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MILS: News from the FYROM, 97-03-24

Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: "Macedonian Information Liaison Service" <mils@mils.spic.org.mk>


CONTENTS

  • [01] XAVIER SOLANA TODAY IN SKOPJE
  • [02] SIMITIS WILL VISIT MACEDONIA IN AN APPROPRIATE MOMENT
  • [03] SCHEDULED INTER-OFFICERS AND INTER-POLICE MEETINGS
  • [04] BULGARIAN PRESIDENT ON THE RELATIONS WITH MACEDONIA
  • [05] FOR FUTURE GOVERNMENT TRUST
  • [06] GENERAL RALLY POSTPONED FOR A MONTH
  • [07] LP AND DP - THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD RESIGN
  • [08] PARLIAMENT MEMBERS VOTE FOR DISBAND OF PARLIAMENT NOT FOR GOVERNMENT TRUST
  • [09] FOR SOCIAL PEACE - 6,5 MILLION DM
  • [10] TODAY GOVERNMENT TALKS ON `AUDI-A-3' PROJECT , TOMORROW `AUDI' BOARD
  • [11] EUROPEAN EXPERT OPINION ON HIGH EDUCATION BILL
  • [12] NEXT YEAR - SECOND WORLD MEETING OF THE CHILDREN REFUGEES FROM THE AEGEAN PART OF MACEDONIA
  • [13] TACHI DEMANDS MACEDONIAN-ALBANIAN AGREEMENT
  • [14] EMBITTERED DPT AFTER THE ELIMINATION OF THE TURKISH LANGUAGE IN TETOVO
  • [15] PROMOTION OF THE FIRST MACEDONIAN-VLACH DICTIONARY
  • [16] ACTION ON AFFORESTING ABOUT 100 HECTARES OF LAND

    MILS SUPPLEMENT

  • [17] `Drowning in Blockades and Bankruptcies'

  • MILS NEWS

    Skopje, 24 March, 1997

    [01] XAVIER SOLANA TODAY IN SKOPJE

    The NATO Secretary General, Xavier Solana, today is expected to arrive in an official visit to Macedonia, report the Macedonia media. It is expected that during his visit in Macedonia Solana will meet the Chief of State, Kiro Gligorov, the Prime Minister Branko Crvenkovski and the Defense Minister Blagoj Handziski.

    [02] SIMITIS WILL VISIT MACEDONIA IN AN APPROPRIATE MOMENT

    During his visit to Romania the Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis stated that it is his intention to come to Macedonia which is the potential heated center of the Balkans in `an appropriate moment', reports the `Makpres' agency. Simitis otherwise stated at a state conference in Romania that he will soon visit all the countries in the Balkans among which Macedonia as well. Goal of the contacts is collaboration within the context of prevention of spreading the Albanian crisis in the neighbouring countries.

    The announcement given by Simitis comes only 2 days after the visit of the Greek Foreign Affairs Minister to Skopje which presents the first visit of a Greek Parliament member since Macedonia has been proclaimed independent in 1991. During Pangalos' visit President Gligorov has sent an official invitation to Simitis to visit Macedonia.

    [03] SCHEDULED INTER-OFFICERS AND INTER-POLICE MEETINGS

    The Chief of the liaison Chamber in Macedonia , Aleksandros Milias last Friday had a meetings with the Internal Affairs ministers and the Defense ministers of Macedonia, Tomislav Chokrevski and Blagoj Handziski. At the meeting with the Greek diplomat, Minister Chokrevski had accepted the invitation for meetings of experts from the Macedonian Ministry for Domestic Affairs with their Greek colleagues on 25th and 26th this month in Athens at which the forms of future collaboration and establishing direct contacts between the two ministries will be discussed.

    A similar invitation has been sent at the meeting with the Defense Minister Handziski. It invites officers of the Army of Republic Macedonia (ARM) to participate at the Seminar for Management of Crisis - Athens 97' which is to be held in the course of July. At the meeting opinions were exchanged on the development of the events in Albania which presents a continuation of the ongoing practice of mutual information regarding current events.

    [04] BULGARIAN PRESIDENT ON THE RELATIONS WITH MACEDONIA

    As it is reported by the Sophian newspaper `Demokracia' the Bulgarian President Petar Stojanov at the meeting with the leader of the Bulgarian party VMRO-SDM, Krasimir Karakachanov , stated that the language dispute with Macedonia will soon come to a solution and after the elections Sophia will pledge itself for improvement of the relations with Skopje. According to `Demokracia', Stojanov hasn't explained how the language dispute will be solved. It is only cited that Karakachanov after the meeting has accused the former Bulgarian Prime minister, Zzan Videnov for worsening the relations with Skopje due to having obligations towards Belgrade and Athens.

