Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2000-04-03
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, April 3, 2000
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] GERMAN PRESIDENT ARRIVES IN GREECE TODAY
[02] MAIN OPPOSITION LEADER HOLDS RALLY IN LESVOS
[03] PREMIER STRESSES PARTY'S EMPHASIS ON EMPLOYMENT
[04] LECTURES ON GREECE'S "FARAWAY" NEIGHBORS
[05] THESSALONIKI HOSTS BALKAN AGRICULTURE CONFERENCE
[06] $1 MILLION REWARD FOR PROVING GOLDBACH CONJECTURE
[07] OPTIMISM ABOUNDS FOR G/T TRADE RELATIONS
[08] ELECTION RACE MOVES TO THESSALONIKI WITH RALLIES
[09] KARAMANOU ON THE 13 JAILED JEWS IN IRAN
[10] GREEK GENERAL ARMY STAFF DELEGATION IN GEORGIA
[11] INCREASED DEMAND FOR FOREIGN EXCHANGE
[12] GAINS OF 0.29% IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
[13] MEETING OF THE PRESIDENTS OF GREECE AND GERMANY
[14] THREE ALBANIANS ATTEMPTED TO SMUGGLE TWO HUNDRED AND FORTY
KILOS OF HASHISH TO GREECE
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[15] EU, ORGANIZATION OF AFRICAN UNITY SUMMIT BEGINS
[16] FYROM WANTS TO OPEN A CONSULATE IN THESSALONIKI
[17] AN EXPERIENCE SIMILAR TO THAT PRESENTED IN THE FILM "MIDNIGHT
EXPRESS"
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] GERMAN PRESIDENT ARRIVES IN GREECE TODAY
German President Johannes Rau is to embark on an official,
three-day visit to Greece today, at the invitation of the
President of the Hellenic Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos.
President Rau will be holding talks with his Greek
counterpart, Prime Minister Costas Simitis and leaders of Greek
political parties. He will also visit Parliament and meet
Parliament President Apostolos Kaklamanis, as well as the Athens
Town Hall where Athens Mayor Dimitris Avramopoulos will award him
the Gold Medal of the City of Athens.
Accompanied by President Stephanopoulos, Mr. Rau will visit
the town of Kalavryta in southern Greece and will lay a wreath at
the monument of those who died during the German occupation of
Greece. He will also have contacts with economic officials and
visit the new Athens airport at Spata, east of Athens, while he
will be visiting Thessaloniki on Wednesday, the last day of his
stay.
[02] MAIN OPPOSITION LEADER HOLDS RALLY IN LESVOS
The leader of the main opposition party, New Democracy's
Costas Karamanlis continued his election campaign yesterday, with
a rally in the island of Lesvos where he reiterated that his
party's main focus is the expeditious, dynamic and balanced
development of the country, along with unemployment and the weaker
classes.
Mr. Karamanlis stated that New Democracy represents "the calm
force of the middle political spectrum" and "the genuine
expression of liberalism and social solidarity."
He accused the PASOK government of "black propaganda",
"arrogance" and "mudslinging".
[03] PREMIER STRESSES PARTY'S EMPHASIS ON EMPLOYMENT
PASOK leader and Prime Minister Costas Simitis reiterated
yesterday that his party's focus is combating unemployment,
earmarking the following four-year term as the period of jobs,
when 300,000 new positions are to be founded, and just as many
vocational training opportunities will open.
In an interview with the Sunday edition of the Athens daily
"Eleftherotypia",Mr. Simitis also referred to the Athens Stock
Exchange, stating that a drop in the bourse could not bring about
defeat for PASOK. He stressed that "on April 9 the Greeks will
punish all those who are pleased when the general index falls and
are disappointed when it rises. New Democracy's political
opportunism at the Stock Exchange has an April 9 expiration date."
[04] LECTURES ON GREECE'S "FARAWAY" NEIGHBORS
The University of Macedonia's department of Balkan, Slavic
and Eastern Studies is holding a series of lectures entitled
"Our ‘Faraway' Neighbors: Economic, Social and Cultural
Approaches"
The lectures are to span themes pertaining to the cultures,
societies, economies and political systems of the Balkan peoples,
and of Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union and the Near East.
Tomorrow's featured speaker will be the Bulgarian Ambassador
to Greece Kiril Topalov who will speak on "International and
Balkan Dimensions in the Relations between the Bulgarian and Greek
Cultures from the Middle Ages to the Present Era".
[05] THESSALONIKI HOSTS BALKAN AGRICULTURE CONFERENCE
A Balkan conference on agricultural research and development
was held in Thessaloniki over the weekend, resulting in the
resolution to establish an accredited laboratory for genetically
modified products in the city by next year.
