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MILS NEWS 96-10-01Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: "Macedonian Information Liaison Service" <mils@mils.spic.org.mk>CONTENTS
MILS SUPPLEMENTMILS NEWSSkopje, 01 October, 1996[01] SUCCESSES OF MACEDONIAN DELEGATION AT THE UN ASSEMBLYPresident of the Republic of Macedonia Kiro Gligorov, after returning from New York, yesterday informed the public of the activities of Macedonian delegates at the 51st session of the UN General Assembly, evaluating them as successful and important ones. The President pointed out the intensive participation of the delegation in debates, the great number of bilateral meetings and of the contacts with foreign officials and with Macedonian emigrants to USA and Canada. Great attention was also paid to the promotion of the candidacy of Macedonia for a temporal membership in the UN Security Council.Subjects discussed at above mentioned meetings were the international position of Macedonia, its role in the south Balkans, breaking through of Macedonian economy in the world, the efforts for Europeanization of the Balkans, etc. Gligorov reported of about twenty meetings he had had in New York, such as those with UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros Ghali, US Secretary of State Warren Christopher, European Commissioner Hans van den Broek, mediator in Greek- Macedonian dispute Cyrus Vance, Dayton Accord designer Richard Holbrooke, Bosnia-Herzegovina President Alia Izetbegovic, Prime Ministers of Norway, Slovenia, Malaysia and Foreign Ministers of Germany, Great Britain, Turkey and China. Macedonian representatives also met with representatives of several associations and organizations such as the American-Macedonian Business Council, the American UN Association, the Jewish World Congress and the associations of Macedonian emigrants and American businessman. At the meetings with Warren Christopher, Hans van den Broek and Cyrus Vance, Macedonian Head of State had talked about the Macedonian-Greek problem regarding the name. Gligorov and Vance had concluded that talks between Macedonian and Greek representatives in New York should definitely be continued, although an agreement on the name should not be expected to be reached soon, as well as any decision regarding the way Macedonia would be referred to at the UN. According to Gligorov, the reason for that is the necessary time distance needed to calm down the tensions and the national strains in Greece after the elections. After that, Gligorov stated, it would be possible for the arguments to be more objectively evaluated, which would lead to an agreement that would allow Macedonia to use its Constitutional name internationally and give the right to Greece to refer to the country with a name it would find more acceptable. [02] 'TO VIMA': MACEDONIAN PRESIDENT INITIATED WARMING OF SKOPJE-ATHENS RELATIONS'Makfax' agency reported about an article issued by the Greek paper 'To Vima' which read that, before leaving to New York, Macedonian President Gligorov had sent a message to Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis, initiating warming of the relations between Athens and Skopje. This pro- governmental paper read that the message had been sent after the two-hours-long meeting of Gligorov with the Head of Greek Liaison Office in Skopje, Alexandros Mallias. As alleged, Gligorov had said that 'maintaining and deepening of the current cooperative atmosphere would bring calmness, by which improvement of relations and solving of bilateral problems would be achieved more easily'.'To Vima' concluded that 'after several months, Skopje was again interested in making new moves in bilateral relations'. Further on, it said that 'the tactics adjustment was a result of the important meeting of Gligorov with high Macedonian officials in Ohrid'. According to 'To Vima', it was concluded at the meeting that it was necessary to correct something in the Macedonian policy, since the current attitude might jeopardize what had already been achieved in the Athens-Skopje relations. Meanwhile, the left-wing paper 'Elefterotipia' yesterday read, according to 'Makfax', that only a few PASOK members believed that Greece could hope for a name of the northern neighbour which would not contain the term 'Macedonia'. According to this paper, the names 'Nova Makedonija' or 'Makedonija-Skopje' would be acceptable for the Greek Government. The paper also read that Greek Government considered further dragging out of the name issue bad for national interests, since the more it is postponed, the harder will be to find a solution. [03] PIRINSKI: BULGARIAN-MACEDONIAN DECLARATION ON GOOD NEIGHBOURLY COOPERATION'Very soon, Macedonia and Bulgaria will sign a Declaration on Good Neighbourly Cooperation, but its goal will not be solving of the language dispute,' Bulgarian Foreign Minister Gjorgji Pirinski stated for the Sofia paper 'Standard', Macedonian Radio reported. Commenting on the recent meeting with his Macedonian counterpart Ljubomir Frchkovski in New York, Pirinski said: 'We agreed to work simultaneously on the preparation of the document and on overcoming of the language problem.'In the meantime, 'Makfax' agency reported an article of Sofia weekly '24 Casa', which claimed that Macedonian daily 'Nova Makedonija' had criticized Frchkovski for referring to the dispute with Bulgaria as 'a funny one', and for his statement that Skopje was ready to talk with Sofia when Bulgaria found it reasonable and suitable. [04] 'DNEVNI TELEGRAF': SDSM ARE KEEPING FRCHKOVSKI TO PREVENT HIM FROM SPEAKING ABOUT THE ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT'Social Democrats are still