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Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 98-11-10
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, November 10, 1998
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] NEW CAR PRICES TO BE LOWERED BY 5.5% AS OF MONDAY
[02] ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE TO PROTEST WITH EU OVER CHALKI
[03] PREMIER TO CHAIR CABINET MEETING ON BUDGET TOMORROW
[04] HOLBROOKE PLANS A VISIT TO ATHENS, ACCORDING TO US AMBASSADOR
[05] TRADE BETWEEN GREECE, CHINA RISES 26.7 PCT IN JANUARY-AUGUST
[06] ALTERNATE FM: GREECE WILL EXERCISE VETO IF CYPRUS IS LEFT OUT
OF EU
[07] GREECE'S COHESION FUND ABSORPTION RATE UP BY SEVEN PER CENT
[08] COUNTRY'S LARGEST LABOR FEDERATION TO STRIKE OVER BUDGET
[09] GREEK PREMIER AND JACQUES DELORS TO SPEAK AT ATHENS SEMINAR
[10] MOODY'S GIVES HIGH MARKS TO GREEK BANKS
[11] THE STATE BUDGET WILL BE APPROVED TOMORROW
[12] KRANIDIOTIS: THE GOVERNMENT TOOK ALL NECESSARY DIPLOMATIC
STEPS CONCERNING THE THEOLOGY SCHOOL OF HALKI
[13] KRANIDIOTIS: THE START OF THE EU ACCESSION NEGOTIATIONS IS A
MILESTONE FOR CYPRUS
[14] GREECE WILL NOT RECOGNIZE A TURKISH VETO ON CYPRUS'S
ACCESSION INTO THE EU
[15] BALKAN ASSOCIATION FOR PLASTIC RECONSTRUCTIVE AND AESTHETIC
SURGERY
[16] YOUNG PUPILS FROM THREE BALKAN STATES GATHER IN NIMPHEON,
FLORINA
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[17] FOUR EU MEMBERS WANT CYPRUS ISSUE RESOLVED BEFORE ACCESSION
TALKS
[18] TENSION MOUNTS AGAIN IN KOSOVO
[19] US SENATOR ESTABLISHES GREEK-AMERICAN COALITION FOR LOBBYING
[20] THE NEGOTIATIONS FOR CYPRUS'S ACCESSION INTO THE EU ARE
UNDERWAY
[21] EU CONCERNS OVER THE REFUGEES IN KOSOVO
[22] THE NEW BRANCH OF THE NATIONAL BANK OF GREECE OPENS IN DURRES
TODAY
[23] THE PAN-MACEDONIAN OF AMERICA REACTS TO THE HOLLYWOOD
FALSIFICATION OF THE PERSONALITY OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] NEW CAR PRICES TO BE LOWERED BY 5.5% AS OF MONDAY
New car prices are to be lowered by 5.5% as of Monday,
according to the Undersecretary of Finance George Drys.
Meanwhile, IRS inspectors have embarked on on-the-spot
reviews at car dealerships in order to ascertain whether or not
the prices are being lowered.
Meanwhile, the cabinet is expected to approve the new budget
tomorrow, which will be tabled in Parliament by the end of the
week. Following his meeting with the General Confederation of
Greek Laborers, the Minister of National Economy and Finance
Yiannos Papantoniou stated that the inflation rate could drop as
low as two percent by mid-1999.
[02] ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE TO PROTEST WITH EU OVER CHALKI
The Greek government is standing by the Ecumenical
Patriarchate of Constantinople, stated the alternate Foreign
Minister of Greece George Papandreou, who yesterday tabled with
the European Union's General Affairs Council the demarche of
Patriarch Vartholomeos over Ankara's move to abolish the
supervisory committee of the Chalki Theological School.
Mr. Papandreou said that the act is unacceptable and
associated it with the EU-Turkey funding protocol, by stating that
while EU is proceeding with granting funds to Turkey,. This
country is violating human rights and religious freedoms.
Recently, the Turkish government decided to dismiss the
School's supervisory committee members, claiming financial
mismanagement and anti-Turkish propaganda.
Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Christodoulos yesterday
stressed that the dismissal of the supervising board aims at
transferring the school's property to the Turkish state.
[03] PREMIER TO CHAIR CABINET MEETING ON BUDGET TOMORROW
Prime Minister Kostas Simitis will chair a Cabinet meeting
tomorrow, in order to discuss the 1999 state budget.
The budget is expected to be submitted to Parliament shortly
and before the constitutional deadline of November 30.
