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MILS NEWS 96-08-15Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: "Macedonian Information Liaison Service" <mils@mils.spic.org.mk>CONTENTS
MILS SUPPLEMENTMILS NEWSSkopje, 15 August, 1996[01] AMERICAN AMBASSADOR INFORMED ABOUT FINANCESMacedonian Vice Prime Minister Ljube Trpevski yesterday met with US Ambassador to Macedonia Christopher Hill and informed him about current activities of Macedonian government in international financial institutions, as well as about activities planned to attract foreign capital in the country. According to local media, the results from stabilization programme realized during the last two years were discussed, as well as structural reforms encouraged by agreements of Macedonia with the World Bank.Ambassador Hill had expressed his readiness to personally work on speeding up the procedure regarding the agreement with American Government on regulation of Macedonian debt. [02] ECONOMIC COOPERATION BETWEEN MACEDONIA AND FRY DISCUSSEDMacedonian Minister of Economy Bekjir Zhuta had a meeting yesterday in Skopje with FR Yugoslav Ambassador to Macedonia Zoran Janachkovic and discussed the economic cooperation between the two countries. Macedonian media reported that they had also talked about the forthcoming visit of Yugoslav Prime Minister Radoe Kontic to Macedonia.[03] PROTOCOL MEETINGS OF THE FRENCH AMBASSADORJacques Huntzinger, Ambassador of France to Macedonia, yesterday met with Macedonian Defense Minister Blagoj Handziski and talked about Macedonian system of defense, defense strategy and doctrine, and about determination of Macedonia to fulfill the minimum conditions for full membership in NATO. According to Macedonian Television, they also discussed the political and security situation in the region, as well as Macedonian-French cooperation in the field of defense.Following his request, Ambassador Huntzinger was received yesterday by Minister of Education Sofija Todorova, who informed him about the situation and problems of education in Macedonia. Bilateral cooperation in education was also a subject of discussion, and mutual interest in its improvement was expressed. A possibility for bilateral agreements on cultural, educational, technical, scientific and technological cooperation to be signed was also mentioned. [04] SAMARAS CALLS ON NEGOTIATIONS WITH MACEDONIA TO BE CANCELEDGreek party 'Political Spring' leader Andonis Samaras yesterday called on the Greek Government and Prime Minister Costas Simitis to 'cancel negotiations at all levels with FYROM', reported 'Makfax' agency. According to Samaras, the Greek Government 'had already ordered to look for a compromise on the name of FYROM', and Simitis's decision to 'freeze' New York talks was a 'performance in which nobody can believe'.[05] NO DISPUTES FOR MACEDONIAN-YUGOSLAV BORDER'There are no disputes for the border between the Republic of Macedonia and FR Yugoslavia - there are open issues that will be discussed by the joint diplomatic-expert Commission for Fixing the Border Line. Disputes might appear after the two parties present their suggestions or requests and eventually disagree. Everything about alleged disagreements between Belgrade and Skopje about the border line are only speculations,' said Branko Stojanovski, assistant to Macedonian Foreign Affairs Minister for 'Vecer' daily yesterday. Stojanovski said that Macedonian Foreign Ministry had sent a note to Yugoslav Embassy in Skopje last Friday, proposing a meeting of the Commission, in order to constitute it and to agree the method of its work. Although there was still no answer, Macedonian party believes that Belgrade was interested in part of that matter to be accomplished before Yugoslav prime Minister Kontic arrives to Macedonia.'Vecer' reads that most often mentioned open issues are the woods on Koviljacha mountain, Chupino hill, 7,000 hectares of meadows on Shara mountain and 'St. Prohor of Pchinja' Monastery. Macedonian party does not require for the Monastery and its area to become a Macedonian territory, but to look for a 'modus vivendi' for its status, because it has a great historical importance for the country. It would be a special status of the Monastery, where all marks and symbols of ASNOM would be preserved. [06] 'SEVODNJA' ABOUT SERBIAN-ALBANIAN NEGOTIATIONS'Although the government in Belgrade and leaders of Albanian opposition in Kosovo are still far away from an agreement to start a dialogue, they are not deaf any more,' read Moscow daily 'Sevodnja' adding that both parties have in principle agreed to negotiate with international mediation. 