MILS NEWS 96-08-16

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

CONTENTS

[01] JAVIER SOLANA SOON IN MACEDONIA

[02] HANDZISKI: 'MACEDONIAN ARMY RESTRUCTURED ACCORDING TO NATO STANDARDS'

[03] FRCHKOVSKI-PANGALOS MEETING WAS NEVER ARRANGED

[04] MACEDONIAN AMBASSADOR TO BELORUS

[05] CONGRATULATIONS ON NATIONAL HOLIDAY OF LIHTENSTEIN

[06] SHARES OF SKOPJE CITY SHOPPING CENTRE ON THE MARKET

[07] KOSOVO DISCUSSED IN GENEVA

[08] EVENTS IN TETOVO CONDUCTED BY PRISTINE AND TIRANA

[09] POLICE ARRESTED ABOUT THIRTY DRUG ADDICTS

[10] 95 POETS FROM 37 COUNTRIES AT STRUGA FESTIVAL

[11] INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING MARATHON TOMORROW IN OHRID

MILS SUPPLEMENT

[12] 'Unfounded And Tendentious Accusations' ('Vecer', 15 August, 1996)

MILS NEWS

[01] JAVIER SOLANA SOON IN MACEDONIA

[02] HANDZISKI: 'MACEDONIAN ARMY RESTRUCTURED ACCORDING TO NATO STANDARDS'

As Macedonian Radio reported, Handziski spoke about the reconstruction of Macedonian Army and Macedonian defense system, stressing that:

'The Army has been fully restructured according to NATO standards. It has been equipped with automatic weapons and military trucks have been supplied for mobile brigades of A- formation to be quickly disposed. Four airplanes have been obtained for training of pilots of Military Air Transport.

Special Army units have also been fully equipped according to NATO standards. Forces for participation in maneuvers within the framework of 'Partnership for Peace' and NATO have been established, as well as for supporting the peace operations.

Macedonia was an observer to ten exercises of 'Partnership for Peace' and of the Alliance, and a part of units for support of peace operations participated in the maneuvers 'Peace Eagle '96' in Albania. The level of training of our soldiers and officers were highly estimated by the leaders of those maneuvers.

Organization of the first exercise in the Republic of Macedonia planned for October is being successfully carried out. Direct participants will be NATO members USA, Italy, Greece and Turkey; 'Partnership for Peace' members Albania, Bulgaria, Romania and Slovenia, while Poland and Hungary will be observers. These maneuvers will be a preparation for the biggest tactical exercise that will take place on the location of Krivolak at the beginning of the next year.'

[03] FRCHKOVSKI-PANGALOS MEETING WAS NEVER ARRANGED

Due to the absence of Minister Frchkovski, the same source was asked to comment on the latest announcement of Greek Foreign Ministry, by which the alleged meeting was canceled.

'It is true that Ministers Frchkovski and Pangalos will stay in New York at the beginning of September to participate in the preparations for UN General Assembly session. It is a usual thing for such big international gatherings to be used by the diplomats for bilateral, either formal or informal, meetings. That offered a possibility for a Frchkovski- Pangalos meeting to take place, but it was never definitely arranged,' said the source.

The above mentioned announcement of the Greek Foreign Ministry was a reaction, according to 'Nova Makedonija', to the recent statements of Macedonian Foreign Minister Ljubomir Frchkovski for the Greek paper 'To Vima' and the Austrian weekly 'Der Standard', which, allegedly, created 'a negative atmosphere in the bilateral relations'.

[04] MACEDONIAN AMBASSADOR TO BELORUS

[05] CONGRATULATIONS ON NATIONAL HOLIDAY OF LIHTENSTEIN

[06] SHARES OF SKOPJE CITY SHOPPING CENTRE ON THE MARKET

[07] KOSOVO DISCUSSED IN GENEVA

Carl Bildt, the High Representative of the international organisation in Bosnia, said in Geneva that the situation in Kosovo was very dangerous and might provoke a new, bigger war on the Balkans.

OSCE Chairman and Swiss Foreign Minister Flavio Kotti stated that it would be insufficient to have only observers of OSCE in Kosovo, but that other moves should be taken to help in solving the problem. Meanwhile, 'Makpress' agency reported an information of ATA agency about a statement of Elizabeth Rehn, UN Special Envoy for Human Rights. During her visit to former Yugoslavia, she expressed a great concern about the situation in Kosovo, describing it as an explosive one, which is why necessary measures should be taken.

[08] EVENTS IN TETOVO CONDUCTED BY PRISTINE AND TIRANA

'The events in Tetovo are being synchronized by Pristine and Tirana. The goal of Albania is to minimize domestic problems that came with international accusations of fixed elections and to transfer the attention of public outside the country,' said Stojanovski.

