SKOPJE, AUGUST 22, 1995 (MIC)
The Foreign Minister of the Republic of Albania Alfred Sereci and his host, the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Macedonia Stevo Crvenkovski, held the official talks yesterday morning, accompanied by their associates. They had a detailed exchange of opinions and information about the bilateral relations and stressed their satisfaction with the positive development. They also placed an emphasis on the need to legally standardize the cooperation in various spheres, especially economy and development of the infrastructure and to ease the communication between the citizens from both countries. In this context, the legitimate interest of both countries about the position of the minorities, in accordance with the international standards and non-interference in the politics of the two countries, was expressed.
The latest situation in the region was reviewed with particular attention, whereby it was concluded that any changing of the border by force and ethnic cleansing is unacceptable, the Foreign Ministry says in its announcement regarding the meeting of the two ministers.
After meeting with Crvenkovski, minister Sereci was received and held talks with the Speaker of the Macedonian Parliament Stojan Andov, and yesterday afternoon, also with representatives of the deputy groups in Parliament. Following these meetings, Sereci gave a short statement for the press:
"I assess these talks as very positive and constructive. The meetings with your prime minister and president will continue, and I will state my views on these talks at tomorrows news conference."
In regard to the course of the talks held with representatives of deputy groups in Parliament, vice-president Tito Petkovski stated that, as usual, the guests were familiar with the basic preoccupations of the Macedonian Parliament.
"The most interest was about the position of the Albanian minority in Macedonia, the relations between Macedonia and Albania, the perspectives of the region, the joint aspiration to get included in the European Union and everything that burdens the Macedonian-Albanian relations. Our guests showed a high level of accord with the coordinator of the deputy group of the Party for Democratic Prosperity Ismet Ramadani, surrounding the position of the Albanians in Macedonia, the inclusion of the Albanians in the institutions of the system and the upholding of the rights and freedoms. They said they were satisfied with the situation in the elementary and secondary education, but not with the situation in the tertiary education," Petkovski said.
"On our behalf, we stated our stance that the opening of an Albanian university is outside the Constitution and the Law, and we did not deny any possibility for this question to be discussed in the Macedonian Parliament, but of course, according to a procedure foreseen by Law," the vice-president of the Macedonian Parliament Tito Petkovski said at the end.
The coordinator of the PDP deputy group, Ismet Ramadani stated: "I said once again that there is a consensus about the issue of the integrity and borders of Macedonia, and the whole dispute we're having with Greece is the embargo. But, we have internal problems which are still not realized and for which there is hope that they might relax the relations between the nationalities. I stressed the problem and status of the Albanian language and that the Albanian MPs are not satisfied with the status we have: use of the language in Parliament and the local self-management. As a problem, I underline the University in Tetovo, which can escalate, and therefore, the leaders of Macedonia, the intellectuals and even the political parties have to sit down on a table for this problem and find a way, i.e. a modus, to institutionalize this university."
In the afternoon, the Albanian Foreign Minister was received and had talks with Prime Minister Branko Crvenkovski, and today in Ohrid, he is scheduled to meet with the Macedonian President Kiro Gligorov.
Greece will strengthen the security on the part of its border with Albania with over 500 special forces. This, as the newspaper "Gazeta Shquipetare" from Albania reports, was agreed at the meeting in Janina, which was attended by the Greek Interior Minister Valijakis, high Greek military figures and the Foreign Minister Papoulias, who arrived a couple of hours after ending talks with Serb officials in Belgrade.
They also discussed modalities of protecting the border from unwanted persons, as eventual refugees from the crisis regions in former Yugoslavia.
The newspaper also reports that the special groups were stationed near Florin, in the Grevene region, on the Albanian- Greek border.
Under conditions when one nation (in this case, the Serbian from Kraina) is going through one of the biggest tragedies - being banished from their own homes into uncertainty, and which has the compassion of the whole civilized world, the People's Democratic Party of Macedonia (NDP), the Democratic Party from Kosovo, Serbia and the current authorities of the Republic of Macedonia have suddenly felt that their megalomanic illusion, the fiction about "Great Albania" is threatened. They, as the least competent, want to coordinate the settlement of the refugees in their own state, as it it's their promised land. The same would rejoice over the banishment of the Serbs from Kosovo or the Macedonians from Macedonia.
