Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 97-07-02

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

Macedonian Press Agency: News in English Directory

MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH

Thessaloniki, July 2, 1997

NEWS IN ENGLISH

[A] NATIONAL NEWS

[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

TITLES

[A] NATIONAL NEWS

[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

NEWS IN DETAIL

[A] NATIONAL NEWS

[01] PRESIDENT STEPHANOPOULOS RECEIVES BULGARIAN PRESIDENT STOYANOV

A Greek-Bulgarian agreement for the construction of a new bridge in the Promahonas-Kulata area, at the border region, was signed today between Greece's alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou and the Bulgarian Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs Mr. Tavrov in the presence of the President of Bulgaria Petar Stoyanov, who is on a formal visit to Greece, amd the President of the Hellenic Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos, in Athens.

In their talks, the two leaders focused on the Athens-Sofia ties, as well as the overall situation in the Balkans and the wider region.

The two leaders confirmed the excellent bilateral relations enjoyed by Greece and Bulgaria and their common intention to speed up the procedures for the settlement of pending issues in old agreements, such as the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline and the Nestos River waters.

The two countries share a common will to promote Bulgaria's accession into NATO and the European Union, said Mr. Stephanopoulos, pointing out that this is the only way that the Balkans can actively display that they are part of the European developments.

President Stoyanov expressed his gratitude for Greece's understanding in regards to the problems faced by his country and added that Bulgaria will need the support of its friends during the course of its accession to NATO and the EU. A.F.

[02] THE BULGARIAN PRESIDENT MET WITH PRESIDENT STEPHANOPOULOS

Bulgarian President Petar Stoyanov, who is on a formal visit to Greece, met today with Greek President Kostis Stephanopoulos, while at noon, he had a meeting with Prime Minister Kostas Simitis.

In their talks the presidents of Greece and Bulgaria confirmed the excellent bilateral relations and their common intention to speed up the procedures for the settlement of pending issues in old agreements.

A common will for both countries is the promotion of Bulgaria's accession into NATO and the European Union, said mr.Stephanopoulos, pointing out that only this way the Balkans can prove with actions that they are part of the European developments.

[03] REPPAS COMMENTED ON THE TURKISH DECISION REGARDING THE MILITARY EXERCISES IN THE AEGEAN

The time period between July 1 - August 15, during which Turkey has decided to halt the air and sea exercises in the Aegean, is smaller than last year's two-month period, while it is even smaller than the minimum moratorium on military flights that the Greek government has suggested to last until September 15, stated Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas.

The Greek government regards the new Turkish move as no more than a new manoeuvre. Mr.Reppas characterized as unacceptable Turkey's unilateral decision and accused Ankara of being responsible for the tension in the Aegean.

[04] THE MEETING OF BALKAN JOURNALISTS ON AN ANNUAL BASIS WAS PROPOSED BY THE REPRESENTATIVES OF MPA

Assistant professor of Law in Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and member of MPA Board of Directors Giorgos Anastasiadis expressed the certainty that the conference of Macedonian Press Agency on the role of the mass media in the efforts for peace and development in southeastern Europe, has contributed greatly to the better cooperation and co-existence of the Balkan states.

The most important conclusion that came out of the conference was the conference itself as an event, stated mr.Anastasiadis, while it was suggested that there is a need for the Balkan mass media representatives to meet regularly in Thessalonki on an annual basis.

Mr.Anastasiadis also referred to the important role the Balkan News Bank can play in the region as it will create the preconditions for a better exchange of information and cooperation.

MPA Board of Directors President Pavlos Petridis in closing the conference expressed MPA's intention to continue its activities in the sector of information and in the mass media research area. Mr.Petridis concluded that the mass media can contribute greatly toward the direction of cooperation and peaceful co-existence in the Balkans.

[05]THE ISSUE OF THE PARTHENON MARBLES WAS DISCUSSED IN LUXEMBOURG YESTERDAY

The issue of the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece was discussed in Luxembourg yesterday by Greek Minister of Culture Evangelos Venizelos and his British counterpart Mark Fisher.

Mr.Venizelos delivered a memorandum with the Greek positions concerning the return of the Parthenon Marbles, while he announced that Greece prepares to launch an international information campaign on the Greek request.

The response given by mr.Fisher was within the framework of the British position but kept the discussion open, said mr.Venizelos, pointing out that the request for the return of the marbles is made mainly in the name of the efforts to protect the monument itself and the world cultural heritage.

The Greek Culture Minister invited his British counterpart to visit Greece and the exhibition of the Treasures of Mount Athos in Thessaloniki.

[06] THE PAN-MACEDONIAN WORLD CONFERENCE WILL BE HELD IN THESSALONIKI ON JULY 20-27

The 7th World Conference of the Pan-Macedonian Associations Abroad will be held in Thessaloniki on July 20-27, while at the same time celebrations will take place for the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the Pan-Macedonian Association of America and Canada.

The formal opening of the World Conference, that is held every 4 years, and the 50th Conference of the Pan-Macedonian Association of America and Canada, will take place on July 20, while on July 27 the World Conference proceedings will be completed with the swearing-in of the new elected Council of the Pan-Macedonian Association of America and Canada.

