13, Feb-2002.

Crystal Sets Instead of Salaries. 52-year-old Nikola Stanev has 35-year-long record of service. When he made up his mind to retire, instead of remuneration for the previous three years he received a wheelbarrow full of vases, cups and phials from the glass-house 'Belopal' in the town of Beloslav. Thus the company settles the accounts with its former employees. Photo Nikolay Dobrev

Government In Troubles. Simeon Saxe-Koburg-Gotha, Bulgaria's former King and current Prime Minister, listens to the debate on the vote of no-confidence against his government, February 13. cEPA

Parliament - Prime Minister - Statement. Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha makes a statement after a negative parliamentary vote on a no-confidence motion against his Cabinet, filed by the United Democratic Forces. Pressphoto BTA photo: Vladimir Shokov

The situation in Kumanovo - Lipkovo region is calm Wednesday morning without any armed provocations of the Albanian terrorists and no shootouts are heard in Tetovo region though during the morning Albanian terrorists provoked the Macedonian security forces with reflectors from the villages of Gajre and Lisec.

Violations of public order and peace have been registered Tuesday night however with lower intensity than the previous night.

Ten sporadic and rifle shootouts have been registered four times late Tuesday from the villages of Vaksince, Matejce and Opae, that has been directed at unknown targets.

The patrolling of the mixed police teams continues in this region.

Frequent shootouts that came from several areas of Tetovo and surrounding villages violated the peace during Tuesday night.

Police and army sources say since Tuesday night until early Wednesday sporadic and rifle shootouts have been registered from direction of the villages of Mala Recica, Gajre, Selce, Poroj, Odri, Neraste, Dobroste, Prvce, Trebos, Strimnica, Tetovo Teke, the locality Rasadiste near Tetovo - Popova Sapka, the facilities around the SEE University, Mosa Pijade high school, Cyril and Methodius and Bratstvo Migjeni elementary schools, as well as from the areas of Vonvardarska, Lenin and Cetinska streets.

The provocations have been directed at unknown targets whereat Macedonian security forces did not fire back.

Tuesday's fire in the restaurant "Dva Fazana" owned by hunter's association "Sar Mountain" from Tetovo, has been extinguished around midnight. Teams of the fire prevention unit form Tetovo extinguished the fire. The roof and auxiliary rooms of the restaurant are destroyed.

Skopje, February 13 (MIA) - A fire broke out Tuesday at 7 p.m. in a restaurant by the road to Zelino village, reported the Media Activities Center at the Coordinate Body for Crisis Management.

Throughout the day on Wednesday, the police units, accompanied by representatives of OSCE and NATO's Amber Fox mission are to investigate the case on site.

Over the night in Tetovo area, some 37 sporadic and four rifle shots were heard, coming from the villages of Odri, Gajre, Selce, as well as from the town. A flare rocket was also noticed, fired from the area of Odri village.

In Kumanovo-Lipkovo region, around 27 sporadic and 6 rifle shots were noticed, coming from the villages of Matejce, Vaksince, Nikustak and Slupcane.

Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski will meet Wednesday with the leaders of the four parties, signees of the Framework Agreement, Ljubcho Georgievski, Branko Crvenkovski, Arben Xhaferi and Imer Imeri.

The dynamics in which the rest of the laws, envisaged with the Framework Agreement, are to be passed in the Parliament is expected to be precisely determined at this meeting. The issue of the date for the elections is also expected to be put on the agenda of this meeting of the leaders of VMRO-DPMNE, SDSM, DPA and PDP.

Macedonian Minister of Interior Ljube Boskovski and his Turkish counterpart Rustu Kazim Yucelen signed a Memorandum of understanding in Ankara on Wednesday. The memorandum aims to intensify the mutual cooperation between two countries in the sphere of state security.

As Minister Boskovski said, the two ministries also agreed to strengthen the cooperation in the struggle against international terrorism and trafficking in drugs.

As Turkish media reported, Boskovski expressed gratitude to Turkey for the financial assistance provided to Macedonia during the crises.

