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The Varna Dolphinarium has prepared a new show for its visitors in which two girls will swim synchronously with the dolphins. Pressphoto BTA Photo : Krassimir krustev
IM Chief Secretary Gen. Boiko Borissov had a tete-a-tete with Chief Prosecutor Nikola Filchev for almost an hour. "There is no tension between us, we discussed the organized crime combat," Filchev said. Photo Stoian Nenov
SITUATION IN CRISIS REGIONS.
MIA
It is relatively calm in Tetovo crisis region early Wednesday, MIA's correspondent reports.
Gunfire with increased intensity has been heard late Tuesday in Tetovo and the surrounding.
Interior Department in Tetovo says shootouts have been registered from the Teke, the reformatory, Gorna Carsija, Kupenik, Vonvardarska, Drenovec 2 and Ciglana settlements, the area around the SEE University, "Goce Stojcevski" textile high school, "SS. Cyril and Methodius" and "Bratstvo Migjeni" elementary schools, and the centre of the town.
Volleys of fire and sporadic shootouts have been heard in the villages of Semsevo, Trebos, Otusiste, Odri, Dobroste, Tearce, Mala Recica, Germo and Sipkovica.
Signal flares followed by shootouts have been heard in the village of Mala Recica and Sipkovica.
Persons of Albanian nationality blocked traffic on Tetovo-Skopje road for nearly an hour near Tetovo village Zelino around 20:00 hours Tuesday.
Police sources said the Zelino villagers asked for the release of former NLA members from police custody, who were arrested near border crossing Blace at the Macedonian-Yugoslav border Tuesday afternoon. The authorities assume that the arrested persons are involved in the kidnapping and torture of the 5 workers of "Mavrovo" building company.
There were occasional gunshots in Tetovo region Tuesday evening from the area of villages Odri and Dobroste.
U.S. blacklists three Macedonian Albanians.
Reuters
WASHINGTON, July 3 (Reuters) - The United States on Wednesday added three ethnic Albanians, including two political figures, to an economic blacklist, accusing them of stoking instability in the western Balkans including Macedonia.
The Treasury Department concluded the three had been "actively involved in sponsoring, funding or directing destabilizing acts of violence in the Western Balkans, including Macedonia," the State Department said in an announcement.
The Balkan state's Macedonian majority and ethnic Albanian minority are preparing for an election in September that Western diplomats fear could trigger fresh violence after an insurgency last year raised fears of a new Balkan war.
The Treasury Department named the men as Gafur Adili of Switzerland, and Nevzat Halili and Kastriot Haxhirexha of Macedonia. The latter are known political figures in Macedonia but no details were immediately available on Adili.
"All three have provided leadership or material support to armed insurgents in the Western Balkans," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said in a statement.
"These insurgents, especially the so-called Albanian National Army, directly undermine regional stability and pose a threat to U.S. military forces currently deployed in the region," he said.
The ANA is a self-styled guerrilla splinter group that has claimed responsibility for some attacks in Macedonia. Analysts see it as a shady successor to the National Liberation Army that fought the Macedonian army last year.
"This action once again sends a clear message to extremist groups and their supporters that these tactics are unacceptable," Boucher said.
"We will use every means at our disposal to isolate these groups and deny their access to financial support."
The blacklist formed under a presidential executive order in June 2001 freezes U.S. assets and makes it illegal for Americans to fund its targets -- an array of ethnic Albanian groups or individuals including Shefket Musliu, who led an insurgency in Serbia's Presevo Valley last year.
The original order was mainly aimed at helping Macedonia's government after months of fighting the insurgents in Macedonia who said they wanted equal rights for the ethnic Albanian minority.
It included Ali Ahmeti, who led the Macedonian insurgency but was cheered by hundreds of supporters as he opened a Skopje branch June 29 of his new Democratic Union for Integration, which is campaigning for full implementation of a Western-sponsored peace accord that ended the fighting.
The additions appeared to be a fresh push to prevent radicalization ahead of the elections. Haxhirexha's National Democratic Party, alleged in the past to have NLA links, has reportedly opened talks on unification with Ahmeti's party.
STATEMENT BY PRIME MINISTER LJUBCHO GEORGIEVSKI.
MIA
"The Greek investor 'Hellenic Petroleum' will reduce the price of the oil in a period less than five years," Macedonian Prime Minister Ljubcho Georgievski said at Wednesday's formal reception in the honor of the official opening of Thessaloniki - Skopje pipeline.