[04] HOLBROOKE PLANS A VISIT TO ATHENS, ACCORDING TO US AMBASSADOR
The United States Ambassador to Athens Nicholas Burns has
announced that Richard Holbrooke, the US special envoy, is
expected to visit Athens and Ankara soon.
Mr. Burns pointed out that US Secretary of State
Madeleine Albright had also expressed a desire to visit the region
and that efforts were under way to scheduled her trip.
[05] TRADE BETWEEN GREECE, CHINA RISES 26.7 PCT IN JANUARY-AUGUST
The value of trade between Greece and China increased by 26.7
percent to 248 million US dollars in January-August compared with
the corresponding period last year, the ambassador of the People's
Republic of China, Jiang Quonsen, has announced.
According to news reports, the Chinese diplomat spoke in
fluent Greek during a seminar on Greek- Chinese relations, titled
"The financial crisis in Asia and China, and growth prospects for
Chinese-Greek relations".
He said China's average economic growth neared 10 percent in
the last two decades, while trade totaled 325 billion US dollars
in 1997, sharply up from 20.6 billion in 1978.
The ambassador said that the Chinese currency will remain
stable and will not be devalued in the aftermath of a financial
crisis in Asia.
T. Vlassopoulos, director of the national economy ministry's
secretariat of international economic relations, told the seminar
that bilateral trade relations could further improve.
"The institutional framework exists, but the availability of
information is lacking," Mr. Vlassopoulos said.
The seminar was held by the Institute of International
Economic Relations.
[06] ALTERNATE FM: GREECE WILL EXERCISE VETO IF CYPRUS IS LEFT OUT
OF EU
Greece's alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou has
stated that Greece will exercise its veto power if after the
accession negotiations the European Union refuses to accept Cyprus
as a full member, on the sole reason of the island's political
problem.
Speaking to a radio station in Athens, Mr. Papandreou stated
that the fact that the EU accession negotiations for Cyprus
officially begin today, is a victory in itself.
While he stressed that Greece holds rights within the EU and
intends to exercise them, he added that it is premature to
speculate on what the Greek government's next move would be since
there a lot of time ahead until the negotiations come to a close
and developments could arise in the Cyprus issue in the interim.
When asked to comment on Turkey's funding from the EU, Mr.
Papandreou characterized it as "illegal" and stressed that Greece
will insist on its points of view. He further added that in spite
of the millions of ECU Turkey will derive from the funding, it
will be unable to enter the EU unless it undergoes radical changes
in significant matters, such as its foreign policy and human
rights issues.
[07] GREECE'S COHESION FUND ABSORPTION RATE UP BY SEVEN PER CENT
Greece's Cohesion Fund absorption rate has risen by seven
per cent during the recent months, reaching 51% in March of 1998,
according to data released by the Ministry of National Economy.
Specifically, 51% of the approved credits in the environment
sector have been approved, thereby marking a significant
improvement in relation to March's 46%.
The overall course of the Cohesion Fund's projects is to be
presented today at a conference to be held in Athens.
[08] COUNTRY'S LARGEST LABOR FEDERATION TO STRIKE OVER BUDGET
The country's largest labor federation, the General
Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE) is to conduct a 24-hour
strike when the 1999 budget will be discussed in Parliament.
GSEE's representatives, following their meeting with the
Minister of National Economy and Finance Yiannos Papantoniou
yesterday, stated that the burden allocation that arises from the
convergence policy is unfair.
Mr. Papantoniou stated that changes in the tax system will be
feasible after the year 2000. He vowed to meet with GSEE's
representatives once again in order to attempt an agreement over
the processes that could lead to tax reforms.
[09] GREEK PREMIER AND JACQUES DELORS TO SPEAK AT ATHENS SEMINAR
Greece's Prime Minister Kostas Simitis and the European
Commission's former president Jacques Delors are to address a
seminar titled "Searching for the European Identity", to be held
in Athens on November 13-14.
The event is being jointly organized by the "Greek Center of
European Studies" and the "Notre Europe", the chairman of which is
Mr. Delors.
A number of academics and political figures from the European
Union's member-states are to address the event.
[10] MOODY'S GIVES HIGH MARKS TO GREEK BANKS
Moody's has granted high marks to Greece's banks, thereby
certifying that the country's financial institutions continue to
be on a strong development course, in spite of the global economic
crisis.
Having reviewed ten banks, nine of which are commercial,
Moody's granted the highest mark -in regards to economic health-
to the Alpha Credit and Labor Bank.
Immediately following are Commercial Bank and Eurobank,
receiving a grade of D+, followed by National, Ionian Bank of
Piraeus and Chiosbank, all of which received a grade of D.
