MAK-NEWS 12/04/95 (M.I.L.S.)

From: "Demetrios E. Paneras" <dep@bu.edu>

CONTENTS

  • [01] KINKEL'S ACTIVITIES IN SKOPJE

  • [02] REACTIONS BY NEIGHBORS TO KINKEL'S VISIT

  • [03] GLIGOROV RECEIVES US CONGRESSMEN

  • [04] LONDON CONDEMNS GREEK EMBARGO ON MACEDONIA

  • [05] MACEDONIAN POTENTIALS PRESENTED IN LONDON

  • [06] TURKISH DEFENSE MINISTER ARRIVED IN MACEDONIA

  • [07] WRITERS' ASSOCIATIONS COOPERATE

  • [08] MILS SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT: TRANSPORT OF OIL EXPLORATION EQUIPMENT STOPPED IN MACEDONIA (Nova Makedonija, 12 April, 1995)

    •

    M I L S N E W S

    Skopje, 12 April, 1995

    [01] KINKEL'S ACTIVITIES IN SKOPJE

    Macedonian President Kiro Gligorov yesterday received German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel, who arrived on a one-day working visit to Skopje. The talks were also attended by Foreign Minister Stevo Crvenkovski and ambassadors of both countries, Srgjan Kerim and Hans Lotar Stepan. In a friendly and constructive atmosphere, they discussed numerous issues of mutual interest and current problems in the region. German-Macedonian relations were said to be developing positively and President Gligorov underlined the economic and political support of Germany to Macedonia. Following the meeting with President Gligorov, Kinkel and Crvenkovski held a joint press-conference. Crvenkovski said the visit is a significant step forward in the further development of bilateral relations, pointing out that the German economic aid is very helpful. Expressing satisfaction with his meetings in Skopje, Kinkel said that this is a country which succeeds in avoiding the ongoing war fire in its immediate neighborhood. "We, as Germans and Europeans, will continue to stand behind and support the relative peace and stability here. Macedonia is a country aimed at establishing democratic structures and a privatized and developed economy, and this we appreciate very much." Germany, he said, has aided Macedonia with some 50 million German marks, donated between 1993 and 1995, and will continue to send economic aid, lobbying for a greater and wider European support of Macedonia. Kinkel told reporters of an agreement on cultural cooperation to be signed very soon. The agreement, however, will be signed "excluding the name", that is through verbal notes so as to avoid the use of the name the Republic of Macedonia and all potential problems as a consequence. As for Greek-Macedonian relations, Kinkel said it is of great importance for stability in the region to have the relations resolved thoroughly. In this context, he said, it is urgent to open the relations, if stability in Macedonia is to be preserved. "With all possible reserves and without a desire to create illusions, I can say, after the talks with Minister Papoulias and the meeting with Mangakis in Luxembourg, that it may now be the moment for progress in the negotiations and it should be utilized. Therefore, I once again appeal to both sides to make an effort and solve the problem." Kinkel refuted news in the Greek media on his allegedly bringing along a small package of solutions for the dispute, but, as he said, this does not mean that he will do nothing to help resolve the problem. He said Germany shares the viewpoint of the Greek embargo with all other European countries, except with Greece. "We do show signs of solidarity with our partner Greece, but we, the 14 country members of the European Union, have never hid that we consider the embargo a wrong step." Therefore, the recent statement of the European Court's Attorney General that the European Commission ought to drop its charges against Greece, has no obligatory power at the court. Kinkel later met with Parliament President Andov and representatives of the opposition and parties of Albanians in Macedonia.

    [02] REACTIONS BY NEIGHBORS TO KINKEL'S VISIT

    Greek media describe the visit by German Foreign Minister Kinkel to Skopje as an attempt to mediate the dispute between Greece and Macedonia and to help find compromise solutions. Makfaks cites the media in Greece as saying Athens has already refused to accept Kinkel's suggestion to lift the embargo, made during his meeting with Mangakis in Luxembourg. Mangakis, however, has stated that his country has already shown a sign of good faith by accepting to sit down at the negotiating table. According to the paper Kathimerini, Kinkel's visit to Skopje is in accordance with Macedonia's tactics of prolonging the talks. Macedonian Radio reports the Serbian media as saying the visit by Kinkel is another confirmation of official Bonn's policy regarding the territorial and national sovereignty of Macedonia. The media concludes that Germany is joining the US in the so-called campaign to save Macedonia. Yet, Belgrade criticizes Washington and Bonn for refusing to realize that the true danger for Macedonia comes from its western, and not its northern neighbor.

