Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 99-01-22
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, January 22, 1999
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] STUDENTS RELENTLESS, CRISIS IN EDUCATION SECTOR CONTINUES
[02] ESP CONFERENCE BEGINS IN THESSALONIKI TODAY
[03] GREEK CABINET MEETS TODAY TO DISCUSS EMPLOYMENT, SCHENGEN
[04] ARMS DESTINED FOR FYROM REMAIN AT THESSALONIKI'S PORT
[05] DEUTSCHE BANK RECOMMENDS GREEK BONDS TO FOREIGN INVESTORS
[06] MAIN OPPOSITION PARTY LEADER TRAVELS TO ISTANBUL TODAY
[07] FRENCH YOUTH HOSTED IN THESSALONIKI THROUGH EU PROGRAM
[08] REPPAS: THE GREEKS WILL BE ABLE TO TRAVEL TO EU COUNTRIES
WITHOUT PASSPORTS STARTING IN THE YEAR 2000
[09] REPPAS: 110.000 NEW JOB POSITIONS WILL BE CREATED IN 1999
[10] THE CABINET DISCUSSED THE SITUATION IN KOSSOVO
[11] REPPAS: THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION HAS THE GOVERNMENT'S
CONFIDENCE
[12] MR. SKANDALIDIS PROPOSED THE CREATION OF A SOLIDARITY
MOVEMENT FOR THE BALKAN COUNTRIES BY THE EUROPEAN SOCIALIST PARTY
[13] MR. PANGALOS UNDERLINED THE NEED FOR A CLEAR CONDEMNATION OF
VIOLENCE
[14] THE CABINET MET IN ATHENS TODAY
[15] NEW STREET BLOCKADES BY PROTESTING STUDENTS
[16] KARAMANLIS LAUNCHED AN ATTACK AGAINST SIMITIS-ARSENIS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[17] ROMANIAN COAL MINERS CLASH WITH POLICE, CRISIS INTENSIFIES
[18] GREECE'S AMBASSADOR TO CANADA IS DIPLOMATS ASSOC. CHAIRMAN
[19] GREEK DEVELOPMENT MINISTER IN THE UNITED STATES
[20] SWISS ACCOUNTS INACTIVE SINCE 1945 CAN NOW BE COMPENSATED
[21] GREEK MINISTER OF INTERIOR SATISFIED OVER CONTACTS IN ALBANIA
[22] GREEK DEPUTY FM: CYPRUS NEEDS MEDIUM-RANGE MISSILES
[23] BELGRADE RECALLS ITS DECISION TO EXPEL OSCE'S WALKER
[24] GERMAN, TURKISH, GREEK UNIVERSITIES EMBARK ON COOPERATION
[25] THE UNITED STATES CONSIDER NEW PLANS FOR KOSOVO
[26] THE EU PLANS NOT TO ALLOW FRY GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS TO ITS
MEMBER STATES
[27] FINANCIAL TIMES: THE EURO-EUPHORIA TAKES ATHENS OFF THE
GROUND
[28] THE NEWLY-FORMED BALKAN PEACE-KEEPING FORCE WILL NOT
PARTICIPATE IN KOSOVO
[29] THE FYROM PRESS CHARACTERIZES MR. MALLIAS AS EXCELLENT
DIPLOMAT
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] STUDENTS RELENTLESS, CRISIS IN EDUCATION SECTOR CONTINUES
Thousands of students throughout Greece are continuing their
mobilizations in protest to the education reforms. Education
Minister Gerasimos Arsenis is to meet with the leaders of the
students organizations, although the group officially coordinating
the sit-ins at the schools, which has already declared another
rally on Thursday, has not been invited to participate in the
meeting.
The Education Ministry has forwarded a newsletter to the
schools, notifying the teachers that this year's first academic
semester will be extended by one month.
Teachers have joined the protests as their unions have given
them the go-ahead to hold a 24-hour strike on Monday.
