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Arms scandal with Terem is a sabotage before the NATO summit in Prague, declared chairmen of the parliamentary committees on home security and foreign policy Vladimir Dontchev (L) and Stanimir Iltchev (C) Photo: Marina Angelova
The defence ministers of Bulgaria, Romania, Greece and Turkey held a defence ministerial in a "2+2" format at the Trimontsium Hotel in Plovdiv. Pressphoto BTA picture: Vladimir Yanev
CEI ECONOMIC FORUM OFFICIALLY OPENED.
MIA
The three-day CEI Summit commenced Wednesday in Skopje with a session of the CEI Committee of National Coordinators.
The main subjects will be the situation in the region, international developments, enhancing the economic cooperation and the new challenges arising from EU enlargement.
Heads of Governments and foreign ministers from 17 CEI member countries, as well as representatives of the biggest international financial institutions are expected to participate in the biggest event that Macedonia has ever hosted.
The Fifth CEI Economic Forum and Youth Forum are being held as part of the Summit.
Macedonian Economy and Finance Ministers Ilija Filipovski and Petar Gosev delivered speeches at the session "Focus on Macedonia".
Filipovski emphasized the significance of the Economic Forum, pointing out that it was an opportunity for exchanging experiences and enhancing the further cooperation among all representatives of CEI member countries.
Speaking of the Macedonian economy and the future plans for its development, Filipovski said that following the developments in the world and European economic processes, increasing the employment and reducing the poverty were the main priorities of the Macedonian Government.
In that respect, Macedonia is focused on creating conditions for integration into EU and the signing of Stabilization and Association Agreement was part of those activities, he said.
He also reminded that considering the number of signed free trade agreements, Macedonia was a leading country among Southeast European countries and was initiator for creating free trade zone in the region.
"The implementation of these agreements positively affects the situation and the foreign trade of all countries in the region," Filipovski said.
In order to liberalize and to follow the modern world trends in the trade of goods and services, Macedonia was working intensively on its admission in the World Trade Organization. With the integration in this organization on October 17 and the associate membership in EU, Macedonia has met the main preconditions for applying for CEFTA membership.
"This is the future orientation of Macedonia in the framework of its regional connection until it becomes EU member," Filipovski said.
He pointed out that in order to realize the priorities of the Macedonian Government in the field of economy, more than just the regional connection was necessary, including the reforms, the financial empowerment as well as implementation and exchange of experiences in this area.
According to Filipovski, Macedonia should focus on three things in order to achieve the necessary economic development: to restart the loss-making companies, to make efforts to develop the small business and to attract the foreign investments.
In that respect, he expressed hope that the foreign investors would be interested in the Macedonian capacities, which should be restarted and would contribute to the Macedonian economic development.
Speaking of the necessity for development of small and medium sized enterprises, he pointed out that they had problem to provide the initial capital and announced that the future activities of the Macedonian Government would be focused on developing a strategy for the development of the enterprises, including the adoption of several laws in that sphere.
Regarding the necessity for attracting the foreign investments, Filipovski reminded that since its independence around US $ 800 million have been invested in Macedonia.
Since the beginning of the privatization, Macedonian businessmen have attracted around US $ 260 million, but according to Filipovski the activities on attracting the foreign investments should continue.
According to him, the problems that hindered the inflow of foreign investments in Macedonia, including the last year's crisis, have been surpassed. "Obviously, the interest for the Macedonian market and for making investments in the country is rising," Filipovski said.
An important segment of the government's developmental policy is focused on attracting the direct foreign investments in the private and public sectors, non-credit financing and issuing concessions for the infrastructure. Macedonian Government is determined to offer open economic options to the foreign investors.
"I think that the Economic Forum will allow us to present our comparative advantages and attractive sectors to the investors," Filipovski said.
The Economic Forum, which is held for the fifth time, is bringing together the economy ministers and numerous businessmen from 17 CEI member countries. An important part of the Forum would be the ministerial meeting on "Trade, Financing and Investments in Small and Medium Sized Enterprises in the Light of EU Enlargement."
Dynamic and enduring economic development, unemployment and poverty decrease, fight against corruption and strengthening of the national security are among the fundamental components of the strategies of the finance policy, Macedonian Finance Minister Petar Gosev said in his address.
