Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 98-12-04
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, December 4, 1998
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] GOVERNMENT MAY FORCE CUSTOMS WORKERS TO RETURN TO WORK
[02] RAIL WORKER CALL OFF STRIKE, ROUTES BACK TO NORMAL
[03] COURT RULES CUSTOMS WORKERS' STRIKE AS "ILLEGAL AND
ABUSIVE"
[04] INTERNATIONAL SWIM MEET "ALEXANDRIA ‘98" IN THESSALONIKI
TOMORROW
[05] THE CUSTOMS EMPLOYEES' STRIKE WAS DECLARED ILLEGAL
[06] THREE-DAY VISIT OF SIMITIS TO GERMANY
[07] THE EURO-PARLIAMENT CALLS FOR THE RETURN OF ASSETS
CONFISCATED BY THE CIAUSESCU REGIME
[08] INFLATION DROPPED TO 4.2% IN NOVEMBER
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[09] US REMAIN OPTIMISTIC OVER CYPRUS ISSUE
[10] US PREPARE REVISED PLAN FOR KOSSOVO
[11] PRIME MINSTER SIMITIS DEPARTS TODAY FOR GERMANY
[12] REVERED ROMANIAN MONK CLEOPA DIES IN HIS SECLUDED MONASTERY
[13] YUGOSLAVIA BLASTS U.S. OVER RUBIN'S STATEMENTS, ISSUES
RESOLUTION
[14] GREECE PROVIDES FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO ROMANIA
[15] YUGOSLAVIA'S DECLARATION AGAINST THE UNITED STATES
[16] CYPRUS PROTESTED TO THE UN AGAINST THE VIOLATIONS OF ITS
AIRSPACE BY TURKISH FIGHTER JETS
[17] CLINTON MET WITH A DELEGATION OF GREEK AMERICANS
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] GOVERNMENT MAY FORCE CUSTOMS WORKERS TO RETURN TO WORK
The government may force the striking customs workers to
return back to work as they continue to defy a court order that
has declared their strike as illegal.
The government's crisis management committee convened last
night and postponed taking action on the matter until today. The
strike has drained the country out of fuel and drivers are
desperately searching for gas stations in order to fill their
tanks. A district attorney has ordered the arrest of the striking
customs staff on the grounds of hindering the operation of a
public interest
company.
[02] RAIL WORKER CALL OFF STRIKE, ROUTES BACK TO NORMAL
The country's locomotives are back on course as the workers
at the Greek Railways Organization, (OSE) have suspended their
mobilizations after Parliament ratified a bill calling for reforms
in their sector.
The Federation of Railway Workers is to convene on Monday in
order to map out their next course of action.
Speaking to the Macedonian Press agency, the secretary of
Northern Greece's Railways Workers Association Sakis Eleftheriou
called the new bill "dictatorial".
"The new regulations establish long break intervals for the
staff between routes which will mean that we will lose wages
during working hours," he stated.
[03] COURT RULES CUSTOMS WORKERS' STRIKE AS "ILLEGAL AND
ABUSIVE"
The First Circuit Magistrate Court has ruled against the
customs workers' ongoing strike by finding it illegal and abusive,
calling for its immediate suspension and forbidding new
mobilizations either with the same or modified demands.
The court's decision is immediately enforceable and any
customs workers who obstruct tank trucks from transporting fuel
will be arrested.
The customs workers are opposed to the government's plans to
merge their pension fund with other ones, claiming that it will
result in lower pensions and higher contributions.
[04] INTERNATIONAL SWIM MEET "ALEXANDRIA ‘98" IN THESSALONIKI
TOMORROW
Over fifty swimmers representing eight countries are to slide
through water at tomorrow's "Alexandria'98", the international
swim meet that will be held in Thessaloniki this weekend.
World champion in the 100- and 200-meter Butterfly Heats
Adrei Carneef will also be there, along with top swimmers from
Greece, Bulgaria, France, Cyprus, Uzbekistan, Romania, Russia and
FYROM.
[05] THE CUSTOMS EMPLOYEES' STRIKE WAS DECLARED ILLEGAL
An Athens court ruled that the strike of the customs
employees is illegal. The court decision provides for the end of
the strike and bans new strike actions with the same or different
demands. Based on a prosecutor's order, the customs employees, who
stop tank-trucks from carrying fuel which has passed through
customs, will be arrested.
Furthermore, in case the customs employees do not comply with
the court order the government appears determined to proceed with
the requisition of their services.
[06] THREE-DAY VISIT OF SIMITIS TO GERMANY
Prime minister Kostas Simitis, who is on a three-day visit to
Germany, will meet with German foreign minister Josca Fischer in
Frankfurt this evening.
The prime minister will be on a two-day private visit in
Frankfurt, where his brother Spyros lives and on Monday he will
have separate meetings in Bonn with chancellor Gerhard Schroder
and with finance minister and president of the Social-democratic
party Oscar Lafontaine.
[07] THE EURO-PARLIAMENT CALLS FOR THE RETURN OF ASSETS
CONFISCATED BY THE CIAUSESCU REGIME
The Euro-parliament requested from the Romanian government
and parliament to return the assets confiscated by the Ciausescu
regime.
The Euro-parliament accepted an amendment proposed by Greek
Euro-deputy for the party of New Democracy Antonis Trakatelis and
underlined that the delay in the solution of the problem of the
return of assets in Romania is one of the deficiencies in the area
of human rights that blocks the country's smooth course toward the
EU accession.
[08] INFLATION DROPPED TO 4.2% IN NOVEMBER
Inflation in Greece dropped to 4.2% in the month of November
compared to 4.7% in October.
Minister of national economy Yiannos Papantoniou pointed out
that this development makes absolutely feasible the government's
goal to bring inflation down to 2% by the end of 1999 achieving
this way Greece's participation in the European economic and
monetary union.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[09] US REMAIN OPTIMISTIC OVER CYPRUS ISSUE
United States President Bill Clinton has vowed that he will
become actively involved in resolving the Cyprus issue, speaking
to a delegation of Greek-Americans who visited the White House
yesterday.
The talks featured the participation of the US President's
National Security adviser Sandi Berger, US coordinator for Cyprus
Thomas Miller and other Sate Department officials.
According to reports, the US are working on a new "package"
aimed at resolving the Cyprus issue and easing Greek-Turkish
relations.
[10] US PREPARE REVISED PLAN FOR KOSSOVO
United States envoy Christopher Hill has announced that the
State Department is prepared a revised plan concerning the
alleviation of the tension in Kossovo which will be presented to
Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic and the Albanian leaders.
According to Mr. Hill, this plan is to take into
consideration the juxtaposing views held by both sides. Meanwhile,
Serb soldiers reportedly killed eight armed Albanians near the
Albanian border.
[11] PRIME MINSTER SIMITIS DEPARTS TODAY FOR GERMANY
Prime Minister Kostas Simitis is departing for Germany today
staying in Frankfurt until Sunday where he is expected to meet
with German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer.
The Premier will be received by Germany's new Chancellor
Gerhard Schroeder here on Monday, part of Mr. Schroeder's meetings
with EU leaders.
According to government spokesperson Dimitris Reppas, talks
between Mgrs. Schroeder and Simitis will focus on the
preparation, issues and the timetable of the German EU presidency
as of January 1, and will include the matter of WWII reparations
by Germany to Greece.
Following his meeting with Mr. Schroeder, Mr. Simitis'
program includes private talks with SPD President and German
Finance Minister Oskar Lafontaine.
[12] REVERED ROMANIAN MONK CLEOPA DIES IN HIS SECLUDED MONASTERY
Cleopa, a Romanian monk who has been revered by generations
of Christians but persecuted by communists, has died of age-
related causes in his secluded wilderness monastery, Romanian
Orthodox church officials announced yesterday. He was 87 years
old.
