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Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2000-11-15
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, November 15, 2000
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
TITLES
[01] NEW GOVT MEASURES FOR THE ISSUING OF GREENCARDS
[02] GRIGORIS NIOTIS IS UNDERSECRETARY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
[03] A STUDY HAS SHOWN THAT THERE IS NO "MAD COW" DISEASE IN
GREECE
[04] THE LOSSES IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE CONTINUE
[05] SCIENTISTS IN CRETE DISCOVERED A METHOD TO ALTER THE
GENETICALLY INHERITED HUMAN CHARACTERISTICS
[06] THESSALONIKI IS THE SEAT OF THE CINEMA NETWORK OF SOUTH
EASTERN EUROPE
[07] REPPAS ON THE GOVERNMENT POLICY
[08] INTER-STATE CONFERENCE ON THE URBAN TECHNOLOGIES NETWORK
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[09] TIF BEGINS IN TURKEY TOMORROW
[10] PAPANTONIOU & PASCHALIDES IN FYROM
[11] PRESIDENT STEPHANOPOULOS ADDRESSED THE GREEK-CZECH FORUM
[12] OTE WILL PARTICIPATE AGAIN IN THE PROCEDURE FOR THE BUYOUT OF
BTK
[13] PAPAZOI: GREECE BACKS THE CZECH REPUBLIC'S ACCESSION INTO THE
EU
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] NEW GOVT MEASURES FOR THE ISSUING OF GREENCARDS
The Greek government is expected to announce new measures
concerning foreigners living in Greece, after the cabinet meeting
that will be held tomorrow. Interior minister Vaso Papandreou will
present her proposals concerning the issue, which will aim to
increase the number of emigrants working and living legally in
Greece and to eradicate xenophobia.
The Interior ministry has planned a transitional stage where
foreigners will be given a second chance to make their presence in
Greece legal and the cabinet will also discuss several measures
that should be taken with a view to speeding up the green card
process.
It is expected that this transitional stage will allow around
120.000 foreigners already living in Greece to legalise their
status.
[02] GRIGORIS NIOTIS IS UNDERSECRETARY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Grigoris Niotis became undersecretary of foreign affairs
after the resignation of Angeliki Laiou, according to a statement
issued by Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas, who stated
that Ms. Laiou has sent a letter of resignation to the prime
minister in which she is adducing personal reasons for her
decision.
Mr. Niotis had served as a undersecretary of foreign affairs
in the past. He is 51 years old, is elected in parliament since
1989 and he is the chairman of the parliamentary committee on the
Greeks living abroad.
[03] A STUDY HAS SHOWN THAT THERE IS NO "MAD COW" DISEASE IN
GREECE
There are no cases of "mad cow" disease in Greece, according
to a study that was launched on February this year at the order of
the ministry of agriculture, according to Veterinary Agency
director in Thessaloniki's prefecture Mr. Menelaos Patikas, who
stressed that people can consume domestic meat without any fear.
Mr. Patikas stated there is no cause for concern in Greece
because the use of animal proteins has been banned for years.
Former president of the Association of Public Sector Vets,
Mr. Tsolis stated that there is no indication and no suspicion
that the Greek cattle have "mad cow" disease, underlining that
even before 1994 animal proteins were not used in Greece. As far
as, France is concerned, stated Mr. Tsolis, the situation there is
out of control and it appears that they fed cattle with animal
proteins
3-4 years ago.
[04] THE LOSSES IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE CONTINUE
Significant losses of 1.71% were recorded in the Athens Stock
Exchange today and the general index dropped to 3.472,41 points,
while the volume of transactions was small at 47.7 billion
drachmas.
Of the stocks trading today 234 had losses, 107 had gains and
40 remained unchanged.
[05] SCIENTISTS IN CRETE DISCOVERED A METHOD TO ALTER THE
GENETICALLY INHERITED HUMAN CHARACTERISTICS
A method that allows the altering of genetically inherited
human characteristics involving the transfer of genes was
discovered by scientists from Crete in southern Greece, according
to the Athens newspaper "Eleftherotypia".
This method can contribute to the revelation of the special
function of each gene which is regarded as the biggest challenge
after the decoding of the human genome, while it is believed that
later it will also help significantly to the treatment of many
diseases.
It is one of the most important scientific discoveries
worldwide and it affects different levels of human activity. The
method was discovered recently by the scientific team headed by
University of Crete Medical School professor Charalambos Savakis
at the Technology and Research Foundation Molecular Biology and
Biotechnology Institute laboratories.
[06] THESSALONIKI IS THE SEAT OF THE CINEMA NETWORK OF SOUTH
EASTERN EUROPE
Thessaloniki will be the seat of the Cinema Network of south
eastern Europe, according to a decision that was reached in the
2nd meeting of the Film Institutions of south eastern Europe that
was completed today.
As it was announced in a press conference today, Thessaloniki
was chosen to be the seat of the network and the Greek ministry of
culture will cover the operational expenses of a permanent
secretariat.
A temporary executive committee was elected made up of Greek
Cinema Center international relations special adviser Mr. Kostas
Vrettakos, Bulgarian Cinema Center head of international relations
Ms. Gerganan Dakovska and Yugoslavia's Film Institute general
director Mr. Miroljub Vuskovic. The committee will undertake to
draw up the founding charter of the network which has to be
harmonized with the legislation and the demands of international
organizations, while it will also be responsible for the
preparations of the next meeting that will be held in Sofia in
early 2001.
[07] REPPAS ON THE GOVERNMENT POLICY
Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas expressed
reservations on whether minister of defense Akis Tsochatzopoulos
had stated in a foreign affairs and defense committee meeting that
the dialogue with Turkey will not give fruit now as it did not
give fruit with Papandreou and Mitsotakis and also that Cyprus'
accession into the EU is the product of a transaction.