    [05] FOR FUTURE GOVERNMENT TRUST

    On demand of Prime Minister, Branko Crvenkovski, the President of the Macedonian parliament, Tito Petkovski, has scheduled for tomorrow the 65th session of the Parliament at which the members shall vote for Government trust.

    In the demand officially handed to the Government last Friday Premier Crvenkovski demanded support so as to clear out and sort out the situations regarding the savings banks. The citizens have the right to be revolted with the latest events regarding the banks and the robbery of their deposits, states Crvenkovski in the demand, pointing out the Government's determination to finally resolve these situations. The Premier announced that the public will be introduced to the whole situations within a term not longer than a week.

    `Dnevnik' reports that the Parliament members at the Premier's demand on Government trust, according to the Constitution, should decide till tomorrow at midnight at latest.

    [06] GENERAL RALLY POSTPONED FOR A MONTH

    The Executive Committee of VMRO-DPMNE has made a decision to postpone the general rally scheduled for 27th March this year for one month's time so as to make it possible for Premier Crvenkovski to realize the promises given to the Macedonian public. This was stated at last Saturday's press conference by the leader of VMRO-DPMNE, Ljupcho Georgievski, assessing that this presents a reasonable term in which the Premier could realize his promises. Another reason for postponing the general rally is the lack of security in Macedonia and its borders in the context of the latest events in Albania.

    `Mr. Crvenkovski's for the first time publicly confessed that in the country there is organized crime for which mostly responsible is the Government the president of which is he personally and we regard this as a new quality in the ongoing political struggle with which for the first time a President of SDSM does not see the enemy in the team of foreign and domestic forces but among its own forces', stated Ljupcho Georgievski at a press conference. According to Georgievski, the most important moment in Premier Crvenkovski's speech before the Parliament is the one where for the first time he calls on dialogue with the other political parties and this shows the readiness for talks on pre- term parliamentary elections.

    [07] LP AND DP - THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD RESIGN

    A mutual attitude of the liberals and the democrats is that the state finds itself in a dramatic economic and social crisis. SDSM wants to solve its own created situations in the state, and the SDSM Parliament Members wish to control themselves, this was elaborated at last Saturday's press conference by the leader of DP, Petar Goshev, and it presents a mutual attitude of LP and DP.

    According to Goshev the situations in the state should now be resolved by somebody else, thus he demanded resignation of Prime Minister Crvenkovski and the Government because `the trust can be sought and gained only at parliamentary elections directly from the citizens'. Stressing the mutual demands of the democrats and the liberals, Goshev stated that now it is necessary a technical Government to be established which will prepare the pre-term elections and resolve the problems regarding the `TAT' bank and other numerous affairs which are shocking the state. Regarding the general rally scheduled for 27th March Goshev demanded it to be canceled due to the huge risk regarding the safety of the state.

    According to the leader of the liberals, Stojan Andov, the move made by Mr.Crvenkovski presents a trick with which the Government will gain 90 days to cover up certain activities without becoming responsible for them.

    He also underlined that the interparty dialogue is immediately necessary and not after the resolution regarding the `TAT' and bank affairs. Andov, as it is reported by the Macedonian Television, has pointed out that the liberals and the democrats do not trust Premier Crvekovski because this it the third time that he uses all his authority to solve certain issues which he hadn't solved so far. The first time, according to Andov, Crvenkovski has done the same after the attack on President Gligorov when he refused the offered resignation of Minister Frchkovski, and the second time was in July 95' when he used his authority in the struggle against organized crime which amounted to nothing.

    [08] PARLIAMENT MEMBERS VOTE FOR DISBAND OF PARLIAMENT NOT FOR GOVERNMENT TRUST

    The urgent scheduling of pre-term parliamentary elections is the cure for the political and economic crisis and the chaos created in Macedonia with the criminal activities of the current Government which is not a legal one because it has been formed with forged elections in 1994.

    `Nova Makedonia' reports, this has been stated at last Saturday's press conference by members of the Initiative Committee for Preservation of the Democrat party, Denko Skalovski and Slobodan Chashule. According to this Committee at the announced session of the Parliament there should be voting regarding its dismissal and scheduling of pre-term elections, and voting for Government trust. For preparation of these elections, according to this Committee, an official government should be formed whose activities will be controlled by international onlookers. `The tricks regarding the demands on Government trust can mean only one thing - further delay of the real solutions which otherwise should be removed with a surgery operation', this was pointed out at the press conference. The Committee otherwise supported the idea on continuing protests which should be conducted with political culture and fair play.

