|
Enter content here
"There is no tension between me and the Chief Prosecutor," Justice Minister Anton Stankov said after the meeting with No 1 Prosecutor Nikola Filchev and the president. The meeting was held on the initiative of Georgi Parvanov and lasted 45 minutes sharp. After that Filchev and Stankov declined to make any statements. "Let's first things calm down and I'm to elaborate later," Filchev said.
The United States Ambassador to the United Nations John Negroponte, left, and Bulgarian Ambassador Stefan Tafrov raise their hands to vote during a meeting of the Security Council at the United Nations headquarters in New York July 12, 2002. The United Nations Security Council voted unanimously to exempt U.S. peacekeepers from prosecution for a year. (AP Photo/Osamu Honda)
A performance of Tlaxcala folk dance group from Mexico during the fiesta of the Fitfh International Festival of Traditional and Modern Art on the stage in Marno Pole Park in Veliko Turnovo. Pressphoto BTA. Photo : Naiden Naidenov
PRIME MINISTER GEORGIEVSKI VISITS KICEVO.
MIA
Macedonian Prime Minister Ljubcho Georgievski pays an official visit to Kicevo on Friday.
Georgievski attended the ceremony of sanctifying the cornerstone of the new church in Kicevo dedicated to brothers Kiril and Metodij. The holy ceremony was performed by Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia HH Stefan, accompanied by Metropolitan of Debar and Kicevo Timotej.
Addressing the present, Georgievski appealed for national and spiritual unity of the Macedonian nation, emphasizing that the symbol of laying the corners of the new church should be a beginning of a new cycle of national and spiritual unity.
Right afterwards Georgievski laid the cornerstone for construction of the new residential-business complex in Kicevo downtown. Macedonian Minister of Transport and Communications Ljupco Balkoski also attended the ceremony and Metropolitan Timotej sanctified the cornerstone in the presence of Archbishop Stefan.
The complex is part of the commercial program financed by the Ministry of Transport and Communications and the Public Enterprise for Managing the Residential and Business Facilities.
In the afternoon Georgievski will visit Kicevo settlement Ivandol where new sport hall is being constructed and will formally set into operation the new lignite mine "Oslomej - Zalat."
The official visit will end with the formal opening of the renovated stadium of "Napredok" football club, which now has capacities for holding international matches.
It is also scheduled Georgievski to visit one of the newly established municipalities in Kicevo region - Drugovo.
FERTILE GROWTH, BUT THE FARMERS ARE STILL PROTECTED.
MIA
"The Macedonian government and the Ministry of agriculture, forestry and water supply have provided export of agricultural products on a market with 300 million population through various free trade agreements made in the past five years," Macedonian minister of agriculture, forestry and water supply Marjan Gjorcev told MIA on Friday.
One of the main program commitments of the VMRO-DPMNE as a party as well as of the Ministry of Agriculture, as Gjorcev said, was the establishment of a systematic mechanism of values which would mean timely and appropriate intervention on the market regarding the demand and the production of agricultural products.
"Since 1999 and until the present day numerous efficient interventions have been announced, whose goal is first of all to maintain the price stability of the sensitive agricultural products," Gjorcev said, adding that most of the interventions were made in the field of the early growing vegetables.
In accordance with the planned interventions for this year, total of 400 tones of potatoes and cucumbers were purchased. The potatoes are currently stored in the freezer of "ZIK Strumica" and later will be processed by Vitaminka factory. Additional 1,200 tones of tomatoes were also bought out, which are currently being canned in the "Zora" factory from Gevgelija.
Gjorcev underlined that the price of the tomatoes started to decrease after July 10. The price gradually decreased from 30 to 8 denars per kilogram. "We have achieved good price, especially among the producers who do not use crude oil." Gjorcev added that the Macedonian tomatoes can be sold on any stock market in the world without any fees.
Regarding the intervention for the watermelons, Gjorcev said that compensation of two denars per kilogram was provided for the producers who show their export declarations. "We will do this for 5,000 tones of watermelons, based on the principle who shows export declaration receives stimulative reimbursement for the transport in order our watermelons to reach the large stock markets, like those in Budapest or Warsaw," he said.
