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Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 98-12-08
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, December 8, 1998
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] BANK OF GREECE FORECASTS 1999'S INFLATION RATE AT TWO PER
CENT
[02] FARMERS TO HOLD PROTEST RALLY TODAY
[03] MUSEUM STAFF EMBARK ON 48-HOUR STRIKE TODAY
[04] GREEK CULTURE MINISTRY ACQUIRES "HISTORIA ALEXANDRI MAGNI"
[05] CHIEF OF RUSSIAN COMMUNIST PARTY'S CENTRAL COMMITTEE TO VISIT
ATHENS
[06] GREECE- PORTUGAL HAVEN FOR SHOPPERS, LEAST EXPENSIVE
COUNTRIES IN EU
[07] NEW CHAIRMAN OF WORLD FEDERATION OF CARDIOLOGY IS A GREEK
PHYSICIAN
[08] REPPAS: THE SIMITIS-SCHRODER MEETING BROUGHT POSITIVE RESULTS
[09] HALBROOKE WILL BE IN ATHENS ON MONDAY
[10] NEW WAVE OF BAD WEATHER IN NORTHERN GREECE - SNOWFALL IN
THESSALONIKI
[11] ALL SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS WILL BECOME PERMANENT BY THE YEAR
2002
[12] THE NEW CHAIRMAN OF THE WORLD CARDIOLOGY FEDERATION IS GREEK
[13] THE WATER LEVEL OF EVROS RIVER CAUSES CONCERN
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[14] GREECE IS PLEASED OVER EU'S DECISION CONCERNING TURKEY
[15] NATO WILL NOT ACCEPT THREATS FROM THE SERBS, SAYS SOLANA
[16] GREEK PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION IN RUSSIA FOR BSECC MEETING
[17] PRESS MINISTER REPPAS IN CYPRUS, MEETS WITH PRESIDENT
CLERIDES
[18] GREECE AND BULGARIA TO BE LINKED WITH OPTIC FIBER
[19] EXPLOSION AT GREEK COFFEE SHOP IN GERMANY, 19 WOUNDED
[20] NATO MILITARY EXERCISE IN SOFIA
[21] BULGARIANS AND GREEKS JOINTLY PROTECT THE BROWN BEAR
[22] THE CAIRO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL PRIZE FOR BEST ACTOR
WENT TO A GREEK
[23] DISCUSSION IN THE EURO-PARLIAMENT ON THE WWII REPARATIONS
REQUESTED BY 16 GREEK WOMEN
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] BANK OF GREECE FORECASTS 1999'S INFLATION RATE AT TWO PER
CENT
The governor of the Bank of Greece Lukas Papademos stated
that he too, as the government, forecasts next year's inflation to
fall at the two percent mark, but he is especially optimistic that
this endeavor can be achieved in the first half of the year, not
towards the end.
As such, he added, there will not be an immediate and drastic
interest rate reduction , in order to avert the public from lining
up at the banks for consumer loans.
The Bank of Greece is expected to announced an interest rate
reduction of half a percentage point tomorrow and commercial banks
are expected to follow suit, albeit with two- percentage-point
reductions. .
[02] FARMERS TO HOLD PROTEST RALLY TODAY
Thousands of organized farmers (Panthessaly Association of
Farmers) from central and northern Greece are expected to
participate in a protest rally to be held in Larissa, central
Greece today, in order to underline their opposition to the
government's agricultural policy and press their demands.
The protests are to mount after the holidays when they
threaten to blockade the national highways.
The farmers are demanding a higher production ceiling for
cotton crops and government intervention in Brussels to prevent
what they claim will be a 30 per cent reduction in crop prices
this year if the European Union does not alter its regulations.
[03] MUSEUM STAFF EMBARK ON 48-HOUR STRIKE TODAY
Greece's museum staff, who fall under the aegis of the
Culture Ministry, are to embark on a 48-hour strike today in
protest of the government's plans to merge their pension fund with
other state funds.
Although most of the country's museum's will remain closed,
the Federation of Culture
Ministry Employees has said that a skeleton staff will remain on
duty in order to deal with emergencies.
[04] GREEK CULTURE MINISTRY ACQUIRES "HISTORIA ALEXANDRI MAGNI"
Greece's Culture Ministry has purchased a rare book on
Alexander the Great, "Historia Alexandri Magni", published in Rome
in 1471, during an Athens-held auction.
The ministry shelled out 8.8 million drachmas for Curtius
Rufus' 150-page book, of which no other copy exists in Greek
libraries.
The book, first or second edition, was written in the 1st
century AD in 10 tomes, the first two of which have been
completely lost, as have sections from the remaining tomes.
The previous owner of the "Historia" had bought it at a 1994
Christie's auction in London.
[05] CHIEF OF RUSSIAN COMMUNIST PARTY'S CENTRAL COMMITTEE TO VISIT
ATHENS
The president of Russian Communist Party's central committee,
Gennady Zyuganov, is to arrive in Athens tomorrow for a two day
visit, at the invitation of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE).
Mr. Zyuganov will be received by KKE's secretary-general
Aleka Paparega and will meet with leading KKE officials, as well
as other political figures.
[06] GREECE- PORTUGAL HAVEN FOR SHOPPERS, LEAST EXPENSIVE
COUNTRIES IN EU
Greece continues to be the least expensive country among the
European Union's member-states, a spot shared with Portugal which
is also a haven for bargain shoppers.
According to press reports, Greece has the lowest prices in
automobiles and jeans, as well as the cheapest phone rates. On the
other end of the spectrum, is Britain, which is the most expensive
consumer market in all of the EU.
Concurrently, Greece and Portugal are listed among the EU's
poorest states. According to the EU Statistics Agency, the Greeks
and Portuguese have the lowest per capita income, not surpassing
the ECU10,000 per annum. Luxembourg has the highest per capita
income in the EU, as its citizens enjoy annual earnings that are
triple -and sometimes quadruple- from the European Union's lowest.
[07] NEW CHAIRMAN OF WORLD FEDERATION OF CARDIOLOGY IS A GREEK
PHYSICIAN
A Greek professor of cardio-pulmonary medicine is the new
chairman of the World Federation of Cardiology, which is
headquartered in Geneva.
Nestor Agomahalelis, professor at the School of Medicine of the
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, was elected to the post
after a unanimous vote granted by the 25-member International
Scientific Council during its annual conference.
[08] REPPAS: THE SIMITIS-SCHRODER MEETING BROUGHT POSITIVE RESULTS
Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas characterized as
positive the results of the meeting prime minister Kostas Simitis
had with German chancellor Gerhard Schroder, saying that this was
obvious from the statements made by the two leaders.
Referring to the German war reparations, he said that Greece
did not lose a political battle but on the contrary the issue
became part of the bilateral relations between Greece and Germany
and that in the future it will be raised again by the Greek side.
[09] HALBROOKE WILL BE IN ATHENS ON MONDAY
US president special envoy for Cyprus Richard Halbrooke will
be in Athens on Monday and will meet with foreign minister
Theorodos Pangalos.
According to Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas, Mr.
Halbrooke will also visit Ankara and Nicosia for negotiations
aimed at finding a solution to the Cyprus problem, adding that the
fact that the international community shows a strong interest in
the Cyprus issue is a positive sign.
[10] NEW WAVE OF BAD WEATHER IN NORTHERN GREECE - SNOWFALL IN
THESSALONIKI
A new wave of bad weather sweeps northern Greece since this
morning with snowfall, bitter cold and gusty winds. Heavy snowfall
has been recorded since dawn today across north-eastern Greece and
in many north-central and north-western regions, while light snow
falls in Thessaloniki.
In the provincial road of Thessaloniki-Kozani in the region
of Kastania and in many parts of the Kozani-Ioannina road, cars
need non-skid chains, which are also necessary for cars moving in
the provincial roads of Florina-Kastoria through Vigla and in the
Kozani-Elassona road at Sarantaporos.
[11] ALL SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS WILL BECOME PERMANENT BY THE YEAR
2002
The certainty that by the year 2002 all substitute teachers
will become permanently employed was expressed today by minister
of education Gerasimos Arsenis, speaking before the parliament's
education affairs committee. Mr. Arsenis clarified that if some of
the substitute teachers are not permanently appointed the issue
will be settled through a new legislation.
Meanwhile, the student mobilizations continue with the
occupation of schools and street blockades. The schools under
occupation across the country are estimated to be hundreds.
Tomorrow, the secondary education teachers will be on a 24-
hour strike, while the students will hold rallies in all the big
cities.