Turkish Minister Yucelen said that all countries in the world should cooperate in the joint struggle against the organized crime, global terrorism, illegal emigration and trafficking in arms and drugs.

Boskovski had a meeting Wednesday with his Turkish counterpart Rustu Kazim Yucelen, focused on combat against organized crime and terrorism, which present a treat to the world order.

The ministers also agreed to intensify the cooperation between the two ministries, contributing to the good overall relations between both countries.

Later on, the two delegations discussed on intensifying of the cooperation in combat against terrorism, trafficking in drugs and humans, as well as on training of police staff, which is in compliance with the cooperation accord, signed between the Interior Ministries of both countries.

Yesterday, Minister Boskovski, accompanied by General Goran Mitevski, Director of the Public Security Bureau of Macedonia, visited the National Security Department of Turkey.

Boskovski is in Turkey for a three day official visit, on an invitation to his Turkish counterpart Rustu Kazim Yucelen.

According to the mandate of the OSCE Department for development of police, which is defined in the Framework Agreement, the program for training of police members of the minorities in Macedonia was officially promoted at the Center for Training of Police Personnel in Skopje, OSCE Ambassador in Macedonia Craig Jenness, OSCE Spokesman Florin Pasniku and Director of the OSCE Department for development of police Bart Dug announced at yesterday's press conference.

As Dug informed, the training of the first group of 101 police officers had started two days ago. It envisages 12-week theoretic and 6-month terrain training, after which the police officers will acquire a working authorization.

The candidates, out of which "20 are Macedonians, 61 Albanians, while the other 20 are Vlachs, Serbs, Romas and Macedonian Muslims", had went through recruiting and selection, which was coordinated by the Ministry of Interior and OSCE. These candidates were chosen out of the 2,500 applicants. The future members of these police forces should not exceed the age of 25, they are required to have a high school degree, to be psycho-physically ready for performance of police work and have a regulated military service.

The training curriculum is adopted by OSCE and the Ministry of Interior. "It is a diverse curriculum that contains many components, i.e. knowledge of human rights, cooperation between the local population and the police, defense tactic and handling with firearms", Dug said. He also informed that according to the program for training, 2 buildings have been renovated, with additional 2 to be renovated at the Centre for Training of Police Personnel, for which OSCE has invested 400,000, with additional 1,8 million to be invested.

OSCE Ambassador in Macedonia Craig Jenness presented a part of his speech at yesterday's ceremony before the future police officers. "The trainees have a different ethnic and language origin, come from different parts of the country, have different experiences, loves and dreams. However, the important things at the moment are the similarities that make them equal and connect them. They will be trained as equal colleagues in the framework of the program with a high quality, based on high European standards. They will swear that they will respect the law and the Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia, and will preserve its sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity", Jenness said in his address before the future police officers, which was closed for the media.

He did not give a precise information why the journalists weren't allowed to attend the official promotion of the training course. "I will not go into the issue of whose decision was for the intendance of the journalists", Jenness said.

Asked whether OSCE's official attitude was that "burning, demolishing and destroying houses in the crisis regions is a kind of entertainment", as said at yesterday's press conference of OSCE, NATO and EU by OSCE Spokesman Florin Pasniku, Jenness answered that "they are aware that there is a wrong interpretation of these statements".

He stressed that OSCE condemned the recent incidents in the crisis regions. "These activities are unacceptable, but we cannot allow several people, who oppose the Framework Agreement, to destroy the peace process. The plan of President Trajkovski is being realized and we should all work on that", Jenness said.

A worker about to be pensioned off received vases.

Irena Tzekova

Dismissed workers from the glass-house in 'Belopol' in the town of Beloslav in Varna region receive their salaries in glass instead of money. A former worker in the firm even succeeded to exchange a set of glasses for two breads. 52-year-old Nikola Stanev brought cardboard boxes full of glass-ware out of the plant yesterday. The man explained, that this is his salary for the last three years. After 35-years of experience he wanted to pension off. The firm couldn't give him his documents because it has debts to him. They offered him a compromise - to pay him in glasses. It's not funny at all, it's sad, his wife said. Former workers tell that the managers offered to pay them in glass-ware. After a long reflection part of the people really loaded boxes with glasses and vases. Our homes resemble glass-shops, one of the workers told us. The Court of Appeal in Varna postponed the case on the insolvency claim of the 'Belopol' plant. The case started by an appeal from 'Bulgargaz' and the State Liability Agency. The big debts of the enterprise are the reason for it.

