Interior Ministry supervises wahhabi followers

We supervise the emergence and distribution of Islamic fundamentalism and radical Islam in Macedonia, the Macedonian Interior Ministry said after the head of the Islamic Religious Community Sulejman Rexhepi had said that the ministry is passive about the emergence of wahhabi followers in the country, Macedonian Nova Makedonija daily writes on Friday.

“Once we find serious evidence supporting the suspicions that some people have committed a crime, the Interior Ministry will act in compliance with the law,” said Interior Ministry Spokesperson Ivo Kotevski.

Government slashes ambassadors’ salaries by 5% over crisis

The Macedonian government has slashed the salaries of the ambassadors by 5%, Macedonian Kirilica news website reports.

The payment reduction comes at the proposal of Finance Minister Zoran Stavreski and is one of the government’s measures to cushion the crisis fallout. The news website says that a 5% reduction is not a large one. The ambassadors’ salaries run to more than MKD 120,000 (MKD 61 = EUR 1) and after the slash their monthly payment will go down by some MKD 6,000.

Orwell in Macedonia

The mere thought of challenging the ruling authority is a crime, George Orwell wrote in his famous novel "1984." Macedonia does not have Orwell's Thought Police, but the new law on electronic communications, adopted on 17 June, genuinely scares human rights organisations. They have voiced concerns for civil liberties and the protection of privacy.


The deputy minister for transport did not quell their fears when he said "it is clear which group of citizens is targeted by this law and those are the people who work against the state, its sovereignty and integrity. If some people recognise themselves in this description, that is their problem."


With a majority of only one vote in the ruling conservative VMRO DPMNE party, the Macedonian parliament adopted the controversial law, which states that the internet, mobile and fixed line operators in the country have to respond positively to a request from the Ministry of Interior and give them all data on communications. They are obliged to store this information for 24 months, and to give the ministry 24/7 direct access to their networks, allowing it to take over the data it wants. The ministry can physically locate every internet and mobile user. Internet and mobile phone providers are also obliged to buy technology which is compatible with Interior Ministry's. All hardware or software changes have to be notified.


Last but not least, the ministry has the right to get all the information without a court order - therefore, the ministry is to act without any outside control.


This law is unconstitutional, according to the Directorate for the Protection of Personal Data, a government agency. It says it was not consulted during the work on the law and decided to give its opinion after reading media reports on the topic. "The law violates the constitutional postulates on the freedom and inviolability of all forms of communication," the directorate said.


Even the state prosecutor, a figure who is close to the ruling party, criticised the new law. "The ministry has exclusivity in the monitoring of all communications, but how to proceed if there is a suspicion of crime in the ministry itself? What are our possibilities to detect a potential crime there? Let us be honest - not even they are immune to crime," said Ljupco Svrgovski. He asked that his department be given means to follow the communications of the institutions protected by this legislation.


"This law provides authorities with unacceptable and invasive intrusion into the privacy of citizens and seriously threatens the basic postulates of human rights," the Macedonian branch of Hthe elsinki Committee for Human Rights said, adding that the move is contrary to all existing international standards in the area.


The European Commission has still not reacted. The Skopje government sent them only the first draft of the law, which did not contain the controversial articles. "Macedonia will have to answer some unpleasant questions in Brussels. We tried to make our VMRO DPMNE colleagues in the Parliament understand that they will also be victims of this law. But, they didn't want to hear it," said Jani Makraduli, a member of parliament for the social democrat opposition.


Macedonian human rights fighters and the opposition plan to challenge the law in the Constitutional Court.

Parliament to debate motion on Speaker's dismissal on Saturday

Parliament Speaker Trajko Veljanoski scheduled a session on Saturday (July 10) with only one item on the agenda - SDSM and NSDP's motion for his dismissal.


- Instead of finding a compromise on the establishment of an inquiry committee, I received today a formal motion from SDSM and NSDP deputies regarding my removal from the post President of the Macedonian Parliament. The motion will not distract me from my intention on one hand to clarify all of the circumstances in connection to the July 1 incident. On the other hand, the Parliament will continue executing its constitutional obligations and fulfilling our European agenda, Veljanoski told Thursday's press conference where he announced measures taken by him following the Parliament incident.


Because his "integrity is at stake", Veljanoski said he postponed today's plenary session and scheduled a debate on his dismissal on Saturday taking into consideration the EU integration processes and crucial items that had to be passed in the Parliament.


Asked whether the Parliament security had made omissions, Veljanoski said this should be determined by an inquiry committee, whose main goal would be to compose a report and submit it to the Parliament.


- I urge an inquiry committee to be formed with consensus, the Speaker stated.


The measures suggested by Veljanoski also include development of a feasibility study for the establishment of a security service of the Parliament, ethic code for MPs, establishment of an inquiry committee in a manner similar to other inquiry committees formed with consensus, heightened security measures during the reconstruction of Parliament's building, etc..

