Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 98-06-21

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From: The Macedonian Press Agency at http://www.mpa.gr and http://www.hri.org/MPA.

Last Update: 23:27 GMT+2

SECTIONS

[A] GREECE

[B] EUROPE

[C] WORLD

NEWS HEADLINES

[A] GREECE

[B] EUROPE

[C] WORLD

NEWS IN DETAIL

[A] GREECE

[01] PRESIDENT OF HELLENIC REPUBLIC TO VISIT CYPRUS THIS WEEK

Web Posted: 19:27 GMT+2

President Stephanopoulos will be made an honorary citizen of the city of Evagora by the Municipality of Famagusta and presented with the "broken gold key" of the Turkish-occupied city of Famagusta.

[02] FYROM FOREIGN MINISTER ARRIVES TOMORROW ON OFFICIAL VISIT

Web Posted: 19:27 GMT+2

In an interview he gave to Greek newspaper "To Vima" , Mr. Hatzinski rules out any change to Skopje's name, saying his compatriots would refuse such a proposal "100 percent" if a referendum were held on the issue.

Mr. Hatzinski said no resolution of the name issue would nevertheless require Greece and FYROM to "learn to live with the problem with dignity as their strategic interests coincide in 99 percent of cases."

[03] IONIAN BANK WORKERS WILL RETURN TO WORK, CALL OFF STRIKE

Web Posted: 19:27 GMT+2

after shareholders in Ionian's parent company Commercial Bank voted on Friday to sell a 51 percent stake in the bank.

Employees at Ionian Bank had been on a rolling strike since May 11, protesting the privatization, despite court rulings that declared the strike illegal.

The strike was marked by several violent clashes which culminated in workers disrupting the Bank's annual general meeting on Friday.

The privatization is a key part of the Greek government's plan to restructure public sector companies in preparation for possible membership in the European Monetary Union.

On hearing of the end of the strike, both Commercial Bank management and National Economy and Finance Minister Yiannos Papantoniou reiterated an earlier commitment to safeguarding jobs and pension rights of Ionian's employees.

[04] US AMBASSADOR IN ATHENS: CLINTON'S CALL WAS NOT A THREAT

Web Posted: 19:27 GMT+2

to Greece Nicholas Burns said that U.S. President Bill Clinton's phone call to Greek Prime Minister Kostas Simitis should not be perceived as a threat.

President Clinton called Premier Simitis during the European Union's summit at Cardiff last Tuesday and requested that the Greek government consent to a strengthening of the European Union's relations with Turkey, since this would allow Washington to exercise all its influence on Ankara towards normalizing Greek-Turkish relations.

Mr. Simitis told the American president that it was not possible for Greece to accept any rewording of the Luxembourg summit decisions regarding the EU's relations with Turkey.

[05] NATO EXERCISE BEGINS IN NORTHERN GREECE

Web Posted: 18:57 GMT+2

The exercise, which is set to last until June 30, features the participation of soldiers from three NATO member-states, namely Italian, Dutch and Greek, as well as three Balkan countries, Armenia, Bulgaria and FYROM.

[06] GREEK DEFENSE MINISTER: TURKEY HAS NO LEEWAY FOR TENSION

Web Posted: 18:57 GMT+2

Mr. Tsochatzopoulos said it would do Turkey no good to use Nicosia's planned installation of Russian-made S-300 anti-aircraft missiles or Greece's support for Cyprus within the two countries' joint defense doctrine, as a response to results of the EU summit in Cardiff.

The Greek Defense Minister also called on Turkey to take advantage of the "room given to it" and work towards adopting the conditions prevailing in EU countries in order to upgrade its relations with the Community.

[07] GREEK PM: WE WILL STEADFASTLY CONTINUE OUR POLICY

Web Posted: 18:57 GMT+2

Mr. Simitis also referred to the recent violent clashes that occurred on Friday during the general assembly of the shareholders of Commerce Bank - who were to decide on the sale of Ionian Bank- and stated that violence will not interrupt the course to progress.

[B] EUROPE

[08] TURKISH MAN STABBED IN ARMENIA-RELATED CLASHES IN PARIS

Web Posted: 19:27 GMT+2

According to Associated Press reports, between 60 and 80 people charged a crowd of about 50 Turks rallying in central Paris to protest the government's proposal.

One man was stabbed and 17 others were slightly injured, police said.

French lawmakers voted in May to formally recognize the killings of ethnic Armenians in Turkey as a genocide - a move that drew sharp protests from Turkey.

The motion goes from the National Assembly to the Senate. If it passes there, France will use the term ``genocide'' to describe the deaths of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians in Ottoman Turkey between 1915 and 1923.

Turkey denies that the deaths constituted genocide - the systematic annihilation of a racial, political or cultural group - insisting that they were the result of a civil war.

Later Saturday, about 1,500 people joined the rally, which proceeded without further incident.

[C] WORLD

[09] UN CALLS ON GREECE AND TURKEY TO EXERCISE RESTRAINT

Web Posted: 19:27 GMT+2

Speaking to the BBC., Mr. Annan said he was sending the UN special envoy Diego Cordovez to explore the possibilities of a settlement to the dispute, which has lasted more than twenty years.

Both the EU and the United States are also sending their special envoys to Cyprus.

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/

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