Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2000-10-12
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, October 12, 2000
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
TITLES
[01] US-GREEK RELATIONS HONORED BY EMBASSY EVENTS
[02] ONASSION FOUNDATION SUBSIDIARY TO OPEN IN NY
[03] MEASURES IN EFFECT FOR BOOSTING US-GREEK TIES
[04] PRESIDENT OF HELLENIC REPUBLIC IN ESTONIA
[05] RUSSIAN FM IVANOV ON OFFICIAL VISIT TO ATHENS
[06] GEORGE KOSKOTAS CONFIDENT OVER PAROLE HEARING
[07] GREEK PM DEPARTS TODAY FOR EU SUMMIT IN BIARRITZ
[08] BRITISH ENERGY UNDERSECRETARY VISITS ATHENS
[09] STATE TO ENFORCE CODE OF CONDUCT FOR CABBIES
[10] GREECE,NORWAY IN MARINE ARCHAEOLOGY PROJECT
[11] THE FLIGHTS OF GREEK FIGHTER JETS WERE SUSPENDED IN TURKEY
[12] PAPOUTSIS: THE BLACKMAIL BY THE COASTAL SHIPPING COMPANIES
WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED
[13] TRACK AND FIELD: GREECE WILL PARTICIPATE IN THE YOUNG
ATHLETES' WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP WITH A 22-MEMBER TEAM
[14] INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF DRUG RELATED DEATHS IN GREECE
[15] PROPOSAL FOR GREEK-BULGARIAN-TURKISH COOPERATION IN CASE OF
NATURAL DISASTERS
[16] BIG LOSSES IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
[17] PAPANDREOU-IVANOV MEETING
[18] REPPAS: KOSTUNICA EXPRESSED INTEREST IN MEETING WITH SIMITIS
[19] REPPAS ON THE DEPORTATIONS OF KURDS
[20] BULGARIAN OFFICIALS MET WITH THE DEAN OF THE UNIVERSITY OF
MACEDONIA
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[21] ALBANIA BEATS GREECE 2-0 IN A WORLD CUP MATCH
[22] RUSSIA WILL BACK THE TALKS ON CYPRUS
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] US-GREEK RELATIONS HONORED BY EMBASSY EVENTS
The United States Embassy in Athens is the host of a series
of events highlighting the history of the relationship between
Greece and the US, and examining the future relations between the
two countries.
The events were kicked off yesterday with the unveiling of
the George C. Marshall statue in the US Embassy grounds,
commemorating the efforts of the American statesman to aid Greece
and heal its wound, following the World War II and the three-year
Nazi occupation.
The unveiling ceremony was conducted by US Ambassador to
Athens Nicholas Burns and the Mayor of Athens Dimtiris
Avramopoulos.
A great part of the funds for the statue were donated by the
American Hellenic Progressive Educational Association (AHEPA), as
the project was initiated by the Greek-American non-governmental
organization.
Addressing a press conference, AHEPA President Johnny
Economy, announced that AHEPA will undertake an active role in the
promotion and organization of the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens
and will organize volunteer teams of young Greek-Americans.
[02] ONASSION FOUNDATION SUBSIDIARY TO OPEN IN NY
The Onassion Foundation will open a subsidiary center at
the Olympic Tower in Manhattan, New York, on October 24, whose
operation will be inaugurated with an exhibition of the Parthenon
sculptures' molds.
An exhibition of paintings by 20th century Greek artists
will also be hosted on the Foundation's premises and will be
carried out in cooperation with the National Gallery.
The executive director of the Onassion Foundation in New York
is Ambassador Loukas Tsilas.
[03] MEASURES IN EFFECT FOR BOOSTING US-GREEK TIES
A diverse series of measures is presently in effect for the
strengthening relations between the United States and Greece,
ranging from the sector of technology to art.
