Macedonian Press Agency News In English (96-10-24)

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

Macedonian Press Agency News in English Directory

MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH

Thessaloniki, October 24, 1996

NEWS IN ENGLISH

[A] NATIONAL NEWS

[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

TITLES

[A] NATIONAL NEWS

[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

NEWS IN DETAIL

[A] NATIONAL NEWS

[01] PM IN MOSCOW: "IT'S QUITE POSSIBLE I COULD MEET WITH SULEIMAN DEMIREL"

An acquaintance meeting between Greek Prime Minister Kostas Simitis and Turkey's President Suleiman Demirel is more likely than substantive talks, should the two men meet in Moscow tomorrow, under the framework of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) summit conference.

Upon his arrival in Moscow this evening, Mr. Simitis stated that he will meet all the premiers and leaders of the countries that are to participate at the conference and, as such, "it is quite possible I could meet with Mr. Demirel."

When asked if he plans to hold substantive talks with the Turkish leader, Mr. Simitis responded that "substantive talks cannot be held during a conference. Nevertheless, it is prudent and proper that at such an opportunity one meets other people, exchanges points of view and examines what can be done in the future."

In regards to BSEC's potential, the Premier stated that the organization provides an opportunity for improved cooperation among the member-countries.

"It constitutes an outlet for interpersonal commucation and is an effort to exchange information on issues such as the Bank of Commerce and Development of the Black Sea, based in Thessaloniki," Mr. Simitis stated.

Moreover, Mr. Simitis clarified that the BSEC is not like the European Union, but rather is the result of the countries' effort to resolve issues, and it should be continued as such.

[02] PM TO ATTEND MOSCOW CONFERENCE OF BLACK SEA COUNTRIES

Prime Minister Kostas Simitis will depart for Moscow today in order to participate at the summit meeting of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) countries.

The Premier will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos and a delegation of officials from the Foreign and National Economy ministries.

In Moscow, Mr. Simitis will meet with his Russian counterpart Victor Cernomyrdin and the two men will discuss the Burgas- Alexandroupolis oil pipeline and the natural gas line currently constructed in Greece.

Present at this summit meeting will be the presidents or premiers of BSEC's 11 countries-members which are Russia, Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, the Ukraine, Georgia, Moldavia, Armenia, Albania and Azerbaijan.

The "11" are expected to sign a manifesto which will confirm their intent to deepen cooperation among them, especially in the economic sector.

The two basic issues of concern to BSEC are, first, to what degree must priority be given to cooperation among the countries- members and, second, if and when must SEC be established into an international organization.

Greece supports that the strengthening and intensification of the already-existing economic cooperation within BSEC must be given priority status. Moreover, both for BSEC's expansion and its transformation into an international organization, the greek side proposed that a task group be formed in order to study the relevant consequences prior to undertaking any decision.

Siding with the greek proposals are Bulgaria, the Ukraine and Armenia, which have submitted, along with Greece, a relevant proposal to be discussed in Moscow. Also, Greece would be willing to consent to BSEC's expansion if Cyprus was included among other countries, a proposal which has met Turkey's opposition. Currently, Cyprus has observer status in the BSEC.

Two other issues are expected to be tabled in Moscow from the greek side. First, the Bank of Commerce and Development of the Black Sea, based in Thessaloniki, whose first President would be Mr. Volkan, Turkish Foreign Minister Tansu Ciller's advisor, and second, the International Center of Studies of the Black Sea which will be permanently established in Athens.

[03] MAIN OPPOSITION LEADER TO VISIT THESSALONIKI TOMORROW

Miltiades Evert, the President of the main opposition party New Democracy, will be in Thessaloniki tomorrow in order to attend the festivities coomemorating the city's patron Saint Dimitrius, on October 26 and the national holiday of October 28.

This marks Mr. Evert's first travel outside Athens following last month's elections. The opposition leader, who is also a Thessaloniki parliamentarian, will give a speech in town, addressing the over-one-thousand members of New Democracy's local committees.

According to reports, Mr. Evert will also refer extensively to the reasons that drove him to resign the night of the elections, hours after his defeat was clear, as well as to his decision to claim the party's leadership back one week later.

