Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 98-09-24
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, September 24, 1998
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] ROMANIAN NATIONAL TAKES HOSTAGES IN ATHENS BEFORE CAPTURE, 10
DOWN
[02] PM TO BE BRIEFED ON MASSACRE, PUBLIC ORDER MINISTER BACK FROM
BRUSSELS
[03] PROSECUTOR TO PROBE INTO CONDITIONS OF LAST NIGHT'S MASSACRE
[04] CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY STAFF TO CONDUCT STRIKE UNTIL SUNDAY
[05] SPARTATHLON '98 RACE BEGINS TOMORROW, 23 COUNTRIES
REPRESENTED
[06] THESSALONIKI PICKED AS BALKAN ENTRY POINT FOR CHIQUITA
BANANAS
[07] SIMITIS-ROMEOS MEETING ON LAST NIGHT'S MASSACRE
[08] REPPAS: ANSWERS WILL BE GIVEN AFTER THE SIMITIS-ROMEOS
MEETING
[09] KOSTAS KARAMANLIS STRONGLY CRITICIZED THE GOVERNMENT FOR
YESTERDAY'S BLOOD BATH
[10] REPPAS: NO VIOLENT SOLUTION IN KOSOVO
[11] G. PAPANDREOU ON THE EUROPEAN PROSPECT OF THE BALKANS
[12] THE MINISTER OF PUBLIC ORDER ANNOUNCED THE SACKING OF THE
GREEK POLICE LEADERSHIP
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[13] NATO CONVENES OVER KOSSOVO
[14] YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC RECEIVES GREEK BUSINESS
DELEGATION
[15] RUSSIA'S AMBASSADOR TO GREECE NOW DEPUTY PM. FOR SOCIAL
POLICY
[16] GREEK FM SALUTES BULGARIAN INITIATIVE FOR BALKAN FMs MEETING
[17] US DEFENSE DEPARTMENT PROPOSES SALE OF $245 MISSILE SYSTEMS
TO GREECE
[18] ALBANIAN GOVERNMENT TO BE RESHUFFLED IN A MATTER OF DAYS
[19] US ENVOY HOLBROOKE TO SEPARATELY MEET TODAY WITH CLERIDES AND
CEM
[20] HOLBROOKE'S CONTACTS WITH CLERIDES
[21] COHEN WILL BE IN SKOPJE TOMORROW
[22] FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF THE ECONOMIC RELATIONS BETWEEN CYPRUS
AND THE UNITED STATES
[23] PROGRAMS FOR THE GREEKS LIVING ABROAD
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] ROMANIAN NATIONAL TAKES HOSTAGES IN ATHENS BEFORE CAPTURE, 10
DOWN
The 25-year-old woman Amalia Ginaki who was probably the
most tragic victim in last nights horrific incident is fighting
for her life at the intensive care unit of the Red Cross in
Athens, where her attacker, the Romanian criminal Matei Sorin, is
also hospitalized but whose life is out of danger.
The drama started when Sorin, who had escaped from the Greek
prisons numerous times, stormed into the apartment housing Ms.
Ginaki and her family members and took them hostage under the
threat of a hand grenade.
The Greek police ambushed the residence after mistakenly
assessing that the grenade was a fake one. When confronted, Sorin
activated the deadly weapon by pulling the pin from the grenade,
which exploded on the young woman and also injured the Police
Force's commander, deputy commander, two SWAT team members and
four other police officers.
[02] PM TO BE BRIEFED ON MASSACRE, PUBLIC ORDER MINISTER BACK FROM
BRUSSELS
Prime Minister Kostas Simitis has requested a through report
from the secretary-general of the Public Order Minster Yiannis
Papadoyiannakis, on last night's massacre in Athens where four
civilians -who were taken hostage by a Romanian criminal- and
eight police officers were injured when police stormed their
apartment n order to free them.
In light of last night's events, Public Order Minister George
Romeos is expediting his return from Brussels today, where he was
attending the EU Public Order ministers summit.
[03] PROSECUTOR TO PROBE INTO CONDITIONS OF LAST NIGHT'S MASSACRE
The Athens District Attorney Georgios Koliokostas has ordered
an emergency preliminary examination into the conditions and
causes of last night's massacre that left at least two persons
maimed and about four others fighting for their lives in local
hospitals.
It started as a standoff between police and the Romanian
fugitive Matei Sorin yesterday evening and escalated into a
massacre when police stormed the apartment where Sorin had broken
into and was holding a family of three as hostages, while
threatening to explode the hand grenade.
He was demanding from police a get-away car and 500,000
dollars to release the hostages.
According to a police spokesman, Sorin, who was reportedly under
the influence of heroin, pulled the pin from the grenade and
fastened it on the pants of one of the hostages, Amalia Ginaki,
25.
