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Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 97-10-14Macedonian 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: 20:03 GMT+2SECTIONS
NEWS HEADLINES[A] GREECE[B] BALKANS[C] EUROPE[D] WORLDNEWS IN DETAIL[A] GREECE[01] PRESIDENT OF GREECE CONTINUES HIS VISIT TO MOUNT ATHOS TODAYWeb Posted: 13:30 GMT+2Thessaloniki, October 14 (MPA)The President of the Hellenic Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos is visiting the monastic community of Mount Athos today.Upon his arrival yesterday, the President was granted a formal reception by the monastic community's Holy Epistasia and Holy Community. Last evening, addressing the members of the Athonite community, the President stated that the Greek state is committed to protecting the "avaton" (inviolability) of the monastic community and added that Greece has a moral obligation to safeguard the traditions of Mount Athos, of which traditions it shall not tolerate any violation. A.F. [02] PRESIDENT OF CYPRUS IN ATHENS, MEETS WITH GREECE'S PRIME MINISTERWeb Posted: 13:30 GMT+2Athens, October 14 (MPA)The President of the Republic of Cyprus Glafkos Clerides is currently in Athens where is being received by Greece's Prime Minister Kostas Simitis. The two leaders are said to be focusing their talks on the recent developments on the Cyprus issue. Meanwhile, Greece is to forward to the NATO headquarters its report on the violations of Greece's and Cyprus's airspace conducted yesterday by Turkish military aircraft.The C130 military aircraft with which Greece's Minister of Defense Akis Tsochatzopoulos and his staff traveled to Larnaca was also subject to harassment by Turkish fighter jets. The air space violations took place east of Crete where the C130 was approached by the Turkish military aircraft. At the same time, two Greek Air Force F4 took off from the island of Santorini and intercepted the Turkish jet. Upon his arrival in Nicosia last evening, Mr. Tsochatzopoulos stated that through the recent violations of Greece and Cyprus's air space, so far they number 70, Turkey is internationally exposed as these acts are automatically recorded at NATO's headquarters. "The violations of Athens' FIR do not constitute a bilateral issue, but rather pose an issue of flight safety,' the Greek Defense Minister stated. A.F. [03] GREEK P.M. KOSTAS SIMITIS TO BE IN TIRANA TOMORROWWeb Posted: 13:30 GMT+2Athens, October 14 (MPA)Greek Premier's Kostas Simitis is to travel to Tirana, Albanian tomorrow, where he will meet with Albanian President Reijep Meidani, Prime Minister Fatos Nano and leaders of the opposition partiesMr. Simitis will discuss issues concerning economic aid to the neighboring country as well as Greece and Albania's common efforts to combat crime. The Prime Minister is to be accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Theodoros Pangalos and the Minister of Public Order George Romeos, as well as the deputy ministers of national economy and defense. According to the Albanian press reports, which have granted extensive coverage to the Greek leader's imminent visit, the primary target of Mr. Simitis' visit is to promote bilateral cooperation. A.F. [04] PRESIDENT OF CYPRUS IN ATHENS, MEETS WITH GREECE'S PRIME MINISTERWeb Posted: 19:54 GMT+2Athens, October 14 (MPA)The President of the Republic of Cyprus Glafkos Clerides was received by Greece's Prime Minister Kostas Simitis in Athens today, where they discussed the recent developments on the Cyprus issue, Greek-Turkish relations and the course of Cyprus'; accession to the European Union.The Premier, who saluted the readiness, brevity and efforts exerted by the Greek air force in encountering the massive and repeated Turkish provocation during the recent days, stated that "neither Greece nor Cyprus seek tension and conflict with Turkey but, rather, they aim at protecting their independence and territorial integrity." Moreover, Mr. Simitis stated that "we reiterate that if substantial progress on the Cyprus issue is not noted and if the proposals submitted by Mr. Clerides for gradual disarmament, aiming at the island's demilitarization. We will face hardships, and these hardships will have to be overcome." The Greek Premier added that both Greece and Cyprus are willing to review their defense mechanisms, should the Clerides proposals and the proposals to be made during the course of the negotiations are accepted. President Clerides stressed that the Cypriot government will insist that the S-300 anti-aircraft missiles purchased from Russia by Cyprus will be stationed