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Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2000-11-06
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, November 6, 2000
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
TITLES
[01] "TRAIN OF CIVILIZATION" ARRIVES IN THESSALONIKI
[02] US CITIZENS IN GREECE VOTE BY ABSENTEE BALLOT
[03] INQUIRY ORDERED ON HIJACKER'S SUICIDE IN CUSTODY
[04] THESSALONIKI TO HOST GREEK-CANADIAN CONFERENCE
[05] EU COMMISSION WARNS GREECE ON EMPLOYMENT PLAN
[06] HILARY CLINTON TO ATTEND 2004 GAMES IN ATHENS
[07] GREECE SWELLING, MORE TOURISTS THAN POPULATION
[08] THE ONASIS INTERNATIONAL PRIZES FOR 1999 WILL BE AWARDED
TOMORROW
[09] OTE RETURNS TO BULGARIA FOR THE MOBILE PHONE SERVICE
[10] LOSSES OF 1.70% IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
[11] TWO-DAY CONFERENCE ON ECONOMY AND OPPORTUNITIES IN THE
BALKANS
[12] HUNGARIAN BUSINESSMEN VISITED THE ATHENS 2004 ORGANIZATION
[13] EXPLOSION ON A TURKISH TANKER CARRYING CHEMICALS SOUTH OF
CRETE
[14] GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN: THE ROLE OF THE MASS MEDIA WAS POSITIVE
[15] STATEMENTS BY THE GREEK MINISTER OF DEFENSE
[16] VISITS BY PAPANTONIOU AND PASCHALIDIS TO BALKAN CAPITALS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[17] THE GREEK MINISTER OF DEVELOPMENT WILL MEET WITH THE YUGOSLAV
PRESIDENT
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] "TRAIN OF CIVILIZATION" ARRIVES IN THESSALONIKI
"The Train of Civilization" is to arrive in Thessaloniki on
November 10, transporting members of various groups supporting
friendship with Balkan countries, Turkish parliamentarians,
representatives of Balkan leagues and associations active in
Turkey, as well as an array of artists, journalists and local
authorities.
Aiming to strengthen the ties of friendship among the Balkan
peoples, the Train's voyage will last until November 12, and its
stops include Plovdiv, Sofia, Skopje. In Greece, the train will
visit Thessaloniki, Drama, Xanthi and Komotene.
Every stopover will be met with festivities and cultural
activities, while upon its arrival inThessaloniki on November 10,
the day Kemal Ataturk died, the delegates will attend a ceremony
to be held at the home where the founder of the Turkish Republic
was born.
[02] US CITIZENS IN GREECE VOTE BY ABSENTEE BALLOT
Reflecting the high abstention rates in the United States, a
mere 20 per cent of the 100,000 U.S. citizens residing in Greece
have already cast their vote for the November 7 presidential
elections by posting their absentee ballot through the DHL World
Wide Express, a service provided by the US embassy in Athens for
free.
These voters either mailed or dropped off their ballot at
their local DHL office in Greece by November 1 and DHL couriered
it to New York's JFK airport, where the ballots entered the US
postal system. Collection boxes were available at all DHL service
centers in Greece and at the American Citizens Services section at
the US embassy in Athens.
Seventy percent of Greece's U.S. citizens, the majority of
whom are Greek-Americans, reside in Athens, with the remaining
dispersed in Thessaloniki, the Peloponnese, and the islands of
Rhodes, Kos, and Chios.
[03] INQUIRY ORDERED ON HIJACKER'S SUICIDE IN CUSTODY
The Public Order Ministry has ordered a sworn inquiry into
the suicide of the deranged man who took a bus full of Japanese
tourists hostage on Saturday and then, after being arrested,
jumped out of the seventh-floor window of the police headquarters.
The 48-year-old hijacker, Christos Kenteras, leaped out of
the window at 8:40 a.m. Sunday when he momentarily escaped the
attention of police officers who were about to fingerprint him.
They had reportedly taken off his handcuffs so that he could be
fingerprinted when Kenteras bolted across the hallway to an office
on the other side of the building and hurled himself through a
closed glass window. He was killed instantly after falling seven
floors.
Public Order Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis and the Athens
prosecutor immediately ordered separate inquiries into the death
in custody.
"This is not one of the finest moments of the Greek police,
this tragic end," Public Order Ministry General Secretary Dimitris
Efstathiadis stated in reference to the suicide.
Kenteras, who was described as "distraught and dangerous",
had held the Japanese tourists, their tour guide and the bus
driver hostage Saturday for ten hours, before agreeing to exit
the bus and hold negotiations with a Greek television reporter.
About two hours prior to hijacking the bus, Kenteras had
gunned down his elderly mother-in-law and another man because he
reportedly blamed them for his marital problems.
[04] THESSALONIKI TO HOST GREEK-CANADIAN CONFERENCE
A conference on the coexistence of different cultures, titled
SMulticulture: A developing dialogue. The Greek and Canadian
example", will be held in Thessaloniki, on November 8-10, under
the auspices of Greece' Culture Ministry.
The conference will highlight the issue of coexistence
between different cultures in the two countries and will be
attended by Culture Minister Theodoros Pangalos, Thessaloniki
Deputy Mayor Nikos Makrantonakis and the Canadian Ambassador to
Greece David Hatton.
The event is organized by the Canadian embassy and the
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
[05] EU COMMISSION WARNS GREECE ON EMPLOYMENT PLAN
The European Commission has sternly warned Greece over its
omissions of the National Action Plan pertaining to employment,
given that the country's unemployment rate surpasses the European
Union's average.
In a recently-published report on Greece's employment rate,
the European Union acknowledges that the Greek state's strategy
to combat unemployment are in the right direction, but also issues
issue a reprimand for the government's "foot dragging" in
enforcing the necessary measures.
[06] HILARY CLINTON TO ATTEND 2004 GAMES IN ATHENS
In an interview with a Greek periodical, United States First
Lady Hilary Clinton, who is also a Senate candidate for New York,
expressed her hope for the Greek vote and acknowledged that the
Greek-American community of N.Y. has provided her with moral and
economical support.
Moreover, Ms. Clinton, who had accompanied her husband during
his official visit to Athens last year, characterized Greece as a
wonderful country with amazing, warm and bright people, and also
stated that she would like to attend the 2004 Games in Athens in
order to live the Olympic spirit in its birthplace.
[07] GREECE SWELLING, MORE TOURISTS THAN POPULATION
By the end of the year, Greece will have hosted more
tourists than its population of approximately ten million, as,
according to the Greek Tourism Organization (EOT), foreign
arrivals in 2000 are expected to amount between 12.4 - 12.6
million - not counting those who will arrive aboard cruise ships.
In spite of the impressing numbers, the same cannot be said
of this year's percentile increase which doesn't surpass the
four-percent-mark, in comparison to 1999's boom of 11.43 per
cent.
Overnights stays in Athens and Thessaloniki presented
satisfactory increases, with 8.29 percent in the capital between
January-April and 11.25% in Thessaloniki between April-August.
Contained optimism abounds for next year's tourism prospects,
given the limited demand noted in most markets and the rising
costs of fuel.
Nevertheless, Greece is expected to withstand the any given
limitations, considering the country's accession to the Economic
and Monetary Union, its stable political and economic environment
and the noted improvement in transportation and tourism-related
infrastructures.
[08] THE ONASIS INTERNATIONAL PRIZES FOR 1999 WILL BE AWARDED
TOMORROW
President of the Greek Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos will
deliver the Onasis International Prizes for the year 1999.
After a decision by the Alexandros Onasis Institute board of
the directors and the Onasis International Prize Committee, former
president of the French republic Valery Giscard d' Estaing will be
honored with the International Understanding and Social
Contribution prize, while music composer Mikis Theodorakis will
take the cultural award and professor-researcher John W. Doran
will receive the environment award. All the awards will be
accompanied by the sum of US$ 250.000.
The formal ceremony will be held tomorrow at the Megaron
Music Hall in Athens.
[09] OTE RETURNS TO BULGARIA FOR THE MOBILE PHONE SERVICE
The Greek Telecommunications Organization, OTE, will be a
candidate in the bid for the second mobile phone service provider
permit in Bulgaria in which will participate companies from Turkey
as well.
According to press publications, OTE is expected to give a
strong battle in spite of the fact that the Bulgarian government
shows a preference toward the Turkish companies.
The deadline for the applications to be submitted by the
candidate companies ends on November 30, 2000.
[10] LOSSES OF 1.70% IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
Significant loses of 1.70% were recorded in the Athens Stock
Exchange in today's session and the general index dropped to
3.727,36 points, while the volume of transactions was very low at
32.13 billion drachmas setting a new negative record.
Of the stocks trading today, the overwhelming majority
namely, 261 stocks recorded losses, 84 had gains and 36 remained
stable.
[11] TWO-DAY CONFERENCE ON ECONOMY AND OPPORTUNITIES IN THE
BALKANS
A two-day business conference attended by the commercial
attaches of the Balkan and Black Sea states on the course of the
Balkan state economies, the business activity and the development
of bilateral economic relations will be held in Thessaloniki's
Chamber of Arts and Crafts on November 9 and 10.
The goal of the conference is to brief and inform the
businessmen and the interested institutions on the economies of
specific countries and the business opportunities that exist. The
two-day conference is expected to be attended by undersecretary of
national economy Yiannis Zafiropoulos.
[12] HUNGARIAN BUSINESSMEN VISITED THE ATHENS 2004 ORGANIZATION
Twenty one representatives of big Hungarian companies and
investment circles as well as the economic attache of the
Hungarian embassy in Athens made an informative visit to the
Athens 2004 Organization offices this morning.
They were briefed by the Athens 2004 officials on the Olympic
projects, the trade of goods and the transportation, as well as on
the investment opportunities that are being created.
[13] EXPLOSION ON A TURKISH TANKER CARRYING CHEMICALS SOUTH OF
CRETE
An explosion rocked a Turkish tanker carrying chemicals. The
ship was sailing 30 nautical miles south the southern Aegean
island of Crete when the explosion occurred.
Three Turkish crew members were injured and they were taken
to a military hospital after they were picked up by a Greek all-
weather "Super Puma" helicopter which responded to the SOS signals
sent out by the fifteen-member Turkish crew.
According to information, the explosion took place in the
ship's hold and it is not clear yet what caused it.
[14] GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN: THE ROLE OF THE MASS MEDIA WAS POSITIVE
The mass media adopted a responsible position and played a
positive role in the handling of the recent hostage crisis last
Saturday when 35 people, 33 Japanese tourists and 2 Greeks, were
held hostage on a tourist bus by a distraught man, commented Greek
government spokesman Dimitris Reppas.
On the role of the famous television talk-show host Makis
Triantafillopoulos, Mr. Reppas stated that he helped the
responsible authorities in their efforts to complete the rescue
operation.
[15] STATEMENTS BY THE GREEK MINISTER OF DEFENSE
Greek minister of defense Akis Tsochatzopoulos, commenting on
the likelihood of a leadership issue to be raised in the governing
socialist party of PASOK after his interview with the VIMAgazino
yesterday, in which he referred to mistakes committed by the
governing party maintaining that it has lost its socialist
character, stated to reporters from the city of Xanthi in north-
eastern Greece today, that it is inconceivable to discuss
leadership issues just 6 months after the elections.
Referring to Turkey's stance, he stressed that Greece demands
good relations from Ankara and backs its accession into the
European Union. When asked to comment on whether the Greek-Turkish
relations affect the relations between Christians and Muslims in
Thrace, he stressed that the Muslims are Greek citizens and have
the same rights with the rest of the Greeks, while he pointed out
that those relations do not depend on any external factor.
Mr. Tsochatzopoulos stressed that an effort is being made by
certain sides to create impressions on issues concerning the
claims on behalf of Turkey and its stance regarding Thrace, the
Aegean and Cyprus. He said that the Greek-Turkish relations is
useful to be improved, the tension must ease off and if possible
disappear from the wider region.
On the relations between the Muslims and the Christians in
Thrace, Mr. Tsochatzopoulos pointed out that a systematic and
continuous effort is being made to safeguard all the rights that
stem from the international treaties, adding that there may have
been certain delays but the efforts continue to achieve a complete
equality in those relations. He mentioned characteristically that
in the armed forces certain procedures have been implemented that
abolish any discrimination.
[16] VISITS BY PAPANTONIOU AND PASCHALIDIS TO BALKAN CAPITALS
Ministers of national economy Yiannos Papantoniou and
Macedonia-Thrace Giorgos Paschalidis will visit Belgrade, Sofia
and Skopje on Sunday within a framework of a tour that will last
until next Tuesday, while more visits to other Balkan capitals
will follow.
The visits are placed within the framework of the Greek plan
for the reconstruction of the Balkans and according to Mr.
Paschalidis, Greece's Balkan policy is based on five points, the
consolidation of democracy, economic development, the
inviolability of the borders, regional cooperation and the gradual
incorporation of the Balkan countries into the European Union.
In a luncheon he gave in honor of the general consuls in
Thessaloniki today, Mr. Paschalidis stated that the logic of
infiltration must be abandoned because it insults the culture of
the Balkan states and the logic of cooperation must prevail. He
also stated that a ministry of Macedonia-Thrace office will open
soon and will back the Greek reconstruction plan.
On behalf of the consulate corps, Bulgarian consul general
Ilko Svatsev stated that the positions of the Greek government and
the role played by the ministry of Macedonia-Thrace and the
minister himself on issues concerning the reconstruction of the
Balkans are of great interest. He also said that the dream shared
by all is peace, friendship and cooperation in the Balkans.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[17] THE GREEK MINISTER OF DEVELOPMENT WILL MEET WITH THE YUGOSLAV
PRESIDENT
Greek minister of development Nikos Christodoulakis, who is
on a visit to Belgrade, will meet with Yugoslav president Voijlav
Kostunica.
Mr. Christodoulakis has already met with federal government
vice-president and minister responsible for international economic
affairs, Lambus Miroljub as well as, with the Serb government
energy minister.
In the Yugoslav capital and Novisad, the Greek minister of
development will have talks with EPS Elektroprivreda electricity
service management representatives and oil distribution company
NIS executives. He is also scheduled to visit the Novisad oil
refineries.
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