It is relatively calm Wednesday morning in Tetovo and Kumanovo-Lipkovo crisis regions with no shootouts registered, MIA's special correspondents reported.

 

According to police and army sources, all night long until 04h Wednesday morning, series of sporadic shots were reregistered, coming from the central area of Tetovo, as well as from several other town districts.

 

Riffle and sporadic gunshots coming from Tetovo Teke, the village of Mala Recica, University of SEE and the locality of Rasadiste near Tetovo - Popova Sapka road, as well as from several Tetovo villages among which Trebos, Ozormiste, Palatica, Odri, Dobroste and Dolno Orasje were also evidenced.

 

The last shots in Kumanovo-Lipkovo crisis region were heard around midnight, when infantry weaponry shots were registered on ten occasions, coming from the villages of Vaksince, Slupcane, Lojane, Nikustak and Grusino. All the shots were directed towards indefinite targets.

 

The patrolling activities of the ethnically mixed police teams continues Wednesday in Lipkovo villages of Slupcane, Vaksince and Lojane in accordance with the plan for redeployment of the Macedonian police in the crisis regions.

 

 

 

Skopje, April 10 (MIA) - The experts from the Forensic Institute, the Department of Criminal Technique within the Interior Ministry and the investigation judges Dragan Nikolovski and Bekim Saini completed the autopsy of the two bodies exhumed two days ago near Muslim cemeteries in Skopje village of Ljuboten.

 

According to Elementary Court Skopje 2, representatives from Hague Tribunal were also present during the autopsy. No other details were announced.

 

Macedonian Television says that the deceased were Atula Kaili and Rami Jusufi. Kaili was detained in Mirkovci police stations after the developments in Ljuboten, and because of the injuries he was transferred to the hospital, where he died. During the autopsy of his body, powder particles were found, while the presence of such substances could not be determined in the other body as it was decomposed from the sun.

 

Unofficially, the two bodies had their clothes on, and the teams as well as the premises where the autopsy was performed were not secured, what is against the standards for 24-hour security. MTV finds out from the foreign missions that two of the ten persons buried in Ljuboten are not Macedonian citizens, as they do not have social security number.

 

The bodies of Kaili and Jusufi were delivered to their families and they were buried on Ljuboten cemeteries.

 

The exhumation continues Thursday, when two other bodies will be unburied.

 

The president will not veto the loan from the EBRD and is against a referendum on the NPP to be held.

 

Elena Yaneva
Roumiana Seraphimova

The Belene NPP is not an alternative to the Kozloduy NPP, said President Georgi Parvanov at his yesterday's visit to the Kozloduy NPP. He backed the idea of Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to resume the construction of the second NPP plant and to strengthen Bulgaria's positions as the energy leader in the Balkans. Parvanov said he was not to veto the act on ratification of the loan from the EBRD for updating the Kozloduy reactors V and VI. "If we refuse to close down reactors I and II by end-year, this country will be isolated, the EU negotiations will be delayed and the investments in the modernization of the nuclear energy sector will be blocked," Parvanov said in his statement. The head of state declared he was against holding a referendum on the NPP reactors I and II decommissioning. "It is inadmissible that grannies and grandpas from villages should assume the responsibilities of the politicians," Parvanov said. The stand on developing Bulgaria's nuclear energy was concerted with the prime-minister, President Parvanov admitted yesterday in Kozloduy. Nuclear experts to the Presidency and the Council of Ministers are keeping in close touch with each other.

 

 

 

Sofia, April 10 (BTA) - The Parliaments of Bulgaria and Macedonia should give a push to the efforts to build Corridor VIII and new checkpoints on the common border, Bulgarian National Assembly Chairman Ognyan Gerdjikov said expressing the Bulgarian position at a meeting Wednesday with members of the Macedonian parliamentary committee on foreign policy. The Macedonian delegation is headed by the committee chairman Jordan Boskov.

 

The need to sign the memorandum on Corridor VIII was the major issue discussed at a subsequent meeting of Boskov with Foreign Minister Solomon passy. All countries have minor remarks about the project but they are enough to keep in on hold, Boskov said adding that consensus is necessary. The memorandum on the pan-European corridor is awaiting the signatures of Bulgaria, Macedonia, Albania, Romania and Turkey.