[12] THE NEW CHAIRMAN OF THE WORLD CARDIOLOGY FEDERATION IS GREEK
The selection of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
professor of cardiology and lung specialist Nestoras Agomahalelis
to the post of the post of the chairman of the World Federation of
Cardiology which is based in Geneva, is regarded as a big success
for the Greek medical community.
His selection that was a unanimous one was made in the annual
meeting of the World Cardiology Federation 25member International
Scientific Council that was held a few days ago in Dallas, Texas
in the United States.
Nestoras Agomahalelis comes from the north-eastern city of
Serres and graduated from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Medical School specializing in pathology and cardiology, while he
is also a graduate of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Law
School.
He got a post-graduate degree in cardiology from the
University of London and he won scholarships from the State
Scholarships' Institute, the Alexandros Onasis Institute and
NATO's scientific committee. Among others, he was elected American
Cardiology College partner, American College of Chest Doctors
international governor for Greece and member of the European
Cardiology Society.
[13] THE WATER LEVEL OF EVROS RIVER CAUSES CONCERN
The responsible agencies in the prefecture of Evros are in a
state of alert due to the continuing rise of the water-level of
Evros River in north-eastern Greece and the increased risk for
extensive floods.
A memo issued by the office of the deputy prefect, the
residents of the 46 villages along the river have been warned to
move their live-stock, farm equipment and tools away from the
danger zone as a precautionary measure.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[14] GREECE IS PLEASED OVER EU'S DECISION CONCERNING TURKEY
The Greek government has expressed its satisfaction over the
decision drawn by the European Union's Council of Foreign
Ministers, who convened in Brussels yesterday and decided to
separate Turkey from the cluster of countries on the accession
list.
The Council has formed a separate clause concerning the 11
candidate countries from Central and Eastern Europe and another
for Turkey's potential accession.
Alternate Foreign Minster George Papandreou, who represented
Greece at the meeting, stated that the Council issued a final
statement where it notes that Turkey needs to exert specific
efforts in order to become a democratic society in accordance with
the Copenhagen Accord and the resolutions of the European
parliaments.
The participants also discussed the "Agenda 2000", albeit
they failed to reach specific conclusions as Greece, Spain and
Portugal refused to accept any move to stabilize EU expenditures
over the span of the next five years.
Concerning the Cohesion Fund, Mr. Papandreou stated that
Greece rejects any idea of abolishing the possibility of funding
in the event that a country enters the euro zone.
[15] NATO WILL NOT ACCEPT THREATS FROM THE SERBS, SAYS SOLANA
NATO's Secretary-General Javier Solana announced that the
Alliance will not tolerate threats hurled from the Serbs
concerning new ethnic cleansing operations in Kossovo.
Meanwhile, Foreign Ministers of the NATO member-countries are
to meet in Brussels today in order to review the military and
political principles that will determine the Alliance's mission.
[16] GREEK PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION IN RUSSIA FOR BSECC MEETING
A Greek parliamentary delegation is presently in Russia where
the members are to participate in the Black Sea Economic
Cooperation Council's parliamentary assembly on economic ties.
The three-day session begins in St. Petersburg today and will
focus on the legal, institutional and political aspects of the
upgrading of the BSECC. Issues on the agenda include transport and
the creation of a legal framework for the avoidance of double
taxation.
[17] PRESS MINISTER REPPAS IN CYPRUS, MEETS WITH PRESIDENT
CLERIDES
Greece's Minister of Press and Media and government
spokesperson Dimitris Reppas was received by the President of
Cyprus Glafkos Clerides yesterday, during his visit to Nicosia..
Following the talks, Mr. Reppas stated that nothing has changed on
the S-300 missiles issue.
"Cyprus is a state that has the same rights as any other
member state of the UN," he stressed, adding that "it is not a
state with reduced rights. It has a complete right to its own
defense, and within this it can go ahead with deploying the S-
300s."
Furthermore, he stated that Cyprus and Greece had to take the
initiative on the Cyprus problem and choose on which field to
fight.
"This field should not be one of armaments, heightening
tensions and confrontation," he said. "It should be the field of
developing welfare, the field of respect for human rights and
communications."
Mr. Reppas said a solution would mean brave decisions from
both sides, adding that Cyprus had already shown the way with the
government's demilitarization proposal.
