Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2000-03-10
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, February 10, 2000
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] KOSTIS STEPHANOPOULOS IS SWORN-IN TO THE PRESIDENCY TOMORROW
[02] SIMITIS IS MOST FIT FOR THE POST OF THE PRIME MINISTER
[03] PAPANTONIOU ORDERED AN EXTENSIVE INQUIRY IN THE ATHENS STOCK
EXCHANGE
[04] THE WEEK CLOSED WITH LOSSES OF 0.04% IN THE ATHENS STOCK
EXCHANGE
[05] GREEPEACE PROTEST OUTSIDE THE AGRICULTURE MINISTRY BUILDING
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[06] EARTHQUAKE OF UP TO 7.4 ON THE RICTER SCALE IS EXPECTED TO
HIT ISTANBUL IN 30 YEARS
[07] PICKERING: NO MORE WARS IN THE BALKANS
[08] A FILM DOCUMENTARY PRESENTS TROY OUTSIDE THE ANCIENT GREEK
CIVILIZATION
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] KOSTIS STEPHANOPOULOS IS SWORN-IN TO THE PRESIDENCY TOMORROW
Kostis Stephanopoulos will be sworn-in to the Greek
presidency in a special ceremony that will be held in parliament
tomorrow.
The presidential decree declaring the dissolution of the
parliament and the holding of elections on April 9 is expected to
be issued on Tuesday.
[02] SIMITIS IS MOST FIT FOR THE POST OF THE PRIME MINISTER
An opinion poll conducted by the polling company "V.PRC" and
published on the Athens newspaper "TA NEA", shows that 48.3% of
those questioned believe that prime minister and governing
socialist party of PASOK leader Kostas Simitis is more suitable
for the post of the prime minister compared to 29.5% in favor of
right-wing main opposition party of New Democracy leader Kostas
Karamanlis.
Regarding the popularity of the political party leaders
Kostas Simitis is ahead with 60.2%, followed by Coalition of the
Left leader Nikos Konstantopoulos with 51.8%, the leaders of New
Democracy and Democratic Social Movement Kostas Karamanlis and
Dimitris Tsovolas with 46.6%, the Liberals' leader Stephanos Manos
28.3%, Political Spring leader Antonis Samaras 18.5% and Greek
Communist Party general secretary Aleka Papariga 18.3%.
[03] PAPANTONIOU ORDERED AN EXTENSIVE INQUIRY IN THE ATHENS STOCK
EXCHANGE
National economy minister Yiannos Papantoniou ordered an
extensive inquiry on the way stock prices are being formed in the
Athens Stock Exchange after the climate that was created in
yesterday's session when the stock prices dropped dramatically
during the speech of the prime minister in Zappion building in
Athens where he presented Greece's application to join the EMU.
The minister of national economy stressed that the capital
market committee will launch an in depth investigation to
determine if there are stock manipulation phenomena. The
conclusions that will be reached will be evaluated by the
responsible authorities and if there is evidence the necessary
actions will be taken.
Mr. Papantoniou stated that the interpretations on what
happened must move outside the area of the economy and the exact
direction of the investigation is an issue that will come out from
the investigation itself. He reiterated that the interpretations
must be outside the area of the economy because no economic
development yesterday, neither inside Greece nor outside, can
explain what happened.
[04] THE WEEK CLOSED WITH LOSSES OF 0.04% IN THE ATHENS STOCK
EXCHANGE
The week closed for the Athens Stock Exchange with marginal
losses of 0.04% today, while the general index was at 4.863,55
points, under the weight of the especially negative psychology
existing in most investors.
Most of the secondary indexes followed a downward course with
the exception of the banks and the construction and insurance
companies recording gains of 0.04%, 1.01% and 2.25% respectively.
The causes for the losses recorded in the Athens Stock
Exchange yesterday during the speech of prime minister Kostas
Simitis on Greece's EMU application led minister of national
economy Yannos Papantoniou to order an investigation and its
conclusions will be made public sometime next week.
[05] GREEPEACE PROTEST OUTSIDE THE AGRICULTURE MINISTRY BUILDING
Members of the environmental organization Greenpeace dumped a
ton of cotton outside the ministry of agriculture building in
Athens this morning in protest for the illegal imports and
cultivation of genetically produced cotton seeds.
The members of the ecological organization made the protest
in an effort to inform the people on the health risks posed by the
genetically altered food products.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[06] EARTHQUAKE OF UP TO 7.4 ON THE RICTER SCALE IS EXPECTED TO
HIT ISTANBUL IN 30 YEARS
A 105 kilometers-long fault, 10 kilometers away from the
southern regions of Istanbul, has been located at the bottom of
the Sea of Marmara.
The Turkish newspaper "Radikal" writes that the evidence come
from the scientific research boat "Sismik-1". According to
scientists, the fault will become active in 30 years and will
cause an earthquake measuring 7.4 on the Richter scale.
[07] PICKERING: NO MORE WARS IN THE BALKANS
US assistant secretary of state Thomas Pickering in his
article published on the French newspaper "Le Figaro" points out
that the United States have pledged to act in south-eastern Europe
in the same way they acted in western Europe after WWII and in
central Europe after the Cold War era.
He said that there is mobility in the reconstruction of the
multi-national republics, the protection of human rights and the
opening of the borders to trade and investment, adding that the
goal will be achieved through the development of bilateral
relations with each of the countries in the region and through the
development of relations within the framework of NATO, the EU and
OSCE. He also stated that the stability pact for south-eastern
Europe is an important means to achieve this goal.
Also, the US official pointed out that Greek foreign minister
Giorgos Papandreou in a speech in the London School of Economics
last January had stated that a true society of citizens
characterized by tolerance and openness must be promoted in south-
eastern Europe and for this to happen all the countries must work
together instead of cursing their neighbors.
[08] A FILM DOCUMENTARY PRESENTS TROY OUTSIDE THE ANCIENT GREEK
CIVILIZATION
A film documentary that will present Troy and its history as
being outside the ancient Greek civilization is being financed by
the Turkish culture ministry, according to the Turkish newspaper
"Radikal".
The newspaper mentions that efforts are being made for the
documentary under the title "Wilusa" to be ready in time for the
Troy exhibition that will be held in Germany in 2001.
According to "Radikal", the documentary will be based on the
excavations that were made in Troy in 1988-1998 and will present
the positions of Tubigen University professor Manfred Korfmann,
who made the excavations. Prof. Korfmann maintains that Troy did
not belong to the ancient Greek civilization and has an Asia Minor
character both from a political and a cultural point of view.
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