[07] OLYMPIC AIRWAYS FLIGHTS TO PROCEED AS PLANNED, THERE WILL BE NO STRIKE

Employees of Olympic Airways have decided not to proceed to a labor strike amd have issued an announcement wherein they mention that they have taken into consideraiton the travellers.

The same assurance was given today by the Minister of Transportation and Communications Haris Kastanides, who stated that "the public can rest assured that it can travel and program its holidays free of problems."

According to the Minister, the would-be strikers' claims concern exemptions and overtime, which are to be paid by July 15, the latest.

Mr. Kastanides added that "we will change the legal status of the civil aviation organization, which, unlike the international scene, remains a tight and unproductive state-owned operation. It must be transformed into a single-share, limited liability company," he said. A.F.

[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

[08] STOYANOV: THE VISIT TO GREECE IS AN INCENTIVE FOR THE DYNAMIC DEVELOPMENT OF BILATERAL RELATIONS

Bulgarian President Petar Stoyanov stated from the Sofia Airport before his departure for Athens that his visit to Greece will be an incentive for the dynamic development of bilateral relations.

Mr.Stoyanov stated that his talks in Greece will focus on the course of reforms attempted in Bulgaria and the country's strategic targets for accession into NATO and the European Union.

In conclusion, he reiterated that the basic targets of his country's foreign policy remain cooperation and good neighbourly relations with all the Balkan states.

[09] TURKEY ANNOUNCES IT WILL TEMPORARILY HALT MILITARY EXERCISES IN AEGEAN

The Turkish government has announced that it will temporarily halt its air and sea military exercises in the Aegean between July 1 and August 15, but the Greek government sceptically views this move as simply being a tactic to create impressions and not as a good-will decision.

The Turkish General Army Staff stated that it will continue its routine training exercises in the Aegean Sea. According to its announcement, these measures are in accordance with the initiatives taken by the United Nations Chief, aiming to reduce tension in the region.

The Greek government emphasized that it will fully observe the obligation to abstain from military exercises for a two-month period, as per the Papoulias-Yilmaz agreement. A.F.

[10] ABNA'S NEW PRESIDENT, MPA, READY FOR SERIES OF HIGH-PROFILE CONTACTS

The Association of the Balkan News Agencies (ABNA), whose rotating presidency is now held by the MPA as of July 1, is to "catch the ball running" during its term, through conducting a series of contacts with Balkan Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Press, as well as with officials from various international organizations, in order to secure the grounded support of the initiatives it plans to undertake aiming for the development of inter-Balkan coopertation in the sectors of news and information exchange.

According to MPA's general director Spyros Kouzinopoulos, who was proclaimed term President of ABNA yesterday during the Conference of General Directors of ABNA, the primary contacts have already been scheduled with the Foreign Ministers of Bulgaria, Romania and FYROM, as well as with Serbia's Minister of Information.

Moreover, Mr. Kouzinopoulos stated that meetings are planned with the ministers of Foreign Affairs and Press of the remaining Balkan countries, as well as with the representatives of international organizations, such as the United Nations, UNESCO and the European Union.

Concurrenrtly, the president of ABNA announced that on September 7 and 8 the Balkan news agencies' technical directors are to meet in Thessaloniki, in order to be briefed on the operation of the Balkan News Bank which will be set up at the MPA's facilities, funded by the EU's Interreg-II program and which will be ready for operation in the end of August.

Also, the technical directors are to be informed on the DIAVLOS program, created by the MPA, which foresees the satellite link of all of the Balkan state-owned news agencies with the Balkan News Bank and Thessaloniki, the city which is to become the center of information for all of southeastern Europe's region.

Concern was voiced during the meeting as to whether or not the Balkan region's privately-owned news agencies should become part of ABNA. In order to form a framework that will determine the criteria based on which new members will enter ABNA, following a proposal submitted by the Athens News Agency, the request of the Turkish privately-owned news agency IHA to enter ABNA was shelved for discussion in the following November.

Also, ABNA appointed an auditing committee, which comprises the general director of Romania's ROMPRES Konstantin Badea and the Albanian news agency ATA gemeral director Ilir Zila, while the term of Stefan Velev, the organizing secretary of ABNA, was extended to one more year. A.F.

[11] BALKAN JOURNALISTS AGREE TO MEET ON AN ANNUAL BASIS

The Macedonian Press Agency's two-day conference of Balkan journalists "Peace and Development in southeastern Europe: The role of the mass media" concluded yesterday in Thessaloniki where the participants agreed that the meeting should become an insitution and be held on an annual basis.

The chief editor of the FYROM daily ""Puls" Mirtce Tomofski proposed that a declaration be adopted on opening the borders to the region's journalists. A.F.

[12] PRESIDENT OF BULGARIA IN GREECE, TO VISIT THESSALONIKI TOMORROW

The President of Bulgaria Petar Stoyanov arrived in Greece today, embarking on a three-day official visit on the invitation of Greek President Kostis Stephanopoulos.

President Stoyanov is scheduled to meet with his Greek counterpart and the Greek Premier Kostas Simitis, while he will also have talks with the leaders of the political opposition parties.

