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Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 97-05-05Macedonian Press Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Macedonian Press Agency at http://www.mpa.gr and http://www.hri.org/MPA.Last Update: 23:05 GMT+2SECTIONS
NEWS HEADLINES[A] GREECE[B] BALKANS[C] EUROPENEWS IN DETAIL[A] GREECE[01] TWO MONTHS AHEAD ARE DETERMINATIVE FOR GREEK-TURKISH RELATIONSWeb Posted: 14:23 GMT+2Athens, May 5 (MPA)The next two months ahead are to determine the progress in Greek-Turkish relations, which will be examined by the committee of experts who will tackle procedural matters regarding the two countries, a proposal made by the EU's Dutch held presidency.The same issue will be discussed today by the ruling Pasok party's Executive Bureau as well as its Parliamentary Group which will convene on Wednesday. The Director of the Office of Southeastern European Affairs at the U.S. State Department Carey Cavanaugh has embarked on a tour through Athens and Ankara. Today he is expected to meet with Greece's Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs Yiannos Kranidiotis. Also, contacts are expected to be made between Greek and Turkish officials during the NATO Summit, to be held at the end of this month, as well as during the July meeting between Greek Premier Kostas Simitis and his Turkish counterpart Necmettin Erbakan. A.F. [02] GREEK DEFENSE MINISTER: THERE'S NOTHING TO NEGOTIATE OVER IN THE AEGEANWeb Posted: 14:23 GMT+2Athens, May 5 (MPA)Greece's Minister of National Defense Akis Tsochatzopoulos has issued a message to all sides that there is nothing up for negotiation in the Aegean, whose status quo is inviolable.Mr. Tsochatzopoulos reiterated the terms set forth by the Greek side in order to alleviate the tension between Greece and Turkey. The leader of the country's main opposition party, New Democracy's Kostas Karamanlis, said that the will to improve Greek-Turkish relations is welcomed and desired. A.F. [03] IMF REPRESENTATIVES IN ATHENS, TO MEET WITH NATIONAL ECONOMY MINISTERWeb Posted: 14:23 GMT+2Athens, May 5 (MPA)A delegation of officials from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has arrived in Athens where they will examine the restructures and reforms in Greece's economy, in light of the country's candidacy for participation to the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), a matter to be determined by 1998.The IMF delegation will meet with officials from the Ministries of National Economy and Finance, the Bank of Greece, as well as leaders of the country's state-owned and private banking sectors. The Greek government is expected to illustrate the significant reforms currently in enforcement as well as its comprehensive macro-economic plan. Special emphasis is to be given to the increased-rate of privatization. A.F. [04] THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE OF EXPERTS WILL BE ANNOUNCED TODAYWeb Posted: 18:43 GMT+2Athens 5 May (MPA)Greek government spokesman Dimitiris Reppas stated that the names of the two members of the Committee of Experts will be announced later today.Mr.Reppas stated that there was no change in the known Turkish positions during the Pangalos-Ciller meeting and that ms.Ciller made no mention of a "casus belli" but she did not expressed a different position regarding Greece's right to extend its territorial waters to 12 nautical miles. [05] THE BULGARIAN GOVERNMENT'S VICE-PRESIDENT IS IN THESSALONIKIWeb Posted: 18:43 GMT+2Thessaloniki 5 May (MPA)The vice-President of the Bulgarian government Todor Kavaldziev is currently in Thessaloniki heading a 12-member delegation which will visit Mount Athos and already had a meeting with Minister of Macedonia-Thrace Philippos Petsalnikos.In a joint press conference with the Bulgarian senior government official, mr.Petsalnikos stated that the two sides examined issues concerning bilateral economic and political cooperation, the protection of Greek investments in Bulgaria as well as, Greece's solidarity to the suffering people of Bulgaria due to the economic crisis in the country. The Minister of Macedonia-Thrace said that the Bulgarian side gave assurances that the new Bulgarian government will promote the speedy construction of the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipe line and the three new border crossings of the two countries. From his part, mr.Kavaldziev stated that there are common interests shared by the two countries and expressed the hope that in the future bilateral relations will not be overshadowed by anything, while he also thanked the Greek government for the humanitarian aid to the Bulgarian people. The vice-President of the Bulgarian government, in exclusive statements to MPA, avoided to give a concrete answer to the issue of the return to the Monastery of Zografou in Mount Athos of the "Slav-Bulgarian History" manuscript written in 1762. The original manuscript was stolen from the monastery and was taken to Bulgaria under mysterious circumstances. [06] POSITIVE PROSPECTS FOR THE GREEK-JORDANIAN BUSINESS COOPERATIONWeb Posted: 18:43 GMT+2Amman 5 May (MPA)The "Medpartenariat