Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2000-09-20
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, September 20, 2000
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] WAIT IS OVER, UNIVERSITY ENTRANCE RESULTS TODAY
[02] COMMISSIONER VERHEUGEN: CHALKI SHOULD REOPEN
[03] PREMIER BEGINS ROUND OF CONTACTS WITH MINISTERS
[04] PM PRAISES YOUNG WEIGHTLIFTER FOR BRONZE MEDAL
[05] "MACEDONIA" AIRPORT GETS ILS ANTI-FOG SYSTEM
[06] NEW ID CARDS A DONE DEAL, TO CIRCULATE SOON
[07] GREEK SEAMEN END STRIKE, DEMANDS TO BE MET
[08] GREEK-ALBANIAN ANTICRIME AGREEMENT PAYS OFF
[09] GREECE THIRD IN 1st ROUND OF EQUESTRIAN DRESSAGE
[10] WSJ ON GREEK FM: A THINKER WITH PROGRESSIVE MIND
[11] THESSALONIKI MAYOR IN SYDNEY AS FORMER ATHLETE
[12] ENVIRONMENT MINISTRY GIVES TVX FINAL APPROVAL
[13] TWO LIONS WILL SOON FLY TO ENGLAND FROM GREECE
[14] DEPUTY SPORTS MINISTER HOSTS RECEPTION IN SYDNEY
[15] GREECE PREVAILS ON BALKAN RECONSTRUCITON BASE
[16] TSOVOLAS WILL BE IN BELGRADE FOR THE ELECTIONS
[17] PAPANDREOU: GREECE AND CYPRUS COORDINATE THEIR ACTIONS ON THE
CYPRUS ISSUE
[18] LOSSES OF 1.47% IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
[19] COMMENTS BY REPPAS ON THE CYPRUS ISSUE
[20] PAPANDREOU: THE SERB PEOPLE ARE NOT BEING TOLD BY THE EU WHO
TO VOTE FOR
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[21] BULGARIAN ATHLETE LOSES MEDAL OVER SUBSTANCE
[22] OLYMPIC TORCH VANISHES FROM SYDNEY STADIUM
[23] FATOS NANO REJECTS THE OPENING OF GREEK SCHOOLS IN HIMARA
[24] A GREEK-AUSTRALIAN WAS ONE OF THE DIRECTORS OF THE OLYMPIC
GAMES' OPENING CEREMONY
[25] SKOPJE DENIED THE INFORMATION ON THE FYROM NAME
[26] A COMPARISON BETWEEN THE ELECTIONS IN GREECE AND YUGOSLAVIA
[27] TOMORROW'S SCHEDULE FOR THE GREEK ATHLETES
[28] THERE IS NO LEGAL BASIS FOR THE RETURN OF THE PARTHENON
MARBLES, ACCORDING TO THE BRITISH CULTURE MINISTER
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] WAIT IS OVER, UNIVERSITY ENTRANCE RESULTS TODAY
Entrance results for universities and technological
educational institutes are to be released today by the Education
Ministry, ending months of agonizing suspense for thousands of
this year's high school graduates.
According to the Education Minister Petros Efthymiou, the
qualifying score for most university faculties has risen
considerably since last year, especially for, engineering, law
and medical schools.
[02] COMMISSIONER VERHEUGEN: CHALKI SHOULD REOPEN
In a recent letter addressed to the European Popular Party,
European Commissioner on Enlargement Affairs Gunter Verheugen
stated that the Turkish government is violating the 1923 Treaty of
Lausanne by refusing to permit the reopening of the Christian
Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarchate's Chalki School of Theology, and
as such, violates the rights of the Greek and Armenian communities
of that country.
As a result of the letter, Greek deputies of the European
Parliament Christos Zaharakis and Antonis Trakatellis (main
opposition party of New Democracy) have requested of the
Commission that it intervene in support of Chalki's reopening and
take measures for the protection of religious freedom rights in
Turkey.
