Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 98-01-15

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

Macedonian Press Agency: News in English Directory

MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH

Thessaloniki, 15 January 1998

NEWS IN ENGLISH

[A] NATIONAL NEWS

[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

TITLES

[A] NATIONAL NEWS

[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

NEWS IN DETAIL

[A] NATIONAL NEWS

[01] GREEK PRESIDENT CONCERNED OVER POSSIBILITY OF WARM EPISODE

The President of the Hellenic Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos has expressed his concern over the possibility of a warm episode in the Aegean, following the continuous provocation displayed by Turkey whose fighter jets are violating Greece’s national air space.

Referring to Greek-Turkish relations, the Greek President stated that “Greece is under threat of war by Turkey if it exercises its right under the Law of the Sea to extend its territorial waters from six to 12 nautical miles.”

Mr. Stephanopoulos also expressed the hope that reason and prudence would prevail in Turkey, and that differences would be referred by Ankara to the International Court at The Hague.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry has openly challenged Greek sovereignty beyond the six-mile zone as well as Greece’s sovereignty on a number of islets and small islands in the Aegean. A.F.

[02] PRESIDENT OF GREECE CONTINUES OFFICIAL VISIT TO INDIA

The President of the Hellenic Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos is currently on an official visit to India, the first one conducted by a Greek head of state to that country since 1982.

Aiming at strengthening political and economic ties between the two countries, Mr. Stephanopoulos is accompanied by Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos, Finance Undersecretary Alekos Baltas and a delegation of leading Greek businessmen. representatives.

Mr. Stephanopoulos visited the National Museum of India and afterwards met at the Taj Mahal Hotel with Indian business leaders, with whom he discussed the opportunities for expanding the two countries' economic relations

He also announced that a Greek-Indian agreement for the bilateral promotion and protection of investments is being prepared. A.F.

[03] DEFENSE UNDERSECRETARY COMMENTS ON US AMBASSADOR’S STATEMENTS

The Undersecretary of Defense Dimitris Apostolakis stated that the United States Ambassador in Athens Nicholas Burns is certain to review the statements he made yesterday, referring to the latter’s view that Greece is seeking national air space extending to ten nautical miles.

Moreover, the alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou stated that it is disorientating to deal with the statements of the US ambassador instead of Turkey’s provocation.

In his first public address yesterday, since he assumed his post in December, Mr. Burns stated that he will work toward modernizing and upgrading relations between Greece and the United States.

Mr. Burns also stressed that his recent statements regarding Greek national airspace are “an outright distortion by many Greek media outlets.”

He stated that "a number of newspapers and later television and radio commentators alleged that I had proposed some kind of Aegean compromise that would reward sovereignty of the Kalogeri islets to Greece in exchange for a reduction of the air space that Greece has long claimed.

“In fact, I neither said that nor would I ever imagine it. The two issues are not and should not be linked. The story had no basis in fact. But the result was a debate that could only sow suspicion, create distrust and detract from discussion of the real issues. We have serious issues to debate. Let's not waste our time and efforts on imaginary ones," he emphasized.

The US diplomat also referred to Cyprus, stressing that his government wants to see a united Cyprus, adding that "we Americans want to see a peaceful, stable eastern Mediterranean where the potential for conflict is eliminated and the people of the region can live in permanent peace."

He added "Cyprus and Greek-Turkish differences are among the most difficult and complex diplomatic problems anywhere in the world", while he stressed that US President Bill Clinton, US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and presidential envoy Richard Holbrooke "will do what they can to help." A.F.

[04] DEFENSE MINISTER TO ATTEND EUROPEAN SOCIALIST PARTY CONFERENCE

Greece’s Defense Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos is to depart for Strasbourg tomorrow where he will attend the European Socialist Party's presidium conference, representing Greece’s ruling PASOK party.

Among the issues to be discussed are coordinating the activities of the European Council, latest developments in southeastern Europe, preparing a conference on culture, set for Vienna in 1998,and preparing the ESP's congress.

