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Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 99-04-01

Macedonian Press Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: The Macedonian Press Agency at http://www.mpa.gr and http://www.hri.org/MPA.


MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, April 1, 1999

SECTIONS

  • [A] NATIONAL NEWS
  • [B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

  • NEWS HEADLINES

    [A] NATIONAL NEWS

  • [01] GREEK PREMIER ADDRESSES PARLIAMENTARY SESSION ON KOSOVO
  • [02] PRESIDENT OF PANAMA ON OFFICIAL VISIT TO GREECE
  • [03] PRESIDENT OF CHINA'S PEOPLE'S NATIONAL CONGRESS IN ATHENS
  • [04] ELUSIVE "17 NOVEMBER" STRIKES AGAIN, FIRES ROCKET AT PASOK
  • [05] PASOK GIVES STATEMENT ON TERRORIST ATTACK AGAINST ITS OFFICE
  • [06] MPA IS RIGHT ON TARGET WITH ITS TWO NEW BOOKS ON THE BALKANS
  • [07] THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE IS ON A FREE FALL
  • [08] EMERGENCY MEETING IN BONN ON THE YUGOSLAV REFUGEES
  • [09] DISCUSSION IN PARLIAMENT ON THE BEHAVIOUR OF THE US AMBASSADOR
  • [10] YIANNIS NIKOLAOU: MPA WON A ENVIABLE PLACE IN THE BALKANS
  • [B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

  • [11] NATO RAIDS CONTINUE, DANUBE RIVER BRIDGE REPORTEDLY BOMBED
  • [12] YUGOSLAVIA: ATHENS PROPOSES TRUCE ON EASTER, BONN REJECTS IT
  • [13] YUGOSLAVIA DOWNS ANOTHER NATO WARPLANE
  • [14] THREE US SOLDIERS CAPTURED BY SERBS, NATO CONFIRMS
  • [15] ALTERNATE FM IN FYROM, DEFENSE MINISTER ON TOUR OF BALKANS
  • [16] IVANOV EXPLAINS TO ALBRIGHT RUSSIAN WARSHIP MISSION
  • [17] RUSSIA MAY UNDERTAKE NEW INITIATIVES ON YUGOSLAVIA
  • [18] GREEKS, SERBS IN MANHATTAN HOLD MASSIVE RALLY AGAINST NATO
  • [19] THE SERBS ARE HOLDING THREE US SOLDIERS
  • [20] RUSSIA: THEY ASKED FOR OUR MEDIATION BUT THEY DID NOT KNOW WHAT THEY WANTED

  • NEWS IN DETAIL

    [A] NATIONAL NEWS

    [01] GREEK PREMIER ADDRESSES PARLIAMENTARY SESSION ON KOSOVO

    Greece's Prime Minister Kostas Simitis addressed the Parliament yesterday evening, in a special session held for the discussion of the crisis in Yugoslavia.

    In his address, the Premier reiterated the need for diplomatic initiatives and a political resolution to crisis, advising cool-headedness, alertness and decisiveness, all elements of a "responsible and developed country of the European system.

    He stressed Greece's respect for the principles of human and minority rights, respect for the territorial integrity of countries, the inviolability of borders and the peaceful resolution of differences on the basis of the United Nations charter.

    "Referring to those principles is not rhetorical for Greece, which lives under Turkey's aggressive behavior in the Aegean and the continuing international crime of the Turkish occupation of a major part of Cyprus," he added.

    [02] PRESIDENT OF PANAMA ON OFFICIAL VISIT TO GREECE

    The President of Panama Ernesto Perez Balladares, presently on a three-day official visit to Greece, was received by his Greek counterpart, President Kostis Stephanopoulos yesterday with whom he discussed bilateral and international issues, focusing on the situation in the Balkan region.

    Also yesterday, Alternate Foreign Minister Yiannos Kranidiotis and Panamanian Foreign Minister Jorge Eduardo Ritter signed an economic and technological cooperation agreement.

    President Balladares said the sizeable Greek community in Panama and Greece's merchant fleet serve as bridges of friendship between the two countries.

