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MILS NEWS 96-09-05Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: "Macedonian Information Liaison Service" <mils@mils.spic.org.mk>CONTENTS
MILS SUPPLEMENTMILS NEWSSkopje, 05 September, 1996[01] MOVE FORWARD TOWARDS A FREE TRADE ZONEPrime Ministers of Macedonia, Branko Crvenkovski, and of FR Yugoslavia Radoje Kontic yesterday signed an Agreement on Trade, which liberalizes the trade exchange regime between the two countries, and should bring to a gradual establishing of a free trade exchange zone in near future.Finance Minister Taki Fiti of Macedonia and his Yugoslav counterpart Minister of Trade Gjorgje Shiradovic signed an Agreement on Avoiding of Double Taxation, regarding the tax on profit and on capital, as well as an Agreement on Mutual Support and Protection of Investments. Also, Transport Ministers Dimitar Buzleski and Zoran Vujovic signed an Agreement on International Transport of People and Goods, on Border Railway Transport and on Regular Air Transport. And finally, an Agreement on Customs Cooperation and Assistance was signed by Macedonian Customs Administration Director Ilija Iljoski and Yugoslav Director of the Federal Customs Administration Mihail Kertes. The two Prime Ministers made short statements after the Agreement signing, positively estimating this first visit of Yugoslav governmental delegation to the independent Macedonia, and describing it as friendly and constructive. Premier Crvenkovski said he was going to pay a return visit to Belgrade, following the invitation of his Yugoslav counterpart. Premier Kontic said his visit to Macedonia was a move forward towards the establishing of a free trade exchange zone between the two countries. He expressed his belief that the economic exchange between the Republic of Macedonia and FR Yugoslavia would reach $1 billion during the next year. [02] COMPLETE DEFINING OF POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC RELATIONSPresident Kiro Gligorov of the Republic of Macedonia yesterday received FR Yugoslav Prime Minister Radoje Kontic. They said the bilateral relations between the two countries were significantly improving after the Agreement on Regulation of Relations had been signed. According to the official announcement from the meeting, the mutual interest in the improvement of cooperation was expressed, especially in the economy and in official regulation of the relations. Prime Minister Kontic and the other delegates met with Macedonian Parliament President Tito Petkovski yesterday, as well. High level of understanding was expressed in terms of the need for a complete defining of the political and economic connections.Other issues talked about were the goods exchange, culture, alleviations regarding customs duties, status of national minorities, border line regulation, and improvement of relations between the Macedonian and Serbian Orthodox Churches. [03] ABOUT STATUS OF SERBS AND MONTENEGRINS IN MACEDONIAMacedonian Radio reported that during the visit of Yugoslav representatives to Macedonia, the Yugoslav Embassy in Skopje allotted an announcement to the journalists of both countries, about the meeting of FRY Prime Minister Kontic with representatives of Serbs and Montenegrins in Macedonia. The announcement read that issues talked about at the meeting were the unsolved Constitutional status of Serbs and Montenegrins in Macedonia, the problems of the education in their mother tongue, their economic situation, informing, problems in the sphere of culture and the right to a religion in their mother tongue.The announcement also read, according to Macedonian Radio, that Serbs and Montenegrins belonged to the poor part of the Macedonian society, and that instead of new schools and classes to be opened in Serbian language, the old ones were being closed in the primary schools, while the secondary ones were closed in 1986. The announcement concluded that Kontic was satisfied to realize that Serbs and Montenegrins were aware of the problems they were faced with, and said he believed that they would be solved in cooperation with Macedonian authorities and by support from FR Yugoslavia. [04] BELGRADE MEDIA: NEW CHAPTER IN MACEDONIAN-YUGOSLAV RELATIONSAccording to Macedonian Radio the first visit of Yugoslav officials to Macedonia was given a great publicity by Belgrade media. As alleged, the estimations were mainly positive and the visit was described as a new chapter in the bilateral relations, which might bring prosperity for the whole region. Statement of FRY Prime Minister Kontic that there were no open issues which might be an obstacle to the cooperation was especially paid attention to. The Agreement on Free Trade was underlined, as well, since it should bring to an establishing of a free trade exchange zone till 1999. Yugoslav reporters cited the statements of both Prime Ministers that representatives of the Commission for Border Line Establishing had agreed that there were no open issues regarding this matter, which was understood as speeding up of the matter.All Belgrade media reported that Yugoslav delegation had 'moved' the issue of the rights and status of Serbs and Montenegrins in Macedonia, as well as that Macedonian party had promised that 'the status of Serbian minority in Macedonia would be solved by Constitutional changes'. [05] MACEDONIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY DELEGATION IN POLANDRepresentatives of Macedonian Defense Ministry, led by Minister Blagoj Handziski, left for a two-days visit to Poland yesterday, following the invitation of Polish Minister of Defense Stanislav Dobzhanski. Macedonian Television reported that two Ministers would sign and Agreement on Military Cooperation, and that guests would visit military objects and institutions of Poland.