Macedonian President Kiro Gligorov was received yesterday by French President Jacque Chirac. They discussed the situation in the Balkans and ways to improve bilateral relations. Following the talks, President Gligorov told reporters that the meeting was extremely cordial and that a friendly atmosphere pervaded. President Chirac, he said, showed much understanding for Macedonia's position, saying Macedonia should serve as an example to all other Balkan countries. They agreed that France should have more presence in Macedonia in both economics and culture. On a political plan Chirac promised that France will do all in its power to help reach a solution for the dispute with Greece. We all have to acknowledge the patience Macedonia has shown so far, Chirac said, and help it to take its place in European institutions.
President Gligorov returned to Skopje yesterday afternoon.
Yesterday Sirus Vance, UN mediator in the Greek-Macedonian dispute, talked at separate meetings in New York with Macedonian Foreign Minister Stevo Crvenkovski and Greek representative to the UN Christos Zacharakis. Greek media said the talks focused on the so-called small package. The Greek Sky Radio reports that Crvenkovski is to remain in New York for a longer period this time.
Athens news Agency reports the Greek Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias today expressed guarded optimism over developments in the issue of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). Asked to comment on the visit to New York of FYROM Foreign Minister Stevo Crvenkovski, Papoulias said it was 'a new element', declining however to make any further assessment. Papoulias also spoke of back-pedaling by Skopje, saying that Athens was waiting 'for a final answer'.
The Macedonian foreign ministry yesterday issued a public statement to say the following: 'Over the past two days officials of the Macedonian Government, members of parliamentary groups and Murati, Tahiri, Ibraimi and Dzaferi - all citizens of Albanian origin - held another meeting with Gert Arens, head of the working group on ethnic and minority issues of the International Conference on the Former Yugoslavia and representative of the OSCE Mission in Skopje. All sides agreed that the meetings are part of the constant effort to deal with a number of complex issues. Yesterday the group discussed higher education issues and Mrs. Emilija Simoska, Macedonian Minister of Education, presented the draft-law on higher education and planned possibilities for training teachers in the Albanian language to give classes in elementary and high-schools, as well as the possible establishment of public or private higher education institutions. All ethnic Albanian participants insisted on a university education in the Albanian language - the group is trying to find a solution to the problem within the framework of the Macedonia Constitution and law. Negotiations on the issue are to continue. The group also discussed certain aspects of the local self-government draft-law and practical problems in the implementation of the Citizenship Act.
Arens later met with Dragisha Miletic, leader of the Democratic Party of Serbs in Macedonia and the latter stated several questions he would like to discuss with government officials. The next round of talks between the Macedonian government, representatives of Albanians in Macedonia and the conference working group is to take place July 5-7.'
The Republic of Macedonia entered a project for a multi- language television channel for Central and Eastern Europe, called ALFA. A delegation from Macedonia is currently attending a Budapest summit on the project that is to include 25 countries. Yesterday an International Foundation for Central and Eastern European Cooperation was established at the summit.
A delegation of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce is currently on a two-day visit to Macedonia. They presented Austrian experience relating to their inclusion in the European Union. Today the delegation will be received by the President of the Macedonian Chamber of Commerce.
The Macedonian Association of Pensioners yesterday issued a public announcement to remind government of its promise to pay out the two delayed pensions. 130,000 pensioners, the statement says, are at the edge of their existence because the average pension of 5,426 Denars is not enough to survive through the month. The state, pensioners say, can easily set aside the sum from the $14 million it has obtained as an international credit for social needs. A sum of 110 million German marks would be needed to meet their demand.
The Macedonian Chamber of Commerce promoted the country's economy and tourism as part of yesterday's presentation of the Italian economy in Ljubljana, Slovenia. The exhibition is of an informative character and the Macedonian delegation was invited to it by the Italian Chamber of Trade.