[03] PREMIER BEGINS ROUND OF CONTACTS WITH MINISTERS
Prime Minister Costas Simitis will meet with the political
leadership of the agriculture ministry today, in order to discuss
the country's comprehensive policy on agricultural issues.
Agriculture Minister George Anomeritis said that there were
numerous outstanding issues, which will be resolved during the
visit of the premier at his ministry, including the allocation of
European Union framework support funds for agriculture.
He also noted that by the end of the month the ministry would
have prepared proposals, or a complete bill, regarding water
resources. Mr. Simitis has served as Agriculture Minister in the
past.
This morning he will be meeting with Foreign Minister George
Papandreou to discuss the results of his trip to the US and his
contacts on the sidelines of the UN Millennium Summit.
Later this evening, the Premier will chair a meeting of
PASOK's Executive Bureau.
According to government spokesperson Dimitris Reppas, Mr.
Simitis will chair a meeting of the inner cabinet tomorrow, which
will also include a few additional ministers.
On Friday, the Premier will meet with Culture Minister
Theodoros Pangalos to discuss culture issues and the Olympic
Games.
[04] PM PRAISES YOUNG WEIGHTLIFTER FOR BRONZE MEDAL
Prime Minister Costas Simitis sent a congratulatory telegraph
to Greek weightlifter Yianna Hatziioannou who won the bronze medal
in Monday's 63kg women's finals, with a total lift of 225.5 kilos.
In his message, Mr. Simitis praised the 19-year-old athlete for
her efforts and noted that she was the first woman athlete to
bring home a Olympic medal in weight-lifting.
The Munich-born Thessaloniki-raised Hatziioannou, lifted
97.5kg in the snatch and 125kg in the clean and jerk. She had
almost refrained from taking part in the Games due to earlier
injuries.
[05] "MACEDONIA" AIRPORT GETS ILS ANTI-FOG SYSTEM
Thessaloniki's "Macedonia Airport" is to be equipped with an
Instrument Landing System Category II (ILS CATII), in an effort to
facilitate aircraft navigation in an area that is shrouded with
clouds most of the winter season.
As the establishment of the ILS will require modifications in
two of the runways, the airport will remain closed between 8 a.m.
today and 6 p.m. tomorrow. Passengers will be rerouted by their
airlines to the nearby Kavala airport "Megas Alexandros".
[06] NEW ID CARDS A DONE DEAL, TO CIRCULATE SOON
Undaunted by the Church's fury, the state plans to imminently
circulate the new public identification cards -sans religion,
fingerprint, occupation and spouse's name, - according to
government spokesman Dimitris Reppas.
The new cards will be distributed to first-time users or
those who need a replacement of their old card.
Meanwhile, the Church's position on the ID-card dispute was
boosted by a recent poll which indicated that almost 80 percent of
the respondents want religious faith mentioned - even as an option
- on their state-issued identity cards.
The poll also indicated that just over half the people
questioned thought it very or quite likely that they would sign a
Church-drafted petition for a referendum on the matter, in a
campaign that was launched last Thursday and will conclude on the
Feast of the Annunciation, on March 25.
[07] GREEK SEAMEN END STRIKE, DEMANDS TO BE MET
Following six-day protests, striking seamen in Minoan Flying
Dolphins (MFD) and Hellas Ferries shipping companies agreed to end
their strike yesterday, after a company's decision to meet
seamen's demands for payment of overtime work in August.
The vice-president of MFD Pantelis Sfinias announced the
company's decision to meet seamen's pay demands, after he met with
Merchant Marine Minister Christos Papoutsis.
"We will pay what seamen demand in the name of passengers'
service, although we have reservations over the sum asked by
unions," Mr. Sfinias stated.
In turn, Mr. Papoutsis said he was satisfied that logic had
prevailed.
"Citizens and the islands should not be paying for this
disagreement," he said.
[08] GREEK-ALBANIAN ANTICRIME AGREEMENT PAYS OFF
A delegation of Greek Police detectives is presently in
Tirana, investigating the fatal shooting of a border guard by
Albanian drug smugglers in June, a result of a bilateral
cooperation agreement between the two countries in the area of
crime combat.
