SITUATION IN CRISIS REGIONS.
MIA
It is calm and no shootouts are heard early Thursday in Tetovo region, MIA's corespondent reports.
Police and army sources say occasional volleys of fire and sporadic shootouts have been registered overnight from the reformatory, the Teke, larger apartment blocks, Ciglana, Vonvardarska, Drenovec 2 and Gorna Carsija settlements and Stipska street opposite to Interior Department building.
Gunfire has been heard from the villages of Prsovce, Odri, Prvce, Dobroste, Gjermo, Mala Recica and Kalnik and Rasadiste localities. Shootouts have not been aimed at direct targets.
The intensity of shootouts has been increased during Wednesday night in Kumanovo - Lipkovo region, MIA's correspondent reports.
Army sources say 42 volleys of fire and sporadic shootouts have been registered from the villages of Glaznja, Vaksince, Matejce and Slupcane where one flare signal was shot. Shootouts have not been aimed at direct targets.
Albanian Illegal Logging Gang Corners Outnumbered Forest Police Patrol.
MIA
According to commander of the Tetovo Forest Police Jordan Zarhadov, five-member Forest Police patrol was intercepted by 10-member armed group, consisted of persons of Albanian nationality at road Tetovo-Popova Sapka near village Gajre around 19,00h Thursday evening.
According to him, the incident occurred when the patrol tried to identify a driver of a tractor, which did not have register plates. The driver refused to identify himself, after which the armed group arrived at the site, and threatened the police officers that they would be killed if they continued with their activities.
Representatives of international monitoring missions and members of a mixed police patrol were present at the site.
There are occasional gunshots in Tetovo region Thursday evening.
PRESS CONFERENCE OF EUROPEAN COMMISSIONER PATTEN.
MIA
"The Republic of Macedonia has gone through important period in the past years that led from the edge of disaster to the edge of success, Commissioner for External Relations of the European Commission Christopher Patten stressed at the end of his two-day visit to Skopje.
Patten expressed satisfaction from the meetings during his visit to the Republic of Macedonia and stressed that the EU supports full implementation of Ohrid Agreement.
He stressed that consistent implementation of Ohrid Agreement "contributes to improvement of the relations between the ethnic communities in Macedonia and helps the state to approach more towards the rest of the European family."
Patten mentioned that the EU approved 26,5 million urgent assistance for surpassing of the consequences, which Macedonia suffered due to the war crisis. He said that so far in concordance with the Macedonian authorities through signing of agreements, 90% of the total sum are utilised mainly for reconstruction of destroyed houses, electricity network water supply repair.
So far, around of 875 houses are reconstructed with these resources and added that the number of the reconstructed houses will increase to 960 till the end of the month. Patten stressed that European Commission plans to provide additional 3,6 million for reconstruction of 200 houses ruined during the crisis.
He reminded that one month ago he signed agreement with the officials of Electric Power Company of Macedonia for rehabilitation of electricity in some parts of the country where electricity distribution was stopped.
Patten stressed that the EU at the Donors' Conference for Macedonia has taken over the obligation to provide 68 million for support of macroeconomic policy, however he added that IMF will bring the final decision for granting of these resources. Patten said that the EU paid 22 million to the Republic of Macedonia on January and added that the payment of the rest of the resources was blocked because "the Macedonian authorities and IMF failed to reach an agreement on certain issues."
European Commissioner said that EU prepared regular programme for co-operation with Macedonia, which foresees assistance for the country at amount to 40 million.
Patten said that at Tuesday's meeting with the Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski and President of the Parliament Stojan Andov he stressed that EU is long-term partner to Macedonia, but the final decision for the destiny of the state should emerge from the Macedonian authorities.
He stressed that the main task of the Macedonian authorities at the moment is organisation of fair and democratic elections and added that the EU plans to send observing mission in the country which will monitor the whole election process.
At the end he expressed hope that the next time when he will pay a visit to Macedonia will witness better progress in stabilisation of the security of the country, improvement of the relations between the ethnic communities and in the economic sphere.
Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski late Tuesday met Christopher Patten, the Director General for External Relations in the European Commission.
President Trajkovski's cabinet stated that at the meeting Macedonian President expressed satisfaction with the high level of relations between the Republic of Macedonia and the European Commission and thanked for the financial support which is necessary for full implementation of the Framework Agreement.
The need of more intensive co-operation and co-ordination between the Republic of Macedonia and the European Commission was mutually stated aimed at maximum acceleration of the reconstruction process of the ruined houses and demining process in the crisis regions.
European Commissioner Patten reiterated the firm position of the European Commission for continuation of the good co-operation with the Republic of Macedonia in the future.
Patten besides with President Boris Trajkovski and Andov, Wednesday morning also met with Deputy Prime Minister Xhevdet Nasufi and Minister of Finance Nikola Gruevski.
PARLIAMENT'S CHAIRMAN ANDOV SCHEDULED THE ELECTIONS ON SEPTEMBER 15.
MIA
The Chairman of the Macedonian Parliament Stojan Andov, signed Thursday a Decision for scheduling elections of deputies in the Parliament, by which the elections will be held September 15.
The Decision is sent to the President of the State Election Commission, Mirjana Lazarova Trajkovska, and will be published Thursday in the Official Gazette, so that can be applicable instantly.
As a nominator of the State Election Commission (SEC), Andov has sent letters to the four political parties to inform them to propose two members and deputies each, for the State Election Commission.
He expects VMRO-DPMNE, the Social Democratic Alliance, the Democratic Party of the Albanians and the Party for Democratic Prosperity to send their proposals until Thursday evening to the Parliamentary Committee on Election and Appointment Issues, that is to hold a session Friday morning. After their session, the Chairman of the Parliament is to schedule a parliamentary session for election of the State Election Commission.
According to Andov, SEC will have to accomplish hard tasks for very short time. All state election bodies have to be founded fifty days before the elections, in order to provide complete net of the bodies wich are to deal with preparative and effective matters of the elections.
"If everybody carry out their legal obligations, the elections will be fair and democratic, thus, the crisis in Macedonia will end and a new development and prosperity era for the country will begin," underlined Andov.
He proposes the participants in the elections to sign a declaration for their moral and political obligation. The declaration will read their obligation to respect the laws, to fight for fair and democratic elections, to accept the election results and to make sure the elections to become big event in the development of the country.
Regarding the work of the Parliament, Stojan Andov announced another new parliamentary session, as well as the continuance of the ones already in session.
Sweden to send 23 election observers to Macedonia.
AP
STOCKHOLM, Sweden - The Swedish government decided Thursday to send 23 election observers as part of a European mission to Macedonia.
The Swedes will join a team of 800 observers assembled by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and will monitor elections tentatively set for Sept. 15, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Tengroth said.
She said three of the Swedish observers would stay in the former Yugoslav republic for about two months. The other 20 would stay for a shorter period around election day, she said.
The elections are to be held as part of a Western-brokered peace agreement that ended last year's bitter fighting in the Balkan country.
The conflict erupted in February 2001 when rebels fighting for more rights for the ethnic Albanian minority launched an insurgency. Politicians representing ethnic Macedonians and ethnic Albanians signed a peace agreement last August.
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Painting Auction to Help Psychiatric Hospital Skopje.
OCHA
This message comes to you from Stojan Bajraktarov, Mental Health Assistant, WHO.
The NGO "Welcome" and the Psychiatric Hospital Skopje together with WHO cordially invites you to an auction of paintings that will take place today at the Restaurant Lira at 20.00. The paintings were produced by users of mental health services and friends from the Academy of Arts. The funds raised from the auction will be used for the rehabilitation of the Occupational Therapy Sector within the Psychiatric Hospital in Skopje. This auction is a part of the Anti - Stigma Campaign for mental health, which is supported by IOM, USAID, ECHO and WHO Skopje.
