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About 1500 fans of techno-music from Bulgaria and abroad danced all night long by the Pchelina lake near Radomir. The parade is to end tomorrow. Guests at the party cut watermelons and gave out juicy slices to friends and strangers. Photo: Victor Levi
Skirmish At Skopje's Gates, Policeman Dimche Ickov Wounded.
MIA
One police officer was wounded on Friday evening at 19.30h, when a police patrol vehicle was attacked on the new bridge over the Vardar River on the Skopje-Tetovo highway, near the village of Kondovo, spokesman of the Ministry of Interior Voislav Zafirovski reported.
In the incident, the member of the rapid interventions unit Dimce Ickov, born in 1980, was wounded with three shrapnels in the head, but the medics from the Military Hospital in Skopje concluded that the injuries were not serious.
As Zafirovski reported, the attack was carried out by a terrorist group composed of several members, who opened fire against the police patrol from the village of Kondovo. They used automatic infantry weapons and mortars.
"The police department from the Karpos municipality immediately enhanced the police posts and police patrols in the region of Saraj and we are undertaking activities to determine the identity of the attackers," Zafirovski said.
As he reported, the police carried out an inspection on the crime scene at 08.00h Saturday morning, discovering the locations from where the terrorists opened fire and shells from bullets and mortars.
Jobs in Bulgartabac - Guaranteed.
Standartnews
Nevena Mircheva
Three of the candidates for Bulgartabac are ready to seal immediately an agreement with CITUB (Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria), Dr. Zhelyazko Hristov - CITUB chairman said yesterday. Tobacco Capital Partners in the only one to express their intention to sign such a document, but after they are to be specified an exclusive buyer. Tobacco Capital Partners are planned employment of 7,000 workers and further growth up to 7,500, as well as establishment of a public solidarity fund, to compensate the dismissed employees, CUTIB sources said. Rossbulgartabac envisages to retain 8,568 jobs, while from Metatabac provide 8,500 working places which will be cut off gradually when people go on pension. The same scheme is in the plans of Tobacco Capitals, but only 6,000 jobs are written down in their offer, trade unionists elaborated.
MEGLENA KOUNEVA-COPENHAGEN.
BTA
European Affairs Minister Kouneva to Discuss Bulgaria-EU Negotiations with Danish Counterpart Haarder.
Sofia, August 10 (BTA) - Bulgarian MInister for European Affairs Meglena Kouneva on Monday leaves for Copenhagen to meet her Danish counterpart Bertel Haarder, the Foreign Ministry told BTA on Saturday.
Kouneva nd Haarder are expected to discuss the progress of accession negotiations between Bulgaria and the European Union, presided by Denmark in the second half of 2002.
According to Kouneva, attention will be focused on the justice and internal affairs chapter in regard to which additional information will be submitted.
In Copenhagen she will be accompanied by Justice mInister Anton Stankov. A meeting with Danish Justice Minister Lene Espersen is on the schedule of the visit, too.
Bulgaria has made good progress, the press centre of the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry quoted Haarder as saying. In his words, it is to the interest of all Europe that Bulgaria and Romania continue and accelerate their progress towards EU accession.
Director of NPC Hristo Drumev Welcomed Hundreds of VIP Guests at His 70th Anniversary.
Standartnews
Lyudmila Parvanova
At 8 p.m., the starting hour of the Hristo Drumev's birthday party, a long queue winded in front of Hall No 6 of the National Palace of Culture. Many government officials and arts elite of the country came to greet the director of the biggest cultural center in Southeastern Europe on his 70th anniversary. Hristo Drumev and his wife Emilia hardly managed to get all huge bunches of flowers and presents. About an hour later Mr. Drumev entered the hall to hear the greeting telegrams from the president and the PM and the speech delivered by Lyubomir Levchev. Vili Kazasian's big band, Hilda, Yordanka Hristova and Petko from 'Tram N 5' kept the guests in high spirits till late at night.
Stanishev Sends SMS Greetings to Nadezhda.
Standartnews
Elena Yaneva
President Parvanov sent a telegram, Russia's ambassador was the first to send in flowers.
BSP leader Sergey Stanishev congratulated Nadezhda Mihailova on her birthday yesterday. UDF leader turned 40 in 'St, Vlas' resort, near Bourgas. In the morning she left for Pomorie with the family Ford, to spend some time alone in the house of Yavorov. Early in the afternoon she returned to 'St. Vlas' where her two daughters and husband met her with a huge birthday cake. Two presidents were among the first to congratulate Nadezhda. Acting Head of State - Georgi Parvanov, sent her a telegram with best wishes for health, happiness and good work for the benefit of Bulgaria. Petar Stoyanov phoned to pass on his best regards in person. Russia's ambassador to Bulgaria, Vladimir Titov sent in the first big bouquet of roses by DHL. Other representatives of the diplomatic corpse sent telegrams. The whole UDF leadership and all 'blue' MPs tried to outrun each other offering greetings by phone. Even Ivan Kostov didn't forget about Nadezhda's birthday.
Wildlife in Bulgaria on the Wane.
INTERVIEW Standartnews: Hristo Mihailov
Evgeni Petrov
Hunting season for small feathered game opens on August 17.
Associate Professor Hristo Mihailov was born in 1962 in Breznik. He graduated from the Timber and Woodworking Technological University in 1987. He specialized in Vienna. Mr. Mihailov is an expert in hunting legislation. For ten years he has been a competitor in game-shooting. Last year he was elected chairman of the Managing Body of the National Association of Hunters and Fishermen in Bulgaria.
- Mr. Mikhailov, only some days ago the parliament voted a new law on hunting and wildlife protection. What do you think about it?
