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MILS NEWS 01/04/96From: "M.I.L.S." <[email protected]>Macedonian Information Liaison Service DirectoryCONTENTS[01] DECLARATION ON COOPERATION WITH EFTA SIGNED[02] SPREADING OF NATO TO THE SOUTHERN EUROPE?[03] THESSALONIKI - MULTY-NATIONAL CENTRE FOR DEMOCRACY[04] OVERCOMING THE BURDENS FROM THE PAST[05] DISCUSSION ON MACEDONIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS[06] PARLIAMENTARY SESSION POSTPONED FOR TOMORROW[07] VMRO-DPMNE OFFICE IN KUMANOVO DEMOLISHED[08] WEAPONS FREE MILITARY SERVICE[09] EMBASSY OF LOCAL DEMOCRACY IN OHRID[10] CITIZENS DO NOT TRUST COURTS[11] NEW PRESIDENT OF THE MACEDONIAN WRITERS' ASSOCIATION[12] 'PELISTER EURO - CAR' DID NOT ENTER THE FINALSMILS SUPPLEMENT[13] Competition for Mentors ('Nasa Borba' - Belgrade)MILS NEWSSkopje, 1 April 1996[01] DECLARATION ON COOPERATION WITH EFTA SIGNEDMacedonian Foreign Minister Ljubomir Frchkovski signed a Declaration on Cooperation of the Republic of Macedonia with EFTA member countries (Iceland, Lihtenstein, Switzerland and Norway) last Saturday in Vaduz, Lihtenstein.The official announcement of Macedonian Foreign Ministry said the high officials of EFTA member countries had expressed their satisfaction with the development of the democracy in Macedonia and with the results of the economy reforms. Minister Frchkovski stated for the media that signing of this Declaration was of greatest significance for the improvement of the bilateral cooperation of Macedonia with the EFTA member countries, which should encourage the private initiative. 'It will be realised by removing all the technical barriers, by the cooperation of the customs administrations, and by exchanging trade information,' said Frchkovski. He added that the next step will be forming a joint Committee and a free trade zone with country members of this association. [02] SPREADING OF NATO TO THE SOUTHERN EUROPE?The two-days meeting of the Defense Ministers of Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Turkey began yesterday in Tirana, in the presence of the US Secretary of Defense, William Perry, and representatives of OSCE and Italy. Greece was also invited to the meeting, but the invitation was rejected. A-1 Television informed on an informal meeting of the Ministers with the Albanian President Sali Berisha, when the Russian opposing to the spreading of NATO and to the Macedonian initiative of directing the expansion of NATO to the south was discussed. The Macedonian initiative, as A-1 TV unofficially reported, was supported by Turkey, which stand was that Albania, Macedonia and Bulgaria were the missing part of the completion of NATO chain in southern Europe.This was supported by Albania, while Bulgaria was reserved. Albanian President Berisha said the meeting can contribute a great deal to the cooperation in the region and that it was not directed against any country. Berisha stressed the Kosovo issue in his speech, and said it could provoke a de- stabilization of the region and that it is everybody's interest to organise a dialogue between Pristine and Belgrade mediated by a third country. Leader of the Macedonian delegation, Defense Minister Blagoj Hanjiski, met yesterday with his Albanian counterpart, Minister Saffet Zuljalli, and talked about certain aspects of the military cooperation between the two countries, informed the Macedonian Television. [03] THESSALONIKI - MULTY-NATIONAL CENTRE FOR DEMOCRACYGreek agency ANA informed that Thessaloniki had been chosen as the site of a multi-national centre for democracy in the Balkans, during a symposium on 'politics, democracy and a society of citizens' held by the Union for Democracy in the Balkans.Intellectuals and representatives of non-governmental organisations from Greece, Turkey, Macedonia, Albania, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, as well as the USA and the European Union, had attended the symposium in the northern Greek capital, last weekend. [04] OVERCOMING THE BURDENS FROM THE PASTForum for Human Rights of Macedonians from the Aegean Part of Macedonia sent a letter to the Greek President Costas Stefanopoulos in which they expressed their hope for finding a way to overcome the burdens from the past regarding the Macedonians from the Aegean part of Macedonia. They ask for being allowed to visit their native places in the Republic of Greece without setting any conditions. In the letter Aegean Macedonians wished for peace, friendship, understanding and cooperation between the two countries.[05] DISCUSSION ON MACEDONIAN-TURKISH RELATIONSThe relations between Macedonia and Turkey are good and the cooperation between their Parliaments is satisfactory. This was concluded last Friday in Skopje, during the talks of the Macedonian Parliament President, Tito Petkovski, and the Turkish Ambassador to Macedonia Unal Marashli. They stressed that the relations in the fields of economy and trade were, on the other hand, behind the real needs.[06] PARLIAMENTARY SESSION POSTPONED FOR TOMORROWThe continuation of the 42nd session of the Macedonian Parliament had been postponed for Tuesday, April 2, on request of the parliamentary groups of SDSM and SP, in order to make additional consultations on certain items on the agenda.[07] VMRO-DPMNE OFFICE IN KUMANOVO DEMOLISHEDMacedonian media reported that the office of VMRO - DPMNE in Kumanovo was demolished last Saturday. Prepared posters colling for signatures, the old Macedonian flag, the picture of Goce Delchev and other symbols of the Party were burnt.The cabinet with the documentation was not broken, according to 'Vecer', but there was a graphite 'SDS' written on the wall. The breaking in was reported to the police and the investigation has been carried on. [08] WEAPONS FREE MILITARY SERVICEAccording to the Macedonian daily 'Dnevnik,' the Association for Alternative Culture had sent an open letter to the Macedonian Minister of Justice Vlado Popovski, suggesting for the students to do their military service without using weapons. The letter further reads that the Association is collecting 10 000 signatures to support this kind of alternative military service.