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Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 99-07-27
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, July 27 1999
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] K. SIMITIS IN KOSOVO
[02] TALKS BETWEEN GREECE AND TURKEY RESUME
[03] MEETING ON THE HOUSING OF THE BALKAN RECONSTRUCTION
ORGANISATION
[04] MR. SIMITIS ARRIVED IN KOSOVO
[05] 400 SOLDIERS FROM THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES HAVE ARRIVED
IN THESSALONIKI
[06] ONE DEAD FROM THE COLLISION OF TWO GREEK CARGO SHIPS
[07] THE WORLD COUNCIL OF HELLENISM FROM PONTOS RESPONDED TO
THE STATEMENTS BY THE THREE MUSLIM DEPUTIES
[08] THESSALONIKI WILL HOST THE SEAT OF THE ORGANIZATION FOR
THE RECONSTRUCTION OF THE BALKANS AND THE STABILITY PACT
SECRETARIAT
[09] THE CABINET MEETS TOMORROW ON THE IMMIGRATION POLICY
[10] THE US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES RESOLUTION WILL BE
EXPLOITED THROUGH DIPLOMACY
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[11] THE FIRST PHASE OF THE GREEK-TURKISH DIALOGUE IS BEING
COMPLETED
[12] THE US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CALLS ON TURKEY TO
RESPECT THE BORDERS IN THE AEGEAN
[13] THE GREEK-TURKISH DIALOGUE CAN PROMOTE BILATERAL
RELATIONS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] K. SIMITIS IN KOSOVO
Premier Kostas Simitis and Defense Minister, Akis
Tsohatzopoulos leave today for Urosevac, Kosovo, where they
will visit the Greek peacekeepers who are based there. On
Friday the prime minister will arrive in Sarajevo in order
to participate in the summit for the Balkan reconstruction.
Thirty prime ministers and state leaders will take part in
the summit, including US President, Bill Clinton.
[02] TALKS BETWEEN GREECE AND TURKEY RESUME
Talks between Greece and Turkey resume today, for the
second day in Ankara, at a specialists' level. The two
delegations will meet today with Turkish Foreign Minister,
Ismael Cem. The talks were constructive and fruitful
according to a Turkish Foreign Ministry official. On
Thursday and Friday, the dialogue will be held in Athens on
the subjects of fighting crime, terrorism and narcotics. On
Friday, in the sidelines of the Sarajevo summit, Foreign
Ministers of Greece and Turkey, Giorgos Papandreoy and
Ismael Cem will have a meeting.
[03] MEETING ON THE HOUSING OF THE BALKAN RECONSTRUCTION
ORGANISATION
A meeting on the building that will house the Balkan
Reconstruction Organisations will be held this afternoon,
under deputy Foreign Minister, Giannos Kranidiotis and
Minister of Macedonia and Thrace, Giannis Magriotis.
Earlier, the two ministers met in the Macedonia-Thrace
Ministry with the prefect and the mayor of Thessaloniki, and
afterwards they visited buildings that are likely to house
the organisation.
[04] MR. SIMITIS ARRIVED IN KOSOVO
Prime minister Kostas Simitis and minister of defense
Akis Tsochatzopoulos arrived in Urosevac at noon today and
visited the Greek soldiers participating in the multi-
national peacekeeping force in Kosovo.
The mission of the 600 men of the 501 mechanized
infantry battalion is to escort refugees regardless of
nationality as well as, convoys with humanitarian aid. Also,
their mission is to mark the minefields and protect the
local populations.
In his statements Mr. Simitis stressed that the
presence of the Greek soldiers in Kosovo is a tangible proof
of Greece's interest in the normalization of the situation
and the return of peace in the region. Referring to Greece's
policy during the crisis in Kosovo he pointed out that
Greece has gained in reliability, strength and prestige,
while it remained an oasis of security and stability in the
Balkans.
Mr. Simitis will meet neither with representatives of
the international organizations based in Kosovo nor with
representatives of the ethnic Albanians and the Serbs living
in the region as the visit has been planned to be neutral.
On Friday, the prime minister will visit Sarajevo to
take part in the summit meeting on the reconstruction of the
Balkans. The meeting will be attended by 30 prime ministers
and state leaders among them US president Bill Clinton.
[05] 400 SOLDIERS FROM THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES HAVE ARRIVED
IN THESSALONIKI
Four hundred soldiers from the United Arab Emirates
have arrived at Thessaloniki's Macedonia Airport on their
way to Kosovo.
The Arab soldiers will stay at the port of Thessaloniki
tonight awaiting for the ship that will arrive tomorrow with
their military equipment and vehicles.
Also, four Russian ships with 220 soldiers and military
equipment are expected to arrive at the port of Thessaloniki
tomorrow. The Russians will leave for Kosovo immediately.
[06] ONE DEAD FROM THE COLLISION OF TWO GREEK CARGO SHIPS
Two Greek cargo ships, the "Pel Mariner" and the "Del
Ranger", collided while in Turkish territorial waters
possibly as a result of the thick fog in the region at the
time of the accident that happened south-west of the island
of Tenedos late last night. The first ship sunk and one
sailor was been drowned.
In the rescue operation participated the cargo ship
"Olga M.", while the Turkish authorities offered no help
whatsoever in spite of the fact that the Greek ministry of
merchant marine had informed the operations' center in
Ankara over the accident.
