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Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2000-10-03

Macedonian Press Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: The Macedonian Press Agency at http://www.mpa.gr and http://www.hri.org/MPA.


MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, October 3, 2000

SECTIONS

  • [A] NATIONAL NEWS
  • [01] "SAMINA" CAPTAIN FINISHES TESTIFYING
  • [02] REVEALING VIDEO OF SHIPWRECK TAKEN BY DIVERS
  • [03] EC FINES GREECE FOR EXCEEDING MILK PRODUCTION QUOTA
  • [04] GREEK AND TURKISH DEFENSE MINISTERS MEET TODAY
  • [05] ARAB AMBASSADORS WANT GREEK INTERVENTION IN M. EAST
  • [06] GREECE WELCOMES ITS OLYMPIC ATHLETES HOME
  • [07] GREEK ATHLETES DEDICATE MEDALS TO SHIPWRECK VICTIMS
  • [08] FLORIDES: OUR RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE 2004 OLYMPICS IS GREAT
  • [09] SIMITIS TO OLYMPIC MEDALLISTS: YOU HAVE MADE GREECE PROUD
  • [10] 170 BILLION DRACHMAS TO GREECE BY THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION FOR CULTURAL PROJECTS
  • [11] CONFLICTING TESTIMONIES BY THE "SAMINA" CAPTAIN AND SHIP'S MATE
  • [12] APOSTOLAKIS: DEFENSE CREATES NEW SECTORS OF INVESTMENT
  • [13] THERE WAS NO TELEPHONE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SIMITIS AND CLINTON
  • [14] REPPAS ON THE CYPRUS ISSUE
  • [15] LOSSES OF 2.42% IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
  • [16] THE MERCHANT MARINE CAPTAINS' ASSOCIATION CALLS FOR A THOROUGH INVESTIGATION
  • [17] 2004 MUST BE DECLARED YEAR OF SPORTS FOR EUROPE
  • [18] TSOCHATZOPOULOS AND CAKMAKOGLU DISCUSSED GREEK-TURKISH ISSUES
  • [19] SIMITIS-PAPANDREOU MEETING ON THE MIDDLE EAST AND YUGOSLAVIA
  • [20] THE "SAMINA" CAPTAIN AND SHIP'S MATE WERE DETAINED AWAITING TRIAL

  • NEWS IN DETAIL

    [A] NATIONAL NEWS

    [01] "SAMINA" CAPTAIN FINISHES TESTIFYING

    The captain of the shipwrecked "Express Samina" has finished testifying before a court in Syros and the testimony of ship deputy, Tasos Psychogios began yesterday evening.

    The ship deputy's testimony is expected to be lengthy, as he was on the "Samina" deck at the time of the collision. The cadet and the sailor are also due to testify today.

    The law states that all testimonies must be completed by midnight on Thursday, in order for authorities to decide whether or not the accused should be held temporarily.

    [02] REVEALING VIDEO OF SHIPWRECK TAKEN BY DIVERS

    A video taken in the shipwrecked "Express Samina" by divers, with the aim of helping specialists determine what caused the tragedy, has provided valuable information concerning the state of the ship.

    The diver's video is said to provide key information to shedding light on the incident, as it will facilitate the investigation of various elements of the ship's structure and emergency life-saving measures.

    Meanwhile, the president of the Piraeus Steel Syndicate, Iordanis Pountides, revealed that the work carried out on the vessel, at a cost of 1.4 billion drachmas, was mainly in refurbishing and equipping the cabins and other passenger comforts, whereas "only maintenance and repair works were carried out on the machinery".

    According to reports, only 4-5% of the aforementioned cost was spent on safety systems and the ship's machinery, whereas 70% of the money was used to refurbish the accomodation and passenger services offered on board the ship.

    [03] EC FINES GREECE FOR EXCEEDING MILK PRODUCTION QUOTA

    The European Commission has imposed fine on 12 country- members, including Greece, for exceeding their national milk production quota in 1999-2000.

