Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2000-02-03
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, February 3, 2000
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] TURKEY'S FM IN ATHENS TODAY
[02] EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTARY CONFERENCE IN ATHENS
[03] ELECTIONS: PM EXPECTED TO UNVEIL HIS INTENTIONS TOMORROW
[04] GREEK FM RECEIVES US ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE
[05] GREEK PAVILION AMONG MOST PROMINENT AT EXPO 2000
[06] POLL: PASOK STILL AHEAD BY WIDE MARGIN
[07] THESSALONIKI KIDS PARTY MORE, WORKOUT LESS THAN ATHENIANS
[08] GREEK FM SALUTES G/T RAPPROCHEMENT
[09] HALCYON DAYS ON ATHENS BOURSE
[10] OECD GIVES SIX POINTERS TO GREEK ECONOMY
[11] TEENAGERS SMOKE AND DRINK
[12] THE INFLATION CRITERION WILL BE MET IN FEBRUARY
[13] THE CHARTER OF RIGAS - INTER-BALKAN INSTITUTION
[14] GAINS RECORDED IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[15] THE GREEK CABLES WILL PURCHASE A ROMANIAN COMPANY
[16] CONSULTATIONS ON THE FYROM - CYPRUS RECOGNITION
[17] 138 PEOPLE WERE INJURED WHEN A FLOOR COLLAPSED
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] TURKEY'S FM IN ATHENS TODAY
Turkey's Foreign Minister Ismael Cem is to arrive in Athens
today where he and his Greek counterpart George Papandreou will
sign four "low policy" agreements.
During Mr. Cem's three-day visit - which government spokesman
Dimitiris Reppas hailed yesterday as "yet another sign of
normalization in bilateral relations" - the two foreign ministers
are expected to sign agreements of cooperation on matters of
science and technology, shipping, customs, education and economic
affairs. Discussions are also underway for an agreement on
avoiding double taxation.
The Parliamentary Committee of Foreign Affairs and Defense
convened yesterday in order to discuss Greek-Turkish relations.
Mr. Papandreou made it clear that he expects nothing more from Mr.
Cem's visit than the signing of the said agreements.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos stated that
Greece is rejecting the Turkish proposal for the establishment of
a military-political committee over Aegean-related issues.
Mr. Reppas, when asked to comment on Mr. Cem's statements
concerning the resolution of the Cyprus issue if the island's
occupied part is recognized, responded that such statements may be
made by Turkey for domestic consumption but, he added, they
undermine the efforts to resolve the issue.
Mr. Reppas underlined that Cyprus is one of Greece's national
priorities.
[02] EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTARY CONFERENCE IN ATHENS
The second European Parliamentary Conference on information
and communication technology is taking place in Athens today,
featuring the participation of 50 deputies from the European
Union's member-states, as well as deputies from countries
presently under accession.
The two-day conference will be inaugurated by the President
of the Hellenic Parliament Apostolos Kaklamanis while PASOk
deputies Theodoros Katsanevas and Dimitrios Sarris are to jointly
preside over the event.
The conference is also attended by two deputies from each
Greek party represented in parliament.
[03] ELECTIONS: PM EXPECTED TO UNVEIL HIS INTENTIONS TOMORROW
Persistent rumors of early elections are expected to be
silenced once and for all tomorrow, when Prime Minister and ruling
PASOK party leader Costas Simitis will chair a Cabinet meeting
during which he is expected to announce when the country will go
to the ballot line.
PASOK is also organizing an ideological conference on
February 5-6 during which the Prime Minister is expected to
announce the party's agenda for the next governmental term.
Even if the county were to go to early elections, Mr.
Simitis' cadres are not really "sweating it out", primarily as a
result of the ECOFIN's recent nod of approval regarding the
country's course to the Economic and Monetary Union, as well as
recent polls that give a clear edge to the ruling party and its
leader over the opposition.
[04] GREEK FM RECEIVES US ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE
Foreign Misnter George Papandreou received the US assistant
Secretary of State Thomas Pickering yesterday, during the latter's
visit to Athens, part of a Balkan tour.
Messrs. Pickering and Papandreou discussed the developments
in the Balkan region, Greek-Turkish relations and the Cyprus
issue.
Regarding the Balkan Reconstruction Program, Mr. Papandreou
stated that various formulas have to be discovered so as to not
exclude the Serb people from the regional programs.
Concerning Greek-US relations, the two men discussed
bilateral cooperation on police issues. Earlier, Mr. Pickering was
received by Defense Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos and the leader
of the main opposition party, New Democracy's Costas Karamanlis.
[05] GREEK PAVILION AMONG MOST PROMINENT AT EXPO 2000
A Greek pavilion will be set up in the most prominent
portion of the world Expo 2000 exhibition in Hannover this year.