    [03] PRESIDENT OF CHINA'S PEOPLE'S NATIONAL CONGRESS IN ATHENS

    The President of the Chinese People's National Congress Li Peng, presently on an official visit to Athens, met with Greek President Kostis Stephanopoulos and Prime Minister Costas Simitis yesterday, heading a 120-member delegation of Chinese political leaders. The delegation, which is to visit the island of Crete today and tomorrow, is headed by Mr. Peng and includes the National Assembly's Deputy President, Hi Luli, Deputy FM Ji Peiding and the presidents of National Assembly committees.

    [04] ELUSIVE "17 NOVEMBER" STRIKES AGAIN, FIRES ROCKET AT PASOK

    The "17 November" terrorist organization, which has eluded authorities for a great number of years, is believed to be behind last night's rocket thrown at the ruling PASOK party's central offices in Athens.

    There were no victims in the attack as the rocket did not detonate before ending up in an open-air garage nearby.

    PASOK Central Committee secretary Kostas Skandalides stated that these acts undermine democracy itself.

    [05] PASOK GIVES STATEMENT ON TERRORIST ATTACK AGAINST ITS OFFICE

    Greece's ruling PASSOK party has expressed its abhorrence over last night's terrorist attack at its central offices in Athens which were -unsuccessfully- targeted by a rocket launched by the "17 November".

    "It is fortunate that we did not mourn innocent lives. The terrorist attack of'17 November' constitutes another blow to democracy. It is a suspect operation at a critical time in our nation's course. Our Movement is founded on the Greek people. PASOK is not intimidated by the '17 November' rockets since the matter of the country's democratic movement is a matter of ideas, struggles and political views, not buildings or offices."

    [06] MPA IS RIGHT ON TARGET WITH ITS TWO NEW BOOKS ON THE BALKANS

    When the flames of war subside in Yugoslavia and Kosovo, then the urgency of inter-Balkan cooperation in eradicating hatred, animosity and nationalism will be illustrated.

    This is precisely what the Macedonian Press Agency's publication "Rigas Velestinlis: Inter-Balkan Cooperation Today" professes, through a compilation of views expressed by fifty political leaders, academicians and journalists from throughout the Balkan region, including Greece's President Kostis Stephanopoulos, Prime Minster Kostas Simitis, the leader of the main opposition party, New Democracy, Kostas Karamanlis, and others.

    The book's presentation will take place today at the Journalists Union premises in Athens and will be attended by Greece's Minister of the Press and Media Dimitris Reppas, Albania's Foreign Minister Paskal Milo, New Democracy's spokesperson Aris Spiliotopoulos and the Chairman of the MPA's Board of Directors, Prof. Pavlos Petrides.

    Also, the MPA will present its "1999 Guide for the Balkans and the Black Sea Countries", published with the collaboration of "Ianos" Publishing House, which contains a wealth of information for each Balkan and Black Sea country, subdivided in the sectors of economy, defense, policy, biographies, etc.

    [07] THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE IS ON A FREE FALL

    The general price index in the Athens Stock Exchange was on a free fall today. It closed at 3.121,91 reduced by 7,55%.

    The transactions reached 134 billion drachmas. The big drop is attributed to the mass sales of stocks by small investors who are afraid of the crisis in Kosovo.

    [08] EMERGENCY MEETING IN BONN ON THE YUGOSLAV REFUGEES

    Greek foreign minister Giorgos Papandreou will be in Bonn today after an invitation by the European Union troika, namely Austria, Germany and Finland.

    The foreign ministers of the countries bordering with Yugoslavia will meet in Bonn later in the afternoon to discuss the problem of refugees and the issue of the humanitarian aid for the countries hosting them.

    [09] DISCUSSION IN PARLIAMENT ON THE BEHAVIOUR OF THE US AMBASSADOR

    Undersecretary of national defense Dimitris Apostolakis responding to a question by Communist Party deputy Dimitris Kostopoulos referred to the behaviour of US ambassador to Athens Nicholas Burns.

    Mr. Burns can be provocative or he can appear to be provocative with his behaviour but the government does not allow him to go beyond his duties, stated Mr. Apostolakis. He explained that the meeting of the US ambassador with the Air Force General Staff chief was scheduled to take place a long time ago and it simply coincided with the start of the crisis in Kosovo.

