Every third person fit for work in Macedonia is unemployed, the Macedonian Spic daily writes.
The Employment Agency says 270,000 people in Macedonia are looking for a job. Economists warn that in 2009 unemployment rate will jump. At the end of the last year 340,000 people were registered in the Agency. 20% of them were registered to use health insurance.
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
New 162 mumps cases registered in a day
New 162 mumps cases have been registered yesterday, including 34 in Radovis, 29 in Prilep, 238 in Stip, 16 in Skopje, 14 in Tetovo , 9 in Kavadarci and 9 in Bitola.
The total number of registered cases with Monday inclusive climbed to 1.787, the State Healthcare Protection Agency announced today.
Majority of mumps patients are from Skopje - 381, followed by Kavadarci and Prilep.
A nation-wide action of extraordinary mumps vaccination has begun today
The total number of registered cases with Monday inclusive climbed to 1.787, the State Healthcare Protection Agency announced today.
Majority of mumps patients are from Skopje - 381, followed by Kavadarci and Prilep.
A nation-wide action of extraordinary mumps vaccination has begun today
Macedonia Name Deal Not Close - Greece
Athens is committed to finding a win-win way out in the row with Skopje over the name 'Macedonia', but Skopje’s provocative attitude is dimming chances of a UN-sponsored solution, Greece's Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis said on Monday in Belgrade.
Greece and Macedonia are due to attend a fresh round of UN sponsored talks over their 18-year dispute in New York in mid-February, but analysts say prospects of a deal are slim as both sides are locked in their positions and also battling it out at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
Bakoyannis noted that Athens felt provoked by the government in Skopje renaming the country’s main highway to “Alexander of Macedon” after the ancient conqueror claimed by both countries. She said such moves inhibit the creation of a climate of mutual confidence.
"I would like to stress once again that a mutually acceptable solution will bring benefit to the Former Yugoslav Republic Of Macedonia," she said using Macedonia’s provisional name in the United Nations, "and will also strengthen regional stability in southeastern Europe, and at the same time it will boost the country's EU prospects," Bakoyannis told Belgrade daily Politika.
Altough never near cordial, relations between the two states sank to a new low last April, when Greece blocked Macedonia's NATO invitation because of the dispute. Greece says the use of the name implies territorial claims over its own northern province called Macedonia. In retaliation, Macedonia sued Greece in the ICJ arguing that Athens broke its pledge in a UN-sponsored Interim Accord regulating bilateral ties.
Bakoyannis stopped in Serbia during a Balkan tour as part of Greece assuming the presidency of the Organization for Stability and Cooperation in Europe.
Greece and Macedonia are due to attend a fresh round of UN sponsored talks over their 18-year dispute in New York in mid-February, but analysts say prospects of a deal are slim as both sides are locked in their positions and also battling it out at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
Bakoyannis noted that Athens felt provoked by the government in Skopje renaming the country’s main highway to “Alexander of Macedon” after the ancient conqueror claimed by both countries. She said such moves inhibit the creation of a climate of mutual confidence.
"I would like to stress once again that a mutually acceptable solution will bring benefit to the Former Yugoslav Republic Of Macedonia," she said using Macedonia’s provisional name in the United Nations, "and will also strengthen regional stability in southeastern Europe, and at the same time it will boost the country's EU prospects," Bakoyannis told Belgrade daily Politika.
Altough never near cordial, relations between the two states sank to a new low last April, when Greece blocked Macedonia's NATO invitation because of the dispute. Greece says the use of the name implies territorial claims over its own northern province called Macedonia. In retaliation, Macedonia sued Greece in the ICJ arguing that Athens broke its pledge in a UN-sponsored Interim Accord regulating bilateral ties.
Bakoyannis stopped in Serbia during a Balkan tour as part of Greece assuming the presidency of the Organization for Stability and Cooperation in Europe.
FIVE TV HOUSES CHARGED WITH MISDEMEANOR
A1, Kanal 5, Alsat, Sitel, and Tetovo TV house Art will be charged with misdemeanor for presenting presidential candidates before the start of the election campaign, Broadcasting Council Chairman Zoran Stefanovski informed on Sunday. These TV houses will be fined between 3,000 and 5,000 euros for breaching the Election Code and the Book of Regulations on media representation during election campaigns. The managers and the editors-in-chief of these TV houses do not agree with the new regulations on media representation, assessing them as a form of censorship.
