Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2000-02-17
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, February 17, 2000
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] GREEK FIRMS TRADE FAIR OPENS IN FYROM
[02] GREEK TOURISM EXHIBITED IN ISTANBUL
[03] NATO MANEUVERS IN MEDITERRANEAN TODAY
[04] GREEK PM: PEACE IS AT RISK IN KOSOVO
[05] INFACOMA-MARMIN EYE BALKAN MARKETS
[06] GREEK, TURKISH, BULGARIAN MEETING POSTPONED
[07] COSTAKIS COLLECTION STAYS IN THESSALONIKI
[08] VICTORIA PM WANTS OA TO KEEP MELBOURNE ROUTE
[09] PAPANDREOU PRAISED IN NEWSWEEK INTERVIEW
[10] BUSINESS DELEGATION IN BULGARIA
[11] INTRACOM TAPS CENTRAL AND LATIN AMERICA
[12] THESSALONIKI TO HOST FIRST BALKAN PARTENARIAT
[13] STATE-OF-THE-ART RESEARCH CENTER OPENS IN ATHENS
[14] "PATRIOT" MISSILES IN THESSALONIKI
[15] THE MEETING OF THE SAE PRESIDING BOARD CONTINUES
[16] INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR THE RETURN OF THE PARTHENON
MARBLES
[17] GREEK CONCERN OVER THE CRISIS IN KOSOVO
[18] NEW LOSSES IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
[19] PAPANDREOU-KOVA MEETING
[20] PAPANDREOU WILL MEET WITH ARAB DIPLOMATS
[21] THEODORAKIS: GREECE AND TURKEY MUST DISCUSS MUTUAL ARMAMENTS
CUTS
[22] THE GREEK GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN ON THE "FALCON" REPORT
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[23] CLINTON PLEASED WITH CYPRUS DEVELOPMENTS
[24] MINORITY PARTY LEADER SALUTES SERB SOCIALISTS
[25] OTE, KPN OFFICIALS TRAVEL TO SOFIA THIS WEEK
[26] FOSSILIZED BONES OF LARGE ANIMALS WERE DISCOVERED IN TROY AND
THE ISLAND OF TENEDOS
[27] THE RUSSIAN NEWSPAPERS ON THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN
VARDINOYIANNIS AND UKRAINE
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] GREEK FIRMS TRADE FAIR OPENS IN FYROM
A Greek company trade fair is opening in Skopje today,
featuring the participation of over one hundred companies, and is
expected to be inaugurated by the vice-president of FYROM Vasil
Topurkovski.
The four-day event, the third of its kind, is organized by the
Thessaloniki International Trade Fair (ITF). Among the sectors
represented are foodstuffs and beverages, packaging materials,
plastic irrigation pipes, apparel, aluminum products, building
materials and services.
According to the general director of ITF Haralambos
Tsarouhas, participation in this year's event is up by 70 percent
and will provide ample opportunities for joint ventures between
the countries.
Moreover, a conference titled "Bilateral Economic Ties -
Cooperation Prospective and Opportunity" is to be held Saturday,
February 19 at Skopje, organized by the Inter-Balkan and Black Sea
Business Center, in cooperation with TIF and Skopje's Economic
Chamber. FYROM's Premier Liupcko Georgievski is expected to
address the event.
[02] GREEK TOURISM EXHIBITED IN ISTANBUL
Greece's "Philoxenia" organization is to participate in the
East Mediterranean International Travel & Tourism Exhibition-
EMITT 2000, which opens today in Istanbul.
Philoxenia's unprecedented participation in the Turkish
arena falls within the framework of tourism cooperation
development in the wider region the eastern Mediterranean.
Philoxenia is to focus on the promotion of Greece's domestic
tourism and on its own exposition, held annually in Thessaloniki.
The exhibition will last until February 20.
[03] NATO MANEUVERS IN MEDITERRANEAN TODAY
NATO's annual submarine maneuvers will be held in the central
Mediterranean and the Ionian Sea, beginning today to March 1,
featuring the participation of 11 countries - including Turkey.
