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Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 98-09-28
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, September 28, 1998
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] AUTOPSY ON SORIN MATEI'S BODY REVEALS CAUSES OF DEATH
[02] FUEL TANKER TRUCK DRIVERS ON STRIKE IN NORTHERN GREECE
[03] MAIN OPPOSITION LEADER: GOVERNMENT IS IN A STATE OF
DISSOLUTION
[04] COUNCIL OF EUROPE'S POLITICAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE IN MEETS IN
SANTORINI
[05] POLAND'S ARMY CHIEF OF STAFF ARRIVES IN GREECE TODAY
[06] DEPUTY FM INAUGURATES BLACK SEA STUDIES CENTER TODAY
[07] GREEK RUNNER WINS SPARTATHLON 98, JAPANESE SECOND, BRITON
THIRD
[08] GREEK, BULGARIAN, ROMANIAN PREMIERS TO MEET IN DELPHI NEXT
WEEK
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[09] SCHROEDER OUSTS KOHL IN GERMAN ELECTIONS
[10] GREECE WILL PLAY A LEADING ROLE IN THE BALKANS
[11] ECOFIN COMMUNIQUE HAILS DRACHMA'S ACCESSION TO SECOND ERM
[12] ECOFIN COUNCIL WRAPS UP MEETING, EUROPEAN ECONOMY OASIS OF
STABILITY
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] AUTOPSY ON SORIN MATEI'S BODY REVEALS CAUSES OF DEATH
An autopsy was carried out yesterday at an Athens morgue on
the body of Sorin Matei, the 26-year-old escaped convict who held
a family hostage last Wednesday and injured eight police officers
and one of the hostages after his hand grenade detonated.
According to the examinations performed by three coroners
appointed by the Minster of Justice, as well as a fourth one,
Marios Matsakis, a Cypriot coroner who has been hired by Matei's
mother, the cause of death was attributed to regurgitation of
gastric juice in combination with the extended time period of
sedation.
Mr. Matsakis stated that had Matei not been under sedation
and had remained in the hospital he would be alive today.
Meanwhile, one of the hostages, Amalia Ginaki, 25 years old,
underwent surgery yesterday but continues to remain in a critical
condition.
[02] FUEL TANKER TRUCK DRIVERS ON STRIKE IN NORTHERN GREECE
Drivers of fuel-carrying tanker trucks are to embark on a
strike today in northern Greece, protesting planned government
changes which would allow private companies to transport fuel.
Oil companies have called on the northern capital's public
prosecutor to intervene and allow the use of private trucks during
the strike. The state fuel truck drivers are to meet with
transport ministry officials tomorrow.
[03] MAIN OPPOSITION LEADER: GOVERNMENT IS IN A STATE OF
DISSOLUTION
The leader of the main opposition party, New Democracy's
Kostas Karamanlis yesterday accused the government of
incompetence, adding that the country currently projects an image
of "sadness, disappointment, stagnation and decline."
Addressing a rally at the held by the party's youth group
(ONNED), Mr. Karamanlis said that the government lacks boldness
and, referring to the recent police fiasco where a family was
taken hostage by an escaped convict and the police were unable to
rescue them, he said that it was an "indescribable operation."
[04] COUNCIL OF EUROPE'S POLITICAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE IN MEETS IN
SANTORINI
The Council of Europe's political affairs committee is to
close its three-day session at the island of Santorini today, with
talks focusing on the organization's enlargement and the Kossovo
crisis.
Taking part in the three-day event are parliamentarians and
permanent representatives from the C of E's 40 member-states.
Greece will be represented by deputies D. Vrettos and V. Maginas.
The meeting, held at the initiative of the C of E's Greek-
held presidency, was opened by Alternate Foreign Minister George
Papandreou who, referring to the Kossovo crisis, said that border
checks should be increased in neighboring countries in order to
isolate the region and prevent a spill of the tension.
Asked to comment on the possibility of NATO intervention, Mr.
Papandreou said that "the fear of an invasion may be useful in
order for the Serbian side to sit at the negotiating table."
[05] POLAND'S ARMY CHIEF OF STAFF ARRIVES IN GREECE TODAY
Polish Army General Staff Chief Lt.-General Zvignieu Zalewski
is embarking on an official three-day visit to Greece today at the
invitation of his Greek counterpart Lt.-Gen. Manousos
Paragioudakis.
During his stay, the Polish army's commander will visit
Greece's military headquarters, a training center, the Third Army
Corps, as well as archaeological sites in Athens and Thessaloniki.
[06] DEPUTY FM INAUGURATES BLACK SEA STUDIES CENTER TODAY
Deputy Foreign Minister Yiannos Kranidiotis will inaugurate
the Black Sea International Studies Center (DIKEMEP) today.
