MAK-NEWS 20/10/95 (M.I.C.)

From: "M.I.C." <[email protected]>

Macedonian Information Centre Directory

CONTENTS

SKOPJE, OCTOBER 20, 1995 (MIC)

[01] NURSING AT HOME

The medical team treating President Kiro Gligorov assessed yesterday that the President is in a stable and good condition. This has enabled his treatment to continue at home, where he is held under constant medical supervision, care and rehabilitation.

The medical team is comprised of the following doctors: Prof. Dr. Jovica Ugrinovski, neurosurgeon, Prof. Dr. Vladimir Andonov, anesthesiologist, Prof. Dr. Ilija Filipche, otorinolaringologist, asst. prof. Dr. Marija Soljakova, anesthesiologist, asst. prof. Dr. Ilija Pangovski, neurosurgeon, Prof. Dr. Ilija Todorov, traumatologist, Prof. Dr. Elena Dzajkovska, ophthalmologist, Prof. Dr. Roza Ivanovska, anesthesiologist, Dr. Kosta Matev, neurosurgeon, and Prof. Dr. Lazar Lazarov, cardiologist.

[02] JASUSHI AKASHI ON FAREWELL VISIT

Parliamentary Speaker Stojan Andov received the special envoy of the UN Secretary-General Jasushi Akashi on a farewell visit, who was accompanied by the chief of the UNPREDEP mission in Skopje Henrik Sokalski.

The high-ranking UN guest spoke of President Gligorov and his peace-loving politics with highest regard and sympathies. He also mentioned the presence of the UN forces, for keeping the peace in this region.

Andov pointed out the shock that was caused by the assassination attempt on President Gligorov, and the determination of the Republic of Macedonia to continue with its policy of cooperation and understanding with all countries, underlining that those who organized the attack on Gligorov are forces of darkness that want to destabilize the state and the state organs.

After thanking the mediator in the Macedonian-Greek negotiations Cyrus Vance for his efforts, as well as all other UN representatives who supported Macedonias's peace-loving course through their work in Macedonia, Andov thanked Akashi for the efforts and support he gave Macedonia during his mandate. Akashi said that he would continue working for the good of the big country such as Macedonia, because it and its citizens oblige him to do so.

In the talks, it was jointly assessed that the mandate of the peace-keeping forces in Macedonia should continue, with an effort for the UN to establish an independent command administration in Skopje. Akashi was also received by Prime Minister Crvenkovski and Defence Minister Blagoy Handziski.

[03] NADA GLIGOROVA MEETS WITH AKASHI

The wife of President Kiro Gligorov, Nada Gligorova, yesterday received the special envoy of the UN Secretary-General Jasushi Akashi. Expressing once more his sympathies for the assassination attempt on President Gligorov, Akashi asked for his sincere wishes for speedy recovery and soon return to his function of President of RM, to be conveyed to the President.

[04] MACEDONIA MEMBER OF COUNCIL OF EUROPE OFFICIALLY

The Council of Europe announced yesterday that it has accepted the membership applications of Macedonia and Ukraine, whereby now, this organization has 38 members.

The statement says that the applications were accepted by the Executive Committee of Ministers, and that the two countries will officially join the organization on November 9.

[05] NEGOTIATIONS IN GREECE NEARING END

The expert groups from Macedonia and Greece, which started the negotiations in Athens on Wednesday, are coordinating their views in the field of transport, Radio Skopje reports.

The same source claims that the problem of insuring the vehicles will be resolved soon, which will enable Macedonia to sign agreements with the other member-states of the EU.

The spokesman and minister in the Greek Government, in charge of transport and communications Venizelos, stated after his meeting yesterday with the Under Secretary in the Macedonian Ministry of Transport and Communications Boris Chausevski, that it was necessary for the transport connections between the two countries to be regulated on the principles of liberal transportation.

[06] NO VISAS FOR MACEDONIANS FROM AEGEAN MACEDONIA

The citizens from the Republic of Macedonia, originating from the Aegean part of Macedonia (northern Greece) are not being issued visas on the Macedonian-Greek border, Makpress reports.

Even back in former Yugoslavia, these people were not allowed to enter Greece. Namely, these people are Macedonians born in the Aegean part of Macedonia, who were deported from the country during the civil war in Greece. Since then, they and their children are not allowed to visit their birth places.

[07] ILLEGAL CERTIFICATES NOT RECOGNIZED

The Ministry of Defence today categorically denied the assertions of the president of the illegal university in Tetovo, Fadil Sulejmani, that the "freshmen" have had their military services postponed with a certificate from the parauniversity in Tetovo.

"The Ministry of Defence has rejected the requests of a couple of persons of Albanian nationality to have their military service postponed with a certificate from the illegal university. The Ministry does not recognize the illegal certificates," is said, among the rest, in the official announcement.

The military service, regardless of national affiliation, is postponed only when the recruits show a certificate that they are regular students of the two universities in the Republic of Macedonia "St. Clement of Ohrid" in Bitola and "Sts. Cyril and Methodius" in Skopje.

[08] PARLIAMENT: DISCUSSION ON LOCAL SELF-MANAGEMENT

At yesterday's session, the Macedonian Parliament discussed the draft-law on local self-management. This discussion will continue next week, due to the large number of amendments.