Submarines, surface vessels, planes and helicopters will take
part in the Dogfish 2000 maneuvers, intended to improve
coordination in multinational force operations, according to a
statement issued by Greece's General Army Staff.
[04] GREEK PM: PEACE IS AT RISK IN KOSOVO
The recent Serb - ethnic Albanian confrontations in Kosovo
have fueled concerns over the overall situation in this strife-
torn region, while Greek Premier Costas Simitis stated that there
is a risk that the current peace efforts could collapse if the
conflict continues.
An overnight curfew was extended in Mitrovica until the end
of next week and NATO's KFOR peacekeeping force has reportedly
set up roadblocks in an effort to control the situation.
A Greek battalion participating in KFOR, was reportedly
threatened last Sunday by a large group of Albanians who closed in
on the troops and opened fire. The eight-men unit was escorting a
group of Serb citizens who were to travel by train from Zvecan to
Mitrovica.
A French officer was wounded, while the Greek troops assumed
combat position but did not return the fire.
The Greek battalion, which includes a mechanized force, has
been stationed in Urosevac and Kosovo Polje in the province's
south.
[05] INFACOMA-MARMIN EYE BALKAN MARKETS
The dual exposition Infacoma-Marmin, which gets underway in
Thessaloniki today, is targeting the neighboring Balkan markets,
by showcasing -among other sectors- construction and building
materials.
The four-day exposition, organized by Greek Fairs-HELEXPO,
will be held at the International Exhibition Center of
Thessaloniki.
To begin with, the 17th Infacoma International Fair will
feature the sectors of building materials, insulation, heating
cooling systems, solar energy and technology. Over 770 exhibitors
are participating, 384 of whom are foreign and represented 23
countries.
As for the 25th MARMIN International Fair, it will feature
marble and mineral products, as well as machinery and tools. One
hundred and twenty-nine exhibitors are taking place, 56 of whom
are foreign and represent seven countries.
Both events will be officially opened today.
Meanwhile, the Geology Department of the Aristotle University
of Thessaloniki is organizing a one-day conference titled "The
Greek Marbles", covering aspects of research, production, exports,
etc.
[06] GREEK, TURKISH, BULGARIAN MEETING POSTPONED
A meeting scheduled to take place in Thrace on February 18
between the foreign ministers of Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria has
been postponed by Sofia, the Greek government confirmed today.
As the Macedonian Press Agency reported yesterday, the
spokesperson of Bulgaria's foreign ministry Ratco Vlaijkov stated
that the postponement is due to "a technical difficulty" and is
related to " a prior engagement" undertaken by one of the three
ministers, although he did not elaborate.
The tripartite meeting was scheduled on the initiative of
Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nadezda Michailova who invited her
Greek and Turkish counterparts, George Papandreou and Ismael Cem
respectively, during the Southeast Europe Summit Conference held
in Bucharest on February 12.
The meeting has not been rescheduled as of yet.
[07] COSTAKIS COLLECTION STAYS IN THESSALONIKI
The major collection of Russian avant-garde art gathered
earlier this century by George Costakis will be bought from his
heirs by the State Museum of Modern Art in Thessaloniki, a
government committee decided yesterday.
The museum will now have to raise a government-guaranteed 10-
year loan of 13.9 billion drachmas to buy the 1,270 works of the
famous collection which has been stored in Thessaloniki's
Lazariston Monastery for the last two years.
[08] VICTORIA PM WANTS OA TO KEEP MELBOURNE ROUTE
Victoria's state Premier Steve Brach has reportedly written
to Greek Transport Minister Tasos Mandelis, offering incentives
for Olympic Airways to retain its direct Athens-Melbourne flight,
following pressure from the local Greek community.
A recent OA decision to stop flying to Melbourne, citing
cost cutting measures, has prompted an outcry from the reek-
Australians.
