Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 99-07-01
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, July 1, 1999
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] GREEK FM COMMENTS ON TALKS WITH HIS TURKISH COUNTERPART
[02] EUROPEAN DEMOCRATIC UNION MEETING BEGINS IN THESSALONIKI
[03] EXPORTERS ASSOCIATION APPLAUDS THESSALONIKI'S SELECTION
[04] UNIVERSITY, COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAMS BEGIN TODAY
[05] SKIES ARE CLEAR, BUT OLYMPIC AIRWAYS FUTURE REMAINS UNCLEAR
[06] US SECRETARY OF DEFENSE ARRIVES IN ATHENS ON JULY 13
[07] NIKOLAOU: THE PAPANDREOU-CEM MEETING IS A FIRST STEP
[08] EUROPEAN DEMOCRATIC UNION MEETING IN THESSALONIKI
[09] THE COMPOSITION TOPIC IN THE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS' EXAMS WAS
HARD BUT INTERESTING
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[10] PRESIDENT OF HELLENIC REPUBLIC CONTINUES VISIT TO LITHUANIA
[11] GREEK FM MEETS WITH ARCHBISHOP SPYRIDON IN NEW YORK
[12] FINLAND TAKES OVER EUROPEAN UNION PRESIDENCY TODAY
[13] MORE THAN TWENTY KILLED IN ACCIDENT AT FRENCH ALPS
[14] DEMIREL TO VISIT ISRAEL IN JULY, WEIZMAN TO RECIPROCATE
LATER
[15] FINAL CHERNOBYL REACTOR SHUTS DOWN FOR REPAIRS
[16] OPPOSITION LEADER: MILOSEVIC'S RESIGNATION WOULD BRING CHAOS
[17] KOSTIS STEPHANOPOULOS CONTINUES HIS VISIT TO LITHUANIA
[18] YELTSIN WILL RECALL CHERNOMYRDIN FROM YUGOSLAVIA
[19] MONTENEGRO WANTS EQUAL STATUS WITH SERBIA
[20] 85% OF THE FORESTS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN HAVE BEEN DESTROYED -
32 VALUABLE GREEK FORESTS ARE UNPROTECTED
[21] CLINTON GAVE ORDERS TO THE CIA TO LAUNCH A CAMPAIGN FOR
MILOSEVIC'S REMOVAL
[22] THE CHRISTIAN ORTHODOX PATRIARCH OF SERBIA REJECTS THE IDEA
OF A GREATER SERBIA
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] GREEK FM COMMENTS ON TALKS WITH HIS TURKISH COUNTERPART
Following talks held in New York yesterday with his Turkish
counterpart Ismael Cem, Greece's Foreign Minister George
Papandreou stated that there is room for bilateral cooperation
between Greece and Turkey.
According to Mr. Papandreou, a series of meetings will take
place between high-ranking officials from the ministries of both
countries and, once the potential for cooperation is ascertained,
the countries will proceed further.
When asked if this includes the sector of terrorism, Mr.
Papandreou responded that all issues are subject to discussion,
adding that Greece approaches the specific issue within the
framework of its multifaceted cooperation and within the realm of
its responsibilities towards the Council of Europe concerning
human rights and democratic processes.
[02] EUROPEAN DEMOCRATIC UNION MEETING BEGINS IN THESSALONIKI
The president of Greece's main opposition party, New
Democracy's Costas Karamanlis, is to address the European
Democratic Union conference, to be held in Thessaloniki today in
cooperation with the European Popular Party and other conservative
parties in Europe.
The two-day conference will feature discussions on: The
Undertaking of Initiatives for Democratization in the Western
Balkans. The Present Situation in the Balkans. Common European
Foreign and Security Policies. Cooperation with Russia on Matters
Concerning Foreign and Security Policies. The Prospects of
Cooperation between the European Democratic Union and the European
Popular Party and the common action plan.
The conference will feature the participation of party and
institute representatives from United Kingdom, Germany, Italy,
Russia, Austria, Spain, Finland, Hungary, Cyprus, Turkey,
Bulgaria, Albania, Slovakia, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Croatia,
Bosnia-Herzegovina and FYROM.
The event is taking place under the initiative of Mr.
Karamanlis, who is also the vice-president of the European Popular
Party and the European Democratic Union.
