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MILS: News from the FYROM, 97-06-16Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: "Macedonian Information Liaison Service" <mils@mils.spic.org.mk>CONTENTS
MILS SUPPLEMENTMILS NEWSSkopje, 16 June, 1997[01] PRESIDENT GLIGOROV ARRIVES IN WASHINGTON TODAYMacedonian Head of State Kiro Gligorov is expected to arrive in Washington today. This will mark the beginning of his first official visit to the US. The itinerary of the Macedonian President outlines that he will be received by his host, US President Bill Clinton and Under-Secretary of Defence John White tomorrow.Throughout their five-day visit to the US, President Gligorov and Foreign Secretary Blagoj Handzhiski are also to meet the President of the World Bank, a group of US Congressmen as well as representatives of Immigrants' Associations from the US and Canada. `Nova Makedonija' reports that President Gligorov and his spouse have spent their last weekend in Los Angeles, following their visit to China. [02] MACEDONIAN CONTRIBUTION TO A SAFE BALKAN REGIONThe session of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council - comprised of the Defence Secretaries of 16 NATO member- states and 27 `PFP' Programme members - focused on the exchange of views on several bilateral and security issues, on NATO expansion, cooperation among partners and the process of planning the activities of the Treaty Organisation and the PFP' countries. Macedonian media report that Macedonian Defence Secretary Lazar Kitanovski welcomed the forming of this NATO Partnership Council as a new structure to unite its members even more - as did most of the others attending this meeting. In this sense the Council is expected to intensify cooperation and coordination. In his address the Macedonian Defence Secretary also once again aired the view of Macedonia that the integration of SE countries into European processes may yield a considerable contribution to permanent stability and prosperity in Europe. In this context he stressed that the expansion of NATO was to bear in mind the regional equilibrium upon fortifying the South Wing of the alliance. `Vecher' reports that Defence Secretary Kitanovski expressed the readiness of Macedonia to form a permanent centre for peacekeeping operations training, which would be at the disposal of all member- states of the Euro- Atlantic Council, while adding that Macedonia was blessed with a variety of solid accommodation and infrastructure options. Kitanovski further stressed that Macedonia is ready to extend its hospitality to SFOR following the withdrawal from Bosnia.[03] EMINENT VISITOR FROM THE VATICANThese past few days went by in the sign of the visit of a distinguished visitor from the Vatican, His Eminence Cardinal Roger Echergay, Chairman of the Pontifical Council for Justice at the Holy Seat. The Cardinal was received by the representatives of Macedonia's political and clerical leadership, such as PM Branko Crvenkovski, Parliamentary Chairman Tito Petkovski, Minister Vlado Naumovski and the Head of OCM His Reverence Mihail. MTV reveals that talks with the Cardinal had mainly revolved around the positive quality of cooperation up to the present.During yesterday's visit to Ohrid His Eminence blessed the cornerstones for a new church dedicated to Ss. Cyril and Methodius. It has been revealed that the completion of the construction of this church is to coincide with the visit of Pope John Paul II. to Macedonia. [04] THEODORS PANGALOS: `VANCE SOON TO PROPOSE INTERNATIONAL REFERENCE FOR MACEDONIA'`We need to find a reference that will meet their (the Macedonian) needs of asserting their national identity - in addition to the need of Greece to clearly indicate the difference between this state and he Greek province of Macedonia, its history and its tradition', stated Greek Head of Diplomacy Theodoros Pangalos in an interview for Greek TV station `Mega.' In addition to this `Makfax' reports that the Greek Foreign Secretary noted that time for negotiations was becoming scarce as mediator Cyrus Vance could propose an international name for Macedonia to the UN Security Council any day. `This will entail a decision by the UN Security Council as regards the international name of the Republic of Skopje; what they will call themselves or we is of secondary relevance', noted Pangalos.According to the Greek statesmen at the moment both sides were busy playing `hear no evil, see no evil'... a concrete example for this could be seen in the fact that the Head of the Macedonian Delegation attending the Thessaloniki Ministerial Meeting referred to his country as `the Republic of Macedonia' without the Greek Minister intervening - or the time Foreign Secretary Pangalos said `Republic of Skopje' and his Macedonian counterpart did not protest. [05] PETAR STOYANOV: `NO MACEDONIAN MINORITY IN BULGARIA'`Issues between Bulgaria and Macedonia should be resolved in a satisfactory and fool-proof manner, in order to open up the borders between both states', stated Bulgarian President Petar Stoyanov during his