In his opinion, the Macedonian watermelon is quite competitive, because a kilogram of watermelon on the Warsaw stock market is sold per 0.45, while the Macedonian watermelon would cost 0.40 with all transport costs and custom rates. In that manner, as he said, we will easily conquer the east European markets. He also underlined that this year's production of 60,000 tones is a record. Last year watermelon production was 20,000 Euro.
"We guarantee remarkable financial liquidity of the Fund for agriculture, which makes weekly revenues of 10 million denars," Gjorcev stated.
He pointed out that in the past three years, the farmers constantly received 9.000-11.000 tones of crude oil for the farmers who use the method of closed production of cucumbers and tomatoes.
"This year, perhaps due to the deeply involved pre-election marketing by certain political subjects, certain media outlets reported incorrectly about the buyout of the agricultural products, especially in the region of Strumnica, Gevgelija and Radovis. There were even claims that the government was distributing tomatoes free of charge," Gjorcev stated.
Minister Gjorcev pointed out that after September, when Macedonia will enter in the World Trade Organization, there will be an intervention in the agriculture with 32 million Euro, 16 for various cultures and 16 mainly for seeds and fuel.
Nobody's Fault But Their Own?
Antiwar
by Christopher Deliso in Skopje
Public Relations and the Fate of Macedonia.
Right now, Macedonia stands at a crossroads. Will it become irrevocably polarized and perhaps, partitioned on ethnic lines? Or will it somehow live up to the "multiethnic, democratic" characteristics the EU and OSCE have mandated for it? To a large extent, this will be determined by Macedonian citizens themselves, though also by Macedonia's minders from without.
Historically, foreign assistance has been the key ingredient in all Albanian nationalistic uprisings. Intervention is not, however, the only explanation for their great successes in Macedonia: superior public relations has also helped a great deal. It is obvious why former NLA chief Ali Ahmeti is on the verge of becoming an elected official: he and his comrades have merely taken advantage of a weak, fractious state bent on its own destruction. They have outpublicized and outwitted their Macedonian neighbors. But in the end, if they completely take over or annex parts of Macedonia, it will be simply because they wanted it more. Which is good, in a way, because it indicates that if the spirit is willing
A Sinking Ship?
"I do not see Macedonia as a viable state for much longer," said one American of Serbian descent in Belgrade. "Whereas the Serbs in America and Canada are coming back here to try and improve Serbia, the Macedonians are all leaving their country. They know it's a sinking ship, and they want to get out as fast as they can."
In the past few months, I have interviewed many young Macedonians, 90 percent of whom do in fact wish to leave. Children as young as 13 told me that there are no opportunities left for them at home a reality made particularly vicious by the fact that the "no opportunities" strategy was used so successfully by the Albanians to win Western sympathies last year. Yet a report by the British Helsinki Human Rights Group (BHHRG) shows how "opportunities" are doled out in post-NATO Macedonia:
"BHHRG was told that EU, NATO and OSCE personnel working in Macedonia hire interpreters who speak both Albanian and Macedonian. This effectively rules out Macedonian applicants. Albanians, on the other hand, have learnt Macedonian at school up to now. Most are bilingual and therefore most of these (prized, well paid) jobs are awarded to them."
The Brain Drain.
An article entitled "Macedonia is everywhere, except in Macedonia" bemoaned the exodus of talent, skill and (most of all) optimism from the country. To seek out the root of the problem requires courage and honesty, averred the author, Darko Angelov:
"Macedonia is deeply entrenched in despair, defeatism and self-pity. Its tragic everyday life is not a product of some foreign conspiracies, nor a result of the Albanian expansionism. Macedonia first and foremost fell prey to its own lack of resolve and responsibility when defending its independence and dignity...
"We all know the Macedonian demographic reality. In a situation when half of Macedonia's population is already outside, as the other half dreams of leaving Macedonia for good, we should pose the question of where our present state of apathy is taking us? The extreme circles of the Macedonian Albanians and the international community are only doing what Macedonians and Macedonia are letting them do. Who is to blame for the crisis? Look in the mirror the answer is there."
