Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 97-05-27

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

Macedonian Press Agency: News in English Directory

MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH

Thessaloniki, May 27, 1997

NEWS IN ENGLISH

[A] NATIONAL NEWS

[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

TITLES

[A] NATIONAL NEWS

[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

NEWS IN DETAIL

[A] NATIONAL NEWS

[01] GREEK FOREIGN MINISTER USES STERN TONE TOWARDS TURKEY'S OYMEN

Greece's Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos responded to Turkish Foreign Undersecretary Onur Oymen's claims by using a stern tone and accusing him of lacking seriousness.

Mr. Pangalos challenged Mr. Oymen to present to the relevant international organizations the Turkish documents which question the Aegean Sea's status quo.

Moreover, Mr. Pangalos added that Athens is ready to sign a non-aggression pact with Ankara, which would eliminate the casus belli threat that has been brandished by Turkey against Greece in the past. A.F.

[02] UNDERSECRETARY OF DEFENSE: OYMEN WORSENED GREEK-TURKISH CLIMATE

Greece's Undersecretary of Defense Dimtiris Apostolakis referred to the provocative claims made by the Turkish Foreign Undersecretary Onur Oymen and stated that it was as if the Turkish diplomat made a premeditated effort to worsen the climate in Greek- Turkish relations.

"Mr. Oymen's audacity is so great and the manner in which he presented Ankara's claims or demands is so provocative that one is led to the impression that he came here to purposely destroy the somewhat improved climate that had been created lately," Mr. Apostolakis said, expressing the hope that there are not going to be extreme signs of Turkey's intransigence. A.F.

[03] GREEK PREMIER MEETS WITH TURKISH PRESIDENT IN PARIS TODAY

Greece's Prime Minister Kostas Simitis met with the Turkish President Suleiman Demirel in Paris today, during the NATO-Russia pact signing.

Premier Simitis presented to the Turkish head of state Greece's firm position regarding Greek-Turkish issues and expressed Greece's disagreement with what Mr. Demirel stated during a televised interview broadcast in a Greek station.

Mr. Demirel reiterated his proposal for a dialogue spanning all issues between Greece and Turkey.

Mr. Simitis responded that a dialogue without terms and pre- conditions is not feasible. A.F.

[04] GREEK FM TO DEPART FOR LISBON'S NATO FOREIGN MINISTERS MEETING

Foreign Minster Theodoros Pangalos is to depart for Lisbon tomorrow, in order to attend the Foreign Ministers Council of Nato's member-states.

While no meeting with his Turkish counterpart Tansu Ciller has been scheduled, Mr. Pangalos did not rule out such possibility.

Also, Mr. Pangalos is to visit Albania early next month, in light of that country's early elections. Accoridng to the Greek FM, the meeting will probably take place on June 3, following the European Uinon's Foreign Ministers' Council in Brussels. A.F.

[05] GREEK PRESS MINISTER: MASS MEDIA ARE DEMOCRACY'S GUARDIANS

Television, just like all mass media, must remain a guardian of democracy and not turn it into a false imitation thereof, while having maintained for itself the role of a self-dubbed prosecutor, stated the Minister of Press and Mass Media Dimitris Reppas, closing a three-day journalism conference.

The conference, organized in Thessaloniki by Greece's privately-owned television stations, MEGA TV was titled "Interaction between Television, Society and Politics".

The event featured an array of world-known journalists, analysts and news anchors, among them CNN's Peter Arnett, who stressed the Greek television's need to improve its reliability and objectivity.

Also, the former spokesperson and current deputy of the main opposition party New Democracy Prokopis Pavlopoulos, a constitutional law expert, pointed out that "the problem with private television is that it was created first and then legalised. It happened in an illegal sort of way." A.F.

[06] GREECE'S FM AND ECONOMY MINISTER ATTEND OECD MEETING IN PARIS

Greece's Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos is in Paris today where he, along with Greece's Minister of National Economy and Finance Yiannos Papantoniou participated in the annual ministerial session of the Organization for European Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Mr. Papantoniou told his OECD colleagues that greater rapprochement was reached between the Greek positions and the british, French and German ones, concerning state protection to offset structural changes, in the form of social cohesion.

Also, a joint meeting of OECD member-states' foreign ministers with the Russian Finance Minister was held today, which primarily examined political issues.

Reffering to NATO's eastward expansion, Mr. Pangalos said that an important factor is not only the major countries (Russia and China) since Greece was never an advocate of a closed club for rich countries, but smaller countries as well, such as Cyprus, which could play a particular role under specific conditions. A.F.

[07] ATHENS HAS NO ILLUSIONS ABOUT THE TURKISH POLICY

Athens has no illusions about the Turkish policy, stressed acting Greek government spokesman Yiannis Nikolaou referring to the provocative statements made by Turkish Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs Onur Oymen.

