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MILS: News from the FYROM, 96-11-13Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: "Macedonian Information Liaison Service" <mils@mils.spic.org.mk>CONTENTS
MILS SUPPLEMENTMILS NEWSSkopje, 13 November 1996[01] ACCESS TO SFRJ - ARCHIVES FOR CITIZENS MADE POSSIBLEYesterday the second round of negotiations concerning the succession of the former Yugoslav federation were commenced in Brussels. Media report that certain progress had been made by the fact that the Yugoslav side has permitted access to archives of the former federation for all former citizens of this state. This concession was publicized through a release on the decision of the Yugoslav Government to allow this, in order to facilitate the settling of legal, property rights, pension rights and other matters. A-1 TV reports that such a Yugoslav initiative is to be considered the proverbial light at the end of a tunnel - as it is conducive to the resolving of the succession of federal archives, and thus the first issue on which some sort of consensus had been reached throughout these succession negotiations. Data obtained from Brussels however reveals that most of the other issues remained unsettled - such as the defining of which property is to be subjected to division... The group of four former constituent-states (Slovenia, Croatia, B&H and Macedonia) retain the viewpoint that only property actually - and legally - owned by the Federation should be divided, whereas SR Yugoslavia continues to advocate the perspective that everything achieved and built jointly in all former federal units should be subjected to this process. In addition to this, Macedonian radio reports, the delegations of Yugoslavia and Macedonia have been meeting for two days in Belgrade in order to adopt a bilateral agreement on social security. This document is to regulate the payment of pension in Yugoslavia and Macedonia, i.e. of citizens of both countries who do not live in their home country.[02] INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON NATIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY OF MACEDONIAAn international workshop on 'The National Economic Development Strategy of the Republic of Macedonia' is to be held in Ohrid, from 14th to 16th November. To this purpose a press conference had been held at the Macedonian Academy of Science and Art, informing the public that this project is at the beginning of its second stage - as well as that it is being financed by the UN Agency for Sustaining Development, the Austrian Government and the Macedonian Government. Apart from experts of the Vienna Institute of Economy and Macedonian experts, the workshop will also be attended by representatives of the Hungarian Academy of Science and Art, the Slovenian Institute of Development, etc. Delivered lectures are to serve as a basis for a global analysis of the development strategy which - according to academician Ksente Bogoev - consists of two general fields: macro-economic development measures and a sector approach to 22 thematic sections. Bogoev claimed that the National Development Strategy of Macedonia is to be completed by the end of next February or March, and that it will outline the objectives of economic development procedures - as well as the dynamics of their achievement by placing particular emphasis on social issues.[03] OSCE TO COMPILE COMPARATIVE STUDY ON MINORITIESThe OSCE is about to execute the Macedonian initiative to compile a Comparative Study covering minority rights in the region and throughout Europe - according to 'Nova Makedonija'. It is planned to stage a summit of ministers in Vienna on 'The Education of Minorities' by the end of this month, which is to be preceded by the filling in of a questionnaire by each member-state on how they regulate minority rights. The paper also reports that the organizing of such a summit had been instigated by the High-Commissioner on Minority Rights Max Van Der Stuhl - upon request of some countries, above all Macedonia, to procure an objective analysis on this subject.High-Commissioner Van Der Stuhl also denied that he had given a statement for Radio Tirana according to which 'it is only fair and inevitable to proclaim Albanians in Macedonia a constitutional people' as well as that 'tension between Macedonian and Albanian authorities had been permanently increasing'. [04] 'ELEPHTEROTYPIA': FIRST VISIT TO GREECE OF MACEDONIANS ORIGINATING FROM AEGEAN REGION'For the first time in post-war history a small group of Slavo-Macedonians originating from the Greek part of Macedonia have travelled to Greece where they stayed for more than 20 days', reports the Athens daily 'Elephterotypia' in its yesterday's copy. 