[06] SECOND PREPARATORY MEETING FOR 'SAVER '96' EXERCISEThe second preparatory conference for the forthcoming multinational maneuvers 'Saver '96', which will take place in Macedonia, began yesterday in Ohrid. Representatives of countries-participants (USA, Albania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Romania, Slovenia, Italy and Macedonia) are discussing the scenario of the exercise and the plans for its performing. Greek representatives again did not come to the meeting, but the media unofficially reported that they would attend the final one, scheduled for 1 and 2 October. The maneuvers will take place in two parts: the first, commanding-headquarters operations near Titov Veles from 21-26 October, and the second, operational part, at the test range of Krivolak in spring, 1997. The exercises will be of a humanitarian character, and the supposed situation will be a disaster, such as an earthquake or a damage of a chemistry plant. The maneuvers are expected to be monitored by Poland, Czech Republic and Hungary.[07] APPROVAL OF THE FESAK CREDIT WITHOUT THE LAW ON DENATIONALIZATION?A-1 Television reported that Macedonian Government's letter of request for conditions of the FESAK credit second installment to be corrected, has already been examined by the World Bank, which Board should make a decision till 10 September. According to an information of a high governmental official A-1 had obtained, Macedonia has fulfilled all the other conditions, except for the Law on Denationalization, to be given an approval for the second installment of the FESAK credit.The Government had required the term to be prolonged till the end of the year. As alleged, the requests will most probably be met, due to the extraordinary positive estimations of the fulfilling of the other conditions set. If the World Bank Board makes no remarks, the installment will be drawn automatically, A- Television reported. [08] LAW ON LOCAL ELECTIONS ON THE AGENDA TODAYMacedonian MPs yesterday passed the first phase of the Law on Territorial Reorganization of Local Self-Government Units, which regulates the property dividing between the state and current municipalities and the new municipalities, as well as the status of public services and enterprises. The Parliament also passed the Law on Credit for Helping the Individual Farmers. One more Vice President of the Parliament was elected yesterday - Dzeladin Murati, a PDP member.Meanwhile, the representatives of VMRO-DPMNE and the Democratic Party were not allowed to attend the meeting organized by the Parliamentarian group of the Liberal Party, and to which Minister of Justice Vlado Popovski was also invited. The explanation for this was that no visits are allowed to the Parliament premises during its sessions. Local media reported, however, that the meeting had been rescheduled for today at 2 p.m., and that all the invited parties would attend it to openly discuss the Draft Law on Local Elections. Liberal Party leader Stojan Andov stated for Macedonian Television that his party had submitted 28 amendments on the Law on Local Elections, and that the meeting had been organized in order to hear the opinions both of the governmental representative and of the ones of VMRO-DPMNE and the Democratic Party. Minister of Justice also stated for Macedonian Television that most of the Liberal Party's amendments and a significant part of the five amendments of the Democratic Party would be accepted. The Law on Local Elections is an item on the Agenda of today's Parliament 52nd session. [09] NEW BANK NOTES IN CIRCULATION FROM 10 SEPTEMBEROn 10 September, the new bank notes of 10, 50, 100, 500, 1,000 and 5,000 denars will be put into circulation in all banks, affiliates and branches of the Institute for Payment. On the occasion of the 5th Anniversary of the independence of Macedonia, 1,500 jubilee gold coins were issued. This was presented at a press conference yesterday by Macedonian National Bank Governor Borko Stanoevski.The new bank notes were said to have a high protection from forgery, new design and characteristics. The three highest value bank notes were printed in the famous London printing house 'Thomas de la Rue', and the smaller ones in the printing house in Prilep. The total number of bank notes printed is 145 million, for which DM 5.4 million were spent . Their nominal value is 91 billion denars (at the moment 5,5 billion are in circulation), and this sum was planned to be enough for the next eight years. The old bank notes will be gradually replaced by the new ones during 6-8 months, while the coins will not be changed. Governor Stanoevski stressed the value of the denar would not change in comparison with foreign convertible currencies, i.e. this is neither a denomination of the denar nor a devaluation. MILS SUPPLEMENT[10] 'Fiti Can Not Be Trusted To'('Dnevnik', 3 September, 1996)Former owners of nationalized properties have expressed their disappointment, and not for the first