[02] ESP CONFERENCE BEGINS IN THESSALONIKI TODAY
The European Socialist Party is embarking on a three-day
conference concerning southeastern Europe today in Thessaloniki,
featuring the participation of the Party's leader and German
Defense Minister Rudolph Scharping, the President of the European
Parliament's Socialists Pauline Green and other Socialist leaders
from European and Balkan countries.
The delegates are expected to address the fermenting crisis
in Kosovo. Greece's Defense and Foreign Ministers, Akis
Tsochatzopoulos and Theodoros Pangalos respectively, will also be
present, as well as the ruling PASOK party's central committee
secretary Kostas Skandalides, the undersecretary of Foreign
Affairs Yiannos Kranidiotis and EU Commissioner Christos
Papoutsis.
The inauguration of the conference, to be held this
afternoon, will be addressed by Mgrs. Skandalides, the ESP's
Secretary-General J.F. Vallin, eurodeputy Paraskevas Avgerinos and
representatives from Greek political parties.
The first session will address the overall political
situation and security in the Balkan region, while Mr. Scharping,
along with Mgrs. Tsochatzopoulos, and Kranidiotis will give a
press conference.
[03] GREEK CABINET MEETS TODAY TO DISCUSS EMPLOYMENT, SCHENGEN
Greek Prime Minister Kostas Simitis is to chair a cabinet
meeting today in order to discuss ways to boost employment in
addition to the implementation of the Schengen Treaty allowing the
free movement of EU citizens.
According to government spokesman Dimitris Reppas, the issue
of student protests over the education ministry's reforms is not
on the meeting's agenda but added that the Premier is likely to
refer to the issue.
[04] ARMS DESTINED FOR FYROM REMAIN AT THESSALONIKI'S PORT
Thessaloniki's Magistrate Court Board is to imminently rule
on the case of the FYROM-bound arms shipment bonded on the orders
of Thessaloniki's prosecutor earlier this month and which
remains confiscated in the city's port for almost 20 days now.
The board is to rule on whether or not the 18 containers with
US military aid - including guns, cannons, rockets and missile
components - will be handed over to FYROM or remain confiscated.
The shipment was held up at port when it was discovered that
it lacked basic accompanying documentation.
According to reports, the government of FYROM has drawn an
agreement with the United States for military aid, half of which
had already been transported legally, accompanied by the proper
documentation, through Thessaloniki‘s port.
[05] DEUTSCHE BANK RECOMMENDS GREEK BONDS TO FOREIGN INVESTORS
Deutsche Bank recommends that foreign investors opt for Greek
bond placements, touting the value appreciation during its January
economic report.
The German financial institution points out that Greek bonds
remain an attractive option since the country's EMU convergence
aim is still feasible.
However, it does warn that the renewed crisis in rising
markets could hamper the convergence aim and adds that the Greek
government's efforts would fall on dead water if the state's
privatization plans were delayed or its inflation-reducing
measures were relaxed.
[06] MAIN OPPOSITION PARTY LEADER TRAVELS TO ISTANBUL TODAY
The leader of Greece's main opposition party, New Democracy's
Kostas Karamanlis, is to travel to Istanbul this evening in order
to participate in the joint meeting of the presidium and directing
committee of the European Democratic Union (EDU), of which he is
vice-chairman.
The EDU meeting will discuss the ongoing political
developments in Turkey, the growth strategy of EDU's members, the
upcoming euro-elections and the EDU budget for 1999-2000.
Mr. Karamanlis will also meet with the Ecumenical Patriarch
Vartholomeos.
[07] FRENCH YOUTH HOSTED IN THESSALONIKI THROUGH EU PROGRAM
Eight young persons from the Kreolissimo association of
France's Reunion are presently being hosted in the municipality of
Polihni, near Thessaloniki, within the framework of the European
program "Youth for Europe II".
The program's theme is "youth discuss environment, free time
and social isolation of young persons".
Their Greek counterparts are to outline their activities in
fighting racxism, as well as their experiences from last
September's visit to Brussels, while the French youth will make a
similar presentation.
