MAK-NEWS 22/02/96 (M.I.C.)

From: "M.I.C." <[email protected]>

Macedonian Information Centre Directory

CONTENTS

SKOPJE, FEBRUARY 22, 1996 (MIC)

[01] PARLIAMENTARY SESSION ON PROPOSAL OF PRIME MINISTER BRANKO CRVENKOVSKI FOR RECONSTRUCTION OF GOVERNMENT - CONTINUING TODAY

PDP, ALBANIAN DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE - LIBERAL PARTY, SOCIAL-DEMOCRATIC PARTY, SOCIALIST PARTY, PCERM, EXPRESSING SUPPORT OF NEW RECONSTRUCTED CABINET

In yesterday's discussion, the PDP MPs said they would vote in favour of Prime Minister Branko Crvenkovski's new cabinet. As it is known, this party will have five ministerial positions in the new cabinet. In the discussion, the MPs emphasized that this party did not see any other partner among the Macedonian political parties with whom it could cooperate, however, they said it was high time the Albanians were taken seriously, and that without them, Macedonia could not survive as a modern, democratic, multi-national state. Furthermore, they stressed that now, Macedonia is a member of nearly all international political and financial organizations and that it will have to take into account the European democratic standards. In this sense, the PDP feels it is necessary to make radical reforms, foremost, in the field of high education, meaning the final legalization of the Tetovo University in Albanian language. They expect the new Government to finally improve the status of the Albanians in Macedonia and to resolve the citizenship of some 100,000, predominantly Albanians, in the country.

SOCIAL-DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF MACEDONIA, PCERM AND DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE - LIBERAL PARTY - expressed confidence in Crvenkovski's new reconstructed Government yesterday, explaining this with the thesis that the platform of the Alliance for Macedonia has not been abandoned and that its basic principles are absolutely acceptable to these parties. They explained that the platform is extensive and that it has enough room for other political subjects, as well. Moreover, they were pleased that now, there would be a constructive opposition in Parliament, which will be able to control the Government and to contribute with its remarks, to the adoption of better and more applicable laws in the state.

LIBERALS WANT NEW ELECTIONS - The parliamentary group of the Liberal Party announced at yesterday's session that it has made a list of signatures for an initiative for new elections in Macedonia. The coordinator of the LP parliamentary group Ace Kocevski, explained that his party will not support Premier Crvenkovski's proposal. He explained that the new list of ministers also has such who are strongly opposed to the platform of the Alliance for Macedonia. Therefore, the Liberal Party feels that the Alliance for Macedonia no longer exists. Kocevski also emphasized that the reconstruction of the Government does not exist as a category in the Macedonian Constitution, and that the President should appoint a new mandator. Kocevski strongly criticized the to-date work of this Government, mainly in the field of efficiency of the state administration, which, instead of reducing its numbers, employed 4,000 new people. Furthermore, according to Kocevski, he could not see what the program of the reconstructed Government would be like from Prime Minister Crvenkovski's address, and strongly remarked against the absence of analysis of the to-date work of Crvenkovski's cabinet.

It is unclear to the Liberals how some ministers merely rotate to new positions (here, they mentioned Interior Minister Frckovski, who was made Foreign Minister, which is unimaginable in modern democracies). Kocevski reminded that so far, there has been no information as to the identity of the people responsible for the assassination attempt on President Gligorov on October 3, last year. In addition, the Liberals held it against Crvenkovski that the former ministerial set up included Ilijaz Sabriu from PDP, who was one of the people that signed the initiative for the formation of the Tetovo University.

[02] GREECE WANTS FRY TO RECOGNIZE MACEDONIA AS FYROM

Yesterday, Greece declared a positive view and support in regard to the eventual establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Macedonia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Radio NOMA reports, calling upon unidentified sources in Skopje and Athens.

Makpress reports that, according to the same sources, Greece officially informed Macedonia about its position in relation to the anticipated recognition between Skopje and Belgrade.

Radio NOMA adds that Greece, as a loyal member of the EU, supports the European request for FR Yugoslavia to recognize Macedonia, as a prerequisite for the establishment of relations between the Union and Belgrade. It is stipulated that the Greek request for FRY to recognize Macedonia under the reference FYROM is a principle standpoint of the Greek policy, and not an exception, and therefore, Belgrade is expected to do the same.

[03] NEGOTIATIONS WITH EU POSTPONED

The negotiations between the delegations of RM and the EU Commission on the signing of a Euro-Macedonian Agreement on cooperation and trade, will not start today, as European diplomatic sources announced, but on March 28, Makpress reports.

Macedonian and European diplomatic sources claim that there are delays in the administrative-technical part of the preparation of the draft-document, which should serve as a basis for the negotiations, and which will contain the entire political platform of the future European-Macedonian Agreement.

The draft-document should be delivered to the Macedonian Government these days, for review and adoption. Only after this procedure can Macedonia agree to start off the negotiations. European diplomats say that the famous "evolutional clause" which will contain the Agreement, also presents an obstacle that is slowing down the start of the negotiations. The European Commission is still uncertain that the Agreement on cooperation and trade with Macedonia can and should evolve into a European Agreement, or so-called "associated membership."

Sources say that the reason for the Commission's hesitation to start the negotiations is that the Union's approach to the region in which Macedonia is located is still not precisely defined.

"European directions will most probably be determined for Macedonia as well, similar to those intended for Albania, FR Yugoslavia and Bosnia. Europe will not forget that your country was not involved in the war," a high-ranking European official told NOVA MAKEDONIJA.

[04] PROMOTION OF COMMERCIAL-INFORMATION CENTER

The project "Commercial-Information Center for small and medium-sized enterprises and shops" was formally promoted at the Chamber of Commerce in Skopje, yesterday, as a part of the joint Chamber information system at the level of the Republic. Its aim is to gather as much information and data as possible, for the every-day work of the members of the Chamber, and all others interested, as well.

"The Chamber is to serve as a source of information, a place for making contacts, finding out the needs of other enterprises, and offering one's own possibilities," Boris Dimovski, president of the Chamber, said.

The project offers a base of information for all enterprises that have submitted their own data to the Chamber (500 so far) as well as information on the craftsmen in the city. The Information Center enables all interested businessmen to establish contacts inside the country and abroad, as the Chamber has established a communication with similar European centers.

[05] PTT INVESTMENT PLAN WORTH $ 134 MILLION

These days, the Public Enterprise PTT - Macedonia adopted the plan on investments in the postal traffic and telecommunications for this year. It foresees large investments to the amount of $ 134 million. The basic characteristic of this plan is that, according to its scope of activities and employed means, it is the biggest one in predictions and planning with the development plan up to the year 2000.

This large amount will be provided, largely, from the enterprise's own sources, and partly from the $ 42.5 million credit from the EBRD from London.

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