Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 98-12-01
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, December 1, 1998
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] CUSTOMS WORKERS ON STRIKE, FUEL AVAILABILITY AT STAKE
[02] COUNCIL OF GREEKS ABROAD TO HOLD BOARD MEETING IN
THESSALONIKI
[03] MINOR OPPOSITION PARTY LEADER EMBARKS ON TOUR TO AUSTRALIA
[04] NORTHERN GREECE'S PHYSICIANS EMBARK ON ANOTHER ROUND OF
STRIKES
[05] FEW TRAINS CONDUCT ROUTES AS RAIL WORKERS PRESS ON WITH
STRIKE
[06] GREEK FOREIGN MINISTER TRAVELS TO OSLO, COPENHAGEN TODAY
[07] ALTERNATE FOREIGN MINISTER TRAVELS TO GERMANY TODAY
[08] GREECE USES ONLY 3% OF ITS RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCE, HALF OF
EU MEDIAN
[09] YAKOVLEV CRASH FINDINGS RELEASED: INEXPERIENCED PILOT, POOR
UPKEEP
[10] GREEK ATTORNEY IS NEW PRESIDENT OF EUROPEAN BAR ASSOCIATION
[11] DELEGATION OF GREEK BUSINESSMEN TO MEET WITH FYROM'S
GOVERNMENT
[12] ONE IN EVERY 500 GREEKS TESTS HIV POSITIVE, 54 FULL BLOWN
CASES PER YEAR IN N. GREECE
[13] STEPHANOPOULOS - SIMITIS MEETING
[14] THE STRIKE OF THE CUSTOMS EMPLOYEES WILL BE JUDGED IN COURT
[15] THE GREEK GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN COMMENTED ON THE ISSUE OF THE
S-300 MISSILES
[16] REPPAS: THE ACCUSATIONS OF TURKEY AGAINST GREECE ARE
UNFOUNDED
[17] ONE OUT OF EVERY 500 IS AN AIDS CARRIER IN GREECE - 54 PEOPLE
ARE INFECTED WITH AIDS IN N. GREECE EACH YEAR
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[18] MILITARY OFFICIALS ACTIVE IN TURKEY'S POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS
[19] US AUTO INDUSTRY CONGLOMERATES DENY REPORTS OF NAZI
COLLABORATION
[20] INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ART AND PROPERTY LOOTED BY NAZIS
[21] RAILWAY TRAINS TO FACILITATE TRADE BETWEEN GREECE,
BULGARIA,ROMANIA
[22] THE MINISTER OF DEVELOPMENT MET WITH THE PRESIDENT OF IRAN
[23] BULGARIA WILL REACH GREECE'S LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT IN 30 YEARS
[24] KRANIDIOTIS MET WITH GROSSMAN AND MILLER
[25] BELGRADE IS AGAINST ANY INVOLVEMENT OF THE RAPID INTERVENTION
FORCE
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] CUSTOMS WORKERS ON STRIKE, FUEL AVAILABILITY AT STAKE
A score of problems have already arisen from the customs
workers' rotating five-day strikes which began yesterday, among
them fuel shortages.
Meanwhile, mile-long queues of cars can be seen at the border
stations of Kipon, Promahonas and Evzonon where striking customs
workers are only allowing the passage of trucks carrying hospital
and military equipment.
In a hearing scheduled for today, the Athens First Circuit
Court is to determine the strike's legality, as the Ministry of
Economy has sought legal recourse by asking that the customs
workers' action be declared illegal and abusive.
[02] COUNCIL OF GREEKS ABROAD TO HOLD BOARD MEETING IN
THESSALONIKI
The nine-member board of the Council of Greeks Abroad (SAE)
is to hold its meeting tomorrow in order to review the proceedings
of the organization's regular assembly.
The meeting, to be held until Saturday, will feature the
participation of the secretary-general of Greeks Abroad Stavros
Labrinides, the chairman of the permanent cross-party
parliamentary committee for Greek Abroad Grigoris Niotis and other
committee members.
[03] MINOR OPPOSITION PARTY LEADER EMBARKS ON TOUR TO AUSTRALIA
The leader of Greece's Democratic and Social Movement Party
(DHKKI) Dimitris Tsovolas embarks on a tour to Australia today,
following the invitation issued by Melbourne's and Sidney's Greek
communities.
