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Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 99-03-19
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, March 19, 1999
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] PASOK PARTY'S FIFTH CONGRESS CONTINUES IN ATHENS
[02] LATVIAN PRESIDENT IN THESSALONIKI TODAY, WILL VISIT MT. ATHOS
[03] ADVERSE WEATHER STRIKES GREECE, MANY VILLAGES INACCESIBLE
[04] ULMANIS CANCELS MT. ATHOS VISIT DUE TO ADVERSE WEATHER
[05] MAIN OPPOSITION PARTY REACTS NEGATIVELY TO PM'S ADDRESS
[06] MAJKO: TURKISH TROOPS IN ALBANIA WON'T TURN AGAINST GREECE
[07] FM MILO: KOSOVO'S ALBANIANS HAVE FULFILLED THEIR OBLIGATION
[08] GREECE'S ALTERNATE FM SATISFIED OVER CofE'S STANCE ON OCALAN
[09] VUJANOVIC: GREECE WILL NOT ALLOW FOR A CHANGE OF BORDERS
[10] CHRISTOS PROTOPAPPAS: REDISTRIBUTION OF NATIONAL REVENUE
[11] PASOK'S UNITED COURSE IS A CONCERN FOR THE PARTY CONGRESS
DELEGATES
[12] SIMITIS-MAJKO MEETING
[13] TSOCHATZOPOULOS: GREECE WILL PARTICIPATE ONLY IN A PEACE
MISSION IN KOSOVO
[14] A UKRAINIAN SHIP REMAINS IMMOBILIZED AT STRATONI, CHALKIDIKI
[15] INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON EDUCATION IN THE BALKANS
[16] FOSSILIZED ANIMAL BONES 5-9 MILLION YEARS OLD DISCOVERED IN
SERRES, KASSANDRA AND GREVENA
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[17] KOSOVO: PEACEKEEPING TALKS WRAPPING UP IN PARIS TODAY
[18] GREEK-DUTCH CONSORTIUM ONLY BIDDER OF BULGARIA'S BTC
[19] PAPANDREOU ARRIVES IN BUCHAREST FOR BALKAN FM CONFERENCE
[20] ISRAEL CANCELS TWO FLIGHTS TO TURKEY FOR SECURITY REASONS
[21] SERBS: THE ALBANIAN SIDE HAS SIGNED A NON-EXISTENT AGREEMENT
[22] DECLARATION ON KOSSOVO WAS ISSUED BY FIVE BALKAN FOREIGN
MINISTERS
[23] THE INTER-BALKAN CONFERENCE ON KOSOVO IS BEING HELD IN
BUCHAREST
[24] HENRY KISSINGER'S NEW BOOK REFERS TO THE TRAGEDY OF CYPRUS
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] PASOK PARTY'S FIFTH CONGRESS CONTINUES IN ATHENS
The ruling PASOK party is presently holding its fifth
Congress, inaugurated yesterday with a rousing address given by
the Prime Minister Kostas Simitis, who, along with the secretary
of the party's Central Committee Kostas Skandalides, appealed for
unity and cohesion in light of the European elections and the
national polls.
Mr. Simitis vowed that PASOK will defy the naysayers who
predict its demise. He launched an attack against the main
opposition party New Democracy by accusing its leaders of
resorting to a populist policy.
Among those to take the podium today are the Defense Minister
Akis Tsochatzopoulos and Minister of the Interior Vaso
Papandreou.
The four-day congress, which features the participation of
5,802 party members, will culminate on Sunday with the election
of the president and the new central committee.
[02] LATVIAN PRESIDENT IN THESSALONIKI TODAY, WILL VISIT MT. ATHOS
Latvian President Guntis Ulmanis, who is presently on an
official visit to Greece, is to arrive in Thessaloniki today and
will make a brief visit to the all-male monastic community of Mt.
Athos by helicopter.
Later today, President Ulmanis will meet with Thessaloniki
Mayor Vassilis Papageorgopoulos who will bestow upon him the
city's gold medal. Macedonia-Thrace Minister Yiannis Magriotis
will host a dinner in the Latvian President's honor later in the
evening.
On Saturday morning, President Ulmanis and his wife will
visit the St. Dimitrius Church and will tour the city's Byzantine
Museum prior to departing for Latvia.