[03] EXPORTERS ASSOCIATION APPLAUDS THESSALONIKI'S SELECTION
The selection of Thessaloniki as the headquarters of the
Balkan reconstruction program is a governmental success, according
to the Northern Greece Exporters' Association (SEVE) which, aside
from the kudos, also urges that infrastructure projects need to be
accelerated in order to enable the city to reap the benefits of
this development.
The establishment of the European Union's regional
"headquarters" in Thessaloniki confirms the city's position and
role in the wider region SEVE asserts in an announcement, adding
that it will result in great gains for the local community as all
EU human resources, capital, products and services will be
diverted to the Balkan countries via northern Greece. Moreover,
the establishment of the EU's headquarters for the Balkan
reconstruction program in Thessaloniki will provide local firms
with first-hand access to the developments in the region to be
constructed
Nevertheless, SEVE stresses that in order to allow for the
operation and realization of this ambitious prospect, the area
will need to see an accelerated development in the infrastructure
projects presently under construction.
[04] UNIVERSITY, COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAMS BEGIN TODAY
High school graduates are bracing for perhaps their most
trying academic experience so far, as university and vocational
college entrance examinations are getting underway today.
They will be tested on essay writing, whose topic will be the
same at all examination sites. The Secretary General of the
Education Ministry stated that the candidates amount to 173,193
students, all vying for one seat out of the 70,964 allocated for
the upcoming year's freshmen. Last year's freshman class numbered
61,739 students.
[05] SKIES ARE CLEAR, BUT OLYMPIC AIRWAYS FUTURE REMAINS UNCLEAR
The state-owned carrier Olympic Airways canceled more than
half of its flights scheduled for today, a result of the 24-hour
strike held by its union members who are protesting the airline's
management-takeover by British Airways subsidiary, Speedwing.
Forty-six out of 77 flights will remain grounded today, while
Olympic Air Navigation will conduct only 18 flights.
Meanwhile, the O.A.'s new manager Rod Lintz will appear
before the Parliamentary committee today.
[06] US SECRETARY OF DEFENSE ARRIVES IN ATHENS ON JULY 13
United States Secretary of Defense William Cohen is to
conduct a working visit to Athens on July 13-14.
Mr. Cohen will have a series of meetings with Greek
government officials concerning Greece-US relations and the latest
developments in Kosovo.
[07] NIKOLAOU: THE PAPANDREOU-CEM MEETING IS A FIRST STEP
The first step for the cooperation between Greece and Turkey
has been made and history will be the judge of this effort, stated
acting Greek government spokesman Yiannis Nikolaou commenting on
the meeting of the foreign ministers of the two countries in New
York.
On the issue of terrorism, he stated that a simple reference
was made but there was no detailed discussion on the matter.
Responding to a question by a reporter, Mr. Nikolaou said that he
is not aware if minutes were kept during the Papandreou-Cem
meeting.
[08] EUROPEAN DEMOCRATIC UNION MEETING IN THESSALONIKI
The situation in western Balkans and the undertaking of
initiatives for the region's democratization will be under
discussion in the meeting of European Democratic Union political
party representatives that will start in Thessaloniki this
afternoon at the initiative of right-wing main opposition party of
New Democracy leader Kostas Karamanlis, who is also the vice-
president of the EDU.
In the formal dinner that will be given at 9pm this evening,
the Greek main opposition party leader will address the
participants, while the meeting's proceedings will be completed
tomorrow.
[09] THE COMPOSITION TOPIC IN THE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS' EXAMS WAS
HARD BUT INTERESTING
The topic of the composition on which the high school
students were tested today, within the framework of the
examinations for their admittance into higher education
institutions, was difficult but interesting.
The elaboration on parts of the book by Giorgos Grammatikakis
under the title "Kosmografimata", demanded open-minded thought and
critical abilities on behalf of the students.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[10] PRESIDENT OF HELLENIC REPUBLIC CONTINUES VISIT TO LITHUANIA
The President of the Hellenic Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos,
presently on an official, three-day visit to Lithuania, is to
meet with his Lithuanian counterpart Valdas Adamkus this morning,
with whom he is expected to proceed to the signing of a bilateral
cooperation accord.
