MAK-NEWS 29/11/95 (M.I.C.)

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

Macedonian Information Centre Directory

SKOPJE, NOVEMBER 29, 1995 (MIC)

CONTENTS

[01] FRY INTRODUCES 30% CUSTOMS DUTY

Following the lifting of the sanctions against FR Yugoslavia, the frequency of cargo vehicles on the border crossing Tabanovce, especially for going out of Macedonia, has increased considerably these days. As the customs officials inform, some one hundred cargo vehicles heading toward FRY, cross here every day.

Yesterday, the news came that the Yugoslav Government has increased the customs tax on goods coming into FR Yugoslavia, from 1% to 30%, depending on the type of goods going out of Macedonia. For those reasons, Macedonian trucks that could not pay the increased customs tax were sent back from the border crossing Tabanovce. The customs officials at this Macedonian border crossing have not been informed about this decision of the FR Yugoslav Customs Administration.

Otherwise, the customs officials are staying that the lines that are being created occasionally are a normal and common thing.

The commander of the police station on the border crossing Tabanovce, Momchilo Jovanovski stated that "according to our realizations, over the last couple of days, Macedonian trucks are not being sent back from the Serbian side, except in one case when the drivers of eight 'Sileks' trucks could not pay the tax." The police officer could not say precisely what amount was in question, and the trucks were held in the border free zone for a while, and then continued their way.

[02] BUSINESSMEN IN MACEDONIA SURPRISED BY FRY CUSTOMS REGIME

The Macedonian businessmen received the news about the introduction of the customs regime by FR Yugoslavia toward Macedonia with great surprise. They claim that the increase in the customs rates, in average 25% for finished products coming from Macedonia, will have a negative effect on the cooperation between the two countries. The surprise from this new customs regime toward Macedonia is even more greater seeing it came only a couple of days following the meeting between businessmen from both countries in the Macedonian Chamber of Commerce. As it is known, at this meeting on Sunday, the businessmen even celebrated the advancement of the trade exchange between Serbia and Macedonia, according to the principles of free trade, and other more extensive forms of cooperation were announced as well.

The president of the Macedonian Chamber of Commerce stated that "it came as a great surprise to us on Monday that a customs regime toward the Republic of Macedonia is introduced with the devaluation of the dinar and the new economic program adopted by the FRY Government. The surprise was even greater that the same day, the border was blocked, as concerns the flow of Macedonian products intended for the Yugoslav market. This goes to show that matters have taken on a different dimension, considering the fact that the sanctions have been lifted and that there is a possibility for the free exchange of goods and capital."

Petreski announced that the Serbian Chamber of Commerce has officially addressed the competent organs with a request to re-examine their decision, and to exclude Macedonia from this.

"In the talks with my colleagues from the Serbian Chamber, I was told that they were not informed about this decision and that it came from the people from the bureaucratic mechanism, who have short-sighted views on the losses that will come as a result of this on both a short-term and long-term plan. I cannot say how sincere that is from their side, but it's a fact that the overall concept of the program was preceded by detailed preparations, and that it is not a decision made overnight. To be quite honest, these two days a lot of businessmen from FR Yugoslavia called to expressed regret for this decision and to forewarn the possible losses from the introduction of the customs system and the working costs."

The Macedonian Chamber of Commerce has analyzed the effects from the implementation of this decision, and if feels that Macedonia should introduce reciprocity for Yugoslav products.

"On this note, it is important for the Government, beside the introduction of the new customs regime, to pay attention to the use of contingents (which is in force), and which have been expanded with the last decision. I fear that the present measures might bring about an expansion into other fields, especially transportation, for which there are no announcements at present. I must say that many things are not clear at the moment, because we are waiting to get the official text of the decision. According to our information, the overall customs taxes for the intermediate goods amount to 2%, and for the finished products, they are increased in average 25%."

