MILS NEWS 28/06/96

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From: "Macedonian Information Liaison Service" <[email protected]>

CONTENTS

[01] MACEDONIAN-AMERICAN DEFENSE COOPERATION IN PROGRESS

[02] GOAL OF GLIGOROV'S VISIT TO TURKEY

[03] NAME OF MACEDONIA SOON DISCUSSED IN THE CoE

[04] BULGARIA DOES NOT SUPPORT THE COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS ON MINORITIES

[05] MAX VAN DER STOEL IN MACEDONIA ON MONDAY

[06] NEW CHIEF OF OSCE MISSION TO MACEDONIA - CHRISTIAN FABER ROD

[07] DEVELOPING THE COOPERATION BETWEEN MACEDONIA AND BOSNIA

[08] HIGH LEVEL OF ECONOMIC LIBERALIZATION IN MACEDONIA

[09] 'IZVESTIJA': THERE WILL BE NO REBELLION IN KOSOVO

[10] NEW GENERAL MANAGER OF MRTV APPOINTED

MILS SUPPLEMENT

[11] 'Social Problems and Albanian Issue - Most Risky'

MILS NEWS

Skopje, 28 June 1996

[01] MACEDONIAN-AMERICAN DEFENSE COOPERATION IN PROGRESS

The US delegation was received by Macedonian Premier Branko Crvenkovski also, who had expressed his great satisfaction with the cooperation of both countries' armies. It was pointed out that relations would continue to develop positively and that American-Macedonia Working Group would contribute to it. Estimating the work of this Group very positively, Mr. Crammer said he was convinced that the programme prepared for the defense would give long-term effects, which would contribute to the security not only in Macedonia but in the whole region.

Macedonian Defense Minister Handziski said for the press that he and his American colleagues had discussed the Macedonian Army readiness improving by professional staff training and by introducing a communication-informative system compatible to the one of the Alliance. Crammer added that they had talked about the type of weapons which should be included in the equipment of Macedonian Army, about the American help in that direction and about the sale of US arms to Macedonia.

[02] GOAL OF GLIGOROV'S VISIT TO TURKEY

President Gligorov is escorted by Vice Prime Ministers Ljube Trpevski and Bekjir Zuta, as well as by a group of Macedonian businessmen.

During the visit, a session of the Business Council of two countries' entrepreneurs will be held, while Gligorov is going to be given an honourable title of a Ph.D. at the Istanbul University.

[03] NAME OF MACEDONIA SOON DISCUSSED IN THE CoE

According to A-1 Television, Fisher said she knew nothing about the request of the two Macedonian opposition parties - VMRO-DPMNE and Democratic Party - the Council to be informed about the early elections initiative.

[04] BULGARIA DOES NOT SUPPORT THE COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS ON MINORITIES

[05] MAX VAN DER STOEL IN MACEDONIA ON MONDAY

[06] NEW CHIEF OF OSCE MISSION TO MACEDONIA - CHRISTIAN FABER ROD

[07] DEVELOPING THE COOPERATION BETWEEN MACEDONIA AND BOSNIA

Bosnian Minister yesterday also met two Professors at Skopje University, Uzunov and Bogoev, to talk about a cooperation in the creation of the strategy of the economic development of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Stojanov is attending the Symposium for the development of small and medium enterprises in Ohrid, which started yesterday.

[08] HIGH LEVEL OF ECONOMIC LIBERALIZATION IN MACEDONIA

The dividing has been made according to the basic reform groups in the transition: free pricing and trade, entering markets without a control from the state (which simultaneously stabilizes the economy), defining the property rights and privatization where necessary, and restructuring the social services and social security net.

[09] 'IZVESTIJA': THERE WILL BE NO REBELLION IN KOSOVO

[10] NEW GENERAL MANAGER OF MRTV APPOINTED

Trajkovski used to be a Director of Macedonian Television, after which he was an editor there. Korneti was released from duty due to the 58 votes for (mainly of SDSM members), while 18 Liberals voted against, and 5 PDPA-NDP coalition members restrained from voting. Trajkovski was appointed to the new position with 98 votes for, while 18 MPs of the Liberal Party restrained from voting.

Liberals said the way Ms. Korneti was released from duty was highly non-democratic and unnecessary as she successfully did her work. The Government is responsible for the current situation, according to Liberals, because regulations referring to broadcasting and telecommunications have still not been completed. They also said the true reason for releasing Ms. Korneti from duty was that she was not a member of SDSM.

PDP representatives said there was a political agreement for the appointing of the new MRTV General Manager, while PDPA members said this purge was normal as local elections were approaching, as well as parliamentarian ones. PDPA members explained they had restrained from voting because they were not consulted when the decisions for releasing and appointing were made.