Among them, the Initiative for Technology Cooperation in the
Balkans (ITCB) intends to bring together scientists, business
leaders and government officials who are committed to modernizing
the region's technological infrastructure. Greece's location and
advanced development make the country a natural connection to the
emerging democracies and markets of Southeastern Europe.
The US Fulbright Exchange Program has established two new
programs -Millennium Scholarships, which will provide assistance
to up to 200 Greek students wishing to pursue Master's degrees in
the US; and the Aegean Communities Exchange, which will create
joint research programs by Greek and Turkish scholars. One of the
Millennium Scholarships will be named in honor of Yiannos
Kranidiotis, Greece's alternate foreign minister who died in a
tragic air accident last year.
Also, the US Embassy and the Greek National Tourism
Organization (EOT) have reached an understanding confirming their
desire to facilitate tourism and business associated with tourism
between the two countries.
Moreover, the United States has pledged to form a Visit USA
Committee in Athens to promote tourism to U.S. destinations.
In addition, both countries will work to preserve and enhance each
other's cultural heritage, to encourage communication between
Greek and American cities, and to continue bilateral
consultations.
[04] PRESIDENT OF HELLENIC REPUBLIC IN ESTONIA
The President of the Hellenic Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos
continues his tour of the Baltic states, with a state visit to
Estonia where he was received at the Presidential Mansion by
President Lennart Meri.
During their talks, Messrs. Stephanopoulos and Meri discussed
the bilateral relations between the two countries and the
situation in Europe.
Following their talks, the Greek President stated that the
meeting focused on the European Uion's future and its eastward
expansion, especially Estonia's accession to the community
Greek-Estonian relations are presently on a good standing and
steadily developing, with Greece lending its support to Estonian
efforts to become a member of the European Union and NATO.
Bilateral economic relations have great potential due to the
fact that Estonia has been invited to the first wave of EU
accession talks.
Greek businesses have shown an increasing interest towards
the Baltic state and in particular in the fields of maritime
transport, port construction, shipbuilding, high technology,
science, forestry, agriculture, food, textiles and furniture.
Estonia is particularly interested in cooperation in the
tourism sector. The two countries have signed four agreements
covering the promotion and reciprocal protection of investments,
abolishment of visa requirements, maritime transport and
international road transport.
Bilateral trade is steadily rising, with Estonian exports to
Greece having increased from 2.5 million kroons to 33.5 million
in the period 1995-1999, and imports having grown from 13 million
to 37.1 million kroons.
Estonian exports to Greece totaled 30.3 million kroons in the
first half of 2000, while imports totaled 20.9 million.
Greece ranks as Estonia's 51st biggest trade partner and is its
60th biggest investor.
[05] RUSSIAN FM IVANOV ON OFFICIAL VISIT TO ATHENS
Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov is presently in Athens
where he is to meet with his Greek counterpart George Papandreou
to discuss the developments in Yugoslavia and the Cyprus issue.
Mr. Ivanov was forced to postpone his scheduled arrival to
Athens yesterday, due to prior engagements in the Middle East.
The Russian FM will also meet with main opposition of New
Democracy leader Costas Karamanlis and the President of the
Hellenic Parliament Apostolos Kaklamanis. It remains unclear if
Mr. Ivanov will meet with Prime Minister Costas Simitis, since the
latter is to depart this afternoon for the European Union's Summit
conference in France.
The Russian Foreign Minister's scheduled visit to
Thessaloniki and the all-male monastic community of Mount Athos
has also been canceled.
Messrs. Ivanov and Papandreou will sign an agreement of
cooperation in the combat of economic crime.
[06] GEORGE KOSKOTAS CONFIDENT OVER PAROLE HEARING
The former chairman of the Bank of Crete, George Koskotas,
who has served 12 years of a 25-year sentence for embezzling $210
million from the bank, is confident that the court will grant his
request for early release during his parole hearing today.
Released on a five-day furlough yesterday, Mr. Koskotas
spearheaded a financial scandal that brought down the government
in 1989, after he claimed that the late prime minister and PASOK
party founder Andreas Papandreou ordered state companies to
deposit funds with the bank, and took bribes from stolen money.