The Education Disaster.
As one young university-educated Macedonian told me, "all of my friends are in America, Canada or Germany now. They were the smart ones they got out. What is there left for me to do here?"
She pointed to the fact that Macedonia's educational system is largely unregulated, so that university professors have absolute authority to pass, fail or otherwise hinder a student. There is neither accountability nor grounds for incentive in a country where aptitude is not rewarded, and test results depend on the whim of the individual professor.
Yet that is only half the reason why young Macedonians feel like second-class citizens in their own country. Because the complaints of Albanian students can collectively become politically dangerous, they are coddled. Macedonia's affirmative action gone wrong actually stipulates that Albanians need lower marks than Macedonians to be admitted to university. There is no point for Macedonians to voice their concerns, however. For example, when I asked one student why she did not report her professor's persistent sexual advances, she just burst out laughing. "To who? They don't care about the students only about keeping their jobs!"
And Then the Media.
Inured as it is with rancor, incompetence and exaggeration, the Macedonian media wields a disproportionate amount of power. The surreal fact is that Macedonia's scores of media organizations are taken seriously enough to be "monitored" by political interests, NATO, and the full gamut of NGO's.
Despite having a Lilliputian significance in the greater world context, Macedonian media is perceived as being politically influential. And indeed, it is since most of the people reading it are the political parties, Western interventionists, and other "media monitors." Most of the media both Macedonian and Albanian are favorable to one or another of the political parties. Those which claim to be the "opposition" base their editorial credo merely on opposing whatever anyone happens to say on that particular day.
Newspapers chronically overstate their readership; when I asked about the circulation of one magazine, I was told by a sheepish writer, "well, the journalists there have some friends they like to read it to see what their friends wrote."
Rough Edges.
In the war of 2001, Western journalists flocked to the NLA commanders and Albanian villages, where they knew a robust welcome awaited them. The Macedonians, on the other hand, berated and occasionally attacked Western correspondents. Oftentimes, Macedonians were too proud and too impatient to slowly and carefully retell their story to journalists. They preferred to be right, rather than to survive as a nation.
For a reporter, the main problem in dealing with Macedonian witnesses is details. On many occasions, a particularly juicy story has come up from an alleged witness to the event. But when asked for specific details, the inevitable reply is, "oh, just ask anybody everybody knows this is true." The notion that dependable media reports might require specific details times, places, dates, etc. is not automatically understood.
The second problem derives from "insiders" who really, really want to be helpful. Occasionally, in their well-intended desire to share their story, they promise more facts than they can really back up or document. This kind of dead-end situation gets tiresome fast but it keeps happening over and over.
Public Re(ve)lations.
This title implies two things: first, the simple, straight-up concept of PR; and two, the uniquely revelatory quality of certain Macedonian publicity.
First of all, we have the type of public relations known as propaganda. An official actually confided to me, straight-faced, that a detachment of 500 fearsome mujahedin had once rampaged over yonder hill. The tragedy here is that, while there might very well have been 5 fearsome mujahedin, the enormity of the exaggeration tends to kill any chance of anyone's acknowledging the potential plausibility of the story. If the Macedonians are going to do propaganda, it should at least be done well. But that would mean hiring one of those big PR companies which completely failed to win the war for Croatia and Bosnia and that would cost money.
The revelatory aspect of Macedonian public relations was captured quite recently, by Prime Minister Georgievski's surprising attack on the New York Times.
On 25 June, Dnevnik reported that a major planned promotion of Macedonia in the Times was in serious jeopardy, following Georgievski's sensational accusation: visiting NYT journalists had demanded $300,000 in return for positive coverage of Macedonia. Apparently, Georgievski was feeling the heat at an anti-corruption conference held by the tag-team partners of Soros and the ICG. Allegedly, he then lashed out at the Times.
In actual fact, the only thing planned was one of those "special advertising supplements" that one finds every day in the paper, replete with germane pieces about natural attractions and tourism. Such supplements are accompanied by a hefty price tag, precisely because they work. And while the piece was slated for the Times, the Macedonian government had been approached by a PR company called Summit Communications. Right now, Macedonia needs all the help it can get. The "bribery" revelation was a step backwards.