“I hope that these offenses were not intentional and that they were the result of lack of information by the editors-in-chief,” Stefanovski stressed.
“I hope that these offenses were not intentional and that they were the result of lack of information by the editors-in-chief,” Stefanovski stressed.
No talks for Macedonian EU membership during the Czech EU Presidency
Talks for Macedonian EU membership would be reopened during the Czech EU Presidency, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic Tomash Poyar said, cited by Makfax.
In his words the Czech Republic would welcome eventual reopening of the talks with Skopje but that wouldn’t be agreed and is not included in the EU strategy. According to Tomash Poyar the EU would watch closely the coming presidential and local elections in Macedonia not only because of the results but also over the way they would be held.
In his words the Czech Republic would welcome eventual reopening of the talks with Skopje but that wouldn’t be agreed and is not included in the EU strategy. According to Tomash Poyar the EU would watch closely the coming presidential and local elections in Macedonia not only because of the results but also over the way they would be held.
EU keeps silence about erasing Macedonian language
EU council relied on the temporary agreement between Macedonia and Greece to name the country, Macedonian Utrinski vesnik informs.
“We name the country in accordance to the temporary agreement between Macedonia and Greece from 1995, which is still in force. We support and hope the name dispute will be solved soon in the frames of the negotiations in UN,” Secretary-General of the Council of the EU and High Representative of the Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana cabinet press office informs.
They did not say why the official language of Macedonia, international code and the name of the nation is “FYROMized”
“We name the country in accordance to the temporary agreement between Macedonia and Greece from 1995, which is still in force. We support and hope the name dispute will be solved soon in the frames of the negotiations in UN,” Secretary-General of the Council of the EU and High Representative of the Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana cabinet press office informs.
They did not say why the official language of Macedonia, international code and the name of the nation is “FYROMized”
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.
“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”.
“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”.
EBRD cuts Macedonia's growth forecast
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) said growth in Macedonia is unlikely to exceed three percent this year.
This marks 1.7 percent fall compared to last November's forecast, when EBRD predicted 4.7 percent growth in Macedonia this year.
According to the statement released Tuesday, the bank slashed its growth forecasts for 30 countries receiving investments from EBRD to 0.1 percent for 2009. The November forecast was 2.5 percent.
As to the EBRD region, the estimated 2008 growth of 6.3 percent is now reduced to 4.8 percent.
Southeastern Europe expected to show growth of 1.9 percent, 1.5 down from November's predictions.
Growth forecast slash applies to all countries in the region.
According to EBRD's estimates Albania's growth will stand at 4 instead of the previously forecasted 5 percent, while Bosnia-Herzegovina will mark 1.5-percent growth, 3 percent down from last November's prediction.
Forecasts for the other region's countries are as follows. Bulgaria: 2.0 percent (1.8 percent down); Montenegro 3.0 percent (2.0 percent down) Serbia 2.0 percent (1 percent down).
EBRD's report said the deterioration in the overall forecasts is mainly due to the extent of the global financial downturn and accelerated economic slowdown in the region's countries in the last months of 2008. /end/ nv
Copyright 2008 makfax. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed
This marks 1.7 percent fall compared to last November's forecast, when EBRD predicted 4.7 percent growth in Macedonia this year.
According to the statement released Tuesday, the bank slashed its growth forecasts for 30 countries receiving investments from EBRD to 0.1 percent for 2009. The November forecast was 2.5 percent.
As to the EBRD region, the estimated 2008 growth of 6.3 percent is now reduced to 4.8 percent.
Southeastern Europe expected to show growth of 1.9 percent, 1.5 down from November's predictions.
Growth forecast slash applies to all countries in the region.
According to EBRD's estimates Albania's growth will stand at 4 instead of the previously forecasted 5 percent, while Bosnia-Herzegovina will mark 1.5-percent growth, 3 percent down from last November's prediction.
Forecasts for the other region's countries are as follows. Bulgaria: 2.0 percent (1.8 percent down); Montenegro 3.0 percent (2.0 percent down) Serbia 2.0 percent (1 percent down).
