issue. The reason for this were said to be 'new difficulties' that, as alleged, had appeared during the last discussions between Ambassadors Zaharakis and Toshevski in New York.According to 'To Vima', a new platform of the Greek stands had been adopted at the meeting in Athens and Macedonian government was already informed about it. The basic message to Skopje is, as alleged, that Athens could not ignore Skopje's attempts to back off the contents of the negotiations in New York. Stand of Athens is that the name dispute is not out of the bilateral relations, and that the latter will be fragile until the final solution is found. It is also said that improving of relations is not a one-way process in all cooperation areas. Athens firmly keeps its stand that there should be some reaction to the Greek support of Skopje in the international organisations, especially in the EU. Greek government, reads 'To Vima', is determined not encourage the investments of Greek entrepreneurs in Skopje, but, on the contrary, to inform them that the perspective is not good. [04] HOLBROOKE: 'LIFTING THE BLOCKADE USEFUL FOR BOTH NATIONS''The problems between Athens and Skopje are not solved, but the lifting of blockade last September had resulted in intensive goods exchange, which is very good,' said former US diplomat Richard Holbrooke at the symposium titled 'Foreign Policy and Media' in Athens. Speaking about the situation in the region, Holbrooke said the blockade lifting was in the interest of both nations, and that it resulted in the reducing of the tensions in Greece.[05] MACEDONIA - AN IDEAL PARTNER FOR ITALYItalian national agency ANSA reported the statement of the Italian Foreign Trade Commissioner Fabricio Onida that Macedonia was an ideal partner for cooperation, i.e. the best partner to develop Italian economic relations in the Balkans with. As 'Makpress' reported the information of ANSA, Onida stated this after the visit of Macedonian delegation and Minister Bekjir Zuta to Rome, when Macedonian economy was presented, and when a meeting of Macedonian and Italian entrepreneurs was initiated.[06] DISCUSSIONS ON FORMER SFRY SUCCESSIONCarl Bildt's Special Envoy for former Yugoslavia succession issues, Sir Arthur Wots, should come to Macedonia tomorrow, reported Macedonian media. The visit is a part of his tour in former Yugoslav republics to find the best methods for the solution of the succession. Sir Wots stated for Macedonian Radio that great financial means and longer time are necessary to solve that complex issue, and did not exclude the possibility for an international arbitrage.[07] KOSOVO ISSUE CONDITIONED BY USA SANCTIONS'USA are going to keep the sanctions against Yugoslavia until Belgrade clearly proves that it respects the human rights in Kosovo,' stated Richard Shifter, Special Envoy of the American President Bill Clinton for South-Eastern Europe, in Athens. According to 'Makfax', Shifter accused some European countries of being not firm in the implementation of Washington's stand.In his study 'Avoiding another Balkan war - a strategy to prevent a clash in Kosovo', Shifter wrote that the negotiations about Kosovo should be based on the respect of territorial integrity of FR Yugoslavia, on the fact that Albanians are a majority in Kosovo, and on the international guarantees about the federal character of FRY and Kosovo as its part. The study offers six variants for a peaceful solution of the issue, beginning from a wider autonomy for Kosovo to an asymmetric Yugoslav federation, in which Kosovo and Vojvodina would be especially protected. Whatever, according to the study, the issue must be solved with negotiations, but it is not precisely stated whether it should be done by international negotiators. [08] EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTARIANS MEETING IN ATHENSMPs Atanas Vangelov, Nikola Popovski and Abdural Prusi, delegates of the Macedonian Parliament to the Parliamentarian Assembly of the Council of Europe, are participating the regular spring meeting of European Parliamentarians in Athens. The subjects discussed are the current political cooperation and care for protection of the environment of the Mediterranean countries.[09] INTERNATIONAL SEMINARY ON INFORMING IN OHRIDA seminary of South-Eastern European journalists, on the subject 'Establishing the future role of the media in the registration and informing about the changes in the newly created and transition countries', started yesterday in Ohrid. The seminary was organized by the World Bank Institute for Economic Development in cooperation with the Macedonian Radio and Television, and is attended by 25 journalists from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Romania and Macedonia.[10] DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS BETWEEN MACEDONIA AND UNITED ARABIC EMIRATESRepublic of Macedonia and the United Arabic Emirates yesterday established diplomatic relations on the level of Ambassadors. Following this, an official statement was announced in Skopje and Abu Dabu, in which mutual wish to strengthen and develop the friendly relations was stressed.