Three suspects have been apprehended by authorities in
Tirana, while the Greek authorities are also preparing a file on
the incident which will be sent to Interpol.
Greek border guard Yiannis Pamboukidis, 30, died on June 28
during an exchange of fire with Albanian criminals in a forest
near Argos Orestiko in the area of Kastoria in western Macedonia.
Last month, Albanian police arrested two Albanian Gypsies for
involvement in the killing of border guard Dimitrios Zaromytidis
in March 1998 outside the village of Ammoudero, near Kastoria.
The Greek courts are to file an extradition request today.
[09] GREECE THIRD IN 1st ROUND OF EQUESTRIAN DRESSAGE
Greece's Heidi Antikatzidis with her horse Michaelmas
finished third in the first round of the individual three-day
event dressage of the equestrian competition in the Sydney Olympic
Games.
The 23-year-old scored 37.40, thus earning the third place in
the first round of the three-day event, a marked improved from her
13th slot in the startlist.
This marks the first time Greece make a noteworthy appearance
in this sport.
The three-day event combines dressage, cross-country and show-
jumping, rewarding the horse that can excel at dressage one day
and gallop flat-out cross-country the next.
[10] WSJ ON GREEK FM: A THINKER WITH PROGRESSIVE MIND
Greece's Foreign Minister George Papandreou is "a thinker and
a progressive mind", according to a "Wall Street Journal" recent
article.
Bylined by George Melone (sp), the article states that,
contrary to the many who advocate the redefining borders in
conflict-torn areas - such as the Balkans - in accordance with
the ethnic characteristics of the populations, Mr. Papandreou's
differing view is the most optimistic.
Specifically, the article states that the Greek FM's point of
view, i.e. downgrading the significance of borders, create a sense
of optimism for the Balkan region's future.
[11] THESSALONIKI MAYOR IN SYDNEY AS FORMER ATHLETE
Thessaloniki Mayor Vasilis Papageorgopoulos, a former track
and field champion who had served as the Greek team's flagbearer
in the Montreal 1976 Olympic Games, is departing for Sydney today,
at the invitation of the Greek Olympic Committee 2004
organization.
In his prime, Mr. Papageorgopoulos held a 21-year national
record at the 100m sprint with a time of 10:22 achieved during
the Smyrne-held Balkaniad in august of 1972.
A few days later, during the Munich Olympics of 1972, Mr.
Papageorgopoulos achieved an impressive 10:22 in the
preliminaries, which, if he were to repeat during the final race,
could have earned him a silver medal; an injury kept him out of
the race.
[12] ENVIRONMENT MINISTRY GIVES TVX FINAL APPROVAL
TVX-Hellas Gold Metallurgy has announced that the
Environmental Impact Study (EIS) for its Olympiada polymetallic
gold project in northern Greece, has received the final approval
of the Ministry of the Environment, City Planning and Public
Works, thus granting the mining company the go-ahead to proceed
with the development of the 254,000-ounce per year gold project.
"The approval of the EIS confirms the Greek government's
continued support of the development of the Olympias project and
allows the Company to complete the permitting process, which is at
an advanced stage", according to a company press release.
The EIS was approved after the completion of a ten-month
review period that involved Greek government ministries, the
Prefectural Council of the Chalkidiki peninsula region and the
public.
SNC-Lavalin America, which was awarded an Engineering,
Procurement and Construction Management contract for the
development of the Olympias deposit in November 1999, has
completed basic engineering and confirmed total capital costs.
The 1999 bankable feasibility study estimated that, upon
commencement of commercial production, the Olympiada project would
produce 254,000 ounces of gold along with 2.3 million ounces of
silver, 21,500 tons of zinc and 22,500 tons of lead annually over
the first five years of production. Cash costs, net of byproduct
credits, were estimated to be $91 per ounce over the period,
improving to $87 per ounce over the projected +18-year life of the
mine.
The 248-million-dollar project has reserves and resources
totaling 4.1 million ounces of gold. With the inclusion of the
adjacent Skouries project, TVX's reserves and resources at its
Greek projects total 9.4 million ounces of gold.
