Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 98-01-13
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, January 13, 1999
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] "MACEDONIA" AIRPORT REOPENS AFTER CLOSURE DUE TO DENSE FOG
[02] STUDENTS PREPARE TO BLOCK ROADS
[03] BALKAN SPORTS MINISTERS TO MEET IN RHODES THIS WEEKEND
[04] THESSALONIKI TO HOST CAR EXPORT CENTER OF MEDITERRANEAN
REGION
[05] EVROS PREFECTURE TO HOST EUROPEAN CENTER OF INFORMATION
[06] THE TENSION IN SCHOOLS CONTINUES
[07] THE PARTHENON MARBLES SHOULD BE RETURNED TO GREECE
[08] A GROUP OF DOCTORS FROM ALEXANDROUPOLIS WILL VISIT BULGARIA
[09] FAVORABLE COMMENTS BY CREDIT LYONNAIS ON THE STATE OF THE
GREEK ECONOMY
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[10] GREEK PREMIER IN SPAIN TO MEET WITH KING JUAN CARLOS
[11] SERB SOLDIERS TAKEN HOSTAGE TO BE RELEASED TODAY
[12] PASOK DELEGATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST, MEET WITH ISRAELI FM
[13] SAE BUSINESS COMMITTEE TO HOLD COMMERCE FORUM IN ILLINOIS
[14] ROM GYPSIES IN BULGARIA ESTABLISH THEIR OWN NEWS AGENCY
[15] PARTHENON MARBLES SHOULD BE RETURNED TO ATHENS, SAYS LABOUR
MP
[16] SIMITIS' CONTACTS WITH SPAIN'S POLITICAL PARTY LEADERS
[17] PACKAGE SOLUTION FOR CYPRUS AND THE AEGEAN WAS PREPARED BY
KISSINGER
[18] CYPRUS, GREECE AND RUSSIA HAVE CONSULTATIONS ON THE S-300
MISSILES
[19] THE GREEK FOREIGN MINISTER WILL VISIT SOFIA ON JANUARY 19
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] "MACEDONIA" AIRPORT REOPENS AFTER CLOSURE DUE TO DENSE FOG
Thessaloniki's "Macedonia" airport remained closed this
morning due to the dense fog that blanketed the area.
Airport authorities informed the morning flight passengers
that they will depart for their destination as soon as visibility
improves. No flights were conducted during the morning hours.
Meanwhile, dense fog rolled in the city as well, hampering
transportation in Thessaloniki's outskirts.
[02] STUDENTS PREPARE TO BLOCK ROADS
High school students are preparing road blocks in protest to
the Education Ministry's academic reforms.
However, they no longer enjoy a united front as merely 450
schools remain under occupation by their classmates while the
remaining 3,000 schools have resumed their operation.
Moreover, in addition to the district attorney's ire, the
occupying students are now facing parents who demand that schools
re-open.
The state-wide rallies will be held on Friday, while the
Ministry is to announce within the following days the measures it
plans to take in order to cover lost teaching hours.
[03] BALKAN SPORTS MINISTERS TO MEET IN RHODES THIS WEEKEND
Balkan Sports Ministers are to meet at the island of Rhodes
this weekend, January 15-17, in order to increase participation in
the 2004 Olympic Games which will be held in Athens.
Greece's Sports Undersecretary Andreas Fouras stated
yesterday that he hoped for a positive reception of his proposals
to upgrade the 'Balkan Games'.
Sports ministers from Albania, Bulgaria, FYROM, Romania,
Turkey and
Yugoslavia are expected to attend.
[04] THESSALONIKI TO HOST CAR EXPORT CENTER OF MEDITERRANEAN
REGION
The Greek government plans to establish a car export center
of the Mediterranean region in Thessaloniki, as was announced in
Parliament by the Undersecretary of Finance George Drys.
Mr. Drys also stated that a series of contacts has already
taken place regarding
commercial and import companies. The said initiative is closely
eyeing the Balkan automobile market, a fertile ground for the
exportation of new and used cars.
[05] EVROS PREFECTURE TO HOST EUROPEAN CENTER OF INFORMATION
The prefectural local administration of Rodopi, in Evros, is
to host the new European Center of Information, in an effort to
strengthen its business strategy, which aims at the active support
and development of small-to-medium sized businesses in the area.
The purpose of the European Center of Information will be to
brief the local entrepreneurs in national and EU programs related
to European policies on ventures, development and employment.
[06] THE TENSION IN SCHOOLS CONTINUES
Interventions by prosecutors in secondary education schools,
tension between students and parents outside schools and new
street blockades by protesting students against the education
reform promoted by the government make up today's picture of the
sector of education.
The occupation of school buildings in the city of Arta ended
after the intervention of the prosecutor's office and all the
parties involved in the crisis await for the protest rallies
scheduled to take place on Friday to determine their future
stance.
The ministry of education is possible to announce measures
aimed at making up for the lost teaching hours.
[07] THE PARTHENON MARBLES SHOULD BE RETURNED TO GREECE
British Labor Party MP Eddie O'Hara stated to MPA that the
Parthenon Marbles should be returned to Athens.