The exhibition, to be held between June 1 and October 31,
will focus on "Man, Nature and Technology" and will be dedicated
to sciences, technology and arts, with man being the focal point.
Featuring the participation of a total of 190 countries and
international organizations, Expo 2000 is expected to be visited
by some 40 million visitors.
Held every four years, the exhibition will feature each
participating country in a "national day", offering the public a
chance to focus more particularly on each nation's display.
The Greek pavilion, which will have its national day on June
25, will be divided into three areas: first, the balance between
man, technology and nature; second, the technologies of
yesterday, today and tomorrow; and third, the 2004 Olympic Games
in Athens.
[06] POLL: PASOK STILL AHEAD BY WIDE MARGIN
The ruling PASOK party enjoys a significant lead over
opposition New Democracy in the Attica basin, leading by seven
percentage points, according to a survey conducted by "Metron
Analysis".
Specifically, 35.7 percent of those polled responded that
they intend to vote for PASOK, as opposed to 28.7 percent who
opted for New Democracy. The Communist Party of Greece amassed
5.5% of the respondents' votes, followed by the Coalition of the
Left and Progress (Synaspismos) with 4.8%, the Democratic and
Social Movement with 4.2%, the Liberals with 1.6% and Political
Spring with .9%.
When asked to assess which will win the elections, 56.7
percent of those polled responded "PASOK", while 22.1% believe
that New Democracy will prevail.
[07] THESSALONIKI KIDS PARTY MORE, WORKOUT LESS THAN ATHENIANS
Thessaloniki's kids party more but workout less than their
Athenian counterparts, according to a survey conducted by the
Mental Health Research Institute on students between the ages of
11-15.
Since partying entails night clubbing, the study also
revealed that thirty percent of the pre-teens and teenagers
polled in the northern city go out at least three nights a week, a
rate unmatched by the capital where only 21% of the kids surveyed
are allowed to go out on school nights and so frequently.
However, sixty percent of the youngsters in Athens work out
on a regular basis, whereas in Thessaloniki the comparable rate
is, well, negligible. Since lack of exercise often leads to
gluttony, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Thessaloniki's kids
have a sweet tooth and an overall craving for junk food and soda
pop, both of which they consume at a higher rate than their
Athenian counterparts, according to the survey.
[08] GREEK FM SALUTES G/T RAPPROCHEMENT
Turkey's European prospect has established new horizons for
the said country and the positive climate currently noted in Greek-
Turkish relations is a very positive tool for diplomacy ,
according to Greece' s Foreign Minister George Papandreou.
In an on-the-air discussion with Athens's Flash radio
listeners, Mr. Papandreou stated that all activities expressing
friendly sentiments between the two peoples are welcome, albeit,
he added, any such initiatives should not surpass the limits of
the law.
Concerning the infringement of Athens's air space by Turkish
military aircraft, Mr. Papandreou stated that that these acts are
not conducive to the establishment of a positive climate between
the two peoples and that they should stop altogether.
He did refer to data presented by Defense Minster Akis
Tsochatzopoulos, according to which these phenomena have become
rare and simulated air fights are no longer taking place.
Concerning the re-operation of the Theological School of
Chalki and the Greek minority residing in Turkey, Mr. Papandreou
assessed that these issues will be resolved through Turkey's
European course.
Regarding the Moslems in Thrace, the Foreign Minister stated
that the government wants to ensure them with a sense of security
so that they feel as Greek citizens, Europeans.
As for the Cyprus issue, Mr. Papandreou ruled out the
confederation option and stressed that both morally and
practically, a one-state federation is the best solution, while he
said that no wall can be erected between the Greek -Cypriots and
the Turkish-Cypriots.
[09] HALCYON DAYS ON ATHENS BOURSE
Halcyon days have appeared on the Athens Stock Exchange,
whose upward trend is propelled on the one hand by persistent
rumors over early elections (thus giving investors an outlet for
psychological pressures) and, on the other hand, over the recent
nod of approval given by the ECOFIN.
Moreover, the further de-escalation of interest rates,
rendering Greek titles an even more attractive option, is
expected to further boost the ASE, which surpassed the 5,200-
points mark after yesterday's session, the second consecutively
upward-bound one.
[10] OECD GIVES SIX POINTERS TO GREEK ECONOMY
Greece's Ministry of National Economy has received a "sample"
of the pointers to be included in the annual report of
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) from
the organization's delegation currently in Athens,
Namely, the OECD officials urge the Greek government to adopt
regulations that will ease the permit issuance process for goods
and product importation. Also, it suggests that Greece should
review its licensing process for public transportation vehicles,
combat bureaucracy related to foreign investment, limit the
voluminous paperwork necessary for job establishment in Greece,
alleviate the income tax filing procedures, and to overhaul the
insurance sector, expediting the privatization process.