'Makfax' quotes a release issued by the Organisation of Macedonians Originating from the Aegean Region, which attributes great significance to this visit - since it denotes a compromise between both sides.Between both sides as Macedonia is not listing the place of birth, and Greece abstains from entering the Greek variant. [05] DECREASE OF NUMBER OF TOURISTS COMPARED TO LAST YEARThis year more than 200 000 tourists visited Macedonia throughout the summer season, which is almost 10% less than during the same time span last year. With respect to domestic tourists this percentage amounts to 10.8%, whereas the decrease of foreign tourists totals 3.5%. The number of overnight-stays in tourism facilities during the three-month season amounts to more than 1 million, i.e. 11.4% less than in 1995 - of which a decrease of 13.2% is attributed to domestic clients. Foreign tourists have increased their rate by 13.5% - which is due to a prolonged average stay in-country. This year Macedonia has mainly hosted tourists from SR Yugoslavia (20 000 overnight-stays), Bulgaria (14 000), Germany (7 000) and the USA (6 000). This data has been presented by the National Institute of Statistics yesterday, in addition to stressing the fact that the overall figure of tourists who visited Macedonia by the end of '96 is expected to drop by app. 2%, and the number of overnight-stays by 5% - in comparison to '95.[06] RE-NEWED REQUESTS BY UNIONS SUBMITTED TO PM CRVENKOVSKIThe Independent Trade Union of Macedonia and the recently- established Independent Trade Union of Technologically Redundant Cadre and Dismissed Employees of the Republic of Macedonia have announced (during their press conference yesterday) the re-newal of their requests submitted to PM Crvenkovski concerning unemployment benefits. This is due to the fact that part of these employees are no longer eligible even for the minimum sum of 100 - 130 DM a month.Therefore it has been demanded to resume this support until re-employment or retirement. MTV reports that Trade Unions had also requested the re-enactment of the ownership right based on invested labour, as well as the payment of overdue benefits, retirement pensions and impairment support. The public has also been informed of an action conducted by the Independent Trade Union Federation to enroll technologically redundant employees, laid-off employees and unemployed individuals. The future course of action of these unions would depend on the meeting of forwarded demands. [07] ON THE ACTIVITY OF MACEDONIAN NATIONAL MEDIA THROUGHOUT ELECTION CAMPAIGNINGThe Programme Council of the National Macedonian TV and Radio Network for the Local Elections '96 held its second session yesterday - which was also attended by representatives of the LP, SDSM, PDP and the Civic Liberal Party (CLP) of Macedonia, in addition to editorial and managerial staff. The meeting was held to assess media activity during election campaigning of parties. On this occasion most objections were generated by the LP with regard to media coverage of their campaigning. According to their viewpoint the SDSM is quite obviously being favoured - whereas other parties are marginalized. PDP stated that their election rallies were hardly ever being covered by MTV. Even the SDSM - as Macedonian Radio reports - objected to the way in which national media presented their campaign. The only exception to this rule was made by the CLP representative whose only discontent stemmed from the division into 'big' and 'small' parties.He concluded that the size of each party would be defined during upcoming local elections. The DP which did not attend this meeting chose to stage its own press conference, on which it had been concluded that the party's presentation on national media is both quantitatively and qualitatively inappropriate. As election day approaches reports on SDSM rallies get longer and opposition coverage decreases - said DP spokesperson Jovan Manasievski, in addition to listing concrete examples. The most drastic of the latter being the reports covering SDSM and DP rallies in Gevgelija, which are quantitatively and qualitatively different - in a quite obvious manner - to the advantage of the SDSM. The local election subject is also being censored - according to Manasievski - to the extent that already scheduled debates are being cancelled, or statements given by certain personalities are not being published due to pressure exerted by the current Government, i.e. the SDSM. MTV General Manager Vasil Mickovski said during