Macedonian MPs yesterday elected three Appellate Courts Presidents: Lenche Sofronievska - Skopje, Bozidar Kochov - Bitola and Trajche Puzderliev - Shtip, while Ljubinka Jakimova, a judge at the Kumanovo Municipal Court, was released from duty because of dishonest and inexpert working.

MILS SUPPLEMENT

[11] 'Social Problems and Albanian Issue - Most Risky'

('Nova Makedonija', 28 June 1996)

The most important issue for all Macedonian citizens - peace, could be jeopardized mostly by the social injustice or by an eventual conflict in Kosovo, as well as by one between Macedonians and Albanians in Macedonia. The citizens see UNPREDEP Mission as a guarantee for the stability, but in case of a war they expect the most from NATO and the USA, and have the least confidence in the possibility Macedonia to be defended by its own armed forces.

These are the general results of the latest telephone survey made by 'Data Press' exclusively for 'Nova Makedonija'. It included 2,800 citizens chosen by chance. The goal was to examine the opinion of citizens about UNPREDEP Mission, about the effect of the preventive diplomacy and its contribution for the peace. What is the UN preventive diplomacy? Whose interests does it protect? Is there a need to have the UNPREDEP in Macedonia? Could this Mission prevent a war? What jeopardizes the peace in Macedonia most of all and how could it be preserved? These were some of the questions asked to get the picture about the public opinion at the time when mandate of UN Mission is being re-examined and the possibility for it to be replaced by US troops is being mentioned.

Most of those questioned - 72.42% supported peace as the most important value. Most of the citizens consider themselves the worthiest of maintaining it (44.56%), 42.12% consider President Gligorov as the most deserving for that, while the international community representatives are considered far less responsible for keeping the peace - UNPREDEP 2.86%, and USA and NATO 2.29%. Most of the citizens find the social injustice (39.86%) and an eventual conflict between Macedonians and Albanians (29.29%) the greatest threats to the peace, while 12.43% think the greatest danger would be a war in Kosovo. As the last two are connected matters, the 'Albanian issue' is high on the list of risks.

Citizens consider the internal situation more important than the events outside the country as a prevention against war.

Majority (45.05%) find the development of the economy as the most important factor, the second one being democracy and good relations between all the nationalities (22.14%). In case of a conflict inside the country, only 2.43% of those polled would trust in the Army, while only 4.29% think that making the country neutral or a demilitarized zone (9.86%) could be of any help. The capability for a conflict to be peacefully solved is considered the best for establishing a constant peace.

51.29% of the citizens questioned find the presence of UNPREDEP in Macedonia necessary, but 50.29% of them answered positively to the question whether the peace could be kept without it. Only 26% thought the opposite. The reason is probably the general opinion that this Mission is not numerous and equipped enough to be able to prevent a war, as well as the opinion of 51.71% of the citizens that UNPREDEP has protected the interests of the UN, EU or USA, while only 37.58% think that it has protected the interests of Macedonia. It is interesting that citizens and UNPREDEP members do not socialize a lot, as only 9.86% of the citizens have had personal contacts with these soldiers.

Most of the citizens have got used to the helicopters, armored vehicles, etc., and 56.71% do not even notice them.

Although Macedonians love the peace, they are not very fond of taking a part in peace keeping missions, as 54.43% said they would not like to participate in a mission of the type of UNPREDEP, while 32.71% said the opposite. Further processing of these data showed that citizens of a Serbian nationality are mostly against that option (66.67%), Macedonians are at the second place, while over 40% of Albanians said they would accept to participate in such a mission. It was also interesting that most of the pensioners (who could not be included in such missions, anyway) were mostly against, while 68% of the pupils were for.

It is also interesting that Serbs, Vlachs, Romans, Turks and Albanians expressed a greater belief that peace would be kept if UNPREDEP leaves Macedonia than Macedonians did.

Macedonians, Romans and Turks are mostly convinced that this Mission is in the interest of the Republic of Macedonia (i.e. 40.40%), although, in general, most of the citizens think that the Mission is in the interest of USA, EU or UN.

Citizens of Bitola are the most skeptical about it, as only 18% of them said UN Mission was in the interest of the country, while most of them thought it was in the interest of USA.

A greater number of Macedonians (32.30%) think that the peace could be jeopardized by a conflict with Albanians, while only 23.13% of the Albanians agree with that. Even 45.45% of citizens of a Serbian nationality pointed out that reason as the most jeopardizing one. Macedonians mostly believe that peace can be maintained by developing the economy (50.72%), while they have put democracy and good relations between the nations on the second place. Albanians have, however, given advantage to the latter.

Mostly those of a higher education consider the social injustice a realistic threat for the peace. The economic welfare is more important to the men than to the women, as the latter mostly consider peace the most important.

(end)

mils news 28 June, 1996

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