[11] THE STATE BUDGET WILL BE APPROVED TOMORROW
The Greek cabinet is expected to approve tomorrow the new
state budget that will be presented in parliament by the end of
the week.
Minister of national economy and finance Yiannos Papantoniou
in statements he made after the meeting he had with the Greek
General Confederation of Labor predicted that inflation will be at
2% by mid 1999. He also stressed that the cuts in certain indirect
taxes will be the only relief for the tax payers in 1999, while
issues concerning wage increases will be considered after the year
2001.
[12] KRANIDIOTIS: THE GOVERNMENT TOOK ALL NECESSARY DIPLOMATIC
STEPS CONCERNING THE THEOLOGY SCHOOL OF HALKI
The Greek government took all necessary steps aimed at
informing its EU partners and allies on the true dimensions of the
issue of the Theolody School of Halki, stated undersecretary of
foreign affairs Yiannos Kranidiotis.
The issue goes beyond the narrow framework of the Greek-
Turkish relations as it constitutes a problem of human rights and
religious freedoms in Turkey and as such has caused the reaction
of other governments and organizations as well, said Mr.
Kranidiotis.
[13] KRANIDIOTIS: THE START OF THE EU ACCESSION NEGOTIATIONS IS A
MILESTONE FOR CYPRUS
The official opening of the EU accession negotiations
constitutes a milestone for Cyprus's European course, stressed
Greek undersecretary of foreign affairs Yiannos Kranidiotis in a
statement he has issued.
Mr. Kranidiotis points out that Cyprus's EU accession is a
strategic choice of high importance for the Greek foreign policy,
adding that its accession into the EU will play a catalytic role
in the efforts to find a solution to the Cyprus problem.
He added that Cyprus's European choice serves peace and
stability in the wider region and it is to the benefit of both
communities on the island. Mr. Kranidiotis said that the Greek
Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots will be able to live together in
a federal Cyprus which will be under the safety umbrella offered
by the European law and order.
Greece wants the accession of a united Cyprus and for this
reason it supports every effort for the solution of the Cyprus
problem but at the same time, it opposes the efforts to associate
the EU accession with the solution of the political problem on the
island because this is not provided by the EU decisions and
encourages the intransigence of Turkey making Cyprus its hostage.
[14] GREECE WILL NOT RECOGNIZE A TURKISH VETO ON CYPRUS'S
ACCESSION INTO THE EU
The Greek stance according to which, Greece will use its veto
power to block the accession of the rest candidate-states into the
EU if the European Union refuses to accept Cyprus as a member
using as an argument the political issue on the island, was
reiterated by acting government spokesman Nikos Athanasakis.
Greece's stance is clear, said Mr. Athanasakis and explained
that Athens can not allow Cyprus to turn into a hostage of Turkey
and that it can not recognize a Turkish veto on Cyprus's accession
into the EU.
[15] BALKAN ASSOCIATION FOR PLASTIC RECONSTRUCTIVE AND AESTHETIC
SURGERY
The newly formed Balkan Association for Plastic
Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, BAPRAS, will announce
tomorrow its founding, its goals and prospects as well as its
first conference that will be held in Thessaloniki on April 1999.
The association was founded at the initiative of plastic
surgeons from Greece, Albania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Romania and
FYROM.
BAPRAS, which is under the auspices of Thessaloniki's Medical
Association, underlines the need to look for ways of communication
in the Balkan region especially in sectors that only consensus can
create such as, the health of citizens and the education of
scientists.
[16] YOUNG PUPILS FROM THREE BALKAN STATES GATHER IN NIMPHEON,
FLORINA
"Small painters" from schools of Albania, Bulgaria, FYROM and
Greece, who used their talent to draw the brown bear, which is
threatened by extinction, will be the guests in the facilities of
"Arkturos" in the village of Nimpheon in Florina north-western
Greece. They are the winners of the Balkan Children's Competition
that had as a theme the protection of brown bear and their
drawings have already been published in the form of a calendar for
the year 1999.
The competition was organized by education groups of
environmental, non governmental organizations that belong to the
Balkan Network, a European programme for the preservation of eco-
systems where the brown bear lives.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[17] FOUR EU MEMBERS WANT CYPRUS ISSUE RESOLVED BEFORE ACCESSION
TALKS
A political solution to the division and partial occupation
of Cyprus must be found as a matter of urgency as the only way
which would resolve problems that will arise in the country's
accession course, according to a statement issued by France,
Germany and the Netherlands at a meeting of the European Union
General Affairs Council.
The statement, which was backed by Italy, was given one day
prior to the start of negotiations between the EU and six
candidate countries, including Cyprus.
