MPA NEWS IN ENGLISH (19/07/1996)

From: Macedonian Press Agency <mpa@philippos.mpa.gr>

Macedonian Press Agency News in English Directory

MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH

Thessaloniki, July 19, 1996

NEWS IN ENGLISH

[A] NATIONAL NEWS

[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

TITLES

[A] NATIONAL NEWS

[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

NEWS IN DETAIL

[A] NATIONAL NEWS

[01] GREEK GOVERNMENT DISMISSES PRESS REPORTS IMPLICATING ATHENS AIRPORT

The Greek Civil Aviation authorities have strongly reacted to foreign press reports which state that Athens' Hellenikon Airport has inadequate security and, as such, could have played a role in yesterday's explosion of a TWA Boeing 747 jumbo jet which blew-up over the Atlantic Ocean ten minutes after its take off from New York.

"TWA has an agreement with Athens Hellenikon airport according to which they conduct their own security checks on passengers and luggage, on all flights to the US," stated Dionysis Kalofonos, the Civil Aviation's administration director.

Moreover, he added that TWA aircraft are parked at a site chosen by the company and are guarded by Greek anti-terrorist police, a regular police patrol and TWA security who are the only ones allowed to board the plane while it is on the tarmac.

[02] A GREEK-AMERICAN WAS AMONG THOSE KILLED IN AIRPLANE'S EXPLOSION

A 23-year-old Greek-American, Daniel Kallas (Kaliakoudas) son of immigrants from Litohoron Pierias, was among the victims of TWA's Boeing 747 jumbo that exploded over the Atlantic Ocean near Long Island yesterday.

Mr. Kaliakoudas was a member of the jet's crew and was flying the transatlantic flight as part of his training.

The victim's father, Vangelis Kaliakoudas, was in Litohoron when his daughter Joanna called from New York and told him the grim news of his son's death. He departed for New York today at noon.

[03] GREEK-AMERICANS REACT TO REPORTS BLAMING SECURITY CHECKS IN ATHENS

The Greek-American community has mobilized intensely against the increasing rumors that Athens' Hellenikon airport did not perform adequate security checks on the plane that exploded 14 hours after it departed from Greece.

Thousands of phone calls have flooded the US television channels CBS,NBC,ABC, PBS, CNN and FOX, as well as the newspapers "New York Times" "Daily News" "Newsday" and "New York Post" as Greek-Americans are questioning their journalistic sense.

A common complaint heard is how the American press, without facts and any proof, link the jumbo jet's explosion with Athens, since it blew up ten minutes after its take-off from New York and had remained at New York's Kennedy airport for four hours.

[04] PRIME MINISTER TO RECEIVE ITALIAN COUNTERPART IN ATHENS TODAY

Prime Minister Kostas Simitis will meet with Italian Premier Romano Prodi in a session that is expected to focus on bilateral ties between Greece and Italy, as well as greco-turkish relations and other Mediterranean issues.

[05] ATHENS SATISFIED OVER KARADJIC'S CONTRIBUTION TO PEACE

Commenting on the resignation of Serb President Radovan Karadjic from all public posts in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Greek Minister of Press and Media Dimitris Reppas stated today that any action that contributes to the establishment of peace and stability in the region, finds the Greek government in complete agreement.

Mr Reppas added that Dr. Karadjic constitutes a significant factor for his people and the decision he took was taken for reasons that he only knows.

In a move that marks a significant turn in the pages of Bosnia-Herzegovina's history annals, Dr. Karadjic's resignation letter was submitted today and was co-signed by the Serb Republic's Speaker of Parliament Momtcilo Krisnic and Dr. Karadjic' temporary replacements, Biliana Plavsic as temporary President and Alexa Buha as Serb Democratic Party (SDS) leader.

Serb President Slobodan Milosevic and Yugoslav Foreign Minister Milan Milutinovic signed the resignation's affidavit, in which all those involved re-confirm their commitment to the Dayton Agreement.

According to the statement, Dr. Karadjic states that he will immediately withdraw from all political posts and will neither appear publicly in any mass media, nor will participate in any way to the elections that will be held on September 14, 1996.

Dr. Karadjic's resignation is in line with the Dayton Agreement, which terms that all those who are accused of war crimes are obliged to withdraw from any public post in Bosnia. The Bosnianserb leader, against whom an international arrest warrant has been issued, had tried to find a golden mean which would have allowed him to remain in contact with the political arena. On May 19 he pronounced Ms. Plavsic as Bosnia's international representative, while on June 30, following his re- election to the Presidency of SDS, he assigned the remainder of his duties to Ms. Plavsic who was also introduced as the party's candidate for the state's presidential post.

The international community appeared torn in assessing to what degree could being the president of SDS also be considered as a public post. In the end, the view that a party presidential post is indeed a public post prevailed.