The holy man had sought refuge from the Communists in 1953
by hiding in an underground den built the wilderness, where he
remained for almost a decade.
Cleopa was persecuted by the Securitate, Romania's communist
secret police, who feared his immense popular appeal, as he had a
gift in comforting the simple folk. He was best known for his
understanding of ordinary peoples' problems and his healing words.
Tens of thousands sought his advice, both under the communist
regime and in the years of hardship that followed the toppling of
communist rule in 1989.
During his years in seclusion, a woodcutter brought him a
sack of potatoes each month. Cleopa said he ate one potato a day
– that's all he needed to survive.
In an interview with the Associated Press in October, Cleopa
talked about his 60 years of work as a spiritual father or
"duhovnic" in the Romanian Orthodox Church.
"The spiritual father is the soul of the monastery and of the
village. He should be the light of the world by his life and
sermons," he said.
Cleopa will be buried Saturday at the Sihastria monastery,
200 miles north of Bucharest, where he had lived for 30 years.
Thousands are expected to attend the funeral.
Romanian Orthodox monks are buried sitting in a chair, which
is lowered directly into the ground.
[13] YUGOSLAVIA BLASTS U.S. OVER RUBIN'S STATEMENTS, ISSUES
RESOLUTION
Irked over the recent statements made by State Department
spokesperson James Rubin, who said Yugoslav President Slobodan
Milosevic is a factor of instability in the Balkans, Belgrade
blasted Washington in an unexpected parliamentary resolution
ratified last night.
The resolution states that the pressure exerted by the United
States constitutes "open support to Kossovo's terrorist
Albanians."
It further stresses that "no foreign authority may at will
replace the legally elected constitutional bodies of Serbia and
Yugoslavia."
A small number of opposition deputies disagreed with the
ratification of the resolution, which was not on the agenda,
since, they said, "it could bear unforeseeable consequences in
Kossovo."
[14] GREECE PROVIDES FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO ROMANIA
Greece's Ambassador to Romania Stylianos Mallikouris has
deposited $30,000.00 in a Romanian Red Cross account as a gesture
of moral support in the efforts to repair damages brought on by
last summer's floods.
The aid was provided after the meeting held between the Greek
diplomat and the President of Romania's Red Cross, Professor
Nicolae Nicoare.
[15] YUGOSLAVIA'S DECLARATION AGAINST THE UNITED STATES
Belgrade used a hard language against the United States after
the recent statements made by US State Department spokesman James
Rubin.
According to those statements, Yugoslav president Slobodan
Milosevic is characterized as a factor of instability in the
Balkan region while the US government has also made an
announcement on a change in its policy toward the Federal Republic
of Yugoslavia and president Milosevic.
[16] CYPRUS PROTESTED TO THE UN AGAINST THE VIOLATIONS OF ITS
AIRSPACE BY TURKISH FIGHTER JETS
Permanent representative of Cyprus to the UN Sotos Zakheos
with a letter to UN secretary-general Kofi Annan protested against
the violations of the Cypriot airspace by Turkish fighter jets
that occurred at the end of November.
In the letter it is stressed that such acts violate the
international air traffic regulations and are opposed to the UN
Security Council resolutions on Cyprus which mention that such
acts increase the tension on the island.
[17] CLINTON MET WITH A DELEGATION OF GREEK AMERICANS
US president Bill Clinton promised during his meeting in the
White House with a delegation of Greek Americans that he will
personally intervene for the solution of the Cyprus problem and
that he will make strong efforts toward this end in the last two
remaining years of his term in office.
The 16-member delegation called for the personal intervention
of the US president for the solution of the Cyprus problem and the
settlement of the Greek-Turkish disputes as he did in the Middle
East peace process and in the case of Northern Ireland.
The common assessment of the members of the delegation was
that the discussion with the US president was an essential one and
that he showed that he knows well the aspects of the Cyprus
problem.
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