PPO Law: Mickoski-Zaev Meeting to be Held if Groups Approximate Positions

SDSM and VMRO-DPMNE aren’t ruling out the possibility of a meeting between their leaders, Zoran Zaev and Hristijan Mickoski, respectively, over the Public Prosecutor’s Office (PPO) law issue. However, that will happen only if the working groups approximate their positions. Zaev said on Saturday SDSM is ready to change even the latest text if the opposition makes constructive proposals. He expects support also from the eight MPs from the independent group of VMRO-DPMNE. Informal talks are underway way with them. Hristijan Mickoski’s party hasn’t revealed whether it finds the latest version of the document, submitted by the Justice Ministry, acceptable. The party’s legal team will have the final say. It will reveal details next week. On Sunday, Zaev stated during a visit to Ohrid that if there was a meeting with Mickoski, it would be next week in order for there to be time for the law to be adopted in Parliament. Mickoski, who was in Ohrid, too, said he didn’t plan to participate in a meeting just for the sake of it. “Next week, the working groups will meet. If they approximate their stands, we can talk about a leaders’ meeting,” he pointed out. According to the VMRO-DPMNE leader, SDSM wants a law “that will in the future protect its criminal structures” to be adopted. Caretaker PM Oliver Spasovski considers that all political stakeholders should be up to the task when it comes to the issue.