Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2000-08-22
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, August 22, 2000
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] GREECE AUCTIONS GRD230 BILLION OF THREE-YEAR BOND
[02] PUBLIC ORDER MINISTER ON OFFICIAL VISIT TO TIRANA
[03] SVVE DELEGATION OUTLINES ITS POSITIONS TO PREMIER
[04] ANDY WARHOL WORKS SHOWCASED IN THESSALONIKI
[05] ECONOMY MINISTRY TO HOLD MEETINGS OVER TAX BILL
[06] GREECE'S FIRST FLOATING FOOTBRIDGE OPENS TODAY
[07] ALBANIA ENDS GREEK INVESTMENTS, GREECE RESPONDS
[08] REPPAS: GREEK-AMERICAN POLICE AGREEMENT READY
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[09] PAPAPETROU:CYPRUS ISSUE SHOULD AFFECT TURKEY-EU RELATIONS
[10] CYPRUS PLEASED WITH GREEK POLITICAL COOPERATION
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] GREECE AUCTIONS GRD230 BILLION OF THREE-YEAR BOND
Greece's Public Debt Management Agency (PDMA) has announced
that it will auction 230 billion drachmas of the February 11, 2003
three-year bond today.
According to press reports, the settlement date will be next
Friday with only primary dealers allowed to participate and no
commission will be paid.
Non-competitive bids may be submitted by both primary dealers
and non-primary dealers and the post office. The maximum amount to
be accepted will be 20 percent of the auctioned amount, PDMA said.
[02] PUBLIC ORDER MINISTER ON OFFICIAL VISIT TO TIRANA
Public Order Minister Michalis Chrysochoides embarked on an
is official visit to Tirana today, where he will be received by
his Albanian counterpart Spartak Boci.
Messrs. Chrysochoides and Boci will discuss a series of
issues related to security, border controls, illegal immigration
and drug trafficking.
In addition to Mr. Boci, the Greek Public Order Minister will
meet with Albanian President Reijep Meidani, while a meeting with
Premier Ilir Meta is also expected.
[03] SVVE DELEGATION OUTLINES ITS POSITIONS TO PREMIER
In light of the imminent opening of the 65th Thessaloniki
International Fair, a delegation of representatives from the
Northern Greece Industries Association (SVVE) is to hold
successive meetings with the Prime Minster Costas Simitis and the
leader of the main opposition party of New Democracy Costas
Karamanlis today.
The discussions are expected to center on issues pertaining
to economic and industrial development in light of Greece's
accession to the Economic and Monetary Union, the planning of the
Third Community Support Framework (CSF III) and the latest
developments in the Southeast European region.
Regarding industrial growth, the SVVE delegates are expected
to ask that specific measures be taken which would lessen the gap
presently noted in central and regional development.
Concerning CSF III, SVVE is to refer to the conclusions and
resolutions derived from its recent study concerning the more
efficient fund management.
As for the Balkan region, SVVE is to reiterate its firm
position that advocates closer cooperation between the private and
public sectors, which aims at expediting the reconstruction of the
Southeastern European economies.
[04] ANDY WARHOL WORKS SHOWCASED IN THESSALONIKI
A retrospective exhibition featuring 74 works by Andy Warhol
will be inaugurated today by the US Ambassador to Athens Nicholas
Burns at Thessaloniki's Macedonian Museum of Modern Art.
As the United States will be the featured country at this
year's Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF), which opens on
September 2, a series of art exhibitions, musical concerts and
lectures have been scheduled for the duration of TIF.
Another exhibition titled "Modern Odysseys" will feature
works by Greek-American artists of the 20th century. The Carnegie
Hall Jazz Band is to perform at Thessaloniki's new Concert Hall,
while the Sixth Fleet's band will perform at TIF.
[05] ECONOMY MINISTRY TO HOLD MEETINGS OVER TAX BILL
The National Economy and Finance Ministry has reportedly
finalized the drafting of next year's budget and fiscal policy for
the next two-year period, at a cost of 250-300 billion drachmas.
The most important changes provided in the draft tax bills
are:
- Reducing the top income tax rate on individuals from 45 percent
to 42.5 percent for incomes earned in 2001 and 40 percent for 2002
incomes
- Index-linking of all income tax brackets to inflation.
- Exempting spending on new technology articles from taxation.
- Reducing corporate tax for firms not listed on the Athens Stock
Exchange from 40 percent to 37.5 percent over a two-year period.
