MAK-NEWS 13/12/95 (M.I.C.)

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

Macedonian Information Centre Directory

CONTENTS

SKOPJE, DECEMBER 13, 1995 (MIC)

[01] FOREIGN CURRENCY DEBT TO CITIZENS REDUCED

The citizens using their right to "withdraw" 1,000 DEM from their foreign currencies "trapped" in the banks, for funeral costs, will be able to receive the money in cash in future. Citizens working abroad temporarily will also be able to use this right. These changes are foreseen in the proposed amendments to the law with which the state guarantees the foreign currency deposits of the citizens, adopted at the last Government session, minister-spokesman Gjuner Ismail said. At yesterday's news conference, the Government spokesman said that the foreign currency debt of the state to the citizens has been reduced from 1.6 billion DEM to 1.35 billion DEM. Realistically, the citizens have been discharged 408 million DEM, however, due to interest, the debt is reduced only around 250 million DEM. One billion denars from the 1996 budget will be earmarked for servicing this debt, Ismail said.

At its last session, the Government also reviewed the proposal to adopt a law on customs tariffs, which will automatically replace the old Yugoslav law. The new legal project is fully coordinated with the standards of the European Union, Ismail announced. Otherwise, this is the largest Government project yet, containing approximately 80,000 tariff units. Also on the Government's daily agenda would be the new legal project on energy, as well as the proposed changes to the law on the transformation of the 23 biggest "loss-makers." According to these changes, the shares in these companies will be turned into ordinary shares, and the bearers, i.e. creditors will be able to form management structures in those companies.

[02] NEWS PUBLISHING COMPANY "NOVA MAKEDONIJA" TO BE PRIVATIZED

The Government has been informed by its Privatization Commission, signed by minister Risto Ivanov, that the Commission has reviewed the decision of the news publishing company "Nova Makedonija," dated December 8, to start a privatization process, as well as the opinion of the Privatization Agency, following which it agreed to this. Minister-spokesman Gjuner Ismail gave this answer in response to the question regarding the process of privatization of "Nova Makedonija"

[03] GREECE AND MACEDONIA SAVING DOJRAN

The latest rainfall of 120 liters per 1 cubic meter, which hit the Gevgelija-Dojran region, has increased the level of the Dojran Lake some 20 centimeters.

On the other hand, the visit of the delegation of the local community Dojran and representatives of the stock company "Dojran Lake" in Kukush, finished with success. In the talks with the mayor Yorgos Floridis, the two sides expressed joint concern and a wish to join forces to save the Dojran Lake. The fishermen from the neighboring Greek villages Dojrani and Patros have also joined in the activities.

The Greek side has confirmed the plan to redirect the rivers Mures, Paraskeva and Surmeno to the Dojran Lake. There is also a large possibility to redirect the waters of Kastanuea and Kaloheri to the Lake, which are much richer in water. For this purpose, some three billion drachmas will be invested in the beginning, i.e. some 18 million DEM. This program backed by the European Union and the "Life" program for ecological protection of the Lake, will include the two countries, representatives of "Dojran Lake" from New Dojran told us optimistically.

[04] A BRIDGE TO AMERICA

Joel Resnik, U.S. Deputy Assistant-Secretary of Defence and General Major Donald Edwards, Commander of the National Guard of the U.S. federal state of Vermont, will be arriving on a two- day visit to the Republic of Macedonia today.

The guests will be meeting with Defence Minister Blagoy Handziski and the Chief of the General Staff of the Macedonian Army General Colonel Dragoljub Bocinov, in the Defence Ministry today.

According to the program for joint contact-teams of the U.S. army, this project also includes the program "Bridge to America," as an attempt of the reserve units of the U.S. (the National Guard and the reserve forces) for association of the states of the U.S. with states from Eastern and Central Europe.

In accordance with this program, the Republic of Macedonia will fraternize with the federal state of Vermont.

Tomorrow, the guests from the U.S.A. will pay a visit to some military objects from the composition of the Macedonian Army, as well as the Military Academy.

[05] TALKS OVER NAME DIFFERENCES

UN mediator Cyrus Vance will hold a meeting with Ivan Toshevski, ambassador in the Macedonian Foreign Ministry, in New York, this week, Radio Skopje reports, calling upon well-informed sources. Vance and Toshevski will talk about possible ways of overcoming the differences over the name, with Greece. Makfaks reports that the Greek press did not report the news about the meeting between Vance and Toshevski until yesterday morning.

Officials from Athens announced last week that due to Prime Minister Papandreou's illness, the name dispute will be postponed for January, next year.

[06] MACEDONIAN EMBASSY IN SOFIA: "SPECULATIONS OF THE PRESS"

Following the Friday theft of arms and a part of the secret documents of the secret military base of the Bulgarian army near the town of Sandanski, the Bulgarian and Macedonian press reported information according to which Macedonia is linked with this case. With a view to getting more detailed information, "Vecer" made contact with the Macedonian embassy in Sofia yesterday, which, in a way, denied this information.

The advisor in the Macedonian embassy Stojan Rumenovski called the information reported from the Bulgarian press by Makpress, that the uncovering of the secret documents might threaten Bulgaria's national security and eventually worsen the relations with a "neighboring" country, "pure speculation of the press." "No one is accusing Macedonia of anything in Bulgaria," Rumenovski said, underlining that not one of the approximately ten independent newspapers in Bulgaria, which link Macedonia to the robbery in any way, have any valid sources, i.e that those are only speculations which don't do anyone any good.

The official claims of the Bulgarian authorities, Rumenovski said, for the time being, are scaled down to the announcement that 11 automatic rifles have been stolen, that one soldier has been wounded and that the search for the perpetrators is on. Also, Rumenovski added, the tighter control on the Bulgarian-Macedonian border, near which the robbery took place, should not be comprehended as involvement of Macedonia, but as a preventive measure to prevent the perpetrators from escaping. Otherwise, deeper significance is given to the whole event because of the injured soldier, since, as Rumenovski claims, thefts of firearms are an every-day occurrence in Bulgaria.

On the other hand, as regards the claims that the intensity of the movement at the border crossings towards Bulgaria is slowed down, and even stopped at some places, we were informed by officials at the point Deve Bair yesterday that there are no changes in the number of passengers crossing the border, compared to the preceding period, i.e. that the flow of passengers and the traffic is being carried out normally.

[07] ISMAIL: "NOTICED MOVEMENTS"

At the request of the journalists to comment the news that the Bulgarian border units on the border with Macedonia have been put on alert, spokesman Ismail said at yesterday's news conference that certain movements had been noticed, but that the explanations given in the Bulgarian press talk about the reasons for this. "The writing in the Bulgarian press about 'separatist organizations in Western Macedonia' is not a good enough reason for the Government to discuss this issue," the spokesman said in response to one of the questions of the journalists.

[08] SYNDICATE URGING SPEEDING UP OF COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT

One and a half year after the signing of the general collective agreements, the Council of the Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia made an analysis of the implementation of these documents. The Council concluded an unsatisfactory implementation of the documents, as well as their suspension by the Government on several occasions. Furthermore, that the lowest price of the labour has still not been fixed.

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