MAK-NEWS 24/11/95 (M.I.C.)

From: "M.I.C." <[email protected]>

Macedonian Information Centre Directory

CONTENTS

SKOPJE, NOVEMBER 24, 1995 (MIC)

[01] PRESIDENT GLIGOROV RECEIVES WILLIAM PERRY

The U.S. Defence Secretary William Perry, who visited Macedonia as part of his European tour and took part in a Thanksgiving dinner with the U.S. soldiers serving with UNPREDEP, was welcomed with highest honors at the Skopje airport yesterday.

Secretary Perry was accompanied by the defence ministers of Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland. The high- ranking delegation was welcomed at the Skopje airport by Macedonian Defence Minister Blagoy Handziski and the Chief of the General Staff of the Macedonian Army General Colonel Dragoljub Bocinov.

Immediately after their arrival, the playing of the national anthems and the salutation of the honorary guards, the high-ranking guests set out to visit the observation points on the Macedonian border with helicopters, whereby each minister visited his soldiers serving with UNPREDEP.

Secretary Perry met with President Kiro Gligorov, which presents Gligorov's first meeting with a foreign diplomat since the assassination attempt on October 3, this year. In the meeting, which was also attended by Foreign Minister Stevo Crvenkovski and Defence Minister Blagoy Handziski, the officials exchanged opinions on the current situation in Macedonia and the region, and the strengthening of the cooperation between the two countries. President Gligorov applauded the successful outcome of the negotiations in Dayton, which came as a result of the determined efforts of the U.S. to stop the war in the former Yugoslav regions.

President Gligorov underlined that Macedonia was in favour of negotiations and peaceful solutions during the whole period. He also expressed the hope that the documents from Dayton will be successfully implemented, which is in the interest of the wider stability in the Balkan region. Gligorov expressed his satisfaction with the decision of the Security Council to lift the arms embargo, which he assessed would have a positive influence on the advancement of the bilateral cooperation and Macedonia's place and participation in the "Partnership for peace" initiative.

U.S. Defence Secretary Perry was pleased to see Gligorov was recovering so well, and wished for him to continue carrying out his presidential duties successfully. He stressed the interest of the U.S. to help in the development and the stability of the Republic of Macedonia, which has affirmed itself as a factor of peace and stability in the south of the Balkans.

President Gligorov handed Secretary Perry a letter for U.S. President Bill Clinton, expressing gratitude for the unselfish support the U.S. is giving Macedonia, as well as the conviction that the future relations between the two states will continue to develop successfully.

The U.S. Defence Secretary was received by Prime Minister Branko Crvenkovski and Parliamentary Speaker Stojan Andov. The talks were attended by the defence ministers of the Nordic countries, as well as the commander of the UNPREDEP forces in Macedonia, General Yuha Angstrom and the chief of mission, Ambassador Henrik Sokalski.

In the talks with the guests, Prime Minister Crvenkovski and Speaker of Parliament Andov, emphasized the significance of the act of acceptance of Macedonia to the "Partnership for peace" programme, and thanked them for the support the U.S.A. and the Nordic countries are giving Macedonia.

Following the talks, the guest from the United States, the Scandinavian ministers and the hosts from Macedonia attended the formal dinner held on the occasion of Thanksgiving Day, in the U.S. camp at the Petrovec airport.

After the dinner, William Perry said at the joint news conference: "For the first time in the last four years, we have promises of peace in the Balkans. The peace will put an end to the killing, the ethnic cleansing, the displacement of refugees, and the economic insecurity in Macedonia. We know that it will be difficult to establish peace, by the U.S. and the Nordic countries, whose ministers are with me now, are determined to realize this peace. Our forces will be deployed together in Bosnia, just as we are together here in Macedonia. The UN mission which we have established here is getting a lot of attention, and therefore we are pleased that it is successful. It has managed to deter the expansion of the war to Macedonia. We visited our troops and thanked them for the work they are doing here."

"I would especially like to mention the very long and warm welcome I had with President Gligorov, who was very vital and sincere, and with many comments and questions about the situation. We should all be happy that he is heading toward total recovery. I have brought him a warm and sincere message from President Clinton," Perry said.

