MAK-NEWS 14/04/95 (M.I.L.S.)

From: "Demetrios E. Paneras" <dep@bu.edu>

CONTENTS

  • [01] MACEDONIAN-TURKISH AGREEMENT ON DEFENSE COOPERATION

  • [02] CRVENKOVSKI IN NEW YORK

  • [03] WORLD BANK REPRESENTATIVES ACTIVITIES STARTED

  • [04] DIPLOMATIC BRIEFS

  • [05] US AND UN ENGAGEMENT IN MACEDONIA NO ACCIDENT

  • [06] "IN SPITE OF GREECE"

  • [07] KINKEL'S MISSION UNSUCCESSFUL, GREEKS SAY

  • [08] AUTONOMOUS TRADE UNION PREPARING GENERAL STRIKE

  • [09] TWO THIRDS RECEIVE COMPENSATION

  • [10] SOLEMN OATH OF JUDGES

  • [11] CUSTOMS OFFICIALS DISCOVER 14 KILOS OF HEROIN

  • [12] SELECTOR ANNOUNCES NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM

  • [13] MILS SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT: CHIEF AMONG AMBASSADORS - PART I (Puls, 14 April, 1995)

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    M I L S N E W S

    Skopje, 14 April 1995

    [01] MACEDONIAN-TURKISH AGREEMENT ON DEFENSE COOPERATION

    Defense ministers of Macedonia and Turkey, Blagoj Handziski and Mehmed Golhan, yesterday signed an Agreement on Industrial and Technical Cooperation in the Field of Defense. The agreement is a legal basis for cooperation in this sphere and will start immediately after the arms embargo on Macedonia is lifted. This is in fact the third agreement on military cooperation between the two countries. Handziski underlined that the agreement is not directed against other countries, but includes the formation of a joint commission with highly trained experts who will be assigned to explore all possibilities for cooperation, define projects of common interest and offer suggestions for their accomplishment. The agreement will also enable an exchange of information concerning the latest technical achievements in the production of military devices. At a press-conference following the signing of the agreement, Handziski said any cooperation between neighboring countries or countries in the region will have a positive and relaxing impact on the overall situation in the Balkans. He said the talks also pointed to obstacles met by Macedonia in its economic development and integration into European and world associations. Both ministers expressed concern about the latest development in the crisis in former Yugoslavia, stressing that they share common support for the international community and the Contact Group in their efforts to put an end to the war in Bosnia. As long as the war is going on, there is a potential danger of its spilling over to the south, Handziski said. Golhan, having also met with President Gligorov and Prime Minister Crvenkovski, said the talks showed that there is high degree of similarity in views on the situation in the region, pointing out that the irrational Greek policy is attempting to achieve its unacceptable goals by pressure. He said, "Turkey regards Macedonia's sovereignty and territorial integrity as extremely important. Just as peace in Macedonia is essential to peace in the entire region, it is essential to us that Macedonia has good relations with all its neighbors." Today, Golhan will visit Prilep and Bitola.

    [02] CRVENKOVSKI IN NEW YORK

    Macedonian Foreign Minister Stevo Crvenkovski yesterday left for New York to lead the Macedonian delegation at the Conference of Ministers of Member Countries for the Agreement for Nuclear Disarmament. The conference starts on April 17 and the Agreement is expected to be extended for another 25 years or to an indefinite period. Two days ago the UN Security Council, within the framework of the conference, adopted a resolution to grant safety and security to non-nuclear member states of the Agreement, including Macedonia. The conference is anticipated with great interest, due to the known and clearly opposed positions between Western countries of the so-called nuclear club and Arabic countries. The former insist on halting the spread of nuclear arms, whereas the latter oppose the former's right to a monopoly over nuclear weapons.

    [03] WORLD BANK REPRESENTATIVES ACTIVITIES STARTED

    Wilfred Alvich, vice president of the World Bank, and Rachel Lomax, Director of the European Department, yesterday met with general managers of the largest banks in Macedonia. The talks were also attended by Alberto Eguren, World Bank representative to Macedonia, Macedonian Deputy Minister of Finance, Hari Kostov, and Deputy Governor of the National Bank of Macedonia, Tome Nenovski. In the next few days the World Bank delegation will meet with the management of the 25 companies with highest losses and several ministers and top politicians.