The BG Foreign Minister had talks with No.1 Diplomat of the Jamahiriya in Istanbul.

Maxim Mintchev
Exclusively for "Stadart" Istanbul

Foreign Minister Solomon Passy have finally broken the ice in the relationships with Tripoli. He had an unprecedented talks with his colleague from Libya. He met Minister Abdul Rachman Shalgam in the Kempinski-Ceragan Palace yesterday. Both of them take part in a conference "European Union - Organization of Islamic Conference" together with other 49 foreign ministers. "My colleague assured me that the Libyan court will take a just and unbiased decision", said Passy after the meeting with No.! Diplomat of the Jamahiriya. Both ministers gave high assessment to the development of the relationships between Bulgaria and Libya in recent weeks and months. Our bilateral relations are definitely warming up, Passy commented. He added, however, that we don't have to be over-optimistic.

Parliament Votes Down No-Confidence Motion Moved by Right-wing Opposition.

Sofia, February 13 (BTA) - Bulgaria's 240-seat Parliament voted down the motion to vote no confidence in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha moved by the right-wing opposition by 134 votes.

Of the 229 MPs present, 50 supported the no-confidence motion, 134 were against and 45 abstained. The motion was moved by 50 MPs of the opposition United Democratic Forces for the Government's medicines pricing policy.

The vote, broadcast live by the national electronic media, was open. A proposal by an MP of the Bulgarian Socialist Party for a secret ballot was rejected. The ruling Simeon II National Movement argued the people should see how the National Assembly votes.

SOFIA, Bulgaria - Bulgaria's government survived a no-confidence vote called by the opposition on Wednesday to protest a new tax on medicine has threatened the welfare of the poor.

Parliament voted 134-50 to support the government's health care policy. There were 45 abstentions.

The government of Prime Minister Simeon Saxcoburggotski defended the value-added tax, saying that it complies with European Union standards.

The decision is part of government plans aimed at reforming the economy, fighting corruption and boosting budget revenues.

Saxcoburggotski, the country's former king, returned last year to his home country after five decades in exile and won a sweeping victory in June's parliamentary elections.

But the hopes of many Bulgarians for a quick economic recovery and for improving living standards are gradually fading away.

According to a recent poll, only 38.8 percent of Bulgarians approved of the way the government was operating, while 61.2 percent were opposed.

The survey was conducted last week by the National Public Opinion Center among 816 adults across the country. No margin of error was provided, but polls of this type in Bulgaria usually have a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

(vt/djk)

The solo actions and disaccord to be stopped, the NMS leaders asked.

Nadelina Aneva

The NMS deputies should stop with the solo actions on the media and the disaccord in the plenary hall, demanded the leadership of the NMS PG at a sitting, held late yesterday night. The reprimands for dissent and loose discipline were the major topics of the leadership's report read by NMS PG Deputy Chairman Vladimir Donchev at the yesterday's sitting. After hearing the self-criticisms of their leaders, the group of Emil Koshlukov gave up their demand PG leader Plamen Panayotov to resign. Yesterday night, the deputies asked once more for reshuffles within the medium echelon. All the King's men were warned explicitly not to miss the today's no confidence vote against the premier, demanded by the UtdDF.

Nadelina Aneva

The BSP leader Sergei Stanishev was not explicit yesterday that he was to abstain from voting at the no confidence motion made by the UtdDF. "I have less than 24 hours to ponder over it; principally, I'm thinking slowly but acting promptly," he elaborated before the reporters. A day earlier deputy Emilia Maslarova said in Stara Zagora that the leader of the "Coalition for Bulgaria" could symbolically vote against the cabinet. "The mission of the European Socialist Party is to arrive in Sofia on March 8, to study the present political situation and the actions of the left-wing," Stanishev said further. "Their recommendations are crucial for the integration of the Bulgarian Socialists into the Socialist International," he elaborated.