[09] PAPANDREOU PRAISED IN NEWSWEEK INTERVIEW
In an interview with Newsweek International, Greece's Foreign
Minister George Papandreou stated that "if we—Greeks and
Turks—show that we can cooperate together, I think we [can] give
an example to the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots."
Characterized by the U.S. periodical as "the man largely
responsible for the change in atmosphere", Mr. Papandreou stated
that cooperation between the two neighbors started before the
Kosovo war, when Greece and Turkey worked together on a
humanitarian basis.
"For the first time, Turkish military planes flew over Greece
carrying humanitarian aid to Kosovo. We worked with the Turkish
military so that they could take Kosovar Albanians through Greece
to Turkey. We [Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem and I] decided
after the war was over [to] see if we could work together in six
areas: tourism; environment; culture and education.
"Then the earthquake took place [in Turkey in August]. I
called Cem and said, ‘What can we do?' He said, ‘We need rescue
workers.' We sent rescue teams, our fire fighters and even some
[of our] military. I said in Greece, ‘We have problems with
Turkey, but this is a humanitarian problem. So we are [going to]
help.' There was such a response. No one expected it. People
started calling, [and asking] ‘Where should I give blood, food and
money?'
"A month later we had earthquakes in Athens. The Turks
reciprocated, sending help. We now have business cooperation,
local government cooperation and tourist cooperation. Then, of
course, we had Helsinki."
When asked if there will be a solution to the Cyprus problem,
Mr. Papandreou responded "I hope so, but it's difficult to say.
"If we—Greeks and Turks—show we can cooperate together, I
think we [can] give an example of how the Greek Cypriots and the
Turkish Cypriots don't need this Berlin wall to divide them. If
there's a good solution, they [Turkish Cypriots] will be able to
have local autonomy within a federation and protection of their
human rights."
[10] BUSINESS DELEGATION IN BULGARIA
In an effort to promote economic cooperation between northern
Greece's region of Thrace and Bulgaria, the Prefectural Local
Administration of Rodopi-Evros is organizing a business mission to
Haskovo and Plovdiv, Bulgaria, on February 25-27.
The Greek delegates are to meet with Bulgarian investors and
authorities.
[11] INTRACOM TAPS CENTRAL AND LATIN AMERICA
Greece's Intracom and Mexico's phone company TELMEX have
signed an agreement for the production and supply of
telecommunication materials, a deal that is expected to surpass
the ten-million-euros mark by the end of the year.
Intracom, which will provide Telmex with ISDN lines, will
also form a new subsidiary that will oversee the overall region of
Central and Latin America.
[12] THESSALONIKI TO HOST FIRST BALKAN PARTENARIAT
The Northern Greece Exporters Association, in cooperation
with DIPEK and HELEXPO, is to organize the first Balkan
Partenariat in Thessaloniki on November 9-10.
The sectors to be featured are construction and building
materials, foodstuffs and beverages and medical supplies.
[13] STATE-OF-THE-ART RESEARCH CENTER OPENS IN ATHENS
A new, state-of-the art medical research facility is to open
in Athens next year, as it was announced yesterday by Academy
member Grigoris Skalkeas at an event held at the Athens Academy.
The medical and biological research center hopes to host
Greek scientists who are distinguished abroad and provide them
with the necessary research facilities.
A project budgeted at 5.5 billion drachmas, the center is
expected to be fully operable by the year 2001. Funded by the
Athens Academy, it will also be sustained by state and private
endorsements.
[14] "PATRIOT" MISSILES IN THESSALONIKI
Minister of defense Akis Tsochatzopoulos will attend the
ceremony for the installation of the "Patriot" new missile system
that will take place in the 113 battle wing in Sedes,
Thessaloniki.
The "Patriot" missiles will be displayed at the Sedes
Airfield but their operational position will be located at a
different area of the wider region. The missile systems and the
personnel operating them have already arrived in Thessaloniki.
