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Athens News Agency: News in English (PM), 99-12-14Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr>NEWS IN ENGLISHAthens, Greece, 14/12/1999 (ANA)MAIN HEADLINES
NEWS IN DETAILFormer PM Mitsotakis backs govt on HelsinkiConservative former prime minister Costas Mitsotakis on Tuesday diverged from the official New Democracy party line and backed the Greek socialist government's endorsement of Turkey's European Union candidacy at the recent EU summit in Helsinki. Mitsotakis, ND honorary leader, said premier Costas Simitis' PASOK government had followed the policy implemented by his own ND government in the period 1990-1993 that it was necessary for Turkey to acquire a European orientation. "The fact that the government followed our policy should not be unpleasant to us in New Democracy," he said. Greece, FYROM agree defence cooperation Greece and FYROM on Tuesday signed a defence cooperation agreement in Skopje, an ANA dispatch from the FYROM capital said. The accord, signed by visiting Greek defence minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos and his FYROM counterpart Nikola Kljusev, encompasses bilateral meetings of experts, training of FYROM defence ministry officials in Athens, and cooperation in the sector of defence technology. Tsohatzopoulos later visited the Skopje military camp to attend a delivery ceremony of 10 Greek-designed "Leonidas" armoured personnel vehicles and 30 military jeeps. FYROM has defence cooperation accords also with Bulgaria, Albania, Romania and Turkey. Customs seize truck with 700 kilos hash Customs authorities on the Greek-Albanian border seized a truck loaded with nearly 700 kilos of hashish and arrested the Albanian driver, police said Tuesday. They said the 39-year-old driver Jemal Kouka was arrested at the Krystallopighi border post Monday night when customs authorities found 674 kilos of hashish packed in 380 packages concealed in a hidden compartment of his refrigerator truck. Greek banks ready for year 2000 The Association of Greek Banks said on Tuesday that all its members were Year 2000 compliant and ready to deal with the changeover in dates to the new millennium. A statement said that the public could rest easy that the money it has deposited with Greek banks was "completely safe". "Clients' accounts will suffer no effects; transactions will proceed normally," the statement said. Singer calls in police over bootleg CDs Local singer Despina Vandis called in the police to arrest street merchants selling bootleg copies of her recent CD but they managed to disappear before being arrested, Thessaloniki police said. Vandis, a former Aristotelian University student, clashed verbally with the stallholders during a visit to her former alma mater but was unable to convince them that they were cheating her of her royalties. University authorities have in the past wrestled with the issue of street merchants using the university's premises as an open-air market for the sale of bootleg CDs and cassettes. Affair between mother of five and pupil shocks Drama The husband of a 33-year-old mother of five pleaded on Tuesday that his wife return to the family, after she ran off with a 16-year-old technical school student. The news of the affair has caused a minor sensation in the small northern Greek border town of Drama. Alexandros Savvidou said he would forgive his wife if she would just come home. His wife Vassiliki, and her young lover, Costas D., left town on Friday. Police say they suspect the couple has fled to Halkida, where the woman has relatives. After initially filing a missing persons' report, Costas D.'s parents have now filed charges against Savvidou for kidnapping. Monk wounded in fracas on Athos A workman shot and injured a monk on the autonomous monastic community of Mount Athos, police reported on Tuesday. The 38-year-old man, who has been convicted of a series of thefts in the past, was under the influence of alcohol during the altercation, police said. The injured monk, Nikolaos Dourdoubas, 30, received wounds to the feet. WEATHERFair weather will prevail in most parts of Greece today with scattered showers in eastern Macedeonia, Thrace and the islands of the northern and eastern Aegean Sea. Winds westerly, northwesterly, moderate to strong. Partly cloudy with sunny spells in Athens and temperatures from 8-15C. Mostly fair in Thessoloniki with temperatures from 4-11C.FOREIGN EXCHANGETuesday's rates (buying) U.S. dollar 322.648 Pound sterling 523.280 Japanese yen (100) 314.801 French franc 49.842 German mark 167.164 Italian lira (100) 16.885 Irish Punt 415.132 Belgian franc 8.105 Finnish mark 54.988 Dutch guilder 148.361 Danish kr. 43.958 Austrian sch. 23.760 Spanish peseta 1.965 Swedish kr. 38.140 Norwegian kr. 40.404 Swiss franc 204.208 Port. Escudo 1.631 Can. dollar 218.200 Aus. dollar 205.319 Cyprus pound 565.817 Euro 326.943(M.P.) Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |