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MILS NEWS 96-08-30Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: "Macedonian Information Liaison Service" <mils@mils.spic.org.mk>CONTENTS
MILS SUPPLEMENTMILS NEWSSkopje, 30 August, 1996[01] NINE PEOPLE KILLED AND 40 WOUNDED BY A LIGHTNING NEAR BEROVOYesterday, near the town of Berovo in the eastern part of Macedonia, nine people were killed and about forty were wounded by a lightning which struck near the Church of 'St. Mary', where 15,000 believers were celebrating the Orthodox holiday Assumption of the Mother of God. Agency 'Makpress' reported that wounded citizens had been hospitalized at the Polyclinic of Berovo. The strong wind and rain cut off the telephone lines and electricity in Berovo.[02] LEGAL FRAME NECESSARY IN THE RELATIONS BETWEEN MACEDONIA AND BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINAFollowing the invitation of Macedonian Prime Minister Branko Crvenkovski, a high delegation of Bosnia-Herzegovina, led by Prime Minister Hasan Muratovic arrived yesterday in Skopje. Local media reported that Muratovic and Crvenkovski had a longer working meeting, which they had described as being of a great importance for the improvement of the bilateral relations, especially of the economic ones.Bosnian Prime Minister Muratovic said the subject discussed was the need to form a joint Commission for Cooperation, through which all standard Agreements for economic cooperation would be signed, such as ones on avoiding of double taxation, on investments protection, free transport and non-visas regime. This should, Muratovic stated, significantly improve the bilateral relations and the joint appearance abroad. Macedonian Prime Minister Crvenkovski said the close and complementary economies of the two countries had been underlined at the meeting, which is a supposition for an intensive cooperation. He added that signing of the above mentioned Agreement would create a legal frame within which bilateral relations would be intensified. [03] MILOSAVLEVSKI RECEIVED BY YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT LILICMacedonian Ambassador to FR Yugoslavia Slavko Milosavlevski yesterday handed the accreditive letters to the President of FR Yugoslavia Zoran Lilic, Macedonian media reported. On that occasion, Yugoslav state agency 'TANJUG' had published Milosavlevski's short biography, with data referring to his education, to his military service as an officer of the Yugoslav Army from 1945-1953, and to his being a President of Tetovo municipality in 1957_58.Yugoslav media yesterday officially announced that FRY Prime Minister Radoje Kontic would visit Macedonia on September 3 and 4. At its session yesterday, Yugoslav Government accepted the platform on the negotiations between the two Prime Ministers, after which several bilateral agreements are expected to be signed. As alleged, Prime Minister Kontic will be accompanied by an economic delegation. [04] INFORMATION ON GREEK DISAGREEMENT WITH EXTENSION OF UNPREDEP MANDATE DENIED'It is true that certain issues referring to possible changes in UNPREDEP forces and eventual reducing of troops are being discussed in New York,' UNPREDEP Press and Information Officer Claire Grimes said for 'Dnevnik' daily, in context of the information about Macedonian request for extension of UNPREDEP mandate.Today's issue of 'Dnevnik' denies yesterday's information that Greece had certain objections to the extension of UNPREDEP mandate. The information was untrue, as Greece is not a member of the UN Security Council. According to the daily, application of Greece for membership is being reviewed. [05] ITALY - LEADER IN INVESTMENTS IN MACEDONIAAt their meeting yesterday, Macedonian Parliament President Tito Petkovski and Italian Ambassador to Macedonia Faustino Troni concluded that Macedonia and Italy were going through an extraordinary good period of cooperation in the fields of politics and economy. Macedonian Secretariat for Information announced that the two officials had said the economic connections should be further improved, although Italy is the leading foreign investor in Macedonia.[06] MEETING IN LJUBLJANA ON THE SUCCESSION OF SFRYMacedonian Radio reported that the Group for Succession on Heritage of Former SFRY of Macedonian Foreign Ministry would attend the meeting with representatives of Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina next week in Ljubljana. The subject of meeting will be an informal document titled a Memorandum on Understanding, made by Sir Arthur Wots, the Special Negotiator of the EU Representative on Succession Carl Bildt. Macedonian Group for Succession representatives will have another meeting with Sir Wots on 10 September in Brussels.