He pointed out the macroeconomic stability, monetary policy in search of enduring economic development and stable fiscal policy as the main priorities of the finance policy. Gosev presented several measures with which these goals are to be realised, among which are the macro credits which will decrease the investment risks and self-employment in rural and urban regions.
He said that the foreign investments were of great importance for Macedonia. Stability of the country, macroeconomic stability, privatisation of the state capital and signing of free trade agreements between Macedonia and countries from the region were necessary for attraction of the investments.
Stressing the importance of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between Macedonia and the European Union, Gosev said that Macedonia should continue with accession and harmonisation of its legislation with the EU regulations.
Mr. Paul Turner, European Agency for Reconstruction representative addressed the session. He stressed the support of the process for implementation of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement, the confidence building measures, the civil institutions and the development of the market economy.
He stressed the emergency aid package as the measure with whose assistance the goals of the agency were realised. The agency has invested around Euro 3 million in improvement of the inter-ethnic relations, support of civil society and non-governmental sector since the beginning of this year.
The Central European Initiative (CEI) Economic Forum was officially opened Wednesday with the message of Vincenzo Calogero, Head of the Secretariat for CEI Projects.
Macedonian Minister of Economy Ilija Filipovski addressed at the opening , pointing out that Macedonia as a host and co-organizer of the Forum would support all commitments and initiatives for regional economic connection and the open dialogue for resolving all common issues.
"The road of reforms, compromise and mutual tolerance is the road that will take us closer to our mutual aspiration - full integration in the European Union," Filipovski said.
According to him, CEI should intensify its activities and should support the less developed members, considering the necessity for enforcing the economic development and reducing the potential differences among the member countries.
He is convinced that the economic prosperity in the region would be impossible without the comprehensive activities for rehabilitation, development and connection of the regional transport, energy and telecommunications infrastructure, as vital factor for free flow of people and goods and for creating social cohesion and integration.
"More than ever the Macedonian Government is determined to give an open offer to all foreign investors," Filipovski emphasized, urging the representatives of CEI member countries to make their own contribution and enhance the cooperation, by participating at the numerous manifestations during the Forum.
He suggested to the businessmen to realize the opportunities for investment, trade and other types of cooperation through the contacts with the Macedonian counterparts and to justify CEI's existence in practice.
Adolfo Urso, from the Italian Ministry of Production Activities, expressed his assurance that the Balkan countries would integrate in the European region very soon. He emphasized that the contacts, the exchange of experience and cooperation among the participants at the Economic Forum and CEI Summit would improve the peace on the Balkans and wider.
General Director of CEI Executive Secretariat Harald Kreid spoke of the significance of CEI Summits, emphasizing that today's Summit was an exceptional opportunity for exchange of experience and enhancing the cooperation.
Pointing out that Macedonia has gone through very difficult period, he said that the country was starting to move along a new road and needed the cooperation, investments and opening of its market more than ever.
Representative of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Henry Russell said that the events such as the Economic Forum contributed for the stability of the entire region, particularly through the contacts established during these events.
"CEI unites the governments, finances and businessmen and that contributes for the overall development," Russell said.
The seminar on "Privatisation Process in the Balkans" is underway, organised by the Italian Institute for Foreign Trade.
CEI Ministers of Foreign Affairs will hold informal meeting on Thursday and will adopt certain changes in the status of the organisation from technical character, which have essential importance for strengthening of the inter-governmental, inter-parliamentary and economic cooperation.
An accent of the three-day Economic Forum will be put on investing in economic co-operation. The important part of the Forum will the meeting of ministers of economic sector on topic "Trade, Financing and Investment in SME in view of EU Enlargement."
CEI Youth Forum will be held traditionally within the frameworks of the CEI Summit. A Final Document on current challenges of the younger generations will be adopted which will be presented at the CEI Meeting of Heads of Government.
The Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, Austrian - Wolfgang Schussel, Ukrainian - Anatoly Kinakh and Slovakian - Mikulas Dzurinda have confirmed their participation. The heads of delegations from the other CEI member countries have registered the participation and now they are to confirm the participation.