EBRD's report said the deterioration in the overall forecasts is mainly due to the extent of the global financial downturn and accelerated economic slowdown in the region's countries in the last months of 2008. /end/ nv
Copyright 2008 makfax. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed
Macedonia Industrial Output Drops
Statistical data shows the world economic crisis is ruining Macedonia’s heavy industry, the backbone of its economy, while businessman fear the worst is yet to come. Macedonia's Statistics Office said industrial output dropped 10 percent in December 2008 compared with the same month in 2007. The largest drop in production of 60 percent was recorded in the metal industry, a sector that contributes over 40 percent of the country’s annual exports.
The latest Statistics Office report is pessimistic about the short-term economic outlook, conveying the worries of business leaders that they could face a sharp drop in demand and very low prices on the market. Some of the factories have already laid off workers.
The economic downturn led the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development this week to revise its forecasts for the whole South Eastern Europe region, now expected to post annual growth of 1.9 percent, some 1.5 percentage points less then the projection made by the bank in November. The projected economic growth of Macedonia is now wound back to 3 percent from 4.7 in November.
Despite the grim projections, Macedonia's Finance Minister Trajko Slaveski said there is no need for the country to revise its growth forecast yet, set by the 2009 budget at a relatively high 5.5 percent.
In 2008, the country posted 5.7 percent of growth.
“We are at the beginning of the year and it is too early for any conclusions yet”, Slaveski told local VREME daily.
The latest Statistics Office report is pessimistic about the short-term economic outlook, conveying the worries of business leaders that they could face a sharp drop in demand and very low prices on the market. Some of the factories have already laid off workers.
The economic downturn led the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development this week to revise its forecasts for the whole South Eastern Europe region, now expected to post annual growth of 1.9 percent, some 1.5 percentage points less then the projection made by the bank in November. The projected economic growth of Macedonia is now wound back to 3 percent from 4.7 in November.
Despite the grim projections, Macedonia's Finance Minister Trajko Slaveski said there is no need for the country to revise its growth forecast yet, set by the 2009 budget at a relatively high 5.5 percent.
In 2008, the country posted 5.7 percent of growth.
“We are at the beginning of the year and it is too early for any conclusions yet”, Slaveski told local VREME daily.
Macedonians bought record number of cars in 2008
17.744 new motor vehicles were sold in Macedonia in 2008 and compared to 2007, when 13.973 cars were sold, indicates the sale of cars last year increased by 27,32%.
According to the Group of Vehicle Importers within the Association of Chambers of Commerce, the figures show a record sale of new motor vehicles since Macedonia gained independence.
- The increase in car sales is a result of the stable economic policy taking place in Macedonia in the past two years, as well as of the increased competitiveness of conditions for crediting and leasing, said Group's president Zlatko Kalenikov.
The sale of cars rose in early 2008 and began to slide in the following months due to the consequences of the global financial crisis.
According to statistics, about 51% of the vehicles were bought in cash and 49,3% were sold on credit and leasing
According to the Group of Vehicle Importers within the Association of Chambers of Commerce, the figures show a record sale of new motor vehicles since Macedonia gained independence.
- The increase in car sales is a result of the stable economic policy taking place in Macedonia in the past two years, as well as of the increased competitiveness of conditions for crediting and leasing, said Group's president Zlatko Kalenikov.
The sale of cars rose in early 2008 and began to slide in the following months due to the consequences of the global financial crisis.
According to statistics, about 51% of the vehicles were bought in cash and 49,3% were sold on credit and leasing
Macedonia's parliament endorsed 262 laws, only 16 MPs attend session regularly
Since the constitution of the current Macedonian Parliament in 2008, the incumbent lawmakers held 81 session adopting 262 laws.
As little as 16 MPs had been present at all sessions, and 14 have never took the floor for a discussion, showed the results of the study conducted by the civic association MOST, which were published today in the report entitled "My Representative".
Jani Makraduli tops the list of the most active MPs with 117 discussions and 68 retorts, whereas MP Cvetanka Ivanova is ranked first in terms of the number of procedural interventions (53).
Hisen Xhemaili holds the first place in terms of unjustified absences from the sessions, whereas Arben Xhaferi and Menduh Thaci are the deputies with the most justified absences.