    The fine imposed on Greece by the EC reaches 4.44 billion drachmas. Germany has received the largest fine of 21 billion drachmas, with Italy following behind (16.5 billion drachmas).

    [04] GREEK AND TURKISH DEFENSE MINISTERS MEET TODAY

    Greek minister of Defense Akis Tsochatsopoulos will meet today with his Turkish counterpart Sabachdin Tsakmakoglou, on the sidelines of the defense exhibition Defendory 2000.

    The Turkish Defense minister arrived in Athens yesterday and visited the Acropolis, accompanied by the Turkish ambassador to Athens.

    [05] ARAB AMBASSADORS WANT GREEK INTERVENTION IN M. EAST

    Arab ambassadors in Athens have asked the Greek government to intervene in the new crisis to recently break out in the Middle East. A committee of the Arab Ambassadors Council will meet with Greek Foreign minister George Papandreou today, to inform him of the situation and to ask for Greek intervention, as a member of the European Union.

    [06] GREECE WELCOMES ITS OLYMPIC ATHLETES HOME

    Greece welcomed back its 39 Olympic athletes in a simple ceremony at Athens airport today. The athletes, who have made the country proud, brought 13 medals back from Sydney, a record number for Greece, since the first Olympic Games of Athens in 1896.

    The Olympic Airways aircraft landed in Athens at 10.20am and Kostas Kenderis, Pyrros Dimas, Kakis Kakiasvilis and Michalis Mouroutsos led the way, carrying the Olympic flag. They were met by the applause of the crowd that gathered at the airport and the Greek national anthem. The athletes were officially welcomed by the Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis, who shook hands with all the Olympic champions and with the unlucky Tae Kwon Do athlete Alexandros Nikolaides, who broke his leg during the Games.

    In a message to the Olympic athletes, Mr Simitis declared that Greece aims to hold the best Olympic Games in 2004 and congratulated the athletes for their success in Sydney, whilst also stressing that the country has not stopped grieving for the victims of last week's tragic shipwreck.

    [07] GREEK ATHLETES DEDICATE MEDALS TO SHIPWRECK VICTIMS

    "We carried the sun and sky of our country in our hearts and proved the true ability of our nation's athletes in Sydney", said gold weightlifting Olympic champion Pyrros Dimas, upon arriving home with fellow athletes, after a 22 hour plane journey from Sydney. Dimas spoke on behalf of all Greek athletes and mentioned that the 13 Olympic champions have dedicated the medals they won in Sydney to the memory of the victims so tragically lost in last week's shipwreck.

    "I am honoured to represent my fellow athletes and I would like to assure you on their behalf that we all gave our best during these Olympics. We believed in our abilities, we kept Greece close to our hearts and fought for something good and true. With your help, we promise to be better and stronger in the Athens 2004 Games. We will now start training for the best Olympic Games in modern history", Dimas said.

    He also went on to say that "we have lived the tragedy of the shipwreck and have felt the pain of our people. I would like to dedicate the 13 Olympic medals, on behalf of all the Greek athletes, to the victims of the tragedy".

    [08] FLORIDES: OUR RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE 2004 OLYMPICS IS GREAT

    The trip to Sydney made by Greek Sports undersecretary George Florides was crowned with success as the 13 medals gained by Greek athletes in the 27th Olympic Games proved to be a satisfactory reward for the great effort made by the athletic leadership of the country.

    "We won 13 medals and this is the best thing that Greece could bring back from the Olympic Games. Our country has many successful athletes and I would like to congratulate those who gave their best", Mr Florides said, adding that " all our athletes worked hard and got the results they wanted. We must succeed in 2004 as the responsibility for the next Olympic Games is great. We will support our athletes in their attempts to climb even higher in the next Games".

    The Sports undersecretary also commented on the presence of the Greek team in Sydney. "Our presence in Sydney was exemplary and the moments we had there were unique. My first experience of the Olympic Games was excellent. Greek athletes have learned how to win and we are all very satisfied with this".

