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A bunch of flowers for the favourite school mistress costs at least 10 levs. Florists raised the prices of flowers just before the beginning of the new school year. On the photo: a first-grade girl buys flowers in "Mladost" residential district. Photo Nikolai Donchev
Priest Valeri Chobanov led a solemn "blessing of the waters" for the beginning of the new school year at a school in Dobrich, Northeastern Bulgaria. First-graders stepped through a symbolic "Six" made of flowers and kissed an icon of Virgin Mary, expressing wishes for health and success. Pressphoto BTA: Grigor Marinov
Austrian President Thomas Klestil, right, gestures as he meets with his counterpart from Bulgaria Georgi Parvanov at a hotel in Salzburg, Austria, Monday, Sept.16, 2002, on the occasion of the European Economic Summit starting at the city's congress center. (AP Photo/Rudi Blaha)
Turkish Defense Minister Sabahattin Cakmakoglu (2nd L) and his Greek counterpart Yiannos Papandoniou (2nd R) are flanked by Bulgaria's Nikolai Svinarov (L) and Romania's Ioan Mircea Pascu (R) as they unite hands after a quadripartite defense ministers meeting in Istanbul, September 16, 2002. Turkish and Greek defense ministers are said to have a direct line between two countries ministries to be used in emergencies. Four ministers also discussed the regional security issues in Balkans, as well as Turkey and Greece's support of NATO membership for Bulgaria and Romania. REUTERS/Fatih Saribas
An Albanian worker clears up electoral posters one day after Macedonia's parliamentary elections on September 16, 2002, in the predominantly Albanian western town of Tetovo. The West hopes the vote, which takes place a year after an ethnic Albanian rebellion brought Macedonia to the brink of civil war, will strengthen peace in this volatile Balkan country. REUTERS/Hazir Reka
A supporter of former ethnic Albanian rebel leader Ali Ahmeti's Democratic Union for Integration (DUI) fires a handgun in celegration of their victory in parliamentary elections, Monday Sept. 16, 2002 in Tetovo, some 40 km (25 miles) west of Skopje, Macedonia. Riding a wave of voter backlash against ethnic violence, opposition parties who won Macedonia's first post-rebellion elections celebrated Monday and pledged to stabilize the tense Balkan country. (AP Photo/Nikolas Giakoumidis)
 Ethnic Albanian children, supporters of former ethnic Albanian rebel leader Ali Ahmeti's Democratic Union for Integration (DUI) wave national and blue party flags celebrating victory in the parliamentary elections, Monday Sept. 16, 2002, in Tetovo, some 40 km (25 miles) west of Skopje, Macedonia. Riding a wave of voter backlash against ethnic violence, opposition parties who won Macedonia's first post-rebellion elections celebrated Monday and pledged to stabilize the tense Balkan country. (AP Photo / Nikolas Giakoumidis)
Supporters of former ethnic Albanian guerrilla chief Ali Ahmeti shout and cheer the victory of his Democratic Union for Integration party in Macedonia's parliamentary elections on Sunday, outside the DUI headquarters in the mainly Albanian western town of Tetovo, September 16, 2002. The West hopes the vote, which takes place a year after an ethnic Albanian rebellion brought Macedonia to the brink of civil war, will strengthen peace in the volatile Balkan country. REUTERS/Hazir Reka
An opposition supporter plays a trumpet while a group of Serbs carry national flags to a rally celebrating victory in the parliamentary elections, Monday Sept.16, 2002, in Skopje, Macedonia. Riding a wave of voter backlash against ethnic violence, opposition parties who won Macedonia's first post-rebellion elections celebrated Monday and pledged to stabilize the Balkan country. (AP Photo / Srdjan Ilic)
A supporter of the Macedonian Social-Democratic Party (SDSM) plays his trumpet as he celebrates the party's Parliamentary elections victory in central Skopje, September 16, 2002. Macedonia's opposition Social Democrats made a landslide return to power on Monday after voters swept aside a hard-line nationalist government caught up in last year's conflict with ethnic Albanian rebels. REUTERS/Dimitar Dilkoff
SITUATION IN CRISIS REGIONS.
There were gunshots in Tetovo and its surrounding during the night, which ceased at 05,00h.
According to police sources, gunshots were registered from the area around Textile School Centre "Gjose Stojcevski", Sport Centre and army barracks "Kuzman Josifovski Pitu", Teke, settlements Gorna Carsija and Vonvardarska, as well as villages Tearce, Prsovce, Dobroste, Semsovo, Lisec, Gajre, Palatica, Trebos, Ozormiste, Strimnica, Neprosteno, Slatino, Celopek and Radiovce.