[13] TWO LIONS WILL SOON FLY TO ENGLAND FROM GREECE
A ten-year-old lioness and a four-year-old lion will be
hosted for a few hours at Thesssaloniki's "Macedonia" airport on
Monday, en route to a better habitat in England.
The two majestic animals were kept at the zoo of Florina,
which recently shut down. Thanks to the efforts of the Born Free
Foundation, an international wildlife charity, the two lions will
be transported by plane to England where they will be taken to a
man-made jungle.
[14] DEPUTY SPORTS MINISTER HOSTS RECEPTION IN SYDNEY
Deputy Sports Minister George Floridis, presently in Sydney,
hosted a reception in honor of the Premier of Bosnia-Herzegovina
Tusevljak Spasoje, the sports ministers from 30 various countries
and the leaders of the Greek sports mission, on the premises of
the "1000 Years of Olympic Games" exhibition.
In his address, Mr. Floridis stressed that Australian Greeks'
involvement in organizing the Sydney Olympics was a very positive
event.
"Greece," he stated, "needs experienced and specialized human
resources to organize the Olympic Games of 2004, who can transfer
the necessary know-how and make the organization of the Athens
Games more complete."
Mr. Spasoje, awed of the Greek ancient artifacts on display,
referred to his country's friendly sentiments towards Greece and
wished every success to the organizers of the Athens 2004 Olympic
Games.
[15] GREECE PREVAILS ON BALKAN RECONSTRUCITON BASE
Greece's positions regarding the headquarters of the Balkan
Reconstruction Organization prevailed during a discussion held by
the European Parliament's Budgetary Review Committee.
Even though a number of participating eurodeputies and
committee members requested that the said headquarters be moved to
Prishtina, Greece's positions prevailed, albeit with a narrow
difference, during the votes that followed.
The interjections of European Parliament Greek deputies
Christos Folias (New Democracy) and Manolis Mastorakis (PASOK)
averted a potential reversal of the decision to base the
Organization's headquarters in Thessaloniki.
[16] TSOVOLAS WILL BE IN BELGRADE FOR THE ELECTIONS
Leader of the Democratic Social Movement Dimitris Tsovolas,
heading a delegation of his party, will be in Belgrade on Friday
to observe the September 24 elections.
The invitation to Mr. Tsovolas to observe the election
procedures had been issued by the Yugoslav ambassador to Athens in
a meeting they had in the Greek capital.
[17] PAPANDREOU: GREECE AND CYPRUS COORDINATE THEIR ACTIONS ON THE
CYPRUS ISSUE
Greek foreign minister Giorgos Papandreou in statements he
made today after the meeting he had with prime minister Kostas
Simitis to brief him on foreign policy issues, stressed that the
position shared by the Greek and the Cypriot side is that they
will reject any solution that will not be based on a federal two-
zone, two-community solution, in accordance with the UN Security
Council resolutions.
Mr. Papandreou briefed Mr. Simitis on the talks he had in New
York with his Turkish counterpart Ismail Cem as well as on the
developments in the Greek-Turkish relations after the agreement
for the promotion of confidence-building-measures in the Aegean.
On the Yugoslav issue, he said that Greece backs the
promotion of democratic institutions in the Balkans as the basic
precondition for stability in the region and added that the Greek
policy is vindicated as the European Union agrees that the
European course will benefit Yugoslavia.
Mr. Papandreou said that the democratic procedures in
Yugoslavia are supported and that Greece recognizes any result
that is the product of those democratic procedures, while he
expressed discontent over the shutting down of mass media by the
Milosevic government.
[18] LOSSES OF 1.47% IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
Significant losses of 1.47% were recorded in the Athens Stock
Exchange and the general index was at 4.103,01 points, while the
volume of transactions was small at 96.5 billion drachmas.
compared to the high turnover of the previous sessions.
Of the stocks trading today 82 recorded gains, 263 had losses
and 38 remained unchanged.