on the island. A.F. [05] CYPRIOT PRESIDENT CLERIDES RECEIVED BY LEADER OF MAIN OPPOSITIONWeb Posted: 19:54 GMT+2Athens, October 14 (MPA)The President of the Republic of Cyprus Glafkos Clerides, currently on an official visit to Athens, was received today by the leader of Greece's main opposition party, New Democracy's Kostas Karamanlis.Mgrs.. Clerides and Karamanlis discussed the latest development on the Cyprus issue as well as the Cypriot President's tours in the United States and Britain. A.F. [06] GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSON COMMENTS ON TURKISH PROVOCATIONSWeb Posted: 19:54 GMT+2Athens, October 14 (MPA)The Greek government's spokesperson Dimitris Reppas stated today that the frequency of the Turkish provocation and violations of Athens and Nicosia's air space, is a political line adopted by Ankara, which does not grant Turkey any advantage but, on the contrary, it leads the country into a further disadvantageous position.Today, Greece's Ambassador to Ankara arrived at Turkey's Foreign Ministry where he expressed his intense displeasure over the Turkish provocation. Also, the Greek Foreign Ministry's secretary-general will meet with the Athens-based ambassadors of European Union states to whom he will present data that attest to the continuous Turkish provocation. A.F. [B] BALKANS[07] CYPRUS' "NIKIFOROS '97" MILITARY EXERCISE IS TO WRAP UP TODAYWeb Posted: 13:30 GMT+2Cyprus's annual military exercise "Nikiforos '97" is to wrap up today.Tomorrow, the President of the Republic of Cyprus Glafkos Clerides and Greece's Minister of Defense Akis Tsochatzopoulos are to observe the closing ceremony of the exercise. Mr. Tsochatzopoulos is currently at the island where he is observing the maneuvers.The exercises feature the participation of air and naval forces from Greece. A.F. [08] GREECE'S ALTERNATE F.M. GEORGE PAPANDREOU IS CURRENTLY IN SOFIAWeb Posted: 13:30 GMT+2_Greece's alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou is currently in Sofia where he is to embark on a series of contacts with officials of the Bulgarian government. Following his stay at the Bulgarian capital, Mr. Papandreou is to conduct a tour through the Baltic states. _ A.F.[09] U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT'S COORDINATOR FOR CYPRUS IN ATHENS TODAYWeb Posted: 13:30 GMT+2Ankara, October 14 (MPA)The U.S. State Department's coordinator for the Cyprus issue Thomas Miller is to be received by Greece's Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos this evening in Athens.Prior to his arrival to Greece, Mr.. Miller was in Ankara, where he had joined the United States President Bill Clinton's special envoy for the Cyprus issue Richard Holbrooke, in contacts with Turkish government officials. A.F. [10] HOLBROOKE: IF I HAD A MAGIC WAND, THERE'D BE NO MILITARY EXERCISESWeb Posted: 13:30 GMT+2Ankara, October 14 (MPA)United States President Bill Clinton's special envoy for the Cyprus issue Richard Holbrooke, currently in Ankara, has issued a verbal appeal to both Greece and Turkey to minimize the military exercises, so that the mounting tension in the Mediterranean region will be lessened."I would like to see the three countries (Greece, Turkey and Cyprus) to overall minimize the exercises, (since) it is a waste of time and money," the American diplomat stated after his talks with Turkish officials. "These exercises, 'Nikiforos' and 'Taurus'... if I had a magic wand I would eliminate them all," Mr. Holbrooke stated, referring o Cyprus's currently ongoing "Nikiforos" exercise, and Turkey's planned "Taurus". A.F. [11] PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN THE SERB REPUBLIC TO BE HELD ON DEC. 7Web Posted: 13:30 GMT+2Belgrade, October 14 (MPA)The President of the Serb Republic in Bosnia Biljana Plavsic and Momcilo Kraijnik, member of the Bosnian Serbs' collective presidium, met yesterday with the President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Slobodan Milosevic and their talks focused on holding parliamentary and presidential elections in Bosnia's Serb sector.Serbia's parliamentary elections have been scheduled for November 23, while the presidential round will be held on December 7and, according to Mr. Kraisnik, will be conducted in accordance with the regulations of the Serb Republic, not the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. A.F. [12] GREEK P.M. KOSTAS SIMITIS TO BE IN TIRANA TOMORROWWeb Posted: 19:54 GMT+2Athens, October 14 (MPA)Greek Premier's Kostas Simitis is to travel to Tirana, Albanian tomorrow, where he will meet with Albanian President Reijep