[08] REPPAS: THE GREEKS WILL BE ABLE TO TRAVEL TO EU COUNTRIES
WITHOUT PASSPORTS STARTING IN THE YEAR 2000
By the end of 1999 the Greek citizens will have the right to
visit EU member-states without passports or other travel
documents.
The above were stated by Greek government spokesman Dimitris
Reppas on the occasion of the discussion on the Schengen accord
that was held in the cabinet meeting today and added that the
Amsterdam treaty will soon be ratified in parliament.
[09] REPPAS: 110.000 NEW JOB POSITIONS WILL BE CREATED IN 1999
The government action plan on employment was discussed in the
cabinet meeting today. Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas
characterized as top priority the action plan against unemployment
and added that 110.000 new job positions will be created in 1999
and for this purpose will be spent 500 billion drachmas.
Mr. Reppas also said that the unemployment rate in Greece
remains the same with a downward trend.
[10] THE CABINET DISCUSSED THE SITUATION IN KOSSOVO
Greek prime minister Kostas Simitis characterized as a very
unfavourable development and a sad event the killing of 45
ethnic Albanians in Kossovo, while he pointed out the need for the
case to be completely solved, adding that those who maintain the
violence and lawlessness in the region should be brought to
justice.
Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas stated to
reporters after the cabinet meeting that the Greek government
called on the Belgrade government to take all the necessary
measures to defuse the tension and arrest those responsible for
the tragic event. The Greek government also called on Belgrade to
cooperate with the international community by implementing to the
fullest the agreements it has signed and by accepting the
decisions of the International Penal Court of Justice.
Also, the Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas
mentioned that Greece will participate in the actions-initiatives
of the international community in order to deal with the crisis
while he expressed reservations on whether Greece will take part
in the land military interventions in Kossovo. When asked to
comment on the presence of frigate "Kimon" in the region he
dissociated its presence from the whole situation and attributed
it to training purposes.
[11] REPPAS: THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION HAS THE GOVERNMENT'S
CONFIDENCE
Prime minister Kostas Simitis expressed the government's
confidence in minister of education Gerasimos Arsenis in today's
cabinet meeting.
According to government spokesman Dimitris Reppas the
minister acts keeping in mind that the education reform has to
move ahead and reiterated that the doors of the education ministry
are open to dialogue, while he called again on the students and
teachers to return to their duties. Mr. Reppas said that the
government is relatively satisfied because a large number of
students have returned to their classes and it is a matter of time
for the rest of the students and teachers to follow their example.
When asked to comment on the likelihood of the resignation of
the minister of education he said that there was never such a
question.
[12] MR. SKANDALIDIS PROPOSED THE CREATION OF A SOLIDARITY
MOVEMENT FOR THE BALKAN COUNTRIES BY THE EUROPEAN SOCIALIST PARTY
Governing socialist party of PASOK central committee
secretary Kostas Skandalidis speaking in the 2nd conference of the
European Socialist Party on the Balkans that is being held in
Thessaloniki, backed the adoption of a political solution in
Kossovo.
The crisis in Kossovo, said Mr. Skandalidis, shows how
fragile is peace, security and stability in the region, adding
that such crises must be dealt with within a framework of a long-
term programme. He also spoke of the need for an alternative
strategy in Europe in which the Balkans also have a place. Mr.
Skandalidis called for the fears and nationalism to be overcome in
order to develop an inter-Balkan cooperation based on the
protection of borders and the respect of territorial integrity.
He suggested that a solidarity movement should be created by
the European Socialist Party that will be the hope for the region
of the Balkans. Mr. Skandalidis said that Turkey is not excluded
from the European settlement he suggests, adding that this country
should first meet the pre-conditions on human rights and etc which
are in effect across Europe and strengthen its European
orientation.
[13] MR. PANGALOS UNDERLINED THE NEED FOR A CLEAR CONDEMNATION OF
VIOLENCE
Greek foreign minister Theodoros Pangalos, in a speech he
delivered in a conference held in Athens today organized by the
Greek Institute on European and Foreign Policy, underlined that in
the case of Kossovo there is a need for a clear condemnation of
violence.
