Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 99-11-30
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, November 30, 1999
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] GREECE IS NEARING ITS ECONOMIC AND MONETARY
UNION TARGET
[02] SAE TO HOLD THIRD CONFERENCE AT
THESSALONIKI IN DECEMBER
[03] PRESIDENT OF HELLENIC REPUBLIC TO VISIT
PORTUGAL TOMORROW
[04] SAE'S INTERNATIONAL YOUTH CONVENTION BEGINS
TOMORROW
[05] GREEK HUMANITARIAN AID OVER QUAKE ARRIVES
IN TURKEY TODAY
[06] EARTHQUAKE MEASURING 3.7 ON THE RICHTER
SCALE SHOOK ATHENS
[07] PAPANTONIOU: THE ECOFIN DECISION IS A
SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENT FOR THE GREEK ECONOMY
[08] REPPAS: TURKEY UNDERMINES ITS EUROPEAN
PROSPECT
[09] THE CONFERENCE ON THE PARTHENON MARBLES
OPENED IN LONDON TODAY
[10] EGNATIA BANK WILL EXPAND ITS ACTIVITIES TO
SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPE
[11] LOSSES OF 1.62% IN THE ATHENS STOCK
EXCHANGE
[12] NOTABLE INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF NEW
PRIVATE CARS IN NORTHERN GREECE
[13] OVER 2.8 MILLION PEOPLE USED THESSALONIKI'S
MACEDONIA AIRPORT IN THE FIRST 10 MONTHS OF 1999
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[14] FOREIGN MINISTER TRAVELS TO MOSCOW TODAY
[15] DEFENSE MINISTER IN BUCHAREST FOR MINISTERS
COUNCIL
[16] GREEK AMBASSADOR TO RUSSIA COMMENTS ON
BILATERAL TIES
[17] UN SPOKESPERSON: TALKS ON CYPRUS TO BE
"OPEN-ENDED"
[18] EU LABOR AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS COUNCIL MEETS
IN BRUSSELS
[19] CONFERENCE ON PARTHENON MARBLES OPENS IN
LONDON TODAY
[20] THE INTERNATIONAL OIL PRICES HAVE DROPPED
[21] GREECE IS ONE OF FYROM'S MOST IMPORTANT
TRADE PARTNERS
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NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] GREECE IS NEARING ITS ECONOMIC AND MONETARY
UNION TARGET
Greece is apparently nearing its coveted
accession to the Economic and Monetary Union as,
following a unanimous resolution drawn by the
European Union's Finance Ministers, the country
meets the latest fiscal criterion, related to
the size of its fiscal deficit, for accession by
January 1, 2000.
The Council ascertained that the fiscal
deficit is well below the set limit and, since
1993, has been dropping at a rate surpassing all
other EU member-states.
[02] SAE TO HOLD THIRD CONFERENCE AT
THESSALONIKI IN DECEMBER
The first world youth conference of SAE
will open in Thessaloniki tomorrow, followed by
the forum of overseas Greek entrepreneurs,
scientists, artists and overseas Greek women. on
December 3-4. Over one thousand Greeks from all
five continents will attend the World Council of
Hellenes (SAE) Third International Assembly, to
be held in Thessaloniki between December 5-8.
The event will be opened by Prime Minister
Costas Simitis and will be attended, among
others, by President Costis Stephanopoulos,
Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides and several
party leaders.
The SAE's third council will elect an 11-
member presidium, while, according to reports,
SAE President Andrew Athens will seek his re-
election for the third time.
[03] PRESIDENT OF HELLENIC REPUBLIC TO VISIT
PORTUGAL TOMORROW
The President of the Republic Costis
Stephanopoulos will conduct a state
visit to Portugal from December 1-4 at the
invitation of his Portuguese counterpart Jorge
Sampaio.
President Stephanopoulos will be
accompanied by deputy foreign minister
Christos Rokofyllos.