yesterday's meeting that his institution is doing the best it can - within its technical possibilities and human resources potential - to cover campaigning activities which amount up to more than 20 per day. [08] SDSM'S RATING INCREASING ON A DAILY BASISOpinion polls conducted by the party itself revealed that the rating of SDSM is increasing from day to day. Up to the present the presentation of the SDSM, its programme and its election platform, has been completely concordant to legal provisions. This has been conducive to the achievement of the party's fundamental aim, without having to fear opposition activity - as it is quite common to attack the incumbent. So far only the most reckless and exaggerated ones have been addressed by us... said SDSM spokesperson Nakje Stojanovski, Election Committee Head Ljubomir Popovski and Skopje Campaigning Supervisor Nikola Popovski during yesterday's press conference. The Macedonian National Radio reports that the SDSM officials stressed that local elections should not be abused to advocate irregular parliamentary elections - as this would be a gross deception of the electorate. In this context it was also emphasized that several parties were pressuring as if these were parliamentary elections - rather than local ones.[09] OBJECTIONS MADE BY IMRO-DPIMRO-DP leader Vladimir Golubovski addressed the mayor- election at the Karminci municipality - i.e. the fact that their nomination of a candidate took 12 days to be forwarded by postal services - during yesterday's press conference. As the date of posting had been within the required time frame the matter had been submitted at the Court of Appeals in Skopje.Golubovski also commented on an article published by 'Nova Makedonija', bearing the title 'Macedonia on one's tongue, but Foreign Countries in one's heart', which claimed that all parties qualified by the IMRO-prefix were satellites of a party with an eastward orientation. Golubovski emphasized that it was his party's goal to build a nation - not to destroy one, which means the distancing from any such political statements and personalities. The IMRO-DP leader also claimed that his party had been deceived by the IMRO-DPMNE, DP & MAAK-CP ('Conservative Party') coalition in Gostivar as their joint candidate had been presented as a coalition candidate only - contrary to mutual agreements. [10] JAPANESE STUDY ON TOXIC WATER OF VELES SMELTERYYesterday has been marked by the commencement of a joint project involving the Special Fund of the Japanese Government for the financing of Ecology Projects and the Macedonian Government. 'Vecher' reports that to this purpose there has been a meeting of Japanese representatives, representatives of the Danish 'Krueger' company and of the Macedonian Ministry of Urbanism, Civil Engineering and Environmental Protection at the metallurgic-chemical facility 'Zletovo' at Veles. It has been agreed that 'Krueger' is to compile a study on applying state-of-the-art technology to handle the processing of toxic water and pollution generated by the smeltery on the banks of the Vardar.[11] SKOPJE AIRPORT TO BE OPENED ON 6TH DECEMBERMacedonia's main air traffic facility - the Airport of Skopje is expected to be re-opened on 6th December, according to information broadcast by Macedonian media.According to Airport officials all deadlines have been kept so far, and the airport should be ready in time for the Christmas Air Traffic Peak starting 10th December. [12] RECIPIENTS OF '13TH NOVEMBER' SPORTS AWARDThis year's recipients of the '13th November' Sports Award are; MZT-Skopje basketball player Pero Blazhevski, International Chess Master Trajche Nedev and the 'Student' swimming-club member Aleksandar Miladinovski. Other recipients of this distinction awarded by the Macedonian Sports Association include the women's handball team 'Kometal-Gjorche Petrov', the men's basketball team 'MZT- Skopje', the 'Alkaloid' Chess Club and 'Vecher' journalist Miodrag Miladinovich.MILS SUPPLEMENT[13] 'FRESH WINDS FROM MOSCOW'('Vecher' - 9th & 10th November 1996)Following the scandalous coolling of Russian-Macedonian relations, Moscow has undertaken several calculated steps which herald an intensifying of bilateral cooperation. The first indication of the end of the Russian aloofness is the appointment of H.E.Amb. Piotr Timofeevich Dobroserdov as the first Ambassador of the Russian Federation. He is expected to arrive throughout the second half of this month. This move had been awaited for 4 entire years, when bearing in mind that the Russian Federation - as the first permanent member of the UN Security Council - had recognized