Mr. Tsochatzopoulos, who is the ESP’s vice-president, will be accompanied by Foreign Undersecretary Yiannos Kranidiotis. A.F.

[05] PASSPORT REVIEW AGENCY TO OPEN IN THESSALONIKI

Beginning on January 26, a passport review agency is to operate in Thessaloniki, a collaboration between the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Macedonia-Thrace.

This was announced by the alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs George Papandreou, who added that the city will also host an agency that will grant visas to Greek-origin individuals from the former Soviet Union. A.F.

[06] TURKEY SHOULD ABANDON ITS EXPANSIONIST ASPIRATIONS

Undersecretary of defense Mr.Apostolakis issued a harsh warning to Ankara to abandon its expansionist aspirations and said that there will be a violent Greek response if Ankara continues the provocative tactic of mass violations.

Deputy foreign minister Giorgos Papandreou stated that it is disorientating to be concerned with the statements made by the US ambassador and not with the Turkish provocation.

The European Union expressed concern over the tension in the Greek-Turkish relations that is caused by the military exercises in the Aegean.

[07] THE CHIEF OF THE GREEK NAVY HAS BEEN DISCHARGED

The governmental council for national defense decided today that the chiefs of the armed forces and Air Force will remain in their positions while the chief of the Navy is being discharged.

Lieutenant-general Paragioudakis remains chief of the Army General Staff and Air Marshal Antonetzis remains chief of the Air Force General Staff.

Based on the decision of the governmental council, Navy chief vice admiral Paleogiorgos is being discharged. The new Navy chief is the fleet commander vice admiral Ioannidis.

[08] CRITICISM ON THE GOVERNMENT BY KARAMANLIS

Leader of main opposition party of New Democracy Kostas Karamanlis strongly criticized the government for its economic policy.

The leader of the main opposition party characterized 1998 as a year of action for New Democracy and stressed that the true picture of the national economy is unfavorable and pessimistic.

He also pointed out that the government is lying concerning its tax policy and added that prime minister Simitis has failed.

[09] OBJECTIVE TAX CRITERIA MAY BE ABOLISHED IN 1999

The finance ministry will be in a position to abolish the objective tax criteria and go ahead with tax breaks for wage- earners and pensioners at the end of 1999, according to National Economy Minister Yiannos Papantoniou who spoke before a Parliamentary committee, which yesterday continued the debate on the government's new tax bill.

The minister added that an "administrative revolution" will take place in the next two years, saying that in 1998 the economy will enter a new phase.

Mr. Papantoniou described criticism that the bill was aimed at "raiding" the incomes of salaried workers and pensioners as a lie, saying that out of an estimated revenue of 250 billion drachmas, only 30 billion will be collected from taxes on citizens adding that most of them concerned increased taxes on luxury living, mobile phone holders and smokers. The minister insisted that what the tax bill mostly targets is capital, businesses and tax evasion.

The three main points in the government’s tax policy, according to the minister, are the freezing of indirect taxes, eradication of tax evasion and imposing more taxes on large capital.

[10] SPEAKER OF GREEK PARLIAMENT RECEIVES THRACE REPRESENATIVES

“Thrace is an advanced stronghold for Greece and its development is a critical choice for the whole country” the speaker of the Greek Parliament Apostolos Kaklamanis stressed to representatives from Thrace headed by the President of the Prefecture of Rodopi-Evros Giannis Nikolaidis, he received today.

Mr Kaklamanis underlined the special sensitivity the Greek government has towards Thrace, inspired by its aim for development. He also said that the Greek Parliament will try within its capacity to contribute to this procedure.

[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

[11] US SECRETARY OF COMMERCE RICHARD DALEY IN ATHENS ON SATURDAY

United States Secretary of Commerce Richard Daley is to arrive in Athens next Saturday, where he will hold talks with Prime Minister Kostas Simitis and other ministers on ways to increase trade between the two countries.