Meidani, Prime Minister Fatos Nano and leaders of the opposition parties.Tirana will be the first stop of Mr. Simitis' tour throughout the Balkans. While there, Mr. Simitis will discuss issues concerning economic aid to the neighboring country as well as Greece and Albania's common efforts to combat crime. In his meeting with his Albanian counterpart, Mr. Simitis will also discuss the issue of the Greek-0Albnbaian continental shelf, as well as the issue of Kossovo. Moreover, it is expected that the two premiers will discuss the Balkan leaders meeting which is to take place at the island of Crete in the beginning of November. The Prime Minister is to be accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Theodoros Pangalos and the Minister of Public Order George Romeos, as well as the deputy ministers of national economy and defense. According to the Albanian press reports, which have granted extensive coverage to the Greek leader's imminent visit, the primary target of Mr. Simitis' visit is to promote bilateral cooperation. A.F. [13] TURKEY CONTINUED TO VIOLATE ATHENS, NICOSIA FIR TODAYWeb Posted: 19:54 GMT+2Nicosia, October 14 (MPA)Greece is to forward to the NATO headquarters its report on the violations of Greece's and Cyprus's airspace conducted yesterday and today by Turkish military aircraft.Greece's Minister of Defense Akis Tsochatzopoulos, currently in Cyprus, stated that "Greek fighter jets secured the interception and removal of the Turkish planes. Turkey's plans will not go through. We are strong enough to guarantee this," he stated. The C130 military aircraft with which the Greek Defense Minister and his staff traveled to Larnaca yesterday was also subject to harassment by Turkish fighter jets. The air space violations took place east of Crete where the C130 was approached by the Turkish military aircraft. At the same time, two Greek Air Force F4 took off from the island of Santorini and intercepted the Turkish jet. In all, over 130 air space violations were noted as having been conducted by Turkey. A.F. [14] CONFERENCE OF S.E. EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT LEADERS BEGINS TOMORROWWeb Posted: 19:54 GMT+2Athens, October 14 (MPA)A two-day Conference of Parliamentary President from southeastern European countries is to begin in Athens tomorrow, following an initiative taken by the President of the Hellenic Parliament Apostolos Kaklamanis.The parliamentary delegations are to focus their attention to the role of the parliament in developing ties among the region's peoples, as well as the need to establish a more substantial communication among them. The countries to be represented at the Conference are Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, FYROM, Romania, Turkey, Croatia and Slovenia, as well as observers from parliamentary assemblies from various international organizations such as the Western European Union. Mr. Kaklamanis will open the session, while the Prime Minister of Greece Kostas Simitis is to present a salutation on Thursday, to be followed by a speech presented by Greece's Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos. A.F. [15] CYPRUS' "NIKIFOROS '97" MILITARY EXERCISE WRAPS UP TODAYWeb Posted: 19:54 GMT+2Nicosia, October 14 (MPA)Cyprus's annual military exercise "Nikiforos '97" wrapped up today, featuring the participation of air and naval forces from Greece.Tomorrow, the President of the Republic of Cyprus Glafkos Clerides and Greece's Minister of Defense Akis Tsochatzopoulos are to observe the closing ceremony of the exercise. Mr. Tsochatzopoulos is currently at the island where he observed the maneuvers. Meanwhile, given the noted reduction of Turkish violations of Greece's and Cyprus' air space, yesterday they numbered 70 but today they fell to 15, Mr. Tsochatzopoulos stated that apparently Ankara got the message. A.F. [16] GREECE'S ALTERNATE F.M. GEORGE PAPANDREOU IS CURRENTLY IN SOFIAWeb Posted: 19:54 GMT+2Sofia, October 14 (MPA)Greece's alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou is currently in Sofia where he met with the Bulgarian President Petar Stoyanov.Mgrs. Stoyanov and Papandreou discussed the imminent meeting to be held among the Presidents of Greece, Bulgaria and Romania, a Bulgarian initiative which Mr. Papandreou characterized as "positive" since it will contribute to the development of cooperation among the three countries, on matters of combating organized crime, illegal immigration and drug trafficking. The Greek official also met with Bulgaria's Foreign Minister Najezda Mihailova and the undersecretary of Foreign Affairs Antoinetta