The police checkpoint in Kumanovo village of Rezanovce, was attacked around 12:15 a.m. early Thursday from the nearby village of Opae, MIA's special correspondent reported.

 

The police forces responded to the attack, but their lives were not threatened.

 

As Interior Ministry spokesman Voislav Zafirovski informed, 30 minutes after the attack, a large group of revolted villagers gathered in Opae, condemning the return of fire by the police, asking for the mixed police patrols to leave the village.

 

According to Zafirovski, police teams withdrew in order to avoid any possible troubles and returned to their regular duties an hour after the situation was stabilized.

 

Around thirty violations of the public order and peace were registered overnight in Kumanovo - Lipkovo region. The shootings came from the villages of Matejce, Opae and Slupcane.

 

Shootings from various kinds of infantry weaponry were registered overnight in Tetovo and its surroundings, MIA's special correspondent reports.

 

The shootings were of lower intensity compared to the last few days.

 

According to Tetovo Interior department, shootings were registered on several occasions coming from Tetovo Teke, settlements of Gorna Carsija and Sipad, larger residential complexes, military barracks "Kuzman Josifovski Pity", the Red Cross warehouse and the city stadiums.

 

Gunfire was also registered from Kopacin Dol, Platica, Neraste, Tearce, Prsovce, Sipkovica and Mala Recica.

 

 

 

SKOPJE, Macedonia - Two Macedonian soldiers were injured late Thursday in an explosion just outside the capital's main army barracks, officials said.

 

An army spokesman, Col. Blagoja Markovski, told Skopje's private A1 TV that the soldiers did not appear to be the target of the explosion near the barracks in Skopje. "The two soldiers just happened to be near the place where the explosion occurred," he said.

 

Markovski refused to specify the nature of the soldiers' injuries.

 

A NATO spokesman in Macedonia, Craig Ratcliff, confirmed the incident, adding that the "soldiers suffered slight wounds."

 

No one claimed responsibility.

 

This Balkan country remains tense a year after a Western-brokered peace deal ended a six-month conflict between ethnic Albanian insurgents and Macedonian government forces that left dozens dead.

 

Rebels had launched the insurgency to fight for more rights for Macedonia's ethnic Albanians, who make up one third of the country's 2 million people.

 

 

 

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell sent a letter to Macedonian Minister of Foreign Affairs Slobodan Casule on Thursday, which is a reply to Casule's letter from July 29 in which he elaborated the arguments for Macedonia's candidacy for NATO membership.

 

In the letter, Powell says that the U.S. had still not passed a decision regarding the NATO enlargement at the forthcoming Prague Summit. "We believe that we should welcome all European democracies that demand membership in NATO and are ready to share the responsibilities of the Alliance," Powell says.

 

As he says, the NATO "open doors" policy will continue after the Prague Summit, providing certainty that the NATO enlargement will not cause new divisions but enhance the joint goals of Europe - complete, free and in peace.

 

The continuous NATO engagement in the peace process in the Republic of Macedonia clearly demonstrates the Alliance's commitment for protection of Macedonia's territorial integrity and sovereignty, reads the letter from U.S. State Secretary Powell.

 

He reminds that in the past three years, the NATO member-countries provided to Macedonia detailed support, aimed to enhance Macedonia's progress toward its full-fledged membership. "This support confirmed the real progress that you achieved, but it also revealed the areas where additional engagement is needed. As the other candidates, Macedonia should also enhance its efforts in the political, economic and defense platforms, thus speeding up its further integration in the Euro-Atlantic structures. Regardless if Macedonia is invited to join NATO in November or not, the door will remain open, and the Action Plan for NATO membership and the Partnership for Peace will remain to serve as important frameworks for enhancement of the cooperation with NATO," Powell's letter reads.

 

"Your government has made remarkable progress in the re-establishment of the peace and the stability and the implementation of the Framework Agreement, which remain to be basis for the future stable, unitary and democratic country. However, Macedonia still faces with challenges. The parliamentary elections scheduled for the next month are crucial for the democratic development of Macedonia. I am certain that you will agree that the political leaders in Macedonia must undertake all necessary steps to guarantee that the elections will be free and fair and that they will take place in peaceful atmosphere, in accordance with the international norms, as well as that the post-election transition will be peaceful.

 

It is also very important for Macedonia, as integral part of Europe, the government to complete the implementation of the Framework Agreement, to urge inter-ethnic reconciliation and to continue with the progress in the economic, political, military and legal reforms that strengthen the democratic, civic and the market economy institutions," U.S. State Secretary Colin Powell says in the letter addressed to Macedonian Minister of Foreign Affairs Slobodan Casule.