Massive Arrests in Macedonia, mainly medical doctors and employees in the State Pension Fund

Some 40 people suspected of corruption, mainly medical doctors and employees in the State Pension Fund, were arrested on Monday morning in a massive police operation conducted throughout Macedonia, Bosnia Daily reported.

Those arrested are suspected of taking bribes and misusing their office when determining eligibility for state pensions, local media reported.

The detained, many of them reportedly still wearing their white coats, are currently being brought before an investigative judge in Skopje where they are to give their statements. The judge is expected to determine whether they should remain in custody.

The police have thus far been silent on the arrests, announcing only that they will release official information later on Monday.

Gay backlash over Macedonia's anti-discrimination law

Macedonia's new anti-discrimination law sparked controversy on Friday, as gay activists and the European Union criticised the bill for not including sexual orientation discrimination.


The new law, adopted by a slim majority of 62 deputies in the 120-seat parliament late Thursday, is not in line with European standards, a representative of the EU delegation in Skopje told AFP.


The bill which lists some 20 bases for discrimination but leaves sexual orientation out of that list makes Macedonia "the only country in the region that has a non-European anti-discrimination law," the official said.


Ahead of the vote deputies of the biggest opposition group, the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM), walked out in protest because the amendments including sexual orientation were not added.


Both the EU and the opposition urged the Macedonian government in vain to delay the vote so the draft could be changed.


There are very few openly gay people in Macedonia as the society treats them with deep suspicion. Despite several attempt to organise a gay pride parade in the capital Skopje no more than a handful of people showed up last year.


Even gay organisations prefer to present themselves as associations for marginalised people.


Slavco Dimitrov, leader of a coalition for protection of marginalised groups' rights, said the law was sending "a wrong message to the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) population as the government has been ignoring them."


"The government refuses to provide equal status to all citizens and instead of taking affirmative measures for the protection of human rights it has created a flagrant homophobic atmosphere in the process of adopting this law," Dimitrov told AFP.


According to the government the rights of gays and others discriminated on the basis of sexual orientation will still be protected by the law even if they are not explicitly mentioned.


"The law will protect all the citizens of this country against discrimination," ruling coalition deputy Silvana Boneva said.


Although "sexual orientation was not listed as a basis of discrimination it does not exclude such discrimination," she insisted.


Macedonia has been a candidate for EU membership since 2005, but has yet to open accession talks.

Macedonian state institutions begin work on Saturdays

Some of Macedonia's state institutions have begun to spend part of their weekend working, news from Skopje reported on Saturday, Xinhua informs. The government has decided that service departments from the ministries of agriculture, interior affairs, justice, public revenue, land registry and social affairs work on the first Saturday of each month.


The offices of these departments will be open from 8 o'clock in the morning, and close at 4:30 in the afternoon. "The move aims to meet the needs of working people, who thus far have been forced to take a day off in order to obtain some documents," Labor Minister Xhelal Bajrami said.

Opposition parties in Macedonia join forces

Twelve political parties in Macedonia signed a co-operation agreement last week with the common aim of toppling Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and the coalition making up his ruling VMRO-DPMNE government.

"Our utmost objective is to defeat the VMRO-DPMNE-led coalition," said coalition leader Branko Crvenkovski as the new bloc was announced in Skopje on February 1st. Crvenkovski, a former Macedonian president, said the wide range of parties have put their differences aside for the good of the nation at a critical time.

Symbolically called The Front, the multiparty union is led by Crvenkovski's Social Democratic Union for Macedonia (SDSM). The coalition is comprised of a wide range of current allies and former rivals -- from the left, the ultra-left and communists, to the dominant centre.

Their single aim is to topple the ruling centre-right coalition, which has been in power since the parliamentary elections of July 2006. Observers are generally sceptical that The Front will accomplish its goal anytime soon, pointing to polls that suggest the Gruevski government remains very popular with the public.

The Liberal Democrats -- vehemently criticising Gruevski while continuing their challenges to Crvenkovski -- did not join The Front. Also declining was the Democratic Party of Albanians, led by Menduh Thaci.

Ljube Boskovski, 49, is a former interior minister in Gruevski's ruling government. Acquitted of war crimes in connection with the 2001 torture and murder of ethnic Albanians in the village of Ljuboten, Boskovski is now a fierce critic of Gruevski.

New Alternative leader Gjorgi Orovcanec spoke to the crowd at the signing of the multiparty agreement, saying that the Gruevski government had not delivered on any of its promises.

"We do not have any investments, we do not have any money, we do not have any production, we do not have any friends."

Gruevski would not comment on the challenge now rallied against him, saying only that he has no fear of losing power.

Analysts have pointed out that only a small number of voters lean towards most of the parties who have signed on to The Front.

