Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2000-04-26
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, April 26, 2000
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] CYPRIOT FM ARRIVES IN ATHENS TODAY
[02] TIF CELEBRATES 75th YEAR WITH SERIES OF EVENTS
[03] THESSALONIKI'S GRAPHIS 2000" TO ATTRACT THOUSANDS
[04] CHERNOBYL DISASTER, FOURTEEN YEARS LATER
[05] SALONICA'S JEWISH COMMUNITY HONORS SHOA VICTIMS
[06] HOUSE COMMITTEE CALLS FOR STRICTER DRUG LAWS
[07] THE ATHENS STOCK MARKET AFFECTS THE HEALTH OF THE GREEKS
[08] PANGALOS WILL MEET WITH IOC MEMBERS AFTER THE EASTER HOLIDAYS
[09] LOSSES OF 1.83% IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
[10] THE GREEK PARLIAMENT PRESIDENT MET WITH HIS CANADIAN
COUNTERPART
[11] ONE YEAR SINCE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE OMBUDSMAN INSTITUTION
[12] PASCHALIDIS: THE PREPARATIONS FOR THE 2003 EU SUMMIT MEETING
IN THESSALONIKI WILL START IN TIME
[13] THESSALONIKI'S ECONOMIC ROLE IN THE BALKAN AND THE BLACK SEA
REGION
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[14] ROMANIA HOSTS FOURTH BSEC MEETING TOMORROW
[15] F.R.Y: DIRECTOR OF JAT AIRLINES SHOT AND KILLED
[16] FOREIGN ENVOYS ARRIVE IN CYRPUS IN EARLY MAY
[17] FYROM SEEKS THE ABOLITION OF THE VISA FOR THE SUMMER PERIOD
[18] NEW MEETING OF SPECIALISTS ON THE GREEK HOUSING LOAN TO
ALBANIA
[19] THE UNITED STATES WARNED THEIR NATIONALS NOT TO TRAVEL TO
SERBIA
[20] ANKARA REACTED STRONGLY TO ISRAEL'S DECISION ON THE ARMENIAN
GENOCIDE
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] CYPRIOT FM ARRIVES IN ATHENS TODAY
Cypriot Foreign Minister Yannakis Kassoulides is to arrive in
Athens today, where he will hold talks with his Greek counterpart
George Papandreou.
According to press reports, Mr. Kasoulides' visit was deemed
necessary in view of Mr. Papandreou's forthcoming trip to the
United States in the first week of May, where he will have
contacts with the American Secretary of State Madeleine Albright,
and the Turkish Foreign Minister, Ismail Cem.
Cypriot President Glafkos Clerides is scheduled to have a
meeting with the Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis in Athens on
May 19, in view of the third round of proximity talks on the
Cyprus issue, scheduled to get under way in New York on ̀ay 23.
[02] TIF CELEBRATES 75th YEAR WITH SERIES OF EVENTS
The Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) will celebrate the
75th anniversary since its founding, although it is presently in
its 63rd year of operation this year, since it was interrupted
between 1940 and 1950 due to World War II and the Greek civil war.
To commemorate the anniversary, TIF's board announced a
series of events from May to November, including a special
exhibition titled "A Currency for Europe", which focuses on the
historical development of currencies in the continent, to the
institution of the euro.
[03] THESSALONIKI'S GRAPHIS 2000" TO ATTRACT THOUSANDS
Four thousand retailers are expected to visit the 8th
"Graphis 2000" exhibition of office supplies, books and toys, to
be held at the Thessaloniki Trade Fair between May 5-8.
About 100 companies will be taking part in the exhibition
which will be held on a 3,000 sq. meter area.
The "Helexpo" organizers of the exhibition have received
requests for details from as far as Ukraine, India and Cameroon
while many Russian business agents are expected to arrive.
The exhibition will run between 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. for the
first day, 11 a.m. to 9p.m. during the weekend, and 11 a.m. to 5
p.m. on Monday.
The National Book Center will hold an event on the
modernization of bookstores on Sunday, within the framework of the
exhibition.