[04] GREEK PM MET WITH MEMBERS OF THE IOC'S EVALUATION COMMISSION

Greek Prime Minister, Kostas Simitis briefed today members of the International Olympic Committee's Evaluation Commission who are on a 5day visit to Greece.

Mr.Simitis stated that at the dawn of the 21st century, Greeks can look to the future with optimism as the country lives through a period of political stability and economic development.

The greek Prime Minister stated that some of Europe's greatest projects are under construction in Greece, such as the Athens metro and the new International Airport.

He said that these projects with thousands of others will, by the year 2000, bring the country's infrastructure up-to-date.

Mr.Simitis also stated that the people of Athens honoured their Olympic victors this year in a celebration of unprecedented jubilation in the Pan-Athenian Stadium and therefore is no accident that the candidacy of Athens for the Olympic Games of 2004 is supported, according to a recent opinion poll, by 97% of the population.

[05] PREMIER TO ATTEND EUROPEAN SOCIALIST LEADERS MEETING IN HUNGARY

Prime Minister Kostas Simitis and Defense Minister (also European Socialist Party Deputy President) Akis Tsohatzopoulos will represent Greece's ruling PASOK party at the European Socialist Leaders' meeting to be held this weekend in Budapest.

Socialist parties from European Union member-states will meet in Hungary with socialists from eastern European countries for the first time to discuss developments in the EU and the issue of its expansion.

[06] PRESS MINISTER: TURKEY CREATES AN ISSUE IN THE AEGEAN SEA

Press and Media Minister Dimitris Reppas accused Turkey of engaging in unruly military activity which creates problems in the Aegean Sea and noted that the turkish policy in regards to Greece has acquired a permanent character which displays that Ankara does not wish for friendship and cooperation with Athens.

Mr. Reppas reiterated that Greece will not accept Turkey's proposal to extend this summer's moratorium in the Aegean for the duration of the year and noted that the Vouliagmeni Memorandum of 1988 is a good base for achieving approach between the two countries.

[07] GREECE OPPOSES EU IRISH PRESIDENCY'S PROPOSAL TO ESTABLISH DIRECTORATE

Government spokesman and Press and Media Minister Dimtiris Reppas stated today that Greece is opposed to the proposal made by the European Union's Irish-held presidency to establish a directorate.

Moreover, in regards to the Presidency's intent to not include the issue of securing the EU's exterior borders into the decisions-outline during the Summit Conference to take place in December, Mr. Reppas pointed out that that "right of a veto regarding security issues and each country's integrity is a given for Greece."

[08] EU:GREEK PROGRAMME FOR SKARAMANGA SHIPYARDS POSITIVE

The European Union regards as positive the greek government's new operational programme for the reopening of the Skaramanga Shipyards.

The European Commission is expected to give its final approval to the plan within two weeks and the Commission's specialists speculate that with the implementation of this plan the Skaramanga Shipyards can survive as a company that does not operate at a loss.

The issue was expected to be discussed and in the meeting of the 4th General Directorate that will be held in Brussels today.

[09] EARTHQUAKE MEASURING 5 ON RICHTER SCALE ROCKS PYLOS AGAIN

An earthquake measuring 5 points on the Richter scale shook Pylos in south-western Peloponnese this morning at 6.19 Greek time, 15 days after a similar tremor in the area. The epicenter of today's quake was located in the undersea region west of Pylos.

According to Aristotle University of Thessaloniki seismologist Vasilis Papazachos, today's tremor bore unusual characteristics.

"It featured no time and size distribution and it would be good if the locals abandoned the cracked and old buildings," Professor Papazachos stated.

"The size of today's earthquake, a mere 15 days after the last one of October 9, does not betray a normal development in the region's seismic activity," the earthquake expert added.

[10] GREECE'S LEADING FINANCIERS LOOK FOR INVESTORS IN NEW YORK, BOSTON

The President of the Athens Stock Exchange, the chief of the Capital Markets Commission and the deputy governor of the Bank of Greece are currently visiting Boston and New York, in search of a larger share of US investments on Greek firms.

Mr. Manolis Xanthakis, president of the stock exchange, hopes to convice the American institutional investors and mutual fund portfolio managers he met that "the exchange has the best in fundamentals in the emerging markets group. It's cheap and with good economic results for the listed companies."

US investment in Greece is currently USD one billion, and Mr. Xanthakis stated that he hopes to double that figure.