Simeon Saxe-Coburg before journalists after a lunch with the ambassadors of Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway.

- I've always had excellent relations with the Nordic countries and feel enormous respect for their political far-sightedness. It was very nice.

- I don't have many doubts as to the ballot because the result is predetermined by the existing proportions in parliament. Let it be part of democracy but people abroad would hardly regard it as something very positive, because it might be interpreted as some political shaking. As for us, we are striding towards NATO, we need to create an absolutely different image.

- How would you comment on the statement of Ekaterina Mihailova who said 'Leave"?

- There has been talk of cabinet reshuffles. Are you equally contented with your ministers?

- There has been a permanent talk of it. Can't we talk of realization or of positive things with which every individual minister can cope. Time is needed. I believe that the demand for resignations is a vicious circle.

- We shall give consideration to everything but there has been leakage of many things. Everyone should look into his own pot, not in his neighbor's.

Foreign Ministers of Bulgaria, Greece, Romania and Turkey Meet in Istanbul.

Istanbul, February 13 (BTA exclusive by Nahide Deniz, BBC corr.) - Greece and Turkey promised active support to Romania and Bulgaria at the Prague summit of NATO, says a joint press release on the meeting of the foreign ministers of Bulgaria, Greece, Romania and Turkey Wednesday.

Solomon Passy, Yeoryios Papandreou, Mircea Dan Geoana and Ismail Cem met in Istanbul Wednesday on the sidelines of a joint forum of the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the European Union under the motto "Civilization and Harmony: the Political Dimension".

The foreign ministers exchanged opinions on security in Southeastern Europe and the process of NATO enlargement.

The press release of the four foreign ministers says that NATO should remain open to any European democracy wishing to join it.

NATO enlargement in Southeastern Europe will guarantee peace, security and stability in the Balkans, the press release says.

Evgeni Genov

I haven't received proposition for the donation of F-16 fighters, Defence Minister Nikolay Svinarov said yesterday. He flatly denied that Turkey grants us 5 NATO fighters. Yesterday Svinarov and his Greek counterpart Yannos Papandoniou sealed a memo on the military cooperation expansion. Greek military consultant will work in the Bulgarian Defence Ministry, it transpired. He is to advise us in all that has bearing on harmonization with the NATO standards, Svinarov elaborated. Greece will render us support for modernization of the equipment and weaponry, military industry and training of personnel. My government supports the NATO enlargement policy and backs up firmly the candidacy of Bulgaria and Romania, Yannos Papandoniou said.

Bogdana Lazarova

Corruption erodes this country's chances for NATO and EU membership, President Georgi Parvanov said before the 4th Forum on combat against corruption, organized by 'Coalition 2000'. The government has the will to fight corruption, he thinks. So, the links between politicians and criminals should be severed, clientelism - eradicated, politicians and political appointments must be put under control, while the corrupt officials should be brought to trial, President stressed. The graft destroys the confidence of the citizens in their own state and affects its overall economic development," he told.

15,600 Sofia citizens received incorrect bills for December, Power Distribution Company admitted.

Victoria Seraphimova

The central heating will be twice cheaper as compared with the electric power, reads the energy strategy. According to it, the thermal energy will be upped by 20 percent, while the power price - by 50 percent. Officially that is expected to happen after three years. The central heating is now also cheaper than the electricity, cried out Sofia citizens yesterday, paying the record-breaking electricity bills for January. Tens of Sofia inhabitants were shocked by their bills for the previous month, no matter that it was warmer than December. The mistaken December bills number 15,600, admitted Georgi Mikov - director of the Energy Distribution Company in Sofia. The receivers couldn't manage to read out the electro-meters three times, i.e. as many as the price was corrected..

