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MILS: News from the FYROM, 97-02-20Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: "Macedonian Information Liaison Service" <mils@mils.spic.org.mk>CONTENTS
MILS SUPPLEMENTMILS NEWSSkopje, 20 February 1997[01] STUDENTS PROTEST IN SKOPJE CONTINUESOn the third day of the student protests in the streets against the Law on the Pedagogical Faculty the same situation of the previous two days was repeated. The media have reported that there have been about 5 thousand people at the protest. The well known slogans were repeatedly shouted out and again there was the throwing of eggs, cans, stones at the building of the education Ministry, the Government and the Parliament. Most numerous among the protesting people were the high school pupils from Skopje who were joined by part of the students from the Pedagogical Faculty. `We are not missing the lectures, we are loosing our language', `Parents, come! Your children are waiting for you', `In Macedonia - Macedonian language' were the slogans shouted out but most loud was the demand for resignation of the Education Minister, Sofija Todorova. The poster with this demand for resignation was carried in a garbage bin in front of the protesting procession.Yesterday in front of the Government leaflets containing mutual demands were passed around the students. The leaflets mainly consisted of: annulment of the Law on the Pedagogical Faculty, irrevocable resignation of the president and the leadership of the Student Union at the `SS. Cyril and Methodij' University and cancellation of the quote of 10% admission to faculties on part of the nationalities by which, as it is stressed, the `apartheid in the high education' will be ended. At the end it is cited that unless these demands are accepted, a complete resignation of the Government will be demanded. Yesterday before noon delegates of the Student Organization from the pedagogical Faculty was received by Radmila Kiprijanova, rector of the `SS. Cyril and Methodij' University. The Macedonian Radio reports, after the meeting the president of the Student Union at he Pedagogical Faculty, Mirjana Kitanovska said that she was pleased with the talks and informed that the rector Kiprijanova had accepted the demands for enforcement of a law on the high education and that the president's office stands behind the attitudes of the University Senate regarding the Law on the Pedagogical faculty. Besides other things, Kitanovska in the statement given to the Macedonian radio announced that most probably today student delegates will be received by the President of the republic, Kiro Gligorov. Yesterday the leadership of the Students Union at the Pedagogical Faculty held a press conference at which once more they affirmed the demands. They also pointed out that the quiet protest is not directed towards any minority and has no intentions of creating national tensions. At the same time the Union restrained itself from the unbecoming behaviour and slogans of some individuals, and expressed disappointment from the treatment on part of the media. Regarding the high school pupils' concern with the Law on the Pedagogical Faculty it has been said that it originates from the fact that they will be faced at the admission to the faculties with the 10% nationalities quote and this has been assessed as non- democratic. Yesterday from the rector's conference of the Universities Association of Macedonia came an announcement which among other says that the problem with the high education will be solved with an inevitable and urgent enforcement of a Law on high education which will integrally resolve the issues in the high educational activities. The universities of Macedonia wish to actively participate in the enforcement of the law, it is said in the announcement. Yesterday there was an announcement from the Students Union at the `SS. Cyril and Methodij' University. The Union publicly expresses its attitude of dissatisfaction with the passing of the law on the pedagogical Faculty adding that they demand a greater engagement on part of the state structures in order to pass the Law on high education as soon as possible. The Union sees the solution to the problem of the Law on languages in which the lectures are conducted at the Pedagogical Faculty in Skopje, in the of the setting in motion the institutional mechanisms. This Union will also set an initiative to the Constitutional Court for re- examination of the constitutionality of the Law. The In Students Union at the University publicly criticized the involvement of the high school pupils in the protest, and the way in which the protest is conducted. As many media report, yesterday and the day before in some high schools there were teachers - parents meetings so as to take the pupils away from the streets. The protests through the streets in Skopje are continuing with the same intensity and according to the announcement they will last till tomorrow. [02] UIASM CALLS FOR MASSIVE STRIKEThe Union of Independent and Autonomous Syndicates of Macedonia at yesterday's press conference informed that the Coordination body of the unemployed, the technological surplus and the labor invalids called all citizens from this category in Skopje to appear in front of the Government building every day from 12 to 16 hrs ant to participate in the strike. The strike is supposed to make Prime Minister Branko Crvenkovski talk and make arrangements for fulfilling the demands on paying off the salaries of 60% which are the basic existence of each citizen from this category. At the same time UIASM informs that the following two days this category of citizens will also be made active in other municipalities in the country.