When police stormed the apartment, Matei pushed the girl
towards the policemen simultaneously exploding the hand grenade.
The girl underwent surgery which resulted in the amputation
of her leg. Also injured in the explosion were the Commander and
deputy commander of the police force, as well as six other police
officers, one of whom lost his right leg.
[04] CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY STAFF TO CONDUCT STRIKE UNTIL SUNDAY
The skies are to be clear, perhaps too clear, after civil
aviation employees declared 24-hour rolling strikes until Sunday.
According to Greece's Civil Aviation Authority, only forty
percent of domestic and foreign flights are to be conducted, while
no charter flight will take off. The protesters are opposed to
civil Aviation Authority's transformation into a private company.
[05] SPARTATHLON '98 RACE BEGINS TOMORROW, 23 COUNTRIES
REPRESENTED
Over 190 athletes representing 23 countries will be in Athens
tomorrow to take part in what is considered to be one of the most
grueling races in the world, the international ultra-distance
endurance race "Spartathlon '98".
The race, held for the 16th consecutive year, will begin on
Friday at the foot of the Acropolis. The athletes will have 36
hours to run the 246-kilometer distance to the city of Sparta, in
southeastern Peloponnese. They will be tracing the steps of the
ancient Athenian courier Pheidippides, and will run 1,200 meters
up Mount Parthenio in the dead of night.
According to the ancient Greek historian Herodotus' account
of the Battle of Marathon, Pheidippides was sent to Sparta to ask
for help when the Persians landed at Marathon. Herodotus says
Pheidippides arrived in Sparta "the next day".
The Spartathlon was originated by John Foden, a British Royal
Air Force wing commander who ran the course in 1982 with four RAF
colleagues.
The 1st International Spartathlon was organized in 1983 with
the participation of 45 runners from 11 countries as well as
Greece.
[06] THESSALONIKI PICKED AS BALKAN ENTRY POINT FOR CHIQUITA
BANANAS
A recently signed agreement between Greece's Fruita and the
well-know multinational Chiquita is expected to turn
Thessaloniki's port into a major transit center for the import of
large quantities of bananas towards the Balkans.
The first shipment of some 40,000 cartons of bananas is
expected to arrive in Thessaloniki tomorrow. Fruita has made
arrangements for storage in the port's warehouses.
[07] SIMITIS-ROMEOS MEETING ON LAST NIGHT'S MASSACRE
Prime minister Kostas Simitis expressed his sorrow and
support to the families of the victims of last night's hostage
taking and massacre in Athens. Kostas Simitis has requested a full
report by the ministry of public order general secretary Yiannis
Papadoyiannakis on the bloody police operation.
Mr. Simitis will meet today with minister of public order
Giorgos Romeos to examine the situation that was created.
Opposition New Democracy party leader Kostas Karamanlis blamed the
government for yesterday's events. "What we saw yesterday", he
said, "gave us great sorrow".
Meanwhile, 25yearold Amalia Ginaki, one of the hostages taken
by the Romanian criminal, is in hospital fighting for her life. At
noon today, the Romanian wanted criminal Matei Sorin, responsible
for yesterday's tragedy, was transferred to the hospital of Nikea
and the condition of his health is characterized as under control.
[08] REPPAS: ANSWERS WILL BE GIVEN AFTER THE SIMITIS-ROMEOS
MEETING
"You should wait for the meeting of the prime minister with
the minister of public order" said Greek government spokesman
Dimitris Reppas responding the intense questions by reporters on
whether there were resignations or if there will be any
resignations after the bloody police operation yesterday for the
arrest of Romanian wanted criminal Sorin Matei.
Mr. Reppas expressed the government's deep sorrow for the
injured and pointed out that still there is no concrete picture of
what happened as the procedure for the collection of information
continues.
[09] KOSTAS KARAMANLIS STRONGLY CRITICIZED THE GOVERNMENT FOR
YESTERDAY'S BLOOD BATH
Right-wing main opposition party of New Democracy leader
Kostas Karamanlis, who is visiting the Aegean island of Siros,
strongly criticized the government for yesterday's bloody police
operation in the center of Athens for the arrest of a Romanian
wanted criminal who had taken hostage 4 people.
Mr. Karamanlis stated that yesterday's picture reproduces the
absolute certainty that the Greek state is in dissolution and can
not protect its citizens.
[10] REPPAS: NO VIOLENT SOLUTION IN KOSOVO
The Greek government supports the settlement of the crisis in
Kossovo through dialogue and not through the use of force,
reiterated Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas.
The government spokesman added that the UN has expressed a
political stance and NATO appealed for the intervention of the
international community adding that no military intervention in
the region was decided.