The center will prepare research and conduct studies
concerning the achievement of its parent organization, the Black
Sea Cooperation Pact, primarily in the economic, industrial and
technology sectors.
[07] GREEK RUNNER WINS SPARTATHLON 98, JAPANESE SECOND, BRITON
THIRD
A Greek runner, Kostas Reppos, won the 16th international
ultra-distance race "Spartathlon '98" on Saturday, covering the
246-kilometer distance in 25 hours, 11 minutes, 41 seconds. He led
the race from start to finish.
Over 190 athletes representing 23 countries took part in the
race, considered to be one of the most grueling races in the
world.
The athletes had 36 hours to run the distance to the city of
Sparta, in southeastern Peloponnese.
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.
A Japanese and a Briton took second and third place,
respectively.
[08] GREEK, BULGARIAN, ROMANIAN PREMIERS TO MEET IN DELPHI NEXT
WEEK
Greece's Prime Minister Kostas Simitis will meet with the
Bulgarian President Petar Stoyanov and the Romanian President Emil
Constantinescu in Delphi on October 3-4, in order to discuss
bilateral and multilateral cooperation between the three
countries, as well as the situation in the Balkan region.
According to Bulgarian government press releases, the
tripartite meeting will contribute in balancing inter-state
relations between the Balkan countries for the promotion of
economic cooperation and for stability in the Balkans.
Other issues to be discussed by the three leaders will be the
combating of organized crime and plans for the enlargement of the
European Union and NATO.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[09] SCHROEDER OUSTS KOHL IN GERMAN ELECTIONS
Gerhard Schroeder and his Social Democratic Party (SPD)
soundly defeated veteran Christian Democrat leader Helmut Kohl in
what has been dubbed as the closest race since World War II.
The SPD gathered 41.8% of the votes, while CDU 35%. The
landmark vote brings to an end 16 years of Kohl's conservative-
oriented government.
A Christian Democratic Union (CDU) spokesman conceded defeat
almost immediately following the first TV projections. Schroeder
has announced that his government will give priority to combating
unemployment, while Kohl said that he will not run again for the
leadership of CDU.
[10] GREECE WILL PLAY A LEADING ROLE IN THE BALKANS
Greek Defense Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos, speaking at
Skopje during the S.E. European Defense Ministers Conference,
stated that Greece will carry out a leading role in the
developments in the Black Sea region and the Balkans.
Common Greek-Turkish initiatives on security issues
concerning Southeastern Europe will also be taken, Mr.
Tsochatzopoulos announced after meeting his Turkish counterpart
Ismet Sezgin.
During their two-hour meeting, held on the sidelines of the
two officials did not discuss the "unilateral Turkish claims"
according to Mr. Tsochatzopoulos. In turn, Mr. Sezgin stressed
that the two countries should not be limited to the past and
should escape the past's animosity and enter the future's
alliances.
[11] ECOFIN COMMUNIQUE HAILS DRACHMA'S ACCESSION TO SECOND ERM
The European Union Finance and Economy Ministers (ECOFIN)
have issued a communique hailing the accession of the Greek
national currency, the drachma, to the second Exchange Rate
Mechanism, as a result of the positive development of the Greek
economy.
The communique hails the joining of the drachma to the second
Exchange Rate
Mechanism which, as stressed, was agreed by all and is based on
the satisfactory functioning of the drachma in the framework of
the existing mechanism, as well as on the major progress achieved
in the Greek economy's convergence with those of EU member-states.
It was added that the fluctuation margin remains 15 per cent.
Referring to the communique, Greece's National Economy and
Finance Minister Yiannos Papantoniou said that it constituted a
very positive formulation with regard to Greece.
He added that the second Exchange Rate Mechanism constitutes
a continuation of the existing one and of the existing fluctuation
margins.
[12] ECOFIN COUNCIL WRAPS UP MEETING, EUROPEAN ECONOMY OASIS OF
STABILITY
The meeting held by the European Union Finance and Economy
Ministers (ECOFIN) concluded in Austria yesterday, on the
optimistic note that Europe's economy has turned into an "oasis of
stability and development" following the common currency's
introduction.
Representing Greece a the three-day conference the National
Economy and Finance Minister Yiannos Papantoniou as well as the
governor of the Bank of Greece, Lukas Papademos.
Mr. Papantoniou said the result of this development is that
over the next few years the prospect will be shaped for the
continuation of the present recovery and of relatively high rates
of economic development noted in most European Union member-
states.
Furthermore, Mr. Papantoniou added that Greece is certainly
included in this respect, as its economy has an even higher
development rate, reaching 3.5-3.7 per cent in 1999.
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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