[03] DEBATE ON THE NORTH-SOUTH CORRIDOR IN BRUSSELSYesterday in Brussels a meeting was held of the delegates from the traffic and transport ministries from the European countries in order to establish the priority traffic corridors in Europe which should be accepted at the Pan-European Conference in Helsinki. At the meeting of the `G-24' group in Brussels, at which the traffic corridors through Europe will be determined, participate delegates from the Macedonian Ministry for Traffic and Connections headed by the sub-secretary of the Ministry, Boris Chaushevski. At this meeting as well as at the one held two weeks ago in Skopje, it should be decided whether the 10 - North -South corridor passing through Macedonia will be included in the project for global strategy of the traffic in Europe. As it is known, corridor 8 which connects the Black and the Adriatic Sea and goes through Macedonia has already been accepted by the Group and it crosses corridor 10 in Macedonia. At the meeting besides the delegates there were also present representatives from international organizations and banks.[04] MISUNDERSTANDINGS REGARDING `BUCHIM' DEBT TO GERMAN PARTNERS SETTLEDSR Germany gives its total support to Macedonia regarding the up-coming Donation Conference in Brussels, it was said at yesterday's talks in Bon among the Vice-president of the Macedonian Government, Jane Miljoski, and his German colleagues. `Dnevnik' reports, with these talks all misunderstandings regarding the debt of the `Buchim' mine from Radovish to the East-German partners have been settled. it has been arranged that the Macedonian Government should take over the debt which has been cut from 10 down to 6 million DM.[05] INTENTION FOR TOTAL LIBERALIZATION OF TRADE RELATIONS BETWEEN MACEDONIA AND SR YUGOSLAVIAYesterday in Belgrade there was a meeting of expert groups held for realization of the Agreement on trading between Macedonia and SR Yugoslavia. At this meeting, as reported by the Macedonian TV, the intention of total liberalization of the trading relations between the two states was expressed. It has been concluded that this year these relations will be conducted upon the established lists, i.e. according to the dimension of contingents based on the Agreement signed last year. The meeting was lead by the host Vice - president of the Yugoslav Government, Nikola Shainovich and the Vice- president of the Macedonian Government, Bekjir Zzuta and there have been talks on the simplification of the pay circulation functioning between the states and the lowering of the transport taxes.[06] BULGARIAN DIPLOMACY CHIEF, STALEV - LANGUAGE DISPUTE WILL BE SOLVEDYesterday in Sofija ended the two day meeting of the political directors of the Foreign Affairs ministries from South-Eastern Europe which was attended by Macedonian delegates as well. During the meeting the new Head of the Bulgarian Diplomacy, Stojan Stalev held a press conference talking about the relations between Macedonia and Bulgaria. According to the Bulgarian National Radio, at the question about the Macedonian reaction regarding the functioning of the Official Bulgarian Government and its decision on merging Bulgaria into NATO Stalev has answered that he is satisfied with the active politics and the reaction of Macedonia which is one of the most serious partners with Bulgaria.`We will try to help developing the process of trading which has been stopped for now due to diplomatic formalities. We respect the history, but we also respect Macedonias sovereignty and that's why history should not be dramatized. I believe that the problem with the so- called ` language dispute' will be solved, stated Stalev for the Bulgarian national Radio. Talking of the stability in the Balkans and Bulgaria's role in the region, the Minister pointed out that for Bulgaria it is most important to develop equal relations with all its neighbours. [07] GREEK ORGANIZATION PROTEST DUE TO ADDRESSING THE STATE WITH `MACEDONIA'The Institute for Comparative International Economy Studies from Vienna has rejected the protest of one Greek organization from Austria regarding the presentation of Jane Miljoski as the Vice-president of the Government of the Republic of Macedonia at a recently held forum in Vienna. The Macedonian radio reports that this was published yesterday in the Greek paper `Katimerini' and it also said that the protest towards the Institute and several Austrian banks co-sponsoring the Forum was initiated by the Greek organization from Vienna called the `Inter-cultural Association of Macedonia'. Representatives of the Institute said to the Greek organization that they have been used the terminology used by the media. They pointed out the fact that at more important political manifestations, among which the meeting of the Prime Ministers and Ministers of the Central European initiative in Graz held few months ago, the term Macedonia was used, not FYROM.