The conference, held on the initiative of the National
Institute of Agricultural Research (ETHIAGE) and under the
auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture, featured the
participation of Balkan undersecretaries and high-ranking
officials from various sector-related organizations. Among the
issues discussed were market globalization, competitiveness in
terms of the main and traditional agricultural products of the
Balkan region, environmental protection in cultivated lands,
development of mountainous mass and the reformation of the overall
Balkan countryside, coordination and promotion of agricultural
research and bio-technological methods, etc.
ETHIAGE's secretary-general Spyros Vizantopoulos stated that
the Ministry of Agriculture will provide the opportunity of
funding bilateral cooperation programs at the tune of 40-50 GRD
million per year.
Among the proposals tabled at the conference were the
establishment of a Balkan committee that will coordinate
agricultural research and development in Southeaster Europe, as
well as the opening of an information bureau in Thessaloniki.
[06] $1 MILLION REWARD FOR PROVING GOLDBACH CONJECTURE
The publishers of "Uncle Petros and Goldbach's Conjecture",
an acclaimed novel by Greek author Apostolos Doxiadis, are
offering a prize of $1million to any person who can prove
Goldbach's Conjecture by the year 2004.
The Conjecture, which is thought to be one of the most
notoriously difficult math problems, i.e. every even number
greater than two is the sum of two primes, was first stated in
1742 by Christian Goldbach and succeeding efforts exerted by other
mathematicians to prove it have failed.
Published in the United States by Bloomsbury, "Uncle Petros"
is the eloquently-told story of a mathematician who devotes his
efforts to the problem.
The 47-year-old author-director was admitted to New York's
Columbia University at the age of fifteen after submitting an
original paper to the Department of Mathematics. He has published
critical essays and short stories and translated numerous plays
from English to Greek.
[07] OPTIMISM ABOUNDS FOR G/T TRADE RELATIONS
Undersecretary of National Economy Rodoula Zisi is optimistic
that trade relations between Greece and Turkey will be
strengthened further, especially in the sectors of information,
energy and banking.
Ms. Zisi stated that nine Greek hotel units are already
active in the neighboring country, encompassing 28% of the Greek
investments, while she added that a great number of other firms
are active in Turkey.
The Undersecretary also referred to the Balkan Reconstruction
Plan and stated that the Ministry of National Economy is
following a support program which aims at the establishment of the
necessary institutional framework which will assist firms in
taking advantage of the opportunities that will arise.
[08] ELECTION RACE MOVES TO THESSALONIKI WITH RALLIES
With Sunday's parliamentary ballots nearing, the pre-election
campaign is heating up and Thessaloniki will be turned into an
"arena" this week when the two major contenders in the race,
ruling PASOK party and main opposition of New Democracy, are to
hold their massive rallies in the northern port city.
New Democracy leader Costas Karamanlis is to address the
residents of Thessaloniki this evening, in a rally to held at the
city's central Aristotelous Square. With turnout expected to be
massive, traffic police have advised motorists to avoid driving to
downtown after 6 p.m.
Prime Minister Costas Simitis will also be in Thessaloniki
tomorrow, where he will also address a rally at Aristotelous
Square.
[09] KARAMANOU ON THE 13 JAILED JEWS IN IRAN
Greek governing socialist party of PASOK Euro-deputy Anna
Karamanou called on the European Commission and the European
Council to intervene for the fair and open trial of 13 Iranian
Jews who are held in prisons in Iran.
The prisoners, mentions the Greek Euro-deputy, are the
subjects of daily inhuman treatment and humiliation, while most of
them have not been allowed to have their own lawyers in the trial
scheduled to take place on April 13.
[10] GREEK GENERAL ARMY STAFF DELEGATION IN GEORGIA
A delegation of the Greek General Army Staff will be in the
former soviet republic of Georgia today within the framework of a
one-day working visit.
According to Georgian ministry of defense officials, the
Greek delegation will have meetings with the head of the Georgian
Armed Forces General Staff, the deputy minister of defense and the
parliamentary defense and security committee president.
The two sides are expected to sign a cooperation agreement
between the ministries of defense of Greece and Georgia for the
current year.
[11] INCREASED DEMAND FOR FOREIGN EXCHANGE
An increase in the demand of foreign exchange is being
recorded lately, according to a report on the Athens newspaper "TO
ETHNOS" and as a result the foreign currency flow in the past
month has reached 1 billion Euros.
The foreign currency demand, according to Bank of America
liquid assets management director Mr. Dimitropoulos, is attributed
to the insecurity in view of the elections, while as secondary
reasons he mentioned the investment of Greek private and
institutional capital in foreign markets and the funding of Greek
assets with drachmas and not foreign exchange.
Regarding the Athens Stock Exchange, there is a belief that
foreign capital will be attracted and this is based on the
positive prospects created concerning the Greek companies due to
the high growth rates of the Greek economy in the next years.