    The undersecretary reiterated that Greece does not take part in the military operations in Yugoslavia and stays firm in its position that there should be a political solution to the crisis in Kosovo.

    From his side, the Communist Party deputy stated that no foreign ambassador can act like a director and coordinator of other states' actions.

    [10] YIANNIS NIKOLAOU: MPA WON A ENVIABLE PLACE IN THE BALKANS

    General secretary of information Yiannis Nikolaou, presenting two MPA publications namely, "Rigas Velestinlis - The need for Inter-Balkan cooperation" and "The Guide for the Balkans and the Black Sea countries" in the Association of Athens Newspaper Journalists offices in Athens, stated that it is a national goal for Greece to be an oasis and at the same time a factor of stability in the region.

    Mr. Nikolaou stated that in this storm that sweeps the region Greece's interests and its international position can be strengthened through the initiatives it will undertake.

    Referring to the two publications, Mr. Nikolaou stated that MPA showed through the years that Greece has room for more than one news agency and specifically for a news agency that has a special role in the region of the Balkans and south-eastern Europe, adding that MPA has won a enviable place in the Balkans and Europe with the tireless effort of its people and that everyone should be proud of its work.

    Right-wing main opposition party of New Democracy spokesman Aris Spiliotopoulos referred to the two book publications saying that Rigas Velestinlis' ideas remain current and underlined that the military operation in Yugoslavia shows that Europe pays the price of its absence in the past years. He said that now we have reached the point where Europe lacking a vision and will and without a strong political leadership, participates in a military operation that has a rather destabilizing effect on the region.

    MPA president professor Pavlos Petridis and MPA general director Spiros Kouzinopoulos also referred to the two publications. Mr. Kouzinopoulos expressed concern over the whereabouts of MPA correspondent in Pristina Skeltzen Radja, who has not contacted the news agency since the start of the NATO bombings.

    In the presentation of the two books were also present New Democracy parliament spokesman Dimitris Sioufas, Communist Party representative Makis Kopsidis and Coalition of the Left representative Dimitris Papadimoulis. Also, president of Giorgos Papandreou Institute Sofia Papandreou and former parliament deputies Likourgos Kalergi and Roulis Kokelidis as well as Bulgarian ambassador to Athens Kiril Topalov.

    [B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

    [11] NATO RAIDS CONTINUE, DANUBE RIVER BRIDGE REPORTEDLY BOMBED

    NATO continued to raid Yugoslavia throughout the night, while, as the Yugoslav news agency Tanjug reported, a bridge on the Danube River was also bombarded. Tomahawk missiles struck the city of Uzice, southeast of Belgrade, and Prishtina. Meanwhile, both the United States and the Alliance have rejected appeals for a truce during Easter. Ibrahim Rugova, the leader of Kosovo's ethnic Albanians, has asked that NATO cease its raids against Yugoslavia and that the Serbs stop the cleansing operations in Kosovo.

    [12] YUGOSLAVIA: ATHENS PROPOSES TRUCE ON EASTER, BONN REJECTS IT

    The Greek government's proposal for the suspension of NATO raids against Yugoslavia on the Catholic and Orthodox Easter Sundays (April 4 and 11) has been downright rejected by the German government.

    German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer stated that Greece's proposal, presented by Foreign Minister George Papandreou, would be tantamount to granting permission to Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic to continue ethnic cleansing operations in Kosovo at Easter "and this would be inconceivable".

    [13] YUGOSLAVIA DOWNS ANOTHER NATO WARPLANE

    Yugoslav armed forces have downed another NATO warplane over the past 24 hours, according to Russian Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev.

    The Russian Minister stated that six spies who were installing radio beacons in Yugoslavia were detained.

    [14] THREE US SOLDIERS CAPTURED BY SERBS, NATO CONFIRMS

    Three United States Army soldiers who were missing on the Yugoslavia-FYROM border have been captured by the Serb forces, as shown by footage on Yugoslav television and confirmed by NATO.

    The footage shows the three, two sergeants and a specialist, seated at a table with microphones before them, apparently responding to questions.

    The bruised soldiers were named as James Stone, Andrew Ramirez and Steven Gonzales. The Serb broadcast reported that the men sustained injuries when they resisted arrest. According to the Yugoslav press, the three were captured on the Yugoslav side of the border by the Serb Army Corps.

    The U.S. army troops were part of what used to be a U.N. peacekeeping mission charged with monitoring the border between FYROM and Yugoslavia. When that mission ended in February, the troops remained as part of a NATO border force.

    [15] ALTERNATE FM IN FYROM, DEFENSE MINISTER ON TOUR OF BALKANS

    Greece's alternate Foreign Minister Yiannos Kranidiotis is presently in Skopje, escorting a humanitarian aid mission to FYROM which is swamped with a massive influx of refugees from Kosovo.

    Concurrently, Defense Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos is presently on a visit to Bucharest, Sofia and Skopje.

    Albania's Premier Pandeli Majko, who met with Greece's FM George Papandreou in Tirana yesterday, pledged that the property belonging to the Greek minority in southern Albania will not be harmed.

    [16] IVANOV EXPLAINS TO ALBRIGHT RUSSIAN WARSHIP MISSION

    Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov explained to his US counterpart Madeleine Albright that the Russian warship, which is departing today for Yugoslavia, will collect reconnaissance information and thus "ensure the security of Russia."

    According to the Russian news agency Itar-Tass, Mr. Ivanov said that Ms. Albright had contacted him upon learning the news about the voyage of Russian Black Sea fleet warships to the conflict zone. The said mission has reportedly caused concern in the UDS administration.

    Mr. Ivanov stated that the warship is leaving because of the "escalation in the conflict" in Yugoslavia. It will provide "objective information on the developments to Moscow," Mr. Ivanov said.

    [17] RUSSIA MAY UNDERTAKE NEW INITIATIVES ON YUGOSLAVIA

    Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov has stated that Russia may in the near future undertake new initiatives on settling the Yugoslav crisis.

    "It is necessary to substitute the logic of war with the logic of political settlement," Mr. Ivanov stated.

    [18] GREEKS, SERBS IN MANHATTAN HOLD MASSIVE RALLY AGAINST NATO

    More than 3,000 protesters, many of them of Greek and Serb origins, rallied yesterday evening in Manhattan in order to voice their opposition to NATO's raids against Yugoslavia. The massive crowd, which was colored by Serb, Greek, Cypriot and Byzantine flags, conducted a march to the New York Times building.

    The rally featured the participation of Greek-American leaders, representatives from the Federation of Greek Associations, students from the "Hellenic Front", and officials from the Holy Archbishopry of America.

    Adorned with the distinct "target" sign, the protesters chanted "Kosovo is Vietnam", "Quo Vadis USA?", and "You want peace? Don't start war".

    [19] THE SERBS ARE HOLDING THREE US SOLDIERS

    The Serb government regards the three American soldiers captured by the Yugoslav forces as prisoners of war.

    In a statement issued by the information service of the Pristina based 3rd Army Corps of the Yugoslav army, that was broadcast by the Serb television, is mentioned that Serb soldiers captured yesterday the US sergeants Andrew Ramirez, James Stone and Ivan Gonzales on Yugoslav territory. The three Americans belong to the scouting patrol of the US infantry division based in Germany. They had crossed the borders of FYROM and they were inside Kosovo when they were captured after putting up a resistance to the Serb forces.

    NATO spokesman James Shea confirmed the incident and stated that the capture of the three Americans will not affect the determination of NATO.

    [20] RUSSIA: THEY ASKED FOR OUR MEDIATION BUT THEY DID NOT KNOW WHAT THEY WANTED

    Russia expressed regret because prime minister Gevgeni Primakov's mission to Belgrade had as a result for NATO to toughen its stance toward Yugoslavia.

    Russian foreign minister Igor Ivanov stated today that certain NATO members had asked Russia to mediate for the settlement of the crisis but Mr. Primakov's mission in Belgrade and Bonn toughened even more NATO's stance adding that it is not clear exactly what the alliance wants, reported Russian news agency Itar-Tass.

    Mr. Ivanov rejected the accusations that the goal of Mr. Primakov's mission was to win a political victory for Russia and clarified that the only goal was the return of peace to Kosovo.


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