MOST's public opinion survey conducted in early January, showed that majority of citizens (38.2%) rarely watch the parliamentary sessions, 24% said they never watched them, 14.1% said they followed the lawmakers' activities on a regular basis, while 13.3% said they watched live broadcasts of the legislature home sessions at least two times a week.
The average grade on the parliament's activities given by the citizens, is 2.43.
Most of the respondents (42.1 %) said the parliament is fully dependant from the government in the decision-making process, 25.6% said the dependence is only partial, and 8.6% believe the lawmakers make their decision independently of the government.
According to 60.5% of those polled, Macedonian deputies are not fulfilling their duties properly, while 76.3% said they never had a meeting with a deputy from their electoral unit.
As little as 16 MPs had been present at all sessions, and 14 have never took the floor for a discussion, showed the results of the study conducted by the civic association MOST, which were published today in the report entitled "My Representative".
Jani Makraduli tops the list of the most active MPs with 117 discussions and 68 retorts, whereas MP Cvetanka Ivanova is ranked first in terms of the number of procedural interventions (53).
Hisen Xhemaili holds the first place in terms of unjustified absences from the sessions, whereas Arben Xhaferi and Menduh Thaci are the deputies with the most justified absences.
MOST's public opinion survey conducted in early January, showed that majority of citizens (38.2%) rarely watch the parliamentary sessions, 24% said they never watched them, 14.1% said they followed the lawmakers' activities on a regular basis, while 13.3% said they watched live broadcasts of the legislature home sessions at least two times a week.
The average grade on the parliament's activities given by the citizens, is 2.43.
Most of the respondents (42.1 %) said the parliament is fully dependant from the government in the decision-making process, 25.6% said the dependence is only partial, and 8.6% believe the lawmakers make their decision independently of the government.
According to 60.5% of those polled, Macedonian deputies are not fulfilling their duties properly, while 76.3% said they never had a meeting with a deputy from their electoral unit.
Friday, January 30, 2009
What's In A Name? You Wouldn't Ask That Question If You Lived In Macedonia
In searching for the perfect ancient hero to arouse a sense of national identity in their modern-day citizens, Macedonian officials have settled on a provocative spokesperson -- Alexander the Great.
The image of the ancient Greek king and warrior, who at the time of his death in 323 BC had conquered most of the known world, beams intently down on residents from billboards with the message "You are Macedonia."
A lengthy television ad depicts him on the eve of a crucial battle, calling on his fighters -- in the fluent South Slavic strains of contemporary Macedonian -- to be decisive and unafraid of the challenges ahead.
Even Skopje's tiny international airport is in on the act. Until recently, the hub of national carrier Macedonian Airlines' two-plane fleet was called Petrovec Airport. Now it is the Alexander the Great Airport.
Travelers at the airport walking past a massive bust of the ancient conqueror appear indifferent to the encroaching hellenization. But the rebranding frenzy is raising tempers in Greece.
'Expression Of Our Identity'
Athens has spent the past 17 years in a standoff with its northern neighbor over the right to claim the king -- and the name Macedonia -- as its own. Greece has blocked Skopje's NATO entry over the bitter row, and has threatened to scupper its EU bid, as well.
But Sefik Duraki, a Macedonian government spokesperson, appears unrepentant.
"We see this [revival of our ancient Greek past] as an expression of our identity, a kind of nation-building exercise, and a confirmation of our statehood," Duraki says. "It’s not our intention to be provocative."
Officials in Athens might disagree. Buildings, roads, and squares in Macedonia are renamed on an increasingly frequent basis to honor the ancient king and his forebears.
Duraki himself this month announced at least two such rechristenings. A major north-south trans-European highway was to be renamed Alexander of Macedon highway. And a Skopje football stadium will now be called the Philip II football arena -- in honor of Alexander’s father.
Alexander the Great was born in Pella, the capital of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia. That heritage, Skopje says, gives it the right to claim the warrior's image as its own. But Pella is located in what is now Greek Macedonia, and Athens argues that the only country with the right to Alexander's legacy is Greece.
Powerful Lever
The issue has divided the two countries since the early 1990s, when the Socialist Republic of Macedonia split from Yugoslavia and constitutionally anointed itself the Republic of Macedonia.