[12] GAINS OF 0.29% IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
The week opened for the Athens Stock Exchange with gains of
0.29% today and the general index closed at 4.807,42 points as it
managed to regain the losses it had suffered in the opening of the
session.
The volume of transactions was very low today and just before
the closing of the session it reached 100 billion drachmas.
Market circles pointed out that today's picture of the Athens
Stock Exchange is indicative of the sessions that will follow as
investors remain cautious in view of the April 9 parliamentary
elections.
[13] MEETING OF THE PRESIDENTS OF GREECE AND GERMANY
German president Johannes Rau met in Athens at noon today
with Greek president Kostis Stephanopoulos immediately after the
formal reception ceremony at the presidential building. The two
presidents exchanged gifts and the German president stated that
democracy started from Greece, while Mr. Stephanopoulos pointed
out that the Greek-German relations are at an excellent level and
continue to improve in the economic and trade sector, adding that
the two countries work jointly within the framework of the
European Union to achieve its ideals.
Tomorrow, Mr. Rau will meet with prime minister Kostas
Simitis and then he will visit Kalavrita, in southern Greece,
together with Mr. Stephanopoulos to lay a wreath at the monument
of the Greeks who were executed by the Nazis on December 13, 1943.
The German president will also meet with parliament president
Apostolos Kaklamanis and other politicians, while on Wednesday he
will be in Thessaloniki to meet with Greeks who were former
immigrants to Germany.
On April 6-8, Mr. Rau will be in Turkey expressing this way
his backing to the de-escalation of the tension between the two
countries and the procedure for the creation of friendlier
relations between them.
Next Saturday, the last day of his visit to the neighboring
country, he will make another symbolic move as his program
includes a meeting with Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos at the
Fanar in an effort to show the need for tolerance in the relations
between different Churches and religions.
Finally, according to information, the German president will
raise the issue of the reopening of the Theology School of Halki
in the contacts he will have with the Turkish leadership.
[14] THREE ALBANIANS ATTEMPTED TO SMUGGLE TWO HUNDRED AND FORTY
KILOS OF HASHISH TO GREECE
Three Albanians attempted to smuggle to Greece 240 kilos of
hashish and small quantities of heroin and cocaine loaded on
horses but they were located by the Greek security forces in
Kastoria, north-western Greece, in the forest region of
Petropoulakio, very close to the Greek-Albanian borders.
The drugs were loaded in 8 sacks and in total the responsible
Greek authorities confiscated 239 kilos of hashish and 100 grams
of heroin and cocaine.
The three Albanians were supposed to meet with a fellow
Albanian at the village of Polikastano in the prefecture of
Kozani. Police surrounded the area but the forth Albanian did not
show up.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[15] EU, ORGANIZATION OF AFRICAN UNITY SUMMIT BEGINS
A two-day summit conference between the European Union and
the Organization of African Unity (OAU), the first of its kind,
begins in Cairo today, where the participants will examine issues
of African regional unification and integration to the global
economy, as well as human rights and democratic institutions.
Heads of state, prime ministers and foreign ministers from
the EU and the OAU, as well as European Commission President
Romano Prodi, will also attend. Greece will be represented by
Alternate Foreign Minister Christos Rokofyllos.
The EU-OAU summit will also focus on development issues,
including poverty in Africa, investments in human resources,
education, health and the environment.
[16] FYROM WANTS TO OPEN A CONSULATE IN THESSALONIKI
The issue of the opening of a FYROM consulate in Thessaloniki
was brought again to publicity by the Skopjan newspaper "Vecer".
The newspaper wrote today that the FYROM government has
planned for this year to open consulates in Istanbul, New York and
Toronto as well as in two cities of EU member-states, one of which
is likely to be Thessaloniki.
[17] AN EXPERIENCE SIMILAR TO THAT PRESENTED IN THE FILM "MIDNIGHT
EXPRESS"
The US television network NBC presented the recent ordeal of
a US tourist boat captain in Turkey who was arrested by the
Turkish Coast Guard in Kusantasi at the Aegean coasts and was
jailed in conditions similar to those seen in the film "Midnight
Express".
TV show presenter Denis Murphy referred extensively to the
systematic violations of human rights in Turkey, the savage
conditions in the Turkish jails and the corruption in the Turkish
justice system in a country that is regarded as a US ally and an
important member of NATO.
In spite of the efforts made by certain of his famous
friends, like actor Dustin Hoffman, to win his release from jail
through the extensive publicity in the US and Turkish mass media,
the US sailor remained jailed in the Busa Prison for many months
and no charges were brought against him.
He was later informed that he was going to be extradited to
Greece where Greek ship-owner Stilianos Tsirakolgou was accusing
him of piracy on his private boat in Libya and Interpol had
informed the Turkish authorities on the issue.
When he arrived in Greece, he was jailed in Koridallos Prison
for a number of days and was later released.
|
