MILS NEWS 07/05/96

From: "M.I.L.S." <[email protected]>

Macedonian Information Liaison Service Directory

CONTENTS

MILS NEWS

Skopje, 07 May 1996

[01] DISCUSSING THE NATO - MACEDONIA RELATIONS

After his meeting with Macedonian Defense Minister Blagoj Hanjiski, Craig said for the press that the answer to the questions how and why would the new members join NATO was a priority. The final decisions are expected to be made after the ministers' meeting in Brussels in December.

Hanjiski informed that he talked to his guest about the phases of the individual discussions about the study, and about the dynamics and order of the presentation of the basic elements, which would evaluate the contribution of Macedonia as an eventual NATO member.

Mr. Craig is expected to meet with Macedonian President Kiro Gligorov and Prime Minister Branko Crvenkovski today.

[02] GLIGOROV - 'MACEDONIA AND ALBANIA WOULD MAKE THE SOUTHERN FRONT OF NATO MORE SECURE'

Gligorov also referred to the Macedonian stand that a creation of any kind of a new association of the former Yugoslav republics or of the Balkan countries would be an obstacle for some countries to join the EU, which are ready to carry out the reforms anticipated by the Union.

He pointed out that each country that had fulfilled the EU membership conditions would have to wait for all the other association members to do that in order to be accepted in the Union. 'Macedonia is not against agreements or even associations for an economic or other kind of Balkan cooperation, but that should come as a result of the interest of the countries involved, and should not be connected with the EU membership,' stressed Gligorov.

'In case a dialogue for solving the Kosovo issue is not immediately started, the danger from fire clashes in that province will threaten not only that area, but also all the other Balkan countries,' stated Gligorov for BBC.

According to Macedonian President, the possible most acceptable solution for this issue would be to give a greater autonomy to Kosovo within the FR Yugoslav borders.

[03] REACTIONS TO GLIGOROV'S INTERVIEW FOR THE GERMAN PAPER

There were, however, reactions of all the political parties of Albanians in Macedonia to them.

The National Democratic Party (NDP) said the statement of Gligorov, that the 'Tetovo university was an institution planned and established by separatists', was 'an irresponsible, badly-judged and completely anti-Albanian'.

According to NDP, the 'university' had been formed by political parties of Albanians that participate in the Macedonian Parliament, as well as by other legal associations, and is supported by the Albanian minority as a realisation of their need for education.

People's Democratic Party (PDP) stated that Gligorov's estimations of the inter-ethnic relations in Macedonia and his negative qualifications of the 'Tetovo university' were 'a serious provocation for the Albanians in Macedonia to become politically engaged in the realisation of their legal aspirations and rights by a civilized political dialogue'.

People's Democratic Party of Albanians (PDPA) evaluated the statements of the Macedonian President as a result from 'an apriori ideological attitude, dangerous for all Macedonian citizens, for the peace in the country and region.' 'This kind of irrational ignoring of the explicit will of Albanians, of their need for education, reflects either a dangerous and great Albano-phobia or a psychology of an ostrich,' was said in PDPA's reaction.

[04] RUGOVA - 'A SOVEREIGN KOSOVO IS THE ONLY AIM'

Rugova estimated the situation of Albanians in Kosovo as dangerous, and claimed that the Serbs were trying to break the peaceful resistance of the Albanians, to provoke them to make imprudent moves. According to Rugova, Serbian President Miloshevic intends to present himself a patriot in the eyes of the opposition again by looking for an alibi to intervene with military means in Kosovo. 'We hope that the West will make a pressure on Belgrade and that the Serbian authorities will yield to this issue,' said Rugova for 'Spiegel'.

A-1 Television reported the announcement of the Serbian opposition party SPO, led by Vuk Drashkovic, which referred to the recent request of Voislav Seselj to be appointed a governor of Kosovo. The announcement said:

'The request of Seselj to be appointed a governor of Kosovo is his offer to 'make happy' the Serbs there in the same way he 'made happy' those in Croatia and Bosnia. He had obviously 'smelled' a possibility for another bloodshed, and he is now trying to renew his pact with Miloshevic on the account of a national disaster.'

The situation in the region, with a special attention to the latest unfavourable development of the situation in Kosovo, will be discussed by the Albanian Foreign Affairs Minister Alfred Sereci and the US Secretary of State Warren Christopher in Washington tomorrow. Macedonian media informed that the meeting was initiated by Washington. The attitude of Sereci is that the problem of Kosovo is not only the respect of human rights, but the self-determination of Albanians.

[05] SIMITIS - 'SKOPJE ISSUE WILL BE SOLVED SOON'

'Makpress' reported parts of the interview, in which Simitis stated that Greece was beginning a new era in the relations with its neighbours, and that the nationalistic reactions in Greece, which were most emphasized during the violent clashes in former Yugoslavia, were gradually seizing. He informed on the initiative of Athens for a Conference of the countries in the region, on which the inviolability of borders would be confirmed, as well as the territorial integrity and the peaceful solving of the problems. Greek Prime Minister said that Athens wanted to encourage the private investing in the Balkan countries and the development of the infrastructure.

The Macedonian-Greek discussions on the name issue are being also discussed at the Greek Parliament session last days, and will be the topic of the forthcoming talks between Greek President Costis Stefanopoulos and the US President Bill Clinton in Washington next week.

[06] STOP FOR COURT PROCEDURES AGAINST THE MINORITIES IN GREECE

Carknjas was accused of not respecting the Church authorities, and, in 1993, he was unfrocked after 20 years of service, officially for discipline reasons, and unofficially because he openly stands for the protection of the rights of the Macedonian minority in Greece.

[07] AUTHORIZATION FOR SETTLING THE SITUATION IN KOMERCIJALNA BANK

[08] RIZVAN SULEIMANI FROM PDP OFFICIALLY MP

[09] GERMAN MEDICAL EQUIPMENT HELPS DIAGNOSTICS IN MACEDONIA

MILS SUPPLEMENT

[10] '717 Enterprises Fully Privatized'

('Nova Makedonija', 07 May 1996)

Most successful in the ownership transformation of those already privatized are 280 trade companies, 199 production ones, 75 construction ones, and 70 from the field of finances and services. Also, 206 production enterprises have reached the most advanced phase. According to the information from the Privatization Agency, there is not a single production company that has not began the transformation process. The Agency will privatize a total number of 164 firms, 64 of them being in the trade business, 28 in the finances and services, 25 in the tourism, 18 in the construction, another 18 in the transport, and 11 in the craft business.

The Law planned a total number of 1,216 enterprises to be privatized, and the fact that more than 1,000 are in the transformation process or have finished it already, shows that the work is almost done. Their initially offered capital value was DM 3,299 billion, of which DM 1,45 million belong to those already privatised. These results are more than the Agency expected. The 337 enterprises that have began the transformation process were evaluated to DM 2,5 billion, and the remaining 164 to be privatized to about DM 226,000.

The totally privatized companies employ 95,334 individuals, those that have entered the process - 136,605, and those that should start the process - 6,196 individuals, most of the last being the transport ones with over 4,000 employees.

The analysis shows that the most frequently used privatization model was the one of buying off the enterprises by its employees, which was the case with 240 companies. According to their value and the number of employees, the most attractive enterprises seemed to be those that were bought off by their management team - 79 companies valid DM 656 million, that employ 29,000 people.

As most of the fully privatized enterprises have been, in a way, sold by 5 years credits, the Privatization Agency should expect an annual income of about DM 290 million. Over DM 60 million that have already been collected are mainly the 'frozen' savings, but it still much more than the expected DM 25 million income from the initial privatization.

(end)

mils news 07 May, 1996