    [04] DIPLOMATIC BRIEFS

    - Horhe Fuentes, newly appointed ambassador of Spain to Macedonia, yesterday handed over his credentials issued by Huan Carlos I, King of Spain, to Ljupco Arsovski, Deputy Foreign Minister of Macedonia. - Yesterday in Helsinki , Victor Gaber, the undersecretary in the Macedonian Foreign Ministry, was received by Paavo Rantanen, Foreign Minister of Finland. They stated mutual readiness to develop Macedonian-Finnish relations and the Macedonian side expressed gratitude for Finland's support in the international affirmation of Macedonia. The Finish Foreign Minister announced his intention to visit Macedonia in the near future.

    [05] US AND UN ENGAGEMENT IN MACEDONIA NO ACCIDENT

    A1 Television reports that a German daily, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, published Macedonian President Gligorov's statement on having been assured by the US Administration that the Bosnian conflict will not spill over to Macedonia. It is no accident, Gligorov reportedly said, that the US and the UN have deployed forces in Macedonia. Their presence is a type of warning to all those who might reach for Macedonia's territory. Washington is very much aware that a potential war in the Southern Balkans would be disastrous and could spread towards Turkey and the Middle East. In his statement for the paper, Gligorov called on Serbian President Milosevic to recognize the Republic of Macedonia, adding that a Greater Serbia has no chances of being established because the current relations in the Balkans are so complex and interwoven that no pure national state could be created without bloodshed.

    [06] "IN SPITE OF GREECE"

    Yesterday's issue of the Dusseldorf daily Handelsblat published a comment on a gradual stabilization of Macedonia's economy, titled "In Spite of Greece". The comment appeals to Greece, now that relations with Albania have been partially normalized, to find a modus vivendi with Macedonia as well, since even the Greek Government is fully aware that the absurd blockade cannot last forever. The article also says the German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel expressed hope that Macedonia and Greece will soon establish normal relations, but the paper points out that Kinkel should state this clearly in Athens as well. The reasons for Macedonia's current problems should be sought in Athens, whose Government completely isolated Macedonia a year ago. Still, the comment says, in spite of this the economy in this country of 2 million people has succeeded in stabilizing itself to a certain extent. Foreign trade via Albania and Bulgaria is growing, with the export of minerals, tobacco, fruits, vegetables and textiles. The Government stabilization program is already yielding results, there has been a 1 per cent growth of the economy and expectations are that the economic growth will amount to 6 per cent next year, the paper concludes.

    [07] KINKEL'S MISSION UNSUCCESSFUL, GREEKS SAY

    According to the Athens news agency, the recent visit to Macedonia by Klaus Kinkel disappointed the authorities in Skopje. Instead of support, Kinkel put pressure on Skopje to show signs of good faith as a precondition for direct talks with Greece. Government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos issued a similar statement two days ago, saying Greece has done all to assure its good faith, but that the other side is persistent and retreats only occasionally. Nova Makedonija, on the other hand, reports of rumors in Athens of Kinkel's having allegedly confirmed, upon his return to Bonn, that President Gligorov had not excluded the possibility of ordering Foreign Minister Stevo Crvenkovski to sit at the negotiating table in New York, under mediation efforts by Bonn. Kinkel is said to have blamed Papoulias for the recent "failed attempt", claiming that the latter violated the agreement with the UN mediator and, according to which, the renewal of talks was to be announced only after both sides confirmed their readiness in written form. Belgrade media also described Kinkel's mission as unsuccessful. They said Kinkel, apart from his support for Gligorov's policy, offered Skopje no concrete suggestion for overcoming the dispute with Greece. The media took advantage of the visit to send several messages to Macedonia. Papers wrote that, since Bulgaria, Serbia and Montenegro present no danger to Macedonia, it would be best to "deploy Orthodox troops from these countries to Macedonia, in order to prevent the US intention to create an Albanian-Macedonian confederation." According to them, it would be much better for Macedonia to integrate with its neighbors than to be divided up by Albanian separatists and the American idea for inclusion of Macedonia into a pan-Islamic bloc.