[03] ADVERSE WEATHER STRIKES GREECE, MANY VILLAGES INACCESIBLE
A wave of adverse weather has stricken all of Greece during
this last week of winter, with temperatures having plummeted to
single-digit in many regions and gusty winds prevailing in the
Aegean.
Snow fall continues in Western Macedonia where transportation
in provincial roads can be conducted with anti-skid chains. Many
villages have become isolated due to the dense snow.
[04] ULMANIS CANCELS MT. ATHOS VISIT DUE TO ADVERSE WEATHER
Latvian President Guntis Ulmanis, who arrived in Thessaloniki
this morning, has canceled his scheduled visit to the all-male
monastic community of Mt. Athos due to the adverse weather
conditions. Instead, he will visit the archaeological sites of
Vergina.
Later today, President Ulmanis will meet with Thessaloniki
Mayor Vassilis Papageorgopoulos who will bestow upon him the
city's gold medal. Macedonia-Thrace Minister Yiannis Magriotis
will host a dinner in the Latvian President's honor later in the
evening.
[05] MAIN OPPOSITION PARTY REACTS NEGATIVELY TO PM'S ADDRESS
The spokesperson of Greece's main opposition party, New
Democracy's Aris Spiliotopoulos launched a verbal attack against
the Prime Minster Kostas Simitis yesterday, following the latter's
rousing speech at the PASOK party's fifth congress.
Responding to Mr. Simitis' address, Mr. Spiliotopoulos said
the Prime Minister has relegated the country to the bottom of
Europe and has lost every economic and political battle in
Brussels.
[06] MAJKO: TURKISH TROOPS IN ALBANIA WON'T TURN AGAINST GREECE
Albanian Prime Minister Pandeli Majko, who addressed Greece‘s
ruling PASOK party congress, assured his audience that the Turkish
troops stationed in Albania will not be used against Greece, by
stating that "since the Balkans are crawling with suspicion, I
assure you that no foreign soldier will be used by Albania for
other purposes."
During his address, Mr. Majko referred to the efforts exerted
by his country in facing its tremendous problems.
Regarding Kosovo, the Albanian Premier described the
situation as a conflict between simple folk who are defending
their homes against a political machine.
He further supported that the solution to the crisis has to
be sought through the course of dialogue and added that the sooner
these problems are overcome, then the sooner will the Balkans
enjoy closeness.
In closing his address, Mr. Majko stated: "Now that I have
seen you, I can leave calmer."
[07] FM MILO: KOSOVO'S ALBANIANS HAVE FULFILLED THEIR OBLIGATION
Albania's Foreign Minister Paskal Milo, presently in Paris
where he observed the Kosovo talks, expressed his satisfaction
after the region's ethnic Albanians signed the peacekeeping
agreement.
"By signing the agreement, Kosovo's Albanians have secured
the beginning of a process that will determine the future status
of Kosovo," Mr. Milo stated, adding that they have fulfilled their
obligation and that the responsibility for whatever might ensue
now falls upon the Serbs who refuse to endorse the agreement.
The Albanian Foreign Minister, responding to a relevant
question, stated that he believes if Serbia insists on its present
stance, then NATO will act on its threats.
[08] GREECE'S ALTERNATE FM SATISFIED OVER CofE'S STANCE ON OCALAN
Greece's alternate Foreign Minister Yiannos Kranidiotis has
expressed his satisfaction over the Ocalan-related discussion held
by the Permanent Representatives Committee of the Council of
Europe.
. "Turkey's efforts to downgrade the issue of respecting the
Kurdish people's human rights into a matter of terrorism, trying
to transpose its responsibilities onto others," were unsuccessful,
Mr. Kranidiotis said.
The alternate FM added that there was no chance Greece would
endorse a statement which would condemn an organization as being
terrorist, without referring to the reasons behind a 15-year-old
situation in southeast Turkey, that is the Turkish state's
systematic and flagrant violations of human rights.
"The Greek government has steadfastly favored a political
resolution to the Kurdish issue, through peaceful means, governed
by human rights principles and the sovereignty of borders. We
shall support every effort in this direction, stemming from the
Council of Europe's request that Mr. Ocalan be granted a fair and
public trial, as foreseen by the fundamental regulations and legal
processes of the C of E," Mr.
Kranidiotis stated.