time, with the statements made by Macedonian Finance Minister Taki Fiti that passing of the Law on Denationalization is being postponed again. The opposition considers this only an acting of the Government that they intend to correct the historical injustices. To the question of MPs at the 50th Parliament session, Minister Fiti said the Law on Denationalization was being designed and that it was planned to be passed either by the end of 1996 or at the beginning of 1997. Vasiliki Vikentievic, the President of the Association for Protection of The Interests of Owners of Confiscated Properties expressed her disbelief in these promises, and ironically thanked to the Minister for remembering to mention the Association in his speech this time. Until now, all the requests they had made were not replied to by the Government. 'How could we believe the Minister if each question asked by an MP about this issue is answered by him in a form of a half-year postponing of the Law passing? The same thing happened on 15 November last year, when the Law entered the Parliament for the first time. The Minister then promised that the Law would be passed in March 1996. At the end of May he said it would be passed till mid July. And now it is being postponed again. The same thing will most probably happen at the beginning of 1997,' said Vikentievic. One of the Association members Kiro Telegrafchiski, whose property had been confiscated after the World War II, thinks that the Government is, in fact, not interested in the denationalization: 'The Government simply wants to get the credits from the World Bank and is trying to deceive the international public. They do not really want to make a compensation to those whose properties had been confiscated,' he said. The stand of all opposition parties is equal: the Government does not intend to correct the injustices of the previous totalitarian communist regime, since the 'current establishment is an ideological and historical successor of the previous one'. 'If they do commence the denationalization process, which I doubt, they would have to return their precious properties on Vodno, which had also been confiscated,' said Risto Penov, a Democratic Party member. At the above mentioned Parliament session, Minister Taki Fiti said the new Law included issuing of a kind of certificates which would be, he said , 'exchangeable for a state capital'. 'What will be possible to be bought with those certificates if the social capital is fully privatized till then?' Vikentievic said. Her opinion is that such way of compensation might have been promoted before the start of the process of transformation of the social capital into private, but not now. The Liberal Party also considers the privatization and denationalization had been planned to be carried out in a wrong way. 'If anybody wanted to solve this problem, as well as that of the frozen savings, they should have done it before the 700 enterprises were sold almost for free. The certificates might have made sense then, but not now,' Risto Ivanov, Vice President of the Liberal Party said. According to Ivanov, the denationalization issue is a crucial one for the development of a market driven economy, legal state and democracy in general, and his opinion is that SDSM have been covering their true attitude about the matter. Finance Minister Fiti said the state was not in a situation to be able to make a compensation to the previous owners due to million dollars worth internal and foreign debts. Both the opposition parties and the previous owners consider this a part of a 'demons-creating policy' encouraged by the Government. They think that a negative attitude towards the Law on Denationalization was being created in public in a perfidious way, by trying to make an impression that 'five thousand previous owners will endanger the future of Macedonia'. 'That is completely untrue. There are still objects which can be returned without problems - houses, warehouses, manufactories. How would their returning negatively affect the national budget?, Vikentievic asked. 'The results of the questionnaire made by the Finance Ministry had still not been announced, and without them one can not conclude what will be the consequences denationalization would provoke for the budget. It is also symptomatic that the Government is still not publishing those results and also refuses any communication with us,' Ivanov said. One of the forecasts is that the Government would have to compensate for or return property $1.5 million worth. Members of the previous owners Association are losing their hope, and meanwhile their requests are being minimized. 'We would be satisfied if they would make a compensation by giving us one flat in exchange for everything that had been taken away from us. But, they do not want to do that,' family Blazhevski told us, who are tenants in a flat. Elena Blazhevska parents' used to own a part of the land where the suburb of Karposh in Skopje is settled now. Family Kalaidzievi have similar expectations, and are hoping for their house on Vodno to be returned to them with the new regulations, although Asen Grupche, a Professor at the Faculty of Law, lives there. There are many like them, and there is only one Vodno. (end)mils news 05 September, 1996Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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