President Stephanopoulos' talks with his Lithuanian
counterpart are expected to focus on bilateral relations,
particularly in the commercial, investment and cultural sectors,
as well as on Lithuania's desire to join Euro-Atlantic
organizations, a proposal Greece supports.
Following the meeting with his Lithuanian counterpart, the
President will address the Lithuanian parliament and, later today,
will meet with leading members of the Greek-Lithuanian community
in Vilnius.
The President is accompanied by undersecretary of Foreign
Affairs Grigoris Niotis and a delegation of Greek businessmen who
will explore the ample investment opportunities.
Diplomatic ties between Vilnius and Athens (which never
acknowledged Lithuania's annexation to the then-Soviet Union) were
restored in 1991. As of 1997, a Lithuanian Embassy is in operation
in Athens.
The state of Lithuania's economy is optimistic. It grew by
4.4 percent during 1998, according to the country's Statistics
Department, continuing its strong upward trend for several years
in a row (4.7 percent - 1996; 6.1 percent - 1997).
Economic growth is accompanied by strict monetary policy
which pushed inflation well below the Lithuanian government's
target of 6 percent for 1998.
At the end of 1998, annual inflation stood at 2.4 percent,
while Lithuania's foreign trade has continued to grow strongly.
During 1998, the EU member-states accounted for 47.2 percent of
Lithuania's imports and 38 percent of Lithuania's exports, having
risen by 9.4 percent and 12.2 percent respectively.
[11] GREEK FM MEETS WITH ARCHBISHOP SPYRIDON IN NEW YORK
Greece's Foreign Minister George Papandreou was received by
Archbishop Spyridon, Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church of
America, in New York yesterday, where they discussed the
developments in Kosovo and the Cyprus issue.
Following the talks, Mr. Papandreou stated that they had the
opportunity to exchange views on a variety of important issues.
"I had the opportunity to brief His Eminence on the recent
discussion held with at the United Nations concerning Kosovo and
the talks held with my Turkish counterpart Ismael Cem, explaining
that it is a first step which we hope that it will bear fruit in
the future," Mr. Papandreou stated.
The Archbishop commented on the report from the Commission on
Greek Language and Hellenic Culture commonly referred to as the
"Rassias Report" and titled "The Future of the Greek Language and
Culture in the United States: Survival in The Diaspora."
Mr. Papandreou, who has formerly served as the Education
Minister, stated his satisfaction with the report and said it
appears promising and meaningful.
Furthermore, the Archbishop conveyed Archdiocese's full
support for the Greek Government's extensive efforts in the
Balkans. His Eminence also informed the Foreign Minister of the
significant financial contributions of the Archdiocese for the
Orthodox Church of Serbia. To date, the Archdiocese of America has
donated $135,000 for the Serbian Orthodox Church in Yugoslavia.
Subsequently, the Archbishop expressed his continued support
for Cyprus and stated "now that the situation in Kosovo is being
slowly resolved the Cyprus issue must once again become a priority
for the international community.
"After twenty-five years of illegal occupation in northern
Cyprus by the Turkish army, the American interest must be
exercised as President Clinton has repeatedly promised," he said.
[12] FINLAND TAKES OVER EUROPEAN UNION PRESIDENCY TODAY
Finland takes the European Union's rotating presidency today,
having been handed the "scepter" by Germany.
The 40-page program outlines the EU's strategy – its further
development by admitting new members, the movement toward an
economically strong Europe free from unemployment and toward a
strong euro, the transformation of the European Union into a"
global active and influential structure".
Finnish Premier Paavo Lipponen stated that the European Union
has the duty to achieve "stability, changes and restoration in
Kosovo and in Yugoslavia as a whole".
Finland, like other EU nations, recognizes that the European
Union will have to pay for consequences of the recent military
action and bombing of Yugoslavia.
Over the course of its presidency, Finland will take part in
organizing and conducting over a thousand of meetings and forums,
which will culminate with the EU summit to be convened in Helsinki
in December.
[13] MORE THAN TWENTY KILLED IN ACCIDENT AT FRENCH ALPS
Over twenty people have been killed as a result of an
accident in an elevator in the French Alps today, the Grenoble
police reported.
According to an Itar-Tass wire, the tragedy occurred at a ski
resort when a lift cabin full of people collapsed.