[04] SAE'S INTERNATIONAL YOUTH CONVENTION BEGINS
TOMORROW
The Council of Greeks Abroad will hold a
two-day, World Youth Convention in Thessaloniki
tomorrow where the body will elect a number of
delegates that will represent SAE Youth in the
Regional and World Conventions of SAE that will
take place December 3-8, 1999.
The participants will review all the
proposals and suggestions submitted at the April
convention, which are classified into three
sections, as follows:
a. Issues that can be addressed directly by
the young Hellenes abroad e.g. internet
networking etc.
b. Issues that require the help of the Greek
State e.g. university programs in Greece, and
c. Issues that involve the participation of and
cooperation among the young Hellenes of the N. &
S. America Region and the other SAE Regions
worldwide.
[05] GREEK HUMANITARIAN AID OVER QUAKE ARRIVES
IN TURKEY TODAY
Eighteen trucks carrying another shipment
of humanitarian aid from Greece for earthquake-
stricken victims in Turkey are expected to
arrive in the Turkish cities of Duc and Bolu
tonight.
The trucks are carrying 500 tons of
medicines, 650 heaters, condensed milk,
foodstuffs and clothing.
Interior Minister Vasso Papandreou
congratulated those who offered the aid and
noted that this climate helps the rapprochement
between the two peoples, adding however, "it is
not enough for differences existing between the
two countries to be resolved. It is necessary
for Turkey to take specific initiatives."
[06] EARTHQUAKE MEASURING 3.7 ON THE RICHTER
SCALE SHOOK ATHENS
Earthquake measuring 3.7 on the Richter
scale shook Athens at 11:20am this morning.
According to seismologists, it was an
aftershock and its epicenter was in the region
of Parnitha that gave the September 7
earthquake.
[07] PAPANTONIOU: THE ECOFIN DECISION IS A
SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENT FOR THE GREEK ECONOMY
Minister of national economy and finance
Yiannos Papantoniou stated that yesterday's
decision by the European finance ministers
council, ECOFIN, to lift the public deficit
recommendation to Greece is a significant
development for the Greek economy.
Mr. Papantoniou stated that the ECOFIN
concluded that Greece has managed to cut its
public deficits and meets the main criteria for
its accession into the EMU set by the European
Union treaty. Therefore, the first stage for
Greece's accession into the European economic
and monetary union has been completed with the
evaluation of its performance regarding the
fiscal criteria. The minister of national
economy and finance pointed out that the
atmosphere in the ECOFIN meeting was festive and
stressed that Greece was congratulated for its
achievements in the sector of the economy.
[08] REPPAS: TURKEY UNDERMINES ITS EUROPEAN
PROSPECT
Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas
commented on Ankara's intransigent stance in
Cyprus and the Greek-Turkish relations and
stated that Turkey must respect the
international law and treaties, stressing that
with its stance undermines its European
prospect.
Responding to a question on the stance of
the Greek government in the EU Summit in
Helsinki, Mr. Reppas stated that a decision will
be reached based on how things will develop.
[09] THE CONFERENCE ON THE PARTHENON MARBLES
OPENED IN LONDON TODAY
An international conference has opened in
London today during which the conclusions of
British historian William St. Clair on the
irreversible damages caused to the Parthenon
Marbles by the cleaning methods used in the
British Museum in the 1930s will be examined.
In the conference participate
archaeologists, art historians and art
preservation specialists from Greece, Belgium,
Germany, Italy, Britain, France and the United
States. The findings of the Greek specialists,
who recently examined the Parthenon Marbles and
confirmed the catastrophic interventions made by
the museum's art preservers will also be
examined within the framework of the conference.
[10] EGNATIA BANK WILL EXPAND ITS ACTIVITIES TO
SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPE
The Egnatia Bank Group plans to expand its
activities to south-eastern Europe in the
sectors of leasing and real estate mostly
through the establishment of subsidiaries.
A guarantee for the successful course of
the group's plans is the impressive increase in
all its economic figures in the January-
September period. Specifically, its revenues
were 4.8 billion drachmas compared to 217
million drachmas in the same period last year.