LARGE VOTERS' RESPONSE AT SUNDAY'S ELECTIONS.
MIA
According to preliminary information, a total of 1,222,711 persons or 73,4% of the 1,664,296 registered voters exercised their right to vote at Sunday's parliamentary elections in Macedonia.
As announced by SEC spokesman Zoran Tanevski, the coalition "Together for Macedonia" won 494,744 votes in all 6 election districts or 40,4%, while the coalition VMRO-DPMNE and LP won 298,404 votes or 24,4%.
The Democratic Union for Integration won 144,913 votes or 11,8%, followed by DPA with 63,695 votes or 5,2%, PDP with 28,397 votes or 2,3% and NDP with 26,237 votes or 2,1%.
SEC says that 208,564 or 74,6%, of a total of 279,593 voters, exercised their voting right in the first election district.
Out of 279,717 voters, registered in the second election district, 203,555 or 72% exercised their voting right. The voters' response at the third election district was at 78,5% or 217,680 out of 277,236 registered voters. At the fourth election district, the voters' response was at 77,3% or 214,270 out of 277,126 registered voters. At the fifth election district, the voters' response was at 71,1% or 194,064 out of 272,842 registered voters.
The coalition 'Together for Macedonia" has won 99, 506 votes at the first election district or 47,7 %; 81,985 votes in the second election district or 40%; 99,493 or 45,7 in the third election district; 104,791 or 49% in the fourth election district; 78,786 or 41,5% in the fifth election district; and 30,183 or 15,9% at the sixth election district.
The coalition VMRO-DPMNE - the Liberal Party has won 38,093 votes or 18% in the first election district; 36,642 or 18% in the second election district; 73,921 or 34% in the third election district; 80,831 or 37% in the fourth election district; 57,683 or 30,4 % in the fifth election district; and 11,234 or 5,9% in the sixth election district.
The Democratic Union for Integration (DUI) has won 18,741 votes or 8,9% at the first election district; 21,718 or 10,7% at the second election district; 2,077 or 0,9% at the third election district, 18,746% or 9,8% at the fifth election district; and 82,568 or 44% at the sixth election district.
The Democratic Party of Albanians (DPA) has won a total of 31,872 votes or 3%. In the first election district, DPA has won 10,094% or 5,2%; 11,214 or 5,5% in the second election district; 1,413 or 0,6% in the third election district; 8,341 or 4,4% at the fifth election district; and 31,823 or 16,8% at the sixth election district.
The National Democratic Party has won 2,922 or 1,4% at the first election district; 12,643 or 6,2% at the second election district; 2,939 or 1,5% at the fifth election district; and 7,733 or 4% at the sixth election district.
The Party for Democratic Prosperity (PDP) has won 9,614 votes or 5% at the sixth election district.
According to SEC spokesman, the final voting results will be announced on Wednesday, with "possible small changes".
The election process could be repeated in the villages Lesok and Runica, as well as in the Kumanovo camp "Kristal", the polling station for internally displaced persons from the Kumanovo-Lipkovo region.
Tanevski emphasized that he had no information on eventual complaints made to the electoral commissions.
Mirjana Lazarova - Trajkovska, President of the State Election Commission (SEC), said that the fourth parliamentary elections in Macedonia were carried out in fair and democratic atmosphere.
"The polling stations are closed. Summarizing of the results is underway. SEC is in session. After midnight, SEC will announce the unofficial results. The initial results will be announced tomorrow at 19,00 hour," Lazarova-Trajkovska said.
According to SEC, today people of Macedonia have proved that fair and democratic elections may be held in the country. "We are pleased with citizens' response and course of the election process in Macedonia," spokesman of the Tanevski said after the closing of the polling stations.
He pointed out that the bodies included in the realization of the elections, as before, fully respect the law, and recommended to the submitters of the candidates' lists to peacefully await for the official announcing of the results by the SEC.
According to the last information, the elections were cancelled in two polling stations, in the villages Lesok and Runica. On Saturday the voting process was cancelled at the polling station in the Kristal camp, where the internally displaced persons from the Kumanovo-Lipkovo area were supposed to realize their right to vote.
As Tanevski reported, by 16.00h over 50% of the voters realized their right to vote, while the precise response of the voters will be announced at the SEC press conference scheduled for 20.00h.
As Tanevski reported, the SEC so far did not receive any complaints about the voting procedure. The complaints, as he said, should be first submitted to the municipal election commissions, than to the regional election commission and at the end to the SEC.
The SEC is expected to announce the preliminary unofficial results around midnight.