At a press-conference yesterday VMRO-DP warned that the issue of appointing a mayor to the city of Skopje dramatically reveals that the independence of the Republic of Macedonia is endangered. It was also said that the coalition between VMRO-DPMNE and PDP is a start of synchronized attempts, led by foreign forces, to de stabilize the country. The party has information that the 'most talented agents of former Yugoslavia's KOS' (intelligence agency) have been planning a Tirana-Sofia political transversal near Dusseldorf, Germany. The plan, VMRO-DP claims, is to revive past conspiracies against Macedonia, consisting of Bulgarian, Serbian, Greek and Albanian appetites for Macedonia. VMRO-DP openly called on the Liberal Party to dissociate itself from the VMRO-DPMNE- PDP coalition.
The Macedonian Red Cross is organizing an exhibition of hand-made products of the women refugees from Bosnia- Herzegovina who are currently sheltered in Macedonia. The funds raised will be used to improve their living conditions.
(Vecher, 22 June 1995)
The Macedonian Government apparently intends to allow the 25 largest loss-producing companies in the country to have another 3 months to re-examine their production, staff and financial capacity, to approach the market cleared of all debts and, hopefully, to start making profits. The conclusion comes as a result of the fact that, although the year is approaching the end of its first half (by when the government was to conduct thorough analysis), the Restructuring Committee does not seem to be preparing for such an operation. Instead it is only following the financial figures of the monthly statements of all loss- producers, so that it can intervene where necessary or eliminate any potential lack of financial discipline. In other words, it will probably be as late as September before the government decides on whether all 23 largest loss-producers (the electricity and railroad companies have been excluded from this on grounds of being public enterprises) are prepared to enter a privatization process or whether some of them, despite all efforts to secure a defensive restructuring, will prove completely worthless and deserve to be definitely closed. It is clear that such a step in any of those companies will result in a severe shock for the economy and this is probably why the final decision has been delayed for another 3 months. The chances still stand equal for all enterprises on the list. They have yet to take their exam before the World Bank experts or potential investors, which have arrived in large numbers in Macedonia this past week to spend the summer in concrete cooperation with all loss- producers.
According to Pero Georgiev, government official in charge of the implementation of the project, the monthly financial statements of these companies show that the largest number of them do have their own potential to finance a new production cycle. They have turned to selling their stocks of raw materials and finished products, even at discount prices, in order to provide a quality means to maintain production. The second source for this is securing payment from buyers. Those loss-producing companies that had distributed products abroad have obtained most of their income in this way, since foreign buyers settled their debts quickly and readily. None of these companies, however, have taken advantage of a third way to provide finances, which is to sell the unnecessary fixed assets and to sell space. No such proposal has so far reached the Privatization Agency or the Restructuring Committee although these firms do have large numbers of unused transportation means, hotels or restaurants and storage space - whether this is due to the fear of selling company assets or simply because no one has thought of this. Mr. Georgiev underlines that it is hard to gain access to valid information on whether companies are working economically with their finances. In cases where it is obvious that the situation is unfavorable, companies turn to direct contacts with managers or avoid obligations toward the Payment Operations Bureau and the Public Income Office. Such is the case with 'Zletovo batteries' of Zletovo, where inspectors revealed large amounts of finance obtained by avoiding profit taxes both before and during the transformation process. The entire project, Georgiev assures, has entered a third phase in its realization - the secession of the home company from subsidies that are not connected with the main activity and are believed to be able to survive on their own. So far the Reconstruction Committee has approved only 15 subsidies of the Skopje steel works and 3 of 'Metalski Zavod Tito'. This, in the eyes of Georgiev, is one of the most qualitative transformation solutions. The already seceded subsidies are currently determining their debts toward creditors and are preparing to start their privatization under direct government control.
Other loss-producers are still trying to set aside subsidies that can easily be left on their own because they have to make a final decision on this within the next two months. This was ordered by the Restructuring Committee. The basic criteria for part of a company to become independent are that the subsidy has not had negative financial results over the last 3 months, that it secures a high level of organization in the restructuring and that it makes over 70 per cent of its profits independently from the home company. The project is to enter a fourth stage sometime in September, which will include preparation of the entire documentation for privatization. The capital is currently being appraised in all of these enterprises. When completed, the companies will be able to start the practical implementation of their chosen privatization model as soon as at the beginning of 1996. This, in fact, is the final stage of the government project for restructuring these companies and is aimed at eliminating all dilemmas form the past and to relieve the enterprises from state interference.