The Democratic-Christian Party of Macedonia (DCPM) has a very clear and principled stance - as every other state, so does the Serbian one have the full right to decide about its own people and territory. Kosovo is only a part of Serbia's territory.
On the other hand, the DCPM feels that the more Serbs inhabit Kosovo, the greater the chances are for stability in the region, as a preventive measure in the direction of elimination of the Great Albanian aspirations.
The peace and stability in these regions is also an interest of the Albanian people and the Albanian minorities in the neighboring countries.
The average net salary per worker, paid in the Republic of Macedonia over the period January-May 1995 is 8,496 denars (US$ 217.5) and compared to the same period last year, it is 16.1% higher, whereby in the economic sphere, it is 8,204 denars (US$ 210) and it is 19% higher, while in the non-economic sphere, it is 9,329 denars (US$ 238.8) and it is 5.5% higher.
In the period January-May, 1995, compared to December, 1994, the average net salary per worker in Macedonia nominally increased 0.9%, in the economic sphere 0.6%, and in the non- economic sphere 1.7%.
The average paid net salary per worker in Macedonia in May 1995, compared to December 1994, notes a 3.9% increase, in the economic sphere 4.2%, and in the non-economic sphere 2.8%.
The real salaries realized in the Republic in the period January-May 1995, compared to the same period in 1994, are 7.2% lower, whereby with the economic sphere, the decline is 4.9% and the non-economic sphere - 15.7%.
In the period January-May 1995, compared to December 1994, the real net salaries made in the Republic have dropped 3.1%, in the economic sphere 3.4%, and in the non-economic sphere 2.3%.
The real average net salaries realized in May 1995, in comparison with December 1994, at a Republic level, note a 1.2% drop, in the economic sphere 1%, and in the non-economic sphere 2.3%.
The start of the third auction this year, according to what could be noticed during yesterday's first day of the sale of state-owned business areas, is more than disappointing. Out of 20 shops offered at the auction, only three were sold, and there were only two bidders for two of them, which are located on the street "Mito Hadzivasilev - Jasmin" br.6, of which one was a fictive bidder, due to which the shops were sold literally at the starting price. More specifically, there was only one bid for these two shops, so one meter square cost DEM 2,147, i.e. DEM 2,080. The interest for the third shop was considerably greater, and its starting value of MKD 1,173 million reached the final value of MKD 2,850 million, or around DEM 2,700 per meter square.
The auction is continuing today, and others are starting in Bitola, Kumanovo, Struga, Negotino, Gevgelija and Tetovo.
According to official data, at the moment, there are 39,135 workers in Macedonia who have been left without their jobs at not fault of their own, and are now listed as unemployed in the Republic Employment Bureau. They are workers whose companies went under liquidation or workers declared redundant.
In addition, there are another 1,641 workers who have found other jobs, but they are still at the burden of the Employment Bureau, and they receive their monthly money supplements from their employers instead of salary.
All these workers cost the state in excess of MKD 189.5 million (US$ 4.85 million). The supplements for the workers whose companies have gone under liquidation depend on the average salary in the Republic, and the redundant workers receive supplements on the basis of their three-month salary average, which they received while their were working.
The last sum the bankruptcy workers received (for the month of June) was MKD 2,932 (US$ 75.06), while the supplement was slightly higher for July, reaching MKD 3,040 (US$ 77.83), however, this money is still not received.
The money for these categories of unemployed is provided through the budget of the Employment Bureau, and this budget is filled through the employment contributions, or 1.5% of the salaries of the employed.
But, as they say at the Employment Bureau, seeing there are less and less employed people and more irregular payments of salaries to those employed, it is getting much harder to gather the employment contributions, the sums are smaller, so any eventual fund shortages are covered by the state budget.
The anemia of the safe of the Employment Bureau is the reason for the lateness in the payment of these supplements.
1,450 seasonal workers also get their means of existence from these employment contributions, who receive compensation through the Employment Bureau in the season when they are not working.
The funds for monthly payments to 12, 820 workers, registered in the Bureau as redundant workers with the "loss- making" companies, are provided from the state budget. Due to the bad situation in the state budget, they also receive their monthly supplements two months late.
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