'While Belgrade agrees one of EU members to be the mediator, and Kosovo Albanians insist on American mediation, infamous Arkan is threatening to warm up the already hot Kosovo kettle,' read the Russian daily, as 'Makfax' agency reported.According to 'Sevodnja', Zeljko Raznjatovic - Arkan, 'a millionaire and businessmen, whose wealth has a very suspicious origin, had appeared in Kosovo with his 'Tigers' and than disappeared'. Leader of Kosovo Albanians Ibrahim Rugova, as alleged, said that might be dangerous not only for Kosovo but for the Balkans in general. [07] INTENSIVE EXPORT OF GRAPES FROM 'TIKVESH' - KAVADARCIMacedonian Radio reported that agricultural plant 'Tikvesh' from Kavadarci has been exporting about 50 tons of grapes to Russia every day during this month, with a tendency for the quota to increase. Grapes are being exported also to Austria, Bosnia, Croatia, Slovenia and Serbia. According to information from 'Tikvesh', the problems that shippers had at the borders of these countries have been reduced.[08] MOBILE TELEPHONY IN MACEDONIA FROM THE NEXT MONTHOn September 8 'PTT Makedonija' will officially put into operation the system of mobile telephony, reported Macedonian media. The first month will be more an experimental one, after which two realization phases should follow. The first phase will include Skopje and Ohrid, and the second one the other towns in the country and the main roads. Maximum number of users will be 25,000, while the price will be DM 1,300 for the connection plus 1,200 for the telephone. Monthly tax will cost DM 50, national tariff - DM 0.8 per minute, and DM 0.4 every day after 6 p.m. and during the weekends and holidays. Mobile telephones will be sold by authorized distributors under conditions of 'PTT Makedonija'.[09] PDPA: 'ADVENTUROUS POLITICS OF MACEDONIAN GOVERNMENT'A-1 Television yesterday reported the information of 'Makpress' agency that a delegation of parties and associations of Albanians in Macedonia, as well as of 'Tetovo university', had visited the Missions of OSCE and UNPREDEP and the US Embassy in Skopje. The delegates had expressed their 'worry with the adventurous politics of Macedonian government and other institutions of state by provoking the Albanians with the imprisonment of 'Tetovo university' activists'. The announcement of PDPA referring to these meetings said that 'Macedonian Government was intentionally frightening Macedonians with an invented Albanian hostility, in order to present itself as the only factor of security, capable to keep Albanians disciplined'. The delegates had required political prisoners to be released from prison and 'Tetovo university' to be legalized. They also warned of certain tendencies for the processes to get out of control and of new ways of manifesting the discontent of Albanians.[10] GREAT SUCCESS OF MACEDONIAN AMATEUR FILMA movie titled 'And so You Spend Your Days' by Blagojche Markovski, Zdravko Krulja and Milcho Velkovski from Bitola won the 'Golden Sunflower', the first prize of the 26th Festival of Amateur Film, that took place near Panchevo in FR Yugoslavia. Macedonian authors were generally the most successful ones with another two prizes they won: Kiro Peshevski from Kumanovo won the third prize for his movie 'Merry-Go-Round', and Gjore Dechkov from Sveti Nikole won the special prize for editing the movie 'A Desire Called Mother'.[11] AN EARTHQUAKE WITH EPICENTER IN SKOPJE AREAYesterday early in the morning, i.e. 48 minutes after midnight, an earthquake of 6 degrees of Mercalius scale and with epicenter 12 km from Skopje was felt by the citizens. Macedonian media reported that there were no other damages from it, except for the great disturbance it provoked among people. During the last fifteen years, seven similar earthquakes had been registered in the area of Skopje.MILS SUPPLEMENT[12] 'Drug Dealers Are Winning The Battle'('Nova Makedonija', 13 August, 1996)Life of the people who live in building number 18 in Skopje suburb '13 Noemvri' has almost completely changed a month ago. Now there is fear, suspicion and mistrust. It all started when several syringes, one spoon and blood stains were found in the entrance. None of the tenants