Asked about his views on the political situation in Macedonia, following the acceptance to the "Partnership for peace" programme, Secretary Perry said that during his first visit, more than a year ago, he had seen the danger from the instability of the border, the consequences from the embargo, as well as the danger from the spreading of the military conflicts. "If I compare this visit, things have changed a lot," Perry said, expressing hope that he will cooperate more closely with minister Handziski in the near future, as part of the "Partnership for peace" programme.

In response to the question whether any changes in the peacekeeping mission are planned, and whether the U.S. plans to help Macedonia with arms, in view of the lifted embargo in Dayton, Perry said that "there are no reasons to change the mandate of UNPREDEP, and as concerns the arms embargo, it will be done in phases, according to the plan from Dayton. The important thing is that the embargo is lifted, and I expect full cooperation with the Macedonian side."

As regards the number of NATO soldiers in Bosnia, Perry said: "NATO plans to send 60,000 soldiers to Bosnia. The U.S. plan is to send the First Army Division, which is located in Germany at present, and which numbers some 20,000 U.S. soldiers, however, it will be joined by the Nordic brigade, a Turkish battalion, and most probably, also some Polish and Russian troops. Altogether, there will be some 30,000 soldiers in the U.S. division. They will be deployed in Tuzla and in charge of the northern part. The British soldiers will be located in Bihach and responsible of the eastern part, while the French will be located in Sarajevo. The three divisions will include troops from many other countries as well. For now, 25 countries have expressed the wish to include their troops in the NATO mission in Bosnia," Perry said.

As to when and how these troops will be deployed, Secretary Perry said that "there will not be any more significant despatches of soldiers until the definite signing of the agreement, seeing only initials were placed on the peace agreement in Dayton."

In the meantime, detailed plans will be made, and a couple of reconnaissance missions will be sent in Bosnia. Following the signing of the peace plan, within a week, enough troops will be sent to establish control in Bosnia. The U.S. troops will arrive from Germany by land and by railway, and the mission in Bosnia itself will have a civilian and military aspect. The task of the civilian one will be to provide the infrastructure, an economic aspect, the elections and return of the refugees, while the military aspect will be to provide a peaceful environment.

[02] MACEDONIA APPLAUDS UN RESOLUTIONS

In relation to the resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council, the Macedonian Foreign Ministry emphasizes that they present the first practical step toward implementation, and the recently signed peace agreement in Dayton, a contribution to the stability in the region.

The Resolution for the lifting of the arms embargo foresees the gradual abolishment of the UN Security Council Resolution no. 713, adopted in 1991, with which this embargo was imposed on the former SFRY. This is especially important for Macedonia, seeing the embargo also applied to it, although it accomplished its independence and sovereignty by peaceful means, and without any involvement in the war.

As it is known, Macedonia suffered enormous losses as a result of the sanctions against FR Yugoslavia, which are estimated at several billion U.S. dollars, and their lifting, certainly, will have a positive effect on the economic situation in Macedonia, and wider, opening up possibilities for intensification of the economic cooperation in the region.

[03] LIAISONS OFFICES IN ATHENS AND SKOPJE

The Greek political weekly "Pondiki" claims that the liaisons offices in Athens and Skopje should be opened by the end of the year.

The Macedonian office will be located in the diplomatic area in Athens, and the first representative will be Ljupcho Arsovski, Assistant Foreign Minister of the Republic of Macedonia.

Maljas will be the chief of the Greek office in Skopje, Makfaks reports. According to the newspaper, the economic cooperation between the two countries is also improving, whereby the Macedonian import of petrol and oil derivatives tops the list. "Pondiki" estimates that the negotiations over the name will start toward the middle of December, under the auspices of the UN. The newspaper bases this estimate on announcements that Gligorov will soon be returning to his duties, which means that "the man who can endure the price of compromise in relation to the name, will be returning on the political scene in Skopje."

[04] CONTINUED TALKS WITH LITHUANIA

The ambassador of the Republic of Macedonia to Sweden Tihomir Ilievski met with the President of the Republic of Lithuania Algirdas Brazauskas yesterday, who is on an official visit to Sweden.

The talks, which were also attended by the Foreign Minister of Lithuania Povilas Gilis, presents a continuity of the dialogue that started upon the conveyance of the credentials of the Macedonian ambassador, toward the end of October, this year. In the talks, which mainly focused on topics of bilateral interest, Brazauskas reiterated his wishes for the return of President Gligorov to his presidential duties, in the hope that conditions for intensification of the bilateral relations between the two countries will be created in this period.

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