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MILS NEWS 05/04/96From: "M.I.L.S." <mils@MILS.SPIC.ORG.MK>Macedonian Information Liaison Service DirectoryCONTENTS[01] INVESTMENTS AGREEMENT WITH THE USA[02] DIPLOMATIC OFFICES IN ITALY, DENMARK AND CROATIA SOON[03] DOUBLE STANDARD POLICY AGAINST ALBANIA?[04] REVISION OF THE THESSALONIKI PORT PRICES[05] FRY AND OTHER FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLICS - EQUAL MEMBERS OF IMF[06] CONSULTATIONS ON THE BALKAN FOREIGN MINISTERS MEETING[07] RENEWED HUNGER STRIKE OF THE WORKERS OF 'CHIK'[08] ADDITIONAL ELECTIONS IN THE SKOPJE UNIT 102[09] SIGNATURES COLLECTING OFFICIALLY ENDED[10] DPM - ENERGY SHOULD BE DIRECTED TOWARDS LOCAL ELECTIONS[11] SEMIFINAL PAIRS FOR THE FOOTBALL CUP KNOWNMILS SUPPLEMENT[12] 'Clearly Defined Identity of Macedonia' (Extracts from the interview of Prof. Rober Badenter for 'Puls' weekly)MILS NEWSSkopje, 5 April 1996[01] INVESTMENTS AGREEMENT WITH THE USALjubomir Frchkovski, Macedonian Foreign Minister, and Victor Comras, the Chief of the US Embassy Mission to Macedonia, will sign an Agreement on encouraging the American investments in Macedonia. As Macedonian Foreign Ministry announced, it is expected that other agreements on investments protection and avoiding double taxation will follow soon as well.The Agreement determines the place and role of the US Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), authorised by the US government to insure the American investments worldwide. The Corporation offers financial means to the US investors, but mostly provides guarantees for protecting the investments from political risks. As the US Embassy in Skopje explained, American investments in the agri-business, chemical industry, mining and telecommunications can be expected in Macedonia. OPIC has supported and insured US investments of $ 84 billion in 144 countries during the last 25 years. [02] DIPLOMATIC OFFICES IN ITALY, DENMARK AND CROATIA SOONRepublic of Macedonia will soon open diplomatic offices in Italy, Denmark and Croatia, reported 'Sitel' Television, according to information from sources close to the Macedonian government. Macedonian Ambassador to Italy will be Victor Gaber (current under-secretary in the Foreign Ministry), to Denmark Muhamed Halili, former Minister without portfolio, and to Croatia Iliaz Sabriu, former Minister of Labour and Social Policy.[03] DOUBLE STANDARD POLICY AGAINST ALBANIA?Today's daily 'Dnevnik' informs on a recent statement of the Albanian Embassy representative in Macedonia Kember Faruku, that the high visa taxes are a kind of wall between Albania and Macedonia. He said the obstacles were a result from the Macedonian discriminative treatment of Albania.According to 'Dnevnik', PDP shares the opinion that Macedonia implements a double standard policy - one for the west European countries and another for Tirana. PDPA is also for abolishing the visas in the communication with Albania. The situation is expected to be cleared during the visit of the Albanian Foreign Minister Alexander Meksi to Macedonia. [04] REVISION OF THE THESSALONIKI PORT PRICESA delegation of the Macedonian Chamber of Commerce, led by its vice President Doshe Kotevski, is paying a return visit to the Chamber of Trade of Northern Greece in Thessaloniki.Macedonian transporters and other entrepreneurs will ask for a revision of the prices of the Thessaloniki Port services, as they are much higher than the ones of the Bulgarian Port of Burgas, reports today's daily 'Vecer'. [05] FRY AND OTHER FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLICS - EQUAL MEMBERS OF IMF'The International Monetary Fund is ready to renew the membership of FR Yugoslavia under the same procedure used for the other former Yugoslav republics,' said the FRY National Bank Governor Dragoslav Avramovic on a press conference yesterday in Belgrade. He accused his government for blocking the most recent Agreements with the IMF by requiring an automatic succession of the SFRY membership in IMF. Avramovic stated that it would postpone the returning of FRY to the international finance institutions and make it uncertain. According to the Macedonian Radio, he also qualified the Yugoslav stand as irrational, saying FRY had accepted the quota of 36.5%, given by IMF three years ago, by which it had practically agreed to be one of the five successors of SFRY in relation to the Fund.[06] CONSULTATIONS ON THE BALKAN FOREIGN MINISTERS MEETINGForeign Ministers of Bulgaria and Greece, Georgi Pirinski and Theodoros Pangalos, discussed yesterday in Athens the improvement of the bilateral cooperation in the field of economy and trade, emphasizing the importance of the construction of Burgas - Alexandropolis oil pipe line.According to Athens News Agency, Pirinski briefed Pangalos on south Balkans meeting on security cooperation held in Tirana, a gathering which Greece did not attend because Romania and Serbia had not been invited. Macedonian Radio informed that the two Ministers are also expected to discuss the Bulgarian initiative for a Conference of the Foreign Ministers of Balkan countries, with participation of Russia. [07] RENEWED HUNGER STRIKE OF THE WORKERS OF 'CHIK'The workers of the loser enterprise 'Chik' in Kumanovo have renewed their hunger strike several days ago, because their requests and the agreement with the government were not fulfilled as promised. Minister Dimitar Buzlevski, who visited the workers yesterday, is expected to meet today with the Management Board of 'Chik' and with other bodies in charge of the requests set by the strikers.