Thessaloniki's placement under the anti-aircraft umbrella of
the high-tech missile system has been made based on the country's
military operations doctrine which also provides for the existing
anti-aircraft systems in Hortiatis, near Thessaloniki to also be
placed under the same defense umbrella.
[15] THE MEETING OF THE SAE PRESIDING BOARD CONTINUES
Thessaloniki is for a second day at the center of
developments concerning the Greeks abroad with the meeting of the
new enlarged World Council of Hellenes Abroad, SAE presiding board
that will continue until tomorrow.
Among the issues for discussion will be the scheduling of the
SAE activities for the next two-year period, while the members of
the presiding board will present their proposals, coordinate their
actions and draw up a strategy that will lead to especially
interesting developments concerning the unity of the Greeks living
in different parts of the world.
[16] INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR THE RETURN OF THE PARTHENON
MARBLES
The Greek government undertakes an international campaign for
the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece and according to
statements made by minister of culture Elisavet Papazoi, Greece
will submit a petition to the British parliament by March 10
demanding their return.
The experts that will draw up the file with the Greek demand
have been working on the project since December. The British
parliament will consider before the end of the year which cultural
items, that are currently in the possession of British state
agencies, have been acquired illegally among them, the Parthenon
Marbles.
Another important step in the big struggle for the return of
the Parthenon Marbles was made last Wednesday when the Australian
Senate was placed unanimously in favor of the their return to
Greece adopting a resolution that was submitted by senator Chris
Saacht calling the British government to return the Parthenon
Marbles where they belong.
[17] GREEK CONCERN OVER THE CRISIS IN KOSOVO
The Greek ministry of foreign affairs expressed concern
regarding peace in the region of Kosovo after the attacks of
ethnic Albanians on members of the Serb community in the town of
Mitrovica. At the same time, the Greek foreign ministry condemned
all terrorist actions on Serb targets, while it issued an appeal
to the ethnic Albanian leadership in Kosovo to isolate all
terrorist elements.
Greece's position, stressed foreign ministry press spokesman
Panos Beglitis, is the implementation of the UN Security Council
resolution 1244 which provides for the safeguarding of Kosovo's
territorial integrity as a part of the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia within the framework of the respect of human rights of
the ethnic communities living in the region.
[18] NEW LOSSES IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
Losses of 1.97% were recorded in the general index of the
Athens Stock Exchange attributed to the explosive increase in the
oil prices at an international level and to the delay in the
arrival of foreign institutional investors which led to the
freezing of the stock market.
The general index dropped to 5.222,78 points while the main
characteristic of today's session was the very small volume of
transactions that dropped under 200 billion drachmas to 196.6
billion drachmas.
[19] PAPANDREOU-KOVA MEETING
Greek foreign minister Giorgos Papandreou will meet with his
Czech counterpart Mr. Kova in Athens on February 22.
The two men will be in Thessaloniki the following day to sign
a memorandum of cooperation for the reconstruction of the Balkans
within the framework of the Stability Pact in the region.
[20] PAPANDREOU WILL MEET WITH ARAB DIPLOMATS
Greek foreign minister Giorgos Papandreou will have meetings
with Greek ambassadors to Arab states on February 21 and 22.
The main goal of the meetings will be to analyze the
situation in the Middle East and discuss ways for the further
development of bilateral relations between Greece and the Arab
countries.
Meanwhile, in the meeting Mr. Papandreou had yesterday with
Arab ambassadors he condemned the recent bomb raids in Lebanon and
stressed that such actions put peace at risk, while he called on
all the parties involved to respect the peace process in the
region.
[21] THEODORAKIS: GREECE AND TURKEY MUST DISCUSS MUTUAL ARMAMENTS
CUTS
The need for a serious discussion between Greeks and Turks
for the cut of the huge armaments spending in both countries was
underlined by Greek music composer Mikis Theodorakis in a press
conference he gave in Thessaloniki today.
