MAK-NEWS 27/04/99 (MAKFAKS) - 2
Novinska Agencija - Skopje RM
tel. ++ (389 91) 11 01 25; fax 11 01 84; modem 11 00 81
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Skopje - St. "11 Oktomvri" 36/3 P.O. Box738
e-mail: mak...@makfax.itl.com.mk
DAIMS /diplomatic and international mission service/ 1
27.04.99. /end/
Macedonian government delegation leaded by the
Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski is to hold a political
dialogue with the E.U. Ministerial Troika today in
Luxembourg, Skopje's media reported.
The talks with the Euro-Troika will be focused on
elevation of the relations' level between Macedonia and
the European Union as well as on the current situation
in the region. During the visit in Luxembourg,
Macedonian Prime Minister is expected to hold talks with
the German State Secretary Guenter Verhoigen, the
Luxembourg's Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker and the
Vice President of European Investment Bank Panaiotis
Gynematos. /End/ /end/
Macedonian President Kiro Gligorov condemned the
European countries for breaking their promises to accept
Kosovo's refugee from Macedonia, where more than 135.000
have been already accommodated.
In the interview for CNN, President Gligorov, as
"Makfax" reports, expressed his gratitude to Germany,
Turkey and Norway for offering shelter to the refugees.
President Gligorov added "the other countries are not
active. He again repeated that "Macedonia should not be
used for attacking any neighbouring country, including
Yugoslavia". /end/ /end/
Macedonia: Explosions in front of NATO Barracks
Skopje, 27.04.99. ("Makfax") - Two hand grenades
had exploded late Monday in front of NATO Barracks in
Kumanovo, "Makfax" reports.
The explosion caused no damages, no casualties or
wounded had been reported - the Spokesman of NATO forces
stationed in Macedonia Major Eric Mongnot stated for
"Makfax".
"A motor vehicle was passing by the Barracks
entrance, 'something' was thrown from the vehicle, and
then, two powerful detonations had been heard" - Major
Mongnot said. He added that "it is presumed that the
grenades were hand-made".
Major Mongnot said the investigation is underway
and the Macedonian police has been also informed about
this incident.
Major Mongnot had no available data on another two
detonations which had been heard earlier this morning at
the area of Makedonski Brod. /End/ /end/
More than 10.000 NATO soldiers are to arrive in
Macedonia through Greek port of Thessaloniki, the Greek
state agency "MPA" reported.
"MPA", as "Makfax" transmits, reported that NATO
officers who have been assigned to co-ordinate the
troops transfer, said some 10.000 to 15.000 soldiers,
mainly British, German, French, Canadian and Italian are
to arrive in Skopje through the Thessaloniki's airport.
This contingent is the part of the total of 28.000
soldiers who are to be stationed in Macedonia according
to the initial NATO plans. /end/ /end/
Macedonia: UNHCR - The refugee camps can take no more
refugees
Skopje, 27.04.99 ("Makfax") - "The refugee camps
in Macedonia are overflowed and can not take additional
refuges", the UNHCR Spokesman Ron Redmond said today at
the press briefing in Skopje.
UNHCR fears the Kosovo's refugees who arrive in
Macedonia on each-day basis, will be forced to sleep
under an open sky.
"The overcrowded refugee camps in Macedonia could
much likely be a ground for spreading infectious
diseases, several cases of measles and hepatitis have
been already reported in the refugee camp Radusha",
Redmond said. He also mentioned the threat of disturbing
the ethnic balance in the country.
According to UNHCR data, a total of 58.000
refugees have been accommodated in the seven refugee
camps across Macedonia - Stenkovec, Brazda, Neprosteno,
Radusa, Senokos, Blace and Bojane, and it is presumed
that as many as 78.000 refugees have been accommodated
in the families throughout Macedonia.
Redmond said the UNHCR is about to complete of the
setting up of Cegrane refugee camp, which is anticipated
to accommodate as many as 5.000 refugees, this camp will
be set up by Thursday or Friday at latest.
Redmond announced that the process for
transferring Kosovo's refugees into third countries is
stepped up. According to Redmond, some 1.200 refugees
are to be transferred today by the air bridge, and
another transfer of more than 1.800 is about to take
place.
"Nevertheless, this is a step forward and two
steps backward, having into consideration how many new
refugees are arriving every day and how many are being
transferred into other countries", Redmond said.
Ron Redmond had no available data on how many
Kosovo's refugees are expected to arrive in Macedonia
within next few days. "We could speak about thousands,
maybe 50.000, even 100.000, but, I could not confirm
this information".
When asked whether UNHCR will encourage the
governments of other countries to accept refugees from
Macedonia, Redmond said UNHCR has already appealed
through the media on this issue. He mentioned that plans
have been worked out on accepting some 100.000 refugees
from Macedonia and these plans are to be effected as
soon as possible. Redmond outlined that so far as many
as 36.000 refugees have been transferred from Macedonia
into third countries and the plans on accepting new
refugees are to be put in effect very soon. /end/ /end/
Macedonian officials registered a total of 3.428
Yugoslav citizens at the border crossings of Blace,
Tabanovce and Jazince on Monday, furthermore, the border
police officials discovered as many as 494 persons
trying to cross the border illegally, the Macedonian
Interior Ministry announced today.
