Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2000-02-29
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, February 29, 2000
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] PASOK LEADS IN THE NEW OPINION POLL
[02] PAPANTONIOU PRESENTED THE NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT PLAN
[03] NEW LOSSES IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
[04] A GREEK COMPANY WILL BE SENT TO MITROVICA
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[05] THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH CELEBRATED HIS 60TH BIRTHDAY
[06] WASHINGTON POST: EFFORTS FOR THE DESTABILIZATION OF SOUTHERN
SERBIA
[07] THE GREEK-TURKISH DIPLOMATIC MEETING WAS HELD IN A GOOD
CLIMATE
[08] ARCHBISHOP CHRISTODOULOS CALLED FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE
MONUMENTS IN KOSOVO
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] PASOK LEADS IN THE NEW OPINION POLL
The latest opinion poll conducted by the polling company ALKO
on behalf of "ALPHA" television station puts the governing
socialist party of PASOK ahead.
PASOK has 33.8% and leads the right-wing main opposition
party of New Democracy with 0.8%. An opinion poll that was
conducted in the last week of January by the same polling company
had showed New Democracy leading PASOK by 1.2%. The opinion poll
that was published today is the first conducted by ALKO which
shows PASOK leading in the intent of vote.
The Greek Communist Party got 5%, the Democratic Social
Movement 3.6%, Coalition of the Left 3.3%, the Liberals 0.5%,
while the undecided voters are 13.8%.
In the wider region of Athens PASOK is leading by 10
percentage points getting 36%, while New Democracy is at 25.5%.
New Democracy is leading in the rest of Greece with 37% compared
to 32.6% for PASOK.
[02] PAPANTONIOU PRESENTED THE NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT PLAN
Minister of national economy Yiannos Papantoniou presented
the national employment plan that will be submitted to the
responsible European Union agencies in early May. The presentation
was made after the meeting he had today with the ministers of
labor, development, agriculture and education.
The basic axes of the plan that will be discussed in the
Lisbon informal summit meeting in March are the prevention of
unemployment, the qualitative upgrading of vocational training,
the life-long vocational training, the encouragement of new
businesses and the participation of women in the job market.
Referring to the stock market, Mr. Papantoniou stated that it
will follow an upward course stressing that this course does not
rule out fluctuations based on factors such as the international
oil prices and the value of the US dollar. On the drachma, he said
that it follows a normal course in view of the steps toward the
central rate of exchange set by the government. Regarding the
foreign exchange reserves, Mr. Papantoniou said that they are more
than sufficient as they are more than double compared to those of
other small countries such as Portugal or Denmark.
[03] NEW LOSSES IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
The Athens Stock Exchange closed with losses of 0.64% today
at 5002,23 points in spite of the efforts to stop the downward
course.
The volume of transactions was at 277.3 billion drachmas,
while of the stocks trading today 276 recorded losses, 59 had
gains and 30 remained stable.
The stock exchange has its autonomy and it must be safeguarded,
stated Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas, adding that the
economic situation of the country justifies every optimism on the
future course of the stock market.
[04] A GREEK COMPANY WILL BE SENT TO MITROVICA
NATO has announced that a military exercise of the allied
forces will take place on March 19-April 9 and within the
framework of this exercise an international force of 2.000 men
will pass through Thessaloniki, according to Greek government
spokesman Dimitris Reppas. However, Mr. Reppas reiterated that
Greece will not send new forces to Kosovo and that there should
not be given the impression that we are before shocking
developments.
A Greek mechanized company arrived in the town of Mitrovica
in Kosovo at noon today and it will assume its duties tomorrow.
The 100 men making up the mechanized company will be deployed in
the town and will patrol both in the Serb and the ethnic Albanian
sector. The Greek officers will take over the control of central
points in Mitrovica in order to help in the normalization of the
situation.
According to a statement issued by the National Defense
General Staff, the Greek company will stay in Mitrovica until
March 5 and then it will return to Urosevac.
