NEWS IN DETAIL

[01] COLLEGE STUDENTS TO BE GIVEN FREE SYLLABI FOR ONE MORE YEAR

Students at Greece's universities and colleges are to be given course syllabi and books for the upcoming academic year, according to an amendment submitted to Parliament last night.

The government had planned to do away with this privilege, but has decided to enforce it for another year.

[02] US ENVOY TO CYPRUS THOMAS MILLER TO VISIT GREECE AND TURKEY

The United States envoy for the Cyprus issue Thomas Miller is to visit Athens and Ankara next week.

Mr. Miller will hold talks with Greek and Turkish officials and is reportedly expected to exert pressure on the Greek side to cancel the installation of the Russian-made S-300 anti-aircraft missiles in Cyprus and will also discuss the proposal for flights moratorium over Cyprus.

[03] SECURITY COUNCIL CALLS FOR IMMEDIATE CEASE FIRE IN KOSSOVO

Members of the Security Council have called for an immediate cease fire to enhance prospects for a meaningful dialogue between the Kossovar Albanian leadership and the authorities of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to end the violence in Kossovo. The members of the Council made the call at a meeting held yesterday to discuss the latest report of the Secretary-General on Kossovo and to hear a briefing by Kieran Prendergast, Under- Secretary-General for Political Affairs. The President of the Security Council, Ambassador Danilo Turk of Slovenia said that the members of the Council urged the parties to start negotiations as soon as possible. He said that the issue of Kossovo can have no military solution and all violence and acts of terrorism from whatever quarters are unacceptable. Council members expressed grave concern over the intensified fighting in Kossovo, especially over the ongoing offensive by Belgrade security forces, he said.

"The ongoing fighting has had a devastating impact on the civilian population of Kossovo and has increased the numbers of refugees and displaced persons," he added. They expressed the importance of the implementation of the prohibitions imposed by resolution 1160 and expressed concern over infiltration from outside the borders of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia of weapons and fighting men, Ambassador Turk told reporters. The members of the Security Council deplored the excessive use of force by Belgrade security forces and of violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, and expressed concern about the appalling humanitarian situation in Kossovo. They called on all the parties to provide all necessary assistance and cooperation to the activities of international humanitarian organizations and international monitors in Kossovo and underlined the need to ensure their full and continuous access. They also underlined the need to create conditions to allow safe and permanent return of all refugees and internally displaced persons and recalled the commitment made by President Slobodan Milosevic to the international community. The members of the Council affirmed the commitment of all member states to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

[04] UN SECRETARY GENERAL: DIALOGUE IS ONLY PATH FOR SOLVING KOSSOVO CRISIS

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has reiterated his call on the parties to the conflict in Kossovo to immediately begin a dialogue to end the current hostilities. In a statement issued by his spokesman yesterday, the Secretary- General said that he remained convinced such a dialogue is "the only path to the solution to the Kossovo crisis." As the Security Council began to review his fourth report on the Kossovo crisis, Mr. Annan reiterated his dismay at the steadily worsening situation in this province of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY). He said that the conflict has wider implications for the region. "He is particularly concerned about the reports that FRY security forces may be adopting a 'scotched earth policy' in some areas of Kossovo," the statement said. Condemning such practices and urging the FRY security forces to avoid such "acts of wanton destruction", the Secretary General said that he equally abhorred the resort to violence and any suffering which might be caused by Kossovars. Mr. Annan expressed his full support for the efforts of the Contact Group to end the conflict through dialogue. He said that he also believed that a concerted international effort will be needed if a peaceful solution is to be found, given the lack of political will of the parties within the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

[05] GREEK PM MEETS WITH FRENCH COUNTERPART AT THE ISLAND OF SIFNOS

Greek Prime Minister Kostas Simitis and his French counterpart Lionel Jospin met yesterday at the Aegean island of Sifnos for a brief holiday that included no political talk. Early yesterday morning, Mr. Simitis flew to the island of Antiparos on a military helicopter to receive Mr. Jospin and his family and escorted them back to Sifnos. The two leaders and their families walked around the island's capital town and later sailed around the island in a cruise ship.

[06] STATE OFFERS REWARD FOR INFORMATION LEADING TO ARRESTS OVER ARSON

The Greek government announced yesterday that it will grant monetary rewards ranging from 5-20 million drachmas to anyone who will provide information leading to the arrest of arsonists who went on a wild spree recently and devastated the country by turning hundreds of thousands of hectares of cultivated land into barren ashes. All information will be subject to thorough investigations, while the informants will be granted full anonymity.

The amount of the reward will depend on a number of factors, such as degree of danger caused, size and location of land burned, etc.

[07] GREECE'S INTERAMERICAN IS BULGARIA'S FIRST FOREIGN INSURANCE COMPANY

Greece's "Interamerican" will be the first foreign insurance company to extend its business into Bulgaria. The parent company will hold 51% of the shares of "Énteramerican Bulgaria", whose operation license was recently issued in Sofia.

[08] HALKIDIKI, ATLANTIC CITY EMBARK ON TRADE ALLIANCE

Northern Greece's Halkidiki peninsula and Atlantic City are to embark on a trade alliance aimed at promoting tourism and related products from Halkidiki into the US market.

The alliance between the Greek prefecture and the American city is the result of an effort brainstormed by the chairman of the Greek commerce chambers of the United States Theodoros Spyropoulos, the Prefect of Halkidiki Vasilis Vasilakis, as well as the publisher of the Greek-American newspaper "Hellenic News of America" and co-organizer of "Hermes Expo", Pavlos Kotrotsos.

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