[09] EMBASSY OF LOCAL DEMOCRACY IN OHRIDIn the organization of the Local and Regional Authorities of Europe and the Council of Europe, the mayors of: Ohrid - Macedonia, Piran - Slovenia, Cardica - Greece, Pendle of Lancashire - Great Britain, Digie - France, initiated opening an Embassy of Local Democracy in Ohrid. The Embassy will help the cooperation between the townships, particularly the bordering ones; development of the electronic mass media, in order to improve the objective informing, and the realization of ecological projects. The Embassy is expected to be open in September.[10] CITIZENS DO NOT TRUST COURTSSitel Television reported on the results from 'Data Press' pooling, showing that there is a great mistrust amongst Macedonian citizens towards the courts in the country. 45% said they did not trust the courts, and only 20% answered positively to this question. 60% find the penal policy in Macedonia too mild, and 14% think the opposite.Regarding the reasons for the increased crime rate, 20% of the citizens believe it is due to the illegal gaining of wealth, while 34% said it was due to the rapid impoverishing of people. About 30% of the citizens said they distrust the Macedonian police, while 34% expressed a positive opinion on this issue. [11] NEW PRESIDENT OF THE MACEDONIAN WRITERS' ASSOCIATIONOn the meeting of the Macedonian Association of Writers last Saturday, Svetlana Hristova - Jocic was elected as a new President of the Association. In their discussions the delagates referred mostly to the efforts that should be made to raise the writers' dignity to the necessary level, in order to achieve the respect for their work. It would, as it was said, bring back all the Macedonian writers in the Association, not matter in which language they write. The previous President of the Association, Jovan Pavlovski, was criticized for lacking interest in the real problems of the writers.[12] 'PELISTER EURO - CAR' DID NOT ENTER THE FINALSThe Macedonian handball team, 'Pelister Euro - Car' did not succeed to enter the finals in the European Winners' Cup, despite of winning the re-match with the German team 'Lemgo' with 24:23 in Bitola.The German representatives entered the finals because they had won the first match with 23:21. MILS SUPPLEMENT[13] Competition for Mentors('Nasa Borba' - Belgrade)During a great number of visits paid to Skopje last week, and some of them being of greatest importance, the hosts were emphasizing: 'Europeanization - yes, regionalization - no.' That was the Macedonian reply to the decision of the EU Council of Ministers to take a 'regional approach in the reconstruction of and cooperation with the former Yugoslav republics'.The reasons for such a reply are of both internal and external nature, mutually connected. In the political life of Macedonia, there are some looking in faviour for regionalization, part of them considered to be 'pro- northern' and others 'pro-eastern'. In other words, the first are looking for mentors in Serbia, and others in Bulgaria. Using the political jargon, it means that Macedonia has either to remain in an 'economy union with the north' or to have 'a real regional friend' - i.e. the one which was the first to recognise the country under its constitutional name. The bases for the 'pro-northern' regionalization are the strong economy circles in Serbia and Macedonia, and for the 'pro-eastern' one in the right-wing parties in Sofia and Skopje. The tendency for a 'pro- southern regionalization' has been emphasised lately, as well, meaning that Athens would 'lead Macedonia to the European integration'. There are opinions both in Skopje and in Athens that the 'southern regionalization' is the least dangerous for Macedonia. The 'competition for mentors' is part of the old and always renewed rivalry in the Balkans. They include Albania, with a focus on Kosovo and western Macedonia. Official Skopje is not, however, so much worried for the regionalization tendencies. It is more worried about the possibility for the possibility of the great power centre to decide on 'regionalization to precede the Europeanization', because the Europeanization process would be simplified. Another argument is added to this - if a country can not act European in the region, it can not act European in Europe also. Macedonian President Kiro Gligorov told the Italian Foreign Minister Susanna Agnelli last week that 'Republic of Macedonia could not accept any imposed ideas for new, insecure economy or any other kind of associations, especially not on the territory of former SFRY'. He also said that realisation of such a concept would 'be in contrast not only to the vital and long-term interests of a part of Balkan countries, but could also be an introduction to new risky dividing of the Balkans'. The fear of Macedonia from 'regional claws', which might be followed by regional conflicts as inevitable consequences from the dividing of the Balkans, is as big as the one from the possible military associations. That was the reason why the Foreign Minister Ljubomir Frchkovski of Macedonia suggested to Warren Christopher last Thursday in Prague for the south-eastern wing of NATO to be spread over Albania and Macedonia. Frchkovski stressed it would be of a greatest significance for the stability of the region, due to the post- Dayton development of the situation, the Kosovo issue and the Greek - Turkish relations. Macedonian idea, with which Russia disagrees, is to move the spreading of NATO from the northern to the southern Europe. The idea is said to be not in contrast with the statement of Christopher that 'a second or a third Europe should not be made' in the frames of the collective security system and to be in accordance with the old official stand of Skopje for a Europe as a 'joint home' of the European nations and of NATO as a key to the security of that home. (to be continued)mils news 1 April, 1996 |
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