    [08] AUTONOMOUS TRADE UNION PREPARING GENERAL STRIKE

    The Association of Independent and Autonomous Trade Unions in Macedonia said the recent talks between the Association of Trade Unions and the Government were a sheer manipulation of the workers by the Union president, Zhivko Tolevski. Therefore, the Independent Union will continue with the preparations for a general strike in Macedonia. The demonstrations will take place in front of the Government building in Skopje, in front of local municipality assemblies and by blocking certain roads. The exact date is to be set sometime next week. The Union repeated its demands as stated a year ago: constructive and economically justified privatization; a referendum on the privatization model; no privatization in the areas of public health, education, post, rail, electricity, mines and natural resources, and the property of the Trade Union; free education and health services; reduction in the administration; social guarantees for impoverished citizens; stable and independent pension and other social funds; clear relations between the Government and the Union; stimulation of agricultural policy; a solution for the status of farmers; the return of frozen foreign currency savings of citizens; changes in the Educational Act; security for workers in insolvent firms; and finally, payment of delayed pensions. Independent Union president, Stojan Nikolov, warned that the general strike will last as long as it takes to meet most of the demands or the Government resigns. On the other hand, according to Prime Minster Branko Crvenkovski and Association of Trade Union president Zhivko Tolevski, the Union and the Government are on the way to reaching agreement on the majority of the issues. A new meeting has been scheduled for two weeks from now and Tolevski says the initiative for a general strike may be withdrawn if matters continue to develop with such dynamics.

    [09] TWO THIRDS RECEIVE COMPENSATION

    According to latest information from the Ministry of Economy, Macedonian Television says, the majority of workers in the 25 companies in Macedonia with highest losses are currently receiving compensation as determined by the Law on Restructuring Part of Large Companies With High Losses . Up to yesterday, 10,508 workers (two thirds) of the total of 15,576 surplus workers from these companies have already received compensation.

    [10] SOLEMN OATH OF JUDGES

    Judges appointed as members of the Supreme Court in Macedonia yesterday gave solemn oaths in presence of Parliamentary President Stojan Andov. Congratulating them on the promotion, Andov pointed out the importance of this judicial body for the state.

    [11] CUSTOMS OFFICIALS DISCOVER 14 KILOS OF HEROIN

    Yesterday, at the Macedonian-Greek border-crossing Medzitlija near Bitola, Macedonian customs authorities discovered 14 kilos of heroin in a car driven by two Slovakian citizens. The investigation revealed and arrested an international group of 6 smugglers, consisting of 4 Slovakian and 2 Macedonian citizens. The police informed that the Macedonians, who bought the drugs in Turkey and smuggled them into Macedonia, were the main organizers.

    [12] SELECTOR ANNOUNCES NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM

    Kiril Doncevski, selector of the Macedonian national soccer team, announced yesterday the list of players to appear at the coming European Cup qualifying match against Denmark in Copenhagen, on April 26. The team will consist of Celevski, Miloshevski, Stanojkovic, Jovanovski, Najdovski, Markovski, Savevski, Stojkovski, Boshko and Milko Gjurovski, Kanatlarevski, Micevski, Serafimovski, Memedi, Pancev, Boshkovski and Ciric.

    [13] MILS SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT: CHIEF AMONG AMBASSADORS - PART I

    (Puls, 14 April, 1995)

