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MILS NEWS 25/06/96Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: "Macedonian Information Liaison Service" <mils@mils.spic.org.mk>CONTENTS
MILS NEWSSkopje, 25 June 1996[01] GLIGOROV: 'STRENGTHENING OF PEACE BASED ON THE NEW POLITICAL REALITY''We have survived five very difficult years, during which we have managed to win the place Macedonia and its people have deserved inside international organisations and associations. We have overcome most of the problems, Macedonia is now a member of the Council of Europe, and this organisation has helped a lot to our country in its international affirmation,' said Macedonian President Kiro Gligorov in his addressing the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg yesterday.He paid most attention to the relations in the Balkans, the situation with national minorities' rights, as well as to the reforms in Macedonia. 'Europe had suffered a lot from the events in the Balkans throughout the history, which is why it must not be underestimated that strengthening of peace and security in that region has to start from the new political reality. Former Yugoslavia had dissolved, and the newly formed and internationally recognized countries are now independent and sovereign, with internationally established borders, and equal successors of the legal continuity and heritage. A new experimenting with imposing or forced creating a new federation in this area is impossible.' Gligorov said it was high time to stop using the term 'former Yugoslavia' in numerous discussions and even documents of international forums, as such an entity did not exist any more. Macedonian Head of State stressed that Macedonia, as a legal and civil society determined to join the European integrations, has intended to cooperate with the CoE in the process of gradual adjusting its political and legal system to the European standards. He said that Macedonia should not be included in monitoring mandates intended for former Yugoslavia, but that the monitoring should be done regarding its status of a member of the CoE, OSCE and UN Missions. In context of that, President Gligorov underlined the importance of the successfully ended negotiations of his country with the EU by signing the Agreement on Trade and Economic Cooperation, describing it as the beginning of associating process of Macedonia to the Union. He said that Macedonia was carrying out a policy of affirmative action, i.e. of imp[roving the integration of minorities in all spheres of the society, which had confirmed it as a non- typical Balkan country at the time when genocide, suffocated ethnic rights and religious discrimination had been a reality in the Balkans and one of the greatest risks for the security of Europe. At the end, Gligorov emphasized the Macedonian proposal for a comparative study of the situation of national minorities in the Balkans to be made, which was already supported by UN Special Rapporteur Elizabeth Rehn and OSCE High Commissioner for National Minorities, Max van der Stoel. Macedonian President then answered the questions of European Parliamentarians, and afterwards of journalists. According to A-1 Television, on the question of Greek Member of European Parliament Pavlinas whether an adequate solution for the name dispute between Macedonia and Greece would be found, Gligorov replied that it was being negotiated in New York, but that his opinion was that they would not be successful. 'The name is an identity of a nation, and losing that identity in the heart of the Balkans would be returning to the past,' stressed Macedonian President, adding that Macedonia was ready to negotiate about a compromise which would not mean losing the national identity. Gligorov also said that besides the name issue, the problem of citizens who had escaped from Greece to Macedonia and lost their homes and properties, like refugees from Bosnia, was also to be solved. Asked by a journalist to forecast the political situation in Greece after the death of Andreas Papandreou, Gligorov said that Athens could not keep the totally opposite stands about the problems with Macedonia. According to him, Simitis was a more realistic and more European oriented politician, which is why he is expected to bring changes which would improve the relations and create a better climate. Macedonian media yesterday reported about meetings the President and other delegates had had with CoE Parliamentary Assembly President Lenny Fisher, with CoE Secretary General Daniel Tarschys and with the President and deputies of the Ministerial Envoys Office. The greatest attention at all meetings was paid to the place of Macedonia in the region, its relations with neighbours and the way minorities' issue are being solved. A-1 and Macedonian Televisions reported, according to unofficial information from Strasbourg, that it was possible CoE to re-examine the possibility for this organisation to stop using the reference 'FYROM' and to accept the Constitutional name of Macedonia. According to sources from Strasbourg, this is possible because the recent suggestion for that made by British Lord Finsberg had not been passed by a very small majority of votes. [02] CONDOLENCES FOR PAPANDREOU'S DEATHPresident of the Republic of Macedonia Kiro Gligorov has sent a telegram of condolences to his Greek counterpart Constantinos Stefanopoulos for the death of former Greek Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou. Messages of condolences were also sent by Macedonian Prime Minister Branko Crvenkovski to his Greek counterpart Costas Simitis, and by Macedonian Socialist Party President Ljubisav Ivanov to PASOK, which leader was Papandreou.