Jordan" exhibition organized in Amman on July 13 and 14 by the Association of Exporters in Northern Greece with the assistance of the EU Commission, opens the way for the Greek-Jordanian business cooperation.In the event will participate 150 select small-medium sized companies from Jordan with an expressed interest in long-term cooperation with Greek companies, which will send representatives in the Jordanian capital in July. Those are companies active in the sectors of textiles and leather used in the manufacturing of clothes and footwear. Also, are represented the sectors of food and beverages, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and plastics, furniture, paper and printing, construction materials, machinery and general trade. [07] ENERGY AGREEMENT WILL BE SIGNED BY A FYROM ELECTRICITY COMPANY AND A GREEK-RUSSIAN FIRMWeb Posted: 18:43 GMT+2Skopje 5 May (MPA)An agreement will be signed by the end of this month between FYROM's state electricity company and the Greek-Russian company "East Power Corporation" for a 33,5 million dollar loan that will be used for the purchase of updated equipment for the hydroelectric power station "Koziak".Electricity company representatives stressed that the agreement constitutes a further proof for the positive economic relations between FYROM and Greece and expressed the belief that the cooperation between the two countries will be developed and in other sectors. The upgrading of the "Koziak" power station is estimated to cost 140 million dollars. [08] MIKIS THEODORAKIS IS IN STABLE CONDITIONWeb Posted: 18:43 GMT+2Athens 5 May (MPA)The condition of Mikis Theodorakis' health remains stable. The famous Greek music composer was taken to a Berlin hospital last night when he suddenly felt ill after the first concert he gave within the framework of his European tour held jointly with Turkish music composer Zufli Livaneli.According to international news agencies, the world-famous mucisian had respiratory problems after a 3-hour long concert but his condition is under control. Theodorakis is expected to return to Athens today and will not participate in the next five concerts that will be held as scheduled with Maria Farantouri in his place. [09] TWO MEMBERS OF EXPERTS COMMITTEE ANNOUNCED, BOTH PROFESSORS OF LAWWeb Posted: 21:38 GMT+2Athens, May 5 (MPA)The Greek government has appointed two law professors to participate in the experts committee which will tackle procedural matters between Greece and Turkey, as per a proposal made by the EU's Dutch-held Presidency.The first, Argyris Fatouros, is a professor of Law at the University of Athens, and the second, Krateros Ioannou also teaches Law at the University of Democritus in Thrace. Msgrs. Fatouros and Ioannou will communicate with their two counterparts from Turkey in the committee through the Dutch official overseeing the committee. A.F. [10] PARTHENON MARBLES WILL STAY AT OUR MUSEUM, SAYS BRITISH MINISTERWeb Posted: 21:38 GMT+2London, May 5 (MPA)Britain's new Culture Minister Chris Smith has openly stated that Greece's Parthenon marbles currently housed at the British Museum are to stay exactly where they are and said that his country's new government, headed by the newly-elected Premier Tony Blair, will not satisfy Greece's request to return the ancient monuments to Athens."The Parthenon marbles are an integral part of the British Museum's collection and we do not intend to return them," he stated. The Marbles were secretly taken by Britain's Lord Elgin for his private collection during the previous century. A.F. [11] PARTHENON MARBLES MUST RETURN TO GREECE, SAYS GREEK CULTURE MINISTERWeb Posted: 21:38 GMT+2Athens, May 5 (MPA)The return of the Parthenon Marbles is a steadfast and foremost desire of Greece's cultural policy, according to Minister of Culture Evangelos Venizelos who also said that this matter pending between Athens and London should be tabled with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which alsofeatures the Parthenon as its emblem. The British side has claimed that one of the reasons it does not intend to return the ancient monument to Greece is because it shall bring forth an avalanche of similar requests from other countries whose artifacts are also on display in British museums. Not so, Mr. Venizelos has countered, the Parthenon Marbles are not comparable to other artifacts since they are indivisibly linked with the aesthetic and architectural integrity of the western civilization's greatest monument. "As such, " Mr. Venizelos explained, the return of the Marbles is not simply a Greek demand, it is a demand of the injured monument itself, which possesses its own historic and cultural voice. Lastly, the Greek Culture Minister said that Britain's newly-appointed government should have first consulted with Greece before proceeding to announce its official position on the matter. Mr. Venizelos will seek to meet with his British counterpart during the European Union's Council of Culture Ministers, to be held in Luxemburg on June 30. A.F. [12] GREEK COURT SENTENCES THREE HUNGARIANS TO LIFE FOR SMUGGLING HEROINWeb Posted: 21:38 GMT+2Thessaloniki, May 5 (MPA)Greece's Appellate Court in Thessaloniki has sentenced three Hungarian nationals to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of 100 million GRD to each for smuggling 37 kilos of heroin into Greece last year.The 19-year-old student Bela Farnadi and his cohort Milan Arendas, 47, were given the drugs by Zigo Norbert who instructed them to transport the sizeable amount of heroin to Greece and italy. According to the charges, Farnadi and Arendas were arrested on February 3, 1996 by Greek customs offcials at the Greek-Bulgarian border of Promahonas after trained police canines detected the heroin stashed inside the jeep's doors. Norbert, who remains free at large in Hungary, was sentenced in absentia. A.F. [13] GREECE HAS LOW NUMBER OF SEXUALLY ABUSED CHILDREN, SAYS INTERPOLWeb Posted: 21:38 GMT+2Thessaloniki, May 5 (MPA)The topic of child sexual abuse and molestation was the central theme of a conference held in Thessaloniki today by the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) where participants from over 35 countries discussed the phenomenon in a country-by-country analysis.Specifically, over 300 cases of child sexual abuse were reported in Greece during 1995, 264 of which were tried in courts. This record of course pales in comparison to the ever-increasing cases noted in the far East, Central America and the Philippines where, in this country alone, 180,000 children aged between 6-8 are said to be involved in prostitution rings. Overall, the three-day conference will attempt to harmonize the various countries' legislation so that sexual abuse of children can productively be combated at a cross-country level. The conference is jointly organized by Greece's Ministry of Public Order and Thessaloniki's Police Headquarters. A.F. [14] GREECE'S FAMOUS COMPOSER MIKIS THEODORAKIS RETURNS TO ATHENSWeb Posted: 21:38 GMT+2Athens, May 5 (MPA)Greece's world famous composer Mikis Theodorakis returned to Athens this evening, after health probelms forced him to cancel the remainder of a tour throughout Europe he was to give jointly with Turkey's music composer Zulfi Livaneli.Mr. Theodorakis initially felt ill after the first concert he gave with Mr. Livaneli on Sunday night. Unfortunately, he will not participate in the following five concerts scheduled with Mr. Livaneli, although the program will proceed as planned with Greek singer Maria Farantouri substituting for Mr. Theodorakis. These concerts will be held as follows: May 7 in Paris, May 8 in Brussels, May 10 in Frankfurt, May 12 in Munich and May 13 in Stuttgard. According to reports, Mr. Theodorakis will not participate in June 13's concert planned to be held at Cyprus' demarcation line. A.F. [B] BALKANS[15] BULGARIA'S VICE-PRESIDENT IN THESSALONIKI TODAYWeb Posted: 14:23 GMT+2Thessaloniki, May 5 (MPA)The vice-president of Bulgaria Ivan Kovalciev is currently in Thessaloniki, heading a 12-member delegation who will visit Mountain Ahtos.Mr. Kovalciev will be received this afternoon by the Minister of Macedonia- Thrace Philippos Petsalnikos and the two men will discuss the opportunities for further developing economic ties between the two countries. Concurrently, the Bulgarian delegation will meet with leaders of Northern Greece's business and industry sectors. A.F. [16] CYPRIOT FOREIGN MINISTER TO MEET WITH FRANCE'S EUROPEAN AFFAIRS DIRECTORWeb Posted: 14:23 GMT+2Nicosia, May 5 (MPA)Cyprus' Foreign Minister Yiannakis Kasoulides is to be received by the French Foreign Minstry's Director of European Affairs Mr. Martens in Paris today.In turn, Mr. Kasoulides will travel to Strasburg where he will participate at the Foreign Ministers Meeting of the Council of Europe's member- states. Meanwhile, German envoy for the Cyprus issue Detlev Ransau is to meet with the Turkish-Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash today, and will give a press conference this evening. Mr. Ransau met with the Cypriot President Glafkos Clerides on Friday. A.F. [17] THE TURKISH STATE SECURITY COURT ORDERED THE ONE-MONTH CLOSURE OF THE NEWSPAPER "DEMOKRASI"Web Posted: 18:43 GMT+2Istanbul 5 May (MPA)The State Security Court in Istanbul has ordered the one-month closure of the newspaper "Demokrasi", accusing it of "disruptive propaganda" due to an article it has published under the headline "After the resistance".The newspaper's director Gulden Kisanak criticized the decision strongly and pointed out that it coincided with the World Day of Press. [18] THE CYPRIOT PRESIDENT WILL VISIT CHINAWeb Posted: 18:43 GMT+2Nicosia 5 May (MPA)The Cyprus problem will be the main issue for discussion in the meetings Cypriot President Glafkos Clerides will have during his visit to China that will take place on May 18-23.The above were stated by the Chinese Ambassador to Nicosia after his meeting with the Cypriot President. He also stated that during mr.Clerides' contacts with the Chinese political leadership will also be discussed international issues and there will be an exchange of views. In conclusion, the Chinese Ambassador expressed the belief that the visit will strengthen the friendly relations between the two countries and will