Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2000-02-21
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, February 21, 2000
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] GREEK ECONOMY MINISTER IN LONDON TODAY
[02] US-GREEK COUNCIL ON BALKANS MEETS TODAY
[03] SEVEN KILLED, 25 INJURED IN COLLISSION
[04] SEFERIS COMMEMORATED IN U.K., GERMANY
[05] HELLENIC PETROLEUM TO CENTER IN THESSALONIKI
[06] EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT HAD WARNED OF HAIDER
[07] SIGNS OF ANCIENT CITY DISCOVERED IN TYMFAIA
[08] GREEK FIRMS VIE FOR LIFE-II ENVIRONMENT FUNDS
[09] FORMAL OPENING OF THE GREEK-CZECH COUNCIL
[10] LOSSES OF 1.72% IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
[11] REPPAS' RESPONSE TO DEMIREL
[12] A SMALL ENVIRONMENTALIST PARTY JOINED PASOK IN THE APRIL 9
ELECTION BATTLE
[13] THE GREEK GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN ON THE TELEVISION ADS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[14] ALTERNATE FM IN CROATIA
[15] THE GREEK ECONOMY'S SEVEN STRONG POINTS
[16] ORTHODOX CHURCHES DESTROYED IN KOSOVO
[17] BRADLEY: THE TURKS SHOULD LEAVE CYPRUS
[18] THE GREEK AMBASSADOR TO ANKARA: WE SHOULD LOOK TOWARD THE
FUTURE
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] GREEK ECONOMY MINISTER IN LONDON TODAY
Minister of National Economy and Finance Yiannos Papantoniou
is to visit London today, to address a conference organized by
the "Economist". Mr. Papantoniou is to outline the promising
prospects of Greece's economy.
Mr. Papantoniou will meet with his British counterpart
Gordon Brown as well as with the London Stock Exchange president
and the British deputy foreign minister.
He is accompanied by the governor of the National Bank of
Greece Athanasios Karatzas and the president of the Alpha Credit
Bank Group Ioannis Kostopoulos.
[02] US-GREEK COUNCIL ON BALKANS MEETS TODAY
The initial meeting of the Initiative for Technological
Cooperation in the Balkans (ITCB) joint United States-Greek
Council will be held today in Thessaloniki.
ITCB aims at promoting U.S.-Greek joint business ventures in
the Balkans, as well as the transfer of technology and private
sector expertise to the region's countries.
The two governments will be represented by U.S. Ambassador
Nicholas Burns, Development Minister Evangelos Venizelos and
Macedonia-Thrace Minister Yiannis Magriotis.
The creation for ITCB was originally proposed by U.S.
President Bill Clinton and Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis
and was formalized in 1998, with the signing of a relevant
agreement by U.S. Commerce Secretary William Daley and Greek
National Economy and Finance Minister Yiannos Papantoniou.
[03] SEVEN KILLED, 25 INJURED IN COLLISSION
Seven persons were killed and 25 are injured on the Athens-
Thessaloniki highway yesterday when a bus collided with a trailer
truck and two cars.
According to early police reports, the trailer truck folded
in two, ran off the road into the opposite lane and collided with
a tourist-filled bus, while two oncoming vehicles also ran into
the accident.
The injured have been transported to Lamia and Athens
hospitals.
[04] SEFERIS COMMEMORATED IN U.K., GERMANY
With 2000 having been declared "The Year of
Seferis", marking the centennial anniversary since the birth of
Greece's renowned poet George Seferis, a series of events are to
be held in his honor at the United Kingdom and Germany, organized
by the Hellenic Culture Foundation chapters in both of these
countries.
Specifically, there will be a series of events associated
with the life of the man who is regarded by many as the greatest
Greek poet of the 20th century, with three to take place in
Germany on February 29, the anniversary of the nobel laureate's
birth.
A reading of several of Seferis' best-known poems will take
place in Berlin, while an exhibition of the first editions of his
works in Greek, English and German and a photo exhibition will
also be inaugurated.
The events are sponsored by the Athens-based Gennadios
Library and the National Bank of Greece's Education Foundation.
In Munich, a trio of contemporary Greek writers will present
Seferis' works at the city Literaturhaus, to be followed by a
musical program featuring well-known scores based on the Greek
writer's poems.
In London, Seferis biographer Roddy Beaton and translator
Edmund Keeley, along with the BBC's Greek-language program, will
organize events in May.
Titled "George Seferis in London", the events will be hosted
at the Greek ambassador's residence, the Purcell Room South Bank
Center and the Hellenic Center.
Seferis, born in Smyrna, Asia Minor, won the Nobel Prize for
literature in 1963.
[05] HELLENIC PETROLEUM TO CENTER IN THESSALONIKI
Eyeing the promising Balkan market, the Hellenic Petroleum
Group is to establish its regional activities center in
Thessaloniki within the following five-year period.
Regarding Hellenic Petroleum's entrance into Romania, as a
strategic investor in Petrom, company officials stated that the
negotiations are moving along at a slow pace, while they also
stated that Hellenic Petroleum is interested in the Bulgarian
market, especially when the unified Balkan framework for energy is
completed.
