Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 98-02-20

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

Macedonian Press Agency: News in English Directory

MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH

Thessaloniki, 20 February 1998

NEWS IN ENGLISH

[A] NATIONAL NEWS

[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

TITLES

[A] NATIONAL NEWS

[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

NEWS IN DETAIL

[A] NATIONAL NEWS

[01] PASOK PARTY’S YOUTH CONFERENCE TO BE HELD TODAY

The ruling PASOK party’s Youth Conference is to start this afternoon in Athens, although the party’s press office issued an announcement wherein it expressed its “chagrin” over the congress and stated that the conference merely worsens the current impasse.

PASOK's youth organization yesterday decided to hold its conference despite of a request by PASOK's political secretariat to postpone it.

The political secretariat issued a press release stating that it attempted to avert what it called a "divisive development". Furthermore, the political secretariat decided not to support the youth conference if it takes place under present terms, but recognized that the final decision belongs to the youth group's leadership, since it is autonomous.

The Minister of National Defense Akis Tsochatzopoulos issued a written statement wherein he grants the congress’s leaders and their decisions his full support. His scheduled attendance was canceled since he will accompany the President of the Republic during the latter’s tour of Ioannina.

[02] PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC VISITS IOANNINA TODAY

The President of the Hellenic Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos is on a visit to the city of Ioannina today, where he will attend the 85th anniversary since the city’s liberation.

This evening, the President will attend a dinner to be hosted in his honor by the city’s mayor, while tomorrow President Stephanopoulos will inaugurate an exhibition concerning the liberation. He will also visit the archaeological site of Dodoni.

[03] EVROS FLOOD VICTIMS TO BE GRANTED SIX AND A HALF BILLION DRACHMAS

the government delegation that traveled to the flood-stricken region of Evros yesterday. Announced a package of relief measures for those whose cultivated land underwent extensive damage.

The delegation, headed by the Minister of Environment, City Planing and Public Works Kostas Laliotis, announced that the overall cost of these measures and restoration works for the region of Thrace are to surpass the mark of GRD6.5 billion.

[04] BOMB ATTACT AT GENERAL MOTORS SHOWROOM IN ATHENS

Remains of an alarm clock found at the scene of a bomb attack against a General Motors showroom in Athens early yesterday morning have led authorities to suspect that the blast may be the work of Greece's most infamous terrorist group, "November 17", according to public order ministry sources.

According to the reports, remains are identical with clocks used as timing devices in past bomb attacks subsequently claimed by November 17. In addition, November 17 has in the past claimed responsibility for attacking four targets related to US interests, in order to express solidarity with Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. They warned at the time that such attacks would be repeated if the US struck Iraq.

The bomb went off outside the General Motors showroom shortly after midnight, causing damage to the building but no injuries.

Government spokesman Dimitris Reppas said yesterday that the police were still investigating the incident and it would be premature to speculate on who could be behind the attack.

[05] US AMBASSADOR COMMENTS ON BOMB ATTACT AGAINST GENERAL MOTORS

US ambassador to Athens Nicholas Burns stated yesterday that Washington respected Greek police with which it had been working for the past 20 years.

Referring to yesterday's bomb attack on the General Motors showroom, Mr. Burns he said that it was an issue exclusively for Greek authorities.

"I don't know who could be behind this bomb attack, this is something Greek police are investigating. Personally, I do not believe that this attack has anything to do with what is happening in the (Persian) Gulf."

[06] GREENPEACE MEMBERS TRIED OVER ‘94 TAKEOVER OF THESSALONIKI PLANT

Two members of the international environment advocacy group Greenpeace will stand trial at a Thessaloniki court for participating in a takeover of a local petrochemical plant in December of 1994.

"We are being charged for doing what the state should have done," said the head of the Greek office of Greenpeace, Stelios Psomas.

[07] CLONING PROPONENT RICHARD SEED IS IN GREECE

America’s controversial physicist Richard Seed, currently on a visit to Athens, reiterated yesterday that he is determined to begin experiments on human cloning and expressed the hope that he would be able to work with Greek scientists in the venture.