Mr. Papandreou, who died in 1996, was cleared of all charges by a
special court in 1992 and was re-elected in 1993.
Having fled the country then, Mr. Koskotas was arrested on
November 23, 1988, in Massachusetts, and was jailed in the United
States until his extradition to Greece in 1991.
[07] GREEK PM DEPARTS TODAY FOR EU SUMMIT IN BIARRITZ
Prime Minister Costas Simitis is to depart for Biarritz,
France this afternoon, where he will take part in the European
Union's informal summit conference that will be held tomorrow and
Saturday.
The summit will focus on the Intergovernmental Conference and
revising the Amsterdam Treaty, while it will also examine the
situation in the Balkans and developments in Yugoslavia.
Yugoslavia's President-elect Voislav Kostunica has been
invited by EU President Jacques Chirac to attend a dinner to be
given on Saturday afternoon by the EU's 15 heads of government and
state.
The subject of rising oil prices is also expected to dominate
the discussions, where "15" will examine the potential of a
stabilizing market prices.
[08] BRITISH ENERGY UNDERSECRETARY VISITS ATHENS
The United Kingdom's undersecretary for Energy and
Competition Elen Lintel (sp?) is to embark today on a two-day
official visit to Athens, where she will be received by Greece's
ministers of Development Nikos Christodoulakis, Labor Tasos
Yiannitsis and National Economy Yiannos Papantoniou.
On October 14, the British undersecretary will attend a
Hellenic-British conference titled "Greece - Britain: A New Look
in Relations Between the Two Countries", which is organized by the
British embassy in Athens and the Hellenic Foundation for European
and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP), with the close collaboration of the
British Council and the London School of Economics.
[09] STATE TO ENFORCE CODE OF CONDUCT FOR CABBIES
The Ministry of Transportation is to enforce a code of
conduct for the country's taxis, outlining the cab drivers'
responsibilities, as well as those of the passengers.
The code, a copy of which will have to be posted in open view
listing the driver's and vehicle owner's personal data, a price
list, and an area map, prohibits the cabbies from driving
intoxicated or under the influence of psychotropic drugs.
Also, in an effort to put an end to what has become standard
practice, the code calls on the drivers not to make selective pick
ups of passengers, unless the would-be customer is under the
influence of drugs or intoxicated and unaccompanied by a sober
individual.
[10] GREECE,NORWAY IN MARINE ARCHAEOLOGY PROJECT
Greece and Norway have embarked on a three-year project in
the sector of marine archaeology, under the framework of
cooperation between the two countries' culture ministries, where
the Norwegian university of Trondheim will provide the Greek
Culture Ministry's Department of Underwater Antiquities with
technical support.
The project makes use of a side-scan sonar attached to a
fishing boat and a remotely-operated vehicle equipped with video
and photographic cameras to investigate the sounds leading to
ancient wrecks. A survey performed in the northern Sporades in
September of 1999 revealed a 12th century wreck, 60 meters deep.
According to the Culture Ministry's secretary-general Lina
Mendoni, the project aims at the creation of a database of sunken
antiquities, an impossible feat under traditional methods.
[11] THE FLIGHTS OF GREEK FIGHTER JETS WERE SUSPENDED IN TURKEY
A serious setback has been recorded in the NATO exercise that
is being held in the Aegean and south-eastern Mediterranean with
the participation of Greek forces.
The leadership of the alliance's south-eastern wing with a
top secret signal gave the operational control of the Aegean
directly to the Turkish military commander for the duration of the
specific exercise. It should be noted that it is the first time
that something like this happens. According to this decision, the
Turkish jets participating in the exercise would have been able to
violate the Greek airspace with NATO's approval, while the Turks
had also requested the exclusion of the air corridors over the
Greek islands of Limnos and Ikaria that were initially included in
the exercise plan.