[06] EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT HAD WARNED OF HAIDER
Although the European Parliament had warned against allowing
Jorg Haider's Freedom Party into government as early as 1991,
especially in light of his statements sympathetic to the Third
Reich's employment policies, the European Union failed to
undertake even a single measure in order to avert a potential
rise of fascism within its ranks.
The European Parliament's calls of warning are included in a
lengthy report of the "Review Committee for Racism and
Xenophobia", drawn upon voluminous research conducted by
Eurodepity Glyn Ford. A part of the said report was supported on a
similar document drafted in 1985 on the initiative of the late
Greek eurodeputy Dimitrios Evrigenis.
According to the report, 40-year-old Haider has reportedly
defended Adolf Hitler and stated that he is proud both his
parents were Nazis, whose personal property was actually land
confiscated from its Jewish rightful owners.
The report notes that "the most impressive development in
Austria since the publication of the Evrigenis report was the
sharp rise of the Freheitliche Partei Osterreich (FPO), led by
Jorg Haider."
Even though FPO is a member of Liberal International, it
nevertheless is an ultra-right wing party that follows a racist
and xenophobic policy against all foreigners and, especially in
Carinthia, against the Slovenian minority.
Carinthia, a southern province in Austria, is essentially
the FPO's headquarters as it was here where it amassed 29% of the
votes in 1989, as opposed to 10 percent in the national rank.
[07] SIGNS OF ANCIENT CITY DISCOVERED IN TYMFAIA
Archaeological excavations in the region of Kastri, near
Grevena, have unearthed the first signs of an ancient city which
attest to a rich social and religious life.
According to archaeologist Stella Drougou, digging at the
site got underway in 1998 and, although still at the first stages,
the discoveries are so far encouraging.
The announcement was made during a Thessaloniki-held
conference on the archaeological findings in Macedonia and Thrace
during 1999.
[08] GREEK FIRMS VIE FOR LIFE-II ENVIRONMENT FUNDS
Greek firms are vying for 10 billion drachmas in funds from
the Community initiative LIFE-II environment, a program that aims
at developing innovative business practices that would make
greater use of first materials and protect the environment.
The LIFE-II initiative is budgeted at 288 million euros to be
allocated over a five-year span. The amount of funds to be issued
to each country will be determined by the following criteria: the
innovation of the proposal; the degree of protection offered for
each ecosystem and the development thereof.
Already, the LIFE initiative has approved proposals submitted
by 22 regional municipalities, within the framework of the
initiatives taken by local administrations for urban reformation.
[09] FORMAL OPENING OF THE GREEK-CZECH COUNCIL
The formal opening of the Greek-Czech Council will take place
in Thessaloniki on Wednesday in the presence of Greek foreign
minister Giorgos Papandreou and his Czech counterpart Gan Kavan,
as well as minister of Macedonia-Thrace Yiannis Magriotis.
A protocol of cooperation will be signed by the Inter-Balkan
and Black Sea Business Center and the Czech-Greek Chamber of
Commerce in the presence of the responsible government ministers
and businessmen from both countries.
[10] LOSSES OF 1.72% IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
The general index of the Athens Stock Exchange followed a
downward course after the gains recorded last Friday. The general
index closed at 5.186,30 points recording losses of 1.72% while
the volume of transactions reached 147.6 billion drachmas.
The investors proceeded with new liquidation of stocks and
the losses were extensive concerning all categories of stocks,
while many of the small and medium capitalization stocks dropped
even lower than the levels they had reached on Thursday.
Fifty seven stocks moved upwards, 278 had losses and 8
remained stable.
[11] REPPAS' RESPONSE TO DEMIREL
The statements made by Turkish president Suleiman Demirel can
not be the topic of discussion when they concern issues of
national interests and Greece's sovereign rights, stated Greek
government spokesman Dimitris Reppas when called to comment on Mr.
Demirel's references against Greece and Cyprus.
Mr. Reppas said that Turkey returns to positions it had
expressed from time to time and added that Greece respects the
international law. He said that the Greek fighter jets always
follow the air traffic regulations as opposed to the Turkish
aircraft.
Regarding the Cyprus issue, Mr. Reppas mentioned that the
effort for a solution to the problem must be sped-up under the UN
auspices and that a solution must be found through the good will
expressed by both sides.
[12] A SMALL ENVIRONMENTALIST PARTY JOINED PASOK IN THE APRIL 9
ELECTION BATTLE
The representatives of the Initiative of Citizens from the
Renewing and Democratic Left and Ecology, Ioannidis, Kalogirou,
Maravegias, Modinos and Tountas announced in a press conference
today that they will join the governing socialist party of PASOK
in the April 9 election battle for the new parliament.
They stressed that they will back the government of prime
minister Simitis because its work in the key-sectors of the
economy and the European and foreign policy was persuasive, while
they also spoke of PASOK's re-foundation with new visions, new
ideas and new policy practices.
