MILS: News from the FYROM, 97-03-19

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

CONTENTS

[01] STUDENT HUNGER STRIKE ENDS, THAT OF `FITU' MEMBERS BEGINS

[02] PARLIAMENT: DECLARATION ON INTER-ETHNIC RELATIONS ADOPTED

[03] SPM: `DANGEROUS DETERIORATION OF CONDITIONS IN THE COUNTRY'

[04] MAAK-CP: `PARTIES TO COUNTER INTER-ETHNIC TENSIONS'

[05] GOVERNMENT: `TAT CLIENTS TO BE RESTITUTED'

[06] NBM: `EXCHANGE RATE TO STABILISE OVER NEXT FEW DAYS'

[07] THEODOROS PANGALLOS: `NAME-ISSUE TO BE SETTLED BY BEGINNING OF THIS SUMMER'

[08] AGREEMENT TO ENCOURAGE JOINT VENTURES WITH GREECE

[09] PETAR STOJANOV: `SOLVING OF LANGUAGE-ISSUE VIA EUROPEAN STANDARDS'

[10] OHRID AND PODGRADEC LAUNCHED INITIATIVE TO COLLECT FOOD AND CLOTHING

[11] FRED A. REED IN MACEDONIA

MILS NEWS

Skopje, 19 March, 1997

[01] STUDENT HUNGER STRIKE ENDS, THAT OF `FITU' MEMBERS BEGINS

The health condition of strikers has been drastically worsened yesterday - thus that six of them were admitted into hospital for medical treatment. According to the words of Filip Petrovski the remaining students in the tent would continue the hunger strike - as a symbol of solidarity - until the friends are released from hospital.

In connection to the General Meeting scheduled for 27th March by the IMRO- DPMNE, Petrovski stated that both the appeal and the organisation of this event were in no way linked to student protests - which does not mean that students (as citizens of Macedonia) do not have the right to attend it.

Meantime, members - i.e. around ten unemployed, technologically redundant and laid-off workers - of the FITU (Federation of Independent Trade Unions) have commenced their hunger strike at a tent next to that of the students. These protesters have announced that they would continue their hunger strike until their demands, of a prevailingly social character, are fulfilled. In their message addressed to President Gligorov and PM Crvenkovski they have requested the disbursement of 60% of the national average income as redundancy pay, the reviewing of privatisation procedures conducted in companies where large numbers of redundant employees have been generated, the implementation of employee ownership as a privatisation approach, etc.

[02] PARLIAMENT: DECLARATION ON INTER-ETHNIC RELATIONS ADOPTED

`I ask to prevent that the fate of our children and families falls in the hands of various aggressive popular demagogues, the carriers of foreign interests and riders of Balkan apocalypses. Should we allow this, we ourselves, this assembly, this government, I and all other decision- makers in this country would fail to meet our responsibility - as we would neither defend the interests of Macedonia, nor those of any ethnicity in our country or the safety of our citizens, the present and the future of this country of ours, the only country we've got...' stated President Kiro Gligorov in his address to the Parliament.

His speech further focused mainly on the dangers accompanying `street democracy' and the extra- institutional resolving of issues, warning of threats such as extremism (both Albanian and Macedonian as equally devastating). In this sense he also welcomed the suspending of the student hunger strike, while indicating that problems could only be resolved through dialogue and through institutions within the system. Upon emphasising the endeavours made to secure coexistence - and by listing the experience of neighbouring countries where huge economic and social crises have reached their culmination - President Gligorov expressed the belief that the citizens of the Republic of Macedonia have accrued enough experience and wisdom to counter the instrumentalisation of their interests and objectives - as this might not only be conducive to a state of chaos but also to the ignoring of basic national interests. Upon advocating the adoption of the proposed Declaration, Gligorov reminded that it may not be forgotten that all of us are nationals of this state with certain rights, as well as obligations, concordant to the Constitution and overall legislation.

As regards the IMRO-DPMNE appeal to attend the General Meeting on 27th March, Gligorov stressed that the inciting of chaotic conditions in the country may be attributed to a variety of factors which all have the common denominator that they attempt to rekindle public discontent, anger and fear - while power is to be obtained even through inter- ethnic conflicts.

While reminding of past achievements in constituting this state via fundamental principles as coexistence, reforms and a European orientation, President Gligorov delved into issues burdening inter-ethnic relations - as well as into the present international rating of the country and the pyramid banking scandals. In this context Gligorov expressed his conviction that the Government and the Parliament would succeed in finding a way to restitute deceived bank clients, and that nobody would escape legal liability.

Besides this, the second continuation of this session dedicated to the furthering of inter-ethnic relations was in the sign of addresses made by Albanian MPs. The representatives of the PDPA and the NDP emphasised in their speeches that the loyalty of Albanians in Macedonia towards institutions of the system would mirror the loyalty of the latter towards them. In the opinion of these parliamentary members the main factors generating this crisis in the country are the Constitution, the Government and the Parliament. In this sense it was mentioned that it had to be clear that Albanians are a nation in Macedonia and not an ethnic minority, as they represent one third of the overall population. According to Rami Tuda (NDP) there are no inter-ethnic tensions in Macedonia, but there are tensions between the Government and the instrumentalised Parliament. He stated that Albanians in Macedonia are being denied basic rights guaranteed through international conventions, and that their representation in institutions was disproportionate.

The PDP faction assessed that Macedonians are incapable of abandoning the thesis that they are the constitutional people in this country, whereas present conditions urgently require a consensus-based democracy in Macedonia.