Around 200 guests are expected to take part in the meetings of the forthcoming summit.
Around of 100.000 Euro have been provided from last year's budget of the Republic of Macedonia and 100.000 Euro are the donation from EBRD for organisation of the summit.
Through CEI Macedonia so far has granted donation of the Centre for Services and Business Advises at amount of 600.000 Euro, which started to work on June 2002, then around 500.000 Euro for implementation of the navigation project and 200.000 Euro for reconstruction of the Ohrid Airport.
The regional organisation CEI was formed in 1989 as Quadrilateral co-operation, as the association of four countries with different international and political orientation - Italy as the NATO member, Hungary as the member of the Warsaw Pact, the former Yugoslavia as independent country and Austria as neutral.
The goal of its formation was providing regular communication of the countries from the region, which are members of different international political groups.
Albania, Austria, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, the Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia are the CEI member countries.
November 13 in History.
Standartnews
In 866 pope Nicholas I hands in to the Bulgarian envoys the answers to all questions posed by Boris I.
In 1877 the Russian government takes the decision to organize three voluntary battalions of Bulgarian nationals (later on - Bulgarian Volunteer Corps).
In 1944 the German SS command orders mobilization of Bulgarians living in Germany to establish Bulgarian Grenadier Regiment.
BULGARIA-MACEDONIA-CULTURAL COOPERATION.
BTA
Skopje, November 13 (BTA) - Bulgaria and Macedonia are drafting an agreement on the opening of cultural centres: a Macedonian one in Sofia and a Bulgarian one in Skopje.
The matter was discussed on Wednesday by Bulgarian Ambassador to Macedonia Alexander Yordanov and the newly appointed Culture Minister Blagoja Stefanovski. The two discussed the state and prospects of Bulgarian-Macedonian cultural contacts.
Bulgaria suggested that the procedure be finalized and a bilateral agreement be signed as soon as possible on the opening of cultural centres in the two capitals.
It was also suggested that reciprocal events be organized to present the two cultures, such as Days of the Bulgarian Cinema in Macedonia and of the Macedonia Cinema in Bulgaria.
Ambassador Yordanov expressed readiness for joint celebrations and exchanges of cultural figures. He suggested that the Day of the Slav Enlighteners Cyril and Methodius, marked on May 24, be celebrated jointly next year.
Six People of "Terem" Detained.
Team of "Standart"
Arms scandal shook up the state, our invitation to NATO put to the question.
Gen. Boiko Borissov personally conducts the investigation, Svinarov hinted that resignations will follow.
Arms affair shook the state 8 days before the NATO summit in Prague and questioned the invitation for membership in the Alliance. 100 sets for reduction gears, which could be used for tractors as well as for armoured carriers and tanks, were illegally sold abroad. There are suspicions that they are in Iraq. This happened hours after the UN Security Council adopted a resolution to disarm the regime of Saddam. Six people from "Terem" were detained for the affair, the Director of National Service for Organized Crime Combat (NSOCC) Rumen Milanov said in Targovishte. The director of the factory in Targovishte Plamen Petrov and another 5 workers were detained. No accusation was brought against them by the end of the day. IM Chief Secretary Gen. Boiko Borissov personally assumes the investigation of the affair. President Parvanov held rounds of meetings. He received the Premier Simeon Saxe Coburg-Gotha at 3.00 p.m. . Meanwhile at 12.00 p.m. American Ambassador James Pardew went to the Foreign Ministry. He informed Solomon Passy that a special committee on the national security to the U.S.A. Senate was in session on this case, sources of the Foreign Ministry revealed. "I hastened to inform our American colleagues about our actions, we react adequately and in the most right way", told Passy.
BULGARIA - ROMANIA - GREECE - TURKEY - DEFENCE MINISTERS.
BTA
"'2+2' Format Cooperation Will Continue after Prague Summit," Bulgarian Defence Minister Svinarov Says.
