MAK-NEWS 02/11/95 (M.I.C.)

From: "M.I.C." <mic@ITL.MK>

Macedonian Information Centre Directory

CONTENTS

SKOPJE, NOVEMBER 2, 1995 (MIC)

[01] COOPERATION BETWEEN EU AND MACEDONIA

Prime Minister Branko Crvenkovski received the delegation of the European Parliament yesterday, led by Ms. Doris Pack. The talks focused on the political situation in the Republic of Macedonia and wider in the region. Crvenkovski underlined Macedonia's efforts to establish good-neighborly relations with all neighboring countries. In this context, the significance of the Interim Accord with Greece, was pointed out, and the efforts Macedonia is making on the plan of integration with the European institutions.

Ms. Pack expressed the readiness of the countries of the EU for full support and cooperation with RM.

Foreign Minister Stevo Crvenkovski also received this delegation yesterday, and exchanged opinions on the intensification of the cooperation between the EU and RM.

The delegation of the European Parliament had separate meetings yesterday with the ministers Risto Ivanov and Ljubomir Frckovski. Ivanov especially underlined the need to establish diplomatic relations with the EU and to include Macedonia in the PHARE program, which will enable the signing of an agreement on economic cooperation. Ivanov informed about the legislation on foreign investments in Macedonia.

At the meeting with the Minister of Interior Affairs Frckovski, the members of the delegation were briefed in detail on the questions pertaining to the activities and organizational structure of this ministry, especially the reform processes that are being undertaken in this field. The members of the delegation were also informed about the process of obtaining citizenship documents, from the aspect of the latest information adopted by the Government in regard to the number of foreigners in Macedonia, their status and treatment. The issue of terrorism and the national composition of the employees in the state administration, especially the Interior Ministry, were also discussed. Minister Frckovski informed about the activities of the ministry for overcoming these problems, assessing that Macedonia's general stability and security are at a satisfactory level.

[02] EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTARIANS WITH ALBANIANS AND OPPOSITION

As part of its visit to Macedonia, the parliamentary delegation of the European Parliament stayed in Tetovo yesterday. In the local assembly where the talks were led, the problems with the independence and difficulties which the citizens of this multi-national municipality face were dominant.

The representatives of the Albanians expressed their views about the deprivation of their rights, while the Macedonians brought up different examples of moving out because of fear and intolerance.

The problem with the Tetovo University was elaborated separately with viewpoints from every aspect. The parliamentarians explained that not even richer countries with so few citizens can afford to have three universities on their territory.

Otherwise, this meeting started with the "undesired" presence of the press, as an orientation of the Republic protocol. The head of the delegation of the European Parliament Ms. Pack resolved this problem by stating that the presence of the press will not bother her.

The IMRO-DPMNU delegation, led by the vice-president Dosta Dimovska met with the representatives of the European Parliament. According to this party's announcement, the European parliamentarians were briefed on the "facts about the election forgery on a state level, due to which IMRO-DPMNU boycotted the elections."

This party pointed out its remarks about the Interim Accord between Macedonia and Greece, especially in regard to the changing of the national symbols, the decision to freeze the temporary name for a longer period and the failure to regulate the rights of the Macedonian citizens of Greece.

[03] REGULAR CHANGE OF U.S. COMMAND OF UNPREDEP

A regular change of the commander of the U.S. battalion serving as part of UNPREDEP took place yesterday in the camp "Able Center" in Petrovec, near Skopje. In the presence of representatives of the U.S. mission, the Macedonian Defence Ministry and representatives of the Nordic battalion, lieutenant colonel Jim Kamina left his command post, to be replaced by lieutenant colonel Steven Layfield.

"The assassination attempt on President Kiro Gligorov was an attempt to change the political course in Macedonia, but the people and the leadership showed an exceptionally strong will to maintain stability," Defence Minister Blagoya Handziski said at the ceremony yesterday.

He reminded that the restoration of normal relations with Greece is underway, and that the normalization of relations with Serbia has yet to come, emphasizing that Macedonia will not accept any regional communities and Orthodox-vertical, i.e. horizontal-Muslim axis."

[04] WILLIAM PERRY IN MACEDONIA

The U.S. Defence Secretary William Perry, whose visit has been announced for quite some time, will arrive on Macedonia on November 23, according to latest information. This second visit of the first man of U.S. defence comes in the wake of expectations to receive Macedonia in the "Partnership for peace" initiative. It is in the context of the American preparations for sending U.S. soldiers to Bosnia and Herzegovina, to realize the peace plan.

[05] ASSASSINATION OF THE BALKAN NATIONS

The ambassador of the Republic of Macedonia to Sofia Georgi Spasov gave an interview for the Turkish newspaper "Turkiye" in which he answers the question "will the assassination attempt on Gligorov have an effect on the situation in the Balkans?"

"The would-be assassins did not accomplish their goal to eliminate President Gligorov from the Macedonian political scene. But, the Balkan region is losing a lot. This strengthens the image of the "Balkan inn" in the world. Therefore, I believe the assassination attempt was directed against the interest of all Balkan nations."

Ambassador Spasov also replied to the question "aren't there any secret desires in Macedonia to join Serbia again?" "No, not Serbia nor any other Yugoslav federation. It's a fact that the anti-Yugoslav and anti-Tito sentiments were least pronounced in Macedonia, unlike Croatia and Slovenia for instance. However, all that has a logical explanation. The modern Macedonian state was created in the common antifascist struggle, alongside the other Yugoslav nations, while Serbia was the first one from the neighboring countries to recognize the Macedonian language and nation, after the war."