The 4th parliamentary elections were held in Macedonia Sunday. A total of 1,664,296 people had the right to vote, electing 120 Members of the Macedonian Parliament.
The voting began at 07,00h Sunday morning, while the 2,973 polling stations were closed at 19,00h.
According to the Voter List, the first election district includes 297,994 voters, the second 278,674, the third 278,202, the fourth 278,508, the fifth 278,871, and the sixth 279,258 voters.
These parliamentary elections are carried out according to the proportional election model for the first time. Each election district will provide 20 Members of Parliament.
The deputies will be elected according to the D' Hondt Formula, which is a simple division of the number of votes of every party list, thus acquiring election quotients.
An invisible ink and ultra-violet lamps were used for the first time, which should assist in the eventual attempts to forge the elections.
A total of 153 candidate lists have been submitted, including 3,060 candidates.
Candidate lists have been submitted by 26 political parties, 7 coalitions with 27 political parties and 5 list carriers of group of citizens.
A total of 30,148 persons have been engaged for the carrying out of the parliamentary elections, including the members of district, municipal and State Election Commission (SEC).
The elections were followed by 4,859 observers, i.e. 3,799 domestic and 1,015 foreign. The domestic citizens' association MOST has most observers (2,872), while OSCE/ODIHR has 857.
A total of 847 accredited journalists and other personnel have been reporting from the parliamentary elections, i.e. 701 domestic and 146 foreign.
The first parliamentary elections in Macedonia were held in 1990, the second in 1994, while the third in 1998.
ADDRESS BY VMRO-DPMNE LEADER GEORGIEVSKI.
According to the unofficial results from the 33% of the ballots counted so far, the difference between the coalition VMRO-DPMNE and the Liberal Party and the coalition of SDSM is somewhere about 80,000 votes, VMRO-DPMNE leader Ljubco Georgievski said early Monday.
As Georgievski said, the VMRO-DPMNE coalition partner, the DPA, also did not win success on the elections.
He pointed out that "at this moment it is clear that VMRO-DPMNE and the LP will not be in position to compose the new Macedonian government."
In his address, the VMRO-DPMNE leader informally congratulated to the "winning SDSM and their coalition," simultaneously thanking to all of those who voted for VMRO-DPMNE.
"We are certain in one thing," he said; "these elections were the most fair and democratic in the history of the Republic of Macedonia, and at this moment that is enough for Macedonia's image in the Balkans and in the world."
Georgievski said that "we are grateful for these results because VMRO-DPMNE remains, although as opposition in the Republic of Macedonia.
Macedonia will always need VMRO-DPMNE, our deeds and achievements will remain as part of this four-year history of Macedonia."
VMRO-DPMNE leader Ljubco Georgievski wished all the best to the winners at the elections and wished the new government and the new parliament to be established as soon as possible.
The New Government: Insinuating Predictions.
Reality Macedonia
By Irina Gelevska
In TV appearance, VMRO-DPMNE's Ljubcho Georgievski conceded defeat, saying that his coalition won't be able to form the new government, and then congratulated the victors. Main Macedonian opposition parties announced victory, saluting the election results, and the whole electorate. Trifun Kostovski stressed the news goverment's responsibility, and that he intends to keep all his promises. Next: transition of power.
Skopje - According to sources high in SDSM (Social Democratic Union of Macedonia), the next Prime Minister will be the rich businessman and owner of "Kometal" female handball team Trifun Kostovski.
Deputy Prime Ministers will be Petar Goshev from the Liberal-Democratic Party and Dragan Arsovski, an expert for European integrations.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be given to former minister Ilinka Mitreva (SDSM) or Nikola Popovski (SDSM).
So far, it's not settled who will be Minister of Interior or Defence, but, again according to SDSM sources, it is almost certain that the leader of SDSM Branko Crvenkovski will run for President in two years.
STATEMENT BY SDSM LEADER CRVENKOVSKI.
MIA
"Congratulations on your victory Macedonia! Be proud of your people. Today, we have proved that our country will be eternal, " SDSM leader Branko Crvenkovski said early Monday.
Expressing his gratitude to all citizens of Macedonia, Crvenkovski said, "we have proved to be mature and statehood nation, which knows what must be done when necessary," Crvenkovski said.
He said the victory would be celebrated tomorrow, while after tomorrow-the hard work is to start.
"I promise that we shall work with heart and will, as it is needed to preserve our country," Crvenkovski said.
Opposition sweeps to power in Macedonia's first post-rebellion elections.