[11] G. PAPANDREOU ON THE EUROPEAN PROSPECT OF THE BALKANS
The reasons for which the European Union has to set as a
priority the accession of the Balkan countries into the European
institutions and the determination of the Greek government to play
a leading role in the effort for the establishment of a political
and economic cooperation for the further development of the
region, was pointed out by Greek deputy foreign minister Giorgos
Papandreou in his speech under the title "Greece-Balkans-European
Union" delivered at the International Chamber of Commerce.
Mr. Papandreou said that the EU has undertaken two
significant initiatives namely, the inclusion of Bulgaria, Romania
and Slovenia in the procedure for the new expansion of the EU and
the establishment of a policy for the regional cooperation with
the states of former Yugoslavia, Albania and FYROM.
On the expansion of the EU, he stressed among others, that
Greece had pointed out from the beginning that there is a need for
its balanced development in order for the EU to acquire its Balkan
and Mediterranean dimension and not be limited exclusively to the
region of central and eastern Europe.
[12] THE MINISTER OF PUBLIC ORDER ANNOUNCED THE SACKING OF THE
GREEK POLICE LEADERSHIP
Prime minister Kostas Simitis decided the sacking of Police
Chief Athanasios Vasilopoulos, Attica Police director Panagiotis
Georgakopoulos and Security Police director Theodoros Papafilis,
according to the announcement made by minister of public order
Georgos Romeos after the meeting he had with the prime minister.
Mr. Romeos and general secretary of the ministry of public
order Yiannis Papadoyiannakis had submitted their resignations to
the prime ministers earlier but they were not accepted.
The minister of public order stated that the three officials,
at the top of the Greek police hierarchy, were removed because
they had the responsibility for the police operation which had the
known tragic conclusion.
Also, it was decided that a prosecutor will be in charge of
the investigation on the case to determine the extend of the
police responsibility for the failure of the operation that
resulted in a blood bath, while the prime minister has requested
the intensification of the efforts against crime.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[13] NATO CONVENES OVER KOSSOVO
The Defense ministers of NATO's member-states are to meet in
Portugal today in order to discuss the situation in Kossovo and
the overall Balkan region.
The Alliance will reportedly examine ways to intensify the
pressure exerted on Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, in
order to stop the Serb attacks against Kossovo's Albanian
community.
[14] YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC RECEIVES GREEK BUSINESS
DELEGATION
Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic met yesterday with a
delegation of the newly established Yugoslav-Greek Business
Council, which consists of distinguished business people from both
countries.
The Greek and Yugoslav business people briefed Mr. Milosevic
on their plans in the sectors of energy, industry, agriculture,
trade, transport and telecommunications as well as on the
potential for capital investment in projects.
Mr. Milosevic welcomed the establishment of the council and
said that its proper functioning would contribute to both
countries' economies.
The Greek side was represented, among others, by the chairman
of the Greek section of the council, Mr. Mytilineos, and officials
from the dairy company DELTA, the Hellenic Telecommunications
Organization (OTE) and the Titan Cement Co.
[15] RUSSIA'S AMBASSADOR TO GREECE NOW DEPUTY PM. FOR SOCIAL
POLICY
Russia's Ambassador to Greece Valentina Matviyenko has
accepted her nomination as a Deputy Premier in charge of social
policy in Prime Minister Yevgeni Primakov's new cabinet.
The 49-year-old Ukrainian-born envoy is expected to meet
President Boris Yeltsin later today to "formalize her
appointment". Although the new cabinet has not yet been announced,
Mrs. Matviyenko would become the first woman deputy prime minister
in post-Soviet Russia.
[16] GREEK FM SALUTES BULGARIAN INITIATIVE FOR BALKAN FMs MEETING
Greece's Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos has saluted the
initiative taken by his Bulgarian counterpart Nadezda Mihailova
for a Balkan FM's meeting held yesterday at the offices of
Bulgaria's permanent representation offices in New York.
The Foreign Ministers discussed the resolution plan adopted
yesterday by the European Union for Kossovo.
Also attending the session were the foreign ministers of the
signatory countries of a joint statement on Kossovo, namely
Albania, Romania, Turkey, Slovenia and FYROM.
"I believe that we all share the view that efforts should be
made to achieve a peaceful solution to the Kossovo issue, to avoid
military threats and military intervention...and begin a
negotiation process to establish a regime of greater autonomy",
Mr. Pangalos stated after the end of the meeting.
Regarding a UN draft resolution, which was to be discussed by
the Security Council yesterday, Mr. Pangalos said the EU had long
ago agreed on the draft resolution and only the US remained to
approve of it.
