MILS: News from the FYROM, 97-03-05

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

CONTENTS

[01] ANNOUNCED HUNGER STRIKE OF PART OF MACEDONIAN `PF' STUDENTS COMMENCED

[02] COMBAT READINESS OF `ARM' UNITS AT BORDER TOWARDS ALBANIA

[03] INVESTMENT PROMOTION AGENCY TO COMMENCE OPERATIONS THIS MONTH

[04] LIVING EXPENSES IN FEBRUARY DECREASED IN COMPARISON TO PREVIOUS MONTH

[05] MACEDONIA MOST PROBABLY NOT TO EXPORT LAMB THIS YEAR

[06] NOVA MAKEDONIJA: `IS THERE A NEW MEDICINE-SALES SCANDAL ON THE HORIZON?'

[07] ANOTHER CLOBBERING OF THE DIRECTOR BY EMPLOYEES, THIS TIME AT `PORCELANKA'

[08] REPORT ON NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY ACTIVITY ADOPTED

[09] FOREIGN OFFICE: `UN COMMITTEE TO ANALYSE RIGHTS OF ALBANIANS IN MACEDONIA ACCORDING TO REGULAR PROCEDURES'

[10] DNEVNIK: `TETOVO AND GOSTIVAR TO FORM A REGION'

[11] TETOVO COUNCIL FOUNDED

MILS SUPPLEMENT

[12] `Embroidery With a Tightly-Spanned Thread' (`Vecher' - 4th March 1997)

MILS NEWS

Skopje, 05 March, 1996

[01] ANNOUNCED HUNGER STRIKE OF PART OF MACEDONIAN `PF' STUDENTS COMMENCED

Protesters from Skopje were joined by secondary school pupils from Tetovo, Strumica and Shtip mainly during this 18th day of protests. Participants also received flyers (signed with `students') which explained that the students were no racists or fascists but citizens in need of support.

`We students of Macedonia are discontent with the treatment received in our own country, and irritated by the drastic lack of respect towards us as a social category exhibited by the Government. Thus we publicly expressing our revoltedness with this attitude by the current Government - the flyers (distributed during yesterday's student protests) stated.

Towards the close of demonstrations yesterday the organisers of the student protests held an open air press conference opposite the Parliament. It has been announced that hunger strikers would remain at this location over night. Students have also invited Sofia Todorova to enter an open dialogue.

The police were asked to abstain from harassing demonstrators, and to allow the free movement of citizens through Macedonia. during the press conference candles arranged in shape of a cross were lit on the street in front of the Parliament.

Media report that yesterday the secondary school students in Kichevo and Kumanovo had continued their peaceful protests, while in Shtip students of the Mining / Geological Faculty and the local Pedagogical Faculty commenced protests as well.

[02] COMBAT READINESS OF `ARM' UNITS AT BORDER TOWARDS ALBANIA

Media report for now the border to Albania has not been closed yet, though the frequency of border traffic has been considerably lowered. According to MTV the MOD mostly fears refugee waves from the southwest part of the border area (at the checkpoints `Markova Noga', `Stenje' and `Sveti Naum'), as well as from different criminal structures and other individuals who would upset the ethnic composition of the region during a possible crossing into Macedonia. Another indicated danger is the fact that Albanian border crossings are being controlled by the police of whom `it is known that they are unprofessional in fulfillment of their duty.'

In the meantime - concordant to the decision of the UN Security Council - the reduction of the UNPREDEP mandate in Macedonia has resulted in the imminent closing of three observation posts held by the Nordic Battalion at the Albanian-Macedonian border. This means that only one UN observation team is to remain in the vicinity of Debar.

UNPREDEP circles assess that this should have no bearing on security in Macedonia - media report.

[03] INVESTMENT PROMOTION AGENCY TO COMMENCE OPERATIONS THIS MONTH

Preparations for the setting up of this institution which is to implement the Programme for the Attracting of Direct International Investments into Macedonia are to be conducted as of next week. This body is to be a component of the Privatisation Agency. Besides the identification and promotion of investment opportunities in Macedonia, the Agency is also to provide all administrative agreements and permits.

