Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 99-10-16

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

Last Update: 23:27 GMT+2

SECTIONS

[A] GREECE

[B] BALKANS

[C] EUROPE

[D] WORLD

NEWS HEADLINES

[A] GREECE

[B] BALKANS

[C] EUROPE

[D] WORLD

NEWS IN DETAIL

[A] GREECE

[01] DUIZENBERG PRAISED THE GREEK ECONOMY

Web Posted: 16:43 GMT+2

The most powerful man in Europe stated speaking in an event in Athens that 290 million Europeans are included in the EMU today and very soon they will be 300 million. He urged the Greek government to continue to seek the economic convergence with the Euro-zone criteria by displaying the same determination it has displayed so far. He said that Greece's efforts to win such a convergence should be praised, adding that it is too soon to reach a firm conclusion.

[B] BALKANS

[02] THE ALBANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER IS ON A TWO-DAY VISIT TO KOSOVO

Web Posted: 16:43 GMT+2

Mr. Milo stressed that this issue does not concern him personally and expressed the point of view that the government should not be afraid to ask for a vote of confidence especially after establishing that cracks are being created at its foundations.

When asked if this is an appropriate moment for the government to ask for a vote of confidence, he underlined that the internal affairs of the Socialist Party can not upset the country's political life stating characteristically, that it is a democratic party that has the majority seats in parliament.

[03] THE GREEK TELECOMMUNICATIONS ORGANIZATION GOT 51% OF THE BTC SHARES

Web Posted: 16:43 GMT+2

The sale agreement provides that the two partners will get 51% of the existing mobile phone service company Mobicom. OTE and KPN will get the full ownership when the second permit for the GSM system will be issued.

Therefore, OTE now owns a significant share not only in the BTC but in the telecommunications organizations of Serbia, Romania, Armenia and the Albanian mobile phone service as well.

[C] EUROPE

[04] GREECE IS SATISFIED WITH THE RESULTS OF THE EU SUMMIT MEETING IN TAMPERE

Web Posted: 16:43 GMT+2

In a press conference, Mr. Simitis stated that Greece has 35% of the total external borders of the European Union and the special regulations such as, the protection and the checks along those borders, will assist Greece considerably in its effort to effectively protect its own borders, while at the same time the cooperation in new technologies is also being promoted.

Mr. Simitis responding to a question by MPA stated that the individuals involved in organized crime will not be able to enter Greece easily, while cooperation with other EU countries will be much more effective and therefore, the security level in Greece will be improved considerably. He also said that a common area of justice is necessary and the legislation of the EU states must be adjusted toward this purpose.

[05] THE PRIME MINISTER REACTED STRONGLY TO THE OPPOSITION DEMANDS CALLING FOR THE RESIGNATION OF THE FOREIGN MINISTER

Web Posted: 16:43 GMT+2

The prime minister stated from Tampere, Finland where the informal EU Summit meeting is being held, that all the statements made by Mr. Papandreou on judicial assistance and police cooperation within the framework of the European Union are placed within the international law the country has to respect because it has certain international obligations.

New Democracy in a statement it has issued underlines that the country's sovereign rights are neither surrendered nor traded. The Greek Communist Party accused the Greek foreign minister and the government of legalizing the dispute of the country's borders, while Social Democratic Movement leader Dimitris Tsovolas characterized the foreign policy followed by the government as dependent and subservient.

[06] SIMITIS: TURKEY'S CANDIDATURE MUST BE REAL AND NOT FICTITIOUS

Web Posted: 16:43 GMT+2

Prime minister Kostas Simitis, in statements he made immediately afterwards, stressed that many of the European leaders maintained that Turkey's candidature for EU accession must be real and not fictitious namely, it has to meet the pre-conditions set by the Treaty of Copenhagen and abide by the decisions reached in the EU summit meetings.

Prime minister Simitis stated that the European prospect of Turkey will benefit Turkey and the European Union and will contribute to the consolidation of peace and cooperation in the region. He stressed however, that Turkey's candidature presupposes responsibilities and obligations that stem from the treaties and the decisions reached by the European Councils.

The proposal for Turkey's candidature was tabled by European Commission president Romano Prodi, who stressed that the Commission wants to open the European prospect of Turkey stressing, however, that the country will have to meet the criteria for accession in the pre-accession procedure period.

Furthermore, the "15" agreed on a general principles level on issues of immigration and asylum granting, while a more specific agreement was reached on the authority of Europol. Also, they discussed the issue of the Stability Pact in the Balkans, while prime minister Simitis underlined the need to promote the materialization of relevant programs in order to be evident to the Balkan countries that the European Union is willing to make positive interventions.

Meanwhile, the right-wing main opposition party of New Democracy used tough language against prime minister Simitis through its spokesman Aris Spiliotopoulos who maintained that the Greek prime minister handled the issue of the Turkish EU candidature in a way that was irresponsible, superficial and dangerous.

[D] WORLD

[07] EARTHQUAKE MEASURING 7 ON THE RICHTER SCALE HIT CALIFORNIA

Web Posted: 16:43 GMT+2

The earthquake had a long duration and caused panic to the residents of Los Angeles, while it was felt in Las Vegas and San Diego.

The powerful earthquake was recorded by the Geo-physics Institute of Thessaloniki's Aristotle University and according to seismology professor Vasilis Papazachos, for the moment no exact assessments can be made on whether this was the main earthquake.

According to Mr. Papazachos, it is possible that the big earthquakes which occurred lately in different parts of the world are related. He said that the earthquake in Turkey was related with those in Taiwan and Mexico, adding that there is a time and space correlation in earthquakes.

Complete archives of the Macedonian Press Agency bulletins are available on the MPA Home Page at http://www.mpa.gr/ and on the U.S. mirror at http://www.hri.org/MPA/

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