[08] ADDITIONAL ELECTIONS IN THE SKOPJE UNIT 102The State Electoral Commission completed the list of the candidates for a member of the Macedonian Parliament from the Skopje Electoral Unit 102. The elections are organized for the vacant position of the PDP member Naser Ziberi, who was appointed Minister of Labour and Social Policy in the latest reconstruction of the government. The candidates are:Esad Rahik - SDSM, Rizvan Suleimani - PDP, Tenzi Beluli - independent candidate, and Sabahudin Mahmuti - PDPA-NDP. The Commission made public yesterday that there were 13 016 voters listed, that the Unit included nine local communities and five settlements, and that there would be 18 polling places. The voting will take place on Sunday, April 7, and the electoral silence has began at midnight yesterday. [09] SIGNATURES COLLECTING OFFICIALLY ENDEDCoordination Board on the initioative of collecting 150 000 signatures for referendum on early elections, announced yesterday that the collecting ended on April 3, 1996. The total number of the signatures is over 200 000. The Coordination Board requires a referendum to be scheduled inevitably.According to yesterday's statement of the Macedonian Justice Minister, Vlado Popovski, for Macedonian TV, the verification of the signatures with the electoral lists is already under procedure, adding that the new law on collecting signatures does not imply on this case. [10] DPM - ENERGY SHOULD BE DIRECTED TOWARDS LOCAL ELECTIONS'Democratic Party of Macedonia is a Party of the political centre that puts the citizen in the foreground,' said its President Tomislav Stojanovski on a press conference held on the occasion of the fourth anniversary of the Party.Stojanovski said that DPM supported all the civil initiatives, but believes early elections can not be organized, due to objective reasons. That is the reason why, according to him, the energy of the political forces should be directed towards local elections. Stojanovski also presented his objection to President Gligorov, who 'ignored his obligation to address the Parliament at least once a year'. [11] SEMIFINAL PAIRS FOR THE FOOTBALL CUP KNOWNThe semifinal matches of the Macedonian Football Cup will be played between 'Vardar' from Skopje and 'Pelister' from Bitola, and between 'Shkendija' from Arachinovo and 'Sloga - Jugomagnat' from Skopje. The first matches will take place on April 17, and the rematches on May 1.Yesterday, the new anthem of the World Football Federation was officially promoted at the City Stadium of Skopje, and it will be played at the beginning of all matches in Macedonia in future. MILS SUPPLEMENT[12] 'Clearly Defined Identity of Macedonia'(Extracts from the interview of Prof. Rober Badenter for 'Puls' weekly)'Macedonia has fulfilled all the conditions and requests (i.e. the complete criteria) for a democratic development.The legal consequence followed inevitably - a free way for Macedonia to become an independent and sovereign country,' said the famous French professor and lawyer Rober Badenter in his exclusive interview for the weekly 'Puls', referring to the work of the Conference on Former Yugoslavia, and the conclusions brought by the Arbitrage Commission in 1992 regarding Macedonia. Referring to the current situation in the Balkans, Badenter stressed that the past had to be forgotten, since otherwise it might bring to another war and the eternal hatred would never be buried. On the name dispute with Greece, he said: 'According to the international law, using a certain name by a country is a free choice, and nobody else has either exclusivity or a monopoly on it. The politics and the history are, however, a different thing. There is, also, another aspect referring to the name issue, i.e. how should we call the Macedonians unless Macedonians? Maybe Fyromers or Skopjans? Wouldn't that be funny? In this case, the identity is clearly defined because you are Macedonians. As when it is a day, we must say it is a day. The day can not be confused with the night.' On the question what is his stand regarding the orientation of Macedonia to integrate in Europe, Badenter answered: 'The Europeanization and the regionalization are inevitable processes, going hand in hand. I think the regionalization can not be avoided, as the geographic factor is unchangeable. Macedonia is where it is, and its neighbours are what they are. It requires from the Macedonian government and people to create a regional balance. With exception of the primary integration - European, I insist on such a policy. Macedonia with its international and Balkan policy, already has and still is confirming that. I think the road for Macedonia is marked out - European integration. That is the only true solution and the only exit for the economy and the politics. I can not see any other alternative.' Badenter, as a President of the French - Macedonian Friendship Association, also said: 'I am very glad to chair the Association. I will work on intensifying the relations between the two countries, especially in the field of culture, in which both parties are interested. There are chances for me to visit Macedonia at the end of May, but I will most probably come in November, when your Parliament will have a celebrating session on the Anniversary of passing the Constitution.' (end)mils news 5 April 1996 |
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