After two weeks, the Macedonian Parliament will start the postponed 11th and 13th session today. According to "Vecer," the signals coming from the biggest party of the Albanians in Macedonia also indicate that their participation in the work of today's session is uncertain. As the president Abdurahman Aliti stated, "the decision will be made as we go along, but it is also possible for the MPs not to appear because of the Islamic religious holidays."
The PDP deputy group held a meeting yesterday. Before it started, a couple of MPs stated that they would probably not be attending today's session.
It is found out that representatives of all Albanian parties in Parliament held a meeting with the parliamentary presidency. The talks focused on the "methods and manner of work of the Parliament." They asked to be previously consulted about the legal projects which they themselves will assess as important, as well as whether the Albanian language could be used in Parliament. In the talks, according to "Vecer," the Albanian representatives were told that there were no legal possibilities for previous consulting, except in the Government, and that, according to the Constitution, the official language is the Macedonian.
In Parliament, "Vecer" writes, still, the possibility of the PDP nonetheless taking part in today's work, is not excluded. As it is known, PDP and NDP "froze" their activities, until the "problems of the Albanians are not solved." The conclusion regarding the participation of the Albanians is drawn from a couple of contacts with this deputy group. According to information from Tetovo, in a TV appearance on Sunday, the PDP coordinator Ismet Ramadani stated that the use of participation in the institutions of the system was greater, but that they would also walk out, if the neighbors would ask for something like that.
After today's session of Parliament, more details from PDP's decisions will certainly be known. President Aliti stated yesterday that "at the moment, the basic thing is for the University to start functioning."
Otherwise, at the 13th session, Prime Minister Crvenkovski will present an expose on the agreed economic policy and financial support of the IMF and the World bank.
Yesterday, the "classes" on some "faculties" from the Tetovo illegal university, according to Makpress, continued being held in private houses in the village Poroy.
The Senate of the illegal university is using the second option, which foresees a number of spare locations for the holding of the classes, foremost in private houses and catering objects. The entire activities are kept in utmost secrecy, through courier services that communicate with students and direct them to the locations foreseen for classes.
The classes are practically not being held, and as Makpress finds out, the aim of this action is to prove that "there is no backing down from the idea about an university."
CONCLUSIONS ABOUT "UNIVERSITY" WITHDRAWN The first annual session of the Tetovo local assembly, held yesterday, passed in a peaceful and working atmosphere. According to the Macedonian media, the topic of debate was the utilities-urban sphere. The members of the assembly discussed the construction of new roads and the arrangement of the utilities objects in the municipality.
The reason why the session took on such a course was that the conclusions of the Commission for education, in regard to the illegal university, were not put on the daily agenda.
The Commission's proposal to discuss this issue was withdrawn at the very start of the session. The mentioned item was taken off, as in the meantime, as it was explained, some new moments occurred which were not encompassed in the mentioned conclusions.
Yesterday, Spase Stavrevski, hunger striker from the bankrupt company "Ohridska trgovija" died in the Medical center in Ohrid.
According to his co-strikers and colleagues, as "Vecer" writes, after the sudden deterioration of his health condition, Stavrevski was taken to the Medical center. Stavrevski continued the hunger strike in the past couple of days, in spite of his health difficulties.
This case has not dissuade the other hunger strikers from "Ohridska trgovija." They are continuing and demanding that the whole truth surrounding "Ohridska trgovija" finally comes to light. From day to day, the strikers are gaining more support from the citizens and citizens' institutions.
It is found out that the competent services in Ohrid are working of shedding light on the case "Ohridska trgovija." Expert analysis and expertise of the entire financial and other documentation of this once most powerful trade organization in Ohrid is being conducted.
UNICEF and the Foreign Ministry organized a gathering of representatives of the ministries and other institutions responsible for cooperation with UNICEF and UNICEF representatives, Monday.
The meeting dealt with the to-date programs and activities, as well as cooperation in the period to the year 2000.
Hans Narula, director at UNICEF, emphasized that the program for cooperation in the next five years will be based on the national program for the children in Macedonia. Otherwise, as it is known, last year an agreement between the Macedonian Government and this organization was signed, and UNICEF opened an office in Macedonia.
This gathering is expected to become traditional and contribute to the further strengthening of the cooperation with UNICEF for a better organized and coordinated approach toward the protection of the rights of the children in Macedonia.