[11] LOSSES OF 1.62% IN THE ATHENS STOCK
EXCHANGE
The general price index in the Athens Stock
Exchange closed at 5.712,96 with losses of 1.62%
as it was unable to maintain yesterday's pace
that led it to gains of 3.37%. However, the
volume of transactions was increased compared to
yesterday and reached 330 billion drachmas.
Meanwhile, big losses were recorded in the
European stock markets today. The FTSE in London
had losses of 1.24%, while similar trends have
been recorded in Paris with the CAC at -1.22%.
Smaller losses of 0.87% were recorded in
Frankfurt's DAX, while the MIBTEL in Milan was
at -0.71%. In Amsterdam and Madrid the losses
were 1.14% and 0.88% respectively. The biggest
loss of 3.24% was recorded in Helsinki.
[12] NOTABLE INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF NEW
PRIVATE CARS IN NORTHERN GREECE
The number of new private cars in northern
Greece was increased by 48.5% in October and
reached 3.717, but an equally popular month for
the purchase of new cars was September as well
with an increase of 26.4% compared to the same
month last year.
The total number of new cars that was
recorded in northern Greece in the January-
October 1999 period was 41.927.
Specifically, in the prefecture of
Thessaloniki were registered 21.809 new cars
from the beginning of the year until October,
compared to 15.526 new cars that were registered
in the first 10 months of last year.
[13] OVER 2.8 MILLION PEOPLE USED THESSALONIKI'S
MACEDONIA AIRPORT IN THE FIRST 10 MONTHS OF 1999
The number of people who used
Thessaloniki's Macedonia Airport in the month of
October increased by 26% compared to the same
month last year reflecting the upward trend
recorded in the past 10 months.
Specifically, 271.400 people used Macedonia
Airport in October, while a similar increase of
20.8% was recorded in September when their
number was 393.500 compared to 325.700 last
year. A total of 2.823.900 arrivals have been
recorded in Thessaloniki's Macedonia Airport
from January to October 1999.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[14] FOREIGN MINISTER TRAVELS TO MOSCOW TODAY
Foreign Minister George Papandreou is to
travel to Moscow today where he will meet with
his Russian counterpart Igor Ivanov. Mesrs.
Papandreou and Ivanov will discuss the Cyprus
issue and the situation in Kosovo.
Mr. Papandreou is also set to meet Russian
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin during his two-day
visit.
On Thursday, the president of the European
Union, Finnish Prime Minister Paavo Liponnen
will be in Athens for talks.
[15] DEFENSE MINISTER IN BUCHAREST FOR MINISTERS
COUNCIL
Greece's Defense Minister Akis
Tsochatzopoulos is presently in Bucharest where
he will take part in the Ministers Council for
the Multi-National Europe Pact.
The Ministers are expected to ratify the
formation of a special battalion which will deal
with the handling of catastrophes in the
Balkans, either due to natural causes or a
result of war, as in Kosovo.
[16] GREEK AMBASSADOR TO RUSSIA COMMENTS ON
BILATERAL TIES
Commenting on the situation in Chechnya,
Greece's Ambassador to Moscow Dimitris Kypreos
stated that Greece views the matter as an
internal Russian affair, albeit he stressed that
Russia's intention to neutralize terrorism
should not result in senseless deaths among the
civilian population.
Regarding the north Caucasus, the
ambassador stressed that Greece "follows the
developments in the region both as a very
friendly country to Russia and as a member of
the European Union".
Referring to the imminent talks to be held
between Greece's visiting Foreign Minster George
Papandreou and his Russian counterpart Igor
Ivanov, Mr. Kypreos stated that the current
state of cooperation between the two countries
shows that we shall continue close interaction
at the political level in the new century.
The economic cooperation "permanently and
dynamically develops, despite temporary
difficulties, Mr. Kypreos told the Russian news
agency Itar-Tass, adding "we are united not only
by political and economic issues. The
rapprochement of the two peoples who have common
cultural heritage and traditions is going on."
