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MILS NEWS 14/05/96From: "M.I.L.S." <[email protected]>Macedonian Information Liaison Service DirectoryCONTENTS[01] RUSSIAN MILITARY DELEGATION IN MACEDONIA[02] EU REGIONAL APPROACH TO BE DISCUSSED IN JUNE[03] MEETING ON SFRY RESERVES[04] SPC - MPC RELATIONS DISCUSSED TODAY[05] ASKING FOR A MACEDONIAN CONSULATE IN MONTENEGRO[06] MILETIC - SKOPJE INTERFERES IN SERBIAN INTERNAL AFFAIRS[07] DZAFERI: BERISHA IS A GUARANTEE FOR THE STABILITY OF ALBANIA AND MACEDONIA[08] FREE INFORMATION FLOW AND FREEDOM OF PRESS[09] GOVERNMENT ADOPTED THE DRAFT-LAW ON BROADCASTING[10] UNEMPLOYMENT IN MACEDONIA INCREASES[11] SIGNATURES IN THE PARLIAMENT TILL FRIDAY[12] PDPA: GLIGOROV'S STATEMENTS PROVOKE CONFUSION[13] MACEDONIAN NATIONAL FRONT APPROVES GLIGOROV'S FIRMNESS[14] MALENKO - WINNER OF TWO GOLDEN MEDALS IN ATHENSMILS SUPPLEMENT[15] 'Foreign Tourist Workers Advertise, Domestic Ones Calculate' ('Vecer', 14 May 1996)MILS NEWSSkopje, 14 May 1996[01] RUSSIAN MILITARY DELEGATION IN MACEDONIAHigh military delegation of the Russian Federation arrived yesterday in Macedonia, reports Macedonian daily 'Dnevnik', emphasizing that it is the first meeting of a Russian military delegation with the Macedonian Defense Ministry and Army officials. According to sources of the Russian Embassy in Skopje, the bilateral cooperation in the military-technical field will be discussed, on which an agreement could be signed. The guests will also meet with the Macedonian Defense Minister Blagoj Hanjiski.[02] EU REGIONAL APPROACH TO BE DISCUSSED IN JUNEThe mini - Balkan tour of the EU officials, who should explain the Union's regional approach to the requests for memberships, will most probably start at the beginning of June. Macedonian Television reported, according to diplomatic sources in Brussels, that the EU Council of Ministers yesterday had discussed this issue, but it had still not been decided whether the tour would include only Belgrade, Saraevo and Zagreb, or Tirana and Skopje as well.Brussels is also waiting for appointing the successor of Susanna Agnelli, i.e. for the new Italian Foreign Minister, and, simultaneously, the new EU Chairman. [03] MEETING ON SFRY RESERVESNational Banks Governors of the former Yugoslav republics will meet on May 25 in Ohrid to discuss the dividing of the gold and foreign currency reserves of former SFRY, which are still in the International Bank of Basle, Switzerland. 'Makpress' reported the statement of a Macedonian National Bank official for Belgrade 'Beta' agency, that although the FR Yugoslav Central Bank Governor Dragoslav Avramovic offered to organise the meeting in Belgrade, the Macedonian party proposal to meet in Macedonia was accepted.[04] SPC - MPC RELATIONS DISCUSSED TODAYSerbian Orthodox Church (SPC) could recognize the independence of the Macedonian Orthodox Church (MPC) on today's regular session of the SPC Holy Synod in Belgrade, informed 'Makfax' yesterday. Their sources said that SPC is expected to re-examine its stand about the MPC now, after the mutual recognition of Belgrade and Skopje has taken place.Meanwhile, A-1 Television reported the information of the Serbian 'Beta' agency that SPC Holy Synod might discuss the relations with the Macedonian Church, but that its recognition was out of question, as the other Orthodox Churches disagree with that. [05] ASKING FOR A MACEDONIAN CONSULATE IN MONTENEGROMontenegrin entrepreneurs require from their Government to speed up the opening of several countries' consulates in Podgorica, including Macedonian, reads today's 'Dnevnik'.Prime Minister Gjukanovic was presented the idea to have consulates opened of those former Yugoslav republics with which a close economic cooperation is already established. [06] MILETIC - SKOPJE INTERFERES IN SERBIAN INTERNAL AFFAIRS'The reaction of Skopje to the terrorist actions of Shiptars in Kosovo is a blunt interfering in the internal affairs of Serbia and of FR Yugoslavia,' stated Dragisha Miletic, President of the Democratic Party of Serbs in Macedonia in his interview for the Belgrade pro- governmental daily 'Borba'. As 'Makfax' reported, Miletic said that 'everybody should understand that the issue of Kosovo and Metohia is an internal issue of Yugoslavia'.[07] DZAFERI: BERISHA IS A GUARANTEE FOR THE STABILITY OF ALBANIA AND MACEDONIALeader of the PDPA Arben Dzaferi considers that joining of Albania and Macedonia to NATO is of a great importance, a way to a new system of values, such as the West European one. In his interview for 'Dnevnik', Dzaferi said the only guarantee for that in Albania is Berisha's Democratic Party. 'In case the socialists win the elections, the global solving of the Balkan issue would be stopped, and we would hide ourselves inside our ideological, national, and civilization bunkers and would watch each others though spyglasses. It would be a realisation of the Balkan xenophobia for the next millennium,' stated Dzaferi.