By KONSTANTIN TESTORIDES, Associated Press Writer
SKOPJE, Macedonia - Opposition parties swept Macedonia's ruling coalition from power in the Balkan nation's first elections since last year's armed uprising, throwing a new challenge to a country still bitterly divided by ethnic tensions.
Voters weary of ethnic violence took out their frustrations on the current government, which became enmeshed in last year's ethnic Albanian insurgency.
The state electoral commission was still counting votes Monday, but the results were clear: a new government of liberal, moderate Macedonians and ethnic Albanians who rallied around a charismatic former rebel leader.
NATO Secretary-General Lord Robertson praised voters on both sides for their "political maturity" and called the elections "a decisive step in the right direction and a clear rejection of the violence which tarnished the last months."
"Macedonian society passed the test" with largely free and fair elections, said Kimmo Kiljunen, head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's monitoring mission.
The vote for the 120-seat parliament was the fourth since Macedonia peacefully split from Yugoslavia in 1991. It was considered critical in defusing lingering tensions between Christian Orthodox Macedonians and minority Muslim ethnic Albanians.
Although the OSCE condemned a rash of pre-election kidnappings and slayings, Kiljunen called the vote "a major step toward stability, reconciliation and democracy."
Nationalist Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski conceded defeat early Monday for his governing party, known as VMRO, after voters in Sunday's parliamentary elections favored the opposition Together for Macedonia coalition led by Branko Crvenkovski. The former communist is expected to become the next prime minister.
"Our main aim will be to solve the economic crisis and back peace and stability in the whole Macedonian territory," Together for Macedonia spokesman Jovan Manasievski told a news conference Monday.
Georgievski's concession came just hours after the leader of the Democratic Party of Albanians, the junior partner in the governing coalition, also acknowledged defeat to a new party headed by a popular former rebel leader.
Arben Xhaferi, leader of the ruling Democratic Party of Albanians, conceded the election late Sunday to former rebel leader Ali Ahmeti, whose Union for Democratic Integration claimed a landslide win among ethnic Albanians.
"We will cooperate with Ahmeti's party and work for the Albanian cause," Xhaferi said.
Ethnic Albanians held just 24 seats going into Sunday's elections, and they were projected to gain two more.
The first unofficial results were not expected until later Monday, but jubilant supporters fired guns into the air overnight in Skopje, the capital, and in Ahmeti's power base near the northwestern city of Tetovo.
Ethnic Albanians praised Ahmeti for helping to lead last year's six-month guerrilla uprising, an effort to win greater rights for the minority, which accounts for about a third of Macedonia's 2.2 million people.
Ahmeti, who now advocates ethnic reconciliation, enjoys almost hero status among many ethnic Albanians, although Macedonians consider him a terrorist and the authorities have issued a warrant for his arrest.
Georgievski's party was ousted amid widespread voter discontent with a government perceived as corrupt and indifferent. State television said the turnout surpassed 70 percent, the highest in 20 years.
Ahmeti said the strong response reflected "a big desire to install a real democracy."
Yugoslav Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic, congratulaing Crvenkovski on his victory Monday, said the outcome showed that "democracy has roots in the Balkans." The German and French governments also hailed the vote.
The peace deal that ended the conflict gave the ethnic Albanians broader rights in return for the disarming of the rebels. But the reconciliation process remains threatened by hard-liners on both sides.
Macedonians vote for sweeping change, ex-rebel eyes parliament.
AFP
SKOPJE (AFP) - Macedonians were facing the prospect of a former rebel in parliament after the opposition won a landslide victory at weekend elections, the first since a bloody ethnic Albanian uprising last year.
The election, part of peace accords backed by NATO and the European Union which narrowly averted civil war between ethnic Albanian rebels and the government, went smoothly Sunday despite fears of unrest and violence.
The leftist Social Democratic Union (SDSM) under ex-communist Branko Crvenkovski was on course to win a clear majority in the 120-seat parliament, sweeping aside the nationalist VMRO-DPMNE party of Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski.
"Macedonia has won. The people have won. We will work from our heart," Crvenkovski, 40, told reporters after Georgievski conceded defeat.
"Tomorrow (Monday) we will celebrate but the hard work is in front of us."
No official results are expected until later Monday but the SDSM, even if it has a clear majority, is obliged to form a coalition with an ethnic Albanian party under the terms of the so-called Ohrid peace deal.
In the ethnic Albanian community, which accounts for at least a quarter of the former Yugoslav republic's two million people, former rebel chief Ali Ahmeti's newly launched Democratic Union for Integration (DUI) crushed its opposition.
Gunfire echoed through the night in villages of western Macedonia, the ethnic Albanian heartland, as Ahmeti's supporters celebrated his victory over the Democratic Party of Albanians of Arben Xaferi, who was allied to Georgievski.
