MILS NEWS 10/06/96

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From: "Macedonian Information Liaison Service" <mils@mils.spic.org.mk>

CONTENTS

[01] MACEDONIA AND EU WISH TO IMPROVE THE COOPERATION

[02] CONSTANT IMPROVEMENT OF MACEDONIA-FRANCE RELATIONS

[03] AMERICAN-MACEDONIAN TALKS ON THE UNPREDEP FUTURE

[04] CONFERENCE ON MANEUVERS 'PEACE MAKING EAGLE '96'

[05] 'BETA': FRCHKOVSKI WILL NOT GO TO THE MEETING IN SOFIA

[06] CONGRESS OF 'OMO ILINDEN' PREVENTED

[07] 'ELEFTEROS TIPOS': MALLIAS SUGGESTED CHANGING OF GREEK POLICY TOWARDS MACEDONIA

[08] FIRST CHINESE AMBASSADOR TO MACEDONIA

[09] FRCHKOVSKI: 'SEPARATE UNIVERSITY IN ALBANIAN WILL NOT BE ALLOWED'

MILS SUPPLEMENT

[10] 'Macedonia in NATO - Disturbance of The Global European Security'

MILS NEWS

Skopje, 10 June 1996

[01] MACEDONIA AND EU WISH TO IMPROVE THE COOPERATION

Italian Foreign Minister explained that the so-called regional approach had been created to strengthen the peace between former Yugoslav republics and to establish the stability in the region. He said it was not something to postpone Macedonia joining to the Union, especially when the good regional cooperation Macedonia had realized so far is taken into account. According to him, the regional approach should not be viewed as a condition, but as a policy fully shared by the Macedonian Government. Dini said the evolution clause was a positive one and that the EU did not intend to postpone the joining of Macedonia to the Union with it.

European Commission President Jacque Santeur stated that the Agreement on Trade and Cooperation with the EU and joining the PHARE Programme would bring many benefits to Macedonia, and that this year was a very constructive one for the country.

Macedonian Foreign Minister Ljubomir Frchkovski informed about the other issues discussed (visas regime, help for the payment balance of the Republic), when the mutual wish for improving and increasing of EU - Macedonia cooperation had been expressed.

[02] CONSTANT IMPROVEMENT OF MACEDONIA-FRANCE RELATIONS

Gligorov received French representatives in Ohrid. At the meeting the more and more intensive political contacts were said to be contributing to the development of the parliamentarian, economic and culture cooperation.

Macedonian President sent his greetings to his French counterpart Jacques Chirac and a written information about the negotiations of Macedonia with the EU on cooperation.

During the talks with Tito Petkovski, French National Parliament President Philip Seganne stressed the extremely positive development of French-Macedonian relations, emphasizing the role of Macedonia as a peace-making factor in south-eastern Europe, and the fact that Macedonia peacefully achieved its independence and international affirmation. Seganne said that Macedonia was successfully solving the issues regarding the protection and improvement of human rights, i.e. of the minorities' rights.

At the press conference at the end of his visit, Philip Seganne informed the journalists that he discussed the possibilities to improve the bilateral cooperation in the process of Macedonia's associating in the EU with the Macedonian officials.

Macedonian Parliament President reminded of the groups for cooperation with Macedonia in the French Senate and National Parliament, as well as of the facts that France was the very first EU country which had opened an Embassy and a Consulate in Macedonia. According to him, this offered a possibility for a Macedonian Consulate to be opened in Lion. It is a place of a great interest for Macedonia, because the system of company 'Rona' is in that region, and that enterprise is of a great importance for the 'Vardar Valley' project.

Philip Seganne yesterday officially opened the French Consulate in Bitola, and Calliope Krivasija Stilinovic was appointed a Honorary French Consul in this town.

[03] AMERICAN-MACEDONIAN TALKS ON THE UNPREDEP FUTURE

[04] CONFERENCE ON MANEUVERS 'PEACE MAKING EAGLE '96'

[05] 'BETA': FRCHKOVSKI WILL NOT GO TO THE MEETING IN SOFIA

'Beta' reminded of the statement Frchkovski made after the meeting with Bulgarian Foreign Minister Pirinski that 'Bulgarian insisting on the reference 'FYROM' could be for the sake of Greece, but it could also be understood as preparing for colder future relations with Macedonia'.