 

According to a press release from Parliament, Gerdjikov told the guests that he is optimistic about Bulgaria's chances to be invited to join NATO at the Pargue summit. He hopes that this will boost investor interest in the whole Balkan region.

 

"Bulgaria is ready to share its experience from the negotiating process," he also said.

 

Boskov told the hosts that paramilitary formations in his country are obtaining arms by illegal channels. The Macedonian authorities are trying to stop the arms traffic and Parliament is contemplating a large-scale arms collection operation, Boskov said.

 

Talking to the press after the meeting with Passy, the guest said that little real assistance comes from the European community for Macedonia's recovery.

 

The Macedonian side is certainly to blame but so is the European because it spends heavily on technical things and on its own staff while providing little effective help, said he.

 

The chairman of the parliamentary committee on foreign policy, defence and security, Stanimir Ilchev, said after conferring with Boskov that the Macedonian MPs showed interest in the Bulgarian energy industry. He believes that the interest of neighbouring countries using Bulgarian electricity may be an argument Bulgaria could use in the discussion with the Western partners on the national energy industry.

 

Ilchev and Boskov also stressed the importance of good-neighbourly relations between the two countries and Bulgaria's role as a stabilizing factor in the Balkans.

 

According to the parliamentary press office, Ilchev briefed Boskov on the foreign policy priorities of Bulgaria, the legislative reform in the field of defence and security and the strategy for stepping up the negotiations with the EU that was adopted in February.

 

The Macedonian deputies were assured that relations with Macedonia will always remain a priority for Bulgaria in the Balkans.

 

Boskov also spoke at the meeting of the need to have culture centres in both countries and exchange of literature as well.

 

 

NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson declines to name the countries to be invited to join NATO in Prague.

"This is an important moment for NATO," Bush told reporters after a nearly one hour-long meeting that included Vice President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. "NATO must develop new, flexible capabilities to meet the threats of the 21st century. We must take on new members, securing freedom from the Baltic to the Black Sea," Bush said. Lord Robertson, however, declined to name the countries to be invited to NATO in advance, before the summit in Prague, fixed for the fall, was held.

 

 

 

Foreign Minister Opens Expert Meeting on Arms Export.

 

Sofia, April 10 (BTA) - Foreign Minister Solomon Passy opened Wednesday a one-day expert meeting on export policy and control over arms export.

 

The meeting at Sofia's Kempinski Zografski Hotel is co-organized by the Foreign Ministry and the Spanish presidency of the EU, and is attended by representatives of the EU member states and associated members.

 

The Bulgarian Government is committed to control over the export of arms and goods of potential dual use, Passy told BTA. He also said that "the links between crime syndicates and international terror are visible and clear and we will do our best to sever them".

 

Similar meetings have previously been held in Warsaw (January 2001) and in Nicosia (June 2001).

 

 

The director of the Varna Radio nominated to head the agency.

 

Pavlina Zhivkova

"The two parties of the ruling majority - the NMS and the MRF - reached an agreement. We think that this replacement should be made as soon as possible," Emel Etem said. At the sitting the NMS the MPs argued who to replace Denev. Stanimir Ilchev nominated press-director of the Atlantic Club Maxim Minchev for the post. Nasko Rafaylov nominated director of the Varna Radio Stoyan Cheshmedzhiev. 32 people from the NMS voted for Cheshmedzhiev and 12- for Minchev. The NMS MPs are concerned over the fact that Cheshmedzhiev is inquired in real estates affairs, together with former regional governor of Varna Dobrin Mitev.

 

(PY)

 

 

 

NATO Secretary General Lord George Robertson invited UDF leader Nadezhda Mihailova to a working dinner at his residence in Brussels. On Monday, the two of them will discuss Bulgaria's chances to be invited to join NATO. Because of her visit to Brussels, Nadezhda Mihailova will not attend the National Security Consultative Council to President Parvanov on April 16. Another member of the UDF National Executive Council is to take part in my stead, she elaborated.