By focusing the public’s attention on the glories of the past, [the government has] found the perfect way to provide an escape from reality.
Greece objected, and insists on using the provisional reference of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in its official dealings with Skopje.
It has also exercised a far more powerful lever in blocking Macedonia's NATO and EU bids unless Skopje adopts a name that is acceptable to the Greek leadership.
Officials in Macedonia announced in November it would take Greece to the International Court of Justice in The Hague for blocking the NATO invite, which it says contravenes a 1995 interim accord between the two countries.
In the meantime, Skopje continues to keep its ties with the military alliance warm, with the commander of NATO's allied joint force command, Admiral Mark Fitzgerald, arriving in Macedonia on January 30 for a two-day visit.
Many Macedonians say they are tired of their government's grandstanding, which has only grown more pronounced as the country approaches presidential and local elections on March 22.
Biljana Vankovska, a political science professor at Skopje University, says she worries the dispute with Greece is doing their country irreparable harm by blocking the path toward Western integration.
"By focusing the public’s attention on the glories of the past, [the government has] found the perfect way to provide an escape from reality,” Vankovska says.
The unremitting dispute between Macedonia and Greece has also proved a mounting source of irritation to the international community.
The United Nations has appointed a special mediator in the quarrel, and is urging Skopje to accept the "Republic of Northern Macedonia" for international purposes -- and pressing Athens to drop its veto threats at NATO and the EU if Skopje does.
The EU, which is struggling to slowly herd the Balkan countries onto a membership track, has appeared almost exasperated with the dispute, and signaled particular frustration after Skopje's decision on the Alexander of Macedon highway.
Hellenization Campaign
The International Crisis Group (ICG) think tank this month issued a report warning the name dispute may undermine efforts to stabilize the western Balkans, and called on both Athens and Skopje to take steps toward repairing the relationship.
The ICG called on Macedonian officials to accept the UN's name proposal, and to reverse its hellenization campaign and restore the original names to the Skopje airport and other buildings and roads rechristened in recent years.
It also urged other NATO and EU members to "actively encourage" Greece to drop its NATO and EU objections and to "respond positively" to any concessions by Skopje on the name issue.
Some Macedonians say they would welcome an opportunity to strip their country of some of the government's overreaching attempts to co-opt Alexander the Great.
After all, says Todor Cepreganov, the director of the National History Institute at Skopje's Saints Cyril and Methodius University, there is more to Macedonian history than ancient history.
“I don’t agree that in our search for identity Macedonia should only look back to ancient times," he says. "Yes, we have our roots in ancient times, but we shouldn’t abandon our Slavic roots, either."
The image of the ancient Greek king and warrior, who at the time of his death in 323 BC had conquered most of the known world, beams intently down on residents from billboards with the message "You are Macedonia."
A lengthy television ad depicts him on the eve of a crucial battle, calling on his fighters -- in the fluent South Slavic strains of contemporary Macedonian -- to be decisive and unafraid of the challenges ahead.
Even Skopje's tiny international airport is in on the act. Until recently, the hub of national carrier Macedonian Airlines' two-plane fleet was called Petrovec Airport. Now it is the Alexander the Great Airport.
Travelers at the airport walking past a massive bust of the ancient conqueror appear indifferent to the encroaching hellenization. But the rebranding frenzy is raising tempers in Greece.
'Expression Of Our Identity'
Athens has spent the past 17 years in a standoff with its northern neighbor over the right to claim the king -- and the name Macedonia -- as its own. Greece has blocked Skopje's NATO entry over the bitter row, and has threatened to scupper its EU bid, as well.
But Sefik Duraki, a Macedonian government spokesperson, appears unrepentant.
"We see this [revival of our ancient Greek past] as an expression of our identity, a kind of nation-building exercise, and a confirmation of our statehood," Duraki says. "It’s not our intention to be provocative."
Officials in Athens might disagree. Buildings, roads, and squares in Macedonia are renamed on an increasingly frequent basis to honor the ancient king and his forebears.
Duraki himself this month announced at least two such rechristenings. A major north-south trans-European highway was to be renamed Alexander of Macedon highway. And a Skopje football stadium will now be called the Philip II football arena -- in honor of Alexander’s father.