[08] FREE INFORMATION FLOW AND FREEDOM OF PRESSThe free flow of information and freedom of press were discussed in yesterday's World Net's programme 'Dialogue', in which several Macedonian journalists participated through the US Information Service in Skopje. Tara Sorenson, an Editor of 'Newsweek' and one professor of journalism from Washington answered the questions about the basic principles of a law which regulates the broadcasting, and which would guarantee the freedom of press and the equality of the public and private media.They said the competitiveness was one of the principles, which means that there should not be a dominating radio or TV station. The others are the quality control (which can not be regulated with laws) and the capability of free action without limitations. It was said that the governments have to allow and enable an access of the media to the information. [09] GOVERNMENT ADOPTED THE DRAFT-LAW ON BROADCASTINGGovernment of the Republic of Macedonia adopted the Proposal for passing the Law on Broadcasting on its session yesterday. The Law incorporates the Constitutional guarantees of freedom of informing, freedom of opinion and public expressing, as well as of strengthening the market mechanisms and the private initiative. Thus the current regulations are completely abandoned. The official announcement said that the Draft-Law anticipates a pluralistic concept in the creation, broadcasting, independence and frankness of the programmes with different ideas and opinions, which offers a space for initiative and creativity. Certain Articles of the Law guarantee the protection of the privacy and dignity of an individual, and the freedom of the editorial staffs and journalists. The Law also allows establishing of broadcasting companies to legal and private subjects under the same conditions. Establishing a concessions programme is also planned, due to the limitations of the frequencies. The Law respects all the international conventions, standards and obligations in this field, and introduces a broadcasting tax for financing the radio and TV programmes of a public interest. The Law anticipates establishing a Broadcasting Council and financing the companies in this business.[10] UNEMPLOYMENT IN MACEDONIA INCREASESOn its yesterday's session, the Macedonian Government concluded that the unemployment in Macedonia was increasing, especially the number of those people who have never been employed before. This problem was discussed following the request of a member of the Liberal Party, and was a subject of discussion of the Parliamentary Commission of Labour and Social Policy. It was concluded that the unemployment had increased especially during the last year, and that there are double more men looking for a job than women. Regarding the education, there are most unemployed among the non-qualified, followed by the qualified and highly qualified people. About 35% of the 216,000 unemployed in Macedonia have more than five years working experience. The statistics showed that the municipality of Prilep has the greatest number of bankrupt enterprises' workers - 10,165 till the end of February.The Commission of Labour and Social Policy said the number did not show the realistic situation, as there were many individuals working in the private companies, without being officially registered. The avoiding of taxes paying for them, as well as for those registered, additionally complicates the situation. The Commission suggested a plan of development and strengthening the criteria for obtaining social aid to be created, as well as to have more frequent controls made by the competent inspections. [11] SIGNATURES IN THE PARLIAMENT TILL FRIDAYThe Director of the Macedonian Statistics Institute Svetlana Andonovska informed the media that checking of the signatures for the early elections initiative would be accomplished till tomorrow noon. The documentation will be submitted to the Ministry of Justice, after which it should be immediately brought to the Parliament. The issue will be put on the agenda, it was announced, on the next Parliament session.Today's 'Nova Makedonija' reads that two Articles of the new Law on Collecting Signatures have already been questioned before the Constitutional Court. A citizen from Bitola denied the constitutionality of the Article saying that an initiative on signatures collecting can be organised by 100 voters, a registered political party or a civil association. The second entry denied is the set term of 3 months for collecting the signatures, i.e. 6 months for a referendum or changing of the Constitution. The initiator claims that these entries limit the rights and freedom of the citizens established with the Constitution and leave free space for suspicion in the constitutionality and lawfulness of these Articles. [12] PDPA: GLIGOROV'S STATEMENTS PROVOKE CONFUSIONPDPA Party representatives stated that the latest statements Gligorov had given during his visit to Paris regarding the Albanian issues and requests of Albanians in Macedonia had been contradictory and had created an unnecessary confusion in the public. The party especially objected to President Gligorov's naming the request for an independent Kosovo 'an extremism opposite to the policy of Rugova.'