Analysts said the SDSM would be under immense international pressure to invite Ahmeti's party into a coalition for the sake of inter-ethnic harmony and continued Western economic and political support for the country.
Ahmeti was the political chief of the National Liberation Army (NLA) which revolted against the government last year from its strongholds in northwestern Macedonia, near the border with Kosovo.
The conflict lasted seven months, cost up to 140 lives and prompted a rapid response from the international community amid fears that a new Balkans war was close to igniting in Macedonia.
Under a peace deal struck in August last year, Georgievski's nationalist government agreed to improve minority rights in exchange for the rebels' disarmament.
Ahmeti says he has disavowed extremism and transformed himself into a moderate advocate for ethnic Albanian rights and communal harmony, as well as a partner in the EU-backed peace process.
"He was the head of the guerrillas a year ago but in the past year all his acts and statements have been completely in line with the Ohrid agreements," said EU envoy Alain Le Roy.
Le Roy praised the "political maturity" shown by Georgievski in defeat, and hailed the elections as the "most democratic" Macedonia had seen since it broke from the Yugoslav federation in 1991.
Most Christian Macedonians deeply distrust Ahmeti and all former NLA fighters, but Crvenkovski has left the door open to a coalition with the DUI, saying only that he would not let former rebels into the executive level of government.
Macedonia Gets A New NATO Commander.
Allied Press Information Center, NATO HQ Skopje
Upcoming NATO activities:
The current Senior Military Representative, Lieutenant General Francisco Jose Gomez Carretero will handover command of NATO Headquarters Skopje (NHQS) to Major General Gaetano Cigna, on 17 September 2002.
The Ceremony will take place at 14.00 hrs at Gazela Shoe Factory, in the presence of Admiral Gregory G. Johnson, Commander-in-Chief Allied Forces Southern Europe and Government Authorities.
In support of the operational rehearsal Dynamic Response 2002 announced on 09 September 2002, which will take place in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo 15 25 September, NATO military personnel, mainly consisting of US Marines, will transit from port of entry in Greece to Kosovo in convoys of buses and military vehicles. This movement will increase military traffic on the highways E 65 and E 75 during the period of 16 19 September and at the conclusion of the rehearsal, projected to be mid-October.
These troops will not take part in any activities outside of Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina, they will be in the Skopje area only in support of KFOR and the annual rehearsal in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo.
PARTY-SCANDAL-MP.
BTA
Blagoevgrad, Southwestern Bulgaria, September 16 (BTA) - The chairman of the parliamentary committee of foreign policy, defence and security, Stanimir Ilchev, said here Monday that the actions of the unregistered party OMO Ilinden and of some of its representatives give grounds for legal prosecution.
Ilchev, an MP of the ruling Simeon II National Movement, made that statement when he was asked why OMO Ilinden were allowed to organize September 12 an event to mark what they described as "the genocide against Macedonians in Bulgaria".
"Bulgaria has everything: legislation, law enforcing institutions and public opinion, and this particular case showed they don't work very well together," said Ilchev.
He recalled an earlier incidence when at one of its events OMO Ilinden put up a slogan reading "Pirin Macedonia Remains under Bulgarian Occupation!"
Ilchev said he is meeting Tuesday the National Investigative Service director Gen. Chobanov to ask him to check OMO Ilinden and their action and the goals they are after.
"There is no way not to connect these [OMO Ilinden's] action with the events in neighbouring Macedonia, which then was facing elections, and now the election results are a fact. There is also no way not to connect them with another event of major consequence for Bulgaria: the Prague Summit in late November when we expect an invitation for NATO membership," said Ilchev.
He added that the behaviour of OMO Ilinden undermines the Bulgarian national position.
MOLDOVA-BULGARIA-PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION.
BTA
Parliamentary Delegation Meets Bulgarian Community in Taraklia.
Taraklia, September 16 (BTA spec. corr. Teodora Dimitrova) - A Bulgarian parliamentary delegation of three MPs met Monday with members of the Bulgarian community in Taraklia (Southern Moldova).
The delegation paid a visit to Ukraine September 10 to 15 to attend the celebrations of the 140th anniversary of the settlement of Bessarabian Bulgarians in Tavria and the 200th anniversary of the mass settlement of Bulgarians in Ukraine.
In Taraklia the Bulgarian delegation met with representatives of the Bulgarian community, Bulgarian Ambassador to Moldova Evgeniy Ekov and District Administration Chairman Kiril Dermanchev.
It emerged during the meeting that Bulgarians in the area account for some 68 per cent of the population. Bulgarian language and literature are taught in 22 schools in the region.