[06] CONGRESS OF 'OMO ILINDEN' PREVENTED

The Congress should have dealt with the consolidation of the Macedonians in Bulgaria and their fight for national and human rights.

[07] 'ELEFTEROS TIPOS': MALLIAS SUGGESTED CHANGING OF GREEK POLICY TOWARDS MACEDONIA

'It is clear that Skopje government, encouraged by the recognition by Belgrade, by the tolerance and broken promises of the European partners regarding the name, and thanks to the understanding with Americans, has concluded that it has no reasons to yield.'

'Elefteros Tipos' claimed that Mallias had pointed out the only hope of the Greek policy towards the northern neighbour: 'not to break them, but to make them worry and understand that the European perspective of the country, the cooperation with NATO and stable relations with the neighbours can only be ensured if a mutually acceptable solution with Greece is found.'

According to the paper, Mallias indirectly suggested a drastic change and revision of the policy of Minister Pangalos towards Macedonia.

[08] FIRST CHINESE AMBASSADOR TO MACEDONIA

[09] FRCHKOVSKI: 'SEPARATE UNIVERSITY IN ALBANIAN WILL NOT BE ALLOWED'

According to Frchkovski, Macedonia is one of the most advanced countries regarding minorities' education.

Regarding the recent tensions in Macedonia, provoked by the poisoning of the pupils from 'Nikola Stein' school in Tetovo, daily 'Dnevnik' commented last Saturday that the wrong reactions of the media, officials and the parties were making the situation worse, which directly reflected the ethnic relations. The paper read that statements that pupils had poisoned themselves or that they had been poisoned by their teachers' political aims, were additionally annoying the Albanians and convincing them even more that 'everything in this country was against them'. On the other hand, the paper continued, Macedonians were feeling more jeopardized and more convinced that 'one can never trust in those people'.

Meanwhile, ethnic relations in Macedonia will be discussed by many experts at the seminary on the Faculty of Law in Skopje on Wednesday. The subject of the seminary will be the 'Implementation of UN Standards and Rights of The National, Ethnic, Religious and Language Minorities.'

MILS SUPPLEMENT

[10] 'Macedonia in NATO - Disturbance of The Global European Security'

('Nova Makedonija', 10 June 1996)

Jurij Petrovic Trushin, Head of the Russian Embassy in Macedonia, in his interview for today's issue of 'Nova Makedonija' daily, answered the questions about the situation inside and outside Russia.

Asked about certain changes of the Russian foreign policy and the attitude regarding the extension of NATO, Trushin said:

'We are against the extension of NATO military infrastructure. We have already explained that for your media. I think it would not make sense to explain that over and over.

We were pleased to see, however, that there was a reply to our reaction. The latest Berlin session showed that the Alliance had started a gradual; adaptation to the changed reality of the multi-polar world.

We, the professional diplomats, noticed that the communiqu, passed in Berlin directly says that NATO is one of the components of the joint European security system. Not the only one, but one of the components. That is a harmony with our attitude. We find NATO extending possible, without bringing military structures closer to Russia, i.e. without atomic arming, NATO military bases and big maneuvers.

Q: 'Russia's opposing to the Macedonian membership in NATO and the divergent estimations of the UNPREDEP mandate are understood here as a superiority of a big country over the right of a small one to take care about its security according to its interests.'

Trushin: 'We would like our opposing and concern to be understood by those small countries that want to become NATO members and find Russia an obstacle in their way. We are not against because, let's say, Macedonia will join NATO and something incredible will happen then. We are simply worried because extending of NATO is not only an issue of the internal stability of the country, but also of the global European situation. Although NATO leadership is promising that nothing will happen, that everything is going to be just fine and that they will be with Russia, objectively speaking, it would create a geo-political and mostly military situation. It also makes all the military Agreements signed with the USA at the time of USSR suspicious. Our military leaders will be forced to ask for similar responses. Because, each country has to take care about its security and its national interests.'