[04] CHERNOBYL DISASTER, FOURTEEN YEARS LATER
Fourteen years have passed since an explosion ripped through
Reactor 4 of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine, causing
the world's worst nuclear accident, and health experts are deeply
concerned about long-term genetic damage to future generations.
According to the World Health Organization, at least 500
times as much radiation was released by this accident as by the
atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
The countries most affected by the radiation - Ukraine and
Belarus - continue to pay the price, although radioactive material
has been detected even in Scotland where increased cases of child
leukemia were noted after the disaster.
While early official reports claimed that 31 persons were
killed from radiation exposure, newer studies reveal that
thousands more died later from effects of the accident. According
to recent assessments, hundreds of thousands of people suffer
today from Chernobyl-related illnesses, not including children
still being born with deformities and an array of health problems.
The worst health consequences for millions of people may be
yet to come. According to the United Nations, the full number of
those likely to develop serious medical conditions will not be
known until 2016, at the earliest, because of delayed reactions to
radiation exposure.
[05] SALONICA'S JEWISH COMMUNITY HONORS SHOA VICTIMS
Thessaloniki's Jewish Community will honor the memory of the
city's 50,000 Jews who were murdered by the Nazis fifty-seven
years ago, with a memorial service to be held at the Monastirlis
Synagogue on Sunday, May 7.
The events will culminate with the laying of wreaths at the
Jewish Holocaust Monument.
In an announcement commemorating the Shoa, the Community
states: "Today, as the nightmare of Nazism appears to be re-
emerging, we wish that our innocent brothers are the last victims
of racial hatred and that love and fellowship forever reign in
people's hearts."
A thriving Jewish community before the Holocaust,
Thessaloniki was known throughout the Balkans as the "Mother of
Israel", less than ten percent of its members presently live in
the city.
[06] HOUSE COMMITTEE CALLS FOR STRICTER DRUG LAWS
In a voluminous report encompassing over two years of study,
the Parliamentary Cross-party Committee calls for stricter
prosecution of drug dealers through amended legislative measures.
The Committee's report includes data reflecting the extent of
drug and substance abuse in Greece according to which the
percentage of adults who have engaged in drug use at least once
has tripled in the last decade, i.e. from 4% in 1984 to 12.2% in
1999.
Drug use also varies according to sex, where men outnumber
women three to one, while age seems to also play a factor with
those between 18-35 being most susceptible.
More alarming is the increasing drug use noted among school-
age children: the percentage of those who have tried drugs at
least one has risen to 13.7% in 1998, significantly higher than
1993's six percent. Boys outnumber girls, 17.9% to 9%
respectively, with rising tendencies in accordance to age groups.
The preferred drugs among school-age users are soluble
substances, such as glue (13.8%), with cannabis rating second
(12.6%).
Cocaine use is also on the rise in Greece, while the number
of heroin addicts is also marking a notable increase.
[07] THE ATHENS STOCK MARKET AFFECTS THE HEALTH OF THE GREEKS
The likelihood of an increase in heart problems because of
the fluctuations observed in the Athens Stock Exchange was not
ruled out by Greek scientists in a press conference they gave in
Thessaloniki yesterday on the occasion of the 15th International
Conference on Clinical Cardiology.
In the press conference, it was stressed that the lack of
prevention is the basic reason that has led to an increase in the
cardio-vascular diseases' related deaths which continue to be the
first cause of death around the world. According to the
scientists, only 25-30% of those with hypertension deal with their
problem with the right drug treatment.
Hypertension, cigarette smoking, diabetes are some of the
main causes of coronary disease. However, other risk factors have
been traced in the past few years such as, the presence of certain
substances like proteins that can explain to a degree the fact
that heart problems can appear to young people not affected by
other risk factors.
[08] PANGALOS WILL MEET WITH IOC MEMBERS AFTER THE EASTER HOLIDAYS
Greek minister of culture Theodoros Pangalos will be in
Brussels after the Easter Holidays to meet with members of the
International Olympic Committee, IOC.