Minister of national defense Akis Tsochatzopoulos
characterized the Greek force stationed in Kosovo as adequate and
very effective and underlined that no additional Greek soldiers
will be sent to the region. Mr. Tsochatzopoulos stated that there
is a need to implement the relevant agreements and increase to
5.000 men the size of the Kosovo based police force which is
currently made up of 1.800 men. The Greek minister of defense
warned that if those deficiencies are not met there is a risk of
new "explosions" in the region.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[05] THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH CELEBRATED HIS 60TH BIRTHDAY
Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos, who is in Seoul visiting
the Christian Orthodox Church in Korea, celebrated his 60th
birthday today.
The Ecumenical Patriarch will be in Korea until March 2 and
in an interview he gave to the mass media, he referred to the
history of the founding of the Church of Korea, the interruption
of relations because of the Communist regime and its accession
into the Ecumenical Patriarchate in 1955.
[06] WASHINGTON POST: EFFORTS FOR THE DESTABILIZATION OF SOUTHERN
SERBIA
The US newspaper "Washington Post" writes in an article today
that the ethnic Albanians are trying to annex regions of southern
Serbia to Kosovo causing a new armed conflict in the region.
According to press publications, NATO is especially concerned over
the fact that large numbers of Yugoslav soldiers have gathered in
the region.
Based on the "Washington Post" report, the ethnic Albanians
are trying to annex from Serbia the southern regions of Presnor,
Bujanovac and Melveta. NATO and Washington appear concerned
because Belgarde is allegedly determined to avert such a
development. Already, large numbers of soldiers have gathered in
the region while there are testimonies of eye witnesses confirming
the presence of Liberation Army rebels.
[07] THE GREEK-TURKISH DIPLOMATIC MEETING WAS HELD IN A GOOD
CLIMATE
The issue of the economic assistance promised by the European
Union was brought by Turkey to the table of talks that were held
between Greek and Turkish diplomats in Ankara.
High ranking officials of the foreign ministries of Greece
and Turkey met in Ankara to draw up a cooperation plan on European
Union issues. The cooperation plan will also concern the Greek
know-how that will be offered to Turkey.
The Greek side stressed that it is ready to offer its support
in the effort to harmonize the Turkish legislation with the
European and according to the Turkish news agency Anadolu, the
Turkish side welcomed this proposal stressing, at the same time,
that all the initiatives that will be undertaken within the
framework of the harmonization with the EU will be able to
materialize only if Turkey receives the necessary economic
assistance.
According to diplomatic sources, cited by the Turkish news
agency Anadolu, the Greek diplomats stated that the funding could
be made through the MEDA programs. Also, the Greek diplomats
suggested that Turkey should take advantage of the training
centers in Athens within the framework of its harmonization with
the European Union.
The two sides exchanged ideas concerning the EU enlargement
and the European programs, while diplomatic sources have stated
that they expect further results in the next meeting scheduled to
be held in Athens in April.
[08] ARCHBISHOP CHRISTODOULOS CALLED FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE
MONUMENTS IN KOSOVO
Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens and All of Greece called
on the responsible international community institutions to take
measures for the protection of the religious monuments in Kosovo.
The Patriarchate of Serbia stated that Archbishop
Christodoulos informed Patriarch Pavle of Serbia about the appeal
he has issued to international organizations and their
representatives in Kosovo, stressing the need for the necessary
measures to be taken for the protection of the religious cultural
monuments many of which have suffered serious damages during the
NATO bombings and also by the attacks of the ethnic Albanians in
the region.
Archbishop Christodoulos mentions that it is a Christian duty
to issue an appeal to all the international organizations, state
leaders and heads of Churches in order to correct this
unacceptable situation and protect the people and the religious
cultural monuments in the region. Archbishop Christodoulos also
adds in his statement that over 80 churches and monasteries have
suffered serious damages after the arrival of the KFOR forces in
Kosovo.
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