Party representative Rizvan Sulejmani stressed that Albanians demonstrated their commitment to Macedonia during the `Illyrida' referendum - as the latter revolved around autonomy within Macedonia, without any additional issues on secession or entering an alliance with other countries.

Abdujali Vejseli indicated that in his opinion student protests were politically motivated, i.e. the objective to usurp the Government.

The largest part of parliamentary debates nevertheless focused on the commitment to dialogue and tolerance, as well as to upholding the rule of law and respecting the institutions of the system. The SDSM representatives see the Declaration as a platform to defuse inter-ethnic relations - as a framework codifying the foundations to overcome the gap which is intensively increasing between the Macedonian people and ethnic minorities. It has also been stressed by them that demonstrations in the streets would not resolve problems, while listing potential consequences should the principles of institutional problem-solving be abandoned. The LP mainly brought forth procedural objections addressed to the Parliamentary Chairman concerning the scheduling of the session. They further proposed that the Parliament should ratify a separate programme i.e. a basis which would provide legislative projects with respect to the subject of inter- ethnic relations.

Several of the speeches entailed a response by Justice Secretary Vlado Popovski, according to whom it is a mistake to assume that the Constitution created the concept for two categories of citizens. The PF-Bill - as Popovski stressed - does not entail the violation of the Constitution as it merely ensures the training of academic staff to conduct elementary and secondary education of Albanians. In the opinion of the Justice Secretary the `University of Tetovo' concept and instruction in Albanian on a tertiary level embodies the creating of a system parallel to the national educational system. Education Minister Sofija Todorova underlined that the education sector has been proclaimed a sphere of public interest, and that should the Law on Tertiary Education permit the establishing of private educational institutions - these would have to operate in compliance to Constitutional provisions, of which one regulates that instruction has to be conducted in Macedonian.

Yesterday's sequel of the 63rd Parliamentary session did not result in the adopting of the draft-proposal on launching an initiative to alter and complement the Constitution, which had been submitted by a group of PDPA and NDP Parliamentary representatives. The draft contains provisions on the outlining of a text which would codify the complete equality of all people and ethnicities in Macedonia. Other requests include the reinstatement of legal institutions outlined in the 1974 Constitution as regards the constitutive status of the Albanian ethnicity, the recognition of the Albanian language as an official language equal to the Macedonian one and the legalisation of the `University of Tetovo'. This proposal has been rejected by 83 MPs. Parliamentary activity is to continue today, with a debate on current issues connected to the pyramid banking scandals in Macedonia.

[03] SPM: `DANGEROUS DETERIORATION OF CONDITIONS IN THE COUNTRY'

[04] MAAK-CP: `PARTIES TO COUNTER INTER-ETHNIC TENSIONS'

According to the Macedonian Radio Angelovski has asked students to suspend their hunger strike, along with the request to look for another approach of public pressurising to obtain the resignation of the Government and initiate early elections.

[05] GOVERNMENT: `TAT CLIENTS TO BE RESTITUTED'

Talks with these state officials had also included the demand that all `TAT' assets should be entrusted to the NBM or the state, whereas dues towards clients should be handled by a bank backed by the state. Mladenovski has further mentioned to the media that it has been requested to compile a draft-bill which would regulate this issue, and to submit the draft-bill to parliamentary procedures.

The Macedonian Radio also reports that Mladenovski stated that the Clients' Board, over which he was presiding, would adhere to the position that the `TAT' issue may only be resolved through institutions within the system, instead of implementing the methods of `street democracy'.

Due to this the Board is distancing itself from all measures undertaken by the so-called `Alternative Board' backed by the IMRO-DPMNE and its leader Ljubcho Georgievski.

[06] NBM: `EXCHANGE RATE TO STABILISE OVER NEXT FEW DAYS'

A-1 TV has been quoting NBM sources upon broadcasting this information yesterday, as well as the estimate that the DM is soon to drop to 27.6 denars (i.e. its value of 10 days ago). According to this TV station such expectations are based on the announcements by `Stopanska', `Makedonska' and `Tutunska Banka' which intend to sell hard currency reserves at this rate. It is being estimated that exchange offices which been adhering to the strategy of artificially raising the DM exchange rate, will attempt to maintain this state of affairs. The stabilisation of conditions is nevertheless expected very soon. So far the NBM has never intervened by issuing its own reserves for the hard currency market, due to the view that difficulties have never been that gravitating.

[07] THEODOROS PANGALLOS: `NAME-ISSUE TO BE SETTLED BY BEGINNING OF THIS SUMMER'

[08] AGREEMENT TO ENCOURAGE JOINT VENTURES WITH GREECE

This is the first bilateral agreement to be ratified by the parliaments of both countries later on, which is to further the development of economic cooperation - in the opinion of the Macedonian Liaison Office in Athens. The latter also claim that Greek businessmen have exhibited particular interest for investing into Macedonia's electricity supplies sector (the `Kozjak' dam), for developing the Skopje - Tetovo motorway, the motorway from Gradsko to the Greek border, as well as with respect to textile, metal and tobacco production.

[09] PETAR STOJANOV: `SOLVING OF LANGUAGE-ISSUE VIA EUROPEAN STANDARDS'

[10] OHRID AND PODGRADEC LAUNCHED INITIATIVE TO COLLECT FOOD AND CLOTHING

Macedonian media report that talks resulted in the agreement that Ohrid and Macedonia help Podgradec and Albania by delivering food, clothing and other goods. The aid initiative is to be implemented these days, following the acquisition of permits by appropriate Macedonian ministries.

[11] FRED A. REED IN MACEDONIA

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(end)

mils news 19 March 1997

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