Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 97-06-11

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

Macedonian Press Agency: News in English Directory

MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH

Thessaloniki, June 11, 1997

NEWS IN ENGLISH

[A] NATIONAL NEWS

[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

TITLES

[A] NATIONAL NEWS

[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

NEWS IN DETAIL

[01] PRESIDENT OF THE HELLENIC REPUBLIC RECEIVES PRIME MINISTER KOSTAS SIMITIS

The President of the Hellenic Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos received the Prime Minister Kostas Simitis this morning at the Presidential Mansion.

Following the one-hour long meeting, Premier Simitis stated that "I briefed the President of the Republic on the developments occurring at the European Union for he imminent European Council in Amsterdam and on Greece's positions. Moreover, I briefed the President on other foreign developments, as well as on domestic issues, such as economic, and social. It has a very good and interesting discussion."

Messrs. Stephanopoulos and Simitis also discussed the subject of revising the country's Constitution. A.F.

[02] PRESIDENT OF GREECE TO VISIT THESSALONIKI ON JUNE 20-21

The President of the Hellenic Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos will conduct a two-day visit to Thessaloniki on June 20-21 in order to inaugurate the relics exhibit from the Athos monastic community.

The President will be received by the ministers overseeing the Organization of Cultural Capital of Europe "Thessaloniki '97", that is, Environment, Kostas Laliotis; Culture Evangelos Venizelos and Macedonia-Thrace Philippos Petsalnikos, as well as the Mayor of Thessaloniki Konstantinos Kosmopoulos. A.F.

[03] GREEK PREMIER STRONG SUPPORTER OF SOCIAL DIALOGUE

Addressing the Parliament Assembly last evening, Greece's Prime Minister Kostas Simitis issued an appeal to all that they participate in the government's social dialogue so that this great opportunity for the country will not go astray.

Main opposition party leader, New Democracy's Kostas Karamanlis, blamed the government of promoting the social dialogue in order to be ridded of its responsibilities and to draw the citizens in its mistaken choices. A.F.

[04] GREEK FM: THESSALONIKI'S CONFERENCE IS A GREAT STEP AHEAD

Addressing the Thessaloniki-held Conference of South-Eastern Europe's Foreign Ministers, Greek Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos stressed yesterday that Greece is trying to resolve its differences with its neighbours in a peaceful manner.

Mr. Pangalos characterised the two-day meeting as a great step ahead for the building of inter-Balkan cooperation. A.F.

[05] SCHENGEN ACCORD RATIFIED BY GREEK PARLIAMENT, 142 IN FAVOR, 80 AGAINST

The Greek Parliament ratified today the Schengen Accord in a majority vote of 142, as opposed to 80 votes against, in spite of the strong opposition the issue has provoked among numerous politicians and other citizens.

The Schengen Accord, which has also been ratified by a number of European Union member-states, foresees removal of border controls and checks for EU citizens and closer cooperation on police matters concerning drug and arms trafficking, through the creation of vast computer databases.

The Accord's opponents say that the computer processing and filing of personal data violates personal freedoms and human rights.

Fifty-three of the deputies who voted against the Accord belong to the main oposition party New Democracy, while four belong to the ruling party PASOK and the remaining 23 to the Communist Party of Greece, the Coalition of the Left and Progress and to the Democratic and Social Movement.

Meanwhile, a protest is currently being held outside the Parliament, where two armed policemen who were assigned to guard the premises joined the crowd of protesters.

The opponents are asking that the Accord be ratified through a referenfum. A.F.

[06] GREEK EURO-DEPUTY:ALBANIANS SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO VOTE FROM ABROAD

Greek Euro-Deputy Alekos Alavanos has proposed that the Albanian citizens who are currently living outside their country should be allowed to vote from their place of residence during their country's upcoming early elections, to be held on June 29.

In a question tabled to the European Union's Foreign Ministers. Mr. Alavanos stated that in spite of the good intentions that have been voiced by certain governments which are willing to enable the Albanian immigrants to travel to their country, only a handful of them will actually be able to make the trip and exercise their right to vote. A.F.

