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MILS: News from the FYROM, 97-06-17Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: "Macedonian Information Liaison Service" <mils@mils.spic.org.mk>CONTENTS
MILS SUPPLEMENTMILS NEWSSkopje, 17 June, 1997[01] CLINTON MEETS GLIGOROV IN WASHINGTON TODAYMacedonian media report that President Gligorov is commencing his first official visit to the US by meeting President Bill Clinton in Washington today. Based on most recent information President Gligorov and Foreign Secretary Blagoj Handzhiski are also to be received by Secretary of State Madleine Albright and Under-Secretary of Defence John White. It is being reported that talks will focus on Macedonia's possible admission into NATO and on greater US presence within the economic sector of Macedonia. In this context - it is being assessed - discussions will also delve into the activities of the US initiative `SECI' covering SE countries.A-1 TV reveals that the Greek-Macedonian divergent opinions as regards the name of the latter will most likely not debated during these meetings, as this is to be the thematic focus of negotiations in New York where another round of talks between Greece and Macedonia - mediated by Cyrus Vance - are in progress. In addition to this it has been made public that President Gligorov is to meet the Chairpersons of the World Bank and the International Financial Corporation; then he is to deliver a lecture at the `Carnegie Institute' on the theme of `Macedonia's Position within the International Community', meet several Congressmen and Senators - as well as immigrants from Macedonia resident in the US and Canada. [02] PM CRVENKOVSKI TO VISIT BELGRADE NEXT MONTHUpon assessing relations between FR Yugoslavia and Macedonia as solid, the Yugoslav Head of Diplomacy Milan Milutinovikj expressed the hope that those few contentious issues clouding bilateral relations will soon be resolved during the visit of PM Branko Crvenkovski to Belgrade. `Makfax' reports that Milutinovikj has given such a statement at yesterday's session of the Foreign Policy Council of the governing Socialist Party of Serbia. A-1 TV is relying on Government sources upon reporting that the journey of Branko Crvenkovski to Belgrade is to be seen as a reciprocal visit to the one paid by Yugoslav PM Radoje Kontikj to Skopje last year.It will most likely take place during the first half of next month. [03] DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS BETWEEN KUWAIT AND MACEDONIAMTV reports that Kuwait and Macedonia established diplomatic relations on an ambassadorial level at Ankara yesterday. The joint statement signed by Ambassadors Abdoullah Al Mourat and Trajan Petrovski stresses that the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations is to contribute to the strengthening and furthering of friendship and cooperation in all domains - concordant to the UN Charter and well-established international standards.[04] MACEDONIAN `SCORPIONS' AT MILITARY EXERCISES OPENED AT FORT POLK (US) YESTERDAYThe multinational military exercises `Cooperative Nugget `97' have commenced at Fort Polk (Louisiana) yesterday, with a parade of 4 500 troops from 18 NATO member-states and `PFP' countries. These exercises are also attended by troops of the Macedonian SF units known as `Scorpions'.[05] RADIO TIRANA ON DIPLOMAS ISSUED BY THE `UNIVERSITY OF TETOVO'Yesterday Radio Tirana reported that the diplomas issued by the `University of Tetovo' at Mala Rechica are to be recognized in Croatian and Slovenia without any difficulty. Thus students graduating of this `Albanian- language university' will be able to embark on post- graduate studies at any university in these two countries. `Makpress' reports that according to Radio Tirana the self-proclaimed Rector of this institution of higher education, Fadilj Suleymani, had been on a several-day-long tour leading him to Zagreb, Ljubljana and Maribor where the heads of the local universities promised their support with respect to European integration of the `University of Tetovo' (admission into the European Conference of Rectors). The correspondent of the Albanian Radio and TV Broadcasting Corporation in Macedonia reported that the `University of Tetovo' is to receive funds of 25 municipal budgets of communities where affiliates of the Albanian ethnicity are resident.According to MTV the news on the recognition of diplomas by this institution by universities in Slovenia and Croatia represents nothing but an ordinary canard. In connection to this the Macedonian Embassy in Ljubljana has reminded of the existence of a bilateral nostrification agreement, but that this treaty merely referred to such diplomas recognized in the state of its origin. MTV states that there is a similar agreement between the Education Ministries of Croatia and Macedonia. [06] `TAT' BANKING SCANDAL: `PLANNED BLOCKADE OF ACCESS ROUTES TO BITOLA NOT CARRIED OUT'This Monday several Macedonian media covered the announcements made by `TAT' bank client representatives that all access roads to Bitola would be blocked as a sign of protest. The blockade, however, was never executed, in spite of the fact - as `Vecher' reports - that the protest action has been registered at the Bitola Police Dept. Thus all access routes to Bitola and the streets and squares in the city remained quiet. According to Bank Clients' Association Chairman Mende Mladenovski the above mentioned measure was an individual move by some of the clients.