Mr. Pangalos pointed out that the situation in Kossovo is the
result of the mistaken policy the international community has
followed for the solution of the Yugoslav problem. He also stated
that the permanent representatives of the NATO member-states meet
in Brussels to discuss a specific proposal that will be submitted
by the alliance.
The Greek foreign minister stated that it would have been a
disastrous mistake to approve a proposal for an ultimatum of
bombardment for Yugoslavia with terms that will be impossible for
Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic to meet. He also made it
clear that in such a case Greece will not participate in military
operations that will take place on the territory of a foreign
country.
[14] THE CABINET MET IN ATHENS TODAY
The Schengen treaty and the new employment plan were the
basic issues of today's cabinet meeting, while the issue of
education was also discussed in detail.
The education issue was presented by prime minister Kostas
Simitis in his opening speech and according to information, he
underlined that the government must continue its policy and not
withdraw the education reform law. He also maintained that the
crisis in education can be defused only through dialogue.
Minister of education Gerasimos Arsenis stated that 3.100
schools are open across the country out of a total of 3.700, while
he also referred to the effort for a dialogue with the 15member
student councils.
[15] NEW STREET BLOCKADES BY PROTESTING STUDENTS
The students blocked more streets again today, while the
coordinating body for the school building occupations announced
that a new protest rally will be held on Thursday.
Tomorrow, minister of education Gerasimos Arsenis will start
a round of meetings with the presidents of the 15member student
councils and the prosecutor's office brought charges against 25
youngsters who were arrested in yesterday's incidents in Athens.
Meanwhile, the governing socialist party of PASOK youth
organization calls for the immediate postponement of the
implementation of the education reform for as long it is necessary
and the opening of an unconditional dialogue with the
participation of education sector representatives.
[16] KARAMANLIS LAUNCHED AN ATTACK AGAINST SIMITIS-ARSENIS
Right-wing main opposition party of New Democracy leader
Kostas Karamanlis launched an attack against prime minister Kostas
Simitis and education minister Gerasimos Arsenis by expressing
indirectly the belief that the government will call for early
elections that will be won by the main opposition party.
Speaking in a one-day conference on education held in
Thessaloniki by New Democracy, he said that Mr. Simitis is not
familiar with the young Greeks while Mr. Arsenis is the
personification of the crisis in education and the government's
lack of credibility, adding that he must go and yet he remains. He
appealed again to the students to return to their classes and
requested the postponement of the implementation of the education
law and the opening of a national dialogue on education.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[17] ROMANIAN COAL MINERS CLASH WITH POLICE, CRISIS INTENSIFIES
Romanian President Emil Constantinescu has stated that he
will declare a "state of emergency" in his country if the coal
miners press on with their rally towards Belgrade.
Yesterday, the miners clashed with police forces when the
latter tried to block the march. Dozens of policemen were injured
during the episodes. The miners are demanding a 35-percent wage
increase and the cancellation of government plans to close thirty
non-profitable plants which would cost the jobs of 6,500 workers.
[18] GREECE'S AMBASSADOR TO CANADA IS DIPLOMATS ASSOC. CHAIRMAN
Greece's Ambassador to Canada, Ioannis-Alexandros Thomoglou,
has been
elected unanimously as chairman of Ottawa's Organization of
Diplomats.
Canada's governor-general, Romeo Leblanc, will be the
honorary president of the newly-established organization, which
aims to promote relations amongst diplomats in Ottawa and assist
newly-arrived diplomats, develop relations between the diplomats
and the Canadian government, and organize cultural and social
events.
[19] GREEK DEVELOPMENT MINISTER IN THE UNITED STATES
Greece's development minister, Vasso Papandreou, is presently
on a seven-day visit to the United States, where she has
embarked on a series of meetings and contacts with US government
officials and Greek-American leaders, among them the US Secretary
of Energy, the assistant Secretary of State Mark Grossman, and
others.