Members of the Bulgarian community in Taraklia thanked Bulgaria for its assistance in the training of students at Bulgarian universities and the supply of textbooks.
The delegation visited the Sts. Cyril and Methodius college of pedagogy and attended a Bulgarian language class at the local school.
ROMANIA-BULGARIA-FISHERMEN-TRIAL.
BTA
Bucharest, September 16 (BTA) - An Appellate Court in Constanta, Romania, postponed for September 23 a trial against the master of the Bulgarian fishing boat Hishtnik, Yordan Pleshkov, BTA learnt from Bulgarian Ambassador to Romania Nikolai Milkov Monday.
The reason for the court decision was the absence of an authorized interpreter in the court room.
Ambassador Milkov explained that it was the obligation of the Romanian side to bring an interpreter, but it failed. He also said that the Bulgarian Embassy provides full cooperation to the court and has secured an interpreter for Wednesday.
Tuesday morning the Ambassador hopes to meet the President of the Appellate Court to try to schedule the trials on Wednesday.
"The matter is no longer purely consular, and the whole Embassy and the Ambassador are involved," said Ambassador Milkov.
He said that the Bulgarian Embassy is working hard to find additional arguments in favour of the Bulgarians' case.
The Embassy has approached the Romanian Foreign Ministry, and its position on the matter is that the ship masters are free to go back home with their boats.
"But there is a difference in the positions of the different Romanian institutions on this trial," said the Ambassador. The Border Police say the ship masters can go but the boats should be kept as a pledge in case the court asks them to pay indemnity.
Four Bulgarian boats and their crews were detained on May 3 and 4 in the Romanian exclusive economic zone on charges of poaching. The Romanian law bans shark fishing - the four boats were found to carry shark catch - at this particular time of the year. The fishermen claim that they got lost and that they were not aware of any restrictions on shark fishing.
In July a court of first instance dropped the charges against the Bulgarians but the prosecutor appealed the judgement.
ISTANBUL - DEFENCE MINISTERIAL.
BTA
Bulgaria, Romania Should Join NATO, Istanbul Defence Ministerial Declares.
Istanbul, September 16 (BTA exclusive by Nahide Deniz) - The Defence Ministers of Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece and Romania adopted a joint declaration at a meeting in Istanbul Monday.
According to the declaration, Turkey and Greece believe that Bulgaria and Romania have enforced positive changes in support of their bids for NATO membership and are prepared for accession to the Alliance. Bulgaria and Romania should be admitted to NATO and the invitations should come from the Prague Summit, the declaration reads.
This position will be set forth during the Prague Summit, in which the four countries will participate jointly. The sides agreed to preserve the quadrilateral format of contact after the summit.
The meeting responded positively to a proposal by Bulgarian Defence Minister Nikolai Svinarov to arrange a similar meeting for the chiefs of general staff of the four countries. The participants agreed on the establishment of a direct telephone line between the defence ministers of Turkey and Greece.
Greek Defence Minister Yiannos Papandoniou and Turkish Defence Minister Sabahattin Cakmakoglu underscored Bulgaria's and Romania's progress towards NATO membership.
The growing regional role of the quadrilateral format is extremely important for Bulgaria, Svinarov said. "We found that our shared priorities go beyond the Prague Summit. I am extremely happy about the high assessment of the performance of the Multinational Brigade headquartered in Plovdiv," Svinarov said.
The four defence ministers said they wish to visit the Multinational Brigade Headquarters.
Svinarov thanked for Turkey's and Greece's support for Bulgaria's and Romania's bids for NATO membership.
According to the joint declaration, the Multinational Brigade will operate under the direct supervision of the four defence ministers, and they will visit the Plovdiv Headquarters together.
Cakmakoglu expressed appreciation of Bulgaria's and Romania's contribution to the international peacekeeping missions in the Balkans and in Afghanistan. In this way the two neighbours have shown that they are ready to join the Alliance; their accession is important for regional stability and balance, the Turkish Defence Minister said.
PRESIDENT-SALZBURG-MEETINGS.
BTA
President Purvanov's Meetings in Salzburg.
Salzburg, September 16 (BTA) - Bulgarian President Georgi Purvanov, who is attending the Salzburg European Economic Forum, met Monday morning with his Austrian, Finnish, Estonian and Ukrainian counterparts, the President's press secretariat reported.
Austrian President Thomas Klestil reassured Purvanov of Vienna's support for the country's bid for EU membership. During their meeting the two presidents discussed the very good bilateral relations, as well.