 

 

 

The State Election Commission (SEC), confirmed the shape, colour and serial number of ballots in accordance with Article 71 of the Law on Election of Members of the Parliament of Republic of Macedonia.

 

As SEC announced Thursday, the ballot will have rectangular shape, while the length of the ballot will depend on the number of list submitters to the District Electoral Commissions. The background of the ballot will be white and the flag of the Republic of Macedonia will be printed on it.

 

The ordinal number, the name and surname of list submitters and list carriers will be printed in black colour.

 

The symbols of list submitters and list carriers will also be printed in colour.

 

The name and the surname of the list submitters and list carriers of other ethnic communities will be written in Macedonian language and Cyrillic alphabet as well as in the language of their ethic community.

 

SEC announced that a number of protection measures were undertaken in order to prevent possibility of ballot forgery. The ballots will be attached in booklet stubs, which will be torn just before the voting. The serial number of the ballot and the number of the election district will remain on the booklet stub. The backside of the voting ballot will be printed in the colors of each election district.

 

The State Election Commission adopted special education program to inform the citizens about their voting right and voting procedure.

 

The education program will be carried out by using audio and video clips, posters, brochures and other information material in accordance with the editorial boards of the public media. No political propaganda is allowed during this education program.

 

The education program of the district electoral commissions will be also carried out until the end of this month. The aim of this program is to prepare the commissions for applying the Law on Election of Members of Parliament and to carry out the election activities successfully, the SEC announcement reads.

 

 

Environment Minister Arsenova Suggests Engines of SS-23 Missiles Should be Destroyed Abroad If No Alternative for Safe Destruction Found in Bulgaria.

 

Sofia, August 15 (BTA) - Taking a reporter's question before the start of the cabinet's meeting on Thursday, Environment and Waters Minister Dolores Arsenova said that if it proves impossible to find a safe and environmentally-friendly alternative for the destruction of the engines of the SS-23 missiles here, it will be only sensible to conduct the operation abroad.

 

She said this will be considered after a possible agreement with another country. No talks to this end have been started, Arsenova said.

 

The Environment Minister said there are alternatives but they will be publicized following the statement of the group of 29 independent experts. Arsenova expects the statement on the environmental impact assessment to be ready on August 29, after which the Environment and Waters Ministry will make an official statement. "When we are offered alternatives for the method of destruction, we will say whether we accept them or not," Arsenova said.

 

 

 

Bill Envisages Establishment of National Anti-Human Trafficking Committee.

 

Sofia, August 15 (BTA) - Under a bill on counteracting illegal human trafficking, a national committee will be set up with the Council of Ministers to carry out the state policy in this area. The Cabinet approved the bill at its meeting Thursday, said Justice Minister Anton Stankov.

 

This is the first Bulgarian instrument treating these problems.

 

The bill envisages the establishment of local anti-human trafficking committee, as well.

 

The National Committee will collect information and will analyze cases of human trafficking and will prepare strategies to counteract this phenomenon. It will also organize awareness campaigns.

 

The local committees will have similar functions.

 

The National Committee will include representatives of the ministries of foreign affairs, justice, health care, and education, the State Agency for Child Protection and the Juvenile Delinquency Committee with the Supreme Court of Cassation, the Prosecutor General's Office and the Specialized Investigative Service, NGOs and international organization working in the sphere.

 

Under the bill, special protection status will be granted to persons who have consented to cooperate in uncovering the perpetrators of the human trafficking-related crimes. All victims of such crimes will be granted general protection status.

 

Temporary accommodation and assistance centres for human trafficking victims will be set up with the local committees.

 

Stankov recalled that the amendments to the Penal Code which the Parliament approved on first reading, envisage serious punishment for people found guilty of human trafficking.

 

The bill is based on the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, and a number of resolutions of Council of the European Union.

 

Experts of the US Department of Justice helped draft it.

 

 

 

Sofia, August 15 (BTA) - At its regular meeting Thursday the Council of Ministers approved a Bulgarian-Greek archaeological exploration project for Pazardjik, Southern Bulgaria, the Government's PR Directorate said.

 

The five-year project will be launched later in the year. It is entitled: "The Western Parts of Thrace in the Khalkolithic Age. The Yunatsite Settlement Mound and Its Vicinity."

 

The exploration of the settlement mound and the adjoining area is expected to shed light on the development of the western part of Thrace during the Khalkolithic Age and the contacts among prehistoric cultures.