Speaking in a press conference in Washington Mr. Daley stated that he will also promote the participation of US firms in tenders announced by the Greek government for state procurements and named the sectors of telecommunications and environmental protection as areas of investment potential.

Trade between Greece and the United States currently stands at $1.5 billion. A.F.

[12] EUROPEAN COMMISSION CONCERNED OVER TURKISH EXERCISE IN AEGEAN

The European Commission had expressed its concern over the existing tension that lies in the ties between Greece and Turkey, in light of the Turkish military exercise in the Aegean Sea.

In response to a question tabled by Greek Euro-deputy Alekos Alavanos, who referred to the dozens of violations committed by Turkey on Greece’s national air space and asked that action be taken on order to put a end to these continuous provocation, the Commission stated that Ankara must provide positive messages to Athens, something that would also affect positively Turkey’s relations with the EU.

Moreover, the Commission stressed that the strengthening of the ties between the Community and Turkey largely depends on the creation of satisfactory and stable relations with its neighbor Greece. A.F.

[13] US PRESIDENT CLINTON ISSUES BI-MONTHLY REPORT ON CYPRUS

United States President Bill Clinton refers to the intense activity exerted by his country’s officials in the framework of the efforts to resolve the Cyprus issue, in his bi-monthly report to Congress on the Cypriot issue.

The report, spanning the period between October-November 1997, President Clinton stated that “the US diplomacy continued with an intense rate its efforts to promote progress on resolving the Cyprus issue” and he also referred to the contacts made by his envoy to the island Richard Holbrooke and the special coordinator Thomas Miller, both in the US and in the region.

Moreover, the US President refers to the meeting coordinated by Mr. Holbrooke among businessmen from the island’s two communities, held in November at Brussels.

“High-ranking officials from the United States had numerous meetings with EU officials, in order to support Cyprus’s opportunities for accession to the US and to encourage closer ties between the EU and Turkey,” he wrote.

[14] EU OFFICALS TO MEET WITH US SECRETARY OF STATE, WILL DISCUSS CYPRUS

European Union officials are to meet with the US Secretary of State Madeline Albright in Washington today, with the Cyprus issue being one of the matters of discussion.

British Foreign Minister Robin Cook and the vice-president of The European Commission Sir. Leon Brittan are to meet with Ms. Albright and other State Department officials.

Among the other issues to be discussed will be the situation in the Middle East, Algeria, the Asian economic crisis and a series of trade-related subjects. A.F.

[15] ALBANIAN PREMIER FATOS NANO CURRENTLY ON OFFICIAL VISIT TO FYROM

Albania’s Prime Minister Fatos Nano is currently on an official visit to Skopje, after an invitation issued by FYROM’s Premier’s Branco Cervenkovski during the latter’s visit to Tirana last month.

During his stay, Mr. Nano will be received by FYROM’s President Kiro Gligorov and other political leaders. Mr. Nano is accompanied by Albania’s Ministers of Foreign Affairs Paschal Milo, Economic cooperation Ermelinda Mecsi and Justice Timio Conti.

The agreements that are to be signed between the two countries concern the borders, protection of investments, trade and customs cooperation as well as the application of judicial orders. A.F.

[16] TENEGRO:VIOLENT EPISODES ERUPT, 44 POLICEMEN INJURED

The situation in Montenegro’s capital Podgorica is currently unstable, as a result of violent episodes that have erupted between policemen and the supporters of the exiting president B. Bulatovic.

Forty-four policemen have been injured and taken to the hospital, The authorities of Montenegro have banned the planned protests organized today by Mr. Bulatovic’s supporters and, according to an associate of Mr. Bulatovic, the ban will be observed. A.F.

[17] DEPUTIES ARE AGAINST HUMAN CLONING

Scientifically risky and morally unacceptable is the human cloning and any other form of creation of human beings by altering the genetic code. Such a practice will end up to a form of selective breeding leading to the marginalization of social classes, inequalities and other problems that can destroy human society.