The greek delegation met with Merrill Lynch and Salomon Bros. officials, as well as editing staff from the U.S. periodicals Investor, Forbes and Fortune.

[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

[11] BULGARIA'S SOCIALIST PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE WARNS OF INSTABILITY

An unstable Bulgaria would not make a very good neighbor, stated Ivan Marazov, one of the leading nominees in Bulgaria's presidential elections to be held on Sunday, in an exclusive interview with the Macedonian Press Agency.

Mr. Marazov, a nominee of the Bulgarian Socialist Party, (BSP) directly and openly blasts his opponent Peter Stoyanov and his conservative, right-wing United Democratic Forces (UDF) tandem, as leading the country towards economic chaos and instability for the sake of small-party interests.

Professor Marazov has been Bulgaria's Minister of Culture since 1994 when the socialists won the elections, and, as director of the Fine Arts Department at the Institute of the Theory of Art with the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, has extensively dealt with greek culture.

He emphasized that if he becomes president of the country, he would work towards strengthening relations between Greece and Bulgaria, as well as his country's relations with the other Balkan countries.

"For me personally," stated the 54-year-old nominee, "Greece has always been a strong attraction, because, as a scientist I have studied your country's history, dating back to four thousand years ago."

Mr. Marazov also stated that the trade between the two countries must be intensified, especially now when Bulgaria's public sector is undergoing a privatization trend.

Stating that there is vast room for Greek-Bulgarian business relations, Mr. Marazov stated that bilateral trade must be further promoted, "something that can be achieved when the bulgarian economy will work as it ought to."

Referring to the elections, Mr. Marazov stated that "we will be the sure winners in the second round, along with all the coalition candidates, except Stoyanov, who come from the center- left and who, of course, will not want to contribute to the election of a president of the right wing, which, with its 'shock' policy, drove Bulgaria into today's economic crisis."

[12] TURKEY TO OBJECT TO GRANTING CYPRUS OBSERVER STATUS IN BSEC

One day prior to the Moscow-held summit meeting of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) countries, Turkey voiced today its objection to granting "observer status" to Cyprus.

Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Omer Akbel told the turkish news agency Anadolu that Ankara will oppose such status to Cyprus, claiming that "the cypriot government does not have the capacity, neither from a legal nor from a substantive point of view, to represent alone the internationally-recognized since 1960 Republic of Cyprus, which stemmed from international agreements, according to which Turkey is a contributing part."

[13] PRESIDENT OF THE SERB REPUBLIC OF BOSNIA TO VISIT THESSALONIKI

The President of the Serb Republic of Bosnia Biljana Plavic will visit Thessaloniki between October28 - November 1 and will attend the city's national holiday festivities.

This will mark the first time Ms. Plavic will visit Greece, ever since she took office as President of the Serb Republic of Bosnia, following the elections of September.

The Bosnianserb President has been invited by the mayor of Kalamaria's municipality Thrasyvoulos Lazarides.

[14] US SUPPORTS REFERENCE TO INTERNATIONAL COURT OVER IMIA

U.S. State Department spokesperson Nicholas Burns was called on today to clear a misunderstanding created yesterday by his comment during a briefing session wherein he spoke of "questioned- status" islets in the Aegean.

Mr. Burns stated that he wanted to be very clear and consistent on the matter, adding that any misunderstanding was due to confusion.

"The United States takes no position on the dispute between Greece and Turkey over the disputed islet", Mr. Burns said, referring to Imia.

The State Department official added that the U.S. believes that Turkey and Greece should resolve this dispute together.

"We have suggested several ways by which that could happen. In the past we've talked about the possibility that Turkey and Greece might want to resort to the International Court of Justice," Mr. Burns stated, adding that "there are other consensual bodies that could represent an avenue forward for Greece and Turkey to resolve the problem."

Responding to a relevant question, Mr. Burns also stated that the U.S. respect the territorial integrity of the countries and concluded that he was sorry there was confusion over his statement made yesterday because "there ought not to be any confusion."

Commenting on Mr. Burns' clarifications, Greek Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Konstantinos Bikas stated that they are taken as the State Department's firm position.