Mr. Tsovolas will remain in Australia for nine days and will
have a series of meetings with leaders of the Greek-Australian
communities, government officials, and other state leaders of
Greek descent.
[04] NORTHERN GREECE'S PHYSICIANS EMBARK ON ANOTHER ROUND OF
STRIKES
Northern Greece's hospital physicians are embarking on
another 48-hour strike today, protesting the on-duty scheduling
programs proposed by the Ministry of Health.
The striking doctors are to also conduct sit-ins in offices
of the hospitals' presidents and will gather in front of the
Macedonia-Thrace Ministry.
[05] FEW TRAINS CONDUCT ROUTES AS RAIL WORKERS PRESS ON WITH
STRIKE
Workers at the Greek Railways Organization, (OSE) are
continuing their a five-day strike which began yesterday,
protesting a relevant bill tabled in Parliament which will be
discussed today.
Specifically, the rail workers will conduct three-hour work
stoppages today, while beginning tomorrow until Friday they will
hold 24-hour rotating strikes.
[06] GREEK FOREIGN MINISTER TRAVELS TO OSLO, COPENHAGEN TODAY
Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos is embarking on a four-
day visit to Denmark today, where he is scheduled to meet with
his Danish counterpart Niels Helveg Petersen and with the Danish
parliament's foreign affairs committee.
Tomorrow and Thursday, Mr. Pangalos will lead a Greek
delegation to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe ministerial summit in the Norwegian capital of Oslo, where
he will meet with Foreign Minister Knut Vollebaek and the
Norwegian parliament's foreign affairs committee.
Mr. Pangalos will also be received by Norway's King Harald
before returning to Athens on December 4.
[07] ALTERNATE FOREIGN MINISTER TRAVELS TO GERMANY TODAY
Alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou is embarking on
a visit to Germany today, where he will meet with the German
Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer.
According to reports, the meeting will be in preparation for
Prime Minister Kostas Simitis's visit to Germany where he will be
received by the new German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.
Mgrs. Simitis and Schroeder will hold talks in view of the EU
Vienna summit to be held on December 13, ahead of Germany taking
up the Union's presidency on January 1.
[08] GREECE USES ONLY 3% OF ITS RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCE, HALF OF
EU MEDIAN
Despite the fact that Greece is a country with abundant
sources of renewable energy, it fails to exploit it at more than
three per cent, a rate that is half the European average of six
percent, according to Greece's Deputy Public Works, Town Planning
and Environment Minister Theodore Koliopanos.
Mr. Koliopanos spoke before delegates at an Athens-held
conference on "Application of Renewable Sources of Energy,
National Priorities and European Strategy" which began yesterday.
Greek government officials and EU Energy Commissioner
Christos Papoutsis also addressed the conference which is
organized by the National Technical University.
Among other proposals, Mr. Papoutsis stated that Greece
should use renewable energy in the construction of facilities for
the Athens 2004 Olympic Games.
[09] YAKOVLEV CRASH FINDINGS RELEASED: INEXPERIENCED PILOT, POOR
UPKEEP
A committee of civil aviation officials has released its
findings on the Yaklovev passenger plane that crashed last year,
December 17, 1997, on a ravine near Mt. Olympus, killing all 74
people on board.
The report claims that the accident was most likely caused by
lack of pilot training and inadequate aircraft maintenance, while
it clears the air traffic controllers who, according to the
officials, acted in accordance with international aviation
regulations.
The report stated that the Ukrainian airliner's pilots were
not experienced at landing at the "Macedonia" airport, while data
decoded from the black box reveals there was confusion in the
cabin over the indications of flight instruments just prior to the
crash.
[10] GREEK ATTORNEY IS NEW PRESIDENT OF EUROPEAN BAR ASSOCIATION
A Greek lawyer, Sotiris Felios, has been elected to serve as
the new president of the European Bar Association, an organization
that numbers 450,000 lawyers throughout Europe.
One of Mr. Felios's priorities is to ensure the application
of and adherence to legal ethics, as well as to establish a trans-
European listing that would contain all the EBA members and their
fields of expertise.