The reaction of the Greek side was immediate. Air Force chief
Lieutenant General Manousos ordered the Greek pilots not to fly
with their Turkish colleagues and the Greek National Defense
General Staff in an urgent meeting decided to suspend the
participation of the 6 Greek F-16 jets that were taking part in
the NATO exercise. This decision will be in effect until the
differences are settled.
[12] PAPOUTSIS: THE BLACKMAIL BY THE COASTAL SHIPPING COMPANIES
WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED
Minister of merchant marine Christos Papoutsis issued a
strong warning to shipowners who decided to immobilize their ships
on October 27 in protest for the fact that they were allegedly
publicly humiliated after the "Samina" tragedy near the island of
Paros.
Mr. Papoutsis characterized the statement issued by the 18
coastal shipping companies as provocative and stressed that no
blackmail will be accepted. He also announced that all the
passenger ship permits that are still pending will be examined
next week taking under consideration the transportation needs of
the islands.
[13] TRACK AND FIELD: GREECE WILL PARTICIPATE IN THE YOUNG
ATHLETES' WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP WITH A 22-MEMBER TEAM
Greece will participate in the World Track and Field
Championship for young athletes that will take place in Santiago,
Chile on October 17-22 with a 22member team, made up of 18 men and
4 women.
The Greek team will leave on Saturday and the goal of its
members will be to make a good appearance and break records.
[14] INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF DRUG RELATED DEATHS IN GREECE
An increase of 81.5% was recorded in the drug related deaths
in Greece in the past five years, according to figures included in
the annual report issued by the European Center for the control of
drugs and drug addiction. According to the report, Greece together
with Ireland and Portugal are among the EU states with a
significant increase in the number of deaths because of drug use,
while the number of drug related deaths in Spain, France, Italy
and Germany has dropped or stabilized.
A sharp increase was recorded in Greece in 1994 with 146 drug
related deaths, while the previous year the deaths were 78. From
then on there has been a continuous rise. Specifically, 176 deaths
in 1995, 222 in 1996, 232 in 1997, 245 in 1998 and 265 in 1999.
In all European Union countries there has been a sharp
increase in the use of inhaled substances mainly by children,
while an increase is recorded in the use of drug cocktails made up
of "ecstasy", amphetamines and other drugs.
[15] PROPOSAL FOR GREEK-BULGARIAN-TURKISH COOPERATION IN CASE OF
NATURAL DISASTERS
Thessaloniki's Aristotle University geology professor Mr.
Pavlides, who specializes in earthquake geology, tabled a proposal
for the cooperation of Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria in case of
natural disasters such as, earthquakes and floods.
According to his interview with the Alexandroupolis newspaper
"Gnomi", the goal of the proposal is to study the natural
disasters within the framework of the inter-state cooperation with
Turkey and Bulgaria.
The proposal concerns risk assessment and the drawing-up of
measures to deal with the disasters with an emphasis to the
earthquake risk in the regions of western and eastern Thrace, the
Sea of Marmara and south-eastern Bulgaria. The cost of the
proposal is estimated at 300 million drachmas and the necessary
funds will come from the European program Interreg III.
[16] BIG LOSSES IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
Big losses of 1.93% were recorded again in the Athens Stock
Exchange today with the general index at 3.808,30 points, while
the volume of transactions was at 142 billion drachmas.
Of the stocks trading today 35 recorded gains, 318 had losses
and 22 were stable.
It is the fourth negative session in a row increasing the
negative climate and the insecurity regarding the short-term
course of the Greek stock market.
[17] PAPANDREOU-IVANOV MEETING
Russian foreign minister Igor Ivanov, who is on a formal
visit to Athens, met today with his Greek counterpart Giorgos
Papandreou and their talks focused on the developments in
Yugoslavia, the Cyprus issue and the Middle East. The two
ministers also signed a cooperation agreement for the exchange of
information on economic and financial violations, while they
underlined the excellent level of bilateral relations.