Mr.Nikolaou underlined that Greece has an obligation to prove to the international community that it is the only factor of peace, security and stability in the region and that the intransigence comes from Ankara.

Mr.Nikolaou, who is General Secretary of Press, stated that mr.Oymen expressed the turkish views in the most provocative way ever and pointed out that the response of the Greek side came from Foreign Minister Pangalos and alternate Foreign Minister Papandreou.

He also pointed out that the statements made by mr.Oymen do not affect the work of the Greek committee of experts which is waiting for the memorandum of the Turkish side.

[08] PAPANDREOU: ANKARA WILL BECOME ISOLATED IF ITS PROVOCATIVE STANCE CONTINUES

Greek alternate Foreign Minister Giorgos Papandreou, after his meeting today with the Czech Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs, warned Ankara that it will become isolated from the international community if it continues its provocative stance and does not prove it has the political will to deal with the problems in its relations with Greece.

Referring to the statements made by Turkish President Suleiman Demirel and Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs Onur Oymen, the Greek alternate Foreign Minister came to the conclusion that there is an inconsistent policy followed.

Meanwhile, Greek Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos in statements he made yesterday also had described as contradictory the statements made by President Demirel and Onur Oymen.

Mr.Pangalos suggested to Turkey to bring the issue of the islets of Imia to the International Court of Justice in The Hague and stated that mr.Oymen lacks seriousness while carrying out his duties.

[09] GREEK FOREIGN UNERSECRETARY TO BE RECEIVED BY UN CHIEF THIS EVENING

Greece's Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs Yiannos Kranidiotis will be received by the United Nations Secretary- General Kofi Annan in New York this evening.

Tomorrow morning, Mr. Kranidiotis will have a working lunch with Cyprus' Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Nikos Agathocleous. Afterwards, Mr. Kranidiotis will meet with the permanent representatives of the EU's member-states and will also have separate and bilateral talks with the representatives of the Security Council's five permanent members, US, Britain, China, France and Russia. A.F.

[10] STATE'S SOCIAL DIALOGUE ON ECONOMIC AND LABOR ISSUES BEGINS TODAY

The government-initiated "social dialogue" got under way today, with a ten-member coordinating committee which comprises state officials, union representatives and employers.

Minister of Labor Miltiades Papaioannou issued an appeal to all of the social bodies to contibute to the social dialogue's process, advising cool-headedness and calmness, while Undersecretary of Labor Chtristos Protopappas said that there is no fait accompli.

"We must have an agreement of trust which must be based not only on good intentions, but also on the dialogue's results," Mr. Protopappas said. A.F.

[11] ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE RESUMES TRADING, TECHNICAL PROBLEMS RESOLVED

Trading has resumed and is back to normal at the Athens Stock Exchange after having been suspended for one day yesterday when technical problems caused the failure of the electronic trading system.

Massive orders for the Xiosbank's debut into the bourse brought on the system's failure, whcih caused all of yesterday's trading to be declared invalid. A 20% trading ceiling has been imposed on the Xiosbank's shares, but only for today. A.F.

[12] STRONG SECURITY MEASURES FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE PRICELESS MOUNT ATHOS RELICS

The priceless relics of the monastic community in Mount Athos, in northern Greece, will be brought to Thessaloniki under strong security measures. The rare objects will be presented in the Treasures of Mount Athos Exhibition that will be opened on June 21 in the presence of President Stephanopoulos, Prime Minister Simitis and the country's political party leadership.

The announcement was made today by Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos in a press conference, who also stressed that the relics have been insured for over 20 billion drachmas.

In the exhibition, that will be open for the public until December 31, will be presented 1.500 objects 600 of which are relics that were never seen before by the wider public.

[13] ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH VARTHOLOMEOS ADDRESSES "GREEK-TURKISH FORUM"

During his address at the third meeting of the "Greek-Turkish Forum", Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos stated that the inability of Greece and Turkey to get rid of the past events has given other countries the opportunity to improve themselves and leave these two countries behind.

The Patriarch also referred to the words of Britain's former Premier Sir Winston Churchill, by stating "the problem, of Balkan countries stems from their vast history. Maybe Churchill was right in a way."

Attributing fault to each of the two neighbors, the Patriarch advised Greece and Turkey to "release the sensational knot of the past in order to embrace the future.

"Our children should not be raised with hate that has poisoned our bilateral relations for generations."

Moreover, his Holiness stated that free trade and cultural exchange between the countries would guarantee tolerance and understanding between religions and traditions.

"Let us see ships of fertility and welfare passing through the Straits instead of ships full of soldiers," he characteristically advised. A.F.