who have children believe that theirs are drug addicts, but they all suspect about the others' children. Disobedient ones are mostly suspected. This and many other buildings, school yards, underground garages, parks and other places are silent witnesses of the drug abuse epidemics. The fact that even the 'St. Clement of Ohrid' Cathedral yard in the centre of Skopje is a location attractive for young drug addicts, which was proved by a TV recording, was stunning. The public was faced with all its brutality. Many syringes around the Cathedral and the testimonies of priests were a shock and another proof that Macedonia is losing the battle against the biggest evil of young generations - narcotics. Will anything change? The National Programme for Fight Against Drug Abuse, which was brought by the Government at the beginning of July, was necessary, but unless its realization begins as soon as possible there will be no use from it. Statistics gives us the creeps: there are over 1,600 officially registered drug addicts in Macedonia, 90% of them being heroine addicts. Unofficial figure is, however, ten times larger: 16,000! Not to mention the daily circulation of several kilos of heroine, the enormous quantity of marihuana, hashish, cocaine, and the rich offer of synthetic drugs, such as LSD. The complete absence of prevention makes spreading of drug abuse much easier. It is well known that there is only one institution in the country which treats drug addiction - the hospital for mentally disturbed persons 'Bardovci' in Skopje. The name of the institution itself shows that addicts have been inadequately treated, as they are not mentally disturbed people. There is only one ward with 24 beds where drug addicts are treated, but those familiar with the situation inside say one could find more drugs there than in the centre of Skopje. An outpatient department of 'Bardovci' hospital, which deals with all kinds of addiction, offers treatment outside the hospital, but even 430 drug addicts looked for help there last year. Experts estimate that this number is only 5-10% of drugs users in Skopje who need medical treatment. 90% of heroine addicts are simultaneously drug dealers (a very dangerous thing specific for Macedonian narco-market), and some of them serve their sentence in the prison of Idrizovo. Medical help there is abstract thing, as it is a public secret that they 'forget' about heroine there without any medicaments (methadone or heptanone). This kind of treatment obviously has not a minimum chance in the fight against drug addiction. D-r Ivan Tulevski, Director of the Daily Clinic for Prevention and Treatment of Drug Abuse in Kisela Voda suburb, told us that Bardovci is only 'a sponge for somebody's dirty conscience to be washed out'. Although the drug addiction is widely spread in other towns of Macedonia, such as Kumanovo, Tetovo, Bitola, there are not any institutions there to deal with this problem. Education, one of the most important factors in prevention against drug abuse, does not deal with this problem at all. Schools, instead of being institutions where young people are taught how harmful narcotics are, have become places where new addicts have been created. Unofficially, there are three high and several primary schools only in Skopje which have been registered by the police as locations interesting for drug dealers! There are most probably similar examples in other towns in the country. The third important segment of primary prevention are families. They seem to have lost their heads as institutions, as they have put prestige or survival (mostly) before upbringing. Police files show that 95% of drug addicts come from families with divorced parents or with parents so much engaged in earning money that they have no time for their children. Breaking up of the family is one of the reasons for drug addiction to attack 12, 13 or 14 years old children. Most worrying is the fact that parents usually find out that their children are drug addicts after four or five years. And also that instead of trying to help them, they do nothing, or even give up on them! All these data show that Macedonia offers good chances for drug addiction to expand further and for increasing of the number both of drug dealers and addicts. (end)mils news 15 August, 1996Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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