The British deputy referring to the Cyprus issue said that
Cypriot president Clerides' proposal for the creation of a neutral
international peace-keeping force on the island should be backed
by the international community and be accepted by Turkey. He also
maintained that Cyprus' accession into the EU should not be based
on the pre-condition that the Cyprus problem should be resolved
first.
[08] A GROUP OF DOCTORS FROM ALEXANDROUPOLIS WILL VISIT BULGARIA
A group of doctors from the Social Security Institution
preventive medicine unit in Alexandroupolis will visit Bulgaria's
five Medical Schools on
February 9.
The mission of the Greek doctors' delegation to Bulgaria,
said to MPA the head of the unit, takes place after the recent
visit of Bulgarian doctors to the region of Evros, in north-
eastern Greece, to be informed on the way of operation of the new
medical equipment offered by the preventive medicine unit in
Alexandroupolis to the medical schools in Bulgaria to treat
sexually transmitted diseases.
[09] FAVORABLE COMMENTS BY CREDIT LYONNAIS ON THE STATE OF THE
GREEK ECONOMY
The Greek economy receives favorable comments by
international analysts. Credit Lyonnais economists speculated
yesterday that Greece will join the EMU making even more favorable
the climate already formed after the recent reports by Bear
Stearns, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley.
Specifically, Glenn Davies head of the Credit Lyonnais
economists in London stated that Greece has become the "Italy" the
EU countries not participating in the "Euro zone" and backed his
view speaking of a speedy and notable convergence of Greece with
the economies of the EMU countries.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[10] GREEK PREMIER IN SPAIN TO MEET WITH KING JUAN CARLOS
Prime minister Kostas Simitis, presently on a three-day
visit to Spain, is to meet with King Juan Carlos today and the
leaders of the country's political parties.
Yesterday, Mr. Simitis met with his Spanish counterpart Jose
Maria Aznar with whom he discussed bilateral ties and European
Union matters.
During his stay, Mr. Simitis will also meet with the
President of the International Olympic Committee Juan Antonio
Samaranch.
He is accompanied by the ministers of Foreign Affairs
Theodoros Pangalos, Culture Evangelos Venizelos, Press Dimitris
Reppas and the Undersecretary of National Economy Alexandros
Baltas.
[11] SERB SOLDIERS TAKEN HOSTAGE TO BE RELEASED TODAY
Albanian rebels in Kosovo have consented to release all
eight Serb soldiers they have been holding hostage since last
Friday. The soldiers are expected to be freed today although it is
not known if any ethnic Albanian prisoners will be exchanged for
them, as the rebels had demanded
The head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe, Knut Vollebaek, said negotiations with the Kosovo
Liberation Army ended successfully.
Meanwhile, the Russian and French Foreign Ministers, Igor
Ivanov and Yber Vetrine, respectively, have issued an appeal to
the Contact Group for a new initiative in Kosovo.
[12] PASOK DELEGATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST, MEET WITH ISRAELI FM
Greece's deputy Foreign Minister Yiannos Kranidiotis is
presently heading a delegation of PASOK party officials at an
official visit to the Middle East, where they met with Israeli
Foreign Minister Ariel Sharon yesterday evening.
They discussed bilateral relations, the Middle East peace
process and the military cooperation accord signed between Israel
and Turkey last October.
Mr. Sharon stressed that the said accord should not be viewed
as a threat against Greece.
The delegates, among them PASOK central committee member
Theodoros Tsoukatos, also visited the Palestine self-rule areas
where they met with Labor Party leader Ehud Barak, Palestinian
leader Yasser Arafat and Jerusalem Patriarch Diodoros.
[13] SAE BUSINESS COMMITTEE TO HOLD COMMERCE FORUM IN ILLINOIS
The Council of Greeks Abroad Business Committee for the North
and South America Region is to hold a seminar in Schiller Park,
Illinois on January 23, presenting trade opportunities with
Greece.
The issues will cover the span of imports, exports and
investments between the US and Greece.
The seminar has bend divided into four sections each
addressing the following sectors: 1) Distribution of Greek
Products in the United States, presented by
the Athanasios Makrandreou, trade attache of the Greek Embassy in
Chicago 2) Exports to Greece, presented by Charlie Reed, official
of the State of Illinois Trade Department 3) Investment
Opportunities in Greece, presented by Leonidas Ananiadis, the
economic and trade attache of the Greek Embassy in Washington 4)
Funding Imports and Exports, presented by Konstantinos
Alisandratos of Broadway Bank's Chicago branch.
[14] ROM GYPSIES IN BULGARIA ESTABLISH THEIR OWN NEWS AGENCY
The Rom (gypsies) in Bulgaria are to establish a news agency
titled "Kupate", in order to improve the public's perception of
them and showcase little-known aspects of Gypsy history and
culture.
The plan's coordinator Antoni Galabov stated that the news
agency could sail into operation as soon as April, by transmitting
reports and information on the plights of Bulgaria's Gypsies.