Mr. Pangalos is expected to present to the IOC vice-president
the positions and the measures taken by the Greek government
regarding the 2004 Olympic Games that will be held in Athens.
[09] LOSSES OF 1.83% IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
Losses of 1.83% were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange
today and the general index dropped to 4.147,23 points in the
shadow of the statements made to the news agency Reuters by a
Bundesbank official. The volume of transactions was small at 85
billion drachmas.
Greek brokers president Panagiotis Voilis stated that the
Athens Stock Exchange received a blow by the statement made by
Hans Reckers, member of BUBA's board of directors, according to
which, Greece's entry to the EMU must be delayed for a year
because it does not meet the necessary preconditions.
Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas stated that the
German bank executive expressed a personal view that does not
change the position expressed formally by the specific
institution. He said that the specific executive is one of the 20
members of the board of directors of the Bundesbank and stated
that his view could not cause any problems to Greece's EMU
accession.
[10] THE GREEK PARLIAMENT PRESIDENT MET WITH HIS CANADIAN
COUNTERPART
Greek parliament president Apostolos Kaklamanis met with his
Canadian counterpart Gilkegart Palt in Athens.
In statements they made, characterized the bilateral
relations as very good while the president of the Canadian
parliament referred to the contribution of the Greek immigrants to
the economic development of his country.
From his side, Mr. Kaklamanis praised the stance adopted by
Canada on the issue of Cyprus.
[11] ONE YEAR SINCE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE OMBUDSMAN INSTITUTION
The effects of the ombudsman institution a year after its
establishment in Greece were given to publicity today.
A report on the issue was submitted to the prime minister,
the parliament president and the minister of the interior by
professor Nikiforos Diamantouros. Based on the data provided, the
institution received 8.223 complaints submitted by the people. Of
them 32.63% concerned the state-citizen relations, 25.15% the
quality of life, 27.48% the social protection and 14.74% the human
rights.
Of those reports 57.3% were settled, while 32.4% of the cases
were found to be groundless.
[12] PASCHALIDIS: THE PREPARATIONS FOR THE 2003 EU SUMMIT MEETING
IN THESSALONIKI WILL START IN TIME
The preparations for the 2003 EU summit meeting in
Thessaloniki will be launched in time, according to statements
made to reporters by minister of Macedonia-Thrace Giorgos
Paschalidis stating that many government and historical buildings
must be restored.
Mr. Paschalidis stated that it will be decided in advance
where so many important people will stay, while the city must show
that it can play the role it is called to play in the region in
the 21st century.
[13] THESSALONIKI'S ECONOMIC ROLE IN THE BALKAN AND THE BLACK SEA
REGION
New minister of Macedonia-Thrace Giorgos Paschalidis, in a
meeting he had with journalists today, referred in detail to the
important economic role Thessaloniki is called to play not only in
northern Greece and the Balkans but in the whole Black Sea zone.
Mr. Paschalidis stated characteristically that over 100
million people in the wider Balkan region and 300 million in the
Black Sea zone want to cooperate with us. He underlined that the
international economic role of Thessaloniki must become practice,
adding that many international organizations have already been
established in the city such as the Organization for the
Reconstruction of the Balkans, the Stability Pact secretariat, the
CEDEFOP, the Black Sea Bank, the Inter-Balkan Center, etc.
Mr. Paschalidis stated that the city in the next 20 years
will be the center of the economy and this development can not
happen without the participation of the people of Thessaloniki
adding that many businesses open in northern Greece and pointed
out that the people living in the city can not have just the role
of an observer.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[14] ROMANIA HOSTS FOURTH BSEC MEETING TOMORROW
The fourth meeting among the member-states of the
Organization of Economic Cooperation in the Black Sea (BSEC) is to
be held in Romania on April 27-28, according to the host
country's ministry of the interior.
The meeting will feature the participation of Interior
Ministers from Greece, Bulgaria, Georgia, Turkey, Russia, Albania,
Armenia, Azerbaijan and Romania, which presently holds the
organization's six-month rotating presidency.
