Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2000-12-19
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, December 19, 2000
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
TITLES
[01] PARLIAMENT OPENS DEBATE ON 2001 STATE BUDGET
[02] ONLY EMERGENCY CARE AT PUBLIC HOSPITALS TODAY
[03] ABNA TO HOLD GAMES COVERAGE SEMINAR IN ATHENS
[04] TRANSPORT MINISTER IN BRUSSELS FOR AIR CARRIER
[05] AIRPORT STAFF CONDUCT WORK STOPPAGE THURSDAY
[06] LOSSES OF 1.90% IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
[07] HUMANITARIAN AID TO CONGO BY THE "FRIENDS OF AFRICA"
[08] SIMITIS-PAPADIMOS MEETING
[09] GREEK EURO-DEPUTIES CALL FOR A DEMARCHE BY THE EU ON THE
TURKISH HUNGER STRIKERS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[10] UNITED NATIONS NOTIFIED OF TENSION AT PYLA
[11] THE GREEK FOREIGN MINISTER ON THE TURKISH PROVOCATION IN
CYPRUS
[12] BRITISH COMMENTS ON THE GREEK CIVILIZATION EXHIBITIONS
[13] OTE IS TARGETING 40% OF THE MOBILE PHONE MARKET IN BULGARIA
[14] THE CYPRIOT PRESIDENT MET WITH THE WIFE OF THE ABDUCTED GREEK
CYPRIOT
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] PARLIAMENT OPENS DEBATE ON 2001 STATE BUDGET
Minister of National Economy and Finance Yiannos Papantoniou
is to present the new state budget in Parliament today, the debate
of which opened last night and will conclude on Friday at midnight
with a roll call vote.
Meanwhile, the country's first Stability and Development Plan
is to submitted today to the European Union today, in view of
Greece's admission to the Euro zone as of January 1, 2001.
According to the plan, real incomes in Greece will rise by
2.5-3.0 percent, while the average growth rate for the Greek
economy is estimated at 5.3 percent for the next few years
The stability program will be forwarded for approval by
ECOFIN at the beginning of 2001.
[02] ONLY EMERGENCY CARE AT PUBLIC HOSPITALS TODAY
Only emergency cases will be treated at the country's public
hospitals today, due to the 24-hour strike declared by hospital
doctors who are protesting the proposed reforms in the health
sector.
Also, employees at the Social Insurance Foundation (IKA) are
also embarking on a 48-hour strike as of today, demanding better
pay, improved working conditions and the hiring of more staff to
fill some 3,500 positions.
The Civil Servants Supreme Administrative Council (ADEDY) is
organizing a rally in Athens this evening.
[03] ABNA TO HOLD GAMES COVERAGE SEMINAR IN ATHENS
The Association of Balkan News Agencies (ABNA) is to hold a
seminar titled "Sports and the Olympic Games in the Digital Era"
in Athens next month, to be organized by the association's term
president the Athens News Agency (ANA).
The purpose of the seminar will be to develop conditions for
joint coverage of the Athens Games by ABNA members as well as to
provide constant, reliable and the adequate news gathering for
subscribers in the region.
To be held on January 8-9, the seminar will feature the
participation of the general directors and 25 other officials from
the ABNA member-agencies, including the Macedonian Press Agency.
Greek Deputy Sports Minister George Floridis and Athens 2004
Olympics coordinating committee (ATHOC) President Yianna
Angelopoulos-Daskalaki have been invited to address the event.
[04] TRANSPORT MINISTER IN BRUSSELS FOR AIR CARRIER
Transport Minister Christos Verelis is to travel to Brussels
tomorrow where he is expected to receive the European Commission's
"go ahead" for the privatization of the national air carrier
Olympic Airways.
According to market analysts, the privatization process is
mostly tailored to Greek investors, since the relevant tender
allows for a mere 40 days for a financial audit, to precede bid
offers.
[05] AIRPORT STAFF CONDUCT WORK STOPPAGE THURSDAY
Airport staff and Olympic Airways employees are to conduct a
two-hour work stoppage from 1 to 3 p.m. on Thursday, in protest to
government plans to redevelop the site of the Athens airport at
Hellenikon, as park land after facilities are moved to a new
location next year.
All airport and ground staff, including baggage handlers,
will participate in the industrial action, the union (OSYPA)
announced. Air traffic controllers will not take part in the
action.
[06] LOSSES OF 1.90% IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
Losses of 1.90% were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange
today. The general index was at 3.524,45 points and the volume of
transactions was very small at 71.92 billion drachmas.
Of the stocks trading today, 319 recorded losses, 34 had
gains, while 30 stocks remained unchanged.
[07] HUMANITARIAN AID TO CONGO BY THE "FRIENDS OF AFRICA"
A container with humanitarian aid of 20 tons will leave for
Congo in the first two weeks of January at the initiative of the
"Friends of Africa" organization which is based in Thessaloniki
and was established with the goal to send humanitarian aid to
countries that are in a difficult situation and contribute to
their development.
The container destined for Congo will include school items,
medicine, food, clothes footwear etc.
[08] SIMITIS-PAPADIMOS MEETING
The meeting of the Bank of Greece Monetary Policy Council
that took place today ended without a decision concerning the
basic interest rates cuts by one percentage point, which are aimed
at the complete convergence of the Greek and the Euro interest
rates.
Earlier, Bank of Greece governor Loukas Papadimos had
clarified after the meeting he had with prime minister Kostas
Simitis that the interest rate cut will take place either today or
next Tuesday.