    [09] SIMITIS TO OLYMPIC MEDALLISTS: YOU HAVE MADE GREECE PROUD

    Prime minister Kostas Simitis welcomed the Greek Olympic medallists at the Athens Airport and in his speech stressed that with their successes in Sydney they have made Greece proud at a very difficult time for the country after the sea tragedy that cost tens of lives. Mr. Simitis also promised that the Olympic Games in Athens will promote friendship, brotherhood, free communication and humanism.

    He said that in the 15 days of the Olympic Games in Sydney Greece's heart was beating in Australia and every Greek was experiencing the athletes' efforts and the elation of their successes.

    The prime minister said that they promoted the new Greece, the one that is characterized by optimism and self-confidence. He said that now Greece is called to prepare and host the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens and an emphasis will be given to the sense of moderation and good taste showing that we are not interested in the human machine athletes. He said that the Athens Olympic Games will promote man, values and ideals. He said that in 2004 Greece can show that a small country is in a position to organize a big event successfully.

    [10] 170 BILLION DRACHMAS TO GREECE BY THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION FOR CULTURAL PROJECTS

    Greece will receive about 170 billion drachmas by the European Commission for the construction of cultural projects in the period 2000-2006 according to European Commissioner Viviane Reding responsible for issues of education and culture.

    The European Commissioner stressed yesterday that there will be no Museum of Europe that will not take under consideration Greece's contribution in the European culture, while at the same time, she clarified that the European Commission has nothing to do with its creation. The statements were made during the screening of Giorgos Zervas' film "I like hearts like yours-Markos Vamvakaris" in the Megaron Music Hall in Athens yesterday.

    [11] CONFLICTING TESTIMONIES BY THE "SAMINA" CAPTAIN AND SHIP'S MATE

    "Samina" ship's mate Tasos Psychogios completed his testimony today and according to information, it was different from the testimony of captain Vasilis Yiannakis regarding the time at which the captain was informed of the imminent collision.

    The ship's mate maintains that he informed the captain 3 miles before reaching the rocky islet, while captain Yiannakis maintains that this took place just a mile away from the scene of the tragedy.

    Psychogios maintains that he was among the last to abandon the ship and helped in the rescue of passengers, while rumors say that the captain had left the ship much earlier.

    [12] APOSTOLAKIS: DEFENSE CREATES NEW SECTORS OF INVESTMENT

    Undersecretary of defense Dimitris Apostolakis, speaking in the 2nd International Conference of the Greek War Material Manufacturers' Association, referred to the development nature of the defense industry which can promote new production fields.

    Specifically, the undersecretary of defense referred to the gains from the 1996-2000 armaments programs and pointed out that 136 armaments programs' contracts, estimated at 840 billion drachmas, were signed in the specific period of time.

    The specific contracts concern construction projects, transfer of know-how, technical support and personnel training as well as, armaments supplies and services to the armed forces.

    [13] THERE WAS NO TELEPHONE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SIMITIS AND CLINTON

    Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas stated that there was no telephone communication between US president Bill Clinton and Greek prime minister Kostas Simitis, while Greek foreign minister Giorgos Papandreou had a number of telephone contacts with US secretary of state Madeleine Albright.

    Referring to the initiative undertaken by Mr. Papandreou and his Russian counterpart Igor Ivanov aimed at reaching a solution on Yugoslavia, he stated that it is positive and can offer a way out of the situation.

    [14] REPPAS ON THE CYPRUS ISSUE

    The European Union Summit meeting decisions in Helsinki are in effect and the solution of the Cyprus problem is not a precondition for Cyprus' accession into the European Union, stated Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas.

    At the same time, he underlined that development minister Nikos Christodoulakis made no such correlation during his visit to Cyprus on the occasion of its independence anniversary.

    [15] LOSSES OF 2.42% IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE

    Significant losses of 2.42% were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange today and the general index was at 4.079,77 points, while the volume of transactions was disappointing at 58.8 billion drachmas.

    Market circles attribute today's losses to the bad psychological state of the investors and the absence of foreign investors.

    Of the stocks trading today, just 24 recorded gains, compared to 330 that had losses and 18 which remained unchanged.