    It has been assessed that it is reasonable the Government to be given a last chance to realize the thing that Premier Crvenkovski pledged for.

    [09] FOR SOCIAL PEACE - 6,5 MILLION DM

    The organizations of independent syndicates of the unemployed and the technological surplus from Kumanovo, Prilep, Shtip, Kavadarci and Negotino will join the general strike which will soon be taking place in Skopje under the organization of the Union of the Independent and Autonomous Syndicates of Macedonia (UIASM) .

    According to `Dnevnik', this information has been given by Atanas Lefterov but he hasn't given the precise date when the strike is due. Lefterov said that representatives from the UIASM who strike with hunger in the park `Zena Borec' were visited by reporters from the German and French televisions. Through the reporters from the German Television a demand has been made to the German Government to help the 220.000 unemployed in Macedonia with an amount of 6,5 million DM ant thus procure the necessary social peace in Macedonia.

    [10] TODAY GOVERNMENT TALKS ON `AUDI-A-3' PROJECT , TOMORROW `AUDI' BOARD

    Tomorrow the Macedonian Government should deliver the draft-memorandum to the Board of the German company `AUDI' which gives the precise attitudes regarding the manufacturing of the model `A-3' in Macedonia. Based upon this draft the German firm should finally decide whether it will stay on the project. The Government will have talks regarding this draft- memorandum at today's regular session and it will determine the definite attitude regarding few disputable moments in the agreement. This course of the events and the term of final solution of the destiny of the agreement, according to the Finance Minister, Taki Fiti, have resulted from the latest talks between the Government and `AUDI' in which took part respectable foreign consulting houses, councilors from the World Trade Organization and many professors from the Law Faculty from Skopje. According to Taki Fiti, in these talks in Skopje the accent was placed on finding a solution for a least painful acceptance of a part of the benefits demanded by `AUDI' as a pioneer in the automobile industry in Macedonia (custom and tax relief in importing all models of Volkswagen/AUDI in the country), and all the while not to cause any clash with the principles of the World Trade Organization in which Macedonia will soon be accepted.

    On part of `AUDI', according to Minister Fiti, in the latest talks there have been no concessions regarding the demands, and the Government has been asked to create its own draft-memorandum of the agreement on which the company Board will finally make a decision on the destiny of the project.

    [11] EUROPEAN EXPERT OPINION ON HIGH EDUCATION BILL

    These last few days there has been a visiting mission from the European Council in the Macedonian Education Ministry in order to establish a dialogue regarding the preliminary expert opinion on the High Education Bill.

    At the meetings there were representatives from the universities from Skopje and Bitola as well as representatives from the Students Union. As the media report the talks have been assessed as highly successful and concordant to the strive for a qualitative solution regarding the bill which would communicate with the normative regulation and the modern practice of the Western European states.

    [12] NEXT YEAR - SECOND WORLD MEETING OF THE CHILDREN REFUGEES FROM THE AEGEAN PART OF MACEDONIA

    The President of Republic Macedonia, Kiro Gligorov, last Friday had a meeting with representatives from the associations of the children refugees from the Aegean Macedonia which operate in Canada, Australia and Macedonia. The talks were regarding their activities and interest in maintaining deeper liaisons with Macedonia.

    `Vecher' reports that Mr. Gligorov was informed of the initiative and the preparations for a second world meeting of the children refugees from the Aegean part of Macedonia which is scheduled for next summer. On part of the representatives from the associations there was a wish this meeting to be sponsored by the highest state bodies of the Macedonian Republic. President Gligorov, according to the cabinet announcement, has supported this initiative and has positively assessed the humanitarian and patriotic function conducted by these organizations.

    [13] TACHI DEMANDS MACEDONIAN-ALBANIAN AGREEMENT

    `A guarantee for survival of Macedonia is an agreement between the Macedonians and the Albanians. The problem lies in the fact that we, the Albanians, have yet not succeeded in convincing the Macedonians that an agreement between the two nations is a historic chance for the survival of Macedonia', stated the Vice-president of the PDPA party, Menduh Tachi in the interview for the Belgrade newspaper `Vechernje novosti'. Giving comments on the current events in Albania, Tachi had warned that the situation should be viewed also in the context of the events on Kosovo which practically endangers the security of the whole region. `The things now happening in Albania may easily happen in Macedonia where the savings bank `TAT' has robbed the people, and unless international troops do not secure the Macedonian frontier any small incident or arms trafficking may lead to breaking through the frontier', stated Menduh Tachi for the Belgrade `Vechernje novosti'.