 

Participating will be experts from the Pazardjik branch of the Institute of Archaeology with the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, the local Museum of History, and the Athens-based National Hellenic Research Foundation.

 

The Greek side will cover all financial costs involved in the excavations and the publishing of the results.

 

The project is expected to provide evidence about the processes which led to the demise of the late khalkolithic cultures in the Balkans and the beginning of the Early Bronze Age, which are of exceptional scientific interest.

 

 

 

In July, the Jobless Were 5,703 Fewer Compared with June, Employment Agency Says.

 

1 Sofia, August 15 (BTA) - The jobless registered in July 2002 in Bulgaria were 653,329, 5,703 fewer compared with June, the press centre of the Employment Agency said. The decrease is largely due to increased opportunities for seasonal work. In July the Agency recalculated the value of the level of unemployment applying the methodology of the International Labour Organization.

 

Bulgaria's economically active population dropped by 3.1 per cent in 2001.

 

The level of unemployment in July 2002, presented as a percentage of the economically active population, according to 2001 data, was 17.64 per cent.

 

As a result of recalculating the level of unemployment, in some municipality it rose by 12 to 16 percentage points, while in other municipalities it dropped by 4 to 6 percentage points.

 

The average level of unemployment in january-July 2002 was 18.15 per cent, according to data obtained by applying the new methodology. The average monthly number of the jobless was 672,210. Compared with the like period of 2001, the unemployed were 2.2 per cent less, which is explained by the fewer layoffs registered with employment offices, the Agency said.

 

The demand for workers increased in July as a result of the creation of jobs under employment promotion programmes. There were 16,533 vacancies, including 11,023 announced on the labour market and 5,510 opened under employment promotion programmes.

 

The vacancies filled in July were 13,756, up by 6.0 per cent compared to June and by 21.4 per cent compared to July 2001. Of them 8,702 vacancies were filled hiring workers from the primary labour market, and 5,054 were filled under the employment programmes. The level of unemployment was the lowest in Sofia, 5.20 per cent, and the highest in Turgovishte region (Northeastern Bulgaria), 33.55 per cent.

 

The newly registered unemployed were 43,194 in July 2002; 17,037 unemployed persons were assigned to jobs in July; 114,951 were the registered unemployed entitled to social benefits. There were 16,533 vacancies announced in July, though that were still not filled AT end of July amounted to 10,926.

 

In July, an average of 25 jobless had to compete for one vacancy, while their number was 26 in June. The smallest number of jobless competing for one vacancy was in Bourgas region (on the Black Sea coast), 14:1; the number was largest in Pernik Region (Western Bulgaria), the Agency said.

 

By GARENTINA KRAJA .c The Associated Press

 

PRISTINA, Yugoslavia (AP) - Hundreds of ethnic Albanians clashed with U.N. special police units in western Kosovo on Thursday, protesting the recent arrests of several ethnic Albanian rebels, an official said. A NATO peacekeeper was injured.

 

The clash occurred after Spanish forces in riot gear tried to move a crowd that was blocking a key road in Decan, 55 miles southwest of Pristina. The protesters threw rocks at police.

 

Police in turn used tear gas to disperse the crowd, said Andrea Angeli, a spokesman for the U.N. mission in Kosovo province.

 

``The demonstration was planned and authorized, but they were told not to block the main road,'' Angeli said.

 

The protest ended with the detention of several protesters, but tensions remained as riot police and NATO-led peacekeepers were positioned in and around the town in armored vehicles.

 

The streets of the town were littered with rocks, tear gas cases and rubber bullets, eyewitnesses said.

 

One NATO peacekeeper was hurt when he was hit by a rock during the unrest, said Drew Anderson, a spokesman for the peacekeeping force.

 

Some 50 protesters sought medical treatment, mainly for tear gas inhalation, hospital officials said. Five were kept at the hospital for the treatment of fractures.

 

The protest was the latest in a series of demonstrations against the United Nations, which has shown greater resolve recently to arrest former ethnic Albanian rebel leaders. The former leaders remain popular in the province for having fought Serb forces during a crackdown on ethnic Albanians in 1998-1999.

 

Ethnic Albanians accuse the United Nations of a political campaign against leaders who fought for Kosovo's independence. U.N. officials have denied that the arrests are politically motivated.

 

Kosovo officially remains part of Yugoslavia, but has been administered by the U.N. and NATO since June 1999, after an air war by the alliance halted a crackdown by Serb forces on independence-minded ethnic Albanians.