[07] THE GREEK GOVERNMENT POLICY TARGET IS TO MEET THE EU CONVERGENCE CRITERIA

The Greek government policy target is to meet the EU convergence criteria and also to achieve Greece's accession into the Monetary Union, underlined Greek government spokesman Dimitiris Reppas.

Responding to a question on the EU Summit meeting in Amsterdam and the skepticism expressed on the relaxation of the Maastricht treaty criteria, mr.Reppas pointed out that the government is interested in safeguarding the accession of all member states into the Monetary Union, on equal terms, either in the first or in the second phase.

[08] MINISTER OF MACEDONIA-THRACE HAILS THESSALONIKI'S FM CONFERENCE

The Minister of Macedonia-Thrace Philippos Petsalnikos stated today that the recently held conference of South-Eastern Europe's Foreign Ministers gave a new impetus to the development of inter- Balkan cooperation.

Speaking to the Macedonian Press Agency, Mr. Petsalnikos stated that the success is deemed by the conference's results, that is the final declaration adopted by the Foreign Ministers, the Greek-Russian initiative for stability in the region , the bilateral contacts and the Balkan business forum .

"Greece has risen to a leading role in the efforts to establish peace and cooperation in the Balkans and Thessaloniki is more so in the center of these initiatives that aim at establishing cooperation in the wider region, both on a political level and on an economic one," Mr. Petsalnikos stated. A.F.

[09] GREEK CONSULATE IN GJIROCASTER ATTACKED AGAIN

Greece's consulate at Gjirocaster was attacked again this afternoon when unknown men fired forty shots from automatic rifles at the building.

The culprits were riding in a car without license plates and disappeared after the episode. There were no victims, but extensive damage has been caused to the building. A.F.

[10] BOOK ON THE LEGAL STATUS IN THE AEGEAN WRITTEN BY A UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND PROFESSOR

The book "Greece and the Law of the Sea", which was written by Greek professor Theodoros Kariotis, a professor in the University of Maryland, was presented in an event held in the Greek Embassy in Washington that was organized by Greece's Ambassador Loukas Tsilas and the American Society of International Law.

Referring to the book, mr.Kariotis expressed the hope that it will contribute to the efforts for the better briefing of officials on the legal aspects of the status in the Aegean.

The event was attended by Minister of the Aegean ms.Papazoi who underlined the importance of such a book. Also, present were leading American academicians and US State Department officials.

[11] THE HOLY ASSOCIATION OF GREEK CLERICS PROPOSED THAT METROPOLITES SHOULD BE ELECTED DIRECTLY BY THE PEOPLE

The Presiding Board of the Holy Association of Greek Clerics suggested that Metropolites should be elected directly by the people and its proposal will be submitted to the Holy Synod.

In a press conference, the Association's Presiding Board, which was elected a few days ago and represents at least 10 thousand priests, backed the abolition of the cassock while it supported the view that the clerics should be able to have a second job.

[12] FOURTH WORLD-WIDE CONFERENCE OF GREEKS FROM PONTUS IN THESSALONIKI

The Fourth World-Wide Conference of Greeks from Pontus is to be held in Thessaloniki between June 13-16, in an effort to illustrate the struggles and the claims of these two million people throughout the world, but foremostly to achieve the actual recognition of the genocide of the Greeks from Pontus by the Turks during the early 1900s.

According to the Mayor of the Municipality of Kalamaria Thrasyvoulos Lazarides, "the genocide must find its place in history for the moral justice of those who lost their lives."

Aside from tabling a proposal to the United Nations for the recognition of the genocide, the Conference will also look into the creation of an international body that will be assigned with the task of executing the decisions to be drawn.

The conference will be declared open by the Minister of Interior, Public Adminstration and Decentralization Alekos Papadopoulos, while present at the ceremony will be the Ministers of National Defense Akis Tsochatzopoulos, Trasportation and Commmunications Haris Kastanides and Culture Evangelos Venizelos.

Among the Pontus organizations to be represented at the Conference will be those from the former Soviet Union, the United States, Australia, Africa, Sweden and Switzerland. A.F.