"It is wrong to think that the same relations as before the sanctions will be reestablished with their lifting. It is also a misconception that such a decision will bring the other partner in a less enviable position. The example with Greece has proven that. In any event, this should not be seen as very tragic. Actually, it's good that it happened toward the end of the year, when our program is being prepared for next year. In its projection, we will be governed by the newly-developed relations with FRY."

[03] MACEDONIA INTRODUCES RECIPROCITY

In relation to the introduction of a customs regime on the Macedonian-Yugoslav border by Serbia, "Nova Makedonija" addressed the Customs Administration, which informed that the equalization of the regime toward Yugoslavia with that toward the other neighbors is a reciprocal measure to the measure for the introduction of customs towards Macedonia, which was implemented by FRY two days ago. This, according to the Assistant Director of the Administration Shaban Zendeli, means the abolishment of the to-date decision for preferential customs rates, according to which the goods crossing the Yugoslav-Macedonian border were not cleared through customs, but were only recorded.

According to Zendeli, yesterday (the new decision went into effect at 00 hours) it could not be assessed how this measure is being applied, since no larger quantities of goods crossed the border crossings with FR Yugoslavia, seeing a response to this customs measure by FR Yugoslavia was being anticipated.

[04] GJUNER ISMAIL: "STANDARD BORDER REGIME"

At yesterday's press conference, Government spokesman Gjuner Ismail announced that standard border regime has been introduced at the northern border from yesterday. Asked to clarify what that means, Ismail said that the regime on the border with FRY, following the suspension of the UN sanctions against this country, is now identical with that towards other three state borders with Bulgaria, Greece and Albania.

Asked whether the Government has asked for a changing of the UNPREDEP mandate which expires after November 30, spokesman Ismail said that the last such Government request applied to the separation of the command of UNPREDEP from UNCRO, which has been done, and that the Government has still not built a new stand.

[05] NATO LIAISONS OFFICER ARRIVING

A Macedonian liaisons officer to NATO is expected to be appointed some time this week, as the first man in the implementation of the cooperation that has started since Macedonia's inclusion in the "Partnership for peace" program.

In a month, at latest, in cooperation with NATO experts, the document called "individual program" will be worked out, which will outline Macedonia's activities as part of "Partnership for peace" for next year.

In this, it will be helped by Macedonian representatives who will work in the NATO General Staff, in the Belgian town of Mons, and who will be appointed in the Defence Ministry by the end of this week.

Macedonia will soon send its attaches in the U.S., Great Britain and Turkey, countries with which the bilateral cooperation in the field of defence has begun, Radio Noma reported yesterday.

[06] CRVENKOVSKI RECEIVES ROBERT FROVIK

The Foreign Minister of the Republic of Macedonia Stevo Crvenkovski received ambassador Robert Frovik yesterday, U.S. representative in the special group of the chairman of the OSCE for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The meeting focused on the current situation in the region, in light of the recently signed Peace Agreement in Dayton, as well as the obligations that it will generate for the OSCE. In this context, ambassador Frovik informed in detail about the upcoming activities of the OSCE working group for Bosnia and Herzegovina, in three concrete fields: implementation and verification of the elections, human rights and strengthening the measures of confidence and security.

[07] IDENTICAL VIEWS ON THE NAME

At his own initiative, minister-spokesman Gjuner Ismail commented yesterday the speculations that, allegedly, Prime Minister Branko Crvenkovski and Foreign Minister Stevo Crvenkovski hold different views on the issue of Macedonia's name. According to those speculations, Prime Minister Crvenkovski allegedly has a hard stance, and minister Crvenkovski, a "moderate" stance on this question. Ismail energetically denied these rumors, stating that both members of Government have identical stances.

[08] LIAISONS OFFICES SOON TO BE OPENED IN ATHENS AND SKOPJE

The deadline in which the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Greece have to open up liaisons offices in Athens and Skopje, is expiring in thirty days, Makpress reports.