Pavlina Zhivkova

Finance Ministry all of a sudden had given a licence on buy-back of Bulgarian tobaccos to the multinational 'Socotab' company, said sources from the management of 'Bulgartabak'. The chairman of the holding learnt the news accidentally. One of 'Socotab's shareholders is 'Philip Morris' concern, working in Bulgaria through its Greek subsidiary, while now it builds up tobacco processing plant in the vicinities of Radinovo village in the Plovdiv region. For 4 years the company is buying back BG most attractive brands on the foreign market - 'Kroumovgrad' and 'Nevrokop'. The Finance Ministry's decision comes only a few months before the privatization of the holding and it will completely mix up the tobacco industry at all levels. It will deprive the future buyer of this year's crops of the most demanded tobacco brands, which will result in the decrease of the sale's price, experts commented.

Elena Yaneva

The two runners for the UDF leader's post Ekaterina Mihailova and Nadezhda Mihailova showed up together before journalists after the sitting of the UDF National Executive Council (NEC) was over. The two of them, however, refused to shake hands before the cameras and lens in order to demonstrate that they came into no conflict with each other. "We saw each other in the morning, when we met, so we would not shake hands again and again," Ekaterina Mihailova said curtly. The two of them declared that they had no serious differences as far as the UDF feature was concerned. "We have differences sooner in terms of tactics," Nadezhda Mihailova elaborated. She was flat that she was not to leave the UDF even if she lost at the elections for the leader. Both of them declined to elaborate if they were to invite Kostov as well as their rivals to the future NEC.

Alexander Urumov

Two lines will clash at the UDF national conference. One of them is the political practice of Ekaterina Mihailova - as an integral part of the team of Kostov, as his mouthpiece and as UDF chairman. That in the past few months she kept behaving as if the UDF had won the elections shows that she is a vehicle of a political isolationism which grows into political xenophobia. Both to the differently thinking UDF members and the other political formations, the right wing ones included. Therefore there arises a question - how, after you kept expelling the insiders from the UDF, you will open yourself to the outsiders? This is simply impossible to happen if Ekaterina Mihailova retains the post of UDF chief. As for the vehicle of the other line - Nadezhda Mihailova, characteristic for her is that she went out of the shadow of her boss without harming the UDF. Once she slipped out of the patronage of Alexander Yordanov as leader of the RDP, the second time - of the patronage of Filip Dimitrov as NEC chairman and the third time - she left the orbit of the autocratic Ivan Kostov. So that if Nadezhda Mihailova is elected to the post, it will be interesting within the UDF. Nadezhda Mihailova's election will be winning for the UDF too when taking into account the fact that the union is the natural political centre to the right. And whether it will be the same in the future too, depends on whether it will accept the other right-wing formations as equal partners. Just the opposite, the election of Ekaterina Mihailova will be a choice of the line of the political arrogance of the 'Kostov' circle. And it will be a suicide, or to be more precise - murder for the UDF. Against this background, the forecast that long years of loneliness are in store for the now UDF leader has been growing ever more popular.

SAC decides on Monday if her dismissal was illicit.

Bogdana Lazarova

Lilyana Popova could be reinstated in her office of the BNT director on Monday after it turned out that charged with being a State Security Service agent Vesselin Stoykov has been an illicit member of the Council for Electronic Media, lawyers of Popova said. She was dismissed from the Media Council by Stoykov's vote, too. The Supreme Administrative Court will have to pass a judgement on this casus on Monday.

- We shall dismiss Mihneva to preserve her, a senior employee from bTV stressed in an unofficial conversation with 'Standart'.

- It isn't because of Moskov but because she attacked the brother of former president Peter Stoyanov

- the source added. Asked of whether it is true that Ivan Kostov has something to do with the ownership of bTV, the source panicked. Yavor Dachkov is said to be prepared for the prime time on Sunday at 6.30 p.m. For the time being the presenter of the former 'Voices' talk show is unemployed. Three days ago Dachkov didn't deny that he had been invited to the 'Net' Radio, and that he hadn't taken a decision as yet. While considering the offer he lodged his application at Daryk Radio for a three hour program. If this happens Kostov's voice will be heard on two radio stations and one television. Why do they say that the Commander has been keeping silence for months on end? He hasn't stopped talking but by other 'Voices'. bTV sources officially denied any plans to stop 'Conflicts' or change the presenter. 'There isn't such a thing, the show will go on, its rating is good', press attache Annie Savcheva said. She qualified as absurd the information that there could be another presenter of the author's series of Mihneva. The executive director of the media Svetlana Vassileva wasn't found for comments. Margarita Mihneva wasn't found on her telephone numbers, either.