[13] THE HONORARY PRESIDENT OF ND BRIEFED THE PARTY LEADER ON HIS TRIP TO TURKEY

The national issues and the Greek-Turkish relations were the main subjects of discussion in the meeting of opposition party New Democracy honorary President Konstantinos Mitsotakis with party leader Kostas Karamanlis.

Mr.Mitsotakis briefed mr.Karamanlis on the contacts he recently had in Ankara with Turkish President Suleiman Demirel and opposition Motherland Party leader Mesut Yilmaz. In statements he made after the meeting, mr.Mitsotakis expressed the view that Greece and Turkey move toward normalization but the Cyprus issue still exists and a strong effort is needed in order to reach a solution.

Mr.Mitsotakis is scheduled to brief on Friday Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos on the contacts he had in Turkey.

[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

[14] UN CHIEF'S REPORT ON CYPRUS TO SECURITY COUNCIL IS OUT

The report issued to the Security Council by the United Nation's Secretary-General's Kofi Annan on UNFICYP's activities in Cyprus between December 11, 1996 and June 5, 1997 is currently at the UN headqquarters in New York.

The UNFICYP's budget has been balanced through a one-third submittance by the Cypriot govenrment and 6.5 million dollars provided by the Greek government on an annual basis.

The report characterizes the past six months as "calm", is relation to the first half of the year, although it does note numerous signs of tension on the island.

Moreover, the Secretary-General refers to his efforts on achieving direct talks between Cypriot President Glafkos Clerides and Turkish-Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash, on which he will brief the Security Council in a later report. A.F.

[15] SALE OF SERB TELECOMMUNICATIONS A SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT

Forty-nine percent of the Serb Telecommunications Organization's shares will be owned by the Greek Telecommunications Organization (OTE) and Italy's private telecommunications industry STET, as per an agreement signed in Belgrade among the three countries, in the presence of Serb Premier Mirko Mirianovic. According to the Serb Ministry of Information, the Agreement constitutes a significant strategic investment.

The agreement foresees that STET will own 29% of the shares, at a cost of $526 million, while 20% will be owned by OTE, purchased with $399 million. A.F.

[16] FYROM'S FOREIGN MINISTER RE-AFFIRMS HIS COUNTRY'S EUROPEAN ORIENTATION

FYROM's Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Blagoj Handziski, who represented his country at the Balkan Foreign Ministers Conference held during the past two days in Thessaloniki, has expressed his overall satisfaction for the event and characterized as positive the declaration adopted by the participating ministers, emphasizing that the document fully meets his country's foreign policy interests.

The press in FYROM published numerous reports on the event, wherein the meeting's constructive atmosphere was emphasized, as well as the vast significance these contacts will bear on strengthening the ties and coooperation among the Balkan peoples. A.F.

[17] BULGARIA SALUTES S.E. EUROPE'S FOREIGN MINISTERS CONFERENCE IN THESSALONIKI

The Foreign Ministers Conference on Security, Stability and Cooperation in South-Eastern Europe, completed yesterday in Thessaloniki, has been saluted by Bulgaria as a significant step for the development od good neighborly ties in the region.

The state-owned radio station in Sofia broadcast that the declaration signed in Thessaloniki re-confirms the participants' willingness to mutually contribute to the region's rapid developments.

Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nadejda Michailova stated that Bulgaria's European orientation is indisputable and the country supports all the initiatives for the strengthening of stability and security in the region."

Moreover, The Bulgarian FM saluted the Greek-Russian initiative for the annual holding of a summit meeting of representatives from the region's countries, with the participation of the United Nations, the Security Council's permanent members, the the European Union and other international organizations.

Greece's Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos told his Bulgarian counterpart that the price fee for the visa issued to Bulgarians who wish to travel to Greece will soon be reduced. Moreover, Mr. Pangalos stated that Greece's ratification of the Schengen Accord will not bear negative effects on the visa-issuing process between Bulgaria and Greece.

Ms. Michaelova also met with her Romanian counterpart Adrian Severin in Thessaloniki where the two officials discussed the issue of constructing a second bridge for the Danube River and agreed to re-examine the matter during a trilateral meeting among the FMs of Bulgaria, Greece and Romania. A.F.