[07] THE WORLD COUNCIL OF HELLENISM FROM PONTOS RESPONDED TO
THE STATEMENTS BY THE THREE MUSLIM DEPUTIES
The World Council of Hellenism from Pontos attributes
the recent letter signed by three Muslim deputies in the
Greek parliament, which calls for the recognition of a
"Turkish and a Macedonian minority", to circles that serve
Turkish interests and attempt to create non-existent
minorities in Greece with obvious destabilization goals.
The World Council's Board of Directors asks the Greek
foreign minister to present the following demands to Turkey
on the occasion of the dialogue that has been inaugurated
with Ankara.
The World Council of Hellenism from Pontos wants Turkey
to recognize the genocide it committed against the people in
Pontos in the period 1916-1923, stop the looting,
destruction and falsification of the history of the
monuments that were left behind in Pontos and stop
persecuting the hundreds of thousands of Greek-speaking
Muslims who have remained in Pontos to guard the sanctities
of Hellenes in the region.
[08] THESSALONIKI WILL HOST THE SEAT OF THE ORGANIZATION FOR
THE RECONSTRUCTION OF THE BALKANS AND THE STABILITY PACT
SECRETARIAT
Thessaloniki will host the seat of the organization for
the reconstruction of the Balkans and the stability pact
secretariat, stated deputy foreign minister Yiannos
Kranidiotis in a press conference he gave in Thessaloniki
today.
The decision on the building where the organization for
the reconstruction of the Balkans will be housed will be
reached within the next few days. The organization will
start operating in September with an initial funding of 250
million Euro by the European Union and with 40-50 employees.
He said that the organization for the reconstruction of the
Balkans will be under the European Union while the EU
Commission will bear the main responsibility. Thessaloniki
will host the organization's main agencies and its
activities will develop in the countries where the
reconstruction will take place.
On the stability pact, Mr. Kranidiotis pointed out that
it is different from the organization for the reconstruction
of the Balkans and added that in it participate 30 countries
outside the European Union that want to assist in the
reconstruction of the Balkans.
Mr. Kranidiotis stated that it is made up of a
coordinating body and three working groups that consider
issues such as, democracy and human rights, economic
development and security. He said that it was agreed with
the general secretary of the stability pact that a small
secretariat of the Brussels based coordinating body will
convene in Thessaloniki.
[09] THE CABINET MEETS TOMORROW ON THE IMMIGRATION POLICY
The cabinet in its meeting tomorrow will discuss the
major issue of the immigration policy Greece will have to
follow in an effort to limit illegal immigration and the
crime rate linked with it.
Minister of interior Ms. Vaso Papandreou stated that
the government will examine a plan that will be based on the
control of the borders, the inclusion of immigrants into the
job market and the imposition of time restrictions in their
stay that will depend on the local and seasonal needs of the
job market.
Ms. Papandreou also said that if an immigrant stays in
Greece for many years will be able to establish citizenship
rights.
Based on press information, the government plans
concern those with a green card that will undergo a renewal
process only under certain pre-conditions such as, their job
state and their involvement in law violations. Regarding the
immigration situation from now on, the borders will be
guarded more effectively, those who enter the country
illegally will be deported immediately, while offices will
be opened in neighboring countries that will issue entry and
work permits.
Ms. Papandreou speaking in the Athens radio station
FLASH, criticized right-wing main opposition party of New
Democracy leader Kostas Karamanlis as the only one of the
political party leaders who did not submit proposals to the
prime minister concerning the ways in which illegal
immigration and the crime related issue can be tackled. In
response, New Democracy deputy Ms. Dora Bakoyiannis stated
that the party has already submitted in parliament its
proposals on the issue.
[10] THE US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES RESOLUTION WILL BE
EXPLOITED THROUGH DIPLOMACY
Greek deputy foreign minister Yiannos Kranidiotis
characterized as positive the resolution passed in the US
House of Representatives, which calls on Turkey to respect
the existing borders in the Aegean as they were set by the
Treaty of Lauzanne and the 1932 Italy-Turkey accord,
stressing that it will be exploited through the diplomatic
route.
Mr. Kranidiotis stated that it has been stated
repeatedly that Greece's sovereign rights are non negotiable
and the firm Greek positions on the Aegean are always in
effect.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[11] THE FIRST PHASE OF THE GREEK-TURKISH DIALOGUE IS BEING
COMPLETED
The first phase of the Greek-Turkish dialogue held at
specialists' level is being completed in Ankara today with
the discussion on issues of trade and economic cooperation.
The talks will continue in Athens on Thursday and
Friday on issues of illegal immigration and bilateral
cooperation in dealing with organized crime and drug
trafficking. The delegations of the two countries will meet
today with Turkish foreign minister Ismail Cem.
[12] THE US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CALLS ON TURKEY TO
RESPECT THE BORDERS IN THE AEGEAN
The US House of Representatives unanimously adopted a
resolution calling on Turkey to fully respect the existing
borders in the Aegean, which were set by the Treaty of
Lauzanne and the 1932 accord between Italy and Turkey.
The US House of Representatives also calls on any
party, Turkey included, which disagrees with the existing
borders in the region to appeal to the International Court
of Justice in The Hague.
[13] THE GREEK-TURKISH DIALOGUE CAN PROMOTE BILATERAL
RELATIONS
The Greek-Turkish dialogue can promote bilateral
relations between Greece and Turkey even though it is
limited to the so-called issues of low politics as there is
a void of cooperation in those specific sectors, stated
deputy foreign minister Yiannos Kranidiotis.
Mr. Kranidiotis expressed guarded optimism commenting
on whether the improvement in the climate of bilateral
relations will contribute in the effort to deal with the
major issues of national importance.
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