contribute to their further development. [19] THE TURKISH MINISTER OF DEFENCE SPOKE OF A VIRTUAL EMBARGO ON TURKEY BY THE USWeb Posted: 18:43 GMT+2Ankara 5 May (MPA)Turkish Minister of Defence Turhan Tayan in a briefing of press representatives on the occasion of tomorrow's visit by US assistant Secretary of Defence James Lodal to Ankara, expressed the belief that the delay in the delivery of three frigates to Turkey by the United States constitutes a virtual embargo.The above were published in the Turkish newspaper "Yeni Yuzyil", which also mentioned that mr.Tayan has stated that the proposals made by US companies for the sale of helicopters to Turkey worth 3 billion dollars, will not be accepted. [20] ASSURANCES BY THE RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR TO NICOSIAWeb Posted: 18:43 GMT+2Nicosia 5 May (MPA)The Cypriot government got the assurance from Russian Ambassador to Nicosia Georgi Muratov according to which, he will make the necessary steps if it is established that Russian Lower House of Parliament deputies are visiting the Turkish occupied territories in Cyprus.The above were stated by Cypriot government spokesman Manolis Christofidis commenting on information concerning a visit to the occupied territories by Russian Duma deputies. Mr.Christofidis also expressed satisfaction for the positive support offered officially to Cyprus by the Russian government. [C] EUROPE[21] GREEK PREMIER FORWARDS CONGRATULATORY TELEGRAM TO BRITAIN'S TONI BLAIRWeb Posted: 14:23 GMT+2Athens, May 5 (MPA)Greece's Prime Minister Kostas Simitis has forwarded a congratulatory telegram to Britain's newly-elected Premier Toni Blair."My sincere congratulations for your impressive victory which shall bring a historic turn to the course of Great Britain," Mr. Simitis wrote, adding that "I am certain of a close collaboration both for the European Union as well as for peace and stability in Europe." A.F. [22] C OF E'S FOREIGN MINISTERS TO MEET IN STRASBURG TODAYWeb Posted: 14:23 GMT+2Strasburg, May 5 (MPA)The Foreign Ministers of the Council of Europe's 40 members are to hold their 100th meeting today in Strasburg.Attending the Meeting will also be Austria's former chancellor and current envoy of the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe Franz Vranitski who will discuss the current situation in Albania. Heading the Greek delegation is Greece's alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou who is expected to meet with Turkish Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs Onur Oymen. Also, Greece's Undersecretary of Defense Dimitris Apostolakis is to meet with his American counterpart Jan Lodal and with the Director of the Office of Southeastern European Affairs at the U.S. State Department Carey Cavanaugh. A.F. [23] PARTHENON MARBLES WILL STAY AT OUR MUSEUM, SAYS BRITISH MINISTERWeb Posted: 14:23 GMT+2London, May 5 (MPA)Britain's new Culture Minister Chris Smith has openly stated that Greece's Parthenon marbles currently housed at the British Museum are to stay exactly where they are and said that his country's new government, headed by the newly-elected Premier Toni Blair, will not satisfy Greece's request to return the ancient monuments to Athens."The Parthenon marbles are an integral part of the British Museum's collection and we do not intend to return them," he stated. Greece's Minister of Culture Evangelos Venizelos stated that Greece will press on with its request for the return of the marbles which were secretly taken by Britain's Lord Elgin for his private collection during the previous century. A.F. [24] PRESIDIUM OF PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY OF BLACK SEA ECONOMIC COOPERATION TO MEET TOMORROW IN ATHENSWeb Posted: 14:23 GMT+2Athens, May 5 (MPA)The 14th meeting of the Presidium of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation is to be chaired tomorrow in Athens by the President of the Greek Parliament Apostolos Kaklamanis who is also the Assembly's leader.The meeting will address procedural matters in regards to preparing the plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly, to be held in June. Also, the vice-president of the Ukranian Parliament Mr. Tkachenko will be received by Mr. Kaklamanis today. A.F. [25] PORTUGUESE AND SWEDISH COMPANIES EXPRESSED STRONG INTEREST IN GREEK PRODUCTSWeb Posted: 18:43 GMT+2Athens 5 May (MPA)The Greek products are in great demand in Portugal and Sweden and 19 companies based in those countries, have expressed strong interest in contacting Greek businesses for cooperation, asking to represent them in the international market.Textiles, ready-made clothes, frozen and packaged foods are in demad in Portugal, while the Swedish companies expressed interest in wines, beer, olive oil and tomato paste. Also, there is great demand in Sweden for gold and silver jewelery made in Greece. Complete archives of the Macedonian Press Agency bulletins are available on the MPA Home Page at http://www.mpa.gr/ and on the U.S. mirror at http://www.hri.org/MPA/Macedonian Press Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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