    [14] EMBITTERED DPT AFTER THE ELIMINATION OF THE TURKISH LANGUAGE IN TETOVO

    Regarding the latest decision of the Council of the municipality of Tetovo on expunging the Turkish language as an official one in the municipality, the Municipal organization of the Democrat Party of the Turks in Tetovo have expressed their deep bitterness assessing that this decision is rash, unproductive and directed against the Turkish nationality. The Council of the municipality of Tetovo has been called to re-examine their decision and not to under go influences from separate extreme circles in their own parties.

    [15] PROMOTION OF THE FIRST MACEDONIAN-VLACH DICTIONARY

    Organized by the Association of the Vlachs `Brakja Manaki' from Bitola yesterday in the House of Culture in Bitola there was a promotion of the first Macedonian- Vlach dictionary which consists of more than 20.000 words translated from Macedonian into Vlach. The dictionary has been prepared by Ph.D. Nikola Popnikola and presents the a first dictionary of its kind in Macedonia and as it is reported by `Nova Makedonia', the Vlach linguistics has already had dictionaries such as Roman-Vlach, Greek-Vlach and Bulgarian-Vlach.

    [16] ACTION ON AFFORESTING ABOUT 100 HECTARES OF LAND

    Last Friday, the first day of Spring began with the action `Days of spring - days of ecology', which include 500 thousand students, high school students, pupils, members of the ARM, ecologists, members of non- governmental organizations and others. This action will take place till 30th March and it is planned that about 100 hectares of land will be afforested with about 250 thousand trees through out the state.

    MILS SUPPLEMENT

    [17] `Drowning in Blockades and Bankruptcies'

    (`Vecher' - 19th March 1997)

    Based on the most recent data released by the National Payment Flow Institute bear evidence of a decrease of funds in circulation - at the disposal of the business sector and other legal entities - as well as of a rise in unsettled dues; the constant growth of blocked giro accounts and bankruptcy procedures. In opposition to this stands the constant deteriorating of income and allocated funds for public expenditures.

    Towards the close of the first month of this year, the accounts of the (non- ) economic sector had 6.5 billion denars less in funds at their disposal. This represents the lowest level over the past 14 months. Banks, for example, had 30% less to work with in comparison to the end of 1996 - whereas the decline with respect to the economic sector amounts to7.5%.

    The lack of financial means and results in the economic sector at the beginning of this year had a negative impact on the funding of public expenditures in the country. For this purpose revenues totalling 4.4 billion denars have been generated in January this year - compared to the 4.9 billion of January'96 this means a decrease by 11%. Within this context Budget revenues have dropped by 10, and funds for social services by 12%.

    Such data is easily justified when one bears in mind the fact that the National Payment Flow Institute had registered a total of 11.4 billion denars in settled by the end of January, which represents a rise by 6% over the time span of one month. Such instances have been detected in the case of 6 190 businesses with close to 100 000 employees.

    Unfavourable trends of this kind manifest themselves through a considerable rise in blockades of accounts in the economy sector, in all its branches. Considering legal obligations - and according to data provided by the National Payment Flow Institute - tendencies as regards the circulation of funds and economic trends in the country reveal that more and more businesses meet criteria proscribed by the judiciary for the initiating of bankruptcy procedures.

    Indeed, this permanent increase in registered instances of this kind throughout the past year continues during this one as well. Thus the corresponding figure for the latter time span has jumped from 1 068 in June 1996 to 1 508 in January'97 alone. The majority of submitted cases on initiating bankruptcy procedures refers to the private business sector in 91% of all instances.

    The lack of liquidity in the business sector is also becoming evident through the deteriorating of personal incomes and consumers' buying capacity, as well as through the lack of investment funds and in particular through the difficult and reduced disbursement of pay.

    Thus the overall sum of net incomes in January amounted to 2.1 billion denars - i.e. 4% less than over the same time span last year (in the economic sector this figure even amounts to 10%, and in the non-economic one it totals a growth by 4%). If the overall sum of forwarded pay are reduced for alone the December pay, the obtained figure would be 1.7 billion denars, i.e. by 8.7% less than the legally proscribed minimum. This entails a much lager deficit in the economic sector (12.7%) of the one in the non-economic sector (5.3%).

    As far as the level of average income in both are concerned, the list is being headed (by a large advantage) by the financial and other service sector (where the average income totals 14 849 denars. In contrast to this the lowest average has been registered in the construction industry with 6 503 denars.

    With respect to industry in general and mining, this gap becomes even more apparent in separate industrial branches: figures vary from 3 872 denars in the wood- processing industry up to 15 652 denars in the chemical industry and 15 947 in the beverage production industry.

    (end)

    mils news 14 March 1997


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