[07] JUDICIARY STRIKE: `6 000 VIOLATION CASES TO BE DISMISSED'The strike of employees in the judiciary administration sector in Macedonia continued yesterday, while Trade Union and Government representatives still have not met to discuss a solution to this problem.According to representatives of the Trade Union covering the judiciary and public administration sectors, the statements given by Government officials that the budget lacks money to raise their pay are without substance. During yesterday's press conference Trade Union representatives clarified that the judiciary system is not financed through budget means, but that quite the opposite was the case: millions of funds generated by this system ended up being allocated to the budget. Thus the Elementary Court No.2 for example had forwarded 7 million DM to the budget last month. It has been emphasised that due to inappropriate personnel policy and the possibility of the strike continuing for quite some time a total of 6 000 cases of violations of the rules governing accounting transactions - costing the public nearly 6 million DM - may be dismissed to the fact that they passed the statutory deadline for providing a timely trial. The chain reaction to be entailed by this is more than evident - Trade Union representatives stated yesterday, adding that this was mainly to be attributed to difficulties in this sector accruing over the years. In the end it was once again stressed that unless solutions are found this week, strikers may be joined by public administration employees who are of vital significance to the functioning of the state. [08] ZORAN IVANOV OF THE MACEDONIAN RADIO THE NEW GOVERNMENT SPOKESMANBased on unofficial data broadcast by A-1 TV there is a high probability that the long-time employee of the Macedonian Radio Zoran Ivanov may be proclaimed the new Spokesman of the Macedonian Government. So far - is being reported - Ivanov has been holding the post of a Deputy Director at the Macedonian Radio. Up to the present the Government had only one Spokesperson - former Culture Minister Gjuner Ismail, after the suspending of this office during the third Government reconstruction.[09] GOVERNMENT SESSION: `BIDS FOR THE `CHEBREN' CONCESSION'Upon suggestion of the Ministry of Urbanism and Environmental Protection, the Macedonian Government has passed the decision to establish a commission which would be entrusted with choosing a recipient of the concession on the hydro-electricity works `Chebren.' This commission would be comprised of representatives from corresponding ministries and public utility enterprises.This is to be followed by the compiling of prerequisite technical documentation for granting such a concession while preserving the interest of the public. Concordant to what the Government has made public, the bidding is to consist of two stages: preliminary qualifications and the actual bidding. During yesterday's session the Macedonian Government also adopted a draft- bill on quality-control of agricultural produce in the international trade sector. Session records reveal that this proposal has the objective to secure the placement of quality products on markets throughout the country, in addition to regulating conditions to be met by goods to be exported and control mechanisms. Another adopted draft-bill proclaimed the `Tikvesh' locality at the canyon of the Crna Reka (`Black River') a national reserve is seen as the only way of preserving the natural riches in their entirety - at the same time creating conditions for maintaining, developing and advancing the multifarious genetic fund encountered within the `Tikvesh' reserve. The Government also discussed legislative projects on child protection, pre- school care and education... Other issues focused on the illegal trafficking of archeological findings from Macedonia between 1995 and May 1997. [10] NEGOTIATIONS ON `AUDI A-3' DEAL CONTINUE IN SKOPJE TODAYThe Macedonian Radio informed that negotiations between the Macedonian Government and German car manufacturer `AUDI' on the `AUDI A-3' project (the production of the A-3 model in Macedonia) are to continue in Skopje today.The Macedonian delegation will be comprised of Finance Minister Taki Fiti, then the Macedonian Ambassador to Germany H.E. Amb. Srgjan Kerim - as well as of WTO experts hired by the Macedonian Government. According to most recent information the Macedonian side is willing to make certain concessions in