Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 96-12-30

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

Macedonian Press Agency: News in English Directory

MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH

Thessaloniki, December 30, 1996

NEWS IN ENGLISH

[A] NATIONAL NEWS

[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

TITLES

[A] NATIONAL NEWS

[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

NEWS IN DETAIL

[A] NATIONAL NEWS

[01] BOMB EXPLODES AT PERU'S EMBASSY IN ATHENS, ONE WOMAN SLIGHTLY INJURED

One woman was slightly injured when a bomb exploded at the Peruvian Embassy in Athens this evening, shortly after 7 p.m.

Shortly before the bomb went off, an unidentified caller to an Athens radio station warned of the explosion and claimed responsibility on behalf of the "Fighting Guerilla Formation". He said that the attack was a show of solidarity for the Tupac Amaro guerillas who have seized the Japanese Ambassador's home in Peru, holding about 100 hostages.

Following the phone call, the police were notified and a sizeable force was dispatched to block the area. The Embassy was vacant at the time and the wounded woman was a passer-by who was hit by stray glass.

According to the up-to-now reports, the explosive device had been placed on the second floor of the seven-storey building where the Peruvian Embassy is housed.

The "Fighting Guerillas Formation" first appeared on the eve of the Polytechnic School's uprising anniversary, when it undertook responsibility for the explosion of a bomb placed inside the School's premises. A.F.

[02] NINE BODIES PULLED SO FAR FROM CAPSIZED SHIP, HOPES DIM FOR THE OTHERS

Nine bodies have been discovered so far in the Greek cargo ship "Distos" which capsized on Saturday evening, off the port of Kimi on the island of Euboia, while the remaining 11 persons on board are still unaccounted for.

Seven of these bodies have been identified by relatives. There were 21 persons on board the vessel, among them two women who were wives of crew members and a ten-year-old girl, the daughter of one of the crew members. The sole survivor is an 18- year-old naval cadet Christos Anagnostou who jumped ship when it began to tilt. He was picked up alive after he shot flares into the sky making it easier for the coast guard to spot him in the sea.

Minister of Merchant Marine Stavros Soumakis has ordered a full investigation to be conducted by the admiralty court for possible negligence by the port authorities.

Mr. Soumakis attributed the tragedy to human error and held the vessel's captain responsible, a stance adopted by the ship's owning company the AGET Iraklis Cement group.

The cargo ship, ladden with 5,300 tonnes of cement, left Volos on Thursday, heading for Pireaus. On Friday, it sought shelter at the nearby island of Skiathos due to bad weather and sailed for the Athens port. Late on Saturday it capsized, after tilting 90 degrees. A.F.

[03] OPPOSITION DENOUNCES GOVERNMENT FOR LACK OF RESCUE MEASURES

Prokopis Pavlopoulos, the spokesperson of Greece's main opposition party New Democracy, has asked that an assessment of responsibilities must be drawn for this weekend's naval tragedy and added that preventive measures must be taken in order to avert any similar tragedies in the future.

The Communist Party of Greece has demanded the resignation of the Minister of Merchant Marine Stavros Soumakis and stated that the tragedy is the result of monstrous criminal negligence on behalf of the capsized vessel's owner company, the AGET Iraklis Cement group.

The President of the Coalition of the Left and Progress (Synaspismos) Nikos Konstantopoulos expressed his grief for the tragedy and stated that it is criminal that the country does not feature a complete rescue system for similar cases. A.F.

[04] ADVERSE WEATHER HITS GREECE, SNOWFALL CAUSES PROBLEMS IN ROADS

A wave of adverse weather has hit Greece marked by below-zero temperatures and snowfall, a combination of which has caused an array of problems in the slippery roads.

In northern Greece, cars are required to be fitted with non- skid tire chains while yesterday four people were killed in car accidents caused by the bad weather.

The National Weather Bureau has forecast a gradual improvement starting tomorrow. A.F.

[05] THESSALONIKI READY AS CULTURAL CAPITAL, GRAND COMMENCEMENT IN STORE

Thessaloniki will welcome the new year with the impressive title of "Cultural Capital of Europe 1997", to be celebrated with a 24-hour outdoor celebration with singers, dancers, musicians, magicians and participating locals who will gather in front of the city's trademark White Tower.

The city's Cultural Capital Organization will also throw an open-to-all new year's eve party, which is to last until the wee hours of the morning. The commencement of the 1997 European Cultural Capital events will begin formally on Tuesday afternoon and will be attended by Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos and the city's Mayor Konstantinos Kosmopoulos. A.F.

[06] FORMER SYRACUSE MAYOR IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK, LEE ALEXANDER DIED AT THE AGE OF 69

Greek-American Lee Alexander, former mayor of the city of Syracuse, one of the five largest cities in the State of New York, died from cancer at the age of 69.

The deceased was regarded as one of the most successful politicians in the United States. He served as mayor of Syracuse from 1970 to 1985 and was able to keep the city's economy at an excellent level. He built many schools, fire stations and thousands of apartments for homeless families.

His popularity was great and often was referred to as a nominee for becoming an ambassador or governor, but in 1974 he failed to win the Democratic Party's nomination for Senator.

[07] MPA FEATURES 1996 REVIEW ON ITS INTERNET SERVER

An overview of the 366 days that lapsed and the events 1996 kept in store for Greece, the Balkans and Cyprus is currently featured on the Macedonian Press Agency's Intenet server at htttp:/www.mpa.gr.