According to the same source, as "Makfax" reports,
a total of 183.800 refugees have been registered in
Macedonia so far, among them, 27.990 have been already
transferred into third countries. According to the
official data, as many as 68.960 refugees have been
accommodated in Macedonian refugee camps. /End/ /end/
A wounded Kosovo's refugee, who crossed the border
illegally, was admitted in the Intenisve Care Unit
within the Tetovo's Medical Centre, Macedonian Interior
Ministry announced today.
This person, as "Makfax" reports, entered
Macedonian on illegal basis near the border crossing
Blace. The announcement released by the Interior
Ministry gives no details on person's identity nor under
what circumstances the person had been wounded. /end/
/end/
Macedonian Economy Minister Zanko Cado had lodged
his resignation, Skopje's electronic media reported late
Monday.
Zanko Cado, as "Makfax" reports, explained that
his resignation was resulted by the discrepancies
between his attitude and the attitude of the rest
government members, particularly the Ministers assigned
to deal with the economic policy. Another reason for his
resignation is the unrealised aid which was promised to
Macedonia by the foreign countries, thus, Minister Cado
felt hopeless because "his hands were tied". Minister
Cado abstains from issuing statements until returning of
Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski from Luxembourg. /End/
/end/
Sofia, 27.04.99 ("Makfax") - "The President
Milosevic's regime is trying to destabilise not only
Macedonia but the entire Balkan", Macedonian Vice
Premier Dosta Dimovska said in the interview for Sofia's
daily "Demokracija".
The Vice Premier Dimovska estimated that
Democratic Party of Serbs in Macedonia has been
organising anti-NATO protests and tried to create an
unrest among the citizens in Macedonia and to confront
the ethnic Albanian minority with other citizens.
Fortunately, so far, we managed not to surpass
such impetuous provocation's, Dimovska underscored in
the interview for "Demokracija".
Macedonian Vice Premier expressed her gratitude to
"our Bulgarian friends for providing assistance in the
refugee camp "Radusa".
Dimovska expressed a hope that Macedonia will soon
gain the promised military aid which is expected to be
approved by the Bulgarian government by the end of the
week. /end/ /end/
During her official visit to Bulgaria, Macedonian
Vice Premier Dosta Dimovska asked the Bulgarian
government to appeal to the Bulgarian companies to
purchase Macedonian goods and products, the Sofia's
daily "24 Hours" reports today. This daily, as "Makfax"
transmits, quotes the statement released by Dimovska -
40 percent of the Macedonian anticipated export has
already failed because of the war, this export was
intended for Serbia.
Reporting on the talks between Macedonian Vice
Premier and the Bulgarian Prime Minister Ivan Kostov,
Sofia's daily "Demokracija", reports that both countries
are to ask the European Union to finance the
construction of the railway Kustendil-Gjuesevo-Kumanovo.
/end/ /end/
A group of 19 German respectful intellectuals and
artists of the political leftists, including the famous
writer Guenter Grass, called upon NATO, Belgrade and the
Kosovo Liberation Army to declare a two-day cease-fire,
and, if Belgrade does not comply with such agreement,
the bombing should go on, the west agencies reported.
"33 days had been quite enough", the announcement
released by the 19 members of the so called "Willy
Brandt circle" says, warning that if the cease-fire does
not take place, "the current conflict is much likely to
escalate into a ground war in the Balkans". This group,
as "Makfax" reports, estimates that cease-fire
initiative "would give a chance to both sides to ponder,
in order to avoid the automatic transition into the
second stage i.e. escalation leading to a ground war".
"NATO has no reason to demonstrate its power , nobody
suspects its capability to win", the German leftist
intellectuals' announcement says. /End/ /end/
The U.S. Apache gunship crashed late Monday in
Albania, the U.S. command, Europe announced. The same
source announced the two pilots are safe.
According to the announcement released by the U.S.
Command in Germany, the "Apache AX-64" gunship crashed
late Monday near the airport in Tirana. The reason for
gunship crash has not been yet announced, as "Makfax"
reports. The Apache gunship crashed while conducting a
routine training operations. The United States deployed
in Albania a total of 24 Apache gunships to boost NATO
firepower. /end/ /end/
Greek leftists have condemned the authorities for
giving their consent to the documents issued at NATO
summit in Washington, "Makfax" reports.
The Greek Communist Party Secretary-General Aleka
Papariga outlined that the Pasok's government, along
with the other 18 NATO's governments, had signed the
Charter on formation of "Contemporary Empire of Crime -
the new NATO". Papariga added that Greek Communist Party
does not agree with this signature and considers it
illegal. The coalition of the leftists and development
had estimated that the decisions taken during NATO
summit transform NATO into "An aggressive organization
and an international policeman". /End/ /end/
Greece will request the European Union a
compensation should the Greek tourism, export and
transport suffer losses caused by the Kosovo crisis -
the Greek National Economy Minister Janos Papandoniu
said. Minister Papandoniu, as "Makfax" reports, added
that the government in Athens hopes the crisis would not
prevent Greece in its intention to join the economic and
monetary union within the European community.
The Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou, on
the other hand, expressed concern for the oil embargo
against Yugoslavia. Papandreou hopes that the embargo
will be carried out in a way not to inflict damage to
the Greek Ship's Companies. /END ALL/