[11] DELEGATION OF GREEK BUSINESSMEN TO MEET WITH FYROM'S
GOVERNMENT
The Trans-Balkan and Black Sea Business Center (DIPEK) is to
organize a mission to FYROM on Thursday, December 3, where Greek
businessmen are to become acquainted with the country's new
government.
The event is taking place within the framework of the Greek
Products Exhibit currently held at Skopje.
FYROM's new Prime Minister and leader of the "Democratic
Alternative" Liupco Georgievski is to unveil his government's
policy during the meeting, this being his first appearance at an
international level following his cabinet's formation.
They meeting, which is held for a second successive year,
DIPEK will present its "FYROM Business Guide" and its "Report on
FYROM's Economic Cohesion".
[12] ONE IN EVERY 500 GREEKS TESTS HIV POSITIVE, 54 FULL BLOWN
CASES PER YEAR IN N. GREECE
One out of every 500 Greeks tests HIV positive, according to
the approximation released by the Ministry of Health whose data
reveal that there are 15,000-20,000 individuals who are carriers
of the AIDS-causing virus in Greece.
Also, assistant professor of medicine at Thessaloniki's
Aristotle University Yiannis Doutsos told the Macedonian Press
Agency that one person is added each week on the roster of AIDS-
sufferers in Northern Greece.
According to the professor, a large degree of the HIV
carriers does not belong to the high-risk groups, while their
median age is below 30. Moreover, one in every five HIV carriers
is female, while 40% of them is diagnosed only at an advanced
stage of the disease.
"This illustrates that AIDS has expanded into all social
strata and no longer affects specific groups," [professor Doutsos
stated.
While he stated that the virus's transmission rate seems to
have slowed down at a state-wide level, he did add that the
situation is worrisome as Greece, which ranked last on the AIDS-
carriers list of EU countries, it now holds seventh place.
Concurrently, according to other studies, only 20% of
sexually active Greeks are involved in a monogamous relationship
and only half use condoms.
[13] STEPHANOPOULOS - SIMITIS MEETING
The meeting of president Kostis Stephanopoulos with prime
minister Kostas Simitis was completed today. The prime minister
speaking to journalists stressed that they discussed domestic and
foreign issues as well as issues concerning the European Union,
the Cyprus issue and the developments in the economy.
Mr. Simitis informed Mr. Stephanopoulos that Austrian
chancellor Mr. Klima, who currently holds the EU presidency, will
visit Greece tomorrow to discuss the agenda 2000, issues of
employment and ways in which the EU deals with the international
economic developments.
[14] THE STRIKE OF THE CUSTOMS EMPLOYEES WILL BE JUDGED IN COURT
The future of the strike action of the customs employees will
be judged in an Athens court today as the ministry of finance
appealed to justice to declare the strike as illegal.
The strike has caused big problems in the supply of the gas
stations with fuel and cars have formed long lines at the borders
as a result of the customs employees strike, who want their social
security fund to remain independent.
Minister of labor Miltiadis Papaioannou had a crucial meting
today with representatives of the striking customs employees, tax
officials and Civil Aviation employees.
[15] THE GREEK GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN COMMENTED ON THE ISSUE OF THE
S-300 MISSILES
Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas stated that the
Russian anti-aircraft S-300 missiles will not be installed in the
island of Crete and that on the issue of the missiles the
governments of Greece and Cyprus have already responded formally.
The missiles have been ordered for the strengthening of
Cyprus' defense and this decision is still in effect, said Mr.
Reppas. He also added that it is an important and sensitive issue
that is being handled by the governments of Greece and Cyprus with
a great sense of responsibility.
Commenting on the contacts undersecretary of foreign affairs
Yiannos Kranidiotis had in the United States, he said that they
prove the interest of the American leadership in the Cyprus issue,
adding that the interest alone is not enough and should be
accompanied by progress.
[16] REPPAS: THE ACCUSATIONS OF TURKEY AGAINST GREECE ARE
UNFOUNDED
Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas characterized the
accusations made by Ankara against the Greek government on the
occasion of the Ocalan affair as unfounded and unjustified.
The Kurdish issue, said the Greek government spokesman, is
not a bilateral issue. Mr. Reppas said that it is a political
issue that Turkey is being called to solve through political
means, adding that it is an issue that concerns the EU as well.