Plovdiv, South Central Bulgaria, November 13 (BTA) - Bulgaria, Romania, Greece and Turkey will continue their interaction in the "2+2" format after the Prague Summit as well because its factors remain valid: the need of a modern defence system, an adequate response to unconventional threat, and resolute opposition to international terrorism, Bulgarian Defence Minister Nikolai Svinarov said this in Plovdiv Wednesday at the opening of the Third Defence Ministerial in a "2+2" format of Bulgaria, Romania, Greece and Turkey. In this format, the two NATO member states support two countries bidding for membership. At the forum, Greece is represented by Deputy Defence Minister Lukas Apostolides because National Defence Minister Yiannos Papandoniou has urgent engagements in connection with the EU Presidency that will rotate to Greece as from January 2003.
In his speech, Svinarov stressed that days before the NATO Summit in Prague, the participants in the Defence Ministerial yet again demonstrate their commitment to the shared Euro-Atlantic values. "The states represented at the meeting remain firmly committed to the possibly broadest regional cooperation," the Bulgarian Defence Minister said. As he put it, a wider NATO presence in the region would contribute decisively to guaranteeing security and stability.
Svinarov thanked Greece and Turkey for their staunch support for the NATO membership bids of Bulgaria and Romania and assured them that the two countries are fully prepared to implement the potential of the "2+2" format at the Defence Minister and Chiefs of General Staff level. The Defence Minister also noted the need to complete the military reforms and achieve interoperability of the armies.
Later on Wednesday, the defence ministers are scheduled to give a joint news conference and to tour the Plovdiv Headquarters of the Miltinational Peace Force Southeastern Europe.
NATO candidates seek stability.
The Prague Post
By Lydia Rebac, Staff Writer
Post-communist countries see alliance entry as way to West.
Petar Stoyanov, former president of Bulgaria, says the citizens of his country think joining NATO would boost the economy of the struggling Balkan nation.
Bulgaria's people, who are among Europe's poorest, have endured harsh economic reforms since the fall of communism, including a hike in defense spending to overhaul the nation's bloated, Soviet-era military.
Joining the 19-member alliance at the Nov. 21-22 NATO summit in Prague would be a reward for Bulgaria's painful sacrifices, says Stoyanov, who led the country from 1997 to January 2002.
"It is not just an obsession to join the West at any price," he said after presenting a lecture Oct. 30 at the Czech Foreign Affairs Ministry. "Bulgarians are critical and they are not patient, but they understand that NATO membership will ensure economic stability and security in the long term."
Seven post-communist countries are gearing up to receive NATO invitations at the summit, the alliance's first meeting behind the former Iron Curtain.
The longtime favorites for this round of NATO expansion have been Slovenia, the Slovak Republic and the Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. Bulgaria and Romania weren't seriously considered until last year's Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington, D.C., when the United States realized the nations' strategic proximity to the Middle East.
Croatia, Albania and Macedonia have started candidacy proceedings but aren't expected to get NATO invitations at the summit.
Analysts say that the candidates' armies can't significantly strengthen the alliance's military might. But because the candidates have been part of the NATO-developed Membership Action Plan, or MAP, to help integrate them into the alliance, they are more prepared than the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland were when those countries joined in 1999.
"Nobody expects these candidate countries to have full NATO armies tomorrow," says Roman Joch, an analyst at the Civic Institute in Prague. "However, they have been gradually increasing their capabilities."
Petr Vancura, director of the Prague Institute for National Security, says MAP was instituted after the last round of expansion in 1999, when NATO discovered how ill-prepared the newly inducted members were.
Under MAP, candidates must meet certain criteria in their military, political and judicial systems.
"MAP is a conscious response to the problems from the 1999 expansion," Vancura says. "Now they have this window of opportunity to really push the candidates into reforms before they actually become a part of NATO."
For the Baltic states, the challenge has been to build their defenses from scratch since breaking away from the Soviet Union more than a decade ago. Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia and the Slovak Republic, meanwhile, have had to streamline and modernize their obsolete Soviet-era forces.
"What they all have in common is that these are democratic countries with market economies and are willing to share responsibility for security and defense of the Euro-Atlantic community of countries," analyst Ivan Gabal says.
"But the level of readiness to support this policy by military means ... varies a lot."
Candidates say they can compensate for their lack of resources by specializing their forces to fit the needs of international peacekeeping missions.