In statements he made, Mr. Papandreou thanked Mr. Ivanov on
behalf of the Greek government for the efforts made by Russia for
the fair solution of the Cyprus problem. He also reiterated
Greece's firm position for a federal two-zone, two-community
solution that will respect the UN resolutions, the territorial
integrity of Cyprus and the existing borders. Referring to
Russia's role in the UN, Mr. Papandreou stressed its significant
position in the UN Security Council, while Mr. Ivanov pointed out
that the two sides need to strengthen their cooperation in the
handling of international problems.
On the developments in Yugoslavia, Mr. Papandreou and Mr.
Ivanov pointed out that the priority for the Greek and Russian
policy is to help Yugoslav president Kostunica in the
reorganization of his country. Mr. Ivanov also briefed Mr.
Papandreou on the developments in the Middle East.
Later, the two foreign ministers attended the events held at
the Acropolis on the occasion of the liberation of Athens from the
Germans.
[18] REPPAS: KOSTUNICA EXPRESSED INTEREST IN MEETING WITH SIMITIS
Prime minister Kostas Simitis will be probably the first
European leader after French president Jacques Chirac, who is
currently holding the EU rotating presidency, to meet with
Yugoslav president Voijslav Kostunica.
According to Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas, the
new president of Yugoslavia has expressed interest in meeting with
the Greek prime minister on the sidelines of the summit meeting in
Biarritz, France where he will have a working lunch with the 15 EU
leaders.
[19] REPPAS ON THE DEPORTATIONS OF KURDS
Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas denied the rumors
according to which, the recent deportations of Kurds from Greece
were made after an intervention of Turkish foreign minister Ismail
Cem to his Greek counterpart Giorgos Papandreou.
Specifically, Mr. Reppas stated that Greece does not accept
lists from any foreign official, adding that every move is made
taking under consideration the safety of the country and the
citizens as well as the country's interests. He also stated that
the responsible agencies act on the basis of the facts at their
disposal.
[20] BULGARIAN OFFICIALS MET WITH THE DEAN OF THE UNIVERSITY OF
MACEDONIA
Bulgarian ambassador to Athens professor Kiril Topalov and
consul general Ilko Shivachev visited University of Macedonia dean
professor Giorgos Tsiotras in Thessaloniki.
Their talks focused on issues concerning the cooperation of
the University of Macedonia with the Bulgarian universities and
mainly with the University of Sofia.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[21] ALBANIA BEATS GREECE 2-0 IN A WORLD CUP MATCH
Albania beat Greece 2-0 in a World Cup European Group Nine
qualifying match in Tirana last night.
Speaking to the Macedonian Press Agency, the Albanian
national soccer team's coach Meidin Zega characterized the victory
as a "historic"one, adding that "it was the best gift the team
could have given to the Albanian people."
Albania scored with Alban Bushi in the 50th minute and with
Ervin Fakaj in the 92nd minute.
The match was watched by a crowd of 20,000, among them the
country's political leadership.
Greece now has two defeats and one win in the tournament.
It beat Finland 1-0 in its second match in Athens last Saturday,
gaining its first three points, and lost 2-0 away to Germany in
the first qualifying match.
[22] RUSSIA WILL BACK THE TALKS ON CYPRUS
Russian foreign minister Igor Ivanov wrapped up his short
visit to Cyprus giving the assurance that Russia will work for the
strengthening of the inter-community dialogue under the UN
auspices, while he also pledged that Moscow will continue to back
the UN secretary-general services for the solution of the Cyprus
problem.
Cypriot foreign minister Yiannakis Kasoulides stated that Mr.
Ivanov's presence is a gesture for the promotion of closer
friendship and cooperation relations at a bilateral level,
pointing out that the present efforts for the solution of the
Cyprus problem were discussed extensively.
The Russian foreign minister also met with Cypriot president
Glafkos Clerides and signed a protocol of cooperation with his
Cypriot counterpart.
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