Romania's Minister of the Interior Constantin Dudu Ionescu
stated that the participants will review the results of the
terrorism-combat agreement signed during the BSEC's previous
meeting.
[15] F.R.Y: DIRECTOR OF JAT AIRLINES SHOT AND KILLED
Unknown assailants shot and killed the director of
Yugoslavia's state-owned JAT Airlines Zika Petrovic in Belgrade
last night.
According to eyewitness reports, the two assailants, armed
with automatic weapons, confronted the victim in front of his
apartment building, shot him four times and then fled the scene.
Belgrade police has characterized the attack as "a terrorist
act against a high-ranking member of the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia's business community."
Director of JAT since 1992, the 62-year-old Petrovic was an
ally of President Slobodan Milosevic.
[16] FOREIGN ENVOYS ARRIVE IN CYRPUS IN EARLY MAY
Foreign envoys dealing with the Cyprus issue on are expected
on the island in the first week of May in an effort to move the
peace process forward.
The United Nations special advisor for Cyprus Alvaro de Soto
and Britain's envoy Sir David Hannay will hold talks with the
Greek-Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities. Sir David will
arrive on May 4 for a brief stay during which he will be received
by the President of Cyprus Glafcos Clerides, while he will also
meet with Turkish-Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash.
Mr. de Soto will arrive on May 8, when he is scheduled to
have meetings with the President and the Turkish Cypriot leader.
[17] FYROM SEEKS THE ABOLITION OF THE VISA FOR THE SUMMER PERIOD
Proposals aimed at making things easier for the travelers
from FYROM, who want to visit Greece especially in the summer
months, were allegedly made by FYROM to the Greek government,
according to the Skopje newspaper "Dnevnik".
Based on information cited by the newspaper, the FYROM
government called on Greece to abolish the visa requirement during
the summer months in order to facilitate the travelers from FYROM.
As an alternative solution the FYROM government suggested that the
issuing of visas take place at the Greek-FYROM borders to avoid
the crowds that usually gather at the Liaison Office in Skopje.
However, the newspaper mentions that FYROM foreign minister
Alexander Dimitrov has stated that he has no knowledge of the
matter.
[18] NEW MEETING OF SPECIALISTS ON THE GREEK HOUSING LOAN TO
ALBANIA
The procedural issues concerning the housing loan granted to
Albania by Greece will be discussed in mid May.
According to the Albanian newspaper "Zeri i Populit", the
responsible committees from both countries will meet in Tirana on
May 17 to discuss the necessary procedures that have to be
followed before the Greek housing loan of 5 billion drachmas gets
to Albania.
Undersecretary of finance Andriana Berberi stated that the
Albanian side will present to the Greek committee specific plans
for the absorption of the housing loan, according to the
newspaper.
[19] THE UNITED STATES WARNED THEIR NATIONALS NOT TO TRAVEL TO
SERBIA
The United States warned their nationals not to travel to
Yugoslavia and especially to the borders of Serbia and Montenegro.
The US State Department in a directive it has issued
underlined that it is dangerous for the American citizens to
travel to Montenegro and Kosovo and added that the US embassy in
Belgrade is not in operation.
The US State Department also pointed out that there is a
hostile climate in Serbia against the Americans, coming both from
officials and the people, while there are other dangers as well
such as, bombs that have not exploded and destroyed
infrastructure.
[20] ANKARA REACTED STRONGLY TO ISRAEL'S DECISION ON THE ARMENIAN
GENOCIDE
The Israeli education ministry decision to include the
Armenian genocide in the teaching material used in the Israeli
schools caused an uproar in Turkey.
According to the Turkish news agency Anadolu, the Turkish
foreign ministry protested on the issue to the Israeli ambassador
to Ankara.
A Turkish foreign ministry official stated that it was
stressed to the Israeli ambassador that he must convey Ankara's
reaction and expectations to the Israeli authorities as soon as
possible.
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