Alexander the Great was born in Pella, the capital of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia. That heritage, Skopje says, gives it the right to claim the warrior's image as its own. But Pella is located in what is now Greek Macedonia, and Athens argues that the only country with the right to Alexander's legacy is Greece.
Powerful Lever
The issue has divided the two countries since the early 1990s, when the Socialist Republic of Macedonia split from Yugoslavia and constitutionally anointed itself the Republic of Macedonia.
By focusing the public’s attention on the glories of the past, [the government has] found the perfect way to provide an escape from reality.
Greece objected, and insists on using the provisional reference of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in its official dealings with Skopje.
It has also exercised a far more powerful lever in blocking Macedonia's NATO and EU bids unless Skopje adopts a name that is acceptable to the Greek leadership.
Officials in Macedonia announced in November it would take Greece to the International Court of Justice in The Hague for blocking the NATO invite, which it says contravenes a 1995 interim accord between the two countries.
In the meantime, Skopje continues to keep its ties with the military alliance warm, with the commander of NATO's allied joint force command, Admiral Mark Fitzgerald, arriving in Macedonia on January 30 for a two-day visit.
Many Macedonians say they are tired of their government's grandstanding, which has only grown more pronounced as the country approaches presidential and local elections on March 22.
Biljana Vankovska, a political science professor at Skopje University, says she worries the dispute with Greece is doing their country irreparable harm by blocking the path toward Western integration.
"By focusing the public’s attention on the glories of the past, [the government has] found the perfect way to provide an escape from reality,” Vankovska says.
The unremitting dispute between Macedonia and Greece has also proved a mounting source of irritation to the international community.
The United Nations has appointed a special mediator in the quarrel, and is urging Skopje to accept the "Republic of Northern Macedonia" for international purposes -- and pressing Athens to drop its veto threats at NATO and the EU if Skopje does.
The EU, which is struggling to slowly herd the Balkan countries onto a membership track, has appeared almost exasperated with the dispute, and signaled particular frustration after Skopje's decision on the Alexander of Macedon highway.
Hellenization Campaign
The International Crisis Group (ICG) think tank this month issued a report warning the name dispute may undermine efforts to stabilize the western Balkans, and called on both Athens and Skopje to take steps toward repairing the relationship.
The ICG called on Macedonian officials to accept the UN's name proposal, and to reverse its hellenization campaign and restore the original names to the Skopje airport and other buildings and roads rechristened in recent years.
It also urged other NATO and EU members to "actively encourage" Greece to drop its NATO and EU objections and to "respond positively" to any concessions by Skopje on the name issue.
Some Macedonians say they would welcome an opportunity to strip their country of some of the government's overreaching attempts to co-opt Alexander the Great.
After all, says Todor Cepreganov, the director of the National History Institute at Skopje's Saints Cyril and Methodius University, there is more to Macedonian history than ancient history.
“I don’t agree that in our search for identity Macedonia should only look back to ancient times," he says. "Yes, we have our roots in ancient times, but we shouldn’t abandon our Slavic roots, either."
Macedonia must solve name dispute to become NATO member state: NATO Commander
Admiral Mark Fitzgerald, commander of NATO's Allied Joint Force Command Headquarters Naples arrived in Skopje for a two-day working visit. He expressed his regret Macedonia did not become NATO member state despite it made the necessary reforms, Makfax agency informs.
Fitzgerald said at a meeting with Macedonian President Branko Crvenovski the problem with the name dispute with Greece is the only issue, which is registered as an obstacle for Macedonia to become NATO member state. He expressed his hope the name dispute will be solved.
Fitzgerald said at a meeting with Macedonian President Branko Crvenovski the problem with the name dispute with Greece is the only issue, which is registered as an obstacle for Macedonia to become NATO member state. He expressed his hope the name dispute will be solved.
Alexander the Great
President Barack Obama said "the time has come to set aside childish things". Evidently the leaders of the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia weren't listening.
They have just done an unbelievably childish thing and named their section of an important north-south trans-European highway - known in Eurospeak as "Corridor 10""- after Alexander the Great. In 2007, they renamed Skopje airport after him.