[04] LIVING EXPENSES IN FEBRUARY DECREASED IN COMPARISON TO PREVIOUS MONTH

[05] MACEDONIA MOST PROBABLY NOT TO EXPORT LAMB THIS YEAR

This most likely means that Macedonian lamb will remain on the domestic market this year. MTV reports that this has been revealed at yesterday's meeting of the Livestock Breeding Dept. within the Macedonian Chamber of Economy, which was marked by the worry regarding the future fate of sheep breeding in Macedonia. In connection to the possible export (of 1 750 tons) into EU countries, it has been revealed that the corresponding EU Commission is to meet next week and discuss the Macedonian request for an early lifting of the lamb export ban. It is nevertheless known that chances for an affirmative response are insignificant.

The export for the Arabian market, which is a huge consumer of lamb meat, represents a pure loss in opinion of Macedonian producers due to the mode of transportation (by plane) and low prices (45 - 50 denars per kilo).

Because of these reasons it has been stressed that part of the consequences of this - as it has been denoted - `natural disaster' should also be carried by the state. According to this Dept. This should be achieved via compensation (ensuring that the price for one kilo lamb will not drop below 70 denars), and via encouraging the domestic market through imposing restrictive measures on frozen meat imports.

[06] NOVA MAKEDONIJA: `IS THERE A NEW MEDICINE-SALES SCANDAL ON THE HORIZON?'

Another legal violation are the instructions in Polish, as instructions in Macedonian are prerequisite. The shipment has been forwarded with a dispatch register only - without a bid or an invoice. It is also not clear whether customs fees have been settled, or whether this is an instance of illegal import. It is known that the central storage house is in possession of the Health Insurance Fund, which is under the jurisdiction of the Health Dept.

The Fund justifies the whole matter by the fact that at the time of admission there had been an increased number of flu cases in the country, i.e. that an increased number of antibiotics were needed to alleviate conditions. According to `Nova Makedonija' it remains unclear whether the Fund is to pay for the received shipment of medicines. The entire case, however, is to clarified soon as the financial police task forces has launched an investigation.

[07] ANOTHER CLOBBERING OF THE DIRECTOR BY EMPLOYEES, THIS TIME AT `PORCELANKA'

Violence erupted when the former party attempted to obstruct the entrance of the latter into company facilities. The police intervened shortly afterwards. Media report that the clash resulted in minor injuries in two cases.

[08] REPORT ON NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY ACTIVITY ADOPTED

Emphasis was also laid on the fact that there is an undeniable necessity to enact a law codifying the parliamentary monitoring of all subjects of the security sector in several ministries. In its first report the Commission for Supervising the National Intelligence Agency, i.e. the Directorate for Security and Counter-Intelligence, has indicated the need for the expedient establishment of the Intelligence Agency.

Yesterday's sequel of the 61st session was also marked by the `go-ahead' given by MPs for the first stage of the draft-bill on religious communities and religious groups, as it has been evaluated that the speedy enactment of this law is necessary. Discussions yielded the suggestion to review the restriction that for denomination there should be only one religious community (aired by Vladimir Stankovski), as well as the request to prohibit the participation of the clergy in politics and decision-making (Ismet Ramadani), and to allow the more liberal funding of religious communities by its membership (Abduraul Prusi). It has been concluded that the law should be based on the principles of the separation of the church from the state and the guaranteed civic right and liberty to unobstructed religious worship - and the expression thereof.

At the session Gjorgji Strezovski was appointed as the new parliamentary Secretary, as the mandate of his predecessor Igor Spirkovski had expired.