"We hold on to the statements made by U.S. President Clinton who spoke of resorting to the International Justice Court at The Hague for the issue of the Imia islets," Mr. Bikas stated, reminding that it is Turkey who claims Greek territory and can resort, if it wishes, to the International Court.

[15] A.H.E.P.A. PRESIDENT ENCOURAGED AND DISAPPOINTED BY CLINTON- DOLE

The President of A.H.E.P.A. characterized as "encouraging yet disappointing for the Greek-American community" the messages given by the United States presidential nominee Bob Dole and President Bill Clinton concerning Greece's national issues.

Mr. Spyros Makris added that in a year marked by provocations and crises in the Aegean Sea, terror and tragedy in Cyprus and a rising anti-West stance noted in Turkey's foreign policy, the Greek-Americans are rightfully upset by the U.S.' unwillingness to condemn the turkish agression.

Yet, Mr. Makris commended Mr.Dole's appeal to protect the Ecumenical Patriarchate and re-operation of the Chalke Theological School.

[16] EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT DECIDED THE FREEZING OF FUNDS FOR TURKEY

The European Parliament decided today the freezing of funds for Turkey as a result of the continuing violations of human rights in the country.

The administration of 470 million US dollars had been decided after guarantees offered by the turkish government for the implementation of measures promoting human rights, democratization and the settlement of the Cyprus and the Kurdish problems.

According to a past decision, the above sum had been decided to be administered until the year 2000 as an assistance for the implementation of Turkey's customs union with the EU.

Meanwhile, the European Parliament also issued a resolution recommending the reexamination of financing through the MEDA programme.

Within the day, the Euro-Parliament is also expected to approve resolutions condemning the recent killing of greek-cypriot Petros Kakoullis by the turkish occupation forces, the turkish attacks against Christian Orthodox churches in Constantinople and the bomb attack against the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

[17] GREEK PROPOSAL ON MEDITERRANEAN PROTECTION DEEMED A SUCCESS

Greece's resolution for the protection and ecological development of Mediterranean beaches and islands was highly acclaimed during the 20th Conference of the International Organization for the Protection of the Environment, held in Montreal yesterday.

According to the submitted resolution, the convention decided to work on legislation concerning the protection of Mediterranean beaches and the assessment of conditions for the continuous use of the natural coastal resources.

Moreover, the convention decided on combining coastal-area management with city and regional development programs, as well as the further fine-tuning of legislation to control environmental development in accordance with each area's characteristics.

[18] EU'S GENERAL AFFAIRS COUNCIL TO ADDRESS MIDDLE EAST PEACE PLAN

The European Union's General Affairs Council will convene on Monday, October 28 to address the Middle East peace plan and the EU's intervention.

Representing Greece will be alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou who is also expected to table the matter of the reconstruction process currently undergoing in the countries of the former Yugoslavia.

[19] INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE'S EVALUATORS ARRIVE IN GREECE

The International Olympic Committee Evaluation Commission for the 2004 Olympic Games is scheduled to arrive in Athens today to be briefed on the city's candidacy status and to visit Athens' sports infrastructure.

The Commission members will be received by the President of the "Athens 2004" Candidacy Commitee Gianna Angelopoulou-Daskalaki and will meet with Prime Minister Kostas Simitis later this afternoon.

Athens is the sixth city-candidate visited by the Evaluation Commission, after St. Petersburg, Stockholm, Lille, Seville, Rome and Instabul. The next stops for the Commission will be San Juan, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires and Cape Town.

Of these 11 candidates, four or five will be shortlisted in March and the final selection is scheduled for September 1997.

[20] TURKISH-CYPRIOTS INCLUDED IN TURKISH DELEGATION IN INTERPOL'S

The turks presented two officers of the turkish-cypriot police, Hassan Dayi and Mehmet Oztamar, as members of their delegation in Interpol's 65th General Conference that is being held in Antalya, Turkey.

According to a statement made by the head of the Cypriot Police Public Relations Department, Glafkos Xenos the cypriot delegation spotted yesterday, first day of the Conference, two members of the turkish-cypriot police who were included in the turkish delegation.

Immediately, Cypriot Police Chief Panikos Hatziloizou delivered a written protest to Interpol's Secretariat and he was assured that the two turkish-cypriots will not be allowed to speak and will not be presented as delegates or be allowed to promote the turkish-cypriot pseudostate in any way.

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