Now, as we know, Alexander certainly had a taste for travel. He extended his empire as far as India. But these persistent efforts to attach his name to modern European transport systems are, I'd say, beginning to stretch the point.
The Macedonians in Skopje think their state has a rightful claim on Alexander's memory because of his connections to their territory in ancient times. But the authorities in Athens regard Alexander as an exclusively Greek warrior-hero.
The result: Greece has made clear it won't pay one euro towards the cost of the Macedonian part of Corridor 10. And relations between Athens and Skopje are in yet another mess.
In Brussels, European Union officials are beside themselves with frustration as they watch this dispute jeopardise their carefully laid plans for the EU's slow but steady enlargement into the Balkans. The argument over what former Yugoslav Macedonia should call itself has dragged on for almost 20 years, and a solution seems no closer now than when it first broke out.
Of course, the dispute arouses great passions on both sides - as shown in the posts to this story on BalkanInsight.com. But the way it's being handled would be enough to make the great Alexander turn in his grave.
Memorial House of Mother Teresa in Skopje
The Memorial House dedicated to Mother Teresa, the great humanist and the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, will be promoted and consecrated in the Skopje centre on Friday.
The consecration of the Memorial Home, which has been erected in the very location of the once Sacred Heart of Jesus Roman Catholic Church, will be serviced by the Bishop of Skopje and Apostolic Exarch in Macedonia, Monsignor Kiro Stojanov.
The construction of the Memorial Home is a project of the Government of the Republic of Macedonia carried out by the Ministry of Culture. The activity is a part of the events intended to mark jubilee 100 years since Mother Teresa’s birth. With her commitment to help people irrespective of their national and religious affiliation, she left an eternal mark in the history of mankind as the symbol of benefaction and humaneness.
PM Nikola Gruevski, Minister of Culture Elizabeta Kanceska-Milevska, and Bishop of Skopje and Apostolic Exarch in Macedonia Monsignor Kiro Stojanov will give addresses. The attendees will be also addressed by Mother Teresa’s spiritual father, Dr. Leo Maasburg who is arriving from Vienna especially for the event.
Mother Teresa was born as Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu to an Albanian family in 1910 in Skopje. She founded the Missionaries of Charity in India, where she ministered over 40 years. In 1979, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her humanitarian work and, following her death in 1997, was beatified – a step before being canonised as a saint, and given the title Blessed Teresa of Calcutta.SDU proposes outcome of the crisis with milk producers
Social Democratic Union of Macedonia /SDU/ deposed proposal to the government to repurchase the dept to the milk producers, FOCUS News Agency correspondent informs.
The proposal is government to pay the sum the milk manufacturing company Swedmilk owes to the farmers and to sell the company. According to the party the government will become Swedmilk creditor this way.
This principle is known in the world. More aim will be reached with it, SDU said. Farmers will get their money, the company will continue to work, blockages of the roads will stop and the milk market will normalize, chairman of the Agriculture Committee Dragan Goshevski /SDU/ said at today’s press conference.
The proposal is government to pay the sum the milk manufacturing company Swedmilk owes to the farmers and to sell the company. According to the party the government will become Swedmilk creditor this way.
This principle is known in the world. More aim will be reached with it, SDU said. Farmers will get their money, the company will continue to work, blockages of the roads will stop and the milk market will normalize, chairman of the Agriculture Committee Dragan Goshevski /SDU/ said at today’s press conference.
Ohrid mayor kidnapped, told police a month later
The police arrested two persons suspected of having kidnapped the Mayor of Ohrid and his driver, who reported the incident a month after it had happened, the Interior Ministry announced Thursday.
According to the same source, neither the Mayor nor the driver explained how come they reported the incident with one-month delay.
The two suspects were taken in late Wednesday, pending questioning aimed at establishing the reasons for the "kidnapping". As to the possible motives, the police's assumptions reportedly range from extortion to unpaid debts.
According to the official report sheet, the kidnapping took place after one of the suspects had demanded from the mayor to pay him 15,000 euros.
Although the suspects refuse to give any testimony relating the case, the police said they had information that the two victims paid a portion of the demanded money to their kidnappers. However, this assumption raises another question, namely, how come the mayor never reported the case to the police and what his connection is to the kidnappers
According to the same source, neither the Mayor nor the driver explained how come they reported the incident with one-month delay.