[06] "TURKIYE": MACEDONIA - THE SUN IN THE BALKANS

The acting ambassador of the Republic of Macedonia to Turkey Trajan Petrevski stated for the newspaper "Turkiye" that "in order to keep the peace in the region, it is not necessary to form parties on an ethnic or religious basis." In its Tuesday issue, this newspaper published an article about Macedonia on a whole page, entitled "Macedonia - The Sun in the Balkans."

"We want to have good relations with the neighbors. We are aware of our historical division, but we are not insisting from anyone to change the borders." Petrevski said.

"The experts have created theories about how impossible it is to avoid a war in Bosnia and in Macedonia. In the case with Bosnia, they did not go wrong, while Macedonia amazed everyone. With such an image, Macedonia, as the only land-locked country on the Balkan Peninsula, certainly deserves the compliment 'Heart of the Balkans'," "Turkiye" writes.

[07] DISPUTE WITH GREECE OVER "GREEN SECURITY CARDS" UNRESOLVED

Although a definite answer to the question whether the Macedonian "green security cards" will immediately start being issued upon entering Greece, or whether that will be done at some other time was expected to be received yesterday, the Greek National Bureau for "Green Cards" remained silent.

Namely, as we were informed by Boris Chaushevski, acting Director of the Macedonian National Bureau for Green Cards, the Macedonian side discussed this matter with the Greek partner on the telephone again. However, the only answer received was that they had still not received a final stand on this issue from the Secretary General of the Committee of National Bureaus (based in London), i.e that they still did not know whether they had the right to start recognizing the Macedonian "green cards" or whether they had to wait for this document to be recognized by the other member states of the EU, "by signing unified agreements." At the same time, the information was given that contacts are being made with Italy, Belgium and Portugal (whose signatures are being anticipated) in order to see whether they have signed the necessary document, and if not, when they were going to do so. Therefore, the final answer is expected to be received to day.

The Macedonian side has announced that if an official answer is not received today, and the Greeks continue charging border insurance for the Macedonian vehicles, Macedonia will introduce reciprocal measures, which will not be in the spirit of the signed protocol.

[08] 3.8% INFLATION IN NINE MONTHS

A 3.8% price increase was recorded up to September this year, in comparison with prices in December, last year, although the projected inflation was 14.3%. The living costs have gone up 2.2%, and the prices of the industrial products - 1.4%. The Government has concluded that such a low increase in prices and living costs has not been recorded in the last two decades.

MACEDONIAN PRESS REVIEW:

[09] "NOVA MAKEDONIJA": ABUSED HOSPITALITY

About three years ago, a high official of a high European institution, had big troubles in avoiding to reply to a simple question of a journalist at a news conference: "Can you tell us which country you are in?" Preferring not to utter the name of the Republic of Macedonia, the mentioned diplomat remained mute.

These days, the head of the delegation of the European Parliament Mrs. Doris Pack, who had meetings with high representatives in the Republic of Macedonia during 48 hours, as well as with non-governmental organizations and representatives of a commune in the Republic, succeeded in bypassing the name of the country in which she was staying, the country with which, she said, she was delighted, the country that she herself said that she was visiting for the second time, the country on which she will have to submit a report to the European Parliament.

"Your country," "this country," "the neighbor of this country," "the authorities here," and "here" were the surrogates for the term the Republic of Macedonia that Mrs. Pack was using not only during the meetings but also during the brief encounters with journalists. It is symptomatic that the mentioned lady and her five colleagues from the European Commission never used the constitutional name of the state in which they were staying.

Before making any commentaries about this unspeakable example, it is first of all necessary to mention that the flexibility of the hosts (which has been proven so many times before) deserves respect, because due to the traditional hospitality in this region, they paid attention not to insult the guests and make remarks on the way in which they addressed their country. This is understandable, although generally speaking the situation itself deserves a place in the column "Believe it or not." Protocol and diplomatic well-breeding do not allow this, and they even cared about tinier details at meetings on an inter- state level.

However, it is surprising that elementary bad manners of the mentioned visitors of a European origin who, acting from the position of "ex-rostrum" or, perhaps convinced to be in the position of representatives of European power, allowed themselves to make such gaffes. These freak situations (avoiding even to mention the starting "M" from the name of the country in which they are staying) speak about the totally false predispositions and even about politicized ignorance of those who are making such addresses.

It is unacceptable and unspeakable for the European gentlemen to be led by the position of the current dispute about the name that was imposed by Greece in their thinking and naming the Republic of Macedonia. In refraining themselves from insulting their southern member in any way, they are making the same mistakes that Greece, headed by this or that political team, is making. In doing so, they forget that this state has a name - - a constitutional and recognized name, and they stick to the shortened form of "FYROM," which is nothing but a form of addressing the Republic of Macedonia within the framework of the United Nations. Outside this organization or in mutual contacts between states, this shortened form may be used to such an extent as is required by the bureaucratic fellows who are sticking to the form instead of the contents.

However, when one comes to Macedonia with a concrete intention, with a concrete aim, when contacts are made with concrete personalities from the concrete authority of a concrete state, it is unspeakable to avoid to mention the characteristics of a state that has so many times proven to be equally European as the others in the old Continent. Actually, the representatives of the mentioned association and of similar associations with a European prefix, during the four year long dispute between the Republic of Macedonia and Greece, have so many times demonstrated that it is a dispute between these two countries, that the two countries must solve their misunderstandings, which leads to the conclusion that nobody from the outside can or wishes to assist in what is called an inter-neighborly problem. So, it is totally unclear why the mentioned European delegates are taking sides by avoiding to utter the name of the state. It is now clear that they fear Greece might reproach them.

(end)