The above were stated to MPA by Greek Euro-deputy Antonis Trakatelis, who gave a joint press conference on the issue with two of his colleagues, a German and a Belgian.

According to a joint draft resolution, all the political groups in the European Parliament support the banning of human cloning reminding that every one has the right to have a unique genetic identity. Also, they call on all the member-states of the Council of Europe to sign and ratify an accord on bio-medicine and human rights together with a protocol that provides for tough penal sanctions in case of a violation.

[18] TISTS CREATED AN IMMORTAL MOUSE

The people will be able to control in the future the mechanisms of deterioration, aging and death if the latest scientific achievements continue and is proven that they can be successfully applied on humans.

After the discovery by American scientists of the enzyme “telomerase” that protects the human cells from aging and deterioration, more similar news came to light, specifically the creation of an immortal mouse that dies only in the case of an accident or on a date programmed in advance.

According to a statement made to MPA by Kostas Triantafilidis, a biology professor in Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, this is a creature that has the form of a mouse and the genetic material of the fish “grivadi” found in large populations in the lakes of northern Greece. This fish has the ability of continuous growth but it never ages. Scientists were able to remove the gene “tithonine”, believed to be responsible for this peculiarity and they incorporated it into the genetic material of a mouse, thus creating the immortal creature through crossbreeding and selective breeding.

[19] IT-IN DEMONSTRATION IN THE GREEK CONSULATE IN MUNICH CONTINUES

The sit-in demonstration in the Greek consulate in Munich continues for a fourth day by parents and students of the Svaiford high school, who are protesting against the lack of sufficient number of teachers, in spite of the Greek education ministry promises that the problem will be resolved soon.

As a result of the sit-in, no consulate service is available to the public since Monday.

[20] ANNUAL SOLIDARITY MEETING OF GREEK AND TURKISH JOURNALISTS

The second annual solidarity meeting of Greek and Turkish journalists will be held in Izmir, Turkey on February 6-8 on the issue "The Media and Nationalism", according to an announcement made yesterday by the group Journalists in the Aegean and Thrace for Peace.

The first meeting was held last year on the island of Chios, on the first anniversary of the crisis over the Imia islets which brought the two nations to the brink of armed conflict. It was decided to repeat the meetings every year, either on a Greek island of the Aegean or a town on the Asia Minor coast in order to examine issues related to the role of the press in fueling the Imia crisis.

Questions to be examined at this year's meeting include the press and minority groups in Greece and Turkey, anti-nationalist movements in both countries, Greek-Turkish tension and the role of "third parties", as well as the role of front-page headlines in creating tension between Turkey and Greece.

[21] FYROM - ALBANIA:NEW COURSE WITH COMMON OBJECTIVES

The Prime Ministers of Albania Fatos Nano and FYROM Branko Cervenkofski expressed, after talks they had, their belief that bilateral relations are in a good path.

Mr Nano, head of the delegation consisting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs Pascal Milo, of Economic Co-operation Ermelinda Mexi, of Justice Timio Konti and his diplomatic and political consultant Pavli Zeri was received today by the President of FYROM Kiro Gligorov.

During a meeting, mr Nano had with his counterpart Branko Cervenkofski, they signed 8 agreements concerning the development of economic co-operation, the promotion and protection of investments, the trade and customs co-operation. An additional agreement on the border state and the co-operation accords was signed by the Ministries of Public Order and Interior Affairs, respectively.

Both mr Nano and mr Cervenkofski agreed on the eventuality of signing more accords during the sojourn of the Albanian Prime Minister in FYROM and stressed that “this is the beginning of a new chapter in the relations of the two countries which has common orientation and objectives”.

The Ministers who accompany mr Nano also met their counterparts but so far there was no announcement about the content of the meeting between mr Nano and mr Gligorov.

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