 

 

 

The USA awarded Bulgaria with a crystal flame as a sign of gratitude for rescuing Jews during the WW II. The statuette was bestowed on Bulgaria's ambassador to the USA Elena Poptodorova at a ceremony in the Museum of Modern Art in Cincinnati. American politicians, businessmen, representatives of Jewish and other American public organizations attended the ceremony. They paid special respect to Bulgaria and Denmark for the worthy conduct of their peoples and institutions in 1943. At the yesterday's extraordinary sitting in memory of the victims of the Holocaust the parliament adopted a declaration denouncing any manifestations of racism, xenophobia and anti-Semitism.

 

(PY)

 

 

Bulgarian diplomatic services in Russia and Ukraine are laggard.

 

Rozalina Dimitrova

 

Touroperators - working in Russia and Ukraine, insist on serious reshuffles in the Bulgarian consulates there, it transpired yesterday in Varna at the meeting of touroperator's companies and representatives of Ukrainian trade unions. The touroperators at the Black Sea coast will send an open protest letter to the Foreign Ministry, to express their indignation at the methods on solving the visa issues and at the frustrated summer season '2002 as well. To them, the winter season was a failure already, for tourists from Ukraine downed by 70 percent. The problems are both in the cost of the visas and the sluggish issue of visas. The working time of BG consulate in Kiev is from 9 to 10 a.m., four days a week. Moreover, the major part of the touroperator's firms in Russia and Ukraine are scared because the Bulgarian consulates lack information, well-informed sources from the companies stressed.

 

 

 

Universities will not enroll students according to the marks from the matriculation examinations.

 

Valentin Stoev

 

On Monday the rallies and processions of the 11-graders against the mandatory matriculation examinations ended up in No 3 Hall of the National Palace of Culture. The meeting of the Minister of Education with the protesting pupils failed with a bang. The "Event of the Year" wound up in a general outcry: the minister said nothing, the pupils looked ridiculous and repulsively arrogant. At the time the Ministry of Education decided that all the 11-graders should take mandatory matriculation examinations no matter what their marks were. It was a long tradition that the straight A pupils were exempted from school-leaving exams. The 11-graders demanded to be enrolled by the universities on the bases of the marks from the mandatory matriculation exams. "There will be matriculation examinations," Minister Vladimir Atanassov was flat. But the marks will hardly be recognized by the universities. As for the pupils' protests, they both are indicative of how many things we failed to tell our children and have for a long time gone the limits.

 

 

 

Maths is the great passion of Boris Harizanov, a 11-grader boy from the language school in Stara Zagora. Harvard offers him a full scholarship of $39,000. Another nine prestigious universities offer him the same. All the 10 universities want him to be their student granting him full scholarships, because of his excellent complex marks. Even to the American standards in English his results are really amazing - at the TOEFEL he has 293 point out of 300, and at SAT 1 - 1,500 out of 1,600. Boris hasn't still decided where to study. Since 10-15 years there's a serious presence of students from Stara Zagora in Harvard - he would be the forth pupil from the language school in Stara Zagora to study there.

 

(PY)

 

 

 

Premier Simeon Saxe-Coburg will appeal on April 14 all the Bulgarians to take part in the Easter cleaning, to plant a tree and go in for jogging. Then the campaign "Bulgaria is My Environment" is to start. Some of the events will be personally conducted by ministers.

 

 

 

LONDON, ENGLAND--European Minerals Corporation (``EPM'') is pleased to announce that it has entered into a heads of agreement to acquire Balkan Mineral Resources Limited (``BMR'') in exchange for common shares of EPM.

 

BMR is a privately owned corporation which has been active in Bulgaria since 1997. BMR's principal property is a 200 square kilometres exploration licence located in the Chala area, approximately 215 kilometres south east of Sofia, in a region well served by tarred roads and other infrastructure. BMR's initial focus has been on the high grade epithermal Chala gold deposit. Within this deposit BMR has identified extensive zones of gold mineralisation in quartz veins and breccias that have been delineated by surface showings (including Roman age workings), trenches, diamond drill holes and exploration adits.

 

EPM has engaged Exploration Consultants Limited (``ECL'') of Henley, England, an independent geological consulting group, to conduct an audit of BMR's results and database in order to generate an inferred resource estimate for the Chala gold deposit (to be prepared in accordance with Canadian regulatory standards) and to recommend a programme required to complete a feasibility study. EPM will publish the results of ECL's audit immediately after receipt thereof. The amount of the inferred resource reported by ECL will be used to determine the number of common shares of EPM which will be issued by EPM to acquire BMR. It is currently envisaged that up to 5 million common shares of EPM will be issued.