Professor Jove Kekenovski says the united opposition's impact is mostly psychological, while political expert Albert Musliu applauds a consolidated opposition as a corrective to the current government.

“Skopje 2014” project kicks off election campaign: Ljube Boskovski

The government has started the most expensive election campaign with the announcement of “Skopje 2014” project, which will be paid by the citizens. This is what the leader of the United for Macedonia Ljube Boskovski said during a news conference, Macedonian Makfax agency reported. In his words the ruling VMRO-DPMNE wants to win the early elections with the project and to win the elections in 2014 by its realization.
This is a megalomaniac project, which have to be discussed by experts not by people, who the government has paid, Boskovski said.

Macedonian public sector employees have their salaries unfrozen

Skopje. The employees in the public sector in Macedonia were given higher salaries for January despite the government’s decision to freeze the public administration’s pay amid the crisis, Macedonian Vreme daily writes.
Macedonia’s Constitutional Court cancelled the provision in the Judicial and Public Servants Act which does not compensate for the length of service and the government’s decision not to give money for transport to the employees who are living close to their workplaces. The pay rise will burden the annual budget with a few millions of euros, the newspaper writes.

Government in Macedonia predetermines national identity: president

The government on Macedonia use cheep populism, media manipulations and violations with patriotic feelings of the citizens to realize a systematic operation. They do don use it for saving but for predetermining of national movement and identity, Macedonian President, Branko Crvenovski, said in the frames of the conference entitled “Macedonia- challenges and perspectives,” Macedonia Dnevniknewspaper informs.
“Whole historical periods, at which our national existence is based on, are dropped and ignored. WE can be proud with it before the whole world. Everything has been connected only to one part of the history- ancient Macedonia,” Crvenovski pointed.

Dangerous odyssey

Government in Macedonia undermines, deliberately or not, their own very important projects and help Geek ones. The time when Greeks will finish the capital projects is not that far. They will become leader of the region and Macedonia will remain with its cheep mythological populism,” Mersel Biliani writes in author’s article Saturday, Macedonian Dnevnik newspaper informs.
“This government has all the chances to enter the history as catastrophic due to the fact that the country suffers historical defeats, which breaks its main branches. The first one broke when the government misses the chance Macedonia to become NATO member state,” author writes in the article entitled “Dangerous odyssey”.

Head of Macedonian diplomacy extend his rights

The head of Macedonian diplomacy had extended his rights, Macedonian Utrinski Vesnik newspaper reports.
Ministry of Interior Act, which had been passed two years ago, had been implemented, which means not that diplomacy will have party membership but also centralization of Ministry of Interior’s role, the newspaper reports. One of the main implementations has been the decrease of the percentage of the ambassadors, which will be chosen by the professionals in the Ministry of Interior.

Macedonia Ministers Face ‘Toilet Paper Fines’

Macedonian Ministers would be fined up to €1000 if they do not provide enough toilet paper in the ministry buildings they run.

It is a warning issued by the government as it introduced a freshly prepared bill on public hygiene.

Heads of public institutions will also be held responsible and face fines climbing up to €500 if the buildings where they work lack waste bins or hand dryers in toilets.

Penalties up to €150 are foreseen for people caught throwing litter or spitting on the street.

So-called ‘public sergeants’ will be recruited for monitoring hygiene in public properties, the government said. Police officers will also have right to issue penalties on the spot.

People caught littering could replace their penalties with community service, the bill envisages.

The average salary in the country is roughly just over €250 so the Government hopes that the draconian fees will encourage people to act more responsibly.

Controversial solutions for return of opposition

Macedonian President Branko Crvenkovski warned that the country won't receive date for membership negotiations with the European Union if the opposition does not return to the Parliament, for which he offered a solution.

In order the opposition to return to the Parliament, he offers to SDSM abolition of Strumica mayor Zoran Zaev and his associates, in relation to the "Global" case.

The President guarantees to DPA that he won't sign the decree on the Law on Languages Use and that there will be repeated Parliament procedure on this issue. Otherwise, the President said this Law is good.

To bring the opposition back to the Parliament, the President also said he won't sign the laws on lobbying, on labour relations, on expropriation and on law Bar, causing them to be returned to the Parliament.

In the October report, the European Commission won't give recommendation for starting the accession negotiations with the Union", Crvenkovski said, stating that the failure to meet the eight criteria set forth by the EU and election irregularities are the cause.

However, according to the President, the most serious problem is opposition's boycott of the Parliament and other state bodies.

"We are not receiving negotiation date from the EU with this defective Parliament, and halfway democracy", Crvenkovski said.

The President also said he will try to talk with SDSM and DPA presidents, Radmila Sekerinska and Menduh Thaci. He added that if the opposition does not stop the boycott, his proposals are pointless.

Crvenkovski also pointed out that, according to him, politics is involved in crime-fighting.