[11] COMPLETION OF LEGAL REGULATIONSMacedonian government, at its session yesterday, adopted the proposals for passing laws on legal procedures, sentences execution and notary public.The government also adopted the Protocol of the negotiations between Macedonia and the International Development Association (IDA) about the $16,9 million, intended for the health care sector. The foot-and-mouth disease that has infected the cattle in Albania and prevention measures in Macedonia were also discussed. It was informed that there have been not cases reported in the country so far. [12] MANY IMPORTANT LAWS DISCUSSEDMacedonian Parliament will, at its session tomorrow, discuss the Laws on Broadcasting, on Territorial Dividing of the country, and on Trade Companies. All of them have reached a different phase, and were already discussed yesterday by competent Parliamentarian Commissions.Macedonian Radio reported that the Law on Territorial Dividing had been discussed at Tetovo Town Assembly session yesterday, when requests of the villages of Mala Rechica, Golema Rechica and Shipkovica to become municipalities had been withdrawn. It had been suggested for them to remain within the municipality of Tetovo. [13] HUNGER STRIKE IN FRONT OF MACEDONIAN GOVERNMENTThe Coordination Board of the Union of Autonomous and Independent Trade Unions of Macedonia, which consists of 11 members of the highest leadership, began their hunger strike in front of the Macedonian Government building yesterday.Simultaneously, they sent a letter to President Gligorov, asking for a dialogue about the unfulfilled requests to improve the social condition of the population. Foreign diplomatic representatives in Macedonia were informed about the action. As the Red Cross refused to help the strikers, who had contributed a lot to its actions, they decided to boycott the blood donation. [14] INFORMING THE EUROPEAN INSTITUTIONS ABOUT THE EARLY ELECTIONS INITIATIVEA VMRO - DPMNE delegation, led by its Vice President Dosta Dimovska, paid a visit to the Council of Europe (CoE) and to the German Constitutional Court since 20 to 24 May, in order to inform them about the initiative for scheduling a referendum on early elections in Macedonia. This was informed at yesterday's press conference of this party, when the memorandum of the party and the Macedonian Constitution translated in English sent to the CoE were presented. As it was said, those competent at the CoE are obliged to respond in a certain period of time.Dosta Dimovska stressed that the aim of the visit had been to realize the efforts of the European institutions to make a pressure on the Macedonian government to respect the Constitution and the Laws, as well as the freely expressed will of the citizens for early Parliamentarian elections. 'European Parliamentarians approved the initiative at most of the meetings with our delegation,' she said. Ms. Dimovska informed that VMRO - DPMNE, in a coordination with the Democratic Party, is going to send its representative at the session of the Parliament on 4 June, when the initiative should be on the Agenda. MILS SUPPLEMENT[15] 'European Flexibility For Regional Approach'('Nova Makedonija', 28 May 1996)European Union and Macedonia are going to continue the negotiations about the Agreement on Mutual Cooperation tomorrow. Macedonian delegation, led by Vice Prime Minister Jane Miljoski, are already in Brussels and making preparations for this third negotiating round, which was supposed to be the last one. Macedonia, however, refused to sign the text which insisted on the 'regional approach'. It meant that the European Union would adjust the relations with the country in accordance with the Macedonian cooperation with its neighbours. The second problem was that the Union member countries rejected to oblige themselves of making the Agreement a European treaty later, which would make Macedonia one of the most serious candidates for a full EU membership. Instead of it, with the so-called 'evolution clause', the Union members have obliged themselves to 'take into account the aspirations of Macedonia to deepen the relations with the EU', without mentioning the European Treaty. For these reasons, the negotiations might last even longer than 18 June, when the third negotiating round should take place. What probably mostly annoys Macedonia is the fact that both above mentioned elements, stated in the Agreement, are a precedent in the practice of the Union and its relations with the countries of Eastern and Central Europe and of the Balkans. FR Yugoslavia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia are the only ones that still had not regulated their relations with the Union. It appeared, however, that the Macedonian reactions were met with some understanding in the European circles. 'We will try to be more flexible,' told us a diplomat of the European negotiating team, 'and to find a common language.' It still does not mean that the 'regional approach' will be erased from the text. The Union is, however, changing its initial attitude. 'Taking into account the geographic surroundings of Macedonia, I think it is not very realistic to stress regional cooperation,' said another Union high official. 'But, I also think that it is urgent for Macedonia to start the cooperation with other EU membership candidates of the Central European market, of which Romania and Bulgaria are the closest to you. The EU, which had been built on the basis of mutual cooperation, starts from the principle that all candidate countries should cooperate with each other.' The 'evolution clause', according to an EU official who is participating in the negotiations, is going to be an element about which the Union is not ready to yield for now. As they realised that they would not be able to keep the promise to make the Agreement on Cooperation an official European Treaty, such was the case with Albania three years ago, the 15 member countries decided not to oblige themselves to it. Also, it must be kept in mind that the 'European quota' for the first spreading wave has already been fulfilled. The above mentioned formulation about 'the aspirations of Macedonia' was created at the summit of the Heads of European states and governments in Madrid last December. And such decisions are strictly followed by the Administration. Therefore, the 'evolution clause' will most probably not be changed. 'Association Agreement or the so-called European Treaty is a natural transition period between partnership and membership,' said a European diplomat. (end)mils news 28 May, 1996Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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