"According to the Agreement, after these five years the price of oil will drastically decrease, but the strategic investor will not wait that long, and will do this in a very short period of time," Georgievski said, emphasizing that "although 'Makpetrol' imports oil derivatives liberally, the prices of their gas stations are not lower."
Thessaloniki - Skopje pipeline is for crude oil, and the pipelines towards South Serbia and Kosovo will be with a different structure.
To a question whether he is afraid of the fact that the Constitutional Court will initiate a procedure for assessing the constitutionality of the Agreement on OKTA sale, Georgeivski also consider this large investment."
Asked whether the Greeks would leave if the Agreement were annulled, Georgievski said that it would certainly not happen. "After such investment is made, not a single investor would withdraw," he emphasized.
Tuesday's protest of the Greek Trade Union in a sign of revolt regarding the announcement for privatization of "Hellenic Petroleum," Georgievski assessed it as "interesting event."
"The Trade Union has the right to protest against the privatization plans, especially in a country with long tradition. Three years ago we sold the oil refinery 'to some Greek investor,' but today we see that this Greek investor can easily become a Russian investor. One company can be transformed and change its owner on a daily basis. To all those that attack this project out of national interests, we can tell them one comforting information that most probably the owner of Skopje refinery and of this pipeline will not be a Greek, but a Russian company," Georgievski emphasized.
He also informed that Skopje airport would not be sold without opening a tender, while the concession for Canadian Posts "would be probably concluded."
"Considering the posts we will risk, and maybe will be criticized about it from several reasons. Canadian posts are the only one in the world that are interested in privatization of the posts. Generally the posts are not attractive for privatization. Macedonian Posts is a company that permanently makes losses, and the Government covers them. The Canadian Posts insist on privatization without a tender, otherwise we could have concluded the privatization three months ago. It is a state company supported by the Canadian Government, and those are arguments that we respect," Georgievski explained.
Commenting the information that the State Bureau for Revision has discovered irresponsible expenditures in several state enterprises including the Public Airport Enterprise and the Health Fund, Georgievski said that "these reports meant that the state revision worked and the Government was committed to fight against all deviant phenomena in the ministries."
To a question whether the Government would claim the responsibility from "those persons," Georgievski said that the procedure was regulated and must be obeyed.
He does not know why the Macedonian Trade Union Federation announces strike on July 15.
"I do not know why the trade union will go on strike. The agreement is clear.
The plan is maybe a little bit breached. There is a dispute about 55 million in the total amount of 3 billion for the administration and the pensions.
Considering the enormous gift that the Government gives to the state administration, this is small amount of money to be disputed. It is unnecessary to make a problem out of it. If the issue was opened on time, then we would have found money from other sources," Georgievski explained.
No End To Violent Intimidation of Macedonians in Tetovo.
MIA
An explosive device was thrown Tuesday night at 23.15h in the garden of reservist Nebojsa Dimovski from Tetovo village of Semsevo, which caused material damage, the Media Activity Center within the Coordinate Crisis Management Body announced.
An officer employed in Tetovo police department was attacked Tuesday by Jusuf and Ljumni Selmani, who maltreated him under a threat of a firearm, for not issuing a passport to a third person that was under investigation.
Gunfire and flares occasionally violated the public peace and order in Tetovo and Kumanovo-Lipkovo region overnight.
Macedonia And Iran Sign Agreement On Trade And Economic Cooperation.
MIA
Macedonian Economy Minister Besnik Fetai [of the Democratic Party of Albanians] and Deputy Minister of Economy and Finances and General Governor of the Iranian Investment Organization Mohamed Hazae signed Wednesday in Skopje an Agreement on trade and economic cooperation between the two countries.
The Agreement, which was initialed in July 2001, is expected to stimulate and increase the trade exchange between Macedonia and Iran.
It practically provides the countries with a status of most favored nations regarding the customs, export and import rates, and other dues.
Australian Journalist Attacked in Skopje.
RealityMacedonia
An Australian journalist was set upon by an angry mob of ethnic Albanian merchants who were protesting against the Macedonian government closing down Bit Pazar market today in Skopje, the capital.
Sasha Uzunov, 34, a freelance photo-journalist for western agencies, was photographing the demonstrators, who were putting up barricades and blocking traffic, including three NATO buses containing Greek soldiers bound for Kosovo.
"About 10 or so demonstrators came running towards me and demanded my camera. A man with a mobile phone was giving orders to the others to attack me," he said.