Primatarova, with whom he discussed issues concerning Bulgaria's European orientation. Mr. Papandreou stated that "relations between the European Union and Bulgaria, and more specifically Bulgaria's accession course to the EU, were the main topic of our talks." The Greek alternate Foreign Minster stressed Greece's support for Bulgaria's accession course, and confirmed the Greek position that favors a "common starting point" for the EU accession negotiations for central and eastern Europe's 11 countries. Following his stay at the Bulgarian capital, Mr. Papandreou is to conduct a tour through the Baltic states. A.F. [17] FYROM: TETOVO'S MAYOR SENTENCED, 2 YEARS IN JAIL OVER FLAG DISPUTEWeb Posted: 19:54 GMT+2Skopje, October 14 (MPA)The Albanian mayor of Tetovo, FYROM, Alidin Demiri and the president of the Municipal Council Pedi Bejepi have been sentenced to two years and six months in jail over the flag dispute that erupted in the city almost half a year ago.The two men were tried for not having enforced the ruling of FYROM's Constitutional court which found that the Albanian and Turkish flags hoisted on the masts outside City Hall should be taken down. According to Mr.Demiri, the matter that he was tried on was not a legal issue, but a political one. A.F. [18] GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER TO EMBARK ON VISIT TO BULGARIA TOMORROWWeb Posted: 19:54 GMT+2Sofia, October 14 (MPA)Germany's Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel is to embark on an official visit to Sofia tomorrow, where he is to be received by Bulgarian President Petar Stoyanov, Prime Minster Ivan Kostov and Foreign Minister Najezda Mihailova.Mr. Kinkel will be accompanied by a delegation of German businessmen who will participate at a seminar concerning Bulgarian-German economic relations and the European fulfillment. Also, the European Union's Commissioner Hans Van Den Broek is expected in Sofia tomorrow evening. A.F. [C] EUROPE[19] GREECE ON THE RIGHT COURSE TO EMU, ACCORDING TO EU COMMISSIONWeb Posted: 13:30 GMT+2Athens, October 14 (MPA)The course of Greece's economy is on the right track towards the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), having marked an apparent improvement, according to reports to be published by the European Commission.According to the EC's forecasts, which are aired a few months prior to the final announcement that will reveal which countries will have gained admission to the EMU on January 1, 1999, the Greek economy's macroeconomic improvement secures the country's accession to the EMU, while not by 1999, certainly within a few years thereafter. The Minister of Greece's National Economy and Finance Yiannos Papantoniou has stated that he is satisfied with the Commission's report. A.F. [20] EU: GREECE WILL NOT FULLFIL EMU CRITERIA BY THE YEAR 1999Web Posted: 19:54 GMT+2Brussels, October 14 (MPA)Thirteen out of the European Union's 15 member-states will meet the criteria for theCommunity's monetary union by the end of 1997, and 14 will have done so by the end of 1998, according to an announcement issued today by the European Commission. Greece is the only EU member-state that will not meet the EMU criteria by the year 1999, according to the report, given that the country's public deficit is expected to reach the 4.2% mark of the GNP, a figure considerably higher from the ceiling of 3% necessary for meeting EMU criteria. France is also expected to overcome the 3% mark, albeit by a mere 0.1%. A.F. [D] WORLD[21] GREECE'S F.M. RECEIVES STATE DEPARTMENT'S ENVOY FOR CYPRUS T. MILLERWeb Posted: 19:54 GMT+2Athens, October 14 (MPA)Greece's Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos met this evening with the U.S. State Department's special coordinator for the Cyprus issue Thomas Miller in Athens. Following the meeting, the American diplomat stated that he briefed the Greek F.M. on the contacts he had yesterday in Ankara with Turkish officials."The United States are not providing a specific proposal for negotiations in regards to the Cyprus issue," Mr. Miller stated. Moreover, he stated that the issue of Cyprus is quite significant and added that it is still too early for one to assess if steps have been taken in the direction of solving the problem. In regards to Cyprus'' accession to the European Union,. Mr. Miller stated that the U.S. are in favor of such development, albeit they would like to see the Turkish-Cypriots be represented in the related process and negotiations. A.F. 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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