The two suspects were taken in late Wednesday, pending questioning aimed at establishing the reasons for the "kidnapping". As to the possible motives, the police's assumptions reportedly range from extortion to unpaid debts.
According to the official report sheet, the kidnapping took place after one of the suspects had demanded from the mayor to pay him 15,000 euros.
Although the suspects refuse to give any testimony relating the case, the police said they had information that the two victims paid a portion of the demanded money to their kidnappers. However, this assumption raises another question, namely, how come the mayor never reported the case to the police and what his connection is to the kidnappers
Macedonia gears up for presidential, local elections
With presidential and local elections set for March 22nd, all of Macedonia's major parties have announced their nominees. The two largest parties both nominated political science professors, one of whom served in the governments of the 1990s.
George Ivanov, a professor at the University of Skopje, secured the nomination of the ruling VMRO-DPMNE by a landslide margin at the party convention. He defeated rival Todor Petrov 1,016 to 91. "VMRO-DPMNE ... under the leadership of [Prime Minister] Nikola Gruevski has ... created an atmosphere that unites Macedonians, Albanians, Turks, Roma, etc.," Ivanov said.
Before the two VMRO-DPMNE candidates addressed the party convention, Gruevski denounced outgoing President Branko Crvenkovski for allegedly stealing the last presidential election and not seeking re-election.
"He is afraid to face the citizens and ask for a second term, which is the practise of every president finishing a first term," Gruevski scoffed.
The main opposition party, SDSM, chose Ljubomir Frckovski, who also enjoys support from the smaller New Social Democrats. Frckovski, now a political scientist, served as interior and foreign minister in the 1990s.
"Gruevski chose a candidate he can easily control and opted for political confrontation. We are focused on defeating this harmful and isolationist policy," said SDSM party head Zoran Zaev after the selection of Frckovski.
Other parties advanced their own candidates. The ruling ethnic-Albanian party, DUI, nominated Agron Budjaku, a former transport and communications minister. The opposition Albanian party, the DPA, nominated Mirushe Hodza, a professor. She and independent Slagjana Taseva are the two female presidential candidates this year. A third Albanian party, PDP, nominated Nevzat Halili, its former head.
New Democracy, meanwhile, nominated its own leader, Imer Selmani. He served as a minister of health in the VMRO-DPMNE-DPA coalition government of 2006 to 2008.
The Liberal Democrats nominated Nano Ruzin, a former ambassador to NATO. Ruzin agreed to run after Srdjan Kerim, a highly regarded former foreign minister and president of the UN General Assembly, declined to run as the SDSM candidate.
The most notorious candidate is former Interior Minister Ljube Boskovski, who spent more than three years in The Hague's custody for alleged war crimes before being acquitted. Boskovski is running as an independent.
Macedonia will take in Guantanamo inmates?
Macedonian might be on the list of countries that will take in prisoners from the U.S. Guantanamo detention camp, the Macedonian Spic daily writes, citing its own sources.
The newspaper claims U.S. diplomatic officials were touring Europe, looking for countries that could take in inmates if the decision of U.S. President Barack Obama closes Guantanamo center. It is about prisoners the U.S. considers to be “terrorists” and “unwelcome on U.S. soil on security grounds.”
Unidentified diplomatic sources say the U.S. has received a positive answer from Germany, Finland, Ireland, Portugal, Britain and Switzerland, which have said they do it in the name of the fight against terrorism.
Austria, the Netherlands, as well as Macedonia have not given an answer yet. Besides Macedonia, U.S. officials have talked with other countries in the region, including Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece, the daily writes.
The newspaper claims U.S. diplomatic officials were touring Europe, looking for countries that could take in inmates if the decision of U.S. President Barack Obama closes Guantanamo center. It is about prisoners the U.S. considers to be “terrorists” and “unwelcome on U.S. soil on security grounds.”
Unidentified diplomatic sources say the U.S. has received a positive answer from Germany, Finland, Ireland, Portugal, Britain and Switzerland, which have said they do it in the name of the fight against terrorism.
Austria, the Netherlands, as well as Macedonia have not given an answer yet. Besides Macedonia, U.S. officials have talked with other countries in the region, including Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece, the daily writes.
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