Enter the Bland.
Macedonians are aware that 2001 turned out so badly for them because they lost the media war. One would think that observing the Albanian propaganda machine in action would inspire at least minor improvements in their presentation. Yet the official government site is not only poorly translated it also rejoices in blandness.
Stock titles like 'Situation in the crisis region' are recycled daily. For readers not already familiar with the country, the title is meaningless. There could be a battle with 8 dead and 18 wounded and the title would be something like, 'Situation in Tetovo at 8:00.' Perhaps this is an exaggeration but not a big one.
More Firepower!
Macedonians are generally non-violent people. When threatened, however, their reaction is understandably emotional. The result is that instead of simply and rationally recounting a story as it happened, they will spend ten minutes first on "understood" details, like the inherently terroristic qualities of Albanians.
In twenty minutes, perhaps three useable details will come up. One Macedonian explained the phenomenon this way:
"in Macedonia, we think a story is better the longer it is, the more things you tell, and the more you restate your case we think it is a stronger story and more impressive. But in the West, of course, they want something short and to the point."
Between poor editing, blandness, exaggeration and circumlocution, it's no wonder that few Westerners trust Macedonian news sources, and that Western spokesmen quickly grow impatient with the rambling questions of journalists.
Oops!
Yet the situation is not merely one of prosaic ineptitude. Rather, Macedonia is becoming something like the Wild West of journalism, where people will say and do whatever they can get away with. Just the other day, a newspaper reprinted one of my articles. As this has happened several times before, it would not have been particularly remarkable but for the fact that the newspaper neglected to mention my name.
I asked a colleague what could be done. He laughed, and replied, "welcome to the wonderful world of plagiarism."
From the Heart or From the Head?
Macedonians have not taken a pragmatic view of the situation. They prefer to blame the Albanian militants for many things intimidation and terrorism, reprehensible crimes, lackeyism, mafia activity, crass cultural insensitivity which are often true. Yet "exposing" these qualities for the world is not proactive. It is just a reaction. And while they are still reacting, their antagonists have already moved on to the next step. Which brings us to
Preparing for War but Why Not Peace?
Governments typically look at peacetime as a period for stockpiling weapons to be used in the next war. Yet while Macedonia's army has been built up, the concomitant need for stocking the peacetime public relations arsenal has been ignored. Perhaps the government lacks the funds (as it has said), or maybe it just lacks the long-term vision. Hopefully, independent, profit-based initiative will begin to make the difference.
In any case, the moment for official action has slipped away. With contentious elections ahead in September, the government cannot be expected to function in any united way. The various parties will be too caught up in their own self-serving publicity stunts to even think about the national interest. Unfortunately, a few innocent civilians will probably be killed as a result.
In Macedonia, coarse and venal political scheming goes hand in hand with a sensation-hungry media. They are locked in a symbiotic relationship of scandal and vitriol. They both need each other for their own self-preservation. Unlike their Western advisors and monitors, they cannot fall back on a decent salary and a plane ticket out, if need be.
In Macedonia, mistrust of government, poverty, and an unreformed educational system have diminished expectations egregiously over the past ten years. Macedonians are not to blame, of course, for doing what needs to be done, saying what needs to be said, in order to survive. Yet for the country to be saved, they will have to do more, for the simple reason that no one else is going to do it for them. The country's natural attractions, history and culture must be promoted and utilized as the valuable assets they are. Macedonia might have formidable enemies and seemingly insurmountable obstacles, but even these can be overcome if only the spirit is willing.
Filchev and Stankov Shook Hands.
Standartnews
Elena Yaneva
Though Filchev and Stankov shook hands, the two of them looked apparently nervous at leaving the Presidency. To well-informed sources, the president asked for this meeting to be assured that there were no tensions between the two institutions in line with the amendments to the Judicial Power Act.
APPROVED PROJECTS-BRUSSELS.
