|
Macedonian
Government
makes
brave
decision,
President
Crvenkovski
says
 Macedonian
Information
Agency
(Jul
18,
2004,
3:01:52
PM
(GMT+01:00)) (MIA) -
Macedonian
Government
has
made
brave
and
difficult
decision,
which,
as
in
every
democratic
society,
will
be
supported
or
criticized,
but,
in
any
case,
it
will
enable
unblocking
of
the
processes
and
moving
forward,
President
Branko
Crvenkovski
stated
in
regard
to
the
Government's
decision
on
draft-laws
on
territorial
organization
of
local
self-government.
"I
am
convinced
that
the
worst
possible
solution
would
have
been
the
postponing
of
laws
or
elections,
blocking
of
decentralization
and
the
Framework
Agreement
and
the
Euro-Atlantic
integration
processes,"
Crvenkovski
added.
"Macedonia
could
not
afford
to
pay
that
price.
The
factor
time
is
the
most
expensive
thing
in
this
period
for
our
country,"
Crvenkovski
stated,
stressing
that
"the
responsible
authority
should
solve
and
not
delay
or
complicate
the
problems."
He
also
welcomed
the
debate
in
the
public
on
laws
of
territorial
organization,
adding
that
the
opinion
of
politicians,
experts
citizens
association
and
institution,
could
be
only
of
benefit.
Crvenkovski
warned
that
everyone,
who
stirs
up
and
uses
the
national
passions,
raises
ethnical
tensions
and
mistrust
and
works
directly
against
the
Macedonia's
interests.
According
to
him,
the
referendums
in
mingled
ethnic
surroundings
were
organized
on
ethnic,
and
not
on
citizens
bases.
"It
is
a
fact
that
Macedonians
in
Struga
don't
have
trust
and
don't
want
to
live
in
municipality
with
Albanian
majority
population.
How
can
we
convince
Albanians
to
live
in
a
state
where
Macedonians
are
majority,
if
Macedonians
don't
want
to
live
in
municipality
where
Albanians
are
majority.
If
Macedonians
and
Albanians
could
not
live
in
one
municipality,
then
how
would
they
live
together
in
one
state,"
Crvenkovski
asked.
In
regard
to
the
question
whether
Saray
and
Kondovo
belong
or
not
to
Skopje,
the
President
said,
"Rasce
is
in
Kondovo,
the
spring
that
supplied
Skopje
with
water,
and
Saraj
has
the
biggest
Skopje's
sports-recreational
center,
Treska
Lake
and
Matka
dam."
"I
am
convinced
that
in
Skopje's
interest
is
to
have
these
two
municipalities,"
he
added.
"It
is
a
fact
that
the
fears
still
exist,
but
also
it
is
the
fact
that
the
assignment
of
responsible
policy
is
to
eliminate
and
win
the
reasons
of
that
fears,"
Crvenkovski
said.
"Macedonian
majority
population,
once
again
gave
hand
to
its
fellow
citizens
Albanians,
and
to
others,
with
aim
to
step
forward
to
better,
stronger,
united
Macedonia,"
he
stressed.
He
called
all
political
parties
and
institutions
to
behave
responsibly
and
to
show
through
its
behavior
that
they
belong
to
all
citizens
equally,
and
citizens
to
support
this
process.
"Macedonia
today
is
unitary
and
united
as
it
has
been
yesterday.
We
are
richer
for
one
democratic
experience
and
closer
to
Europe,"
Crvenkovski
added.
No
Decentralization
Solution
may
be
Satisfactory
for
All
I
fully
support
the
Government's
draft,
agreed
with
the
coalition
partners,
and
expect
for
the
Parliament
to
adopt
a
package
of
laws
on
power
decentralization,
President
Branko
Crvenkovski
said
Friday.
"There
is
no
solution
on
power
decentralization
that
will
be
satisfactory
for
all"
Crvenkovski
said
at
a
meeting
with
editors-in
chief
and
journalists
of
almost
all
media
in
Macedonia
held
after
his
public
statement
regarding
the
governmental
draft
on
a
new
territorial
organization
of
the
country.
Asked
about
criteria
used
for
drafting
the
decentralization
laws,
Crvenkovski
said
the
question
should
be
addressed
to
the
Government
and
relevant
ministry.
He
disagreed
with
the
claims
that
adopting
of
those
laws
could
have
been
postponed
as
they
were
not
part
of
the
Framework
Agreement.
"The
power
decentralization
process
is
the
agreement's
crucial
segment.
The
laws
on
territorial
organization,
local
government,
the
city
of
Skopje
and
financial
decentralization,
as
stipulated
in
the
agreement,
should
have
been
adopted
right
after
the
census
and
the
announcement
of
the
census
results,"
Crvenkovski
said.
He
pointed
out
that
the
proposed
concept
was
similar
to
the
territorial
organization
of
Macedonia
until
1996.
Later
on,
the
municipalities
were
deprived
from
their
authorities,
and
now
a
reversed
process
is
underway.
Commenting
the
reactions
of
Struga
citizens
after
the
announcement
of
the
Government's
draft,
Crvenkovski
expressed
belief
that
reason
would
prevail
there,
reminding
that
Struga
functioned
within
larger
boundaries
by
1996
than
the
existing
one,
without
any
complaints.
Asked
whether
he
would
visit
Struga
after
being
declared
for
persona
non
grata,
Crvenkovski
said
he
intended
to
do
that
very
soon
and
talk
with
citizens.
Asked
about
possible
Government's
crisis
and
dissolution
if
no
agreement
on
power
decentralization
was
reached,
Crvenkovski
said
that
there
were
constitutional
provisions
for
such
situations.
"The
crucial
issue
is
are
we
going
to
abandon
the
Framework
Agreement
concept,
and
is
there
any
other
alternative.
The
problems
should
not
be
postponed,
but
resolved,
while
the
realization
of
the
Framework
Agreement
should
continue.
The
power
decentralization
process
is
part
of
the
agreement
that
should
absorb
a
part
of
ethnic
frustrations,"
Crvenkovski
said.
He
expressed
belief
that
Macedonia's
public
and
Macedonian
people
were
favoring
the
agreement's
implementation.
"The
document's
implementation
will
be
marked
with
critical
moments,
but
the
whole
concept
should
be
supported
as
there
is
no
alternative,"
he
said.
©
2000
MIA
-
Macedonian
Information
Agency.
All
Rights
Reserved.
This
material
may
not
be
published,
broadcast,
rewritten
or
redistributed
in
any
form
except
with
the
prior
express
permission
of
Macedonian
Information
Agency.
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