[18] ALBANIA:ARMED GANGS LOOT ONE OF LARGEST ARMS FACTORIES

One of Albania's largest arms factories was looted on Monday night by armed gangs, outside the city of Gramcy in southern Albania.

Armed and masked men attacked the factory's guards and after a lengthy conflict they stole large quantities of copper, steel, as well as electrical power generators. Before fleeing, they set the plant on fire, which ignited the flammable materials and fully destroyed the facilities. A.F.

[19] ALBANIAN PARTY LEADERS MEET WITH GREEK GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS

Albanian political party leaders meet with Greek government officials today, while Albania prepares for the upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled to be held on June 29.

Leader of Democratic Party Tritan Sehu met this morning with Greek Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos and later with President of the main opposition party of New Democracy Kostas Karamanlis.

In statements he made, mr.Sehu stressed that all necessary efforts will be made in order to have democratic elections in the country and gave the assurance that the Democratic party of President Berisha will secure all necessary pre-conditions toward this end. Mr.Pangalos underlined the necessity for smooth elections so that their outcome will not be disputed by the opposition parties.

Later this evening, a Socialist Party delegation led by Fatos Nano will be in Athens for meetings with Prime Minister Kostas Simitis, Minister of Defence Akis Tsochatzopoulos and the leaders of the opposition parties of New Democracy and Coalition of the Left.

Greek government spokesman Dimitiris Reppas stated that the government will offer its assistance to the Albanians living in Greece, who want to go to their country to vote, while he said that permits will be issued even for those who are illegal immigrants.

[20] ALBANIA'S DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHIEF RECEIVED BY GREEK PARLIAMENT PRESIDENT

The leader of Albania's Democratic Party Tritan Sehu stated today that the Greek minority living in his country carried out a positive role during the recent crisis Albania underwent.

Mr. Sehu was received this evening by the President of the Hellenic Parliament Apostolos Kaklamanis. The Albanian party leader briefed Mr. Kaklamanis on the difficulties faced by his country and expressed the hope that through the aid provided by the international community, especially Greece, all the hurdles will be overcome and Albania will be on the road to peace and freedom.

The President of the Greek Parliament, in turn, stressed the significance Greece grants to the restoration of the democratic principles in Albania and emphasized the interest of the Greek government for the Greek minority living in Albania, especially the protection of its religious and academic rights. A.F.

[21] ROMANIA ACTIVELY PARTICIPATES IN THE DEVELOPMENTS TAKING PLACE IN THE BALKANS

The Conference of Foreign Ministers of South-Eastern Europe, that was completed in Thessaloniki yesterday with the Declaration on good-neighbourly relations, security, stability and cooperation, was the main subject in the news bulletin of the Romanian state television channel "TVR1".

The television channel underlined the statement made by Foreign Minister Andrian Severin in Thessaloniki according to which, even though Romania belongs to central Europe it feels closer to the Balkans and participates actively in the developments taking place in the region. He also underlined that through the Conference in Thessaloniki an effort was made to establish a climate of authentic dialogue, without which stability and security can not be safeguarded in the Balkans.

It was stressed that mr.Severin suggested the establishment of an international fund for peace and security in South-Eastern Europe. The money will come from sponsor states and will be used for the financing of programmes that will lead to the development of trust and the strengthening of security in the region.

Special reference was made to the initiative undertaken by Russia and Greece for the holding of a summit meeting in 1998 for peace and security in South-Eastern Europe with the participation of the region's countries, the EU member-states and the permanent members of the UN Security Council.

In conclusion, it was pointed out that the final declaration of the Inter-Balkan Conference in Thessaloniki underlines that the European integration can not be complete without the participation of the South-Eastern European states.

[22] THE TURKISH AUTHORITIES SEIZED 240 KILOS OF HEROIN

The Turkish authorities seized 240 kilos of heroin in the region of Adana and according to the newspapers, 7 people were arrested as they were trying to transport the heroin on board a ship that was ready to set sail for a western European port.