terms of fiscal benefits and more liberal tax criteria of the revenues generated by the company eventually set up in Macedonia. For now it remains unclear what attitude it will assume with respect the property on which the company would be built, i.e. whether it may be sold or let to the German partner. [11] ENDEAVOURS TO BOOST EXPORT OF LAMB AND MUTTONConcordant to the Resolution on Encouraging the Export of Lamb and Mutton, the Macedonian Government is to subsidize export with 47 denars per kilo should the purchase price for lamb amount to 70 denars per kilo.According to `Nova Makedonija' the above mentioned Resolution embodies a correction of the preceding decision which had caused dilemmas with livestock breeders and authorities as regards determining the final beneficiaries of these funds, thus not a single penny of these means has been allocated so far. This most recent Government decision provides a precise definition, stating that the premium is to be paid per kilo of exported mutton or lamb and not for each kilo of cattle while it is still alive. This is expected to rekindle and encourage livestock breeding and the export of mutton and lamb. The latter was burdened by an EU blockade, imposed as a preventive measure during the breaking out of the hoof- and-mouth disease in the recent past. This resulted in the complete closing of European markets, the main consumers of Macedonian mutton and lamb ( last 1 760 t were exported to Italy alone). The only alternative left was the Jordanian market. Thus a total of around 650 t have been exported to this country so far. Data obtained so far indicates that in comparison to last year the export of lamb has suffered a plunge by 64%, and the downward trend is expected to continue until the end of this year. Livestock breeders and exporters of lamb and mutton are left to await the suspending of the EU blockade whose duration remains uncertain for now. [12] MINIMUM AND PURCHASE PRICE FOR TOBACCO EQUAL THIS YEARThis year's minimum price for tobacco remains on the 1996 level of 82 denars, while its purchase price is to increase by 10 to 15% compared to last year's rate of 73 denars. Thus `Nova Makedonija' reports both tariffs are to reach an equal level and the state will not be required to cover the difference. After years of stagnation in the tobacco production sector, an upward trend has been registered and this latest move is to provide additional incentives to producers. This will only be augmented by the fact that the latter have still not been paid the differential funds for the 1996 harvest, a debt which farmers are by no means willing to forgive. Concordant to production plans for this year, a total of 15 418 hectares have been planted with tobacco.These are to yield a harvest of app. 25 thousand tons of which 90% fall off to oriental tobacco types, greatly in demand on the world market. MILS SUPPLEMENT[13] `The Prime Minister Is Running the Race of His Life'(`Puls' - 13th June 1997)One can no longer determine the shape (or even more than that) of the new economic package which is being compiled by the fourth Government cabinet of Branko Crvenkovski. Concordant to economic analysts, we are dealing with a package of a far greater scope than all its predecessors attempted in practice. If one considers that the package of measures adopted on the verge between 1993 and 1994 (as a result of the first STF arrangement concluded between the IMF and the Macedonian Government) outlined the foundations of future macro-economic stability - then the presently compiled package should provide two general strategies: the further strengthening of processes conducive to macro-economic stability up to the point of meeting standards required for EMU admission by EU member-states, and the future refurbishing of the thus procured macro-economic stability. To cut a long story short: there are three key prerequisites which need to be fulfilled through this new package of economic measures; addressing the huge amount of domestic debts in the economic sector; the compiling of a new all-inclusive concept on social policy; and all this needs to be garnished with a large pile of between one half and one entire billion DM for the Macedonian economic broth. Concordant to current Government estimates, dues of the economic sector towards the state amount to over 8 billion denars without accrued interest rates, while debts in the opposite direction total around one billion denars. During last week's session of the Government's Economic Council it has already been agreed to form a team comprised of Vice-President Dimitar Buzlevski and the Directors of the Public Revenue Dept. and the National Payment Flow Institute. The final stage would also include the Finance Minister. This team would be entrusted with the task of devising a solution for the domestic debts issue. Currently there are three possible points of reference this team may employ. First and foremost, the Government could focus