recent visit to the Pirin area of Macedonia. In the opinion of Stoyanov the concept of a border- free Europe should be matched by a border-free Balkan peninsula. Bulgarian paper `Demokratija' reports that Stoyanov also visited the fortress of Samuel where he laid down a wreath and dedicated a short speech to `the heroism of Emperor Samuel and the glory of the ancient Bulgarian seat Ohrid.' `Nova Makedonija' informs that in response to the question posed by a journalist of Sofia paper `Kontinent' whether the President had become aware of a Macedonian minority in the Pirin area, Stoyanov said that `there was no need to search for a Macedonian minority as, in my opinion, there is no such minority in Bulgaria. I have given the same decisive reply to a question on the rights of the Macedonian minority in Bulgaria raised in Strasbourg.'[06] ESKOUSSIA: `GOVERNMENT CHANGES IN MACEDONIA ENTAIL CHANGES IN RELATIONS TO BULGARIA'`Bulgarian President Petar Stoyanov has decided to play the card `how to interfere with the internal political issues of Skopje...' in order to bring about changes with respect to bilateral relations of advantage to Sofia', commented pro-governmental paper `Eskoussia' concordant to `Makfax'. The Greek paper reports that Stoyanov expressed his hopes that a change of Macedonia's Government would result in an altering of bilateral relations. According to `Eskoussia' Stoyanov revealed that `the populations on both sides along the border lived in brotherhood as good neighbours, which is why politicians do have a certain responsibility towards them in this sense.'[07] VECHER: `HIGH MARKS FOR MACEDONIAN AGENDA TO COUNTER ORGANIZED CRIME'These days a Macedonian Delegation headed by Under- Secretary of Justice Mersim Polozhani attended the 21st European Meeting of Justice Secretaries in Prague, which concentrated on Organized Crime and corruption. `Vecher' informs that the presentation on current conditions in Macedonia included the outlining of reforms conducted in terms of criminal legislation, which is concerned with the fortifying of a legal framework to counter Organized Crime and corruption. The above mentioned daily also reports that the Government's Agenda on Countering Organized Crime had received very high marks.[08] `TAT' BANKING SCANDAL: `BANK CLIENTS TO BLOCK ACCESS ROUTES TO BITOLA TODAY'Based on data published by `Dnevnik' the deceived bank clients of Bitola- based `TAT' bank have decided to embark on a complete siege of all access routes to Bitola. This blockade is to continue until a final option on client restitution has been determined. The Chairman of the Bank Clients' Association Mende Mladenovski announced that this will initiate `D(ecision)-Week' as bank clients are at the end of their tethers. This is being particularly augmented by the indifference displayed by PM Crvenkovski as regards meeting client representatives once more, as he had promised initially - according to Mladenovski. He further stated that former NBM Vice-Governor Tome Nenovski has announced the disclosure of significant data on `big fish' involved in this scandal after having become a member of the bank clients' structures. Nenovski (who is currently being investigated for his involvement in the `TAT' affair) also appeared at bank client protests held at Bitola last Thursday, when he aired his empathy with the assembled while demanding the accountability of the (also) former NBM Governor Borko Stanoevski, who had requested the suspending of investigations as regards `TAT' during his stay on Cyprus.During the most recent meeting of the `TAT' Bank Clients' Council - `Vecher' reports - it has been decided that clients should review bank transactions through examining their contracts with the bank, in addition to holding a referendum on action to be taken should the Government not enact a law on refunding deposited savings and accrued interest rates as outlined in their contracts. Besides this, the Elementary Court of Bitola revealed that all findings of the judiciary investigation by the National Forensic Institute would be submitted to the DA on 25th June. [09] JUDICIARY ADMINISTRATION INSISTS ON FULFILLMENT OF REQUESTSThe strike of the judiciary administration in Macedonia continues these days, and strikers insist on the fulfillment of their demands, headed by the request for a 28% pay rise. The strike - according to `Dnevnik' - is being conducted in all judiciary institutions of the country except for the Court of Kumanovo. Thus employees are at their workplace, but clients are only being served in the most urgent of cases.The above mentioned daily further reports of increased tension entailed by the letter of Macedonia's Supreme Court Chairman Dimitrie Dimishkovski addressed to the other heads of courts throughout Macedonia, in which it is being stated that legal provisions obliged the upholding of operability at courts as state organs - even in times of strike. Participants of the latter denoted the proposed method of striking as a `new category of socialist protest.' During a meeting between the Presidents