[07] 'DNEVNIK': ALBANIAN-SERBIAN DIALOGUE STARTED IN ITALYToday's issue of 'Dnevnik' reports unofficial information of sources in Pristine that representatives of Albanians in Kosovo and of Serbian Government in Belgrade had secret negotiations in Italy recently. They had talked, as alleged, about the education in Albanian language in Kosovo. Albanian delegation had been led by the Vice President of the Democratic Alliance of Kosovo Fehmi Agani, while Serbian representatives are not known. According to this information, the meeting was attended by international representatives, as well. The start of the dialogue had been confirmed by Agim Hiseini, the President of the Union of Teachers of Kosovo, who had expressed his hope that the talks would help for all open issues to be settled.Meanwhile, 'TANJUG' reported that a policeman had been murdered in Kosovo the day before yesterday. His name was Ejup Ajkoru, he was an Albanian, and had been shot by two people at the bus station in his village near Poduevo. The information also said that several bombs had been thrown on the police station in the village of Chelopek near Pec three days ago, but nobody had been injured. Not a single member of the 'Liberation Army of Kosovo', which had taken over the responsibility for many of those terrorist actions, had been arrested or raised charges against. [08] PROTOCOL ON ECONOMIC COOPERATION BETWEEN MACEDONIA AND TURKEYMacedonian-Turkish Joint Committee for Economic Cooperation had its first session yesterday in Izmir, Turkey, Macedonian Foreign Ministry announced. Presidents of the Committee Macedonian Vice Prime Minister Bekjir Zhuta and Turkish Economy Minister Ajiti Gjulmaz had signed a Protocol on bilateral economic cooperation. The document especially underlines forming of a joint Macedonian-Turkish bank and the realization of the credit line for Macedonia from the Turkish 'Exim Bank'.[09] MACEDONIAN DEBT TO SWEDEN REPROGRAMMEDSwedish and Macedonian Governmental representatives yesterday signed an Agreement on Reprogramming of Macedonian debt of DM 591,000 to Sweden, at Macedonian Embassy in Stockholm. The Agreement obliges Macedonian party to pay the debt within 15 years. Macedonian Television reported that Macedonia is referred to in the document under its Constitutional name. In the talks Macedonian Ambassador Tihomir Ilievski had with a Swedish Foreign Ministry representative, the economic ties between the two countries were said to be positively developing, especially in the field of trade and finances. The expectation for the Agreement to encourage Swedish investments in Macedonia was also expressed.[10] HELP FROM PHARE PROGRAMME CONCRETIZEDThe first project of PHARE Programme for Macedonia has started to be realised in the cotton plant 'Strumichanka' in Strumica, Macedonian Radio reported. It should be followed by another one - installing of two ozoners at the filter station, which would provide the town with drinking water of a much better quality. This project is DM 500,000 worth. The total help of PHARE for Macedonia is 15 million ECU worth and will be realized via the Direction of 'Intersoner'-PHARE from Milan till the end of March, 1997.[11] ORGANIZED AND AGGRESSIVELY ON THE RUSSIAN MARKETIn order to be informed about the conditions and ways of work of the Macedonian Representative Office in Moscow, Macedonian entrepreneurs interested in cooperation with the Russian Federation had a meeting yesterday with the Director of the Office German Pajkovski at Economic Chamber premises.It was said that bilateral cooperation in the field of ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, chemistry and construction had been rather reduced during the last several years. Underlying that they should appear on the Russian market in an organized and aggressive way, the entrepreneurs said it would be necessary to establish bank connections between the two countries and to sign agreements for taxation and customs regulations. The chances of Macedonian economy were seen in construction, tobacco and wine industry, etc. [12] RECONSTRUCTION OF SKOPJE AIRPORT STARTS ON 10 SEPTEMBER'NOMA' Radio reported that reconstruction of Skopje Airport is going to start on 10 September, when air traffic will be re-directed to the Airport of Ohrid. According to the information, the Civil Air Transport Administration had informed both domestic and foreign air companies and airports about the new term for reconstruction.