[13] THE GREEK GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN ON THE TELEVISION ADS
After the announcement that parliamentary elections will be
held in Greece on April 9 undersecretary of national economy
Christos Pachtas addressed a letter to the government ministers
asking them to stop any television ads by the end of February,
stated Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas when asked to
comment on the television ads made by the government with European
Union money.
Mr. Reppas stated that this initiative shows the sensitivity
of the government and Mr. Simitis himself on the television ads
issue.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[14] ALTERNATE FM IN CROATIA
Greece's alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Christos
Rokofyllos met with Croatia's minister of European Fulfillment
Issues Ivan Jakovtic in Zagreb, on the sidelines of the swearing-
in ceremony of Croatia's new president Stipe Mesic.
Messrs. Rokofyllos and Jakovtic discussed bilateral
relations, while the Greek minister underlined the interest
expressed by the international community in supporting Croatia's
European prospect.
[15] THE GREEK ECONOMY'S SEVEN STRONG POINTS
The Greek economy's seven strongest points are to be outlined
by the Minister of National Economy and Finance Yiannos
Papantoniou today, during a London-held "Economist" conference.
Specifically, Mr. Papantoniou will analyze the country's
economic progress and will present a series of arguments in
support of capital inflow.
Namely, the Minister will speak on 1) the vast structural
changes being promoted in Greece; 2) Greek investments in the
Balkans; 3) the 2000-02 privatization program; 4) support measures
for small-to-medium enterprises; 5) incentives for the development
and application of new technologies; 6) the framework for
developing the information society and 7) the international role
to be carried out by Greece in the region of Southeastern Europe
as the twelfth member of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU).
Mr. Papantoniou is accompanied by the governor of the
National Bank of Greece Athanasios Karatzas and the president of
the Alpha Credit Bank Group Ioannis Kostopoulos.
Meanwhile, according to "Economist" official Robert Daly, the
forecasts for the course of Greece's economy remain positive,
albeit there are concerns over pressures that may arise in the
post-EMU era.
[16] ORTHODOX CHURCHES DESTROYED IN KOSOVO
Over eighty Orthodox churches and monasteries have been
destroyed in Kosovo since the international peace force deployed
there in June, the Vatican missionary news service says, citing a
count by an Orthodox Serb cleric.
As the Fides news service reported, the Reverend Rasko
Radovic of the Serb Orthodox community of the northern Italian
city of Trieste accused the international force of looking on
while attackers target Serb Orthodox institutions.
"The international community seems to be indifferent to the
destruction of all these sacred buildings," he stated.
[17] BRADLEY: THE TURKS SHOULD LEAVE CYPRUS
The borders in the Aegean have been defined by international
treaties and Greece's sovereignty is based on international
agreements. The division of Cyprus is unacceptable and the
solution of the Cyprus problem must lead to the withdrawal of the
Turkish occupation forces. The above statements were made by
former US senator Bill Bradley who is seeking the presidential
nomination by the Democratic Party.
Mr. Bradley is also in favor of the peaceful solution of the
differences and against the use of force, while he calls on Turkey
to appeal to the International Court of Justice in The Hague on
issues concerning territorial differences or claims in the Aegean.
The above were the answers given by Mr. Bradley to the
questionnaire sent to all the presidential hopefuls by the
American-Hellenic Institute (AHI) calling them to take a stance on
national issues concerning the relations of the United States with
Greece and Turkey, the Aegean, the Cyprus issue and Turkey's EU
candidature.
Bradley stressed that Turkey has the obligation, based on
Helsinki's Final Act, to secure the unhindered operation of the
Ecumenical Patriarchate including the operation of the Halki
Theology School, while he reminded the need for the solution of
the Cyprus problem and calls for the withdrawal of the Turkish
occupation forces, while at the same time he calls on Turkey to
respect human rights. He also welcomes the initiatives of prime
minister Simitis government on the Greek-Turkish rapprochement.
[18] THE GREEK AMBASSADOR TO ANKARA: WE SHOULD LOOK TOWARD THE
FUTURE
Greece and Turkey must forget the past and keep their eyes to
the future, stressed Greek ambassador to Ankara Ioannis Korantis
presenting his views on the relations of the two countries in a
Bilkent University Turkuaz Club panel on "Yesterday, Today and
Tomorrow of the Greek-Turkish Relations".
According to the Turkish newspaper "Gumhuriyet", the Greek
diplomat stated that the two countries should keep their eyes to
the future instead of looking for those responsible for the
problems they have experienced in the past and launch accusations
against each other.
According to Mr. Korantis, the Venizelos-Ataturk relationship
can be the best example to be followed for both countries.
On the Cyprus problem, the Greek ambassador maintained that
the confederation option suggested by the Turkish-Cypriot side
will not help toward the solution of the problem.
On the issue of terrorism, Mr. Korantis reiterated Greece's
clear position and stated that within this framework the foreign
ministers of Greece and Turkey have signed cooperation agreements
on the issues of illegal immigration, organized crime and
terrorism.
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