of Macedonia's Supreme Court Dimishkovski and the Trade Union Vancho Muratovski it was `clarified' that Dimishkovski - as the Chairman of the Supreme Court - had `a sort of obligation to counsel the Chairpersons of the remaining courts in Macedonia, just as the Trade Union was obliged to uphold the strike.' [10] OVER 90 000 ENTERPRISES REGISTERED IN MACEDONIABy the end of April the total of 90 727 enterprises have been registered in Macedonia, i.e. 0.1% more than last month. Based on information made available by the National Statistics Office, most of these businesses (95.9%) fall off to the private sector, while a mere 1.3% are nationally- owned, 1.6% are jointly owned companies and 1.2% are cooperatives. In terms of their function the majority of these businesses (61%) are commercial enterprises, followed by industrial and mining facilities (9.8%) - whereas the smallest share is being comprised of construction contractors (4.1%).[11] FARMERS DISSATISFIED WITH PURCHASE PRICE FOR WHEATThese days the Cooperative Federation of Macedonia has asked the Government to definitely increase the purchase price for wheat beyond the current rate of 10 denars per kilo of high-quality grains. `Nova Makedonija' reports that this request has been put forward due to an increase in global prices to app. 12 denars per kilo as far back as last year. Other arguments include last year's negative experience regarding the pressuring of farmers by mill owners to sell their grains for less than 10 denars a kilo, in return for not being charged processing costs. This is complemented by incomplete disbursement of even these lowered prices. At the same time a total of over 130 000 t of wheat at 12 denars per kilo have been imported.Farmers indicate that due to low prices and other manipulations employed by some of the buyers' they become less and less motivated to offer their surplus stocks. Macedonia - they say - suffers of a latent grain shortage and due to the discouraging of domestic farmers imports keep increasing with each year instead of declining. This is being complemented by the fact that buyers and processors are justifying their policy with a lack of financial means and the low price of flour on the domestic market. `Nova Makedonija' reports an improvement of these conditions, as the price for flour has reached 19.2 denars per kilo. This will have an impact on the overall state of affairs affecting mills, and ergo facilitate the raising of purchase prices. This year's wheat harvest is expected to amount to 280 000 t. Of these around 150 000 t should be available for purchase as surplus produce. At present it would be a success to keep this year's import at the 1996 level of 130 000 t. MILS SUPPLEMENT[12] `Our Lads More Efficient Than a Computer?!'(`Dnevnik' - 12th June 1997)Around ten bridges and just about as many tunnels on the railway link to Bulgaria are planned within the entire project. This burdens the budget of the latter by an additional 200 to 250 million US dollars. Due to this very reason the Government intends to plunge the country into yet another debt - this time with the EBRD and EIB, in order to secure the sustainability of this project. Initially it was being said that the entire project could be completed with 120 to 150 million dollars. Why did the overall cost end up being tripled? First and foremost because of the inclusion of the construction of two artificial lakes (Vakuf and Globochica) - an undertaking which, experts say, cannot be executed over the next few decades... It has been clear from the very beginning that the railway link to Bulgaria has always been a `political' investment - resembling the numerous ones we already have been blessed with in the past. Thus some experts finally raise the following question: how can one justify commencing construction procedures without having a developed project proposal? Was this approach taken just to be able to wake up one morning and `discover' that the execution of initial concept is being obstructed by no less than - the gas pipeline??? The latter, however, appears to be the smallest impediment. The `big whopppers' emerge in the shape of two artificial lakes - Vakuf and Globochica which just happen to have been overlooked... by accident or something worse... According to other estimates, these old and slightly forgotten projects have been taken out of the drawer at a later point of time (again totally coincidental or premeditated) - and thus it has been `discovered' that the railway link cannot be built for 120 to 150 million dollars, but for a whole waggonload of more `bongles'... The artificial lakes Vakuf and Globochica are a component of the long-term development strategy as regards the electricity and water supplies of Macedonia. The concepts for these ventures date back to the 60s, but since that time nobody ever bothered to mention them until now - at least not in a serious tone. Even nowadays insiders claim that these lakes could not be built within the next few decades. Once this stage would be reached, it would become necessary to flood the