BTA
Five Projects of Regional Development Ministry Approved for Financing with over 20 Mln Euros under Phare Cross-Border Cooperation Programme.
Sofia, July 12 (BTA) - Five projects of the Ministry of Regional Development worth over 20 million euros, applying for financial support from Brussels under the 2002 financial memorandum of the Phare Cross-Border Cooperation (CBC) Programme, have been approved in principle by representatives of the European Commission, the Regional Development Ministry's press office said.
The projects were approved by Francois Begeot, who is responsible for cross-border cooperation in the Bulgaria team at the Enlargement Directorate General, and Konstantinos Soupilas of the Delegation of the European Commission to Sofia. They held a working meeting in Sofia with representatives of the Regional Development Ministry. They discussed matters of programming of Phare CBC 2002 and Phare CBC 2003 between Bulgaria and Greece.
Funding under the Phare CBC Programme will be provided for the following projects: a water treatment facility in Razlog; rehabilitation of the Gotse Delchev-Razlog road; construction of a second tunnel on the E-79 international highway at Doupnitsa; integrated water management of the Mesta River; and an investment study and design of a joint border crossing road
(Eledje).
The financial memorandums on their implementation are expected to be signed in October. Construction is to start by the end of 2003, the press release said.
Begeot expressed satisfaction that the Bulgarian side came up with mature projects.
Bulgaria will submit to the European Commission in Brussels and the Delegation of the EC to Sofia a long list of projects for 2003 by September 15, it was agreed at the meeting. The Regional Development Ministry committed that the long list of projects for the 2004 financial memorandum would be submitted to the European Commission and the EC Delegation by mid-April 2003. Begeot and Soupilas were briefed on cross-border cooperation with Turkey, Macedonia and Yugoslavia, to which the Phare Programme does not apply. Begeot said there would be changes in the European Commission's regulations on cross-border cooperation and the annual quota of 20 million euros would not be a compulsory limit. If Bulgaria suggests projects which meet the requirements, have been fully designed and have undergone the procedures under Bulgarian law, the annual quota may be increased. It may be decreased if there are no projects.
On Friday, Begeot and the Regional Development Ministry discussed Bulgaria's proposals for cooperation with Romania under the Phare CBC Programme.
BULGARIA - EU - SEMINAR.
BTA
Bulgaria, European Commission Agree on Greater Independence for Central Bank by 2006.
Sofia, July 12 (BTA) - During the EU membership talks on the Economic and Monetary Union chapter, Bulgaria and the European Commission agreed on introducing legislative changes to provide greater independence for the National Bank of Bulgaria (BNB, the central bank) and greater freedom of financial services and movement of capital by 2006.
Lucia Hristova, head of BNB's European Integration Directorate, made a statement to this effect Friday, during a seminar on the monetary and financial aspects of European integration and the economic criteria for EU membership.
The seminar was organized by "Banks, Investment and Money" magazine and the European Institute.
Insurance companies, including those operating in retirement insurance, should be free to make larger investments not only in Bulgarian government securities, but also in foreign securities, Hristova said. The major consideration in such cases should be the risk level, not the identity of the issuer. The National Bank of Bulgaria Act will be amended to allow members of the BNB Governing Board who have been dismissed before the expiry of their term in office to appeal to the court authorities against the dismissal, she said.
Typically, a currency board arrangement is enforced in times of crisis, but it does not provide the best conditions for sustainable economic growth, said Doctor of Economics Gancho Ganchev.
Nevertheless, none of the successive Bulgarian governments would abandon the arrangement because this would pose a great risk of financial destabilization, he added.
BNB and the Exchequer lack economic and financial instruments to influence the macroeconomic parameters, Ganchev said. Even after its expected accession to the EU, Bulgaria will not have the necessary instruments to implement the monetary policy of the European Central Bank, he said.
Ganchev suggested that BNB should resume its functions as a refinancing centre gradually, following a special plan, as was the case in Hong Kong, not immediately after joining the Eurozone, because this may cause domestic instability as in Argentina.
The seminar was opened by European Affairs Minister and Chief Negotiator with the EU Meglena Kouneva.
