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MILS NEWS 31/01/96From: "M.I.L.S." <mils@MILS.SPIC.ORG.MK>Macedonian Information Liaison Service DirectoryCONTENTS[01] BELGRADE CONDITIONED BY EU[02] STILL UNCLEAR MUTUAL RELATIONS[03] PRIORITY IN SETTLING THE RELATIONS IN THE BALKANS[04] STABILIZATION OF THE BALKAN - THE PRIMARY AIM[05] LJUPCHO ARSOVSKI AT THE MACEDONIAN OFFICE IN ATHENS[06] MACEDONIAN PARTICIPATION IN THE MANEUVERS IN ALBANIA[07] VISIT OF A TURKISH MILITARY DELEGATION[08] POLICY OF BALANCE WITH NEIGHBOURS[09] INCREASING THE QUOTAS FOR MINORITIES[10] PELISTER WILL PLAY AGAINST LENGOMILS SUPPLEMENT[11] Ticket to Europe ('Veccer' 27 January '96)MILS NEWSSkopje, 31 January 1996[01] BELGRADE CONDITIONED BY EUEU Council of Ministers hope they will recognize FR Yugoslavia as soon as possible, and the only condition set is the recognition of Macedonia by official Belgrade. The Agreement which was offered the day before yesterday by the Yugoslav Government, on the normalization of the relations with Macedonia, is far from fulfilling the conditions. This was said, according to Macedonian Radio, by a diplomat in the Italian presidency of the Council, who commented on the conclusions of the meeting in Brussels. According to the sources from the European Commission, recognition of Macedonia should be made in such a context that will provide the right to succession of former SFRY to this country.After the pressure from Greece, which estimated the draft Agreement of the Yugoslav Government satisfactory, the attitude that Macedonia should be recognized under the constitutional name weakened. It is now less important for the EU ministers under which name will Macedonia be recognized. The Council concluded that EU will automatically recognize FRY immediately after it recognizes Macedonia. France disagreed with the other EU member countries on the recognition of FRY, and announced unilateral diplomatic relations with Belgrade on the level of Ambassadors, unless it is soon done by the EU. [02] STILL UNCLEAR MUTUAL RELATIONSMacedonian Radio yesterday unofficially informed that FR Yugoslav recognition of Macedonia was postponed because the crucial questions of the name under which Macedonia will be recognized and the succession issue were not solved. These claims have not, however, been officially confirmed. The opinions in Belgrade are that the postponed decision on collective European recognition of FRY came due to the pressure of Washington, where this act is considered too hasty. It is also said that Greece contributed to this by requiring from the EU to postpone the recognition of FRY until Greek-Macedonian dispute on the name is solved.[03] PRIORITY IN SETTLING THE RELATIONS IN THE BALKANSThe conclusion adopted by the EU Council of Ministers, that the only condition for FRY to be recognized by EU is the previous recognition of Macedonia by Belgrade, was emphasized by the German Foreign Minister, Claus K=FCnkel, on the meeting in Brussels. He had stressed the necessity of established official relations between Belgrade and Skopje, as one of the priority measures for mutual confidence in the Balkans, on the previously held meeting in Petersburg, on the disarmament and balance of the military potentials in the Balkans.The attitude of the German diplomacy is that the autonomy of Kosovo and Albanians should be another condition for the recognition of FRY by EU. According to Macedonian Radio, Albanian President Sali Berisha is also familiar with this position. On the meeting in December in Bonn he was informed that the political, democratic and economical prosperity of the Kosovo province must be found wiithin the frames of FR Yugoslavia. [04] STABILIZATION OF THE BALKAN - THE PRIMARY AIMGreek daily 'Ta Nea' informed yesterday that it is possible for Belgrade to recognize Skopje under the constitutional name during the following days. According to diplomatic sources in Brussels, 'Ta Nea' reports Skopje has made some promises referring to the succession of former SFRY to Belgrade.Greek opposition daily 'Elefteros Tipos', according to 'Makfax' agency, informed that Bonn, in cooperation with Washington, blackmails Belgrade and requires Macedonia to be recognized under the constitutional name. 'Athens News Agency' in its report from Brussels said that, unfortunately, the Foreign Ministers of EU member countries did not recognize new Yugoslavia. 'Makfax' reported the comments of some other Greek media that Belgrade avoided to mention the name in the draft Agreement on the Recognition of Skopje to calm down Greece on one hand, and to satisfy the requirements of EU on the other. Europe wants peaceful and safe Balkan, and it is of greatest importance for EU that Belgrade recognizes Macedonia, by which all the possibilities for a new war in the Balkans will seize. This, according to 'Makpress', was stated in all German papers yesterday, and it was usually added that the special condition for FRY to join the European institutions is to recognize Macedonia as an independent and sovereign country. French edition of 'International Herald Tribune' claimed that Macedonia will be the first former Yugoslav republic with which Belgrade will establish complete diplomatic relations, and these two countries will be the first to mutually recognize each other. With this, it is added, a new crisis on the Balkans will be avoided. The agreement on the recognition of Macedonia is another proof of the 'artistic performances' of the Serb President Miloshevic and of the former Yugoslav reformer and present Macedonia president, Kiro Gligorov, wrote yesterday Bulgarian daily 'Trud'. According to 'Makpress', the daily stressed that both Presidents excellently played their roles in front of the West, adding that the recognition is the gratitude of Belgrade for previous breaking of the embargo at the Serb-Macedonian border. [05] LJUPCHO ARSOVSKI AT THE MACEDONIAN OFFICE IN ATHENSLjupcho Arsovski, Assistant Foreign Minister, has been officially appointed a Head of the Liaison Office of the Republic of Macedonia in Athens, informed Macedonian Foreign Ministry yesterday.[06] MACEDONIAN PARTICIPATION IN THE MANEUVERS IN ALBANIASoldiers of the Macedonian Army for the first time will participate in the international military maneuvers in July 1996 in Albania. According to the 'Albanian Telegraph Agency', Macedonian Television informed that the maneuvers called 'Peaceful Eagle '96', will take place at Biza, Near Tirana, from 15 to 20 July. Besides Albanian and Macedonian, the units of Bulgaria, Romania, (all members of 'Partnership for Peace' Program), as well as the units of Greece, Turkey and Italy, will participate.