"In NATO today, greater specialization and role-sharing are the buzzwords," says Peter Burian, Slovak ambassador to NATO.
Another challenge for potential members is finding army and defense personnel with adequate English skills to conduct NATO business. That was the biggest problem for the Czech Republic, Gabal says.
"Lack of language skills blocks access to all the NATO business," he says. "Also, it is the lack of English among high commanders that blocks the inflow of young and well-educated soldiers into command structures."
Meeting the NATO criteria has been a huge undertaking for countries like Bulgaria, a small nation of fewer than 8 million people.
Bulgaria has contributed troops in Afghanistan and in NATO-led missions in Bosnia and Kosovo. Bulgaria spends more than any other candidate country on defense (3.1 percent of gross domestic product), says Emil Valev, the country's ambassador to NATO.
In the last three years, the country has trimmed the size of its troops 30 percent. Bulgaria still has more than 53,000 soldiers but wants to downsize to 45,000 by 2004.
Restructuring forces is a multifaceted, ambitious task.
"The major objective is to build and develop efficient, compact, maneuverable, deployable, flexible, combat-effective and self-sustainable forces," Valev says.
Bulgaria also plans to revamp its judicial system and to develop infrastructure that would allow smoother passage of NATO troops within the country.
Analysts say that because NATO's military influence is declining, the candidates' army capabilities are less important. The candidates who make the cut are those that NATO and especially its most powerful member -- the United States -- want as political allies.
For example, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have cooperated well with their neighbors in recent years. Particularly since Russia has quieted its opposition to their NATO membership, these Baltic states are virtually assured of invitations at the summit.
"NATO wants Latvia in the alliance because we have shown ourselves to enhance security and stability in the region in the last decade," says Imants Liegis, Latvian ambassador to NATO. "We are viewed as realistic and reliable partners."
Until the U.S.-led war on terrorism, NATO barely noticed Bulgaria and Romania, the poorest of the seven candidates. Including them would shore up the alliance's southern flank, creating a land bridge of allies from the Baltic to the Black seas.
"In the event of an attack on Iraq, those bases in Romania and Bulgaria will certainly be used," Joch says.
Although the candidate countries face no direct military threat, they feel it would be shortsighted to ignore the long-term benefits of NATO membership.
"Events of the past year show that today's threats are unpredictable," Liegis says. "Joining NATO will be a type of insurance policy for the future."
FORCE STRENGTH.
Seven post-communist countries are expected to get NATO invitations at the alliance's Prague summit:
BULGARIA
Defense budget: 3.1 percent of GDP
Armed forces: 53,400
ESTONIA
Defense budget: 2 percent of GDP
Armed forces: 5,500
LATVIA
Defense budget: 1.8 percent of GDP
Armed forces: 19,700
LITHUANIA
Defense budget: 2 percent of GDP
Armed forces: 12,000
ROMANIA
Defense budget: 2.4 percent of GDP
Armed forces: 121,700
SLOVAK REPUBLIC
Defense budget: 1.9 percent of GDP
Armed forces: 32,400
SLOVENIA
Defense budget: 1.6 percent of GDP
Armed forces: 5,300
EU - BULGARIA - ROAD MAP.
BTA
European Commission Approves "Road Map" Proposal for Bulgaria.
Sofia, November 13 (BTA) - The European Commission has approved a proposal for individual "road maps" for Bulgaria and Romania, the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry wrote in a press release November 13. The proposal will be presented at a meeting of the Council of the European Union (Council of Ministers) November 18-19.
The proposal for "road maps" for the two countries' accession to the European Union is an expression of a political will to achieve the shared goal of EU membership. The membership target date by which the accession talks have been guided was confirmed by the European Council in Brussels and the "road map" will contribute to the attainment of this objective, the Foreign Ministry said.
The European Commission recommends to increase accession support in 2004-2006 by up to 40 per cent in 2006 in order to facilitate Bulgaria's membership preparations.
The "road map" will serve as a benchmark for the successful completion of the negotiations under the same conditions and principles which have been governing the entire process of the Union's enlargement that covers Central and Eastern Europe as well as Malta and Cyprus, the Foreign Ministry said.
Employee of Darina Pavlova Splashed with Acid.