"One man grabbed me by the shirt and starting pulling me towards the ground, whilst another tried to take my camera.
"Four Macedonian Police officers stood nearby and watched the whole incident and didn't intervene to help me. Luckily for me there where two Dutch NATO military observers close by and I ran towards them."
US-ARRESTED SUSPECT.
BTA
Suspected Murderer of Bulgarian Student in the US Simeon Popov Arrested Sofia, July 3 (BTA) -The suspected murderer of Bulgarian student Simeon Popov in the US has been arrested, Interior Ministry Chief Secretary Boyko Borissov said Wednesday.
National Police Service chief General Vassil Vassilev confirmed the information and said he had been informed by the US Embassy in Bulgaria.
The arrested suspect is an Afro-American and all accounts of his family have been blocked, General Borissov said. The murder has been classified as a first-degree one and the prosecution is expected to demand capital punishment, Borissov said.
Some 20 days after the crime the police had information about the murderer.
He was most probably acting on his own. Borissov said.
Later, after meeting Justice Minister Anton Stankov, US Ambassador James Pardew also said that the suspected murderer of Bulgarian student Simeon Popov has been arrested in New York and charged with the murder. The maximum sentence is death, Ambassador Pardew said. A suspected accomplice has also been arrested, the Ambassador added. According to him, the trial will end by the end of this year or the beginning of next one. The family of the victim will be able to attend the trial, the Ambassador said.
Simeon Popov (27) was killed by a gunman on January 22 while delivering pizzas. He was a music student at the Syracuse University, New York and worked to support himself.
HYUNDAI - BULGARIA.
BTA
Hyundai Motor Company Interested in Investing in Bulgaria Sofia, July 3 (BTA) - South Koreas Hyundai Motor Company is interested in investing in Bulgaria, Deputy Prime Minister Nikolai Vassilev and Chairman of Hyundai Motor Company Mong-Koo Chung said after a meeting on Wednesday. Mr Chung heads a Korean business delegation of 19 members currently visiting Bulgaria.
A press release of the Economy Ministry says that Hyundai plans to assemble cars in Bulgaria. The company owns a plant in Izmir, Turkey, which assembles about 50,000 cars annually.
South Korea is Asias biggest investor in Bulgaria and the 15th biggest foreign investor here. Korean investments total 59.8 million US dollars, mainly in hotels and office buildings.
BULGARIA-JAPAN.
BTA
Bulgaria Expects Cooperation with Japanese Companies in Energy, Environment Protection, Transport, Infrastructure Sofia, July 3 (BTA) - Bulgaria expects to cooperate with Japanese companies in the energy, environment protection, transport, infrastructure, tourism and finance, Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Bozhidar Bozhinov told the 18th session of the Bulgarian-Japanese Economic Committee, which started Wednesday. The past decade saw a drop in two-way trade, which is currently half its 1989 levels, he added.
In 1989 commercial exchange between Bulgaria and Japan amounted to 193.2 million dollars, against 89.5 million dollars in 2001 with Bulgaria running a deficit of 63.7 million dollars.
Bozhinov recalled that Japan is Bulgaria's biggest donor among the G-24 countries.
Japanese Ambassador Yasuoshi Ichihashi quoted data, according to which since 1998 the Japanese government has provided grant aid to18 Bulgarian projects. He reiterated Japan's commitment to continue to render such support.
Bulgarian co-chair of the Committee, Kiril Tsochev, pointed to the removal of trade barriers and the increase in direct Japanese investment in Bulgaria as factors for expanding economic and financial cooperation.
In his address to the participants in the forum President Georgi Purvanov said that cooperation with Japan is a top priority for Bulgaria. "Our country can tap the Japanese experience in improving the economy's efficiency and in the application of high tech," said Purvanov.
The participants in the forum voiced their common stand that this country's accession to the EU will promote contacts between Bulgaria and Japan.
Later on Wednesday the Japanese delegation will be received by President Georgi Purvanov and National Assembly Chairman Ognyan Gerdjikov.
Each Third Bulgarian Can't Afford Shopping.
Standartnews
Venelina Yanakieva
85 percent of the households are on the verge of bankruptcy because of the raise in prices of electricity and central heating.