MPs Adopted an Act Using Others' E-Cards.
Standartnews
Pavlina Zhivkova
Milena Nikolova
The opinion of the justice minister will be decisive when appointing magistrates.
Yesterday, some 45 MPs voted for 5 paragraphs of the Judicial Power Act, and the board read 130 voters. Dozen NMS MPs had in their hands 12 or even 15 e-cards each. They tried to excuse themselves with the fact that some of their colleagues were on trips abroad. Ultimately, the MPs voted for the right of the justice minister to dictate the appointments and replacements within the judicial system. To the adopted texts, the minister is to make the proposals for appointing or dismissing judges, prosecutors and investigators to the Supreme Judicial Council in a week term. The UDF MPs said that this was interference of the executive power in the work of the independent judicial power.
DRUG HAUL.
BTA
Bulgarian Customs Officers at Kapitan Andreevo Seize Nearly 109 kg of Marijuana.
Sofia, July 12 (BTA) - Customs officers at the Kapitan Andreevo checkpoint on the border with Turkey impounded 108.860 kg of marijuana in 111 packages on Friday, the Customs Agency said.
The drug was found in a secret compartment of an Albanian-registered truck travelling from Albania to Turkey without cargo. The Albanian driver and the truck were detained.
The case is being investigated.
This is the largest marijuana haul in Bulgaria this year.
The customs officers at Kapitan Andreevo have contributed most to the Customs Agency's success in fighting illegal drug trafficking between June 2001 and July 2002, the press release said.
Some of the biggest heroin hauls at Kapitan Andreevo were 90 kg and 88.8 kg intercepted last July, 191 kg and 126.330 kg seized in October, and 61.390 kg in December.
On June 11, 229.550 kg of heroin were seized at Kapitan Andreevo, an all-time record in the history of Bulgarian Customs.
The Bulgarian customs administration is the European leader in the number of heroin hauls so far this year, the press release said.
Between June 2001 and July 2002, Bulgarian customs officers prevented 57 drug smuggling attempts and seized 1,616.095 kg of drugs, 140 Ecstasy tablets and eight sheets soaked in a hallucinogen. Overall, 1,209.453 kg of heroin were intercepted.
Incomes Upped by 14 Levs in a Year.
Standartnews
Stephan Kioutchukov
Bulgarians pay more money for food, 10 percent of household earnings come from vegetable gardens and private farms.
The per capita income in Bulgaria increased by 14.26 levs in a year, show the data of the National Statistics Institute (NSI).
In May the average per capita earnings amounted to 136.58 levs which means that on the average each household gets 365.55 levs a month. The share of wages and small private business is on the increase. The average per household incomes in May came from wages - 161.02 levs, while the share of private-run business amounts to 19.86 levs. Some 10 percent, or 37.55 levs, are either from vegetable gardens or private farms.
The experts maintain that the Bulgarians are eating more. The expenses for food increased by 20 levs as compared with the previous year, which accounts for 45 percent of an average family budget. The consumption of staples - meat, potatoes, vegetables and yogurt, upped. Only bread consumption decreased. The monthly per household spendings on liquor and cigarettes amount to 14.50 levs. The sum exceeds the money that Bulgarians pay for health care.
M-Tel to Pour 100 mln in Budget.
Standartnews
Victoria Serafimova
The company will invest $ 300 million in Bulgaria and create 200 jobs
Before end-year M-Tel will pay 100 million levs in the budget. The money is for the new frequencies that the GSM operator is getting with the approval of the cabinet, said chief of the Directors' Board of M-Tel, Dr. Herbert Kordt.
They sum is payable till 2014, when the company's license expires. However, the M-Tel owners took the decision to pay to the fisc urgently. The new frequencies will web the whole country and will improve the quality of communications.
Next year the company will invest $ 300 million in Bulgaria and will create 200 jobs for young professional, said chairman of the supervisory board Dr. Joseph Taus. Before the end of the coming year company's subscribers will be 1,8 million. The company will appoint two new CEOs - an American, Marc Echout and hitherto deputy minister of telecommunications, Nikolay Nikolov.