In Washington, Ms Papandreou will meet with energy
secretaries Bill Richardson and William Daly and the
undersecretary for financial affairs, Stuart Eisenstadt.
During her stay in the US, Ms. Papandreou will give an
interview to CNN and will visit Houston's energy installations.
On Monday she will attend a luncheon given in her honor by
the Foreign Policy Association, at Manhattan's Yale Club. Ms.
Papandreou will also be received by the Archbishop of America
Spyridon.
[20] SWISS ACCOUNTS INACTIVE SINCE 1945 CAN NOW BE COMPENSATED
Switzerland has publicized a list containing the names of 580
individuals-bearers of inactive bank accounts since 1945, which
had been confiscated by the Swiss-government.
The said list is publicized in the on-line edition of the Swiss
government's Gazette at
www.switzerland.taskforce.ch.
The interested parties can request further information at any
Swiss embassy or consulate abroad or at the Swiss Foreign
Ministry's "centrale d' annonce 1962 / 1999" agency.
The deadline for filing compensation claims is September 30,
1999.
[21] GREEK MINISTER OF INTERIOR SATISFIED OVER CONTACTS IN ALBANIA
Greece's Minister of the Interior and Public Administration
Alekos Papadopoulos has expressed his satisfaction at the contacts
he has had during his official visit to Tirana, which concluded
today.
Mr. Papadopoulos, who was invited to Albania by Vice-
President Ilir Meta, was received by Albanian President Rexhep
Mejdani, Prime Minister Panteli Majko, Speaker of the House
Skender Ghinushi and Public Order Minster Petro Koci.
During a joint press conference, Mgrs. Papadopoulos and Meta
stated that the ties between the two countries are excellent and
the cooperation level is at the highest point in the history of
bilateral relations.
During his meeting with Mr. Meta, he said Greece's support
for Albania's efforts will become more specific through a protocol
of cooperation the two countries will sign in the near future.
In addition, Mr. Papadopoulos and the Albanian government
leaders discussed the developments in Kosovo.
[22] GREEK DEPUTY FM: CYPRUS NEEDS MEDIUM-RANGE MISSILES
Greece's Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs Yiannos
Kranidiotis stated that Cyprus needs medium-range missiles, "a
more flexible system than the S-300", during a television
interview in Cyprus.
According to Mr. Kranidiotis, Cyprus's purchase of the
Russian-made S-300 missiles in January 1997 was "problematic",
both diplomatically and militarily.
"Diplomatically because it would complicate the Cyprus issue
and Cyprus' prospects for EU accession and militarily because
long-range missiles were not appropriate for Cyprus," he
explained.
Commending on the S-300's deployment in Crete as opposed to
Cyprus, he stated that the decision was a "painful" one, albeit
stressing that the worst was averted.
"The worst would prospectively have been an incident, which
would have led us into an (adverse) adventure and definitely to a
freeze of the negotiations for Cyprus' EU accession," Mr.
Kranidiotis stated.
[23] BELGRADE RECALLS ITS DECISION TO EXPEL OSCE'S WALKER
The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia has decided to recall its
decision to expel the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE) head of the verification mission from Kosovo
Suntil the reasons for his unacceptable behavior are clarified."
In its statement, the Yugoslav government said that the decision
was drawn following last night's meeting between Foreign Misnter
Zivadin Jovanovic and OSCE chief Knut Volebec.
Furthermore, the said announcement refers to the
contributions made by Russian President Boris Yeltsin and Premier
Yevgeni Primakov, as well as UN'S Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in
defusing the crisis.
[24] GERMAN, TURKISH, GREEK UNIVERSITIES EMBARK ON COOPERATION
The German University of Paderborn and the Turkish University
of Mersin are to embark on a cultural cooperation program and will
soon be joined by Greece's Ionian university.
The said agreement was signed during the course of a European
forum held in Paderborn and calls for student and faculty
exchanges, as well as intensive political, scientific and economic
cooperation between the EU and Turkey.
