Press Release (1999)047 4 Apr. 1999

NATO Deputy Secretary General to visit Romania, Bulgaria, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (1) and Albania In view of the current crisis in Kosovo, on behalf of the Secretary General General of NATO, the Deputy Secretary General of NATO, Ambassador Sergio Balanzino, will visit Romania, Bulgaria, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (1) and Albania on 5-7 April 1999. During his visit, he will meet with the authorities of these countries and NATO troops in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia1. He will also meet with the Commander of ARRC, General Sir Mike Jackson, and will view at first hand the refugee situation in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (1) and Albania. The tentative agenda of the Deputy Secretary General's visit is attached at annex. MEDIA ADVISORY For more information on the Deputy Secretary General's visit, members of the press should contact the NATO Press and Media Service, tel.(32)-2-707 50 41. During the visit they should contact the Officer for Southern and Eastern Mediterranean Countries at NATO, Mr. Nicola de Santis, GSM phone: (32)-75-23 04 06 (from Belgium 075-23 04 06). Annex to Press Release(1999)47 Tentative Agenda for the Deputy Secretary General's visit to Romania, Bulgaria, the Former Yugoslav Republic Of Macedonia (1) and Albania Monday, 5 April 1999 10.30 Arrive Bucharest (Meetings with the President of Romania, Emil Constantinescu, the Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Victor Babiuc and the Foreign Minister, Mr. Andrei Plesu.) 14.00 Press Conference (time and place to be confirmed) 15.00 Depart Bucharest 15.35 Arrive Sofia (Meetings with government officials: President Petar Stoyanov, Prime Minister Ivan Kostov, Foreign Minister Nadezhda Mihailova, Defence Minister Gueorgui Ananiev) 18.30 Press Conference (time and place to be confirmed) Tuesday, 6 April 1999 08.00 Depart Sofia 07.30 Arrive Skopje (local time) 08.00 Briefings by COMARRC. 10:00 Meetings with President Kiro Gligorov, Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski, Foreign Minister Aleksander Dimitrov, Defence Minister Nikola Kljusev 12:30 Press Conference at Hotel Intercontinental, Skopje (time to be confirmed) 14:00 Visit of Brazde refugee camp (time to be confirmed) 16.00 Depart Skopje 16.30 Arrive Tirana (local time) 17.00 Meetings with President Rexhep Mejdani, Prime Minister Pandeli Majkom, Foreign Minister Paskal Milo, Defence Minister Luan Hajdaraga 19.00 Press Conference (t.b.c.) Wednesday, 7 April 1999 09.00 Visit to refugee camp at Kukes 12.00 Transfer from Kukes to Tirana 15.00 Depart Tirana Footnotes Turkey recognizes the Republic of Macedonia with its constitutional name.