[17] ONE OUT OF EVERY 500 IS AN AIDS CARRIER IN GREECE - 54 PEOPLE
ARE INFECTED WITH AIDS IN N. GREECE EACH YEAR
One person is infected with the AIDS virus each week and this
pace remains stable for the past two years in northern Greece,
according to figures provided by Thessaloniki's Aristotle
University on the occasion of the World Day Against AIDS. Based on
data provided by the ministry of health, the AIDS infected persons
in Greece are 15.000-20.000 which means that 1 in every 500 people
is an AIDS carrier.
According to the data available, a large percentage of the
AIDS carriers which is over 40%, does not belong to the high risk
groups while the average age is under 30. One out of five AIDS
carriers is a woman and 40% of the AIDS infected people go to the
doctors when it is too late.
The situation is alarming taking under consideration that 4
years ago Greece was last on the list of the EU countries
regarding the number of the people with AIDS but since last year
it is in the seventh place.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[18] MILITARY OFFICIALS ACTIVE IN TURKEY'S POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS
Turkey's military officials have made no effort to shield
their involvement in the country's political affairs, as in a
latest announcement, the country's General Army Staff calls on the
political leaders to display the necessary degree of sensitivity
and attention in forming the new government, by asking them not to
involve the armed forces in the world of politics.
[19] US AUTO INDUSTRY CONGLOMERATES DENY REPORTS OF NAZI
COLLABORATION
Two of the world's largest automakers, General Motors Corp.
and Ford Motor Co. have vehemently denied accusations that they
had collaborated with the Nazis during World War II by supplying
vehicles and raw materials to the German military.
In an extensive article published yesterday by the US daily
Washington Post, it was reported that historians and lawyers
researching a class-action lawsuit against Ford discovered
evidence of contact and assistance between Nazi Germany and the
two companies.
According to the findings, a Russian woman, Elsa Iwanovat,
who was captured and forced to work at a Ford plant in Germany
filed suit in March against the U.S.-based automaker, alleging the
company knowingly profited from slave labor. GM could face a
similar suit, lawyers told the Post.
In a press conference held in Detroit yesterday,
representatives for both GM and Ford said that Adolph Hitler's
regime had taken over the operations of their German subsidiaries
during the war years.
``GM categorically denies that it aided the Nazis in World
War Two,'' GM spokesman John Mueller said in a statement. ``The
stale allegations repeated in the Washington Post today were
reviewed and refuted by GM 25 years ago in hearings before
Congress, when more individuals with first-hand knowledge of the
facts were available.''
Similarly, Ford spokesman John Spelich said the company, like
other U.S. businesses and government entities, maintained contact
with the Nazi government until the United States declared war on
Germany in December 1941 and cut diplomatic ties with Berlin. That
made it illegal for U.S. firms to have any contacts with their
subsidiaries in Germany.
``We basically had our factory taken away from us by the
National Socialist Party government,'' he said, referring to the
formal name of the totalitarian Nazi regime, which ruled Germany
from 1933 until its surrender to the Allies in 1945.
According to the report, Adolph Hitler made public statements
in the 1930s that he admired Henry Ford, the founder of Ford
Motor, and the production processes he established.
[20] INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ART AND PROPERTY LOOTED BY NAZIS
An international conference to help determine the fate of art
and property once looted by the Nazis is being held in Washington,
featuring the participation of 44 countries, among them Greece.
The conference constitutes a continuance of the last year's
London conference which declared the establishment of a fund that
will provide restitution to indigent survivors of the Nazi
persecution.
Stuart Eizenstat, United States Undersecretary of State and
organizer of the conference, asked the delegations to turn the
page on "this black chapter of history" by helping to right past
wrongs.
"As painful as it may sometimes be, we must not sweep these
issues under the rug out of embarrassment, silence and
indifference," Mr. Eizenstat said last night at the U.S.
Holocaust Memorial Museum.
The Museum and the State Department are sponsoring the four-
day conference.
Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who found out only last
year that three of her Czech grandparents died in the Holocaust,
is scheduled to speak today at the conference's opening State
Department session.