\ He further added that Russia's agreement on the UN draft
resolution had been achieved during a meeting on Monday with new
Russian FM Igor Ivanov.
Mr. Pangalos said he was optimistic that the draft resolution
would be approved by the Security Council.
"The draft resolution is a strong but balanced warning to all
sides involved (in the Kossovo issue), and this especially pleases
us, as this is the spirit of Greece's approach," Mr. Pangalos
said.
[17] US DEFENSE DEPARTMENT PROPOSES SALE OF $245 MISSILE SYSTEMS
TO GREECE
The United States Department of Defense has announced the
proposed sale to Greece of $245 million of missile systems and
rocket launcher systems.
The sale includes 18 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS),
146 extended range rocket pods, 81 Army Tactical Missile System
(ATACMS) guided missiles and launching assemblies, 11 command post
carriers, 162 Ì26 rockets and other related equipment.
The Prime contractor for the arms deal would be Lockheed
Martin Vought Systems, a unit of Lockheed Martin Corp. In a
statement announcing the sale, the Pentagon said it would provide
the Greek army with an area fire system for use against hostile
artillery, air defense and maneuver elements.
The Pentagon also announced that the arms deal would not
adversely affect the military balance in the region.
[18] ALBANIAN GOVERNMENT TO BE RESHUFFLED IN A MATTER OF DAYS
The general council of Albania's ruling Socialist Party is to
convene today in order to discuss changes proposed by Premier
Fatos Nano hereby marking an imminent cabinet reshuffle.
Mr. Nano has refused all demands of his resignation made by the
main opposition party and stated that he will form a new cabinet
composed of technocrats, will strengthen the public and justice
sectors and will improve ways of combating corruption and illegal
trade.
"There will be changes in the government, not of the
government," Mr. Nano said.
Reportedly, the Ministers of Public Order and Justice are likely
to be replaced.
[19] US ENVOY HOLBROOKE TO SEPARATELY MEET TODAY WITH CLERIDES AND
CEM
The United States presidential envoy to Cyprus Richard
Holbrooke is to hold separate meetings with the President of
Cyprus Glafkos Clerides and the Turkish Foreign Minister Ismael
Cem in New York today.
During his contacts with Mgrs. Cem and Clerides, Mr. Holbroke
will be accompanied by State Department coordinator Thomas Miller.
According to the Cyprus News Agency, the United States are
promoting direct contact negotiations between the two sides
concerning issues of security and demilitarization.
Later today, President Clerides is to present a speech before
the national committee for foreign policy on "The Cyprus issue -
opportunities for resolution".
[20] HOLBROOKE'S CONTACTS WITH CLERIDES
US mediator for Cyprus Richard Holbrooke will meet in New
York today with Cypriot president Glafkos Clerides and Turkish
foreign minister Ismail Cem.
Yesterday, Mr. Cem reiterated the con-federation solution for
Cyprus. In the talks will participate US State Department
coordinator for Cyprus Thomas Miller.
[21] COHEN WILL BE IN SKOPJE TOMORROW
US Secretary of Defense William Cohen will be in FYROM
tomorrow to attend the 3rd meeting of defense ministers from south-
eastern European countries that will take place in Skopje on
Saturday.
On the same day, the ministers of defense from Greece,
Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, Albania and FYROM will discuss the
creation of a multi-national peace-keeping force of rapid
intervention that will be based in south-eastern Europe.
[22] FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF THE ECONOMIC RELATIONS BETWEEN CYPRUS
AND THE UNITED STATES
The newly formed Cyprus-US Chamber of Commerce in New York
will lead to the dynamic development of the economic relations
between Cyprus and the United States, stated in its opening
session Cypriot president Glafkos Clerides.
Mr. Clerides stressed that a new road is opened for the
Cypriot businessmen, who are interested in expanding their
activities to the United States, while he also said that the
Cypriot government will support every effort that will contribute
to the internationalization of commerce.
The Cypriot president underlined that the US business
community will benefit through the further improvement of its
economic relations with Cyprus as it will have easier access to
the markets of the Middle East and the central and eastern Europe.
[23] PROGRAMS FOR THE GREEKS LIVING ABROAD
The programs for the young Greeks living abroad and the
coordination of the efforts for the promotion of the issues of
national interest were the main issues discussed during the visit
of general secretary for the Greeks living abroad Stavros
Lambrinidis in New York and his meeting with representatives of
the Federation of Greek Associations in the New York Metropolitan
area, as well as with leading members of the Greek-American
community.
Mr. Lambrinidis gave an emphasis to the efforts for the
preparations and the organizing of the World Assembly of Hellenism
which will give the opportunity to the distinguished Greeks all
over the world to meet and discuss both the problems of the Greeks
living abroad and the promotion of the issues of Greek national
interest.
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