Purvanov next met with Stability Pact for Southeastern Europe Special Coordinator Erhard Busek who voiced satisfaction with Bulgaria's work with the Pact. For his part, the president confirmed Bulgaria's commitments regarding its participation in the Pact. The implementation of the Corridor VIII and X projects and Bulgaria's bid to become energy centre in the Balkans, too, figured high on the agenda of the talks. The Bulgarian delegation informed Busek that there are no technical or organizational hurdles before the launch of the Danube Bridge 2 project.
Purvanov and Finance Minister Milen Velchev met with European Bank for Reconstruction and Development President Jean Lemierre at the latter request.
The EBRD plans to issue lev-denominated bonds to credit Bulgarian business, and to set up a new investment fund for risk capitals, Velchev told journalists after the meeting.
ECONOMIC FORUM - PRESIDENT.
BTA
President Purvanov: Bulgaria Doing Well in Process of EU Accession.
Salzburg, September 16 (BTA) - Overall, Bulgaria is doing very well in the process of accession to the EU, Bulgarian President Georgi Purvanov said Monday in an address to the European Economic Forum held in this Austrian city. Purvanovs statement was released by the his press secretariat.
"In the past 10 years Bulgaria accomplished a lot in the building of stable democratic institutions and the mechanisms guaranteeing their development.
Supremacy of the law and human rights protection are present in Bulgaria. We expect that the 2002 annual report of the European Commission on Bulgaria's progress towards membership in the EU to state the presence of a working market economy in Bulgaria," Purvanov said.
"Bulgaria is also doing well in terms of EU accession talks and in harmonization of the national legislations with the European law," the Bulgarian Head of State said. He insisted his country be given a roadmap with a date for entry in the EU. The Bulgarian President also stressed the need to consider financial support for Bulgaria and Romania to avoid the deepening of the gap between the two countries and the newly admitted CEE members, and to allow the former to accede to the EU with the next wave.
"About 75-80% of the Bulgarian population is in favour of the country's membership in the EU. The lack of clear prospects would strengthen the Euroskeptics camp," Purvanov said. He noted that a large-scale enlargement of the EU and identifying clear timeframes for Bulgaria and Romania is a guarantee for the security of Southeast Europe as well as of the entire continent.
TURKEY-BULGARIA-UNESCO-ABRASHEV.
BTA
Culture Minister Abrashev Speaks before CNN-Turk about Bulgarian-Turkish Cultural Cooperation.
Istanbul, September 16 (BTA exclusive by Nahide Deniz) - In its Monday morning programme CNN-Turk aired a live interview with Culture Minister Bozhidar Abrashev, who spoke about Bulgarian-Turkish cooperation in culture.
Abrashev stressed the excellent development of relations between Bulgaria and Turkey over the past years. He dwelled on the bilateral agreement on mutual protection of cultural and historical heritage. "Both we and the Turkish side take care to protect cultural heritage. There are many Muslim monuments in our country and the care for them is our responsibility," Abrashev said.
He explained that there are four Bulgarian sites of cultural and historical significance in Turkey - two churches in Edirne and two in Istanbul, all listed in the bilateral cultural agreement. Bulgaria has provided funding for their refurbishment. Repairs have been launched at the St. Steven church, but restoration works at the Sts. Constantine and Helena church need to be accelerated as it may otherwise collapse, said the Bulgarian culture minister.
He added that he will discuss these problems with his counterpart Suat Caglayan.
Abrashev is in Istanbul to attend the meetings within the Intangible Heritage as a Mirror of Cultural Diversity 3rd Round Table of the Culture Ministers of th UNESCO countries. Participating in the forum, which will run till September 18, are representatives of over 100 countries.
King Scolds His MPs.
Standartnews
Pavlina Zhivkova
Elena Yaneva
Simeon Saxe-Coburg insisted on taking urgent measures to tighten discipline in his parliamentary group. NMS deputies suggested that a special absenteeism register should be introduced, similar to that in schools. They think that it would be appropriate to have a special "ledger" for business trips and sick leaves. These, to them, are the only plausible reasons for being absent from the plenary hall.
Dogan to Chart Program Together with 15 Professors.
Standartnews
Krastina Marinova
Fifteen Bulgarian and foreign professors are drawing up a program "1,000 Days" of MRF leader Ahmed Dogan, sources from the Movement said for "Standart". They are experts in the fields of economy and farming and their names are kept in strict secrecy. A total of $3 billion are to be invested in this country and some of them are to be granted by the Islamic Bank for Development.
Bulgartabak Pawned for Bank Loan.
Team of "Standart"
So far Tobacco Capital haven't documented the origin of 249 million euro.