Tomorrow, President Stoyanov will be in Thessaloniki, while on Friday he will visit the monastic community of Mount Athos. A.F.

[13] CYPRIOT PRESIDENT GLAFKOS CLERIDES SATISFIED BY HIS CONTACTS IN ATHENS

The President of the Republic of Cyprus Glafkos Clerides has stated that he is quite pleased by the round of contacts he had in Athens with Greece's political leaders.

President Clerides confirmed that he is to meet with the US Presidential envoy for the Cyprus issue Richard Holbrooke on July 8 in New York.

The Cypriot President is to depart for the United States on July 6, where, between July 9 and 13, he will participate in the direct talks with the leader of the Turkish-Cypriots Rauf Denktash. A.F.

[14] ALBANIA: ELECTIONS OFFICIAL RESULTS TO BE OUT TODAY

The official results of Albania's parliamentary elections are to be announced today.

The first readings confirm the sweeping victory of the country's Socialist Party and that the Union of Human Rights Party has secured a voice in Parliament.

According to results read in 50 out of 115 electoral precincts, the Socialist Party has earned 47.6% of the votes, the Democratic Party 30%, the pro-monarchy faction three percent and the Greek minority's Union of Human Rights 2.21%.

The leader of the Socialist Party Fatos Nano has asked that President Sali Berisha, the leader of the Democratic Party, resign, emphasizing that this resignation will pave the way for democracy and peace in the country. A.F.

[15] THE CYPRIOT PRESIDENT MET WITH THE LEADER OF NEW DEMOCRACY

The Cyprus issue and the Clerides-Denktash meeting in New York were at the center of discussions in the meeting held today between Cypriot President Glafkos Clerides and leader of main opposition party of New Democracy Kostas Karamanlis.

In statements he made afterwards, mr.Karamanlis characterized the meeting as detailed and useful. He also expressed New Democracy's unreserved support in the efforts for the solution of the Cyprus problem.

[16] ALBANIA: SOCIALISTS TO CELEBRATE THEIR PARTY'S TRIUMPH IN A RALLY TONIGHT

Albania's Socialist Party, led by Fatos Nano, is to conduct a massive celebratory gathering in Tirana's Skederbei Square, in honor of its triumphant victory in Sunday's parliamentary elections.

The official results are expected to be announced any time now, although, according to the elections results in 50 out of 115 precincts, the Socialist Party has amassed 47.6% of the votes, the Democratic Party has 30%, the pro-monarchy faction 3% and the Greek minority's Union of Human Rights has managed 2.21%. A.F.

[17] CRAN MONTANA FORUM SESSION DEDICATED TO BLACK SEA COOPERATION

The Crans Montana Forum that was held in Davos this year has hosted a session dedicated to the Black Sea economic cooperation, according to the Romanian Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Romania's Minister of Industry and Trade Popescu Tariceanu, stated that his country plans to promote a series of projects such as the creation of a fibre-optic communication line between Istanbul, Verna, Constanta, Chisinau, linking the energy webs of the member-states and building an "energy ring" of the Black Sea, as well as develop transport facilities for crude and natural gas in the region. A.F.

[18] THE ND HONORARY PRESIDENT BELIEVES THAT THE CYPRUS ISSUE WILL BE RESOLVED NEXT YEAR

Honorary President of the main opposition party of New Democracy, Konstantinos Mitsotakis speculated that the Cyprus issue enters its final phase and stated that the problem will be resolved next year.

The ND honorary President stated, after the meeting he had with Cypriot President Glafkos Clerides in Athens, that there is strong and active US interest for the solution of the problem.

He also mentioned that Cyprus' accession into the European Union will force Turkey to make its own decisions, adding that a fair, viable and functional solution of the Cyprus problem would be for the benefit of Turkey.

[19] THE 3RD CONFERENCE OF THE MAYORS OF SOUTHEASTERN EUROPEAN CAPITALS WILL BE HELD IN BELGRADE IN SEPTEMBER

The 3rd Conference of Mayors of Southeastern European Capitals will take place in Belgrade in mid September, according to a decision made by the City Council of the Serb capital.

In the meeting will participate the mayors of Athens, Belgrade, Bratislava, Bucharest, Kiev, Cicinau, Ljubljiana, Nicosia, Sarajevo, Skopje, Sofia, Tirana, Vienna and Zagreb.

[20] THE GOVERNMENT OF FRY WILL NOT SURRENDER ANY MORE SUSPECTS TO THE INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE IN THE HAGUE

The Federal government in Belgrade announced that it will not surrender any more war crime suspects to the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

The announcement was made after the arrest of former Vukovar mayor Slavko Dokmanovic and his transfer to The Hague. The arrest was made in the presence of UNTAES peace-keepers.

The former mayor is accused of the deaths of 206 Croats, who had been taken to the Vukovar hospital during the war in former Yugoslavia, while three officers of the yugoslav army are accused of complicity.

Interior Minister of FRY Zoran Sokolovic stated that after the unjustified arrest of the former mayor his country will never again cooperate with the International Court in The Hague and that his government will not bring to this court anyone regarded as suspect for war crimes.

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/