He said that for the time being he had not decided in which country to begin his experiments.

Greece, along with other European countries, has signed a protocol banning human cloning experiments.

Meanwhile, renowned Russian geneticist Yuri Verlinski, who is also in Greece, told a press conference in Athens yesterday that he was in favor of cloning experiments, provided they did not involve humans.

[08] US TRADE DELEGATION TO ARRIVE IN GREECE NEXT WEEK

A US trade delegation of medical equipment suppliers are to arrive in Athens on February 23 in order to find representatives for their products or form joint ventures.

The US Embassy's commercial department is to arrange a meeting of the eight firms' representatives with Greek businesses.

The delegation is also visiting Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom.

[09] PAPHOS “ANDREAS PAPANDREOU” AIR BASE TO OPEN IN MARCH

The opening ceremony for the “Andreas Papandreou” air base at Paphos is to be held on March 25, in the presence of Greek National Defense Mister Akis Tsochatzopoulos.

Honoring the event, a flight of Greek air force jets is to land at the air base and the issue of their landing is to be decided upon by the Greek and Cypriot governments.

[10] TURKISH FIGHTER JETS VIOLATED THE GREEK AIR SPACE

Eighteen Turkish fighter jets violated the Greek air space and the international air traffic regulations nine times today, at the region over the Aegean islands of Psara, Limnos, Lesvos and Chios.

The Turkish fighter jets were intercepted by Greek warplanes. This new Turkish activity in the Aegean is being seen as an effort aimed at heightening the tension in the region.

[11] PASOK’S YOUTH CONGRESS OPENED TODAY

PASOK youth congress opened in Athens today without the presence of prime minister Kostas Simitis, minister of defense Akis Tsochatzopoulos and PASOK central committee general secretary Kostas Skandalidis.

Minister of environment, land planning and public works Kostas Laliotis stated that PASOK should be united adding that in the past the party had overcome much worse crises.

[12] 296 KALASNIKOVS WERE CONFISCATED IN FLORINA

One of the largest cache of weapons ever confiscated in Greece after the raids of in the Albanian weapons’ depots, was found in the prefecture of Florina, north-western Greece. Police confiscated 296 Kalasnikovs and 2.000 pieces of ammunition.

The weapons were hidden in a truck that came from Albania and crossed the Greek borders from the border station of Kristalopigi. The truck’s destination was the city of Thessaloniki.

[13] POSITIVE CLIMATE IN THE GREEK-ROMANIAN BUSINESS RELATIONS

The traditional ties of friendship and cooperation between the business communities of Greece and Romania were strengthened even more during the recent visit to Thessaloniki by a delegation of the Commerce and Industry Chambers of the Romanian cities of Vaslui and Maramures.

Most of the members of the delegation were representing the sector of constructions and visited Thessaloniki on the occasion of the exhibitions “Infacoma” and “Marmin”.

The Romanian businessmen had the opportunity to meet with high officials of Thessaloniki’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who stated that the trade relations between the two countries are satisfactory but they can be further improved, while a positive development for the Greek products exported to Romania is the fact that the percentage of participation for the light industry sector has increased.

[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

[14] MAIN OPPOSITION PARTY CHIEF MEETS WITH EU, NATO LEADERS IN BRUSSELS

The president of Greece’s main opposition party, New Democracy’s Kostas Karamanlis, met with EU Commissioner Christos Papoutsis in Brussels yesterday.

Following the meeting, Mr. Karamanlis stated that their talks focused on employment and agriculture issues.

Mr. Papoutsis said that the government and the opposition must coordinate efforts to confront the problems Greece is facing in qualifying for Economic and Monetary Union.

Mr. Karamanlis also met with Commissioner Hans van den Broek for talks on the EU's foreign relations.

Mr. van den Broek said that Cyprus and EU-Turkish relations were the focus of their discussion.

After a meeting with NATO Secretary General Javier Solana, Mr. Karamanlis said:

"We discussed all issues of mutual concern. On the question of the new structure of the alliance, I told the Secretary General that it is acceptable, taking into consideration that the sovereign rights and national interests of Greece must not be abused . I pointed this out because we have the experience of the factor of the continuous escalation and provocativeness by Turkey, which must probably have led to the prediction or maybe to the future prediction of certain special settlements."