The Albanian MPs are criticizing the text and feel it is building a system of obedient municipalities with strong, centralized management. They feel the law disregards the specificity of Macedonia and that the use of the languages of the nationalities is not worked out that well.

The other MPs are suggesting that the law is passed as soon as possible, alongside the law on the territorial division of the country and the law on local elections. It was noted that the financial sources and estate of the municipality were not clear, but in general, the draft-law received support.

[09] INTERIOR MINISTRY: A NUMBER OF CHIEFS REPLACED

According to the Macedonian press, some twenty chiefs of sectors and administrations in the Interior Ministry and the City Administration were replaced these days. "Nova Makedonija" writes that the chief of the City Administration - Skopje Alekso Donevski has been replaced by Spiro Nikolovski, the chief of traffic with the Interior Ministry Petar Naumovski has been replaced by Branko Bojchevski. Zdravko Nikolovski, the to-date deputy-chief of the police department has been replaced by the head of the minister's cabinet Jordan Limanovski, the chief of the sector on illegal trade Tome Nikolovski has been replaced by Aleksandar Stojkovski, while Rote Zaovski has taken over the position of chief of sector for economic crimes from Slavko Cvetkovski.

The chief of sector for classical crimes in the Interior Ministry Vasile Janevski has also been replaced, and Kire Mitich has been appointed to this function.

"Nova Makedonija" has learned unofficially that personnel changes are also taking place in the Security and Counter-Intelligence Office, while some other high-ranking officials in the Ministry are also mentioned.

MACEDONIAN PRESS REVIEW:

[10] "NOVA MAKEDONIJA: "PARAUNIVERSITY OF DISCORD"

In the village of Mala Rechica, the "Tetovo University," which was immediately declared still-born following its inception, started its second academic year these days. The new private houses, which have shot up as mushrooms in the last couple of months, have been given to the "students" to follow their "classes" without any interruptions. "Education," as the PDP MP and "vice-president of the university" Sefedin Haruni says, "is what's most important to them, the diplomas are only a recognition."

Whether the "students" will think this way, whose number, fictive or not, has nevertheless grown a lot, will eventually be seen in three years, when the first generation of graduates will come out of this parauniversity. For now, they are accepting to be manipulated and to be promised that the "Tetovo University is a reality," which has to be comprehended as a message that "sooner of later, the state will have to legalize it."

A year ago, in the days of the loud announcements of the start of the "Tetovo initiative," the state spoke out several times. Through announcements, the Government clearly expressed its stance that the education of the nationalities, like that of all others, is possible only within the framework of the system and that the "Tetovo University" presents a violation of the Constitution and the laws of our country. Meanwhile, firstly there were public calls to armed resistance in order to accomplish the goal, then, the phantomlike midnight opening of the parauniversity in Albanian language, the police intervention, the trial of the protagonists in this charade, and that's all.

Intentionally or not, the state seems to have forgotten about the parauniversity in Albanian language, which left the sealed objects in Tetovo and dislocated itself in Mala Rechica. The illegal Tetovo University is looking more and more like the illegal classes in Albanian language, scattered throughout the villages in western Macedonia, which the state can't or doesn't want to deal with for more than three years already. If we disregard the Wednesday statement of the Minister of Education that they have "no competence to follow any kind of activities that go on in private houses, no matter if they are called educational," officially, not one word has been said on the question of the "Tetovo University."

Does that mean tacit approval or has the method of self-realization been chosen, only to realize in the end that the time spent on "classes" in some kind of private houses has been wasted. Now, it can only be speculated about this.

It's obvious that the state will have to reiterate what must be made clear to all, especially the self-proclaimed presidents and vice-presidents: the so-called Tetovo University does not correspond with the Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia, with the existing Law on high education, nor with the new one which is in parliamentary procedure. Ethnically clean universities can not be a reality in these regions. The Albanian intellectuals must not go on "forgetting" to tell their "students" that the educational rights of the nationalities for attending classes in their mother-tongue only go so far as high school. In Macedonia, this presents an accomplished, exceptionally high standards, both on a worldwide, and especially European scale. The new Law on high education is really offering those interested a possibility to open up private universities with a previous approval from the Macedonian Government, but again, only in Macedonian language, with a possibility for certain groups of subjects, connected with the preservation of the national and cultural identity of the nationalities, to be followed in the mother tongue.

Any other insistence is a direct provocation directed against the Constitutional system and the legal principles, i.e. manipulation with the members of the Albanian nationality. It is truly dishonest for the young Albanians to be pushed toward an ethnically clean university at any cost, where, at the end of their studies, they will probably find themselves in the same situation as their colleagues from Prishtina, who, faced with their invalid diplomas, are fighting with all their strength to get transferred to some other, recognized University. Except for Tirana, they couldn't manage that anywhere else. And, how much the university in neighboring Albania will dare to get involved in such games, in these changed political conditions, is yet another question.

The state organs are facing a serious test again. The "Tetovo University" should be resolved, in order for us not to bring ourselves in the situation again, as the Minister of Education said, "to treat already politicized cases radically, by firing up the conflicts again, in order to resolve them."

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