on obtaining payroll contributions for the retirement and health insurance funds (debts of the economic sector towards the state are constituted of two almost equal shares between these sectors and withheld tax). This would commence the crusade to save the operability of these two funds. In spite of the fact that it is not being confirmed officially, it may very probably occur that certain discounts will be offered with respect to settling mutual obligations between the state and the economic sector (which at some point could even reach a 50% chunk). In such conditions a classical dilemma emerges in terms of choosing between unrealistic expectations (a budget with all fiscal dues settled, and all interests gathered, which would make a total of half a billion DM in funds) and the reality of current economic existence expressed through the charging of a decent sum from 50 to 100 million DM. Such possible generosity exhibited by the state would be gift- wrapped as the so-called `Croatian model' of payroll contribution charging. Should this approach be accepted the above mentioned contributions would be gathered almost automatically: by the middle of each arriving month all payroll contributions to cover retirement pension and health insurance costs of the ongoing month would be settled - regardless whether employees have actually received any pay. Thus two objectives would be achieved: one would evade the connecting of forwarding payroll contributions to the disbursement of pay (and the inefficiency of legal entities would burden them unlike before when losses were collective). In contrast to this one would eliminate any sort of necessity to pay employees without having them registered as such, which has been quite common so far in order to evade the payroll contributions. In the end three rounds of clearing transactions would be staged, adhering to the relations between economy - economy and economy - state. These should take place towards the beginning of this autumn. The new round of clearing will contain a greater amount of its obligatory conducting. To this purpose the National Payment Flow Institute has declared its readiness to make its data bases available. The entire clearing stage will have to be conducted without any alterations to the budget structure. One fourth of all budget means are being spent via social transfers and all this has obtained a certain logic in shape of an agreement reached between the Macedonian Government and the IMF on the necessity of a determined sum set aside for social purposes. to facilitate the execution of reforms. By now, however, it is already clear that within such a regulated framework on social issues the mark has been missed by a quite considerable margin for the following two reasons: in spite of a rather rich slice of the budget cake for the social sector, the equilibrium within the country has been seriously threatened; in contrast to this large social benefits have quite drained the labour market (the classical conflict between economic efficiency and social justice). Matters may also be explained in a different manner: that in such conditions characterized by rather insignificant differences between discrete social transfers and the height of an average net income throughout the country there are no substantial motives for seeking employment by welfare cases who prefer to complement their family budget through different forms of unregistered labour. Thus the state loses twice: it has to pay social benefits but receives no revenue in tax. In addition to this the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy do not have a clearly compiled budget breakdown allocating funds which most often end up in the Tetovo or Gostivar region, or at any other community of ethnic Albanians (this may be one of the reasons why the PDP is so fiercely battling to retain this portfolio within all post-Communist governments). The announced changes in the social services sector will draw on these very facts, thus revolving around three fundamental novelties: the sum of all social transfers is to be lowered from app. 11 to around 10 billion denars; social services are to encourage the providing of future employment to a greater extent, rather than advocating early retirement (one of the variants would connect the receiving of social benefits to the rendering of public service at the community level or anything of this sort in order to reduce the practice of `getting paid for sitting around at home'). This would be complemented by an increase of monitoring as regards the authenticity of records and data confirming the receiving of social services. To be more precise, politics will focus on job creation and to this purpose the entire social sector machinery - particularly its funds - will find a different utilization... To be continued... (end)mils news 17 June 1997Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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