motorway section from Kumanovo to Kriva Palanka, constructed only a couple of years ago. Besides this, it would be require to `deep-six' several `Sileks' facilities... This again means that a pile of millions of dollars would have to be shaken lose to funds new investments, conduct expropriation procedures, etc. At present the only thing clear is that somebody - for God-knows-what-sort- of reasons - decided to alter the initial route; and those saying that the railway link should be given priority over any other `lengthy' projects (e.g. former Minister Jovan Andonov - Reagan) were ignored. Now we have a new `project' with more than concrete outcomes: carriers for the huge bridges (with a length over 500 m and a height of 65 m) are already being built. So far the highest bridges in Macedonia have the height of up to 36 m. In order to `add another attraction to the freak-show' the investor forgot that such objects should not be constructed without subjecting them to seismological tests. This requires computer simulations which could be conducted at IZIS (`The Institute for Seismological Engineering'). The Director of IZIS, Dimitar Jukurovski, stated: `The main investor behind this project, `Macedonian Railways', started building the bridges and tunnels and then suddenly remembered to request a security study from us. Regardless of all this, the Institute will provide this data once all tests have been completed.' The above mentioned tests are far from trivial - experts warn - as the link is cutting through a rather vulnerable region... At an average of 50 to 100 years this area has been hit by catastrophic earthquakes beyond level 8 on the Richter scale. In contrast to this, the Ministry of Transport and Communications is quoting a German evaluation concordant to which this project is so good that not even a computer could have done a better job! The next significant dilemma delves into the (non- )profitability of the `mother of all railways'... Basically, states are constructing railways while calculating on their geo- strategic and political significance and over a short term profitability may not be a factor in each case. Nevertheless we have to consider that according to the Macedonian Ministry of Transport and Communications our national railway company is handling 3 000 t in gross cargo per annum. Estimates have shown that even if the entire transport were to occur on this link, it would take decades to refund invested means. `Macedonian Railways' claim that the link with Bulgaria will only yield profit if the entire East-West corridor starts functioning, i.e. as soon as Macedonia is linked with Italy. But even if (and make that a huuuuuge `if') this should be the case in the not-so-near future, it will be necessary for Macedonia to modernize its entire corpus of railway vehicles. This means new investments, ergo new loans, ergo new burdens to load onto the back of the taxpayers... Is it possible to plan such costly and unpredictable ventures, while there are no funds to pay `Macedonian Railways' employees and the work completed so far? The `Granit' construction contractor says that the Government owed them 8.8 million DM, a sum equalling six net incomes for all of its 5 000 employees. The management of `Granit' decisively reject the statement of current Transport and Communications Minister Abdulmenaf Bedzheti that they continued constructions because `it was their own wish.' `This resembles a pantomime by deaf artists. The Government is aware of the fact that it is not in the position to disrupt work on the sites - and so are we. Thus we are all deadlocked. Should this remain the case, we will hold a press conference and `come out' with all our problems', say the employees of `Granit'. The 20-million-dollar credit issued by the Government in Bonn for the construction of the railway link towards Bulgaria is to be implemented once it has been determined that `the project is worth being supported', it is being stated at the German Embassy in Skopje. According to initial estimates the railway link should have cost between 120 and 150 million US dollars. At present the entire venture goes under the hammer for three times as much. Former Transportation Minister Jovan Andonov - Reagan, the man in charge of this project, claims that the project can certainly be finished for another 120 million dollars (only...) and `not a dime more'... The treaty outlining the project funding, which had been signed by representatives of the German and Macedonian Governments last year, also regulates conditions in which the loan granted by the German International Construction Bank may be implemented. This document renders a precise interpretation of the the phrase `worth being supported.' The treaty has been signed, the money has been approved and once both sides agree that there are realistic chances of this project ever being finished, those funds will be put to use - Embassy officials say. (end)mils news 16 June 1997Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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