In practice, this means that the procedure for the regulation of the visas in both directions will be transferred from the border crossings to the passport departments of the Liaisons offices in Athens and Skopje.

There is no official information in both Athens and Skopje on the course of the activities surrounding the opening of the Offices.

According to unofficial information, the Macedonian side has provided a three-storey house in Athens for its Office, which is located in the northern part of Athens, and for which the rent will be US$ 5,000 per month. The Macedonian flag will be flown in the area in front of the Macedonian Office, and inside, i.e. the hall of the reception, the name "Republic of Macedonia" will be written on a board. Whether the name FYROM will be placed in front of the fence of the Office, and not on the fence itself, will be decided by the Greek authorities. The name most frequently mentioned as the chief of the Macedonian Liaisons Office is the assistant in the Macedonian Foreign Ministry Ljupcho Arsovski, and head of the Macedonian negotiating team for the "practical measures" of the Memorandum.

The Greek side mentions the name of Aleksandros Maljas as the possible chief of the Greek Liaisons Office in Macedonia.

[09] ATHENS DENYING SELECTIVE BORDER PASSAGES

Athens denied yesterday that the citizens born in Aegean Macedonia are asked to change their name and surname upon entering Greece.

"The Greek side is assuring that no one has ever asked anyone to change his name, seeing it does not have the right to do that, and something like that doesn't make any sense," the newspaper of the moderate left-wing "Elefterotipia" wrote yesterday, without revealing a source. The Greek Foreign Ministry, according to this newspaper, claims that "many citizens from Skopje, originating from Greece, are crossing the border after previously submitting a visa application, which is received in a period from three to four days."

Contrary to this, as it is stated, there is a problem with the toponyms, since the new "Skopje passports" have the Greek names listed in the "Slav version," and Greece is not mentioned anywhere as the birth place.

The Greek side, "Elefterotipia" concludes, wanted that to be corrected. Skopje, as the newspaper says, said it would "find some kind of solution to this, however, nothing has been done as yet."

[10] NORMAL CARGO TRAFFIC RESTORED WITH GREECE

The cargo traffic with Greece is quite evidently coming back to normal, as can be seen at the three border points with this country. Eight compositions, of which four are with wagon cisterns carrying over 3,500 tones of crude oil, cross the point Idomeni-Gevgelija every day, in both directions. In addition, 20 auto-cisterns of Mlaz Bogdanci are transporting oil and crude oil from the Thessaloniki port, for Makpetrol.

The transportation of the wagons of materials for the Mines and Steel Works "Skopje" has also started. There are also wagons at the Thessaloniki port, waiting to be loaded with zinc concentrate for the needs of the Titov Veles smeltery, while the transportation of phosphates for the needs of the Veles chemical industry is also expected to start soon. Almost every day, "Fenimak" is sending out one train loaded with nickel towards the port Larisa, for third countries.

[11] AGREEING ON CONCRETE PRICES WITH GREECE

In accordance with the Memorandum on transportation, signed recently between Macedonia and Greece, a meeting between representatives of the Macedonian and Greek railways was held in Athens recently, which focused on the commercial work of the two railway administrations.

According to the information of the Macedonian railways, the two sides exchanged information of the needs of the economies of the railroad services and the need to form prices which will be competitive with the road transportation. On this note, the Macedonian side pointed out that the enormously increased transport prices of the Greek side can be counter- productive, whereby the Greek railways expressed a readiness to reduce them for transportation through Greece.

The talks also tackled the need to sign an agreement on the formation of a joint commodities tariff, which will also be discussed with the Yugoslav railways in future.

[12] DIRECT RAILROAD TRAFFIC WITH GERMANY

The Macedonian railways have announced that following the lifting of the sanctions against FRY, Germany has lifted the blockade on the railways transiting through FRY.

Thus, after a longer period, direct links between Macedonia and Germany are restored.

(end)