[09] VUJANOVIC: GREECE WILL NOT ALLOW FOR A CHANGE OF BORDERS
Montenegro's Prime Minister Philip Vujanovic, addressing the
fifth congress held by Greece's ruling PASOK party, stated that
Greece and Yugoslavia should not allow a change of borders in
Kosovo.
Mr. Vujanovic, who is also Montenegro's Democratic Socialist
Party leader, stated that while the region's Albanians should be
granted autonomy, the borders should remain intact.
"I hope that the crisis in Yugoslavia is nearing an end and
that this end will arrive with Greece's vast contribution," Mr.
Vujanovic stated.
" I believe that Greece and PASOK will not allow for a change
of borders in Kosovo since that would be catastrophic for the
Balkans and Europe. I know that Greece has won many battles with
PASOK. I believe PASOK will help strengthen Greece's role as a
bridge between the Balkans and Europe."
[10] CHRISTOS PROTOPAPPAS: REDISTRIBUTION OF NATIONAL REVENUE
Undersecretary of labor Christos Protopappas, speaking in
PASOK's 5th party congress, stressed the need for the
redistribution of the national revenue in favor of the financially
weaker.
He said that the EMU does not concern only the stock exchange
and the economy and referred to the government plans in order to
deal with unemployment and the issue of the 35-hour working week.
He also stressed that there is room for everyone and that each one
has a role to play but the crucial fights should not be fought by
only a few.
Meanwhile, former minister of transport and parliament deputy
Charis Kastanidis underlined that it is not self-evident that the
party congress is being held in a crucial period and this should
be made clear, observing that there are certain who believe that
the congress can be used to settle personal matters.
[11] PASOK'S UNITED COURSE IS A CONCERN FOR THE PARTY CONGRESS
DELEGATES
The united course for victory in the Euro-parliament
elections and the elections for the national parliament is one of
the main concerns of the delegates participating in PASOK's 5th
party congress which continues for a second day in the Olympic
Stadium facilities in Athens.
PASOK's central committee secretary Kostas Skandalidis stated
that an effort is being made to continue the work of Andreas
Papandreou, while minister of environment, public works and land
planning Kostas Laliotis characterized the speech delivered by
prime minister Kostas Simitis as very inspired and expressed the
certainty that on Monday a new day will dawn for PASOK. Paraskevas
Avgerinos backed the efforts to homogenise the party congress,
while parliament deputy Anastasios Peponis stated that the deep
wish of all the party members is unity, based on the union of
hearts which in turn needs clarity of speech and dialogue.
[12] SIMITIS-MAJKO MEETING
The prime minister had contacts today with foreign officials
on the sidelines of PASOK's 5th party congress. Mr. Simitis met
this morning with Albanian prime minister Panteli Majko and
discussed ways in which the spread of the crisis in Kosovo could
be averted.
Later on, Mr. Simitis met with Socialist Party of Spain
general secretary Mr. Almunia and discussed the relations of the
two political parties as well as the coordination of their efforts
in view of the European Parliament elections.
[13] TSOCHATZOPOULOS: GREECE WILL PARTICIPATE ONLY IN A PEACE
MISSION IN KOSOVO
Minister of defense Akis Tsochatzopoulos, speaking in the
opening ceremony of the two-day international conference that is
being held in Athens on the occasion of the 50th anniversary since
the establishment of NATO, pointed out the need for no
revisionist positions within NATO concerning the existing borders
in Europe.
Referring to the situation in Kosovo, Mr. Tsochatzopoulos
stressed that Greece will participate only in a peace mission and
if an agreement is reached between the Serbs and ethnic Albanians
in Kosovo.
NATO deputy secretary Klaus Kleinberg stated that the North
Atlantic Alliance is not the policeman of Europe, adding however,
that in certain cases the cost of indifference is higher than the
cost of participation. He said that NATO is ready to avert the
bloodshed in Kosovo and to impose itself in the region in case
there is no agreement between the two sides.
[14] A UKRAINIAN SHIP REMAINS IMMOBILIZED AT STRATONI, CHALKIDIKI
The Ukrainian cargo ship "Khanza", loaded with high-grade
ore, remains immobilized for a third day since it run aground at a
rocky area in Stratoni, Chalkidiki in northern Greece. The rough
seas do not allow the tugboats to approach the region.