The OECD report on the Greek economy is to be issued in
November.
[11] TEENAGERS SMOKE AND DRINK
Most teenage drug addicts had started smoking at an early
age, while they show a special preference to alcohol, according to
the "Strofi" Center for the Treatment of Addicted Individuals.
Specifically, 50% of the teenagers, who contacted the center
in 1998 to participate in a rehabilitation program, stated that
they had started smoking when they were between 14 and 16 years
old, while 46.3% responded that they first started smoking when
they were under 13 years old. In addition 72.5% of them were
smoking up to 20 cigarettes a day.
On the alcohol consumption, according to figures provided by
the center, 50.5% of the teenage drug addicts had consumed up to 5
drinks in the last month before asking for help by the specialists
in the center. A 23.6% had consumed from 6 to 15 drinks, while a
3.6% stated that they had consumed up to 200 drinks in a period of
one month.
[12] THE INFLATION CRITERION WILL BE MET IN FEBRUARY
Minister of national economy Yiannos Papantoniou after the
meeting he had with prime minister Kostas Simitis to brief him of
the course of the economy and the approval by ECOFIN of the Greek
convergence plan, appeared optimistic that the inflation criterion
will be met by Greece in February and the country will join the
EMU.
Mr. Papantoniou stated that the ECOFIN decision essentially
opens the way for Greece's accession into the EMU and added that
the next step will be the filing of the accession application in
early March. When asked to comment on the public opinion polls,
Mr. Papantoniou pointed out that they are not linked with early
elections adding that the time of the elections will be set taking
under consideration the national interest.
[13] THE CHARTER OF RIGAS - INTER-BALKAN INSTITUTION
An inter-Balkan cultural institution named "The Charter of
Rigas" was founded recently in Athens with the backing of 26
distinguished Greek personalities, while the initiative is also
expected to have the backing of 10 mayors from northern Greece
headed by Thessaloniki mayor Vasilis Papageorgopoulos.
The institution was founded last December but its formal
presentation will take place in October together with the
publication of the magazine "Peritechno" translated into English
and all the Balkan languages.
[14] GAINS RECORDED IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
The Athens Stock Exchange closed its session today with gains
for a third consecutive day. It appears that the positive news
from the front of the Greek economy in combination with the fact
that the market is certain that there will be early elections gave
a boost to the Athens Stock Exchange.
The general price index closed at 5.297,32 with gains of
1.69%, while the volume of transactions was at 278 billion
drachmas.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[15] THE GREEK CABLES WILL PURCHASE A ROMANIAN COMPANY
The Greek Cables company which belongs to the Viochalko Group
announced its intention to buy 36.574.512 shares of the Romanian
company ICME ECAB.
The stocks represent 48% of the Romanian company's social
capital and the value of each share is 1.740 lei compared to the
nominal value which is 1.000 lei.
According to the Romanian news agency Madiafax, the Greek
company has already 51.7% of the ICME ECAB stocks which
specializes in the production of cables.
As soon as the Greek company purchases the package of the
ICME ECAB shares it will try to achieve its further development
and increase its production through reforms an modernization of
its equipment. The ICME ECAB has a social capital of 75.790
billion lei.
[16] CONSULTATIONS ON THE FYROM - CYPRUS RECOGNITION
The Skopje newspaper "Dnevnik" referred again to the issue of
the establishment of diplomatic relations between FYROM and Cyprus
maintaining that in spite of the negative statements made by FYROM
foreign minister Alexander Dimitrov the government will recognize
Cyprus.
The newspaper mentions that the second round of consultations
between Nicosia and Skopje on the issue will start in the second
half of March, while regarding the term set by the government
namely, that FYROM should be recognized under its so-called
constitutional name, the newspaper writes that there is the
precedent of the diplomatic recognition of Romania and Albania. In
their case no identical documents were exchanged and the newspaper
explains that in the documents of Cyprus FYROM will be mentioned
under the name under which it was recognized by the United
Nations, while on the FYROM documents will be the country's
"constitutional" name.
[17] 138 PEOPLE WERE INJURED WHEN A FLOOR COLLAPSED
At least 138 people were injured when the floor of a
furniture store collapsed in Seville, Spain. According to the
authorities, the floor collapsed when a total of about 400 people
rushed to the store to buy chairs at very low prices. The accident
happened this morning just five minutes after the opening of the
store.
Five people were seriously injured and are in a critical
condition, while the rest were slightly injured and fortunately no
one was killed.
One of the customers who were injured stated that first they
heard two loud cracking sounds and then the floor collapsed and
all of them ended up at the ground floor.
|