The first will take the post of a financial director, while the second will be in charge of human resources and press agent. His predecessor, Roumiana Kiotchukova, is leaving M-Tel.
To Some Petrol Price Is More Important Than Human Life.
Yullee Moskov
Editor-in-Chief of "Standart"
There are several reasons why "Standart" decided to publish this small book about an enormous human tragedy. In the 40's of the last century Bulgaria saved its Jews from extermination, the morals of Bulgarians dictated this act. These morals and friendly attitude to Jews are alive in contemporary Bulgaria.
It breaks your heart to watch the kids walking the streets of Tel Aviv and think that one of these days they may be killed. Terrorism has no justification!
To my mind, Palestinians have a good state. Ant its name is Israel. However, they don't want to grow fruit and vegetables or produce other goods. They are dealing in death. I was deeply shocked learning recently about their intentions and claims. They threaten to exterminate the people of Sabbath and then, all peoples of Sunday. The Sabbath people are Israelis, the peoples of Sunday are all Christians. I'm terribly worried that Europe is still keeping its eyes shut refusing to see what's really going on. Regardless of the tragic events in the USA on September 11, 2001. Europe doesn't want to accept the truth. It's a pity that there are people in Europe to whom the price of petrol is more important than human life. The lives of those who fall victims of terrorism.
We have to thank heartily the man who gave the idea to publish this book - Mr. Mikhail Chernoy, a permanent resident of Israel.
Terrorists Will Never Win.
Standartnews
Mikhail Chernoy
Since the second "intifadeh" began in 2000 terror attacks became routine events in Israel. Why then the book is devoted to the one in "Dolphinarium"?
Because this is the first terror act against the "Russian" community in Israel.
People who sent the kamikaze-terrorist to "Dolphinarium" haven't chosen their target at random: the killers knew that on Friday night not others but the "Russian" children gather there. The task is clear - to scare us, to make the "Russian" Jews stay in Russia. However, the atrocity had just the opposite result. Now the "Russians" will never leave Israel - their children's blood has for ever bound them with the land of their ancestors. The stories in this book are heart-rending. At the same time they make one sure that terrorism will never win, wherever it makes an offensive, be it in Israel, Russia, the USA or any other country. The common people, crashed by the grieve for their dead children, are stronger than fanatics who blow themselves up in the name of the "paradise" promised to them. Solidarity with the grieving is stronger than solidarity between people of the same faith. Those united by humane ideas, simple moral laws, those who do not allow premeditated murder of innocent living creatures are stronger than the insane who trample on everything human for the sake of their ideology. The strive for life is stronger than strive to kill
That is why we shall overcome and win!
Enough with Carrots, Grab the Stick.
INTERVIEW Standartnews: Valentin Tserovski
Pavlina Zhivkova
Our governance is sluggish, says NMS deputy Valentin Tserovski.
Valentin Tserovski is a deputy from the NMS. He was born in 1956. Tserovski studied computer technology. Currently he is a member of the parliamentary commission on foreign policy, defense and security and commission on budget and financial issues.
- Mr. Tserovski, how would you explain the fact that a year into the NMS rule people gave an "E" grade to the government?
- People have the right to give whatever grades they like. The important thing is to what extent the ruling political force manages to fulfill its election pledges. I don't like the system of our government as such.
- Why don't you like it?
- To me, it's too sluggish. If the party were established on time and employed in running the country as a political instrument, the results would have been different. The power must be won first, then mastered and only after it - exercised. These are the three mandatory stages. The fact that we have won the power doesn't necessarily mean that we are capable of mastering and exercising it.
- What do you mean by "mastering power"?
- Personnel policy and decisive political actions are characteristic of this stage. I thing this is the sore problem for the NMS. If it were in opposition, it would for sure have been a very efficient political force, because talking is easy.
- What is your governance lacking?
- When you are running a country you must be very dexterous handling the levers of power. As the saying goes, use "stick and carrot". You can't count on carrots only and expect the work to be done.
- Don't you have a stick?
- To my mind, not all political tools have been put to use. Apart from incentives there must be sanctions, too.
(Abridged) |