Macedonia as early as August 1992. Somehow this appointment was paralleled by the unexpected visit of the Russian Resident UN Representative Sergey Lavrov of the UNPREDEP Mission. In addition to its basic purpose: the familiarization with this peace-keeping mission in order to complement the Russian viewpoint on a prolonging of the mandate, the one-day visit last week was also used to establish contact with high-ranking Macedonian state officials. Officially - and by the media - this stay was considered a 'new impulse to strengthen bilateral relations.' We have also found out - from diplomatic sources - that an even higher-ranking guest is to be expected in Macedonia towards the end of this year, in shape of Deputy-PM and Economy Secretary Oleg Davidov. This is to be his second official visit to our country, after the one for the signing of the Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement between the Russian Federation and Macedonia which immediately followed the establishment of diplomatic relations between both countries. Whether this sudden intensification of contacts a sign of genuine interest of the Federation to meet mutual interests - or perhaps an attempt to correct something, does not really matter. It is far more important to the unselective Macedonian Foreign Policy that at least some sort of dialogue has been established. Therefore the imminent visit of the Kremlin officials should be used to the maximum, by directing the waters to one's own treadmill, as Davidov is expected to put his signature under five already adopted bilateral agreements: a deal on establishing an inter-governmental joint committee on economic, scientific and technological collaboration; an agreement on mutual investment protection, an agreement on avoiding double taxation, an agreement on traffic and communications and a protocol on Russian oil exports to Macedonia. The ratification of these deals - which took two entire years to outline - will practically provide legal provisions for economic cooperation, which is exactly the key interest of Macedonia - due to the fact that trade within the old Yugoslav Federation used to amount to 750 million dollars 'per annum'. At present this rate has dropped down to 95 - 150 million dollars. According to the Institute of Statistics, the trade exchange rate for the first seven months of this year amounted to a bit more than 100 million dollars - of which app. 21 million went to export into Russia, and 85 million in yield were made by the Russian Federation through imports - which is far beyond realistic possibilities of our country. In order to raise cooperation to its previous level it has become prerequisite to sign this package of arrangements. This will also entail the return of a very significant market for the placement of Macedonian products - first and foremost: bakery products, pharmaceuticals, textile and tobacco products, aluminum constructions, accumulators, construction and electric materials. It is also in the interest of Macedonia to resume service provision in terms of construction and tourism. Particularly the latter used to be procured by several companies for this 'mega construction-site', such as 'Granit', 'Beton', 'Mavrovo', 'Pelagonija', 'Tehnika', 'Grading' and numerous smaller private businesses which until recently had their own offices in Russia. There is no need to mention what all this would mean to them... If numbers are the only illustration for how little capacities are being used, let us complement the bleak arithmetic landscape depicted above by a total of 30 companies (e.g. 'Tehnometal - Vardar', 'Alkaloid', 'Alumina', 'MZT', 'Jugohrom', 'Makedonija-Tabak', 'Palair- Macedonia', 'Makpetrol', etc.) which had emerged upon the Russian market in a major way throughout recent years, but had to withdraw afterwards. This interest of ours is only matched by the Russian side, i.e. by their readiness to export semi-finished products from industrial branches as various as metallurgy, leather processing, oil derivation transport vehicle production, etc. which certain Russian companies (Rimako, 30 As Trade Metal, Sivas, East-West, Dobra-Holding, Vesso Link, ...) have been trying to launch in Macedonia. If all this has been just as carefully considered by the Russian partners, Macedonia will not bar its door to the fresh winds brought about by Ambassador Dobroserdov - since this door is to remain open not only to immediate regional neighbours but to the super-powers as well. (end)mils news 13 November, 1996Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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