[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

[14] NATO-RUSSIA AGREEMENT SIGNED TODAY IN PARIS AMIDST GRANDEUR

In a ceremony colored by grandeur, the NATO-Russia pact was signed today in Paris, officiated by French President Jacques Chirac.

The ceremony was attended by the Presidents of Russia and the United States, as well as the leaders of the Alliance's 16 members, among them Greece's Premier Kostas Simitis.

The pact is of historic significance since it essentially gives the green light to the Alliance's eastward expansion, while aso determining the framework of NATO's ties with Russia. Russian President Boris Yeltsin, in an act of good will, stated that he will disarm all the nuclear weapons that are aimed at the Alliance's member states.

In his address, Mr. Simitis characterized the pact as fair and balanced and said that it is an event that paves the way for Europe's further development of cooperation for security and stability.

Moreover, the Greek Premier emphasized the need to exert efforts for achieving peace and cooperation which, as he stated, constitute a prerequisite not only for freedom but also for the ability to face the challenges of the times. A.F.

[15] THE WIFE OF THE SERB PRESIDENT WILL BE IN THESSALONIKI ON THURSDAY

The wife of Serb President Slobodan Milosevic, will be in Thessaloniki on Thursday at the invitation of the municipality of Kalamaria. Ms.Mira Markovic will meet with Minister of Macedonia- Thrace Philippos Petsalnikos, Prefect of Thessaloniki mr.Papadopoulos and mayor of Kalamaria mr.Lazarides.

Ms.Mira Markovic will give a press conference at the Kalamaria City Hall and afterwards she is scheduled to visit the archeological museum. She will leave for Belgrade later in the evening.

[16] THE 1ST EUROPEAN SOCCER COACHES SEMINAR WILL BE HELD IN THESSALONIKI

Leading names in the Greek and world soccer will participate in the 1st European Soccer Coaches' Seminar that will be held in Thessaloniki from Friday May 30 until Sunday, June 1.

In the seminar, which is organized by the Coaches Association of Macedonia, will also be present and European Soccer Coaches Association General Secretary, German Lotar Mayer.

Three distinguished European coaches will bring their knowledge and experience to those who will attend the seminar. They are Austrian Kurt Jara, who had been coaching the soccer team of Xanthi and now is one of Austria's Soccer Federation head coaches, also Slobodan Sandrac, who is leading New Yugoslavia to the World Cup Finals of 1998 and Horst Hrubes, who had a big career as a player in Hamburg and in the German national soccer team.

[17] PRESIDENT DEMIREL SEES EARLY ELECTIONS IN TURKEY AS THE ONLY SOLUTION

Political uncertainty deepens in Turkey. The coalition government's small majority in Parliament can be overturned at any moment and the country will be led to a severe political deadlock.

The opposition political parties, headed by Mesut Yilmaz's Motherland Party (ANAP), are trying to bring the fall of the government through a new censure motion, that will open the way to a new coalition government with the participation of 4 parties, among them Tansu Ciller's True Path Party.

In an interview to the British newspaper "Financial Times", Turkish President Demirel openly backed the holding of immediate elections, stressing that such a decision will limit the risk of a coup. He also criticized the Turkish politicians, stating that their behaviour downgrades democracy.

[18] PRESIDENT CHIRAC WILL ADDRESS THE FRENCH PEOPLE AHEAD OF THE 2ND ROUND OF THE VOTE

French President Jacques Chirac will issue a message to the French people that will be broadcast today by radio and television, in a effort to avert the victory of the left in the second round of the Parliamentary elections that will be held next Sunday.

The European newspapers speculate that the turn of the French voters toward the Socialists creates new conditions regarding the Europe of the revised Maastricht Treaty.

[19] INTERNATIONAL REACTIONS INTENSIFY AGAINST THE TURKISH MILITARY OPERATIONS IN N.IRAQ

International reactions against the Turkish military operations targeting the Kurds in northern Iraq have intensified.

Jordan has called today for the immediate withdrawal of the Turkish troops from the region as the only way to ease the tensions there.

[20] THE BULGARIAN PRESIDENT WILL VISIT THE HAGUE

Bulgarian President Petar Stoyanov left today for The Hague to attend tomorrow's formal ceremony for the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Marshall plan for the reconstruction of post- war Europe.

Within the framework of his two-day visit to The Hague, mr.Stoyanov will meet with the Dutch Prime Minister and other government officials, while the Queen of Holland will give a formal dinner in his honour.

[21] GREEK CONSULATE IN GJIROCASTER RE-OPENS AFTER HAVING CLOSED ONE WEEK

Greece's consulate in Albania's Gjirocaster re-opened yesterday, after having been closed for one week.

