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Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2000-03-27
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, March 27, 2000
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] PM ADDRESSES CAMPAIGN RALLY IN CENTRAL GREECE
[02] EUROPEAN CENTER OF COMMUNICATION, INFO, CULTURE
[03] PM, MAIN OPPOSITION LEADER TO HOLD DEBATE
[04] GREEK FM MEETS WITH CYPRIOT PARTY LEADER
[05] PREMIER: THE PEOPLE WILL TRUST PASOK
[06] GREECE ISSUES DEMARCHE OVER TURKISH BLACKLIST
[07] THIRTY-FOUR PARTIES TO VIE FOR A SHOT AT LEADERSHIP
[08] BRITISH MPS VISIT ARCHEOLOGICAL SITE OF VERGINA
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[09] PUTIN EMERGES VICTORIOUS IN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
[10] OPEC AWAITED TO DECIDE ON OIL OUTPUT INCREASE
[11] ANKARA: THERE IS A LIST, BUT ARCHBISHOP'S WELCOME
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] PM ADDRESSES CAMPAIGN RALLY IN CENTRAL GREECE
Addressing a pre-election campaign rally in the city of
Larisa last night, Prime Minister and ruling PASOK party President
Costas Simitis stressed the vital role of development in facing
the challenges of global competition.
Mr. Simitis pointed out that this very issue was discussed at
the Lisbon-held European Union Summit where the EU allies
established the coming years' rate of development at three
percent.
"We in Greece already have a growth rate of 3.5 percent," Mr.
Simitis stated, adding that this rate is expected to increase to
four percent in the following years.
Moreover, the Premier said that the country is presently at
the EU's leading edge regarding growth rates, "a result of our
own policy, our economic policy, which was enforced with the
assistance and sacrifices of the people."
Referring to the country's national policies, Mr. Simitis
stated that the message of peace is a constant in Greece's
international relations.
[02] EUROPEAN CENTER OF COMMUNICATION, INFO, CULTURE
The European Center of Communication, Information and Culture
is to be presented today to the local business and social sectors,
as well as the media, by the Minister of Macedonia-Thrace Yiannis
Magriotis this afternoon.
The Center was founded on the initiative of the Ministries of
Macedonia-Thrace and Foreign Affairs and the European Commission,
aiming at the facilitation of public information concerning the
European Union.
[03] PM, MAIN OPPOSITION LEADER TO HOLD DEBATE
Prime Minister and ruling PASOK party President Costas
Simitis
is to appear with the leader of the main opposition party of New
Democracy Costas Karamanlis, in a nationally-televised debate on
Thursday.
In pre-election campaigns held yesterday, both the Premier
and Mr. Karamanlis focused on the issues plaguing the country's
farmers.
Continuing his campaign rally, Mr. Simitis is to visit the
Institute of the Academy of Athens today, while Mr. Karamanlis
will address a rally in Trikala.
The Secretary General of the Communist Party of Greece Aleka
Paparega is to give a press conference on the European Union's
Lisbon-held Summit, while the President of the Coalition of the
Left and Progress Nikos Constantopoulos is to visit the Central
Union of Municipalities and Communities of Greece.
[04] GREEK FM MEETS WITH CYPRIOT PARTY LEADER
Greece's Foreign Minister George Papandreou met with the
leader of the Cypriot political party AKEL Dimitris Christofias
today, with whom he discussed the latest developments on the
Cyprus issue, in light of the imminent third round of talks.
Messrs. Papandreou and Christofias focused on the
opportunities arising for rapprochement between the Greek Cypriots
and the Turkish Cypriots, the development of which would
contribute to the resolution of the Cyprus issue.
Mr. Christofias briefed Mr. Papandreou on his recent -the
first ever by a Greek Cypriot leader- visit to the occupied
Carpacia where 300 Greek Cypriots live.
Moreover, the Cypriot official stated that every opportunity
must be utilized to promote dialogue between the two sides, while
he also added that the West and the United Nations should exert
pressure on Ankara and the Turkish-Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash.
Lastly, Mr. Christofias stated that he is in favor of
confidence-building -measures.
[05] PREMIER: THE PEOPLE WILL TRUST PASOK
Prime Minister and ruling PASOK party President Costas
Simitis expressed his confidence that the Greek people will once
again bestow their trust on PASOK, in an interview with the Athens
daily "Eleftheros Typos".
According to Mr. Simitis the elections of April 9 are to be
judged by essentially whom the Greek people are going to trust in
fulfilling the immense efforts of the recent years.