Turkish police are blaming the Kurds for the drug trafficking and maintain that the heroin came to Turkey from Pakistan via Iran.

[23] FORTY KURDS WERE CHAINED IN PROTEST OUTSIDE THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE

About 40 Kurdish intelectuals were chained yesterday to the Council of Europe member-states' flagstaffs in Strasbourg that are in front of the entrance of the Building of Europe, in a show of protest against the invasion of Iraqui Kurdistan by the Turkish armed forces.

The Kurds were holding signs with slogans against the turkish regime which they described as "fascist and terrorist". The action took place to coincide with the meeting of the elected EU member- states representatives that will be held this week.

[24] THE BBC ORCHESTRA WILL PERFORM UNFORGETABLE HITS OF THE BEATLES

Unforgetable hits of the British group the Beatles that continue to have a strong appeal to audiences, will be performed by the BBC Orchestra in Thessaloniki on June 13 and 14 within the framework of the Cultural Capital of Europe events.

The BBC Orchestra was founded in 1952 and has a light repertoire ranging from classical music and opera to pop music and songs.

Its conductor is David Arnold. He studied in the Royal Music College and taught in the Guildhall School of Music, while he was also the conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

[25] THE CONFRONTATION BETWEEN THE ARMED FORCES AND THE GOVERNMENT IN TURKEY GETS NEW DIMENSIONS

About 400 members of the judiciary in Turkey ignored a government ban yesterday and attended a seminar organized by the Turkish General Army Staff on the restriction of the activities of the islamists in the country. A similar seminar is going to be held today for Turkish and foreign journalists.

Members of the military, who were the main speakers in the event, reiterated that the armed forces are determined to deal with the subversive activities of religious organizations, while according to the Turkish semi-official news agency "Anadolu", they accused Iran, Saudi Arabia, Libya and Sudan of supporting the "political islam" in Turkey, a term used by the Turkish army to describe the muslim extremists.

[26] THE TURKISH PEOPLE ARE IN A TRAGIC ECONOMIC STATE

The majority of the Turkish population lives below the poverty line while the overwhelming majority watched its income dropping in the most dramatic way in the past 7 years, according to data provided by a research conducted on behalf of the magazine "Economist" and published in the Turkish newspaper "Radical".

The research shows that in the past 7 years, 95% of the Turkish citizens watched their income drop, while only a 5% of the population had an increase in their earnings which means that the gap between the rich and the poor widens and is estimated at 21.500 US dollars per capita.

In the report is also mentioned that due to poverty observed mainly in rural Turkey, about 1 million people migrate each year to the urban centers in a search for a better life.

[27] CLERIDES-DENKTASH DIRECT TALKS TO BEGIN ON JULY 9

The United Nations Secretary-General's alternate special envoy to Cyprus Gustav Feischel relayed today the UN Chief's (Kofi Annan)) invitation to the President of the Republic Of Cyprus Glafkos Clerides for the direct talks to be held in New York with the Turkish-Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash.

Speaking to journalists, Mr. Feishel stated that the meeting has been set for July 9 and will be held on the outskirts of New York, at a location which he did not reveal.

Moreover, the UN official did not refer to the content of the invitation, in light of his imminent meeting with Mr. Denktash to whom he was to also forward the invitation.

Mr. Feischel merely reiterated the need for both sides to attend the direct talks in a spirit of good will and cooperation so that progress may be achieve on the Cyprus issue. A.F.

[28] ALBANIA: SOCIALISTS, SOCIAL-DEMOCRATS, DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE JOIN FORCES

In light of the imminent elections of June 29, Albania's poltical parties are feverishly working on their pre-election procedures and preparations, all having in mind the future of the country and its restructuring.

Already, the Socialist and Social-Democratic parties have agreed to work together by having common candidates on 56 to 60 ballots and the Democratic Alliance party has followed suit by agreeing to cooperate with the first two in a pre-election and post-election basis, albeit setting a series of terms, which mostly refer to holding the elections based on the law of 1992, giving priority to respecting human rights and to providing restitution to the victims of the illicit money-making schemes known as "pyramids." A.F.

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