[13] MACEDONIAN NATIONAL FRONT APPROVES GLIGOROV'S FIRMNESSMacedonian National Front seated in Prilep approved of the latest activities of Macedonian President Gligorov.Stressing that he was successfully continuing the policy he had established five years ago, the party believes that he had confirmed the firmness regarding the dispute with Greece and the internal policy of relations with minorities. The party also emphasized the hypocritical stand of the parties of Albanians in Macedonia. [14] MALENKO - WINNER OF TWO GOLDEN MEDALS IN ATHENSMacedonian swimmer Aleksandar Malenko won great scores in the 'Acropolis' Swimming Cup in Athens, in which more than 500 swimmers from 18 countries participated. Malenko set a new national record on 50 metres 'dolphin' style and won the first place.Macedonian national representative Branimir Jovanovski won the first place of the World Championship of Disabled Persons in Air Rifle Shooting. The competition took place in Holland and was participated by 50 competitors from 10 countries. MILS SUPPLEMENT[15] 'Foreign Tourist Workers Advertise, Domestic Ones Calculate'('Vecer', 14 May 1996)The forthcoming summer vacations bring up the question where and at what price to spend those long waited ten days of sunbathing, surfing, sailing, ... The rich tourist offer already gives the possibility to book places at almost all tourist resources all over the world, except for those in the country, that have still not been completed.The Macedonian hotel workers obviously remember last year's failure and will probably calculate the prices till the last moment. They seem to be making attempts to form prices acceptable for the potential tourists on one hand, and profitable for them on the other hand. Traditionally, the tourist workers of Struga announced their prices before those of Ohrid. Those of Prespa and Doiran are waiting for the latter to calculate their final prices and to make them at least 10% lower. It seems that the prices will be reduced for about 10-20% compared to the last summer, although the travel agencies are still making efforts to have them lowered even more. The most expensive room and board arrangements reach DM 40 a day at the moment (in the hotels 'Drim' and 'Metropol' in Struga), and the agencies consider the best price would be DM 30-35 maximum. The hotel businessmen are making other preparations, as well. Parts of most of the hotels have been redecorated and modernized (such as of 'Metropol' and 'Biser'), some news have been introduced (the casinos in 'Mlaz' and 'Metropol'), and the greatest attention has been paid to the beaches. The Doiran tourist workers are mostly engaged with that. The risen waters of the lake had covered the beaches, and new sand is being brought. The Prespa hotel workers are dealing with similar problems, although, they said, they would not mind higher water level. The hotel businessmen in the mountain tourist resources of Popova Shapka, Mavrovo, Pelister, Krushevo, are also active. The last few years showed that the number of people who spend their summer vacations in the mountains is increasing. Most of the hotels are working with reduced winter prices, and some of them are already preparing those for July and August. They consider the prices of 650 denars (in 'Slavija' - Popova Shapka) to 800 denars (in 'Montana' - Krushevo) very attractive. The private rooms owners seem to be expecting a successful season also. Their prices have been announced to be DM 5- 10, which is the same as the last year. It is usual, however, that they change them in case of an increased demand. The travel agencies have rich offers for the foreign resources, the Turkish ones being the most aggressive. Our tourist workers, however, say that one can not expect the last year's interest for Turkey among Macedonians. The reason is not only the vague political situation there, but also the opening of the Greek border and the vicinity of that part of the Aegean coast. The local tourist agencies are booking mostly on the islands (Korfu, Rodos, Skiatos) at the moment, leaving the continental part to the motorized individual tourists. Although the Turkish and the Greek offers are rich, it seems that one could not have anything decent for less than DM 600 for a one week arrangement. Tourist agencies expect a lot from the sale of the programmes for the Bulgarian and Montenegrin coasts, mostly due to their vicinity and lower prices (with which the domestic prices can still not compete), but also due to the fact that many people prefer the sea coasts to the lake ones. Whatever option one takes into account, the inevitable conclusion is that the vacations are expensive. Especially if one realizes that the average Macedonian salary could hardly cover a one week arrangement for one person only. Most of the parents will probably be able to send only their children somewhere in the Republic, as the prices at children's summer camps will be about 410 denars, according to the suggestion of the Ministry of Labour. (end)mils news 14 May, 1996 |
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