The forum was attended by Ionian University representatives, which
school will host the next forum during 1999. Ionian will become
the cooperation agreement's third member in the imminent future.
[25] THE UNITED STATES CONSIDER NEW PLANS FOR KOSOVO
The United States consider new plans for Kosovo that will be
submitted to the NATO member-states permanent representatives
council in the next few days.
Meanwhile, based on the initial conclusions reached by the
OSCE specialists, who examined the corpses of the 45 victims in
the village of Racak, it was established that there was a massacre
and certain of the bodies had been carried to the region where
they were found from elsewhere, according to the French newspaper
"Liberacion".
The ethnic Albanians maintain that the majority of the
victims were unarmed civilians and only 8 of them were Kosovo
Liberation Army rebels.
[26] THE EU PLANS NOT TO ALLOW FRY GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS TO ITS
MEMBER STATES
The governments of the EU member-states plan not to allow to
members of the governments of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
and Serbia to enter their countries in an effort to exert pressure
on Belgrade to find a solution in Kossovo and defuse the crisis in
the Serb province, according to statements made by diplomats to
the French news agency AFP.
An EU official stated that the EU foreign ministers will
decide on the specific issue in Brussels where they will meet on
Monday based on the latest developments.
The EU already has imposed a visa ban on Yugoslav officials
who are directly involved in the crisis in Kossovo, has frozen
investments and assets in Serbia and has refused to grant landing
rights to the state-run Yugoslav airline JAT.
[27] FINANCIAL TIMES: THE EURO-EUPHORIA TAKES ATHENS OFF THE
GROUND
The British newspaper "Financial Times" mentions that Athens
has "taken off" as a result of the increased Euro-euphoria and
predicts that investors will become more and more confident that
Greece will be the 12th member of the "Euro-club".
The reliable London daily maintains that the performance of
the Athens Stock Exchange has reached record-breaking levels and
characterized it as the most successful money market in the world
for 1998.
In a report from Athens signed by Kerin Hope it is stressed
that the steady progress in cutting inflation and limiting the
state budget deficit have persuaded investors that Greece's goal
to join the European single currency in 2001 is feasible.
The article writer also presents data on the positive indexes
of the economy, the public's tendency to buy stocks because of
the bank interest rates cuts, the recent privatizations and those
expected to take place in 1999.
[28] THE NEWLY-FORMED BALKAN PEACE-KEEPING FORCE WILL NOT
PARTICIPATE IN KOSOVO
There are no proposals for the newly-formed peace-keeping
force to be used in Kosovo or anywhere else in the Balkan
peninsula, stated yesterday Bulgarian armed forces general army
staff chief, wing-commander Micho Michov.
According to his point of view, it is not right to determine
where the Balkan peace-keeping forces will be sent before it is
made clear what their specific training will be. The Bulgarian
press points out that Mr. Michov's stance is shared by the rest
Balkan countries.
[29] THE FYROM PRESS CHARACTERIZES MR. MALLIAS AS EXCELLENT
DIPLOMAT
FYROM's mass media made positive comments on the work of head
of the Greek liaison office Alexandros Mallias, on the occasion of
his leaving the post, praising his great contribution to the
development of the Greek-FYROM relations.
According to the newspaper "Vetser", Mr. Mallias is the first
Greek diplomat who was appointed to Skopje after the signing of
the interim accord and undertook to improve bilateral relations
and especially the development of economic cooperation.
The newspaper "Dnevnik", with a comment under the headline
"The great ice breaker Alexandros Mallias", characterizes the head
of the Greek liaison office as an "excellent diplomat" pointing
out that he participated in all the initiatives that led to the
normalisation of relations between Athens and Skopje. The
newspaper also writes that nobody can dispute the fact that
Greece, of all the neighbouring states of FYROM, is its main
economic and political partner.
It should be noted that Mr. Mallias will leave his post by
the end of the month and he will be replaced by Giorgos Kaklikis,
diplomatic adviser to president Stephanopoulos.
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