    [16] THE MERCHANT MARINE CAPTAINS' ASSOCIATION CALLS FOR A THOROUGH INVESTIGATION

    The representatives of the Merchant Marine Captains' Association in a press conference they gave in Athens today called for a thorough investigation on the causes of the "Samina" tragedy stressing that the ship's crew members should not become scapegoats.

    Association president Evangelos Kouzilos stated that the Greek captains do not deny their responsibilities, whenever they exist, but he hinted that the shipping company and the ministry of merchant marine as well as other state agencies also have their share of responsibilities. He said that the Greek captains have faith in the Greek justice and added that it should be left undistracted to complete its investigation away from economic and political interests.

    He also pointed out that the Greek captains face very adverse weather conditions while carrying people to non existent ports.

    It should be noted that all the Greek captains have submitted their resignations and authorized the Merchant Marine Captains' Association to make all necessary moves if no change is made in the safety standards on behalf of the shipping companies as well as in terms of services offered on behalf of the merchant marine ministry.

    [17] 2004 MUST BE DECLARED YEAR OF SPORTS FOR EUROPE

    European Commissioner Viviane Reding, responsible for education and culture issues suggested that the year 2004 must be declared year of sports for Europe. The proposal was made in a meeting she had yesterday with Greek culture minister Theodoros Pangalos. Mr. Pangalos stated that the proposal honors Greece underlining that this fact will give a special significance to the 2004 Olympic Games. Ms. Reding also expressed the idea to give a European character to the Olympic torch-race stressing that the Olympic Flame could pass through every European country allowing every European citizen to feel that they are part of a united Europe.

    [18] TSOCHATZOPOULOS AND CAKMAKOGLU DISCUSSED GREEK-TURKISH ISSUES

    Greek minister of defense Akis Tsochatzopoulos met in Athens at noon today with his Turkish counterpart Sabahadin Cakmakoglu within the framework of the defense materials exhibition "Defendory 2000". The meeting of the two ministers focused on the Greek-Turkish relations and examined ways to ease the tension between the two countries within the framework of the confidence- building-measures.

    Mr. Tsochatzopoulos underlined that a fair solution in Cyprus, in accordance with the international law, is a basic precondition for security in bilateral relations. He also said that part of the armaments credits in Greece and Turkey can be allocated at this time to cover other needs of the two peoples.

    The Turkish minister of defense expressed his condolences for the victims of the sea tragedy near the island of Paros and stressed that the good climate in the Greek-Turkish relations must be used for the solution of the differences between the two countries.

    [19] SIMITIS-PAPANDREOU MEETING ON THE MIDDLE EAST AND YUGOSLAVIA

    The meeting prime minister Kostas Simitis had in Athens today with foreign minister Giorgos Papandreou focused on the developments in Yugoslavia and the Middle East.

    It should be noted that the Arab ambassadors to Athens have requested the Greek government's intervention for the easing of the tension in the Middle East.

    In statements he made after the meeting, foreign minister Papandreou stressed that the Greek government follows the situation closely and added that Greece has played a significant role in the efforts for democratic developments in Yugoslavia. He said that "we want to see Yugoslavia in the European family, we want to see it cooperate within the Balkan framework and we do everything possible to have democratic developments in Yugoslavia", stressed Mr. Papandreou.

    [20] THE "SAMINA" CAPTAIN AND SHIP'S MATE WERE DETAINED AWAITING TRIAL

    "Samina" captain Vasilis Yiannakis and ship's mate Tasos Psychogios were detained awaiting trial at the joint decision of the examining magistrate and prosecutor on the island of Siros who have jurisdiction over the island of Paros where the tragic accident took place. Earlier, Yiannakis and Psychogios had completed their testimonies before the responsible authorities.

    The two will remain at the Siros Port Authority facilities for a few days and as soon as the pre-trial investigation procedure is completed they will be transferred to the prisons on the island of Chios.

    Next in line to give an account of what happened on the night of the tragic accident was helmsman Kasdaglis followed by trainee captain Patilas.


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