NEWS IN DETAIL

[01] FOREST PROTECTION TO BE RE-PLANNED FROM SCRATCH

Minister of the Interior Alekos Papadopoulos stated that the government's forest protection plan is to be fully re-drawn and added that a large part of the responsibility for the prevention and combat of fires will be given to the local government authorities.

Concurrently, the Minister of Public Order George Romeos has ordered the police to conduct patrols on a 24-hour basis throughout the burned regions in order to prevent any attempts of building on the charred land.

[02] HOLIDAY WEEKEND HAS HIGH DEATH TOLL AGAIN, 41 LIVES LOST, 450 INJURED

Forty-one persons lost their lives and 450 others are injured, some maimed for life, as a result of traffic accidents that occurred during the span of the three-day weekend that just passed.

This is "normal" for Greece, a country which statistically ranks highest among European countries in traffic-related accident and fatalities.

[03] NATO'S MILITARY EXERCISE GETS UNDERWAY TODAY IN ALBANIA

NATO is to embark on a military exercise in Albania today, featuring the participation of 12 countries, among them Greece. The exercise is commonly viewed as a "rehearsal" of military intervention at the strife-torn Kossovo. Greece's Minster of Defense Akis Tsochatzopoulos stated that military intervention in Kossovo will be unavoidable if the killings of unarmed civilians continue. He did stress, however, that for such intervention to take place it would require a relevant decision on behalf of the United Nations.

[04] PRIME MINISTER SIMITIS TO VISIT THESSALONIKI ON FRIDAY

Prime Minister Kostas Simitis is to return to Athens from his brief holiday tomorrow. On Thursday, Mr. Simitis will chair the ruling PASOK party's Executive Bureau session while on Friday he will travel to Thessaloniki in order to receive Austrian Chancellor Victor Klima whom he will accompany to Mt. Athos on Saturday.

During his stay in Thessaloniki, Mr. Simitis will meet with party deputies and local party leaders.

[05] FOURTH WORLD CONGRESS OF THRACIANS BEGINS IN EVROS

The Fourth World Congress of Thracians began today in Nea Orestiada.

In his opening address yesterday, the Minister Macedonia-Thrace Philippos Petsalnikos stressed that Thrace and the wider region of northern Greece are now the starting point of access, communication and cooperation with the peoples of the Balkans, eastern Europe, the Black Sea and southeastern Mediterranean.

[06] US ENVOY TO CYPRUS THOMAS MILLER TO VISIT TURKEY TODAY

The United States envoy for the Cyprus issue Thomas Miller is to visit Ankara today, with the S-300 missiles and proposals for a no-fly zone that might prevent their deployment expected to be high on the agenda. Mr. Miller is exploring ways of postponing and eventually cancelling the arrival of the Russian-made missiles to Cyprus. Turkey has threatened a military strike on the missiles if they are deployed. Mr. Miller will visit Athens and Nicosia on September 9, while Richard Holbrooke is to visit the area a the end of September. Meanwhile, according to a study conducted by the United States Institute of International Studies, the Turkish claims concerning the missiles do not stand since it supports that their deployment at the island will not subvert the strategic balance in the region.

[07] GREECE BUYS SEARCH AND RESCUE HELICOPTERS AT 18 BILLION DRACHMAS

The Merchant Marine Ministry is to sign a contract today with the French-German consortium of manufacturers, "Eurocopter" for the purchase of four search and rescue helicopters. The cost of the purchase of the four helicopters, one of which is an all-weather one, is estimated at 18 billion drachmas.

[08] 22 ESCAPED JUVENILE DELINQUENTS REMAIN AT LARGE

Twenty-two out of 41 juvenile delinquents who escaped from a prison near Athens on Saturday night remain at large and police are scouring the region in order to locate them.

According to a police spokesperson, the escape must have been well planned with outside help since cars were waiting outside the detention facility for the escapees. The Minister of Justice Evangelos Yiannopoulos has ordered a full- scale judicial inquiry concerning the circumstances of the escape.

[09] GREEK-US GROUP BUYS MAJORITY STAKES OF BULGARIA'S POST BANK

A venture formed between a unit of American International Group, and Greece's Consolidated Eurofinance Holdings purchased 78.23 percent of Bulgaria's Post Bank on Friday, for $38 million. Consolidated Eurofinance Holdings SA is a member of the European Financial Group, the central coordinating vehicle of the Latsis International Group, owned by Greece's prominent Latsis family who have substantial interests in shipping, oil, and banking. Post Bank's network in Bulgaria includes 30 branches, 81 offices and 2,792 outlets for its services through the state-run postal service Bulgarian Posts. Post Bank reported after-tax profit of 14.3 billion levs ($8 million) for 1997. Post Bank reported after-tax profit of 14.3 billion levs ($8 million) for 1997.

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