Most of the 28 members of its crew, Ukrainians and 3 Maroccan
illegal immigrants, were carried to the shore on board Greek Coast
Guard ships, while on the Ukrainian ship remain its captain and 8
sailors, who will participate in the efforts to remove the ship
expected to be underway as soon as the weather improves.
[15] INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON EDUCATION IN THE BALKANS
The international conference on education in the Balkans,
which is held in Thessaloniki today and tomorrow organized by the
History Archives of Modern Greek Education and the Balkan Society
of Pedagogy and Education, is a starting point for the
establishment of better relations of cooperation among the Balkan
states in the sector of education, according to Aristotle
University of Thessaloniki dean Michalis Papadopoulos.
In today's proceedings of the conference were examined among
others issues concerning the education systems of the Balkan
states in the 19th century, the role of the Church in education
and the relation of education with the effort to create new
national states.
In the conference participate scientists from Greece, Turkey,
Albania, Romania, FYROM, Serbia, Bulgaria and Cyprus.
[16] FOSSILIZED ANIMAL BONES 5-9 MILLION YEARS OLD DISCOVERED IN
SERRES, KASSANDRA AND GREVENA
Fossilized bones of animals that lived 5-9 million years ago
were discovered in Kristalopigi, in Kassandra, Chalkidiki as well
as in Sidirokastro, Serres, in northern Greece, while two tusks
4,40 meters long estimated to be 3 million years old were
unearthed in Milia, Grevena in north-western Greece.
The discoveries show that in those regions lived not only
small horses, antilopes and giraffes but carnivorous animals as
well, which proves that many different animal species used to live
in the region millions of years ago.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[17] KOSOVO: PEACEKEEPING TALKS WRAPPING UP IN PARIS TODAY
The peacekeeping talks presently held in Paris over
the strife-torn Kosovo region are to close today, although they
have apparently led nowhere, as, reportedly, the Serb side will
not budge from its stance in spite of the mounting pressures.
Western diplomats stated that the Serb delegation will be
asked to endorse the accord which has been signed by the Albanian
side. The accord grants autonomy to the region's ethnic Albanians
and allows for the deployment of an international observation
mission to the area.
[18] GREEK-DUTCH CONSORTIUM ONLY BIDDER OF BULGARIA'S BTC
The Greek-Dutch telecommunications consortium OTE-KNP was the
sole bidder for the purchase of 51% of Bulgaria's state-owned
telecommunications organization BTC, with the offer submitted
yesterday.
Much to the dismay of BTC, neither Germany's Deutsche Telecom
nor Spain's Telefonika, acted on their previously expressed
interest.
The 51% controlling stake is estimated at between $600
million and one billion dollars.
Bulgaria's telephone network is relatively developed with 2.7
million telephone lines and its 1998 profits rose to $300 million.
[19] PAPANDREOU ARRIVES IN BUCHAREST FOR BALKAN FM CONFERENCE
Greece's Foreign Minister George Papandreou has arrived in
Bucharest where he will participate in the Balkan Foreign
Ministers Conference.
The conference is taking place following the signing of the
peacekeeping accord by the Albanian side of the Kosovo conflict,
while the Serb side still refuses to endorse the agreement.
The Balkan Foreign Ministers will attempt to arrive at an
outcome which would avert NATO's imminent air strikes against Serb
targets, while, at the same time, convincing the Serb side to
adopt a stance that would safeguard peace in the Balkans.
[20] ISRAEL CANCELS TWO FLIGHTS TO TURKEY FOR SECURITY REASONS
Israel's national airline "El Al" has canceled two of its
flights to and from Turkey today for security reasons, according
to a company spokesman.
According to the French news agency AFP, the canceled
flights were a morning route to Istanbul and a return route to Tel
Aviv.
The company stated it will decide in the future whether or
not it will maintain its Turkey flights, depending on the given
situation due to the repeated bomb attacks in Turkey following the
arrest of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan.
Turkey has become a favorite destination for thousands of
Israelis in the recent years. "El Al" is considered to be among
the most secure airlines in the world.
[21] SERBS: THE ALBANIAN SIDE HAS SIGNED A NON-EXISTENT AGREEMENT
As the second round of Kosovo talks has concluded in
Paris with the one-sided signing of the agreement, political
circles in Serbia have expressed their satisfaction over the
unwavering stance maintained by the Yugoslav delegation and have
said that "the Albanian side has signed a non-existent agreement."