Meanwhile, Albanian President Sali Berisha announced the formation of the central electorate committee as the country's Premier Bashkim Fino was in Italy where he met with his counterpart Romano Prodi.

Today, Albania's Socialist Party, led by Fatos Nano, embarks on its pre-election campaign. A.F.

[22] US HOUSE REPORT: TURKEY IS INSTABILITY FACTOR IN EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN

According to a report published by the US House of Representatives Committee on International Relations, Turkey is a factor of instability in the eastern Mediterranean region.

The report calls upon Ankara to respect international relations and to seek recourse through the international relevant bodies for its claims over the Aegean Sea.

Moreover, it points out that the great number of Turkish forces in Cyprus constitutes a permanent source of tension and instability in the region.

According to the report, resolving the Cyprus issue will alleviate Greek-Turkish relations and will allow for the development of complete stabilization of the relations between the two countries, thereby securing increased stability in the eastern Mediterranean. A.F.

[23] CYPRIOT FOREIGN MINISTER EMBARKS ON CONTACTS WITH EU, WEU OFFICIALS

Cyprus' Foreign Minister Yiannakis Kasoulides embarks today on a series of contacts with European Union and Western European Union officials in Brussels.

Mr. Kasoulides is to meet with the WEU's Secretary-General Jose Kutileiro and the President of the WEU's Permanent Council.

Tomorrow, the Cypriot Foreign Minister is to meet with the EU's Commissioner on Foreign Affairs Hans Van Den Broek, while on Thursday he will meet with Greek Commissioner Christos Papoutsis and the President of the European Parliament Hil Robles. A.F.

[24] UN-SPONSORED CONFERENCE ON THE MIDDLE EAST BEGINS IN ATHENS TODAY

A United Nations-sponsored conference on the Middle East began in Athens today, with the main target of examining the peace agreement signed in Oslo and Cairo and the implementation process thereof.

The two-day conference, titled "The Peace Process: The Challenges Ahead", was officiated by Greece's alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou, while the audience included analysts from the Palestinian territories, Israel, the Arab world, the United States and Europe. A.F.

[25] CYPRUS TO AGREE ON GREEK-TURKISH NON-AGGRESSION PACT IF TERMS ARE MET

The Cypriot government would accept the signing of a non- aggression pact between Greece and Turkey if the terms set forth by Athens are first met, including those concerning progress on - or resolution of- the Cyprus issue, according to the Cypriot government's spokesperson Manolis Christofides.

"If we take into consideration that the axes of Greece's policy are for Turkey to respect international law and to aid in resolving the Cypriot issue, then we welcome the signing of a non- aggression pact if all these terms are met," Mr. Christofides stated.

He did remind, however, that Greece's position is that any advance of Turkish occupation troops further into Cyprus would constitute casus belli. Mr. Christofides also added that "this cannot be ruled out by a non-aggression pact for as long as the Cyprus issue remains unresolved." A.F.

[26] ALBANIA: SOCIALIST PARTY EMBARKS ON PRE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN

Albania's Socialist Party, led by Fatos Nano, embarks on its pre-election campaign this evening, by organizing a massive rally just outside Tirana. This is Mr. Nano's first participation in a political rally after his release from prison.

Meanwhile, Albanian President Sali Berisha announced the formation of the central electorate committee as the country's Premier Bashkim Fino was in Italy where he met with his counterpart Romano Prodi. A.F.

[27] FYROM: TENSION RISES IN GOSTIVAR OVER TURKISH, ALBANIAN FLAGS

Tension continues to mount in Gostivar where over 1,000 Albanian residents have gathered outside city hall to protect their raised flag.

In spite of the recent ruling in FYROM's Constitutional Court, which forbade the raising of the Turkish and Albanian flags in the municipalities of Gostivar and Tetovo, the flags have remained in place "supported" by a large crowd Albanians who appear ready to confront any effort to lower them.

Rufi Osmani, the Mayor of Gostivar, a city in FYROM, has issued warnings against his country's Constitutional Court, and said that "no ruling rises above the people's will and if the government tries to lower the Albanian flag through violent means, then blood will be shed."

Osmani is a member of the radical party of Democratic Prosperity-Albanian (PDP-A). Representatives of the Turkish Democratic Party and the Party of Democratic Prosperity did not participate in the rally.

Gostivar's City Council now asks that the Court's ruling be stayed until a law is implemented on the use of minority populations' flags.

The issue is a sore point between the government of FYROM and these two communities.

On May 5, FYROM's Ministry of the Interior had filed suits against the mayors of Tetovo and Gostivar because they, without prior approval, had raised the aforementioned flags in schools, courts and other public buildings in their regions.

However, according to FYROM's legislation whenever an area's minority population surpasses the 20% mark of the overall population the local administrative bodies can raise that minority's flag. A.F.

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