The Government has accepted the credit from the World bank and the FAO organization of up to US$ 16 million, as well as a donation from USAID of up to US$ 4 million. These funds, as well as the funds from the Government of US$ 4 million, makes a total of US$ 24 million, which will be intended for development of the private farms in Macedonia.
In yesterday's press conference, the minister spokesman Gjuner Ismail stated that the Government has assumed the debts to the Paris club, that way freeing the banks from these debts. That, according to the minister, marks the beginning of the financial rehabilitation of the banking system. In addition, the Government also assumed the debts to the clients with foreign currency accounts.
Also, the Government, according to the Laws for "losers," assumed the dead denar debts to the banks, in particular from Stopanska banka.
At the same press conference, the Minister of Labour and Social Politics, Iliyaz Sabriu, discussed the new Law for pension and disability insurance, the Law for work relations, as well as the Law for social protection.
All the new measures proposed in these laws are with the aim of reducing the work costs of the Fund for pension and disability insurance.
Speaking of the situation in the Fund, minister Sabriu stated that it was still in a difficult material situation and that the deficit in the Fund, transferred from last year, reached up to 3.9 billion MCD, while a running deficit for 1995 of up to another 2 billion MCD is also foreseen.
Minister Sabriu stated that the new users of the pension fund do not exceed the figure of 200 users per month, while the maximum of new pensioners for the entire 1995 is expected to be 2,500,
With the new legal solutions, the moments that mean social cover are planning to be eliminated from the pension laws, with which, as minister Sabriu stated, the expenses of the Fund are expected to be reduced for some 780 million MCD, with which, on the other hand, the deficit of the Fund will not exceed the figure of 0.6% of the GDP.
The Macedonian Government has made a decision for linear increase in the prices of the normal, unleaded and super gasoline, to three denars per liter. So, the present price of the gasoline of 86 octanes is 34.50 denars per liter, the unleaded petrol of 95 octanes and the super petrol of 98 octanes will be sold at a price of 36.50 denars per liter. The increase in prices is owed to the increase in the taxes that are calculated on the import of these products and according to estimates, it will have a direct affect on the growth in living costs of 0.5%.
The total effects of the increase in the taxes on these products is expected to reach 950 million MCD over the year, and are intended for covering the deficit in the state budget, as well as the deficit of the Fund for pension and disability insurance.
A delegation from the firm for construction of hydroelectric objects "Eduard AST" - of the company "Baugers" from Gratz, Austria, led by the director Peter Schmidt, is staying on a two-week visit to Macedonia.
The aim of the visit is getting the firm involved in the construction of the hydroelectric plants "Kozjak" and "Matka." This firm, namely, is offering to finance the construction of these two electro-energetic capacities, by including their technology in the objects.
It is found out that a condition for involvement of the Austrian firm in the construction of HE "Kozjak" is putting it under concession for a period of 20 years, whereby the price of electric energy for one KWH would be sold to the state for US$ 0.081. "Eduard AST" also wants the exclusive right to represent the Macedonian side in front of EBRD for the allocation of credits for the Macedonian electro-economy.
The Association for duty free shops within the Chamber of Commerce of Macedonia informed in its session yesterday that the closing of the 11 free shops on the Macedonian - Serbian border, has left the Macedonian country 6-7 million DEM poorer. Namely, according to this association, that is how much funds have been lost due to the non-working of the free shops. On the other hand, as it was said, the free shop on the Serbian side is brining in 500-600,000 DEM per day.
The Government was asked to say what it is planning to do with the free shops, in view of the fact that the fate of the 200 employees is uncertain, of which none have been dismissed so far, while problems are also coming up with the goods stocks, for example, the cigarettes, whose deadlines are expiring.
The association dismissed the accusations that the work of the free shops contributes to the growth of the grey trade in the state, seeing that that grey trade is continuing to function, despite the fact that the free shops are not working. As proof of that, it was said that it was enough to see all the stuff being sold on the markets throughout the Republic.
These days, layoff money is expected to be provided for another 2,000 discharged workers from five-six companies that are on the list of "losers."
According to the minister of economy, the layoff of the surplus workers is one of the activities that is flowing the fastest, while also, the restructuring activities are expected to start.
Yesterday was the last deadline till when the companies were expected to hand in the lists of their losses and debts. According to minister Ivanov, it will also be possible to separate the profitable parts of the big companies and their independent work, provided they realize 70% of the revenue outside the system.
After May 1, when the process of estimation of the capital of the "losers" will be over, the physical separation of the profitable parts that will be able to work independently, will start.