[15] PARTHENON MARBLES SHOULD BE RETURNED TO ATHENS, SAYS LABOUR
MP
"The Parthenon Marbles should be returned to Athens", stated
the Labour Party's deputy Eddie O'Hara during an interview with
the Macedonian Press Agency, while he also stressed that the
arguments expressed in favor of keeping the monuments (once part
of the 534ft frieze of the Parthenon, in Athens)at the British
Museum as outdated and ungrounded.
The British parliamentarian also referred to the Cyprus
issue, noting that the international community should support
President Glafcos Clerides' proposal that an international,
neutral peacekeeping force be established on the island and the
said proposal should be accepted by Turkey. Concurrently, he
supported that the island's accession to the European Union
should not bear the condition of resolving the Cyprus issue.
Responding to a relevant question posed by the Macedonian
Press Agency, Mr. O'Hara, who is also the chairman of UK's
Parliamentary British-Hellenic committee, commented that it has
recently been proven that the Parthenon Marbles are not safe at
the British Museum.
"The Greek government is now in a very good position, having
the proper facilities, to ensure their safety. However, the most
basic factor is that the Marbles constitute a basic element of
the Parthenon's architectural structure. There is a new museum in
the works which will display the Marbles in a controlled
environment and in direct relation to the building in which they
belong," he said.
Furthermore, he added that the onset of the next millennium,
the year 2000, would be a prime opportunity to return the Marbles,
albeit there is not sufficient time to do so. The next best
opportunity for their return would be the year 2004, coinciding
with the Athens Olympic Games.
He assured that he will continue to work towards achieving
this goal.
In regards to the Cyprus issue, he emphasized that the
British Parliament strongly supports the campaign to reach a fair
solution to the problem and that he personally works closely with
his colleague Tom Cox, who is the chairman of the UK Parliament's
British-Cypriot group.
"My view is that the ongoing occupation of northern Cyprus by
Turkey constitutes a violation of international law as well as
disregard of numerous UN resolutions," he stated.
"It violates the human rights of not only the 180,000 Greek-
Cypriot refugees, but also of the Turkish-Cypriot population which
continues to reside in the northern section./ The continued
incoming settlers constitutes deliberate ethnic cleansing," he
added.
Mr. O'Hara represents the Knowsley South electorate district
in Liverpool. He studied ancient Greek at Oxford and is also
fluent in modern Greek.
[16] SIMITIS' CONTACTS WITH SPAIN'S POLITICAL PARTY LEADERS
The royal couple of Spain gave a formal lunch in honor of
prime minister Kostas Simitis and his wife.
Earlier in the morning, Mr. Simitis had contacts with members
of the Socialist Party of Spain and former prime minister Felipe
Gonzales.
In the meeting of the prime ministers of Greece and Spain
yesterday there was a coincidence of views on the issue of the
distribution of community resources.
[17] PACKAGE SOLUTION FOR CYPRUS AND THE AEGEAN WAS PREPARED BY
KISSINGER
The top secret minutes of the talks former US Secretary of
State Henry Kissinger had with Chinese officials, which were given
recently to publicity, revealed what went on behind the scenes
regarding the invasion of Cyprus and the consultations Athens,
Ankara and Washington had on Cyprus and the Greek-Turkish issues.
The minutes were released from the United States archives for
the writing of a book with the talks Henry Kissinger had with
Chinese officials in the period 1971-1975.
According to the minutes, parts of which were broadcast by
the BBC, Mr. Kissinger had agreed on a package solution with
Athens and Ankara just before the 1974 parliamentary elections in
Greece for the settlement of both the Cyprus issue and the issue
of sovereignty in the Aegean. However, the plan was canceled when
Bulent Ecevit was overthrown in Ankara.
Based on the minutes released, Mr. Kissinger allegedly
maintains that he was not aware of the information on the imminent
coup of the colonels to overthrow Makarios and that if he knew
about it he would have stopped it. He also maintains that it was
the soviet side that urged the Turks to invade Cyprus and the main
goal of the US government at that time was to keep the Soviet
Union away from the Cyprus issue.
[18] CYPRUS, GREECE AND RUSSIA HAVE CONSULTATIONS ON THE S-300
MISSILES
Cypriot government spokesman Christos Stilianides stated that
Cyprus, Greece and Russia have consultations on the future of the
installation of the Russian S-300 anti-aircraft missiles, when
called to comment on the report of the Russian news agency
"Novosti" according to which, the Russian government has not
responded yet to a formal request by the Cypriot government to
change the provisions of the purchase contract.
Responding to the question on the way those consultations are
being made, Mr. Stilianides said that there are ways and
procedures for that avoiding to get into more details.
[19] THE GREEK FOREIGN MINISTER WILL VISIT SOFIA ON JANUARY 19
Greek foreign minister Theodoros Pangalos will make a formal
visit to Bulgaria on January 19 at the invitation of his Bulgarian
counterpart Ms. Nadezda Michailova.
The announcement was made by Bulgarian foreign ministry
spokesman Patko Vlajko who added that the Greek foreign minister
will also be received by prime minister Ivan Kostov and parliament
president Jordan Sokolov.
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