[19] COMMENTS BY REPPAS ON THE CYPRUS ISSUE
The Cyprus problem must be resolved exclusively based on the
UN decisions, stated government spokesman Dimitris Reppas, who
added that the recognition of the Turkish-Cypriot regime or the
partition of the island will not be allowed.
Responding to questions concerning the alleged promotion of a
confederation solution in Cyprus, Mr. Reppas stressed that the
position of the Greek government is clear and final and reiterated
that the Greek and the Cypriot governments want a solution based
on the UN decisions. He also pointed out that there are many
difficulties in the progress of the talks and that every party
must display the utmost responsibility.
[20] PAPANDREOU: THE SERB PEOPLE ARE NOT BEING TOLD BY THE EU WHO
TO VOTE FOR
The Serb people will decide in their own way and based on
their own choices. We must respect the election result if there
are democratic procedures and freedom of expression.
The above were stressed by Greek foreign minister Giorgos
Papandreou regarding the developments in Yugoslavia and the EU
stance on the issue, in statements he made immediately after the
meeting he had with prime minister Kostas Simitis today in order
to brief him on the course of the national issues.
Mr. Papandreou stated that there is room for smooth
democratic development in Yugoslavia if all sides want this as
well as, room for a new relation between the EU and Yugoslavia.
On the text issued by the 15 EU foreign ministers, Mr.
Papandreou clarified that the EU does not ask from the Yugoslav
people to vote against Milosevic or for one or the other
candidate.
The Greek foreign minister pointed out that for the first
time the EU speaks about the lifting of the sanctions imposed on
Yugoslavia linking this decision with democratic developments in
the country. Mr. Papandreou also said that the EU reaches its
decisions unanimously, adding that they are the product of many
views and they do not necessarily reflect the views of one country
or the other.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[21] BULGARIAN ATHLETE LOSES MEDAL OVER SUBSTANCE
Bulgarian weightlifter Ivan Ivanov was stripped of his silver
medal today after testing positive for furosemide, a diuretic,
following Saturday's 123-pound competition.
Diuretics are used to flush fluid from an athlete's body to
reduce weight, but also can mask the presence of other performance-
enhancing drugs.
The vice president of the International Weightlifting
Federation Sam Coffa stated that that Ivanov, a 1992 Olympic
champion, originally tested negative when all weightlifters were
drug-tested eight days prior to the games.
With Ivanov out, the original third-place finisher, Wu
Wenxiong of China, moved up to take the silver at 123 pounds.
China's Zhang Xiangxiang was elevated from fourth place to the
bronze.
[22] OLYMPIC TORCH VANISHES FROM SYDNEY STADIUM
The torches that carried the Olympic flame on its 100-day
relay run across Australia have been stolen from the Sydney
Olympic Stadium and local police are still looking for the
culprits.
The two torches vanished after arriving on Friday for the
opening ceremony where the cauldron was lit.
"They are more important for their historical and sentimental
value than their monetary value," said a spokesman for the Sydney
Games organizers.
[23] FATOS NANO REJECTS THE OPENING OF GREEK SCHOOLS IN HIMARA
Socialist governing party president Fatos Nano wrapped up his
pre-election campaign at the south coasts of Albania on Monday and
in the city of Himara he rejected the Greek minority demand for
the opening of Greek schools.
Fatos Nano, responding to the demand expressed by the
residents of Himara to reopen a Greek school that is being kept
closed since 1946, called for more Albanian schools to preserve
their national identity, as he stated characteristically.
Therefore, last Monday, the first day of the school year in
Albania, the 39 Greek elementary school children of the first
grade were unable to attend a Greek school, as the demand for
Greek schools was rejected by the Albanian authorities for a third
year in a row.
The Socialist leader had underlined the necessity for good
relations with Greece throughout his pre-election campaign in view
of the October 1 municipal elections. However, he used the
language of Aesop to get his nationalist messages through. At the
village of Borsi, which is mainly inhabited by Albanians, Nano
said that they are there to defend the national identity of the
land, stressing that they are the ones who welcome their friends
to their houses but they are also the ones who have given the
right response to those who entered their houses through the
windows and tried to stab them in the back.