    [03] GLIGOROV RECEIVES US CONGRESSMEN

    Macedonian President Gligorov yesterday received US congressmen Dug Beroyter and Gerald Solomon. Also in attendance was Victor Comras, Chief of the US Liaison Office in Skopje. They discussed US-Macedonian relations and the current situation in the region. They all concluded that the establishment of full diplomatic ties between Macedonia and the US is a necessary step to complete bilateral relations. Speaking for Greek-Macedonian relations, Gligorov repeated Macedonia's readiness for direct talks with Greece as the only way to achieve progress in the negotiations. Therefore, he emphasized, the lifting of the embargo would be a necessary step to start equal and successful talks. The US Congress delegation was also received by Parliament President Andov, who reported on the second parliamentarian elections in Macedonia and the work of parliament. During the meeting with Foreign Minister Crvenkovski, the US congressmen confirmed America's interest in maintaining peace and stability in the region. Beroyter and Solomon later met with representatives of parties of Albanians involved in the work of parliament. At a short press-conference later on, Beroyter said there is no difference between the US official standpoint on the issue of full establishment of diplomatic relations with Macedonia and the view held by the Republican Party. "We would like to see progress in this direction, as we are aware of the difficulties caused by the international sanctions on Serbia which also affect Macedonian citizens. We fully agree with the official policy of our Government, which has its official representative here, thus supporting your sovereignty. We would like to see Greece and Macedonia overcome their problem and this is a commonly held view. I personally believe that it is time that the US established full diplomatic ties and sent an ambassador to Macedonia. This would clearly show to your neighbors that we fully believe in your sovereignty and that you are a sovereign state." He also informed reporters of his meetings with officials of parties of Albanians in Macedonia. "It is important that you recognize the differences between people and that you stand together on certain issues significant for the survival of Macedonia. We understand your concern with the minorities, but things should be approached in a constructive manner, and minorities should also be turned into majorities, in the political sense of the word. I hope that ethnic groups here, as it is the case now, will continue to support Macedonia as an independent state."

    [04] LONDON CONDEMNS GREEK EMBARGO ON MACEDONIA

    In regard to the recent statement by the European Court's Attorney General Jacobs, the British Foreign Office issued an official statement to say that his statement is only a first step, and the final court decision will probably be coming in another month. Regardless of the outcome, however, the United Kingdom still believes that the act of closing the Greek port of Salonika for trade with Macedonia is a dangerous destabilization of the region, without any legal justification. "We call on Greece to lift the measure immediately and without any preconditions. We still believe that the best possible way to resolve the dispute is to start the negotiations under the UN Secretary General's mediator Cyrus Vance, and we appeal to both sides to fully cooperate with him," the statement says.

    [05] MACEDONIAN POTENTIALS PRESENTED IN LONDON

    Macedonian Minister of Finance Jane Miljovski yesterday addressed delegates at the annual summit of the Bank of Europe for Reconstruction and Development. Yesterday's incident with the Macedonian flag was resolved by Miljovski himself, who placed a Macedonian flag at the official seats of the Macedonian delegates, who returned to the seats following this. Meantime, the Bank management sent a letter of apology to the Macedonian delegation, justifying its use of the name Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia with the UN official standpoint on the issue. The presentation of Macedonia's business potential attracted considerable attention, and Miljovski answered questions from potential investors and business partners. Due to problems connected with the use of an official name for Macedonia, the presentation included marketing materials prepared in Skopje, despite the usual practice of the bank to finance this with funds from its own budget. Miljovski spoke highly of the work of the Bank's Assembly and expressed satisfaction with the Bank's cooperation with Macedonia, especially at a time when Macedonia is faced with an irrational economic blockade by a EU member country. In this way, he said, Macedonia managed to provide considerable financial support for 4 projects, including completion of the technical equipment for the Skopje airport.

    [06] TURKISH DEFENSE MINISTER ARRIVED IN MACEDONIA

    Mehmed Gulhan, Defense Minister of Turkey, arrived in a three-day official visit to Macedonia. He will meet with his Macedonian counterpart Blagoj Handziski, for talks on current problems in the region and future cooperation in the field of defense. They are to sign an agreement on cooperation in the fields of technology and the defense industry. The Turkish minister will also be received by President Gligorov and Prime Minister Crvenkovski.