- I would say that the amendments satisfy us. According to the new law the lands belonging to a certain village or town will not be divided into several hunting regions. In Bulgaria there are over 100,000 armed hunters. Already last year I warned that in the regions where the regions were artificially divided and given out to separate hunting parties there would be friction between them. More important is that the new law regulates game protection. Rangers and forestguards will take care of it.
- Now, before the start of the hunting season what is the status of wildlife in Bulgaria?
- I think there are reasons for worry. The resources of some species have decreased to a dangerous level, almost twice as compared with the beginning of 90's.
- The hunting season is about to start. How do you define the quotas for game shooting?
- In Bulgaria hunting laws have been traditionally restrictive. Our legislation dates back to 1894, one of the first in Europe that prohibited hunting for certain species at certain periods. This is the tradition we can be proud of. NATO versus the Albanians?
Serbiana
by Christopher Deliso
Potential ''Blowback'' in the Balkan.
The recent arrest of 19 Albanians in Kosovo by KFOR forces would seem to fly in the face of the received wisdom, that the internationals are in Kosovo to protect them. But the as-yet unexplained crackdown could herald the onset of something until now considered impossible: Albanian reprisals against their Western protectors.
Walk down any street in central Pristina, and you will see pictures of Bill Clinton, taxi cabs featuring the Statue of Liberty, and other testimonies to the Albanians undying affection for Americans. Yet on the same streets, Albanian national flags dominate, and the statue in the main square is that of a fallen hero- a slain KLA fighter, immortalized in stone, gripping a machine gun in his right hand, ammo belt strung and pistol in his left. As aficionados of the blowback scenario (by which American-supported revolutionaries ineluctably turn on them later) already suspect, there may come a day when the love of all things American will be sacrificed in favor of the Albanian national cause.
Tensions have already been raised several times this year. An arrest of celebrated hero Daut Haradinaj in late June resulted in massive street protests. Photos of one march showed wild-eyed Albanian men of all ages, en masse under the black and red. Scarcely reassuring for UNMIK administrators trying to convince the world of Kosovos democratic and multi-ethnic ideals.
Another case of Albanian unrest is the issue of the Macedonian border.
Kosovar Albanians claim that 2000 hectares of it rightfully belong to them, and that the internationally-respected demarcation treaty between Macedonia and Yugoslavia is fraudulent, as it did not consult the people of Kosovo.
Serbs in Kosovo, as well as Roma, know full well the effects of virulent Albanian nationalism. A woman in the village of Gracanica, 4 miles from Pristina, spoke of how she could not visit her relatives 2 miles down the road without KFOR protection. She showed photos of 13 family members, all murdered by Albanians, after KFOR took over in 1999. Since then, 110 Orthodox churches have been damaged or destroyed in Kosovo.
Yet the victims are not always Serbs. A Roma family in Gracanica spoke of having lost respectable employment in Pristina- in hospitals and computer companies- after the arrival of the UNMIK administration. Another recent Albanian attack in the village of Klokot, which destroyed several Serbian houses, also wounded 2 American soldiers. Earlier this year, a KFOR soldier was killed when he stepped on an old KLA-planted land mine.
Albanian anger has also erupted by the addition of Macedonian Albanian politician Nevzat Halili to the US governments terrorist blacklist. This move, which was sudden and not explained, seems to be linked to the announcement of a new militant group, ARI (Army of the Republic of Ilyria), which the Macedonian government has started denouncing with much vigor. Political and media enemies of Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski have claimed that the ARI is a hoax conjured up by Georgievski, who hopes to benefit from it in the September 15 elections.
Media and diplomatic enemies, especially the Institute for War and Peace Reporting and the International Crisis Group, have repeatedly mocked Georgievski and his party, VMRO-DPMNE, intimating that their end is near and that the new Macedonian government will be composed of the Socialist SDSM and, surprisingly, former NLA leader Ali Ahmetis new party. In fact, Ahmeti did not deny the existence of ARI, but rather ridiculed its significance.
That the US would place the groups ostensible ringleader Halili on its persona non grata list would also seem to confirm the existence of ARI, since the US is no friend of Georgievski.
The question remains open regarding NATOs robust new attitude to clamping down in Kosovo. Perhaps it wants to head off the Macedonians at the pass, so to speak, by appearing to be the enforcer- and so, strip Georgievski of having to take the initiative. But NATO has also placed tremendous pressure on the Macedonians of late, demanding that they give up their Russian-made SU-24 fighters as a condition for entering the alliance. So far, Georgievski has refused the ultimatum, as well as a request by NATO for 100 additional troops to secure the OSCE election monitors preparing to babysit Macedonian voters come September.
The wild card in all this is the Serbian government, which, insiders say, may join the Macedonians in a clampdown on Albanian extremism, in Yugoslav territory where they are still allowed to go- Presevo. While there have been no indications from Belgrade, this would not be too surprising. And perhaps NATO- which has never let vocation get in the way of cowardice- would prefer to leave the dirty work, and the enmity it would surely incur among Albanians, to the Serbs and Macedonians.
Such deference would have its benefits. It would help the alliance both to maintain its peacekeeper image, and allow it to stay out of direct confrontation with the Kosovar Albanians- an eventuality that grows more likely with every passing day that the Albanians are denied their dreams of annexing Macedonian territory, as well as leaving Serbia behind forever. You can bet that the day the internationals leave, and an independent Kosovo is established, not only the remaining Orthodox churches, but also the snapshots of Bubba Clinton, will be torn down. For at the end of the day, the Albanian love of America was merely a means to an end. And denying that end could prove ugly, should the Albanians of Kosovo start to feel more thwarted than they already do.
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