Q: 'Mr. Trushin, would you, please, describe those responses more precisely?'

Trushin: 'It will be determined in according to the concrete military - political situation that will be created. When NATO political - military structures come closer to Russia, a new situation will be created, and our country will think in accordance with it. I am not a strategist who could now say what exactly will happen. But I can tell the response will be adequate and will not bring anything good.

Everything will be mixed up then and a new arming race will begin.'

Q: 'All of this sounds like a threat.'

Trushin: 'No, I would not like it to sound like a threat, because Berlin and other meetings showed that other solutions and compromises are possible. NATO has began to adapt. They themselves said the Alliance was one of the components. Such a thing could not be heard before. It means that there are other components, and OSCE is the most important of all, as we are all in it and a security system for all can be created in it.'

Q: 'Russian reactions are, however, worrying, because Macedonia is very far away from the Russian border, this country has never been a part of the Warsaw Treaty and because of the Russian stand about UNPREDEP, and all of that in a situation of a local consensus about our economic and security associating.'

Trushin: 'I understand. As for UNPREDEP, we officially informed your Foreign Affairs Ministry about our stand regarding the voting in the UN last Thursday. It will be published by your media. To say that Russia voted against, as was the case regarding the voting in December, is not true. In the first case, 6 months extension of UNPREDEP mandate was unanimously passed, and this time Russia restrained from voting. To restrain from voting and not vote at all are two very different things.'

Q: 'Yes, but isn't restraining the first step towards not voting at all?'

Trushin: 'No, I can not agree with your claim that we are against UNPREDEP forces. Russia actively supported UN peace forces disposing in Macedonia in 1992. Meanwhile, many serious and positive events took place in the region. Dayton Accord implementation is being carried out in Bosnia, Croatia and FR Yugoslavia have stabilized the relations regarding Eastern Slavonia, Athens and Skopje are improving their relations, etc.'

Q: 'The analysts, however, expect the war in Bosnia to continue in case IFOR forces are withdrawn. Tensions in Kosovo have increased in the meantime. Aren't these risks big enough? And could that be described as an improved situation? Trushin: 'We do take all those things into account. We are aware that the positive changes in the region are still not irrevocable. That is why we did not question the whole operation, but only suggested mandate extension for four months. Why? Because elections in Bosnia, that will take place in September, will be crucial for the stability of the Balkans. And a solution will be made according to the situation created afterwards.

I want to state for your public, bearing full responsibility, that neither in September nor now did Russia question the presence of peace keeping forces in Macedonia.

It is about their modernization and adaptation to the current conditions.

In case the situation in Kosovo is becoming worse, as you say, these forces mandate will accordingly not only remain, but will be strengthened also.'

Q: 'Bosnia war obviously helped Russia to start implementing its re-defined geo-strategic policy in the Balkans. In case some changes are really taking place regarding the former Yugoslav republics, about which you spoke in your interview for 'Dnevnik', you in fact agree with some Russian theoreticians who find Greece the main part of the 'Orthodox Union' now, don't you?'

This is our point of view about 'Orthodox Unions': there was a certain period in the Balkan and Russian history, especially during the Russian-Turkish and other wars, which was a time of the so-called 'eastern crisis', when those ideas played a uniting role and helped the Balkan nations to get free from Turks.

We are now living in another time and all the independent nations, no matter whether they are Orthodox or Catholic, are turning towards new values set by the new era. Those values are a united Europe, ideals of Helsinki and Paris Agreements ideals, etc. That is why I do not find the idea of an Orthodox uniting useful at the moment.

On the other hand, nobody can deny that close cultures, religion and history have always been a uniting factor for Orthodox Balkan and other nations. I would not, however, make that an instrument of some political unions.

(end)

mils news 10 June, 1996

Correction: In the news WILLIAM PERRY AT MACEDONIAN PARLIAMENT ON 12 JUNE, from June 7th, 1996 (Friday), in which Mr. Perry was said to be the US Secretary of State, instead of US Secretary of Defense. We apologize for this mistake.

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