Sofia, February 13 (BTA) - The common desire to develop further bilateral relations was expressed at the first meeting of the parliamentary group for Bulgaria-Yugoslavia friendship with Yugoslav Ambassador here Chedomir Radojkovic.

The talks focused on bilateral trade and on the signing of a free trade agreement as an instrument to improve the trade balance.

Radojkovic told the Bulgarian MPs that a bilateral expert-level meeting has been scheduled for March in preparation for the April signing of the free trade agreement.

The modernization of the existing common border crossings and the construction of new ones, the Sofia-Nis motorway project and the cleaning of the Danube were also discussed. The mayors of Sofia, Nis and Skopje will meet February 20-23 in Sofia, it was announced at the meeting.

The new leader must be a person who will help the party to overcome the crisis, says singer Bogdana Karadocheva.

Mila Ivanova

- Nothing that has to scare us. I'm optimistic about the future. We must give them time to have a gulp of fresh air. This is very important for the democracy in this country.

- After each defeat in the elections it is logical to expect a slump. This is only natural. However, later a upswing will follow. I firmly believe that trend in their policy will be reversed. The Bulgarians will realize it and return to the successful policy of the previous government. The army of UDF will recover, just as any army recovers after a battle.

- They need young and intelligent people capable of working with gusto. People who will infuse fresh life in the party.

- Certainly, but they cannot appear out of nowhere. This is a natural creative process, the leaders will come to the fore and will soon become clear.

- To me, Ivan Kostov is a highly reputed politician. He is very clever, well informed and knows much about the country. I'm talking sincerely and will always uphold the ideas of the UDF. For this reason I think that Ivan Kostov was an exceptionally good leader.

- You've been supporting the UDF for 12 years already. Whom would you like to see as their leader now?

- I don't know. But it must someone who will lead the party out of the crisis. UDF needs a strong person who deserves to be a leader. This party has made a lot for Bulgaria, helped it out of the crisis in 1997. My friends who travel around Europe have recently told me that they haven't had an idea that lifting of the visa regime would be such a relief. This inspires confidence that we need so much. But we Bulgarians tend to forget good things and soil our souls with evil. We have to look forward for good events, only then they will happen.

Milena Orozova

Huge bear attacked a 27-year-old Emil Diamandiev at the Central Railway Station in Sofia on Monday evening. For ten long minutes the bear was treading on its victim and hitting him in plain view of dozens of onlookers. Only the rope which tied the bear prevented it from tearing the man to pieces. The policemen tried to help him out, but didn't dare shooting the animal lest the victim himself was an easy target. "Gosho (that was bear's name) cannot stand drunk people", said his owner, Radi Ivanov from the village of Yagodaq after the skirmish was over. The policemen took the bear to the police station and set it free an hour later. The victim was taken to the "Pirogov" emergency hospital. His life is in danger.

Russian patriarch Alexis II will arrive in Bulgaria for the celebrations on March 3. Together with Patriarch Maxim he will read a solemn mass, sources from the Holy Synod announced. The celebrations on occasion of the 100th anniversary from the inauguration of the Russian Cathedral 'Rozhdestvo' ('Christmas') at the foot of the Mount Shipka is the official reason for his visit to Bulgaria, Bishop Galaction of Stara Zagora said. The Cathedral was is built entirely by donations raised by the Russian people. The Cathedralneeds an urgent conservation and restoration and a second gild of the domes, Bozhidar Dimitrov, spokesman of the United Bulgarian Committee 'Shipka' said. According to him at least 200, 000 levs are needed for the restauration.