Greece's alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou has
reacted strongly to the statement, while Prime Minister Kostas
Simitis stressed that Greece definitely wants Cyprus' accession to
the EU.
[18] TENSION MOUNTS AGAIN IN KOSOVO
The Serb police has announced its intent to intensify patrols
in Kosovo following the murders of two policemen, which are
suspected to have been committed by Albanian-speaking guerrillas.
However, the Kosovo Liberation Army claims that it was the Serb
side which first opened fire.
Meanwhile, international community observers are worried that
the truce is being violated, while A Serb leader stated that the
tension has mounted after the policemen's murders.
[19] US SENATOR ESTABLISHES GREEK-AMERICAN COALITION FOR LOBBYING
United States Senator Leonidas Raptakis is the founder of the
"Greek - American Coalition of New England", a coalition created
to lobby Congress on issues of concern to Greece and Cyprus.
Among the issues which will interest the coalition are
supporting accession of Cyprus to the
European Union, promoting the demilitarization of Cyprus and human
rights issues.
Featured among its members are former Massachusetts Governor
and Presidential
candidate, Mike Dukakis, as well as Connecticut State
Representative, Dimitrios Giannaros, New Hampshire State
Representative, William Tsiros, Rhode Island State Representative,
Myrna George, Massachusetts State Senator, Steven Panagiotakas,
Representatives Ted Speliotis and Paul Demakis, Connecticut State
Representatives Dimitrios Giannaros, Kostas Diamantis, John
Geragosian and Susan Bysiewicz, Connecticut's Secretary of State-
elect.
[20] THE NEGOTIATIONS FOR CYPRUS'S ACCESSION INTO THE EU ARE
UNDERWAY
The negotiations for the accession of Cyprus and other 5
candidate states into the European Union opened in Brussels today.
Greece will block the EU membership for the rest of the
candidate-states by using its veto power in case the EU, after the
end of the accession negotiations, refuses to accept Cyprus as a
full member just because of the political problem on the island,
stated Greek deputy foreign minister Giorgos Papandreou.
The fact that the negotiations for Cyprus's accession into
the EU open formally today constitutes a victory, stated the
deputy foreign minister, who warned that Greece as a member of the
EU has rights and it will exercise them.
[21] EU CONCERNS OVER THE REFUGEES IN KOSOVO
The EU foreign ministers expressed concern over the
unpleasant situation 250.000 people are experiencing after leaving
their homes in the region of Kosovo.
The Council of Ministers reiterated that Yugoslavia must
immediately comply with the terms of the October 13th agreement
between Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic and US
representative Richard Halbrooke. The Council also stressed that
the group of the 2.000 OSCE observers must begin its work in the
Serb province immediately.
[22] THE NEW BRANCH OF THE NATIONAL BANK OF GREECE OPENS IN DURRES
TODAY
The new branch of the National Bank of Greece in the Albanian
port city of Durres, the second after the branch already in
operation in Tirana, opened today.
According to a statement issued by the National Bank of
Greece, the branch is housed in a building located at the city's
commercial center and it is equipped with modern computer systems
while its employees are fully trained to handle all bank
transactions.
The goal of the new branch is to serve businesses, both
Albanian and foreign, active in the specific region.
[23] THE PAN-MACEDONIAN OF AMERICA REACTS TO THE HOLLYWOOD
FALSIFICATION OF THE PERSONALITY OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT
Two films on Alexander the Great ,which are prepared by
Hollywood, while offering different views on the conditions of
his death they try at the same time to give a totally new
interpretation of his life, work and personality. However, both
films have one thing in common, they present Alexander the Great
as a "cold-blooded war criminal".
This falsification of history has caused the reaction of the
Pan-Macedonia Association of America according to the New York
Greek-American newspaper "Proini".
Chairman of the Pan-Macedonian Association of America Mr.
Evangelos Michalopoulos stated that the film must first reach its
final form before the necessary protest steps are made and added
that if the rumours are true the historians will be called to give
the answers before the film reaches the cinema halls.
Chairman of the New York based Macedonian Studies Center Mr.
Ilias Neophitidis expressed his indignation over the efforts made
for the falsification of history and stressed that the different
peoples conquered by the army of Alexander the Great later
regarded it as an honor to be called his descendants.
Commenting on the screenplay of both films, Oxford University
Classical Studies professor Michael Wood stated to the London
Times that due to the lack of historians in those times film
directors are free to imagine anything they want. They can even
accuse for the murder of Alexander the Great, his own mentor
Aristotle, but the most likely scenario is that his death was the
result of natural causes.
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