ranch: Supreme Court - Parliament appoints the judges;
Constitutional Court - Parliament appoints the judges; Republican Judicial
Council - Parliament appoints the judges

Political parties and leaders: Democratic Alternative or DA
[Vasil TUPURKOVSKI, president]; Democratic Party of Albanians or
DPA [Arben XHAFERI, president]; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary
Organization-Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity or
VMRO-DPMNE [Ljubcho GEORGIEVSKI, president]; Internal Macedonian
Revolutionary Organization-True Macedonian Reform Option or VMRO-VMRO
[Boris STOJMANOV]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Risto GUSTERVO];
Liberal Party [leader NA]; National Democratic Party or MPDK [Kastriot
HAXHISEXHA]; Party for Democratic Prosperity or PDP [Imeri IMERI,
president]; Social-Democratic Alliance of Macedonia or SDSM (former
Communist Party) [Branko CRVENKOVSKI, president]; Socialist Party of
Macedonia or SP [Ljubisav IVANOV, president]; Union of Romanies of
Macedonia or SRM [leader NA]

Political pressure groups and leaders: NA

International organization participation: ACCT, BIS, CCC, CE, CEI, EAPC,
EBRD, ECE, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Nikola
DIMITROV chancery: Suite 302, 1101
New York FAX:
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Larry BUTLER embassy: Bul. Ilinden bb, 91000 Skopje mailing address:
American Embassy Skopje, Department of State,
[389] (02) 116-180 FAX:
Flag description: a rising yellow sun with eight rays extending to the
edges of the red field

Economy Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of

Economy - overview: At independence in November 1991, Macedonia was the
least developed of the Yugoslav republics, producing a mere 5% of the
total federal output of goods and services. The collapse of Yugoslavia
ended transfer payments from the center and eliminated advantages from
inclusion in a de facto free trade area. An absence of infrastructure, UN
sanctions on Yugoslavia, one of its largest markets, and a Greek economic
embargo over a dispute about the country's constitutional name and flag
hindered economic growth until 1996. GDP subsequently rose each year
through 2000. However, the leadership's commitment to economic