Minister of Foreign Affairs to Determine Who May Report from Macedonia?

According to Telma TV news item (Шефот на дипломатијата ќе одлучува кој може да биде дописник, 9.2.2012) by Julijana Peshevska, The Minister of Foreign Affairs will have personal discretionary right to determine which foreign correspondents will receive accreditation to report from Macedonia.

...According to the ongoing changes of the Law on import, distribution and spreading of foreign print, films and information activity, the competences related to issuing of permits for work of representative offices of foreign media will pass from the General Secretariat of the Government to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Minister of Foreign Affairs will have the last word, and will need to respond to requests for accreditation no later than 15 days from the date of application.

The opossition objected to this ruling on the freedom of speech grounds. The response (my bold):

"We cannot allow just anyone to come from abroad, as if they would report, and to conduct diversions in this state. This legal solution is of state interest and we cannot act nonchalantly," Telma TV quoted Ms Blagorodna Dulic, MP from ruling VMRO-DPMNE political party and head of Legislative Committee of the Parliament of Republic of Macedonia.