Mr. Papadimos assured Mr. Simitis that the transition from
the drachma to the European currency will be smooth. The distance
separating the drachma interest rate from the Euro interest rate
will be covered with one move, stressed Mr. Papadimos and
therefore the interest rate will be lowered to 4.75% from 5.75% it
is today.
[09] GREEK EURO-DEPUTIES CALL FOR A DEMARCHE BY THE EU ON THE
TURKISH HUNGER STRIKERS
Three Greek Euro-deputies Alekos Alavanos with the Coalition
of the Left party, Yiannis Theonas with the Communist Party and
Mr. Bakopoulos with the Democratic Social Movement signed a letter
addressed to the European Parliament president calling on her to
make a demarche to the Turkish government on the hunger strike of
the Turkish political prisoners.
In the letter it is reminded that the European Parliament
last week withdrew its resolution on Turkey's so-called "white
cells" in order to avoid disturbing the Euro-Turkish relations.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[10] UNITED NATIONS NOTIFIED OF TENSION AT PYLA
The atmosphere was tense yesterday in Pyla, one of Cyprus'
few villages were Greeks and Turks continue to live together, when
Turkish forces mounted their presence at their observation post.
According to the UNFICYP spokeswoman Sara Russel, the matter
has already been brought before the Turkish army officials by the
United Nations.
According to the UNFICYP official, the Turks maintain that
they proceeded to this act in response to works conducted by the
Cypriot National Guard south of the demarcation line, i.e.
projects conducted in the free areas.
The Cypriot government views these acts, including the
abduction of a Greek-Cypriot by the Turkish occupation forces from
the British military bases two days ago aim to provoke tension
and stall potential progress on the Cyprus issue.
[11] THE GREEK FOREIGN MINISTER ON THE TURKISH PROVOCATION IN
CYPRUS
Greek foreign minister Giorgos Papandreou, who is on a visit
to Nepal, speaking to reporters referred to the Cyprus issue and
to the incident that took place near Pila at the UN buffer zone.
Mr. Papandreou characterized the moves of the Turkish army as
spasmodic and added that in Turkey there are different decision
making centers such as the government, the army, the MIT secret
service etc.
He also referred to the reactions inside Turkey concerning
its European course and added that other forces want this course
while others don't, stressing that even MIT was involved.
Mr. Papandreou stated that Greece has two goals for Cyprus,
the first one is the solution of the Cyprus problem and the second
one is Cyprus' accession into the European Union. He said that
events such as that in Pila and Strovilia, as well as Turkey's
stance in NATO and the fact that Turkey is not moving ahead in the
EU show that the problem is no longer between Greece and Turkey
but between Europe and Turkey.
[12] BRITISH COMMENTS ON THE GREEK CIVILIZATION EXHIBITIONS
The British newspaper "The Financial Times" published an
article by former British ambassador to Athens Michael Llewellyn-
Smith under the title "The country which is a museum by itself"
and subtitle "Three exhibitions on the Greek history and
civilization are currently taking place in Athens".
The article which is very praising of the Greek civilization
refers to the exhibition with the findings unearthed during the
Athens metro construction works. He said that the most moving
finding is a mass grave dated back to the era of the Peloponnesian
War, while the gem on the crown of the Greek museums according to
the article, is the Benakis Museum which reopened recently and now
hosts an exhibition of Virgin Mary icons coming from museums and
private collections from Greece and abroad.
Also it mentions that the National Gallery hosts the
exhibition "Gods and Heroes in the era of Rubens and Rembrant"
including works with mythical figures painted by artists like
Rembrant, Rubens, Van Dyke and others.
[13] OTE IS TARGETING 40% OF THE MOBILE PHONE MARKET IN BULGARIA
The Greek Telecommunications Organization, OTE, will target
35-40% of the mobile phone market in Bulgaria in the next 5 years.
Already, OTE has won the bid for the second mobile phone license
in the country for the sum of US$ 135 million.
In a press conference in Sofia, Giorgos Skarpelis deputy
managing director of OTE, presented the organization's strategic
plans in Bulgaria, stressing that OTE intends to invest US$ 200-
300 million in the country in the first two years.
Mr. Skarpelis confirmed that the development of the mobile
phone network in Bulgaria by OTE will take place within the set
deadline and pledged that it will be supplied with the necessary
technical equipment for this purpose, adding that already OTE is
in negotiations with Motorola and Nokia.
[14] THE CYPRIOT PRESIDENT MET WITH THE WIFE OF THE ABDUCTED GREEK
CYPRIOT
Cypriot president Glafkos Clerides received Niki Tziakourmas
at the presidential office today, the wife of Panikos Tziakourmas,
who is being held illegally at the Turkish occupied territories
after his abduction by Turks in the region of the British bases.
After the meeting with the Cypriot president the wife of the
abducted man stated that Mr. Clerides confirmed that the British
High Commissioner in Cyprus will meet on the issue with Turkish
Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash.
Cypriot government spokesman Michalis Papapetrou stated that
there is "relative optimism" concerning the release of the man,
who is held by the Turkish occupation forces, avoiding at the same
time, to mention the specific moves the Cypriot government is
making.
Cypriot foreign minister Ioannis Kasoulides, speaking before
the Foreign and European Affairs Parliamentary Committee, stated
that the Cypriot government will not turn a blind eye to any
actions aimed at the arrival of settlers in Famagusta, while any
effort to change the status quo in the region is regarded as very
serious affair that needs careful and serious handling.
Meanwhile, a draft resolution tabled by British parliament
deputies in the House of Representatives calls on the British
government to do everything possible, as a guarantor power of
Cyprus, and work with the Cypriot government for the return of
Famagusta to its people.
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