Elan Steinberg, executive director of the World Jewish
Congress, stated that it's not enough for governments, museums and
other institutions to acknowledge they have custody of Nazi loot,
including much that's difficult to trace to Holocaust victims and
their families.
"There must be real restitution, whether to individuals or to
Jewish and humanitarian
groups that help the survivor community," he said.
"We are going to ask that the last prisoners of war be
released to the rightful claimants or heirs," Mr. Steinberg said,
adding that untraceable art and property should be auctioned to
help survivors.
Greece is represented at the conference by Greece's
Ambassador in Washington Alexandros Filon, , History professor
George Dertilis, Foreign Ministry's Historical Archives Director
Fotini Konstantopoulou, the secretary-general of the Israeli
Community of Thessaloniki Albert Hawel, History professor Hagen
Fliser, and researcher Gabriela Etmektsoglou.
A special edition issued by the Foreign Ministry and titled
"Documents on the History of the Greek Jews", will be presented
in a ceremony at the Greek Embassy in Washington on Thursday.
[21] RAILWAY TRAINS TO FACILITATE TRADE BETWEEN GREECE,
BULGARIA,ROMANIA
New railway trains are to facilitate the transport of
commerce between Greece, Bulgaria and Romania as of next year,
according to Sofia's daily "Trud".
Customs officials will conduct product inspections only at
the first and last stop, between the cities of Sopron, Bucharest,
Sofia and Thessaloniki.
Similar lines have been proposed for operation by experts
from the Initiative for Cooperation in Southeastern Europe.
A delegation of experts from Greece, Bulgaria and Romania met
in Sofia yesterday, following the invitation of Bulgaria's vice
president Evgeni Bakargiev, in order to examine infrastructure
works that concern the wider Balkan region.
[22] THE MINISTER OF DEVELOPMENT MET WITH THE PRESIDENT OF IRAN
Greek minister of development Ms. Vaso Papandreou, who is on
a four-day visit to Iran met with president Mohamad Hatami.
According to the BBC, the Iranian president expressed full
understanding to Greece's concerns over the military cooperation
between Israel and Turkey characterizing them as justified. Mr.
Hatami pointed out to the minister that the aggressive and
expansionist policy of Israel causes great insecurity to his
country.
Ms. Papandreou's visit to Iran has as a goal to promote
bilateral trade and economic relations as well as the
strengthening of political relations. The minister of development
is accompanied by 22 businessmen and 13 journalists.
[23] BULGARIA WILL REACH GREECE'S LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT IN 30 YEARS
Bulgaria will need three decades to reach the level of
Greece's economic development while twice as much time will be
needed for Albania.
The above conclusions have been reached by the International
Monetary Fund.
According to official statistical data on the EU membership
candidate-states, the per capita GNP in Bulgaria today is less
than 3.900 US dollars annually and it is the lowest among the
central and eastern European countries with the exception of
Latvia.
The Bulgarian newspaper "Sega" writes that according to the
predictions available, which were issued before the economic
crisis in Russia and Asia, the GNP increase in Greece and Portugal
will be 2% in the following decades whereas the increase in the
central European countries in the same period of time will be 5%.
[24] KRANIDIOTIS MET WITH GROSSMAN AND MILLER
Assistant US Secretary of State responsible for European
issues, Mark Grossman and special coordinator for Cyprus Thomas
Miller assured Greek undersecretary of foreign affairs Yiannos
Kranidiotis in the meeting they had in the State Department that
the United States will examine the prospects for the easing of the
tension in Cyprus in order to create the pre-conditions that will
lead to the end of the deadlock in the Cyprus issue.
According to Mr. Kranidiotis, the US officials stressed that
the Washington moves, aimed at easing the tension and reducing the
armaments in Cyprus, should include Turkey, while they also
reiterated their opposition to the installation of the Russian
anti-aircraft S-300 missiles in Cyprus.
[25] BELGRADE IS AGAINST ANY INVOLVEMENT OF THE RAPID INTERVENTION
FORCE
Belgrade will regard any involvement of NATO's rapid
intervention force in the developments in Kossovo as an "act of
aggression", according to Serb newspaper "Vesti" published in
Frankfurt.
Serbia maintains that the creation of this force and its
likely "invasion" of Yugoslavia constitutes an "arbitrary act".
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