[08] `DIGNITY' - WIDER INFORMATION ON THE TALKS REGARDING THE NAMEThe Association for protection of the human rights of the Macedonians discriminated in the Greek Republic - `Dignity', at yesterday's press conference urged for a wider information on the talks in New York regarding the name which are conducted between the Macedonian and Greek representatives Toshevski and Zaharakis. According to the president of "Dignity', Kole Mangov', a wider media opening of this issue is necessary so as to activate individuals and public subjects in this field. `From what's going on in Macedonia it is clear that the Macedonian state and national identity is denied from domestic as well as foreign factors i.e. Greece, Mangov pointed out. `Dnevnik' reports, Mangov has informed that `Dignity' has created a project `Defending the Macedonian ethnic and national identity' which is sent to 15 member- states of the EU, the UN, the European Council, the USA, Russia, China, to the political associations in the country and the Macedonian associations abroad.[09] DISCUSSION ON SAVINGS BANKS ROBBERY POSTPONEDAt yesterday's part of the 59 th session in the Macedonian General Assembly, the members of Parliament adopted the laws which ratify many agreements of Macedonia with many states, while the discussion about the measures taken by the government regarding the massive robbery of the clients is postponed so that the parliament members and commissions could look more closer into the preparation material.The discussion risen about the bill on returning the properties to the Macedonian orthodox church and other religious communities was also postponed yesterday and it was decided the issues to be regulated by the law on denationalization which is in an Assembly procedure. Yesterday the parliament members adopted the first phase from the Law on state statistics. In the discussion it was concluded that by this law all service seekers and service performers should be defined including information secrecy and definition of the responsibility of the law breakers. Yesterday the General Assembly ratified: the Agreement between Macedonia and SR Germany on support and mutual protection of investments and for international traffic, the Convention on founding EUROFIMA - a European company for financing the railway motor pool, the Agreement between the Macedonian and Romanian governments on trading and economy collaboration, the Agreement between the governments of Macedonia and SR Yugoslavia on custom collaboration, mutual help and evasion of the double taxation regarding the income and capital taxes, the Agreement between the Macedonian Government and the Swiss federal Council on support and mutual protection of investments as well as the Agreement on collaboration between the Macedonian Government and the Croatian Government in the struggle against international illegal drug trafficking, international terrorism and organized crime. [10] SLOW TEMPO IN PRIVATIZATION OF THE AGRO- INDUSTRIAL COMPLEXThe starting processes of privatization in Macedonia should cover 323 agricultural subjects where 165 are in social property and 158 are agricultural cooperatives. Up to 10 th February only 87 firms and cooperatives have handed over documents to the Privatization Agency, which presents 27% of the total number. This shows that the firms are not prepared and the privatization will be slowly realized, it was pointed out at yesterday's meeting of the Group for agriculture and food industry at the Economy Chamber of Macedonia. It has been pointed out that the basic problem which the agricultural section is facing presents the legal obligation for organization and reconstruction of the large plants before the beginning of the privatization. According to most of the speakers this leads to chopping up of the production and decrease of the profitability. According to the Helping Minister for Agriculture, Zimbakov, the law has predicted this obligation because the big plants are not in a position to adapt to the market demands and the foreign finance institutions are limiting the credit release to small- and medium-sized firms in the agriculture.