"I am convinced that the combat against crime and corruption... is used for political settlements with opponents of the government", the President said.

When asked by journalists about eventual election of the President by the Parliament, Crvenkovski replied: "I have no intention to resign before the end of my term".

Ljubisa Georgievski appointed adviser for Southeastern Europe with Macedonian Foreign Ministry

Former Speaker of the Macedonian parliament Ljubisa Georgievski has been appointed adviser for Southeastern Europe with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Focus News Agency’s correspondent in Skopje reported.
In a statement the ministry says that Georgievski has long-time diplomatic and political experience, which will be important when Macedonia achieves its foreign policy aims.
From 2000 to 2004 Georgievski was Macedonia’s ambassador to Bulgaria.

SDSM Vice President heading to prison

Unofficially, the Prosecution Body for Fight Against Organized Crime has reached a decision to imprison Strumica's mayor for 30 days, while the case against him is being prepared.

The decision was made earlier today by Skopje Court 1, though it hasn't made it public yet. Mina believes this will be made official shortly. Several hundred Strumica residents have already started gathering around the Local Administrative Building to show their support for the mayor.

According to our source, the decision of Skopje Court 1 is final, and don't intend to review or change it. The reason for the 30 days detention, according to our source, is to stop Zaev and his associates from pressuring and bribing three Strumica famillies into agreeing the land where the "Globe" Shopping Center is built didn't belong to them.

Zaev is expected to arrive at the Suto Orizari County jail this evening. Strumica residents have vowed to gather around the prison to voice their displeasure.

Zaev transferred to detention facility

Strumica mayor and SDSM's deputy head Zoran Zaev, accused of misusing his post as mayor, has been transferred to detention facility late on Sunday.

The Trial Chamber of Skopje District Court 1 ruled that Zaev is to remain in police custody in the next 30 days. The Chamber upheld the second appeal from public prosecutors, who insisted that Zaev alongside five aides be kept in police custody.

Large number of Strumica residents massed late Sunday outside the City Hall to voice support for their mayor and to express outrage at court's decision to arrest him. The locals tried to stop their mayor to surrender himself.

Zaev and his aides were arrested on 17 July and they were brought to Skopje District Court 1. After 12-hour interrogation, they were released on bail and their passports were seized.

Mayor Zaev and five of his associates are accused of wrongdoing in relation to the construction of Global shopping mall in Strumica.

Macedonian Premier Pledges New Government to Carry Out Reforms

The new government will fulfil everything within the programme and realization of all envisaged reforms, aimed at raising the living quality of Macedonia's citizens", said late Saturday [26 July] Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski.

"In the next four years, Republic of Macedonia will have political stability, economic development, progress in EU and NATO integration, investments in education, agriculture, but also other sectors", stated Gruevski after the new government was sworn in.

Pertaining to the opposition's absence from the Parliament session, he said this was their choice, which he believes is wrong.

"I think they were wrong. The reason they chose not to attend the session and abstain from the Parliament's work in general is rather unpopular, when you try to oppose the fight against crime and corruption with blackmails in the Parliament. It is not a good choice to boycott the government election. I think that in a year or two they will realize their mistake of leaving the Parliament", underlined PM Gruevski.

Macedonia's Milososki Outlines Foreign Policy Priorities

Foreign policy priorities of the Republic of Macedonia remain the same, determined through a national and political consensus. These are the Euro-Atlantic integrations. The Balkan region, which coped with misunderstandings, conflicts and wars 15 years ago, has since enjoyed years of cooperation, peace, stability and joint investments, so that all countries, including Macedonia, become part of the European family", said Antonio Milososki, who remains in office as foreign minister.

According to him, Macedonia can do this through quality reforms and good representation of the country before the international community, especially with the support of friends from Europe, USA, and other countries Macedonia has good relations with.

Regarding the dispute imposed by Greece, FM Milososki stated that Macedonia remains in the framework of prior talks, mediated by the United Nations.

"Talks can be fruitful only if there is respect from each side, and if there are debates through arguments and on an equal basis. Any threats, pressure and blackmail will not bear fruits. Athens should demonstrate greater understanding on the ways to a reasonable solution, which would enable good neighbourly relations and stability within the already well-developed friendly ties in the economic sector", said Milososki.

Pertaining to aspirations for EU membership, he stated that Macedonia should meet European Commission benchmarks in order to obtain the accession talks date, but also did not exclude Athens blocking that process.

"We remain on the position that Macedonia should everything in its power to meet the EC benchmarks, in order to acquire the recommendation for beginning of EU accession talks. However, I would also say that we should not be surprised if Athens decides to continue with the blocking policy, before all caused by its own internal political developments. In any case, such a stance is unsustainable on the long run, since the policy of EU and NATO integration has a larger capacity", underlined FM Milososki.