[24] A GREEK-AUSTRALIAN WAS ONE OF THE DIRECTORS OF THE OLYMPIC
GAMES' OPENING CEREMONY
A part of the Olympic Games opening ceremony and
specifically, a part of the dream of 13yearold Nicki Webster was
directed by Greek-Australian Lex Marinos.
He was born to Greek parents in Australia and lives in
Sydney. He has directed 9 films and many television series. He
stated that directing the opening ceremony was one of the biggest
challenges in his career, while the main difficulty he encountered
was the big crowd attending the event.
He expressed satisfaction over his cooperation with 13yearold
Nicki Webster and stated that she was bright, calm and
concentrated. He visited Greece two years ago and among his plans
is a trip to Peloponnese, southern Greece, the birthplace of his
forefathers.
[25] SKOPJE DENIED THE INFORMATION ON THE FYROM NAME
FYROM government spokesman Antonio Milosevski denied the
Tanjug and Makfax news agencies' report according to which, Skopje
is going to accept the name "Slav Macedonia" as it was proposed by
Greece.
Mr. Milosevski in statements he made to reporters reiterated
that his government's position is clear and is not about to
abandon the constitutional name of the country.
He also stated that he regards the Tanjug news report as a
pre-election marketing scheme by Slobodan Milosevic, adding that
the FYROM government will soon make a formal statement on the
issue.
The Tanjug report, citing diplomatic sources from Skopje,
mentioned that the Skopje government is willing to accept the name
"Slav Macedonia" and in return Greece will offer its support to
the quick association of FYROM with the EU and NATO. Tanjug also
mentioned that the FYROM foreign ministry has not confirmed or
denied the information.
[26] A COMPARISON BETWEEN THE ELECTIONS IN GREECE AND YUGOSLAVIA
Belgrade's newspaper "Glas Novosti" published a report by its
correspondent in Athens, Miroslav Josic on the way elections are
held in Greece in order to draw a comparison with the election
procedure followed in Yugoslavia.
He mentions that it would have been inconceivable for the
Serbs the fact that during the pre-election campaign in Greece the
news reports and political ads on the governing party and the main
opposition party were of the same duration and had the same
gravity and objectivity.
At the end of the pre-election campaign there is a television
debate and the leaders of the two main political parties respond
to questions by journalists from different television stations.
Regarding the men in uniform, namely, police, army and fire-
fighting officers, they do not dare to make the slightest
statement and their only mission is to secure free elections.
After the polling stations are closed the votes are being
counted and the winner celebrates in the streets until the
morning. On the day after, everything is back to normal and the
country has a new government. People go about their work, read
newspapers and comment on the results allowing life to continue
until the next elections.
The journalist ends his report wondering why things are
totally different in Serbia.
[27] TOMORROW'S SCHEDULE FOR THE GREEK ATHLETES
Tomorrow's schedule for the Greek athletes is poor as on the
6th day of the Sydney Olympic Games Greece they will compete only
in the swimming events.
Specifically, Katerina Bliamou will compete in the women's
200m back-stroke and Marianna Liberta in the 800m freestyle.
[28] THERE IS NO LEGAL BASIS FOR THE RETURN OF THE PARTHENON
MARBLES, ACCORDING TO THE BRITISH CULTURE MINISTER
British culture, mass media and sports minister Chris Smith
in statements to the newspaper "Sydney Morning Herald" made the
outrageous allegation that there is no legal basis for the return
of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece.
Among others, he stated that the marbles came to Britain
legally and added that if they had stayed in the Parthenon they
would have been eroded beyond recognition.
According to the British culture minister, about 6 million
tourists visit the marbles in the British Museum every year which
would have been impossible in the Parthenon or anywhere else.
The newspaper commented that the issue of the return of the
Parthenon marbles to Greece has created an international campaign
that has been supported by a number of political leaders in
Australia, including former federal prime minister of Australia
Gough Whitlam.
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