According to preliminary reports, the victims killed are not
only tourists on a sightseeing expedition, but workers of a local
observatory as well.
Rescue teams have been working on the site of the accident,
while police have began an investigation into the causes of the
accident.
[14] DEMIREL TO VISIT ISRAEL IN JULY, WEIZMAN TO RECIPROCATE
LATER
Turkey's President Suleiman Demirel will visit Israel and the
Palestinian Authority this month, likely becoming the first
foreign leader to meet with incoming Prime Minister Ehud Barak,
the Turkish embassy announced today.
According to the French news agency AFP, which quotes Israeli
officials, President Demirel's Israeli counterpart, Ezer Weizman,
then plans to visit Turkey in September to attend ceremonies
marking the 700th anniversary of Ottoman civilization.
Israeli-Turkish relations have developed rapidly since the
two countries
signed a wide-ranging military cooperation agreement in 1996 and
Mr. Demirel's
visit was scheduled well before early Israeli elections were held
in May, AFP reported.
Mr. Demirel is scheduled to arrive in Israel on July 14
and will thus very
likely be the first foreign leader to meet with Mr. Barak after
the latter takes office.
The Turkish president is scheduled to spend two days in
Israel and then meet with Palestinian Authority chief Yasser
Arafat on July 16 at his Gaza City headquarters or in the West
Bank, the embassy said.
[15] FINAL CHERNOBYL REACTOR SHUTS DOWN FOR REPAIRS
The fourth and last reactor still operating at the Chernobyl
nuclear power plant was shut down just after midnight last night,
in order to allow for a major four-month overhauling of the
accident-prone station.
According to the French news agency AFP, specialists began
the process of lowering nuclear energy levels at the reactor at
midnight, rounding up slightly more than an hour later to bring
the entire works to a full stop at 1:06 am local time.
Reactor number three, as it is called, will undergo a
thorough check over the next four months, when tubes containing
nuclear material will be reinforced and pipes carrying radioactive
water to the reactor are to be welded.
Several hundred cracks have been discovered in the reactor's
pipes in the last two years.
Reactor number four exploded on April 26, 1986, sending out
clouds of
radioactive material across large areas of northeastern Europe.
Reactor number two was shut down in 1991 following a fire,
while number one was put out of service in 1996 as part of an
international agreement.
Kiev signed a memorandum of understanding in 1995 with the
Group of Seven leading industrialized nations to finally close
down Chernobyl, which employs some 5,700 people, in return for a
3.1 million dollar investment in Ukraine's two other nuclear power
plants at Rivne and Khmelnitsky in the west.
The accord was recently challenged after the German
government said it
would prefer to finance gas-run power stations to make up for the
shortfall in Ukraine's energy sector from closing Chernobyl.
Kiev has dismissed the proposal and regularly threatens not
to close Chernobyl in 2000 as agreed unless the promised aid is
delivered.
[16] OPPOSITION LEADER: MILOSEVIC'S RESIGNATION WOULD BRING CHAOS
The resignation of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic
would spark chaos, according to the leader of the country's ultra-
nationalist Radical Party Vojislav Seselj, who remains the Serb
vice-premier in spite of having quit.
Speaking to the TV5 television channel at Nis, Mr. Seselj,
said that if Mr. Milosevic's resignation promised real prosperity
he would be the first to demand it.
He said his party was prepared to rejoin the governing
coalition with Mr.
Milosevic's Socialist Party and the Yugoslav Left of the
president's wife, Mira Markovic.
"We could perhaps work together if we revised our relations
and calmly reviewed all the problems without asking who was to
blame for this or that," he said.
Commenting on Pondgorica's request for renewed Montenegro-
Serbia ties, Mr. Seselj stressed that it constitutes an effort to
transform the Yugoslav federation into a confederation "which will
never be accepted by the Serb Radical Party."
Serb President Milan Milutinovic has refused to accept Mr.
Seselj's resignation and the walkout of 14 other ministers from
his party in the Serb government.
[17] KOSTIS STEPHANOPOULOS CONTINUES HIS VISIT TO LITHUANIA
Greek president Kostis Stephanopoulos, who is on a three-day
formal visit to Lithuania since yesterday, has already met with
his Lithuanian counterpart.