- Abolishing the Special Tax on Banking Transactions.
- Gradually abolishing all indirect criteria for corporate
taxation.
- Increasing tax-exempted income for families with children by
20,000 drachmas per child.
- Increasing the tax-exempt space in homes from 20 to 30 square
meters per child; this also affects families with three children
or more.
Prime Minister Costas Simitis will announce the new package of
tax breaks in his keynote speech on the economy at the opening of
the annual trade fair in Thessaloniki in early September.
[06] GREECE'S FIRST FLOATING FOOTBRIDGE OPENS TODAY
Greece's first floating footbridge will be inaugurated today
at the small island Agios Achilleios in the lake Mikri Prespa by
officials from the environment and town planning ministry and the
western Macedonia prefecture.
The footbridge, which cost 700 million drachmas, will now
give the island's few residents the ability to walk to the
mainland, instead of taking a boat.
The three-meter-wide and 4,000-meter-long metal bridge weighs
300 tons and can carry 3,000 people at once.
[07] ALBANIA ENDS GREEK INVESTMENTS, GREECE RESPONDS
Government spokesperson Dimitris Reppas was curt in his
response to Albania's decision to order three Greek companies to
cease their operations in Durres, by stating that Greece wishes to
have good relations with Albania and, as such, is maintaining a
positive stance.
Nevertheless, Mr. Reppas added, Albania, which often does not
display the necessary understanding, should do the same as well.
Moreover, Mr. Reppas expressed the hope that additional
obstacles will not be presented, as the activities of Greek firms
in the neighboring country can bear mutual benefits.
According to the Athens daily Kathimerini, which quotes
reliable sources, the Albanian government's move has put an end to
a $50-million project of which the three Greek companies had
already invested $10 million in the country's oil sector.
State-controlled Hellenic Petroleum, Mamidakis (another fuel
firm) and the construction firm DIEKAT called on the Greek
government for help and, two weeks ago, the Greek ambassador in
Tirana hosted a meeting of the Albanian prime minister, government
ministers involved in the issue and representative of the three
companies. There was no result, the sources said. The companies'
representatives are to meet with Foreign Minister George
Papandreou within the next few days.
The three companies had signed a contract with the Albanian
government last year to invest in the country's oil sector. They
were granted a 20-year lease in an industrial park at the port of
Durres to build fuel storage facilities. Hellenic Petroleum had
even bought 75 percent of Albania's Global fuel company, which
controls about 10 percent of the local market.
But, claiming that a master plan by the World Bank prohibits
industrial investments in the Durres region because of a projected
East-West highway, the Albanian government refused to allow
operations to continue. Greece asked the World Bank to get
involved, and the institution undertook to get the Albanian
government to commit itself to moving the facilities and to paying
compensation.Σφάλμα! Το αρχείο προέλευσης της αναφοράς δεν
βρέθηκε.
[08] REPPAS: GREEK-AMERICAN POLICE AGREEMENT READY
Greek Government Representative Dimitris Reppas today
announced that the agreement for police cooperation between Greece
and the US is in the final stages and is now ready to be signed.
Mr Reppas added that the Greek government is now awaiting
information from the US as to who will represent the country in
Greece and when.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[09] PAPAPETROU:CYPRUS ISSUE SHOULD AFFECT TURKEY-EU RELATIONS
"The Cyprus issue should become part of Turkey's relations
with the European Union and Turkey should commit itself to certain
matters within the Cyprus issue". This was part of the statement
made by the Cypriot Government Representative Michalis Papapetrou.
In response to various questions, Mr Papapetrou said that
"this is the objective" and that this is "the general political
direction taken by both Greece and Cyprus".
Mr Papapetrou avoided referring to the matter in further
detail as relevant negotiations form part of the Cypriot
government's upcoming political agenda.
[10] CYPRUS PLEASED WITH GREEK POLITICAL COOPERATION
The Cypriot government today voiced its satisfaction through
its representative, Michalis Papapetrou, with the cooperation and
unity existing between the governments and political parties of
Greece and Cyprus as far as the Cyprus issue is concerned.
Mr Papapetrou confirmed that Cypriot Foreign minister Ioannis
Kasoulidis would visit Athens next Wednesday for talks with his
Greek counterpart George Papandreou and mentioned that at this
stage it was not considered necessary for the Cypriot President to
hold talks with the Greek Prime Minister.
Σφάλμα! Το αρχείο προέλευσης της αναφοράς δεν βρέθηκε.
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