The electronic review contains the most significant events of the year, from the political, economic and social aspects, concerning Greece, Albania,, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the FYROM, Romania, Turkey and Yugoslavia. Moreover, another review is available for 1996's events that concerned the Greek communities abroad.

This special edition is accompanied by geographic and historical data for each of the aforementioned countries, as well as a brief reference to the political forces growing in these countries, which influence the Balkans. A.F.

[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

[08] ANY CONTRIBUTION TO THE SOLUTION OF THE CYPRUS PROBLEM IS WELCOMED

Any contribution is welcomed, at this crucial time of essential efforts for the solution of the Cyprus problem, stated Cypriot Foreign Minister Alekos Michailides shortly after the Cypriot cabinet meeting.

Mr.Michailides stressed that the United States and Britain can play a greater role in the solution of the problem than other countries.

The Cypriot Foreign Minister added that Cyprus wants the international interest to be more coordinated and more intense to be more effective.

[09] RUSSIA SUGGESTS THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A CONTACT GROUP FOR CYPRUS

According to a correspondence from Moscow published by the Turkish newspaper "Milliyet", Russia has suggested the establishment of a contact group for the solution of the Cyprus problem as it happened in the case of Bosnia.

In the Russian proposal is stressed that the European Union, which is getting ready for the talks on Cyprus' full membership, must activelly participate in the proposed contact group.

[10] F.R.Y.: ARMY OFFICIALS ASK MILOSEVIC TO DISPLAY PRUDENCY AND MERITOCRACY

Officers from ten military units of the Yugoslav army have forwarded letters to F.R.Y.'s Serb President Slobodan Milosevic, as well as to the Chief of the General Staff and the leaders of the student bodies, in which they plead that Mr. Milosevic display prudency and meritocracy.

The military officers also warn that they will become involved in the political crisis, if needed, in order to avert the collapse of Serbia.

At the same time, Albanian Foreign Minister Tritan Siehu, who considers Milosevic's fall inavoidable, has called all the Albanian-speaking people of Kossovo to begin a protest movement.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of "Zajedno" followers -the F.R.Y.'s tri-partite main opposition coalition- gathered yesterday at the heart of Belgrade where they rallied against the Serb Government. A.F.

[11] TURKISH OCCUPATION FORCES IN CYPRUS ARREST 4 GERMAN TOURISTS

Four German tourists who had been arrested earlier by turkish forces in Cyprus's occupied territory were set free this evening, near the Achna highway junction.

The tourists, one woman and three men, moved on to the Ledra Palace roadblock and are accompanied by the German Embassy's Counsel, Andreas Shroider. A.F.

[12] BULGARIA'S NEW GOVERNMENT TO TAKE OFFICE IN MID-JANUARY

The name of Bulgaria's new Premier is expected to be announced by January 10, 1997, while a few days later the Democratic Left will announce its new Cabinet as well, according to the new leader of the ruling Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) Georgi Parvanov.

Mr. Parvanov met today with Bulgarian President Zhelyu Zhelev and discussed the imminent governmental reshuffle.

Mr. Parvanov did not clarify with which political forces the BSP plans to negotiate, although he did not rule out the possibility that some of the Cabinet members will not be part of the Democratic Left.

According to the BSP leader, among the four major contenders for the premiership is the Speaker of the House Blagovest Sedov. A.F.

[13] BULGARIA: PARLIAMENT ACCEPTS VIDENOV CABINET'S RESIGNATION

President of Bulgaria Zhelyu Zhelev once against turned against the Premier Jean Videnov' cabinet whose resignation was accepted yesterday by the Parliament.

President Zhelev reminded that he had warned of Videnov' failure and defended once again his position for changing the country's polity from a parliamentary to a presidential democracy. Mr. Zhelev also promised that he will begin negotiations today with the House's parties in order to form a new cabinet. A.F.

[14] NEW SECURITY MEASURES WILL BE IN EFFECT IN AMERICAN AIRPORTS

The US newspaper "Washington Post" writes that according to a statement issued by the Civil Aviation Agency in the United States, latest technology devices detecting explosives in luggage will be installed in the largest airports of the country as of next month.

The devices manufactured by the Californian company Invision Technologies operate based on electronic scanners technology.

[15] TWO TURKISH MINISTERS WILL VISIT THE US IN EARLY JANUARY TO DISCUSS THE PURCHASE OF FRIGATES AND HELICOPTERS

The issue of the frigates and helicopters that will be purchased from Washington by Ankara will be discussed by Turkish Ministers of Prime Minister's Department Fehim Antak and Abdullah Gul during their visit to the United States in early January.

The statement was made yesterday by Turkish Prime Minister Necmetin Erbakan stressing that Washington contradicts itself when it says that terrorism must be countered, while on the other hand it says that the weapons it gives to Turkey should not be used against terrorism.

It should be noted, that Turkey has cancelled the purchase of Cobra helicopters from the United States due to the difficulties in their delivery and this was formally announced by alternate Foreign Ministry spokesman Sermet Atanzanli on November 27. According to the Turkish newspaper "Milliyet", mr.Fehim Antak will have meetings with IMF and World Bank officials and also with US Treasury Department officials during his visit to the United States on January 11-18. Mr.Antak's contacts with IMF and World Bank representatives are of great importance to the Turkish government and the islamist Welfare Party. It should be noted, that mr.Antak is the first Welfare Party official who will visit the United States.

"Milliyet" also points out that mr.Antak will meet with US President Clinton's advisor mr.Ruben with whom he will discuss the issue of Turkish Prime Minister Erbakan's visit to the United States next year.

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