    One year ago, on April 4, Mr. Victor Comras took over the position of Chief of the US Liaison Office in Skopje, a position of official representative of the United States. His diplomatic career started in Lubumbashi, Zaire, as a vice consul; he then proceeded on to various duties under the State Department in Africa, Canada and Europe, to end up a deputy of the US Assistant Secretary of State - in charge of surveillance over the implementation of sanctions against Serbia and Montenegro - before coming to Macedonia. The following is an interview of Mr. Comras with a Puls reporter. Question: Should I address you by "Mr. Comras" or by "Ambassador"? Answer: No, I believe Mr. Comras or Vic Comras would be more appropriate. I also like the Macedonian term "gospodin (mister)". Question: The reason I asked you this was because there have been rumors lately that you have been promoted to an ambassador. Answer: No, such a promotion is always connected with an establishment of full diplomatic relations. There is this procedure in the United States - when diplomatic ties are established, the White House requests that the US Administration appoint an ambassador. Prior to this, the Senate would have to approve it by a two-third majority of votes. This is an entirely formal process which can only start once diplomatic relations have been fully established. I was appointed in accordance with the section of the Foreign Service Act which we refer to as 502-C. This in fact means a position of a "chief of mission", an area in which the President delegates an authority to the Secretary of State to appoint a chief of mission in certain diplomatic missions, who can function with the same authority and responsibility as an ambassador and, I would like to point this out, with the same salary, which is very important. But, I am a chief of mission under the 502-C of the Foreign Service Act, which gives me the authority that I have here in Macedonia. Question: Speaking of procedures, we were recently able to read that, during the two Congress hearings of Secretary of State Christopher and his assistant Holbrooke the Republican congressman Beroyter raised a special question regarding the establishment of full diplomatic ties with Macedonia, saying that they would be able to provide the required majority of votes, should such a decision be motioned at Congress. Answer: According to the Constitution, a decision for establishment of diplomatic relations is made by the President. Right after such a decision is made, the President is to address the Senate as part of the process for appointing an ambassador. I think what congressman Beroyter was talking about was recent concerns with how certain congressmen would react to such a decision, expressing his personal support. Question: Prior to your position in Macedonia, you were in charge of control over the implementation of the sanctions against Yugoslavia. How was this position connected to Macedonia and why were you chosen for the position? Answer: I do not think there is any direct connection between my position here and my earlier duties. Those duties only enabled me to get acquainted with Macedonia and the Balkan region, although I had been familiar with the Balkans before this as well, as I often used to work on East-West economic relations in the State Department. Yet, problems and economic and political issues in the Balkans became more clear to me in the period when I was assigned to form and establish the structure for implementation of the sanctions implemented by the United Nations. This also brought me to Macedonia for the first time. Thus, when I was informed of the question of my appointment here, I already had some knowledge of problems and issues in Macedonia. It was a pleasure to be asked by the Secretary of State to accept this duty and I accepted it without hesitation. Question: Would you say you are satisfied with the level of the current US-Macedonian relations? Answer: In my view, we have established good relations between the US and Macedonia. I would rather speak more about the essence of the relations than the accompanying formalities. I have been here for a year. I arrived in Macedonia on 4 April 1994. Since then, relations are constantly developing in all possible spheres. We have very healthy relations with every ministry in your government. I think our relations with the Foreign Ministry, just as with the President, are very good. We are also close to the Defense Ministry. We established a number of information programs, such as on the level of educational exchange, with the University, with the trade sector in Macedonia, and we expect to sign a global agreement on technical and scientific cooperation which, simply said, will largely facilitate the previously established cooperation in this field. We have expanded our relations in all the fields one could imagine. What we met with here is a very friendly and open attitude, as well as encouragement from the Macedonian side for as close relations as possible. Question: With an attitude like this, you may disagree with the general impression in Macedonia that the level of political relations in not in accordance with the intensive development of military cooperation. What is this discrepancy a result of? Answer: I do not see such a discrepancy. I think our political relations are as close as relations between any two friendly countries in the international community. The relations may look different on the surface, but in the very essence, we have a complete and very close exchange of views with all adequate government agencies on issues like the foreign policy, areas of economic development, security and stability of Macedonia, as well as in all spheres of common interest such as democracy, human rights... in all spheres I can think of. The only limit that I would say exists is the one resulting from the fact that this is a new mission and is currently developing and growing. On our part, for instance, we are limited by the fact that we still lack more people and means necessary to move forward and expand to many other fields. I would like for myself and my men here to be able to travel more throughout Macedonia, to get out of Skopje. So far we have been able to do only very little about this, as there is not enough of us to go about all the things we would like to. We have reached the maximum capacity of possibilities we have in this building. We started with only one chair and a table a year ago and we expanded so much that we now occupy the entire building. On March 1, we signed an agreement with the Government for a new building, which is to be the future representative office of the United States here. The building is very good and we hope the reconstruction works planned for this year will enable us to reach the desired security standards and redesign the interior. We also hope to expand our personnel and be able to cover for all activities.

    (to be continued)

    (end)

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