[03] MAIN STRESS ON FINANCING THE SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISESMacedonian Vice Prime Minister Jane Miljoski met yesterday with European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Director Olivier Decamp and his colleagues. They talked about the possibilities to include Macedonia in economic integrations, mostly through the Agreement on Economic and Trade Cooperation that was signed in Brussels last week. The official announcement said that cooperation with the EBRD had been positively estimated, and a credit line was also discussed. Financing of small and medium enterprises, i.e. attractive production programmes, competitive for the European market, were another subjects of discussion. It was said that Macedonian banks were carrying out this programme with a different speed and quality, and that this part of economic development in Macedonia should be paid a special attention. Miljoski pointed out that Macedonian government was interested in foreign investments in the private sector to be given a significant place in the improvement of the economic relations with the EU.[04] PRESIDENT GLIGOROV IN ANKARA ON THURSDAYPresident of the Republic of Macedonia Kiro Gligorov is going to leave for Ankara on Thursday to meet his Turkish counterpart Suleiman Demirel. Turkish Foreign Ministry announced that the two officials would discuss bilateral, regional, and international issues, and the possibilities to strengthen the bilateral economic relations. Gligorov will be escorted by Vice Prime Ministers Bekjir Zuta and Ljube Trpevski.[05] GOVERNOR STANOEVSKI ADDRESSED EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTARIANSMacedonian National Bank Governor Borko Stanoevski yesterday addressed the Commission for Monetary Policy of the European Parliament, reported Macedonian Television. Stanoevski stated that Macedonia was expected to overcome the greatest difficulties for opening economic perspectives in near future, and that Macedonian national currency - the denar, should become convertible in three years latest. The Governor also presented the aspects of Macedonia becoming monetary independent, the results achieved in the financial sphere, the legal bases for entering of foreign capital, banking system and relations of Macedonia with international bank institutions.The meeting of this Commission was also attended by National Bank Governors of Slovenia, Romania, Albania and Bulgaria. [06] TALKS ON IMPROVING MACEDONIA - BAVARIA COOPERATIONPrime Minister of German province of Bavaria Edmund Stoiberg yesterday received the Macedonian Ambassador to Germany Srgjan Kerim and they talked about several concrete projects for including this province and a number of German enterprises in the Macedonian economy. Among other things, they discussed the cooperation in car industry, in Vardar Valley project, in electric industry, etc. Prime Minister Stoiberg gladly accepted the invitation of Macedonian Premier Branko Crvenkovski to visit Macedonia.[07] MINISTER CHOKREVSKI AT UN ANNUAL SESSIONRegular annual session of the Economic and Social Council of UN General Assembly, which is taking place in New York, began yesterday and will last till 27 June. Macedonian delegation to the session is being led by Internal Affairs Minister Tomislav Chokrevski. He will make a report about the international cooperation in the fight against illegal production, trade and distribution of drugs.[08] HEAD OF MACEDONIAN ARMY VISITING FRANCEChief of Staff of Macedonian Army General Trajche Krstevski is paying a three-days visit to the Republic of France and attending the international exhibition of defense materials together with French Assistant Defense Minister General Philip Kotelli. Krstevski yesterday met with his French counterpart, General Douan.[09] LIBERALIZING THE FOREIGN TRADE EXCHANGEMacedonian Government yesterday passed the Draft Law on Customs Tariffs. The Draft Law was said to be in accordance with the further liberalization of Macedonian foreign trade exchange. The new regulations will reduce the average customs duties from current 26% to 15.6%, which should be decreased for additional 25-30% when Macedonia will begin to negotiate about a membership in WTO. It was concluded that the new Law protected agricultural and food products by special tariffs introduced for import of these products. It will also greatly decrease the custom duties on import of raw and reproduction materials, and the export would be stimulated by re-paying the customs. Draft Law on Customs Tariffs was harmonized with basic principles of the WTO and with the code system of goods, as well as with the EU joint customs tariffs.The government also passed the Draft Criminal Code, corrected according to remarks presented at the Parliament. Another Draft Law adopted was the one on Privatization of State Capital in enterprises in which it could be sold together with the public capital, in order to obtain package of shares. [10] RELEASING FROM DUTY THE GENERAL MANAGER OF MRTV?Macedonian Radio reported that Parliamentarian Commission for Appointing yesterday decided to include in the Agenda the proposal of MP Jane Angelovski to release from duty the General Manager of Macedonian Radio and Television Melpomeni Korneti. Angelovski had supported his proposal by the fact that the Parliament did not accept the annual report about the work of MRTV, after which Korneti was expected to resign. As she has not done that, the Commission will discuss that tomorrow. Members of the Liberal Party voted against this, Socialist Party and PDP members restrained from voting, while SDSM envoys voted for.Today's issue of 'Vecer' reads, according to unofficial sources from the Parliament, that Ms. Korneti will be almost certainly released from duty, and will most probably be replaced by Slobodan Trajkovski, former Director of Macedonian Television. (end)mils news 25 June, 1996Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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