[11] CONSTITUTIONAL COURT - CONTROVERSIAL POSTPONING OF PENSIONINGA person being employed on the basis of agreement with the employer after fulfilling the conditions on pensioning will be constitutionally re- examined, reports `Vecher'.Deciding on the regulation from the General Collective Agreement on public services, public firms, state bodies and other legal personalities who perform a non-economy activity, the Constitutional Court of Macedonia has decided to initiate a procedure for estimation of this issue's constitutionality , the paper reports. The court has to determine whether the regulation from the General Collective Agreement is concordant to the Law on employment which predicts that ` the general collective agreement can establish the cases when an employee who has fulfilled the condition for retiring may continue to work', but it should not be done on agreement on the level of the employee. [12] THE OWNER OF SAVINGS BANK `LAVCI' FROM OHRID UNDER CUSTODYThe Domestic Affairs Ministry of Macedonia within the frames of activities regarding cases of finance frauds damaging the citizens done on part of private banks these days has temporarily arrested Jovan Dimovski, owner of the savings bank `Lavci'. As it is reported, the investigative judge of the Primary court in Ohrid has sentenced Dimovski to be taken into custody. The debt that this bank owes the savers an amount of 9 million DM. The Institute for pay circulation has began bankruptcy proceedings against the bank and the group of cheated clients have brought criminal charges against the owner Dimovski.MILS SUPPLEMENT[13] `914 firms transformed'(`Vecher', 19 February, 1997)According to the data regarding the course of privatisation in Macedonia given by the information system by the Privatisation Agency, the year that we have left behind has ended with 914 firms gone private. Only last year, not counting the number of nearly 600 transformed firms by the end of December 1995, dominant ownership over the capital was given to 300 firms. At the moment there are 257 completed cases that are in the process of transformation and that gives a total number of 1.216 firms with which we enter privatisation in the commercial sector. Still untouched are only a few dozen of firms with social capital. Therefore, the predictions seem real that the privatisation of the commercial sector will be finished by the end of the first half- year with the possibility that the more complicated cases will be dragged through out the whole year. Looking further into the data regarding the privatisation it is revealed that until now a capital of 2,35 billion DM has been transformed, taking into consideration that in the 914 privatised firms stocks with the value of 743,5 million DM transferred to the Privatisation Agency are yet to be purchased. These firms employ a total of 144.539 employees the major part of which are their stock owners. In the sense of economy branches most numerous are the privatised firms from the industry branches - 333, then follows the trade with 293 privatised firms and finally the least privatised are the transport firms - only 34. As far as the presence of kinds of transformation models are concerned, according to the number of privatised firms at the leading position is the purchase of capital on part of the employees - 301 firms, but this model is present within the small firms. This means that there is no major influence on the change of the global ownership structure. A key influence continues to be the model of selling firms to persons who take over the management. In such a way 123 larger firms and important firms have been transformed with a total number of 44.660 employees and capital worth 882,2 million DM. It is interesting that in the process of transformation 38 firms with 2.618 employees have been liquidated. `Employment continues to decrease' The number of registered people on the look out for job is continually growing and according to the latest official reports from the Statistics Institute of Macedonia the number of unemployed counts 236,986 persons, i.e. 9,7% more compared to 1995. This number includes persons who are on the look out for job for the first time, and it also includes those who used to be employed but are now unemployed and this number is still growing. All this is due to the large number of bankruptcies and the announces of technological surplus within a great number of the working firms. The greatest growth of unemployment during last year, as well as in the years before, is noticed with the people who are half-qualified, non- qualified and with a primary education. This growth is smaller with those who are highly educated. This indicates the largest group of unemployed people which cover the larger half of unemployed. At the same time, the total number of employed in our Republic continues to drop and this is mostly present within the economy businesses i.e. 5,7% , particularly in tourism, trade, finance-technical and other services, agriculture fishing, industry and the mining businesses. In the non-economy activities the decrease of employment amounts to 0,3% and is mostly present in the bodies of the state government, the bodies of local self management and the social organisations and associations. (end)mils news 20 February 1997Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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