He severely criticized the Administration of Internal Affairs in Tetovo for allowing to the participants of the not previously notified protest meeting in Tetovo last month, to act aggressively and to wave the Albanian flag in the streets.

Stojanovski said the stand of his party was that all political parties of Albanian minority in Macedonia, including PDP, had the same goals, but different ways of action. They were, according to him, all trying to legalize 'Tetovo university', to have the Albanian minority recognized as a Constitutional nation and to have the Albanian language established as an official one in Macedonia, which is a violation of the Constitution.

'All of this is being done,' said DPM President, 'to make a pressure on the Parliament to back off, especially now, before the local elections and during the procedure regarding the Law on Local Dividing is being carried out.

They are also trying to non-objectively present the status of Albanian minority in Macedonia in the eyes of international public.' He concluded with a statement that Albanians in Macedonia had more rights than any other minority in any country in the world.

[09] POLICE ARRESTED ABOUT THIRTY DRUG ADDICTS

[10] 95 POETS FROM 37 COUNTRIES AT STRUGA FESTIVAL

Besides the traditional events, such as presenting the winners of 'Braka Miladinovci' Prize and of the Golden Wreath (Japanese poet Makoto Ooka), or the international meeting of poetry 'Bridges', several publications will be introduced.

This year, the Festival will be opened in front of the Poetry Centre in Struga with Beethoven's 9th Symphony, in a special arrangement of the Macedonian composer Slave Dimitrov, as well as with the poem 'T'ga za Jug' by Konstantin Miladinov.

[11] INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING MARATHON TOMORROW IN OHRID

The competition is being held under patronage of President Kiro Gligorov.

MILS SUPPLEMENT

[12] 'Unfounded And Tendentious Accusations'

('Vecer', 15 August, 1996)

Severe criticism of the work of 'Matica na Iselenicite na Makedonija' - an organisation of Macedonian emigrants, was presented by World Macedonian Congress Presidency both at its session during the weekend and at the press conference before that. The organization was accused of not uniting the Macedonians in the diaspora, of protecting the interests only of emigrants from the Republic of Macedonia and not of those from neighbouring countries, etc. It was said that 'in case the 'Matica' wanted to play a uniting role, it would have to join the World Macedonian Congress (WMC).

'Vecer' asked for a comment from the President of 'Matica' Dimitar Keramitchiev, who said those were unfounded and tendentious information.

'I am sorry that I was informed about the session of World Macedonian Congress Presidency too late, i.e. on August 5, when I left on a holiday. So I had no chance to attend it and immediately reply to the participants. It was, however, clear from the information presented by the media that they were acting in a tendentious way. But, let us start from the beginning.

First, the possibility for the 'Matica' to become a part of WMC has never been mentioned. Second, the accusation that 'Matica' was taking care only for emigrants from the Republic of Macedonia is untrue. WMC representatives should have come to the celebration organized on the occasion of 45th Anniversary of 'Matica' and seen all the people there.

They would have been able to hear the Macedonians from Aegean and Pirin Macedonia, from the Republic of Albania, and the emigrants from America and Australia,' said Keramitchiev.

He continued by saying that World Macedonian Congress of Todor Petrov had began to use the term 'strategy about emigrants' very recently. The 'Matica' had, however, began to prepare such a strategy a year ago. It was discussed during the marking of the 45th Anniversary first in Skopje and than in Oteshevo. The strategy can not be brought over night because it is treated in a subtle way. It will be carefully done and than offered to the country.

'It is also unfounded to claim that the 'Matica' is governmental. It is non-political, non-governmental, but an institution of the state, in the same way as Macedonian Academy of Science and Arts, the Universities, the libraries. No matter which political party will be at the head of the Macedonia, the 'Matica' will always be unique, and the state must have a consistent attitude towards it,' said Keramitchiev.

The task of this organisation has always been and will be, according to its President, to take care of maintaining the Macedonian identity of the emigrants. Although it is planned to be reorganized and transformed, it does not mean that the 'Matica' will fade out - it will only be adapted to the new times.

'The reorganization will take place only inside the organisation. It will not become anybody's organ nor a part of another structure,' stressed Keramitchiev. He supported the importance of an independent 'Matica' to exist with the example of Croatia. Namely, after HDZ came at the head of Croatia, 'Matica Hrvatska' had been abolished and a Ministry for Emigrants had been established. It became obvious after only six months that the things were not developing satisfactorily. Therefore, 'Matica' of Croatia was re- established, which proves that these organisations are irreplaceable institutions, as they do not deal with daily politics, but a state politics about an important issue - emigrants.

(end)

mils news 15 August, 1996

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