The Greek government spokesperson also met with the President of
the Cypriot Parliament Spyros Kyprianou,
[18] GREECE AND BULGARIA TO BE LINKED WITH OPTIC FIBER
Northern Greece's port city of Kavala and South Bulgaria's
Haskovo are to be linked with a 140-kilometer optic fiber, a
MECU102 project which is mostly funded by the European Union's
PHARE program.
Bulgaria's Telecommunications Organization and Greece's
Telecommunications Organization (OTE) are to participate in the
project's funding at the respective countries.
[19] EXPLOSION AT GREEK COFFEE SHOP IN GERMANY, 19 WOUNDED
Nineteen person were wounded, three of whom severely, after a
strong explosion that occurred yesterday at a Greek coffee shop in
the German city of Erlagen, near Nuremberg.
The cause of the tremendous blast remains unknown, although
the German police are looking at every angle, such as an
accidental gas leak, a personal vendetta or a racially-motivated
attack.
Although no names of the wounded have been released, it is
believed that the majority of them are Greek as the cafe was a
place frequented by persons of Greek origin.
Three persons are hospitalized in a comatose state, while
the remaining 16 were treated for minor wounds.
[20] NATO MILITARY EXERCISE IN SOFIA
A NATO military exercise will be held in Sofia. The exercise
will start tomorrow and will last until December 13, while it will
take place within the framework of the "Partnership for Peace"
program with the participation of France, Italy, Turkey, the
United States, Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, FYROM, Moldavia, Romania,
Hungary, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
The exercise will help in the improvement of joint armed
forces efforts in peace-keeping and humanitarian missions after
earthquakes, fires and civil unrest.
[21] BULGARIANS AND GREEKS JOINTLY PROTECT THE BROWN BEAR
The Sofia newspaper "24Hours" published an interview with
Nikolai Spasov, director of the Mammals Department in the National
Natural Scientific Museum of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and
scientific adviser in the "Natural Heritage" Association programme
for the protection of the brown bear. The interview was published
on the occasion of the recent publication of a report by the same
newspaper, according to which Athens is responsible for the delay
both in the construction of the Gotse Deltsev- Dramas motor-way
and in the opening of the "Iliden" border crossing at the Greek-
Bulgarian borders.
It should be reminded that according to that publication,
Greece uses as an excuse for the delay the fact that the opening
of the new border crossing will be a threat for the reproduction
of the brown bear that lives in the region.
The Bulgarian "Natural Heritage" Association studies the
condition of the brown bear in Bulgaria and in the Balkans in
general and a Balkan protection network for the brown bear was
created in 1996 at its initiative which later was turned into a
research and protection network for different large predators such
as the wolf, bear and others. For its activities the "Natural
Heritage" won a prize from the "Henry Ford" Institute, stated
Nikolai Spasov.
It should be noted that the joint plans of the "Natural
Heritage" association and the Greek ecological organization
"Arktouros" have the support of the International Association for
the Protection of Nature, the European Union committee for the
protection of the environment and other institutions.
[22] THE CAIRO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL PRIZE FOR BEST ACTOR
WENT TO A GREEK
Actor Paschalis Tsarouchas received the prize for best actor
in the leading role category in the 22nd International Film
Festival in Cairo for his performance in the film "Vasiliki"
directed by Vasilis Tsaldaris.
The International Film Festival was held in the Egyptian
capital from November 25 to December 7 with the participation of a
total of 20 films from 16 countries.
The best picture prize was awarded to the Indian film
"Terrorism" by Santu Sivan. The award ceremony was held in the
presence of personalities from the cultural and artistic world in
Egypt, among them the Egyptian culture minister and famous
American actor John Malkovic, who was the festival's guest of
honor.
[23] DISCUSSION IN THE EURO-PARLIAMENT ON THE WWII REPARATIONS
REQUESTED BY 16 GREEK WOMEN
The report on the German war reparations that was submitted
by Greek Euro-deputy Alekos Alavanos from the Coalition of the
Left party on behalf of 16 Greek women, who were held by the Nazis
and were taken to Nazi labor camps, was discussed in the Reports
Committee meeting in Brussels.
The members of the committee backed the right demand of the
16 Greek women and strongly criticized the German authorities for
not responding to a letter on the issue sent by European
Parliament a year ago.
The committee members accepted a proposal made by Mr.
Alavanos for a new Euro-parliament intervention to the German
parliament on behalf of the 16 Greek women.
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