Standartnews
Antoinette Peteva
Advertising Manager of Megatalant Agency, Maria Staneva, was splashed with acid on Monday night. An unidentified assailant ambushed the 28-year-old woman in front of her house in Banishora residential district. He splashed the acid into her face and fled. Maria is hospitalized in the "Pirogov" emergency ward with 3rd degree burns. Her face, neck, chest and hands are disfigured. For two years Staneva has been an advertising manager in fashion agency owned by Darina Pavlova (wife of Ilija Pavlov of MG corporation). Staneva is divorced and lives with her two children. Doctors say that the burns over her hands are very deep and a surgery will be needed. She is stable now and can talk. We hope that her eyesight is not impaired, said director of the hospital Spas Spaskov.
KOSOVO-BULGARIAN POLICE OFFICERS.
BTA
Brezovica, November 13 (BTA) - The members of the Bulgarian police contingent in the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) marked the Day of Bulgarian Police and the 10th anniversary of the participation of Bulgarian police officers in peacekeeping missions of the international community.
Pointing out that the Day of Bulgarian Police coincided with the first participation od Bulgarian police officers in an international peacekeeping mission, the commander of Bulgarian policeman in Kosovo, Col. Kiril Kirilov, said that the past period was a time of working professionally in the cause of peace, stability and democracy in the world.
The Bulgarian police mission in Kosovo began in 1999 with eight police officers only, while now the contingent includes about one hundred experienced professionals who demonstrate a very high level of responsibility in discharging their specific duties in Kosovo.
Deputy Police Commissioner Gen. Tom Hacker handed to eleven Bulgarian police officers who had recently joined the mission the insignia of the UN.
Gen. Getso Getsov, who head the Regional Directorate of the Interior in Turgovishte, greeted the Bulgarian police unit on behalf of National Police Service Director Ge. Vassil Vassilev.
With their participation in the peacekeeping force in Kosovo the Bulgarian police officers raised the prestige of Bulgaria and its police, the greeting address said.
We Will Find the Culprit for Arms Scandal.
INTERVIEW Standartnews: Nikolai Svinarov
Evgeni Genov
The checkup on "Terem" factory will be concluded in two days, there might be resignations. "I don't know if the consignment is in Iraq, but the case is grave", maintains the Defense Minister Nikolai Svinarov.
- Mr. Svinarov, how would you comment on the scandal with "Terem" factory and the delivery of arms for Iraq?
- Two days ago there were definite results of the checkup, which lasted more than 10 days. We face a very grave and shameful case, because the alleged export of civil production covers up the export of goods with possible dual use.
- Won't you share any concrete facts?
- We shall make public the facts when the checkup is over.
- Has the delivery, which caused the scandal, reached Iraq?
- I can't comment on that, the last recipient of the consignment is a country different from Iraq. In this respect, I can't say for sure if the spare parts have reached Iraq.
- Will there be any political reaction to the scandal, for instance resignations?
- This matter will also be considered. I can't give any answer to this question at the moment, still we have to be clear as regards the parameters of the incident, to be able to solve this problem. By the end of the week, all certain facts, will be aired. To me, It Is a Provocation.
INTERVIEW Standartnews: Solomon Passy
Washington looks extremely disapprovingly upon such actions, says Foreign Minister Solomon Passy.
- Mr. Passy, have you discussed the arms scandal with US Ambassdor James Pardew?
- Yes, I have discussed the situation with him after the Bulgarian government had disclosed the arms deal. I think that it is an extremely unpleasant incident and the government should respond in the most appropriate way.
- What was the deal about and why is it illicit?
- The deal was in production parts for arms sent to a very sensitive destination. More than that - this deal was obviously made in violation of the law.
- Will the scandal affect our prospective membership in NATO? How did Mr. Pardew comment the issue?
- For months I have been repeating before the press that invitation to NATO is not in our bag. As far as know Washington, they are looking very disapprovingly upon such actions. That is why in my opinion those implicated in this affair should be held accountable rigor juris.
- Don't you think that this could be a provocation rather than negligence or love of gain?
- I cannot say whether it was premeditated or involuntary provocation, but in any case it was for sure a provocation. |