[09] FOREIGN OFFICE: `UN COMMITTEE TO ANALYSE RIGHTS OF ALBANIANS IN MACEDONIA ACCORDING TO REGULAR PROCEDURES'

[10] DNEVNIK: `TETOVO AND GOSTIVAR TO FORM A REGION'

`This is a rational approach in terms of addressing our needs, which means that Albanians are oganising themselves on a local level through their political representatives and bodies of government; that they allocate budget funds or means from other sources to create parallel institutions which are to address the specific demands of Albanians in Macedonia', stated the mayor of Gostivar, Rufi Osmani.

[11] TETOVO COUNCIL FOUNDED

A-1 TV informs that a novelty as regards the existing `heraldry' of the Tetovo Council is embodied in the flag of the Republic of Albania displayed next to the Macedonian national flag. The session was also marked by simultaneous translation from Albanian into Macedonian.

MILS SUPPLEMENT

[12] `Embroidery With a Tightly-Spanned Thread'

(`Vecher' - 4th March 1997)

Within app. 10 days (i.e. throughout the second half of the month) the text of the act regulating the use of the flag of the minorities is to be compiled. It should define the term `flag of the minorities', with the insistence that this flag is to differ from national flags of other states. The objective of this proposal is to provide a symbol for minorities resident in Macedonia, in order to reflect their discreteness. At the same time this is to be their symbol for Macedonia only.

This is the projection of the Justice Department publicised on Friday's press conference, given by Justice Secretary Vlado Popovski. What is possible now in connection to the codification of this sensitive and delicate issue is the parody distortion of the entire subject according to the motto `all's well that ends well, except for this one thing which needs to be addressed' or `this means pouring oil into fire'. It remains a fact however that due to this legal void which has been existing in Macedonia over a longer time, and become a burning issue over the past few months due to the exhibition of minority flags (above all that of the Albanian ethnicity) at the local government institutions. This generated a contradictory, difficult situation which upsets and irritates - not only due to the fact that a banner is being brandished which is the national flag of another sovereign state, and not the denotation of an ethnicity. The legal void - according to the explication given by Minister Popovski - is not to be attributed to the lack of legal provisions, as there is an act codifying this issue (enacted in 1973) which is still legally binding, but rather to the fact that it does not provide a definition of the term `minority flag' which - in the opinion of some - represents a `typical consequence imposed by the time in which it had been compiled and enacted'.

Currently attempts are being launched to regulate relations in this respect, in order to avoid the exhibiting of banners of other sovereign states throughout Macedonian municipalities. The reluctance however, which may be observed in the statement by the minister that `the Ministry will endorse the proposal concordant to which the minority flag is to differ form the banner of any other sovereign state - but the imminent fate of this option is to depend on Government and parliamentary procedures.' This adds a hue of insecurity to the entire affair as to how and when the commenced `embroidery' is to be finished, even prior to the publication of the law itself.

This insecurity becomes increasingly palpable due to the attitude exhibited by the political representatives of ethnic Albanians in Macedonia whose flag (identical to that of the Republic of Albania) has been displayed in municipalities of a heterogeneous national structure. This embodies one more burden for already tense inter-ethnic relations in these communities and the country in general.

Unofficial talks in PDP top circles resulted in the brief and decisive `it is out of the question to change the flag.

We do not intend to add one single line, not to mention a different trait.' It has also been said that `regardless of the fact that this is the national banner of a different country - the Republic of Albania, it is being merely considered a symbol of all Albanians... this flag is much older than the country itself, the essence of this kind of reverence towards it transcends all this. Therefore the hard line that the displaying of any other sort of flag in the Republic of Macedonia is an unfamiliar and unacceptable thought to them.'

This is the view of the PDP which constitutes a segment of the parliamentary majority and the Government coalition. The statements and deeds emerging from the PDPA camp so far are reflecting a similar trend. This is being contrasted by the Macedonian block where (as we have already mentioned) it is considered that only the afore said option will regulate the displaying of flags of minorities in Macedonia.

Thus we are being confronted with opposed opinions and approaches which may tighten up the `embroidery' of the legislation - as well as the already tense atmosphere in terms of inter-ethnic relations.

(end)

mils news 05 March 1997

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