[07] VISIT OF A TURKISH MILITARY DELEGATIONA Turkish delegation of the Military Academy, led by the Deputy Commander of the Academy, General Jashar Mustezi, arrived yesterday for a several days visit to the Armed Forces of Macedonia. The delegation consists of several professors and thirty students of the Academy, as well as of three foreign officers who study in the Republic of Turkey.Jashar Mustezi is expected to meet with the Chief of Staff of the Macedonian Army, General Trajche Krstevski, and the delegation will pay a visit to the Macedonian Military Academy, as well as to Bitola and Ohrid. [08] POLICY OF BALANCE WITH NEIGHBOURSIn his interview for the Albanian independent daily 'Koha Jone', Macedonian Prime Minister, Branko Crvenkovski, presented the principles of Macedonian foreign policy. He stressed that the strategy of Macedonia is European integration and policy of balance in the relations with all neighbours. This guarantees the independence to Macedonia and creates a balance in the Balkans, said the Premiere.Crvenkovski said that both Albania and Macedonia are carrying out political and economy reforms, which gives them a chance to continue and further develop the cooperation. Premiere pointed out the refusal of Albania to sign the agreements with Macedonia under its constitutional name, and the insisting on the name FYROM, as one of the obstacles for more successful development of the mutual relations. He said that the interest of Tirana in the status of Albanians in Macedonia is legitimate, and it will be discussed on the forthcoming meeting with the Albanian Premiere Alexander Meksi in Skopje. The status of Albanians in Macedonia is being solved in accordance with the international principles, and any other way would mean interfering in the internal affairs of Macedonia, concluded Crvenkovski. [09] INCREASING THE QUOTAS FOR MINORITIES5 104 new regular students (paid by the state budget) will enroll the faculties and advanced schools of the University of 'St. Cyril and Methodius' in Skopje and of University 'St. Clement of Ohrid' in Bitola, in the new 1996/97 school year, was decided on the Macedonian Government session yesterday. Also, there will be a possibility to admit students who will pay their expenses by themselves, and their number will be additionally set by the Ministry of Education. Macedonian Government proposed the special quota for students of the minorities and foreign citizens can register at the faculties and advanced schools in the Republic.[10] PELISTER WILL PLAY AGAINST LENGOHandball team of Bitola 'Pelister Eurocar' will play against the German team 'Lengo' in the semifinal of the Cup. The first game, scheduled for the period between 19 and 21 March, will be played in Germany, while the rematch will take place in Bitola seven days later.MILS SUPPLEMENT[11] Ticket to Europe('Veccer' 27 January '96)The new Law on Customs Taxes should be accomplished till the end of this year. This became especially predominant in the competent circles after the last week's visit of the European Customs General Manager, Fin Kistrup, to Skopje.Mr. Kistrup criticized the old Law for being too complicated. The new Law should, therefore, simplify the customs regulations. The possibility for its further development with additional regulations will be left open, and the competence of customs officials will be more precisely defined. General Manager of Macedonian Customs, Ilija Iljoski, said the meeting with Kistrup was very successful. The agreement achieved was very good for Macedonian side, as European Customs promised to completely equip the new Central Customs Lab and the Department for Control, Revision and Prevention of Smuggling. Mr. Kistrup said there is a possibility for a participation in the PHARE Program, by which a complete computer system in Macedonia will be established. It was also agreed another nine seminars to be held (in addition to the previous two), the subject of which will be the fight against smuggling and modalities for precise measuring of the customs values. The customs procedure should be simplified, and all the necessary corrections will have to be made. Iljoski emphasized that a separate Department for Customs Values will have to be established urgently, i.e. till the end of the year. This is of greatest importance at the moment, as we deal very much with imported goods 'made in' Bulgaria and Turkey with double invoicing system. The value of these goods is falsely being reduced, so to eliminate this, we use the possibility for obtaining daily information from the stock market in Istanbul. Customs Administration of Macedonia will have to use one of the two current matrices for establishing the values of goods: that of the World Bank or that of the Brussels Convention. This in order to evaluate the customs charges by the original invoices. In context of that, the fact that the Customs of Turkey will associate with EU is encouraging. A pilot program for applying the new tariffs regulations should be practiced at one border crossing and at one terminal starting from February, 1996. The current 14 documents needed in the import-export procedure should be abolished. With the application of the new regulations in the whole country, the procedure in the trade communication with EU members will be unified, said Iljoski. It is possible that customs structures will issue certificates on origin of the goods, but it should be discussed with the Government. The certificates will have to be issued at Macedonian Chamber of Commerce. One of the results of the current situation was the introduction of the regular customs regulations towards Bosnia and Herzegovina, due to the attempts to import FR Yugoslav goods with false certificates 'made in Bosnia and Herzegovina'. To all this we should add our wish to start the negotiations on immediate associating with the EU. Harmonized customs system is, without any doubts, a ticket to the faster procedure. Customs Administration estimated that the plan can be achieved with 811 employees, which is rather more than their present number of 586. (end)mils news 31 january '96 |
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