The vice president of Yugoslavia's federation Vuk Drascovic
stressed that the Paris negotiations could be through in a matter
of minutes if the United States and Europe were ready to accept
the Yugoslav side's proposals calling for a modification in
certain of the agreement's terms.
"No one can hold us responsible for the failure of the Paris
meeting, since we illustrated our readiness to agree with a good
plan," Mr. Drascovic stated, adding that the only thing remaining
for Yugoslavia to do is to await NATO's bombs.
[22] DECLARATION ON KOSSOVO WAS ISSUED BY FIVE BALKAN FOREIGN
MINISTERS
An appeal to the warring sides in Kossovo for the immediate
end of hostilities was issued from Bucharest by the foreign
ministers of Greece Giorgos Papandreou, Romania's Andrei Plesu,
Bulgaria's Nadezda Michailova, FYROM's Alexander Dimitrov and
Turkey's Ismail Cem participating in the inter-Balkan conference
on Kossovo.
In their joint declaration the five foreign ministers
expressed their concern over the likelihood of the crisis in
Kossovo to spread to other countries in the region and the threat
against stability. They also expressed their countries' wish for
the peaceful settlement of the crisis and their support to
Kossovo's autonomy and the preservation of sovereignty and
territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
The five foreign ministers called on the interested sides to
respect the rights of all citizens as well as the rights of the
ethnic minorities and communities according to the international
regulations and principles.
They also expressed their backing to the efforts of the
international community for a political solution of the crisis in
Kossovo and reaffirmed their support to the efforts of the Contact
Group, NATO, the European Union and the OSCE for a viable peaceful
solution, for peace and stability in Kossovo in compliance with
the UN Security Council decisions.
Finally, the foreign ministers of Greece, Romania, Bulgaria,
FYROM and Turkey expressed their readiness to contribute to the
efforts aimed at bringing Federal Republic of Yugoslavia back to
the international institutions in case it signs the Rambouillet
peace agreement on Kossovo.
[23] THE INTER-BALKAN CONFERENCE ON KOSOVO IS BEING HELD IN
BUCHAREST
The inter-Balkan conference, that became a reality at the
initiative of Greek foreign minister Giorgos Papandreou, is taking
place in Bucharest. The conference is not attended by Albania. The
text of the joint declaration that will be issued is expected to
back Kosovo's autonomy, the NATO and OSCE decisions and the
respect of Serbia's borders.
Greek minister of defense Akis Tsochatzopoulos stressed that
Greece will send forces to the region only in a peace mission and
if there is an agreement reached between the Serbs and the ethnic
Albanians.
[24] HENRY KISSINGER'S NEW BOOK REFERS TO THE TRAGEDY OF CYPRUS
Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger attempts to
improve his picture among the Greeks and change the widely
accepted view both in Greece and in Cyprus according to which, he
is personally responsible for the tragedy of Cyprus through his
new book "Years of Renewal" in which he records his experience
during the time when he was the head of the US diplomacy in the
two years of the Ford presidency.
Mr. Kissinger dedicated a whole chapter to the Cypriot crisis
and in 47 pages he attempted to pass judgement on the then
political leaderships in Greece, Turkey and Cyprus. Even though he
regards Archbishop Makarios as responsible for most of Cyprus'
ordeals he refers to him using flattering comments for his leading
ability and stresses that he was the only one who could guarantee
a solution for the Cyprus problem.
The former US Secretary of State uses less flattering words
for the then prime minister of Greece Konstantinos Karamanlis and
regards him as being caught in the nationalist spirit of the times
characterizing him as unwilling to make compromises that were
necessary in order to get out of the deadlock.
He also maintains that Turkey achieved its goals through the
use of force taking advantage of the fact that Washington was
absorbed by the Watergate scandal that led to the resignation of
the then president Nixon, while Ankara also took advantage of the
fact that the Sampson regime in Cyprus enjoyed no respect
whatsoever and the international isolation of the junta in Athens.
Mr. Kissinger underlined repeatedly that in the Cyprus crisis
of July-August 1974 the primary goal of the US diplomacy was to
avert the war between two NATO allies and also to avert the
involvement of the then Soviet Union in this conflict. He mentions
that those aspirations were achieved but the unity of the Cypriot
state was not restored.
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