[13] NEW BANK NOTES ON THE INDEPENDENCE DAYMacedonian National Bank Council decided yesterday new bank notes of 10, 50, 100, 500, 1,000 and 5,000 denars to be introduced in the payment balance of Macedonia beginning from September 8, 1996. They will be promoted on September 4, and put into circulation on Macedonian Independence Day.Bills of 10, 50 and 100 denars have been printed in the printing house '11 October' in Prilep, while those of 500, 1,000 and 5,000 denars have been printed in the famous British money printing house 'De La Rue' in Malta. The new bills are work of Biljana Unkovska, an artist, and her motive was Macedonian national past. Today's issue of 'Dnevnik' reads that old bills will be gradually replaced with the new ones. [14] STRONGER MEASURES AGAINST INFANTILE PARALYSISDue to the information of the increased number of cases of infantile paralysis in Albania, Commission for Contagious Diseases with the Macedonian Health Ministry held a session yesterday. It was informed that although there had been no cases registered or suspected of it in Macedonia, the Ministry had taken preventive measures by rescheduling the usual dynamics of vaccination and re-vaccination. It had also planned to control the immunization more strictly and to have vaccinated all the children who had not been previously vaccinated from any reason.[15] HUNGER STRIKE OF GLASS PLANT WORKERS CONTINUESMacedonian media reported that the 50 workers of the glass factory 'Staklarnica' - Skopje had continued their hunger strike in front of Macedonian Government as a protest against irregularities in the privatization procedure. Yesterday, they refused the call of Appellate Court President to stop the strike, although he said the court procedure would take place today or on Monday. On the other hand, management team of the newly formed enterprise 'Glass wool' yesterday denied the claims that privatization had been carried out illegally.MILS SUPPLEMENT[16] '770 Privatized Enterprises'('Vecer', 29 August, 1996)Privatization in Macedonia has been carried out for three years, as one of the basic components in the transition of Macedonian society. Till the end of June, i.e. three years from the passing of the Law on Transformation of Socially Owned Enterprises, the procedure was completed in 770 firms (63.3%), which employ 108,000 people. Their total capital was estimated to DM 1,6 billion, half of which are now shares. The dominant owners in most of the socially owned companies have now obtained the right to own and manage their enterprises. Most often chosen transformation model was the buy-off made by the employees. In the aspect of the number of employees and the engaged value of the transformed capital, the mostly represented model was management team buy-off. Regarding the financial effects, the most respectable and most realistic ones were those achieved at the Pensions Fund and Disability Insurance. Namely, 17 private enterprises had made payments of DM 1,7 million in dividends in the Fund till the end of June. The Fund also owns about DM 72,8 million on the basis of the law obligation of private enterprises to give 15% of their total shares number to it. More financial effects in favour of the Fund are expected to be achieved during the last three months this year, when the privatized companies would make the payments of the obligatory annual 2% dividend. According to the information we have obtained from the Privatization Agency, the summer holidays had almost not affected the tempo of activities and the privatization went on during the summer, as well. At the moment, about 350 enterprises are involved in some of the privatization phases. The Agency is entitled to bring the decisions and programmes for privatization of those enterprises (about 200) which had not used the right to choose a transformation model by themselves. Some of the transformation programmes required certain corrections and have been returned to be accomplished, as well as some of the programmes for restructuring of the 25 enterprises with greatest losses, which were subjects of the governmental restructuring programme. It is expected that about 150 firms are going to be privatized soon, including some in the field of agriculture. Preparations for the start of privatization process in themare currently made. (end)mils news 30 August, 1996Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |