Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2000-10-13
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, October13, 2000
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
TITLES
[01] RUSSIAN FM IVANOV MEETS WITH GREEK COUNTERPART
[02] NATURAL GAS PIPELINE REMAINS KEY PROJECT
[03] GREEK PM IN BIARRITZ FOR EU INFORMAL COUNCIL
[04] UK ENERGY, COMPETITIVENESSS MINISTER IN ATHENS
[05] US JAIL GREEK TANKER CAPT. FOR SAFETY VIOLATIONS
[06] THESSALONIKI WATER COMPANY FLOTATION IN 2001
[07] GREEK PARLIAMENTARY CM/TEE TRAVELS TO CHIMARA
[08] IOC's ROGGE ASSURES GREECE OF HIS CONFIDENCE
[09] GREEK MD PERFORMS LARGEST MULTI-TRANSPLANT
[10] US AMBASSADOR TO TOUR THRACE NEXT WEEK
[11] OTE REACHES OUT TO ELEVEN POTENTIAL PARTNERS
[12] THE GREEK MINISTER OF DEFENSE ON THE CRISIS IN THE MIDDLE
EAST
[13] TSOCHATZOPOULOS ON THE NATO EXERCISE
[14] THE DOWNWARD TREND CONTINUES IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
[15] THE ALBANIAN GOVERNMENT SHOULD PROTECT THE GREEK MINORITY
RIGHTS
[16] STATEMENTS BY PALESTINIANS AND ISRAELIS IN ATHENS
[17] GREECE APPEALED FOR AN END TO VIOLENCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[18] THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH INAUGURATED A MEDICAL CENTER IN
IASIO, ROMANIA
[19] THE SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST WAS DISCUSSED IN THE
BIARRITZ INFORMAL SUMMIT
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] RUSSIAN FM IVANOV MEETS WITH GREEK COUNTERPART
Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov conducted a one-day
visit to Athens yesterday, where he met with his Greek
counterpart George Papandreou and discussed the developments in
Yugoslavia, the Middle East and the Cyprus issue.
Mr. Ivanov expressed his country's satisfaction with the
European Union's recent decision to lift several sanctions leveled
against Yugoslavia by the 15-country community.
In turn, Mr. Papandreou reiterated that the newly-elected
Kostunica government must now be supported in order for
democratization and reconstruction of Yugoslavia to proceed,
stressing that "smooth democratic transition" is the priority.
Before meeting with Papandreou, Ivanov ascended to the top of
the Acropolis for a brief but solemn flag-raising ceremony amid a
blue Mediterranean sky to mark the 56th anniversary of the
liberation of Athens from Nazi occupation.
Prior to departing from Greece, the Russian Foreign Minister
also met with main opposition of New Democracy leader Costas
Karamanlis and the President of the Hellenic Parliament Apostolos
Kaklamanis.
[02] NATURAL GAS PIPELINE REMAINS KEY PROJECT
Visiting Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov and his Greek
counterpart George Papandreou referred to the Burgas-
Alexandroupolis pipeline project, which will bring Caspian Sea oil
to Greece, during a press conference in Athens yesterday.
Responding to questions from journalists, Mr. Ivanov stated
that the project's technical parameters are presently being
reviewed in terms of their economic criteria, while Mr. Papandreou
stated that the oil pipeline is one of the Greek government's
priorities, since it is a project of vast strategic significance
in the region.
The Burgas-Alexandroupolis pipeline, measuring 275
kilometers, has an annual capacity of transporting 35 million
tons of oil from Russia and Central Asia to the Mediterranean
region.
[03] GREEK PM IN BIARRITZ FOR EU INFORMAL COUNCIL
Prime Minister Costas Simitis is presently in Biarritz,
France, where he will attend the Informal European Council of EU
heads of state and government.
The two-day summit will focus on the Intergovernmental
Conference and the revision of the Amsterdam Treaty, while it will
also examine the situation in the Balkans and developments in
Yugoslavia.
Also among the topics to be discussed will be the rising oil
prices, where the "15" will examine the potential of a stabilizing
market prices.
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. Mr. Simitis is expected to meet with Mr. Kostunica on the
summit's sidelines.
[04] UK ENERGY, COMPETITIVENESSS MINISTER IN ATHENS
The United Kingdom's Undersecretary for Energy and
Competitiveness in Europe Helen Liddel is presently on a two-day
official visit to Athens, where she will have successive meetings
with Greece's ministers of Development Nikos Christodoulakis,
Labor Tasos Yiannitsis and National Economy Yiannos Papantoniou.
Tomorrow, the British undersecretary will attend a Hellenic-
British conference at the island of Hydra 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.
[05] US JAIL GREEK TANKER CAPT. FOR SAFETY VIOLATIONS
The United States Coast Guard has detained the captain of a
Greek oil tanker and charged him with lying to the authorities and
falsifying documents, a five-year jail sentence if he's found
guilty.
Capt. Kyriakos Diaoglou was arrested in San Francisco after
Coast Guard inspectors found oil leaks in his ship's tanks, which
could explode if ignited.
While Coast Guard authorities claim that Mr. Diaoglou has
confessed to the charges, his attorney stated that his client does
not speak English and was not provided with an interpreter during
the interrogation procedures.
With bail having been set at $500,000, Mr. Diaoglou will
appear for a hearing at the U.S. District Court in San Francisco
today, although it remains unknown if he will be able to post this
formidable amount.
[06] THESSALONIKI WATER COMPANY FLOTATION IN 2001
The flotation of the Thessaloniki Water and Drainage Company
will be completed within the first half of 2001, according to a
decision drawn yesterday during a meeting chaired by National
Economy and Finance Minister Yiannos Papantoniou with the
participation of Macedonia-Thrace Minister George Pashalides and
other ministry officials.
The flotation will be based on a model followed in the
flotation of Athens Water aiming to improve the company's
operation, upgrade its services and ensure workers' rights.
Moreover, the officials also decided to strengthen the
company's investment program with funds from a public investment
program.
[07] GREEK PARLIAMENTARY CM/TEE TRAVELS TO CHIMARA
A Greek parliamentary cross-party committee will travel to
Chimara, Albania tomorrow, in order to observe Sunday's second
round of municipal elections.
Greece is closely following the elections, after the
phenomena of irregularities against the Greek community noted
during the first round of the elections, Greek government
spokesman Dimitris Reppas and Foreign Minister George Papandreou
have stated.
Following a series of demarches filed with the Albanian
government, concerning the violent outbreaks during the first
round, Mr. Papandreou was assured by Albanian Premier Ilir Meta
that he will personally overview the second round.
Greek foreign ministry sources have repeatedly stated that
Greece has adopted a policy of principles towards Albania and have
stressed that the neighboring country will have to expedite its
democratization process.
[08] IOC's ROGGE ASSURES GREECE OF HIS CONFIDENCE
International Olympic Committee Coordination Commission chief
Jacques Rogge is to visit Greece on November 22 where he will meet
with the country's Athens 2004 organizing committee officials.
In an interview with an Athens radio station yesterday, Mr.
Rogge reiterated the need for unity among the Greeks, in terms of
the 2004 Olympic Games to be hosted by the Greek capital, and
added that attacks against the organizing committee will have to
stop.
"I never claimed that the Greek government is not handling
the matter well. On the contrary, had my statements been read
correctly it would have been ascertained that the IOC does not
interfere with the preparations of the Games," Mr. Rogge said.
Moreover, he stressed that the IOC never demanded that the
projects related to the Games be ready one year earlier.
"That would be impossible. We asked the government to
expedite its timeplan and to have the projects completed by the
end of 2003, in other words a few months prior to the originally-
planned deadline of May 2004."
Mr. Rogge expressed his optimism that Greece will succeed in
organizing the best Games ever.
"You have every ability to organize the best Games ever.
Allow me to make it clear that the IOC is not considering
recalling its decision to grant the Olympics to Greece. Everything
you've read in the foreign press is inaccurate. We gave the Games
to Greece because you're worth it. You created the Games and
deserve to organize the 2004 Games. It will be difficult. It was
difficult for Sydney too, but it turned out to be successful."
[09] GREEK MD PERFORMS LARGEST MULTI-TRANSPLANT
A Greek surgeon has entered the Guinness World Record Book
for having performed a simultaneous transplant of eight intestinal
organs on a young Italian patient.
Dr. Andreas Tzakis, a pioneer in intestinal transplants who
heads the multi-organ transplantation unit at the University of
Miami Medical School -where he also teaches-, referred to his
methods during a conference held at the Evangelismos hospital in
Athens.
According to the Athens daily "Ta Nea" , the unprecedented
transplantation of eight organs lasted 36 hours and was based on
the innovative method that allows for the gradual tolerance of the
transplant by the recipient, so as to eventually phase out the
need for
immunosuppressive drugs.
The said method utilizes a natural phenomenon known as
"chimerism", a mixture of donor and recipient cells that can co-
exist in the transplant patient's body.
The establishment of such a mixture of is considered a key
mechanism for the long term acceptance of transplanted tissue.
Moreover, in order to increase the number of donor cells and
facilitate the mixture of donor and recipient cells, Dr. Tzakis
also transplants bone marrow cells along with the transplanted
organ.
[10] US AMBASSADOR TO TOUR THRACE NEXT WEEK
The United States Ambassador to Athens Nicholas Burns is to
embark on a three-day tour of Thrace and Eastern Macedonia next
week, where he will be the keynote speaker at an event co-
organized by the Greek-American Chamber of Commerce and the
Industries-Manufacturers Association of Rodopi.
Not all are welcoming the ambassador's arrival in the region,
as a protest rally has been organized for Monday night at the
central square of Komotene.
[11] OTE REACHES OUT TO ELEVEN POTENTIAL PARTNERS
The advisors of the state-run Hellenic Telecommunications
Organization (OTE) have sent letters to eleven foreign
telecommunications conglomerates, inviting expressions of
interest in OTE's partial privatization.
The letter, co-signed by consultants Credit Suisse First
Boston and UBS Warburg, states the government's intention to sell
20 percent of the utility to a strategic investor.
According to the Athens daily "Imerisia", the letter, which
sets October 20 as the deadline for response, is addressed to
British Telecom, France Telecom, Deutsche Telecom, Telecom Italia,
Telefonica, KPN, Telia, Sonera, Telenor, SBC Communications and
NTT.
[12] THE GREEK MINISTER OF DEFENSE ON THE CRISIS IN THE MIDDLE
EAST
Greek minister of defense Akis Tsochatzopoulos called for
more intense interventions by the European Union and the
international community for peace in the Middle East.
Mr. Tsochatzopoulos expressed his concern over the latest
developments and stated that the Greek government and the Greek
people as well as all the European leaders are shocked with the
way things develop in the region.
He said that the acts of violence are condemned and what is
important is to save the peace process. He also said that all
sides have a big responsibility and the European Union countries,
among them Greece, will play a leading role in the effort for a
positive development.
[13] TSOCHATZOPOULOS ON THE NATO EXERCISE
The Greek side expects the lifting of the problems that
caused the setback in the NATO exercise in the Aegean in order for
the Greek armed forces to participate in the exercise, stated
Greek minister of defense Akis Tsochatzopoulos.
Responding to questions by reporters on whether the Greek
force will withdraw, he said that the Greek side made it clear
from the first moment it took part in exercises in south-eastern
Europe and eastern Mediterranean that a precondition for its
participation is the respect of everything agreed upon during the
preparation of the exercises by NATO's general staffs, as it
happened in the previous exercise Dynamic Mix.
He said that certain problems occurred as a result of
unfortunate initiatives and added that hopefully the issues will
be cleared up immediately and the exercise will be completed based
on the initial planning in order for the Greek forces to return to
the exercise given the fact that for the moment, the Greek forces
do not participate in it.
[14] THE DOWNWARD TREND CONTINUES IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
The week ended for the Athens Stock Exchange with big losses
of 2.81% and the general index closed at 3.701,32 points, while
the turnover was low at 73.1 billion drachmas.
Of the stocks trading today only 26 recorded gains, 337 had
losses and 15 remained stable.
The majority of the analysts stated that the Athens Stock
Exchange was affected by the turbulence in the international
capital markets as a result of the bad performance of the Nasdaq.
At the same time, the Greek stock market was negatively affected
by the unrest in the Middle East and the new rise in the oil
prices.
[15] THE ALBANIAN GOVERNMENT SHOULD PROTECT THE GREEK MINORITY
RIGHTS
The Albanian government has an obligation to protect the
rights of the Greek minority in the country, stated Greek minister
of defense Akis Tsochatzopoulos commenting on the attacks against
the ethnic Greek minority launched by government and Socialist
Party officials in view of the second round of the municipal
elections in Himara and other regions.
Mr. Tsochatzopoulos stated that the Greeks in Albania have
the same rights with the Albanian-speaking population in Kosovo
for which every Albanian was ready to fight for. Therefore, a
positive future can be formed to the extend that those principles
are mutually respected. He also said that Greece and Albania are
neighbors and work for the same ideals namely, security, peace,
development, social progress and prosperity and the efforts toward
this direction can continue.
[16] STATEMENTS BY PALESTINIANS AND ISRAELIS IN ATHENS
Representatives of Palestinians and Israelis in Athens
referred to the situation in the Middle East.
Palestinian authority representative Abdulah Abdulah accused
the Israelis of being responsible for the new clashes and stressed
that the United States backed Israel.
The Israeli government has launched a war on the Palestinian
people to consolidate the Israeli occupation and turn the
Palestinians away from their legal national rights to freedom,
independence and the creation of an independent state, stated Mr.
Abdulah. He also said that the Palestinian people will not raise a
white flag to this Israeli attack, adding that the Israelis knew
that their efforts to gag the Palestinian people would have no
results.
Israel's ambassador to Athens Ran Kuriel called on the
Palestinians to end the violence before it is too late and
stressed that the international community must persuade
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to stop the war. There is still
time to end the violence, stated Mr. Kuriel and stressed that the
Palestinians are those who are trying to drag the Middle East into
a war.
Israeli chief negotiator in Camp David, Oden Eran stated that
Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak has showed that is able and
willing to make political sacrifices but Arafat has showed a
different road.
[17] GREECE APPEALED FOR AN END TO VIOLENCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST
Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas referred to the
developments in the Middle East stressing that they have taken up
alarming dimensions with chain reaction effects on all sectors and
the economy.
He called on the two sides to make bold steps avoiding the
use of violence and to sit at the negotiating table as the issue
of the Middle East is a major issue that affects the situation in
the wider region.
Mr. Reppas also expressed the belief that this is a crucial
time for the two leaders to show that they have a sense of
responsibility.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[18] THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH INAUGURATED A MEDICAL CENTER IN
IASIO, ROMANIA
Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos inaugurated the
"Providentsa" medical center in Iasio, north-eastern Romania. It
is the largest clinic in the country of a charitable nature.
It is the Ecumenical Patriarch's sixth visit to Romania and
it was made at the invitation of Patriarch Theoktistos of Romania.
The medical center has a capacity of 25 beds as well as
specialized laboratories and the patients are treated for free.
[19] THE SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST WAS DISCUSSED IN THE
BIARRITZ INFORMAL SUMMIT
The situation in the Middle East was at the center of the
talks in the Biarritz informal EU summit meeting in France. The
European Union leaders stressed that there is a strong risk for a
further escalation of the tension.
Greek prime minister Kostas Simitis stated that an explosive
development would cause the destabilization of the wider region,
adding that indicative of the existing climate is the oil price
hikes. Mr. Simitis stated that a priority for the European leaders
is to end the escalation of the violence and the resumption of
negotiations.
The EU leaders called for an emergency Middle East summit to
restore dialogue and end this week's eruption of violence and
bloodshed between Israelis and Palestinians. They mentioned that
for the Israeli prime minister and the Palestinian Authority there
is no other path than the one of peace and negotiation on the
basis of the Camp David accords, stressing that the peace process
must be saved.
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