keeping Frchkovski in order to prevent him from revealing information about the assassination attempt on President Gligorov', read Belgrade daily 'Dnevni Telegraf', citing the Liberal Party leader Stojan Andov who, allegedly, said that 'his party would disclose the assassins'. As A-1 Television quoted the paper, Andov had said that 'despite the impressions made in Skopje that the position of formerly an Internal Affairs Minister and currently a Foreign Affairs one (Frchkovski) were shaken, SDSM would never give him up due to the fact that they were afraid that he might speak up'.The paper further read that neither the Government, nor the prosecution or the investigative judge had answered the question about the investigation of the assassination attempt on Gligorov. On the other hand, a campaign against Frchkovski had began because of 'the shocking forming of his personal Diplomatic Council, made of people who have no knowledge of diplomacy'. 'Dnevni Telegraf' further read that there were other reasons for the campaign to be started against Frchkovski at the media, such as his diplomatic lapses which had, allegedly, worsened the relations of Macedonia with Bulgaria and Greece, and his 'relaxed' behaviour during the meetings in Paris, Brussels and New York. The paper concluded the article by unofficial claims from Skopje that Frchkovski 'might be a burden for the SDSM because of the information he had of the assassination attempt'. [05] UNPREDEP CHIEF OF MISSION MET WITH PARLIAMENT PRESIDENTMacedonian Television yesterday reported about a meeting of Special Envoy of UN Secretary General and UNPREDEP Chief of Mission Henryk Sokalski, during which they had discussed the current economic and political situation in Macedonia and the forthcoming local elections.[06] COOPERATION OF GREEK AND MACEDONIAN FACULTIES OF LAW AND ECONOMYGreek and Macedonian Faculties of Law and Economy will work together on a scientific project for harmonization of Macedonian laws with the EU legislations, Secretariat for Information announced yesterday. This was agreed at the meeting yesterday between Macedonian Minister for Education Sofia Todorova with the Head of the Greek Liaison Office in Skopje Alexandros Mallias. The announcement said that in future other competent institutions of both countries could be involved in the cooperation by realizing of various scientific projects.[07] PARLIAMENTARIAN DEMOCRACY DEVELOPMENT IN MACEDONIA DISCUSSED'Liberal Party leader Stojan Andov met with French Ambassador to Macedonia Jacques Huntzinger', Macedonian Television reported yesterday. Andov informed the Ambassador of his party's stands about the development of the parliamentarian democracy in Macedonia and of some hot issues regarding the forthcoming local elections.[08] JOINT VENTURE OF 'OHIS' AND 'ICN' FOUNDEDGeneral Manager of 'OHIS' Jorgo Cuka and the President of the American company 'ICN' Milan Panic, at the Macedonian Economic Chamber yesterday, signed 'a letter of intentions', which presented the ambitions to establish a joint venture 'ICN-Macedonia' for production of and trade with medicaments and other pharmaceutical products. The total investment was estimated to be about DM 20 million, 75% of which will be invested by 'ICN' and 25% by 'OHIS'. The production, organized according to international standards, should start in six months, and the distribution should be done in Macedonia, as well as abroad via distribution net of 'ICN'.[09] IMPROVEMENT OF ECONOMIC COOPERATION WITH MOLDOVA'The trade exchange between Moldova and Macedonia is insufficient, which is why the interests of both countries should be brought closer and better economic cooperation should be established,' according to the media, this was said at the working meeting of Macedonian Economic Chamber and Moldovian Trade-Industrial Chamber representatives in Skopje yesterday. The basis for the development of economic connections should be set by signing an agreement on direct cooperation and forming of a joint Business Council, concluded the participants. It was said that there were currently two joint ventures between the two countries, but that increasing of their number would be good, especially for the pharmaceutical and food production.[10] PUBLIC CAMPAIGN FOR THE NATIONAL ECOLOGY PLAN STARTEDMacedonian media reported that the Government yesterday accepted the last phase of the Law on Protection and Improvement of the Environment. According to the official announcement, the Law states the obligations of the state and of local self government units in providing conditions for environment protection and improvement. This is the first time in Macedonia to have a legal basis established for preventing all legal or physical subjects from degrading or destroying of environment and nature.The Government yesterday also accepted the National Plan for Protection of Environment in Macedonia, which start was officially marked last Friday with a public campaign organized by the Movement of Ecologists in Macedonia and the Ministry of Civil Engineering, Works and Ecology. The Movement of Ecologists announced that in order to carry out the programme as successfully as possible all associations of ecologists would be involved, coordination committees would be formed, scientific discussions would be organized and educational materials would be distributed. The goal of the action is to include all Macedonian citizens in the promotion of the National Plan. The programme had been made by experts of the competent Ministry and will be used as a feasibility study for a project by which Macedonia will ask from the World Bank to be given credits for preventive solving of ecology problems. [11] SEMINAR