    [07] WRITERS' ASSOCIATIONS COOPERATE

    In Bucharest yesterday, writers' associations of Romania and Macedonia signed an agreement on cooperation, to increase contacts and exchange of experience.

    [08] MILS SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT: TRANSPORT OF OIL EXPLORATION

    EQUIPMENT STOPPED IN MACEDONIA

    (Nova Makedonija, 12 April, 1995)

    The illegal transport of oil exploration equipment, recently revealed in the New York Times, had been routed through Greece and Bulgaria and was stopped in Macedonia. The trucks held in Macedonia are only a part of the equipment loaded on hundreds of trucks and headed for Serbia, despite the international sanctions. Macedonian customs officers confiscated 6 trucks which entered Macedonia at the border crossing of Novo Selo, on the Macedonian-Bulgarian border. On its way from Iran via the Greek port of Salonika and the Greek-Bulgarian and Bulgarian-Macedonian border, the equipment traveled under various documents, arriving in Gevgelija as a load of drills for water examination. The cargo was to be reloaded from the trucks into freight-cars to reach its final destination in Skopje, as stated in the documents. Yet, this destination is probably far from being final, as the documents are quite suspicious. Citing CIA sources, The New York Times claimed that the cargo set off from Iran and was to reach Serbia, in spite of the international embargo. At the moment, according to the paper, the cargo is now divided and kept in Greece, Bulgaria and Macedonia, awaiting the final transfer to Serbia. The report received much publicity in all three Balkan countries, in contrast with a silence of official authorities in all three of them. According to the papers, the cargo is said to have arrived in Greece on March 20, on the Iranian ship "Ershat" , which is owned by the Canadian company "Triton International", which is in turn owned by a Serbian emigrant. The equipment was to be used for oil exploration and exploitation in northern Serbia and eastern Croatia, under Serbian supervision, in order to solve the current oil problems faced by Serbia. The undertaking aroused CIA interest, and the agency informed authorities not only in the US, but also in Macedonia, Greece and Bulgaria of the arrival of the cargo at the Salonika port. Nevertheless, despite the warning, the equipment crossed several countries and borders, but part of it was held in Macedonia. Several companies from different countries had been included in this illegal transport, with the help of various customs declaration documents. It is interesting that both Bulgarian and Greek authorities refused to stop the cargo, in spite of warnings by the US, calling for the "proper" documentation. Immediately after the arrival of the ship in Salonika, the American intelligence agencies warned Greek authorities not to allow the cargo to be unloaded, but the latter refused to do so. Part of the equipment was loaded onto trucks and Greek officials said the equipment was headed for a company in Bulgaria. The Greeks stopped the transport even after the convoy crossed the Greek-Bulgarian border, forced to do so by strong American pressure. However, the trucks arrived in Bulgaria, now with new documents stating that the shipment is meteorology equipment for Macedonia and not banned by international sanctions. For the same reasons, the Bulgarian authorities allowed the trucks free transit through Bulgarian territory, ignoring the US demand to stop the trucks. What concerns one is the fact that the convoy, with a final destination in Macedonia as stated in documents presented in Bulgaria, headed for Blagoevgrad after crossing the Greek- Bulgarian border, and even then turned around and headed for the Macedonian-Bulgarian border. This maneuver remains a riddle, as there are only less than 30 kilometers from the border-crossing on the Greek-Bulgarian border to the Greek- Macedonian border at Novo Selo. And thus, the trucks arrived at the Macedonian border with documents proving they carry meteorology equipment for Macedonia. The convoy reached Gevgelija, where the cargo was to be reloaded into freight-cars and transported to Skopje and distributed to 4 companies. The investigation of the load in Gevgelija, however, showed that the trucks were carrying equipment for oil exploitation. Unofficial sources say that, besides the six revealed trucks, no other truck has been noticed as entering Macedonia or crossing the border at any point. It is uncertain whether there are more of these trucks in the neighboring countries, but, according to the latest news, the authorities in Greece stopped the unloading of the cargo at the Salonika port, under a renewed American pressure.

    (end)

    mils-news 12 April '95

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