Mr. Papandreou's visit will take place in
the framework "of very close relations between
Greece and Russia when the heads of both Foreign
ministries hold meetings outside the framework
of traditional ministerial visits. Therefore,
the visits and talks have for a long time
acquired a working character", according to the
Ambassador.
Moreover, Mr. Kypreos stated that the
talks between the Russian and Greek FMs will be
devoted to the discussion of the state of
bilateral relations, as well as to the most
important international problems in the light of
the recent OSCE summit in Istanbul, adding that
much attention will be paid to the problems of
security in Europe and in the Balkans, in
particular.
He added that a legal basis had been laid
for relations between Greece and Russia:
agreements on investments, economic, scientific
and technical cooperation, and cooperation in
tourism had been signed. An agreement on
avoiding double taxation is practically ready
for signing. It will be followed by an agreement
on shipping. Furthermore, Mr. Kypreos stated
that efforts are presently underway to draft
bilateral documents on cooperation of justice
and law enforcement agencies in their crime
fight, including on the extradition of
criminals.
[17] UN SPOKESPERSON: TALKS ON CYPRUS TO BE
"OPEN-ENDED"
The spokesman of the United Nations
Secretary General Fred Eckhard stated that the
Cyprus talks between Cypriot President Glafcos
Clerides and Turkish-Cypriot leader Rauf
Denktash were scheduled to open at UN
Headquarters on Friday, December 3.
After that, Mr. Eckhard said, the schedule
is open-ended, and "could go on for a week or
more, depending on the two leaders who will be
doing the talking and whether or not there is
any progress being made."
Mr. Eckhard noted that the UN Secretary-
General Kofi Annan planned to devote as much
time to the talks as possible, and Special
Representative Alvaro de Soto will also be fully
engaged in the meetings.
[18] EU LABOR AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS COUNCIL MEETS
IN BRUSSELS
The European Union's Council of Labor and
Social Affairs Ministers convened in Brussels
yesterday, where Greece was represented by the
Minister of Labor and Social Security Miltiadis
Papaioannou.
The council decided on a "European strategy
for employment" which includes guidelines for
employment policy in the year 2000, the 1999
joint report and the council's recommendations
to member states.
[19] CONFERENCE ON PARTHENON MARBLES OPENS IN
LONDON TODAY
An international conference is opening in
London today, which will review the conclusions
reached by the experts who examined the damage
caused to the Parthenon marbles by the British
Museum's cleaning methods.
Greece's Culture Minister Elisabeth Papazoi
stated yesterday that Greece will call for the
permanent return of the Parthenon sculptures to
their rightful home.
She also released a report by Greek experts
on the state of the sculptures and announced
that the marbles had suffered extensive
adulteration during cleaning operations at the
British Museum, reversing the argument used by
the museum about better restoration and
maintenance conditions.
At the London conference, British
historians are expected to blame the
administration of the British Museum of
conspiracy, bribery and concealing information.
More than 20 historians and art restorers from
all over the world are to attend the conference.
[20] THE INTERNATIONAL OIL PRICES HAVE DROPPED
The international oil prices continued
their downward trend yesterday after Iraq's
announcement that it is willing to accept a new
round of liquid fuel sales in exchange for food.
From their side, the dominant oil producing
countries in the Persian Gulf made it clear that
they will take all necessary measures in order
to face any emergency.
As a result the oil prices slipped in
London yesterday afternoon to 25.08 dollars a
barrel namely, 80 cents lower than the November
22 price which was the highest of the past 9
years.
[21] GREECE IS ONE OF FYROM'S MOST IMPORTANT
TRADE PARTNERS
Germany, Yugoslavia and Greece are the
three most important trade partners of FYROM
based on the volume of the trade transactions
from the beginning of the year until the end of
September.
In the January-September period FYROM's
exports were 858 million dollars, while its
imports were 1.2 billion dollars.
Most of FYROM's exports are channeled to
the markets of the European Union mainly, to
Germany and Greece. In the first nine months of
the year, FYROM's exports to EU countries
reached 408 million dollars, while FYROM's
imports from EU countries in the same period of
time were 485 million dollars.
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