ON MORE EFFECTIVE FIGHT AGAINST DRUGS ABUSEUNPREDEP Mission to Macedonia, Macedonian Internal Affairs Ministry and the 'Open Society' Institute yesterday organized a symposium on the subject of 'Drugs abuse - an interdisciplinary approach to the problem'. This international problem and the fight against it was discussed by experts of the UN Programme for Drugs Control and by representatives of the Department for Prevention of Crimes, who traveled around the country last week to contact the competent administrations. Jens Hanibal, a high officer for programme management, William Scouls and Phillip Conelli, British specialists in the field of fight against drugs, underlined that in order to fight this problem, Macedonia had to be included in international flows and programmes in this field, to change its regulations and to educate its police and customs staff properly.[12] 'YOUNG OPEN THEATRE' FESTIVAL BEGINS TODAYThe 21st international festival 'Young Open Theatre' ('MOT'), which will last till 12 October, will be opened today by the play 'Bahanalii' of a Macedonian-Swedish co- production. During the festival, 35 plays will be performed by theatres from 35 countries from Europe, USA and Asia. Besides the performances, there will be many meetings with authors, round table discussions, promotions, exhibitions and concerts. The best plays from Macedonia and Slovenia will be presented in separate blocks.MILS SUPPLEMENT[13] 'Banks Are Responsible for The Restrictions'('Vecer', 30 September, 1996)The realization of the monetary-credit policy so far has been recently more and more criticized in public. The most severe criticism comes from the opposition political parties representatives, who are suggesting loosening of the monetary 'chains' in order to stimulate the export. The entrepreneurs have also been complaining of the restrictive monetary-credit policy, explaining that they lack support from the banks and objecting to the too high interest rates of 14-24%, despite the low inflation. The National Bank of Macedonia (NBM) representatives are welcoming the well explained and analyzed critics. NBM Vice Governor Tome Nenovski finds the impressions about the restrictive policy a result of the changes introduced in the global credit policy in the country. 'It is the fact that banks have become more careful which has brought to changes. The banks are currently liquid and even have unused investments. They are facing problems, such as inability to find good projects or firms which would take loans and prove that they would certainly repay them. The banks have become careful enough in crediting the economic subjects, which means that they are not giving loans as easily as they used to. Banks have realized that the state can not help their rehabilitation,' Tome Nenovski said. The great demand for long term loans and the small number of well prepared projects make the impression that there is a need for money, but that banks are not approving credits due to the restrictive monetary policy. In context of that, one comes to the monetary aggregates that were not accomplished as planned. It mostly refers to the increased mass of money in circulation which is 344 million denars less this year than planned. However, Nenovski said it did not mean that giving credits should not be forced. Regarding the level of interest rates, the NBM stand is that they are still too high if compared with the discount rate of NBM, the level of prices and exchange rate of the denar. 'We still have active interest rates of 17-20% annually, in a situation when the exchange rate of the denar is stable, when the discount rate is decreasing (its current level is 9.2%) and when the inflation is low. The opinions in NBM are that interest rates should be further reduced. In case micro-economic indicators continue to develop in this way, interest rates should reach the West European normal level of 8-12% annually, depending on the amount and timing. It would certainly take place dynamically, so that an opposite effect is prevented, since low interest rates on savings would negatively influence the saving itself,' Nenovski explained. The discount rate is planned to be further reduced and should become a 'mark' according to which the bank interest rates would 'behave'. It would be achieved following the examples of highly developed countries where the discount rate is the highest one and all the others are lower. Foreign loans incomes also influence the reducing of bank credits interest rates. However, those loans did not come as expected. According to the entrepreneurs, it is due to the fact that banks in charge of carrying out the credits they had been given by the EBRD and others are calculating commissions which make the borrowed assets too expensive and non-stimulating. 'Basic interests rates on certain projects should satisfy the economic subjects if the agreements with foreign investors are respected. The EBRD credit was planned to be placed with 12% and 13% gross interest rates. It is not allowed to the banks to add to that amount. There is something else that should be checked: the banks are making the credit users to turn a part of the loan into shares or to make an insurance on them. All these expenses make the credits too expensive. And the banks should not do that. Still, I expect the economic inflow to influence the reducing of interest rates, since we are expecting a credit from the World Bank, which interest rate that should be paid by the end users should not be over 9%,' Tome Nenovski stated. (end)mils news 01 October, 1996Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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