Each third Bulgarian can't afford shopping, sources from 'Podkrepa' (Support) trade union said yesterday. To them, the hike in prices will result in further shrinkage of consumption. It will affect severely the budgets of 85 percent of the households. Mere 7.5 percent will not feel the hike. The five-percent increase of wages in the budget sphere from July 1 on will amount to 13 levs and will not compensate for the accumulated inflation, the same sources elaborated. The minimum monthly costs of a 4-member family amount to 1,273 levs after the prices of electricity upped. The monthly survival bracket is at least 342 levs per capita, according to the calculations of the experts from 'Podkrepa'. The actual decrease of wages in 2002 will be by 67 percent as compared with 1990, and that of the pensions by 58 percent. The inflation within the summer period will be 2 or 3 percent, the experts forecast.
MG Corporation to Build Up Hotels in Croatia.
Standartnews
Rozalina Dimitrova
MG Corporation will reconstruct hotels in the Republic of Croatia, it transpired from a report of Nedyalka Sandalska presented at the international forum 'Globalization and Sustainable Development' in Varna yesterday.
Sandalska is CEO in Balkantourist AD owned by the corporation.
Modernization project is provided for the Macedonia hotel in Croatia, which has 140 rooms and 14 studios. Architectural traditions of the Dubrovnik Riviera are employed in the project which makes the building more spacious and "carves" it in the unique skyline of the town, Nedyalka Sandalska said further. Reconstruction of the Libertas hotel is pending in the same town. Currently, Balkantourist receives and serves some 10 percent of all foreigners' groups visiting Bulgaria, including 4.3% of tourists from Germany, 10 percent from Great Britain and 57%, from Israel. Bulgarian citizens who choose services of Balkantourist for vacationing at home and abroad amount to some 68,000, she added.
HISTORIAN-PROPOSAL.
BTA
Historian Panayotov Lobbies for Translation and Analysis of Kumran Manuscripts.
Varna (on the Black Sea), July 3 (BTA) - Upon his return from Jerusalem, historian Dr. Nikolai Panayotov told journalists that he is the first non-Israeli scholar to be admitted to the storage, conservation and research department with the Jerusalem State Antiques Agency.
Panayotov's interests are focused on the Kumran manuscripts, the first fragments of which were found accidentally by a shepherd near the village of Kumran (near Jerusalem) in 1947. Another 50,000 fragments were unearthed in the expeditions that followed.
The manuscripts are in Greek, Latin, Hebrew and Aramaic.
Panayotov's idea is to launch an international project for an exact translation and thorough analysis of the Kumran manuscripts, only one tenth of which has been restored. The historian believes the manuscripts contain old texts of the Bible.
The project may provide the key to Panayotov's hypothesis that the Bible is older than it is now believed. The Old Testament is believed to have been written in the 5th century B.C., while Panayotov holds the opinion that it might have been written in 5000 B.C.
Panayotov develops this hypothesis in his latest book, "The Jews and Judaism - Beginning of Human Civilization Seven Thousand Years Ago." The book came out in Bulgarian and English, and is currently being translated into Russian and Hebrew.
I Refused to Employ Cronies.
INTERVIEW Standartnews: Stefan Koradov
Elena Dimitrova
Under the UDF rule five regional governors have been changed and the results speak for themselves, says Stefan Koradov.
Stefan Koradov, local governor of Bourgas is an economist. For years he has been the chief of the duty-free zone in the city and then, a private auditor. He is married and has one child. For over 6 months he has been under strong pressure: six deputies from the NMS declared that they demand his resignation because allegedly Koradov wasn't efficient. However, no facts have been given to support the allegations. So far Koradov kept silence. For the first time he decided to speak before "Standart", declaring that he had been pressed into dismissing certain people for political reasons. The NMS deputies are sure that the Premier will sign his resignation one of these days.
- Mr. Koradov, what has sparked off the conflict between you and the MPs?
- I refused to be an actor in the game with politically-motivated appointments and unreasonable dismissals. I myself have been a victim of witch-hunting, so I know what it is all about and what are the consequences. The UDF is the most telltale example. If the structure of the state administration is not changed, if we don't give up this partisan approach to it, we shall not yield any positive results.
- Do the deputies have the right to demand replacement of a regional governor?
- I think that such changes are the prerogative of the Council of Ministers and the Premier. According to the Constitution, we are representatives of the executive power and the Council of Ministers is the body that has to assess our capacities. Under the UDF rule five regional governors have been changed in Bourgas and the results are obvious. It would run contrary to ethics if the deputies try to manipulate the Council of Ministers and the PM and lobby for certain appointees. It would be highly improper if people who have risen to power due to the Premier's charisma and ideas, allow themselves to meddle in his cadre policy and speak on his behalf. |