Mr. Reppas stated that the policy followed on national issues
has been decided by the responsible bodies and it is a policy of
principles and not the product of transactions.
He also said that in Helsinki it was decided that Cyprus'
accession into the EU will not depend on the solution of the
Cyprus problem and that Turkey's accession will be determined by
its stance on the Cyprus problem.
[08] INTER-STATE CONFERENCE ON THE URBAN TECHNOLOGIES NETWORK
The 3rd Inter-state Conference on the Urban Technologies
Network, UTN, will open in Thessaloniki tomorrow and will last
until November 18 within the framework of the Interreg II program.
The last day of the conference will be held in the city of Xanthi
in north-eastern Greece.
The Interreg program, part of which is materialized by the
municipality of Thessaloniki, concerns the inter-state cooperation
between the municipalities of Vienna, Venice, Thessaloniki and
Xanthi, while the conference will be attended by representatives
from Turkey, Yugoslavia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Austria, Poland,
Romania, Albania and FYROM.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[09] TIF BEGINS IN TURKEY TOMORROW
Relations between Greek and Turkish enterprises are entering
a new, more improved phase, despite the recent events that have
affected bilateral relations politically, something which has been
made even clearer by the impressive participation of several Greek
enterprises in the first Thessaloniki International Fair, to be
held in Turkey.
The delegation of 100 Greek companies who will fill the huge space
of the Hannover Messe International are due to arrive in
Constantinople today, for the exhibition which will start tomorrow
and go on until November 19th.
The exhibition has created an arena for cooperation
agreements between several Greek and Turkish companies and has
encouraged Greek companies to veer their interests and attention
towards the Turkish market.
Amongst the Greek companies due to take part in the
exhibition, most of which are based in Macedonia and Thrace, is
the Greek National Bank, the Industry and Export Association of
Northern Greece and the Thessaloniki Port Organisation, as well as
Mevgal, Balkan Export, and Akritas.
[10] PAPANTONIOU & PASCHALIDES IN FYROM
Greek Finance minister Yiannos Papantoniou and the minister
of Macedonia and Thrace, George Paschalides, met with the
president of FYROM, Boris Trajkovski and with the country's Prime
Minister Ljupco Georgievski.
The two Greek ministers are touring the Balkans with the aim
of promoting the Greek proposals concerning the regrouping of the
Balkans.
It was also announced earlier that Greece will give aid worth 85
million dollars to FYROM.
[11] PRESIDENT STEPHANOPOULOS ADDRESSED THE GREEK-CZECH FORUM
Greek president Kostis Stephanopoulos, who is on a formal
visit to the Czech Republic, addressed the Greek-Czech business
forum in Prague and stressed that all the necessary preconditions
exist for the close cooperation of the Greek and Czech businessmen
in the trade sector.
Mr. Stephanopoulos stated that the countries prosper when the
trade relations are strengthened. He also stated that the EU
enlargement with Cyprus, Malta, the Czech Republic and the other
countries will take place in 2003, while speaking about Greece's
economic development stated that the economic activities in Greece
are very intense.
Also, the president stressed that political stability and the
establishment of the single currency in Europe will facilitate
transactions greatly, adding that another facilitating factor is
the interest rates cuts.
He said that the Czech Republic is almost ready to enter the
EU, while the economic activities in Greece are on the increase
and the Greek businessmen are active both in the Balkan region,
the Black Sea and Russia.
Undersecretary of national economy Yiannis Zafiropoulos
speaking in the Greek-Czech forum expressed the belief that there
will be joint business actions. He also said that the agreement
for economic and technological cooperation is at the stage of
ratification in the Greek parliament, while the potential for the
improvement of the cooperation framework in the sectors of tourism
and road transportation is being examined.
Meanwhile, minister of agriculture Giorgos Anomeritis, who is
accompanying president Stephanopoulos, will meet with his Czech
counterpart and both men are expected to sign the first Greek-
Czech agreement for economic, scientific and technical cooperation
in the sector of agriculture.
[12] OTE WILL PARTICIPATE AGAIN IN THE PROCEDURE FOR THE BUYOUT OF
BTK
The Greek Telecommunications Organization, OTE, is likely to
be one of the candidate companies for the buyout of the Bulgarian
Telecommunications Organization, BTK, in the new bid that will
take place on December 15, according to Bulgarian government vice-
president Petar Zotev after the meeting he had with Greek minister
of national economy Yiannos Papantoniou in Sofia.
OTE is still interested in the bid for a permit allowing the
establishment of a second mobile phone network (GSM) in Bulgaria,
stated Mr. Zotev.
According to Bulgarian analysts, OTE is likely to participate
in the tender in cooperation with Cosmote.
[13] PAPAZOI: GREECE BACKS THE CZECH REPUBLIC'S ACCESSION INTO THE
EU
Greek deputy foreign minister Elisavet Papazoi stated to
reporters, covering the visit of Greek president Kostis
Stephanopoulos to the Czech Republic, that Greece backs the
country's accession into the European Union and believes that it
is a country that contributes to the region's stability and
development. She also added that the European integration will not
happen without the participation of countries like the Czech
Republic and others among them, of course, Cyprus.
Among the issues that dominated in the talks during the first
formal visit by a Greek president to Prague was the Czech
Republic's EU accession course. The European Commission report for
the year 2000 was positive for the country's course which meets in
principal the political criteria for its accession, while it will
also have to meet the criteria concerning the implementation of
reforms in the sectors of public administration and justice.
On the economic sector, the Czech Republic is a functioning
market economy, according to the European Commission, but changes
still have to be made on issues of privatization, in the banking
sector and elsewhere.
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