When asked if he is concerned over the course of the Athens
Stock Exchange, Mr. Simitis responded that the investors need to
acquire a certain behavior that is not marked by nervousness or
panic.
"Afterall," Mr. Simitis said, "stability and the economy's
positive course is the supporting basis of the ASE. And stability
is secured. The Greek bourse has had a stable course of growth
since 1994."
Regarding social security, Mr. Simitis stated that the sector
is in need of reform, while he stressed that "the Greek society
possesses the maturity and the inclination to discover a solution
to the insurance sector", adding that he is certain that a fair
and sound solution will be discovered.
[06] GREECE ISSUES DEMARCHE OVER TURKISH BLACKLIST
The Greek Embassy in Ankara has issued a demarche to the
Turkish authorities, requesting the confirmation of a Turkish
newspaper report which claims that Ankara has placed Archbishop
Christodoulos and eight other Greek public figures on a
"blacklist", barring their entry into the country.
However, BBC has reported that Istanbul airport authorities
are not aware of such a list.
The "Sabah" newspaper claimed the nine Greek nationals were
among 56 Europeans also barred from entering Turkey.
[07] THIRTY-FOUR PARTIES TO VIE FOR A SHOT AT LEADERSHIP
Thirty-four parties are to vie for a shot at the country's
leadership during April 9's parliamentary elections, according to
official registration forms.
Aside from the five parties represented in the recent
Parliament (ruling PASOK party, New Democracy, Communist Party of
Greece, Coalition of the Left and Progress and the Democratic and
Social Movement, ) parties appearing on the ballot will include:
The Hellenic European Party, the Alternative Ecologists, the
Greek Laborers Party, the Communist Party of GreEce (Marxist-
Leninist), etc.
[08] BRITISH MPS VISIT ARCHEOLOGICAL SITE OF VERGINA
A delegation of eight British parliamentarians who are
members of the committee responsible for issues of cultural
heritage, mass media and sports visited the royal tombs and the
archeological sites of Vergina today, accompanied by the British
Ambassador and the director of the British School of Athens,
The committee's meeting is expected to earmark the launching
of official talks concerning the Parthenon Marbles.
This afternoon, the British delegates are to meet with the
curator of Thessaloniki's Archeological Museum and in turn will
depart for Athens where they will meet with the Ministers of
Foreign Affairs and Culture, George Papandreou and Elisabeth
Papazoi respectively.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[09] PUTIN EMERGES VICTORIOUS IN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
Russia's Acting President Vladimir Putin has emerged as the
leader in the country's presidential elections held yesterday,
where, with 94.08 of the votes counted, he amassed 52.41 percent
of the ballots, as opposed to 29.45% of the votes cast in favor of
the Communist party leader Gennady Zyuganov.
Elected as the second post-Soviet president, Mr. Putin had
had a big lead in opinion polls for months. Having amassed more
than the 50 percent needed to secure a knockout first-round
victory, Mr. Putin will not be forced to a runoff with the
Communist leader, albeit the latter accused the government of
rigging the elections, claiming that his percentage should stand
at about 40 percent.
Voter turnout amounted to 68.7% of the electorate.
[10] OPEC AWAITED TO DECIDE ON OIL OUTPUT INCREASE
OPEC is awaited to decide today on the need to boost output
to rein in world-wide galloping petroleum prices.
A preliminary consensus reached in Vienna yesterday calls for
an increase of one to one-and-a-half million barrels of crude per
day, as of next month.
Iraq has also decided to gradually increase production and
exports by 700,000 barrels per day.
[11] ANKARA: THERE IS A LIST, BUT ARCHBISHOP'S WELCOME
Turkey' s Foreign Ministry has removed the name of Archbishop
of Athens and All of Greece Christodoulos from a "blacklist" of
individuals who are barred from entering the country, according to
a report published today in the "Sabah" daily.
According to the article, a high-ranking official of the
Turkish foreign ministry stated that the ministry of the interior
does at times set entry limitations, although he is said to have
added that the specific list, compiled in 1998, was reviewed in
1999 which is when the Archbishop's name was removed.
Moreover, the article reported that Mr. Christodoulos was
barred from entering Turkey, not because of providing aid to the
PKK (which is why the eight Greek deputies are on the blacklist),
but because he deviated from Greece's official policy when he
spoke of the "Great Idea".
Nevertheless, the paper pointed out that following the input
of the Greek government, the Archbishop shifted his position and,
as a matter of fact, was the one who amassed the largest amount of
aid for Turkey's earthquake victims.
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