The Privatization Agency and its director Apostol Apostolov will have to submit all documentation related to privatization of Bulgartabak to the Supreme Court. This is done in compliance with the national legislation, for all three rejected tenderers - RosBulgartabak, Metatabak and Tobacco Holding - challenged in court the decision to chose Tobacco Capital Partners as buyer. Last Friday the court set a deadline to Apostolov to submit all claim files and warned that he will be fined if he fails to meet it. Only then, by the end of office hours on Friday, the documents were sent in to the court. Tobacco Capital have already begun to set additional terms and ask for concessions. They want payments to be spaced out, want to effect payments with financial instruments used in foreign debt ruling (debts to Spain and Italy, that Standart has already written about), ask for other financial commitments on the part of the state, etc. One of the initial requirements was to pawn the four best-performing Bulgartabak factories to Deutsche Bank for which later the Bank will grant the money for effecting the payment. To date no valid document has been presented to shed light either on the origin of money that will pay the privatization deal or to prove the availability of 249 million euro.
PHARE-CENTRAL BANK-AGREEMENT.
BTA
Phare Releases EUR 1.5 Mln to Central Bank for Institutional Capacity Building.
Sofia, September 16 (BTA) - Phare releases 1.5 million euros for a project for institutional capacity building of the National Bank of Bulgaria (BNB), the central bank, Governor Svetoslav Gavriiski said Monday.
BNB will make a matching contribution to the project to the amount of 100,000 euros.
On Monday Gavriiski and his French counterpart Jean-Claude Trichet signed a cooperation agreement between the central banks of Bulgaria, France and the Netherlands.
Preparing for accession to the EU system of central bank, BNB will draw on the experience of the French and the Dutch central banks in the field of bank legislation, bank supervision, the management of the system of payments, risk management, bank accounting and others. Gavriiski also said that BNB will be preparing for operations and services it is not allowed under the conditions of a Currency Board.
The French central bank will provide assistance in the field of currency and balance of payments statistics, internal audit, accounting and the payments system. The Dutch central bank will help in bank supervision, risk and HR management.
The project has a duration of 24 months ending in September 2004.
Asked by a reporter about the possibility to introduce the euro in Bulgaria before the country actually joins the Union, the BNB Governor said it would not solve the problems of the Bulgarian economy.
BANKS-LECTURE.
BTA
French Central Bank Governor Urges Long-term and Consistent Compliance with Maastricht Criteria.
Sofia, September 16 (BTA) - Bulgaria and the other countries seeking EU membership must show long-term and consistent compliance with the Maastricht criteria; a short-term success would be illusionary, according to French central bank Governor Jean-Claude Trichet. He gave a speech to Bulgarian bankers here Monday.
According to Trichet, despite the big progress of the membership candidates in the last ten years, in some of them the growth pace has slowed down too much and the GDP per capita varies by far.
In the recent years Bulgaria has achieved a lot restoring its banking system and encouraging foreign investment in it, which facilitates integration into the EU financial system, said also the Governor of Banque de France.
He admitted that sometimes the contribution of the countries in Central, Southern and Eastern Europe to the economic prosperity of the whole continent is being overlooked. The transition economies, as well as the United States, have a major role to play for the EU market, and hold equal shares of the EU export market - 13% each.
Trichet believes that the introduction of the euro as the single currency in the EU has been a big success for the 12 countries. The use of the euro outside the euro zone is expanding, and so is the share of euro deposits in the future EU members.
One of the main challenge for the European Central Bank and the national banks of the member states is to track down funds used by organized criminal groups and terrorist organizations.
Russia fears NATO's Baltic nuclear threat Monday.
AFP
MOSCOW, Sept 16 (AFP) - Moscow fears that NATO may deploy nuclear weapons in the Baltic states and therefore opposes the Atlantic alliance's expansion into the former Soviet republics, the deputy head of the Russian general staff said Monday.
"NATO still has nuclear weapons in Europe. There is no guarantee that the alliance will not deploy part of these weapons in the Baltic countries, near Russian territory," General Yury Baluyevsky told a press conference.
"Therefore, we oppose an enlargement of NATO," Baluyevsky added.
The Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are among the countries expected to be offered invitations into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) at an upcoming November summit in Prague.
Russia voices a reluctance to see the Baltic states join NATO, although Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov told his Lithuanian counterpart Linas Linkyavichyus in July that Moscow would not retaliate should Lithuania decide to join the alliance.
In May, Russia and the 19 alliance member states established a NATO-Russia joint council in which Moscow has an unprecedented say in some NATO decisions, although not NATO's military plans.
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