He said that the Helsinki EU summit meeting had many positive
points and proved that the Greeks are right as they are those who
seek a discussion and the solution of problems while the other
side is negative. He also backed the Greek-Turkish dialogue within
certain limits
Mr. Theodorakis characterized as "complex" the issue of the
continental shelf, stressing that it came up as a result of the
oil that was found in the Aegean, adding that the only way to
solve this problem is for the two countries to reach an agreement
for joint exploitation.
Commenting on the political scene and the developments
recorded every day because of the imminent parliamentary
elections, Mr. Theodorakis stated that he refused to run in the
elections with the governing socialist party of PASOK because he
is not interested in the current politics and does not want to be
involved.
[22] THE GREEK GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN ON THE "FALCON" REPORT
The findings on the freak accident of the prime minister's
"Falcon" aircraft that resulted to the deaths of 7 passengers
among them deputy foreign minister Yiannos Kranidiotis are not out
yet, stated Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas when asked
to comment on the news report published today according to which,
there was a chronic failure in the aircraft's mechanism while the
pilots made operation errors.
The Greek government spokesman stated that the findings of
the investigation conducted by the Romanian authorities will offer
detailed information on the tragic event.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[23] CLINTON PLEASED WITH CYPRUS DEVELOPMENTS
United States President Bill Clinton has expressed his belief
that there would be more opportunities for progress on the Cyprus
issue.
In a letter of reply to the Municipal counselor of the
Municipality of Burnet in London Andreas Tabourides, President
Clinton points out that the United States has dealt for a long
time with the Cyprus issue and are promoting a just and viable and
final solution to the problem.
He also states that he feels encouraged, since after an over
two-year period of stagnation, the Greek-Cypriots and Turkish-
Cypriots began negotiating again under the auspices of the United
Nations.
[24] MINORITY PARTY LEADER SALUTES SERB SOCIALISTS
Greek minority party leader, Dimitris Tsovolas of the
Democratic and Social Movement (DIKKI) expressed his solidarity to
the Serb people during his salutation at the Fourth Congress of
Serbia's Socialist Party in Belgrade.
In his address, Mr. Tsovolas referred to last year's conflict
and said that the struggle in Kosovo continues and that the
deadlock is on the other side.
Mr. Tsovolas, who is concluding his two-day visit to Belgrade
today, met yesterday with the President of Serbia Milan
Milutinovic and other high-ranking Yugoslav officials.
[25] OTE, KPN OFFICIALS TRAVEL TO SOFIA THIS WEEK
Officials from the Greek-Dutch joint venture OTE-KPN are to
travel to Sofia by the end of this week in order to finalize
details for the purchase of a 51-percent stake of Bulgaria's
Telecommunications Organization BTK.
According to well informed sources, OTE-KPN is refusing to
bow to BTK's terms, differing on ten issues.
Nevertheless, KPN has announced that it has already selected
its executive to BTK's board.
[26] FOSSILIZED BONES OF LARGE ANIMALS WERE DISCOVERED IN TROY AND
THE ISLAND OF TENEDOS
An article published on the "Archaeology" magazine refers to
the discovery of fossilized bones of large animals in the region
of the ancient Troy and in neighboring islands in north-eastern
Aegean such as Tenedos in Turkey.
The magazine stresses that this fact proves that the ancient
Greek myths on the existence of large monsters that appear among
others in the epic of Iliad are probably not just myths.
[27] THE RUSSIAN NEWSPAPERS ON THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN
VARDINOYIANNIS AND UKRAINE
The Russian newspapers characterized as "big" the economic
deal reached between the Vardinoyiannis Business Group and the
Ukrainian government.
According to the newspaper Isvestia, the Vardinoyiannis Group
undertook the commitment to supply Ukraine with oil products for
the development of farm industry. The newspaper regards this
development as a move of desperation on behalf of the Ukrainian
government in its effort to save the country's farm sector. The
newspaper writes that this way Ukraine makes it obvious that it
wants to win its independence from Russia in every sector and
mainly in the energy sector.
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