[06] GREEK, BULGARIAN, ROMANIAN JUSTICE MINISTERS MEET IN THESSALONIKI

A three-day meeting between the Justice Ministers of Greece, Bulgaria and Romania began in Thessaloniki today, focusing on judicial cooperation issues among the three countries.

Greek Justice Minister Evangelos Venizelos is be accompanied by his Bulgarian and Romanian counterparts, M. Cervenjakov and G.I. Giouzbaian, respectively, and a section of the meeting will be held in Halkidiki.

Focus will be given on the harmonization of the Bulgarian and Romanian judicial systems with community law, in light of these two countries' preparatory EU accession procedures.

[07] STOCKBREEDERS AT EVROS DELTA AGREE TO SLAUGHTER THEIR LIVESTOCK

Stockbreeders at the Evros Delta whose animals have been stricken by the foot and mouth disease have agreed to allow the slaughter of their livestock, thereby complying with the Agriculture Ministry's decisions.

Agriculture Minister Apostolos Fotiades, convinced the stockbreeders, who at first had been resistant to the Ministry's orders and had demanded to hold direct talks with Ministry officials regarding the matter of compensation, that they will be fully restituted for damages within ten days.

According to tthe president of the Prefectural Committee for Agricultural Development Theodoros Gousgouskidis, the amount of compensation is expected to reach 400,000 GRD per head of large calf and 200,000 for the smaller ones.

"These amounts not only correspond to the sale value of these animals but include restitution for revenue loss," he stated.

The European Union Standing Veterinary committee experts who visited the greek-turkish border region and examined the animals, will decide Monday on whether to extend the eight-day ban imposed on Greek exports of dairy and meat products. Greek officials are optimistic that the ban will be restricted only to the Evros prefecture.

[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

[08] CAUSE OF US AIRPLANE'S CATASTROPHIC EXPLOSION UNKNOWN

The cause of the catastrophic TWA's NewYork-Paris flight 800, a Boeing 747 jumbo jet which exploded shortly after its take-off from Kennedy International Airport, remains unknown, although FBI investigations have not concluded that it is a terrorist act and United States President Bill Clinton has called on everyone not to draw quick conclusions.

The plane exploded in the air, over the Atlantic Ocean near Long Island, and rescue missions have so far collected 140 bodies from the near-by sea, while all 230 of the airplane's passsengers and crew members are dead.

US television station "ABC" reported yesterday that an Arab newspaper had received a letter a few hours prior to the plane's explosion, warning of an imminent hit against an American target by the organization "Movement for Islamist Change", the same organization that had claimed responsibility for the bomb attack against an American military base in Saudi Arabia.

However, the US State Department assesses that the letter is merely a political statement and not a specific threat.

Four hours prior to taking off for Paris, the aircraft had arrived in New York from Athens, where it had undergone thorough security checks by the Hellenikon airport staff.

[09] TWA RELEASES THE NATIONALITIES OF THE FLIGHT'S PASSENGERS, ALL ARE KILLED

United States airline TWA, whose NewYork-Paris flight 800, a Boeing 747 jumbo jet, exploded yesterday shortly after its take- off from Kennedy International Airport, announced today the nationalities of the passengers.

Aboard the aircraft were 230 persons, 169 of whom were Americans including the 35 crew members.

Among the victims were 42 French persons, 11 Italians, two Norwegians, and one person each from Spain, Britain, China, Portugal, Sweden and Germany.

[10] GREENHOUSE EFFECT EXAMINED AT GENEVA-HELD CONFERENCE

An international conference on world climate changes (greenhouse effect) was held in Geneva yesterday with Environment, Town Planning and Public Works undersecretary Elizabeth Papazoi representing Greece.

Ms. Papazoi emphasized that Greece is facilitating the utilization of renewable energy sources, instituting fuel substitution and is launching a new energy conservation plan in the industry sector.

[11] FYROM REACTS TO AIRPLANE DELAY IN CORFU

FYROM's Foreign Ministry expressed its syrprise today over the delay that occured yesterday in the Skopjan "PALAIR- Macedonia" airline's Skopje-Corfu flight when the airplane was asked to erase the name "Pal Air Macedonia" from its fuselage, prior to being given take-off permission by the Greek aviation authorities.

According to reports broadcast by FYROM's state-owned television station, the Skopjan Foreign Ministry announced that "according to the intermediary agreement signed between Greece and FYROM on September 13, 1995 in New York, the use of the name is not restricted in the areas of transportation and cooperation in general."

Moreover, according to reports, FYROM's Foreign Ministry through its satellite office in Athens, has asked for further details on the incident and is said to be on the brink of sending a protest letter to the Greek side.

[12] TURKISH PREMIER TO VISIT OCCUPIED CYPRUS TOMORROW

Turkish Prime Minister Necmettin Erbacan will visit Northern Cyprus' occupied territory tomorrow, in order to participate at the Turk-Cypriot festivities that will commemmorate the 22nd anniversary of the island's invasion by Turkey.

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