In the joint press conference they gave they stressed that
the issues they discussed were of bilateral interest, as well as
issues concerning the overall economic situation, international
relations, the situation in the Balkan region and the relations of
Lithuania with its neighboring countries.
The president of the Hellenic Republic in his contacts with
Lithuanian state officials underlined the Greek stance that their
country must be backed in its effort to become a member of the
European Union and NATO.
In his meetings in the capital city of Vilnius, Mr.
Stephanopoulos stressed Greece's role in the Balkans, the
initiatives it has undertaken in the Yugoslav crisis and Greece's
wish for the region to become a place of stability, prosperity and
cooperation.
[18] YELTSIN WILL RECALL CHERNOMYRDIN FROM YUGOSLAVIA
Russian president Boris Yeltsin stated today that Russian
envoy to the Balkans, Victor Chernomyrdin can not combine the post
of the Gazprom president with that of the presidential envoy to
Yugoslavia.
Mr. Yeltsin made known that he had no discussion yet on the
issue with Mr. Chernomyrdin but stressed that they will hold a
meeting as he can not hold both posts.
[19] MONTENEGRO WANTS EQUAL STATUS WITH SERBIA
Montenegro must have equal status with Serbia within the
framework of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, stated
Montenegran president Milo Juganovic.
Mr. Juganovic stated that the two entities must either be
totally equal as members of the federation or they must be
autonomous, adding that in a bilateral union each member should
represent 50% of the federation regardless of their population
size.
On the issue of the War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague, Mr.
Juganovic stated that Montenegro will extradite any war crimes'
suspect arrested on its territory.
[20] 85% OF THE FORESTS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN HAVE BEEN DESTROYED -
32 VALUABLE GREEK FORESTS ARE UNPROTECTED
In the Mediterranean region 85% of the forests have been
totally destroyed, while 32 Greek valuable forests for example, in
mount Taigetos, Rodopi and Schinias are included in the list with
the 200 most valuable forests in the Mediterranean which are
unprotected. The above were announced in a press conference that
was given in Rome by WWF. It should be noted that the forest of
mount Taigetos, a big part of which had been destroyed by fire
last summer, has been selected as one of the 10 most valuable
Mediterranean forests that are in direct risk to be destroyed.
The international ecological organization WWF pointed out
that the protection of the Mediterranean forests is inadequate
even though they are valuable eco-systems in terms of bio-
diversity and significance.
[21] CLINTON GAVE ORDERS TO THE CIA TO LAUNCH A CAMPAIGN FOR
MILOSEVIC'S REMOVAL
US president Bill Clinton gave orders to the CIA to launch a
covert campaign aimed at removing Yugoslav president Milosevic
from power, according to the US newspaper "Washington Times"
report citing US administration officials.
The US officials, who requested to remain anonymous, stated
that the covert plan was drawn up in accordance with the
conclusions reached by the US president, adding that it fulfills
the US safety interests.
Based on the plan, the US secret services will launch covert
operations backing the rivals of the Yugoslav president and offer
financial support to opposition politicians or political parties.
Also, the CIA will use hackers to uncover and destroy Milosevic's
bank accounts abroad.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright stated
yesterday in the meeting of the "Friends of Kosovo" group that the
United States have appointed 60 FBI officials to investigate
crimes committed in Kosovo.
[22] THE CHRISTIAN ORTHODOX PATRIARCH OF SERBIA REJECTS THE IDEA
OF A GREATER SERBIA
Head of the Serb Christian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Pavle
stated in an interview with a Spanish television station that he
refuses to belong to a Greater Serbia which will be built on
crimes.
In the interview he gave to the ABC television station, the
Serb Patriarch, who has moved to the city of Pec in south-western
Kosovo since mid June, condemned the arsons targeting the Serb
houses and the plight of the few Serbs who are still in Kosovo or
try to return to the Serb province.
He also stated that the Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA, started
out as a movement for the autonomy of the region and the Serb
military and paramilitary forces exchanged evil with evil,
stressing that now the KLA rebels are those who commit the crimes.
The Serb Patriarch stated that the truth is that no Serbs
have remained in Kosovo, stressing that there is a risk to create
a Kosovo out of ethnic cleansing.
|