 

BMR has advised EPM that there are certain unresolved title issues affecting the portion of the Chala gold deposit which contains the zones of significant gold mineralization. BMR believes, however, that these title issues will soon be resolved to its satisfaction.

 

The acquisition of BMR will be subject to receipt of satisfactory technical and legal reports (including receipt of a satisfactory title opinion concerning the Chala gold deposit), regulatory approvals (including the approval of the Toronto Stock Exchange) and the execution of a definitive acquisition agreement.

 

The proposed acquisition of BMR will give EPM an advanced stage exploration project with extensive primary underground development which will facilitate rapid assessment of the Chala gold deposit. BMR has also identified approximately 20 additional regional targets within its licence area on the basis of geophysics, soil geochemical gold anomalies and known showings of gold, molybdenite and base metal mineralisation.

 

South-eastern Bulgaria is a region that has recently been the location of several well documented high grade epithermal gold discoveries. EPM believes that the BMR acquisition has the potential to enhance shareholder value and will form the base for its new initiative in Central Europe.

 

BMR is owned by K Trust, which currently beneficially owns 3,767,377 common shares (12.65%) of EPM. The beneficiaries of the K Trust are members of the family of S V Kurzin, the Vice-President, Business Development of EPM. K Trust will be issued up to five million common shares of EPM as consideration for the purchase of BMR, on closing the transaction.

 

W G Kennedy, President and CEO of EPM, has been involved in the management of BMR.

 

The transaction has been reviewed and approved in principle by an independent committee of the board of directors of EPM.

 

EPM's shares are traded on The Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol EPM.U and are quoted in US dollars.

 

On behalf of the Board

 

Bert Kennedy, President and CEO Anthony J Williams, Chairman

 

 

Contact:

 

European Minerals Corporation
Anthony J Williams
Chairman
Phone: +44 (0) 20 7529 7500
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7491 2244
or
European Minerals Corporation
Bert Kennedy
President and CEO
Phone: +44 (0) 20 7529 7500
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7491 2244
kmcinvestor@draman.demon.co.uk
www.kazminco.com

 

 

VOA News
Barry Wood, Washington

 

A study by researchers at American University in Washington suggests that it will take 30 years or more to establish the rule of law and eradicate the network of organized crime that is pervasive in the Balkan region of southeast Europe.

 

Louise Shelley, the director of the Transnational Crime and Corruption Center at American University, says corruption is deeply embedded in the Balkans.

 

Speaking at the Woodrow Wilson Center, Ms. Shelley says in the former Yugoslavia and other Balkan states organized crime flourishes because the rule of law is weak and the judiciary is not independent. The region is a major transit route for refugees seeking to reach western Europe and is a center for illicit trade in drugs, people, and weapons.

 

Her research partner, U.S. defense department analyst Christopher Corpora, says there is a clear link between rogue states, organized crime, and terrorist organizations. He says there is evidence that Albanian guerilla groups have links to organized crime. "Look at the UCK [liberation movement in Kosovo and Macedonia]. You clearly see, at least from some perspectives, a terrorist sort of organization with cellular activity, the familial aspects of Albanian history aside," he says. "And you see the way they funded themselves through drugs and these sorts of things."

 

Balkans corruption, say the researchers, thrives through informal networks that are often linked to state security services. Ms. Shelley says flawed privatization deals often elevated criminal elements into the executive ranks of banks and airlines. "One of the important consequences of this is that the corruption and intervention of criminal groups into the privatization process has had a long-term distributive impact on it," she says.

 

Mr. Corpora says the large international civilian and military presence in Kosovo and Bosnia has unwittingly provided a market for corrupt business operations. "There is a great demand for certain goods and services in this area that drives some of this. And not just a small amount," he says. "I mean a lot of unlicensed restaurants and unlicensed kiosks and smuggled cigarettes, smuggled alcohol, oila lot of things are because of international demand."

 

There is, say the researchers, no simple way to combat the problem. They say efforts must continue to build up civil society and the rule of law, the anchors of western style democracy.