[15] BULGARIAN OFFICIALS IN THESSALONIKI TOMORROW FOR BUSINESS TALKS

Bulgaria’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Boskov and Industry Undersecretary Vladimir Kissiov are to arrive in Thessaloniki tomorrow for a two-day visit, heading a delegation of Bulgarian businessmen.

The two officials and members of the delegation will meet representatives of the Federation of Northern Greek Industry (SVVE) and businessmen active in Bulgaria, who will outline the problems of doing business in Bulgaria.

The two Bulgarian officials and delegation member Olga Stoyanova, director of the Bulgarian industry ministry's division on international investments, will outline Bulgaria's privatization program and its new investment law.

The delegation comprises representatives of 20 Bulgarian enterprises in communications, tourism and textiles, and representatives of the Bulgarian stock market.

[16] INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON THE BYZANTIUM HELD IN FLORENCE

A three-day, international symposium titled “The Byzantium and Florence” began in the said Italian city yesterday.

The event is organized by Greece’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in the framework of events organized by the Greece-held presidium of the European University Institute.

Addressing the inauguration will be the Mister of Foreign Affairs Theodoros Pangalos, and will feature the participation of various professors of the European University Institute, the University of Florence, and researches from Greece, Italy, France and Great Britain.

[17] THE UN SECRETARY-GENERAL IS IN BAGHDAD

UN secretary-general Kofi Annan is in Baghdad today and stressed that his mission to Iraq is the last chance for a peaceful solution to the crisis that resulted from Saddam Hussein’s refusal to allow the UN inspectors to visit the suspect weapons of mass destruction sites.

US President Bill Clinton warned that the United States are ready to take military action if Kofi Annan’s mission fails.

[18] A GREEK EURO-DEPUTY IS IN TIRANA TO ASSIST IN THE ADOPTION OF A NEW CONSTITUTION

Greek Euro-deputy and professor of Constitutional Law in the University of Athens Dimitris Tsatsos is on a visit to Tirana at the invitation of the Constitutional Parliamentary Committee to assist in the efforts aimed at adopting a new Albanian Constitution.

Mr. Tsatsos had contacts with the co-presidents of the Constitutional Committee, representatives of European organizations in Tirana and Democratic party president Sali Berisha.

Today, Mr. Tsatsos is scheduled to meet with Albanian president Redzep Meidani, prime minister Fatos Nano, Parliament president Skender Ginusi and other high ranking government officials.

[19] SOFIA DOES NOT INTEND TO CLOSE ANY OF THE KOZLODUI REACTORS

The Bulgarian government does not intend to close any of the Kozlodui power plant nuclear reactors.

The above were stated in Parliament today by Bulgarian government vice-president Gevgeni Bakarziev, who referred to the measures taken or are about to be taken for the plant’s safe operation.

According to Mr. Bakarziev, the European Union does not request from Bulgaria the final closure of the Kozlodui nuclear plant realizing that its contribution to the country’s electricity production is decisive while at the same time, the EU recognizes that Sofia has made great efforts for the nuclear plant’s safe operation.

[20] PAULINE GREEN: CYPRUS HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY A LEADING ROLE

Leader of Euro-Parliament’s Socialist Group Pauline Green, in an interview with the Greek Radio in London, expressed the belief that Cyprus has the chance to play a leading role in the promotion of a solution of the problem, while she pointed out that the international community is determined to offer its assistance toward this direction.

Referring to the participation of the Turkish Cypriots in the EU accession negotiations, Ms. Green pointed out that she encourages Cypriot president Glafkos Clerides to continue the efforts aimed at finding a formula that will make this possible, while she pointed out that the EU would have preferred Cyprus’ accession as an entity.

Ms. Green also pointed out Washington’s determination to promote the solution of the Cyprus problem in spite of the fact that the statements of Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash and Turkey’s stance are not helpful.

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