Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2000-12-20
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, December 20, 2000
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
TITLES
[01] GREEK DEFENSE MINISTER IN SARAJEVO TODAY
[02] HOUSE DEBATE CONTINUES ON 2001 STATE BUDGET
[03] GREEK FM CONDUCTS OFFICIAL VISIT TO BANGLADESH
[04] GREEK MPs CONDEMN PRISONER TREATMENT IN TURKEY
[05] GREEK PM: TURKEY'S BEHAVIOR TO THE WEAK IS CRUEL
[06] FAA THREATENING TO DOWNGRADE GREEK AIRPORTS
[07] FINANCE MINISTRY POLICE TO COMBAT PROFITEERING
[08] GREECE TO HOST INTERNATIONAL YOUTH CONFERENCE
[09] OTE, MATAV NOW ENTER FINISH LINE IN MAKTEL BID
[10] PATRIARCH DIODOROS OF JERUSALEM PASSES AWAY
[11] MARGINAL LOSSES 0.24% IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
[12] THE CIVILIAN OATH WILL BE ADOPTED FOR THE CHRISTIANS AS WELL
[13] THE ATHENS AIRPORT IS SAFE
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[14] THE FUNERAL OF THE PATRIARCH OF JERUSALEM
[15] TSOCHATZOPOULOS' CONTACTS IN SARAJEVO
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] GREEK DEFENSE MINISTER IN SARAJEVO TODAY
Minister of National Defense Akis Tsochatzopoulos is
presently in Sarajevo where he will hold a series of meeting with
officials of the federal government and the Serb republic.
Mr. Tsochatzopoulos will also visit the military camp housing
the Greek force stationed in the city of Visoko, Bosnia.
[02] HOUSE DEBATE CONTINUES ON 2001 STATE BUDGET
Presenting the new state budget in Parliament last night,
Minister of National Economy and Finance Yiannos Papantoniou
stressed that it constitutes an exemplar for safeguarding
stability, not only for 2001, but for the years to come as well.
Focusing on the budget's surplus, a first in recent Greek
history, Mr. Papantoniou stressed that if the aim of fiscal policy
in the past was to cover deficits, from now on "budgets will
distribute surpluses."
The new budget, according to the Minister, does not impose
any new taxes but, on the contrary, is distributing a surplus of
450 billion drachmas among low and medium incomes through tax
decreases and social expenditures to be allocated to the weaker
classes.
In his rejoinder, the main opposition party's (New Democracy)
House spokesperson Prokopis Pavlopoulos, openly challenged the
Minister, characterizing the 2001 state budget as "unreliable,
factitious and docked".
The budget debate opened on Monday night and will conclude on
Friday at midnight with a roll call vote.
[03] GREEK FM CONDUCTS OFFICIAL VISIT TO BANGLADESH
Greece's Foreign Minister George Papandreou was received by
the president of the Bangladesh Ahmed Shahabuddin in Dhaka today,
being the highest-ranking Greek official to travel to this nation
since it became independent in 1975.
Arriving in Dhaka last night from Kathmandu, Mr. Papandreou
is presently conducting the second stop of his three-day official
visit to South Asia which includes India and Nepal.
He is to be received by Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina Wazed, who is the daughter of Bangabandhu Sheikh Muzibur
Rahman, the founder of the People's Republic of Bangladesh.
Mr. Papandreou's visit to Bangladesh, a country the size of
Greece but with a population of 110 million, is expected to open
a new chapter in bilateral relations between the two countries,
since this is the first time a non-Muslim state is officially
received.
Among the issues to be discussed by Mr. Papandreou and his
interlocutors will be a ministerial cooperation agreement on
techno-economic and scientific matters; Greece is planning to
provide for the development of Bangladesh through scholarships and
humanitarian aid, while it also intends to provide marine- and
tourism-related training to Bangladeshis, many of whom presently
work in Greece.
This morning, the Foreign Minister visited the Dhaka museum
housing the country's declaration of independence, which was
signed by the Premier's father, while he also visited the Greek
Museum of the Fallen which is housed at the University of Dhaka.
Speaking to the Macedonian Press Agency, Mr. Papandreou
stated that his visit to Bangladesh is "very significant", adding
that it is an opportunity to enhance and develop bilateral ties.
Mr. Papandreou will travel to Jiapur this evening and will
depart for New Delhi tomorrow, the last stop of his tour.
[04] GREEK MPs CONDEMN PRISONER TREATMENT IN TURKEY
With a resolution drawn under the initiative of former
foreign minister Theodoros Pangalos, 58 Greek parliamentarians
have denounced the atrocities and blatant human rights violations
pervading Turkey's prisons.
Fifteen prisoners and two soldiers were killed early this
morning when Turkish forces stormed the prisons throughout the
country in an effort to end a two-month-old hunger strike that
prisoners launched to protest plans to transfer them to small
prison cells, where they fear abuse by guards. Many of the hunger
strikers were on the brink of death after subsisting on sugared
water for two months.
Expressing their profound concern, indignation and sorrow for
today's violence, the Greek deputies, who span all political
parties, call on the President of the Hellenic Parliament to
denounce the Turkish regime's tyrannical and undemocratic methods
to the European Council's Parliamentary Assembly and to the
European Parliament.
Moreover, the parliamentarians ask that the Minister of
Foreign Affairs George Papandreou immediately bring the matter
forth to international organizations and European Union bodies.
"Once again, the Turkish police and security forces, caring
for the ‘safety' of political prisoners with methods familiar only
to them, raided 20 prisons and dispersed terror and death."
"We do not forget," the resolution reads, "that at the
present time there are 12,000 political prisoners in an EU
candidate-member, while torture victims from 1981 to date are
innumerable.
"Turkey's arbitrary and anachronistic regime didn't miss the
chance to show its true colors: a profound disregard for the
principles of respect for human rights, the value of human life
and the European democratic institutions.".
[05] GREEK PM: TURKEY'S BEHAVIOR TO THE WEAK IS CRUEL
Commenting on the violence that has erupted in Turkey's
prisons, Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis stated today that the
neighboring country displays a "brutal behavior towards those who
cannot defend their human rights."
Mr. Simitis added that every country that is a candidate for
accession to the European Union is obliged to respect human
rights, while he also added that Ankara's ties with the EU is the
means for establishing a state of justice in Turkey.
Mr. Simitis was received by the President of the Hellenic
Republic Costis Stephanopoulos this morning.
[06] FAA THREATENING TO DOWNGRADE GREEK AIRPORTS
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is considering the
downgrade of the Greek airports' flight safety rating, from its
present category A status to B, although the decision is to be
finalized within the following days.
FAA officials, who met with Greece's Transport Minister
Christos Verelis in Athens yesterday, reportedly call for the
strict adherence to international aviation standards and
strengthened security measures.
Ministry sources claim that the State Department is trying to
exert pressure on Greece to adopt heightened security measures in
light of the 2004 Games. The same sources point out that Greece
has taken significant steps in this direction, i.e. the
codification of the Civil Aviation's regulations and the flight
safety bill.
[07] FINANCE MINISTRY POLICE TO COMBAT PROFITEERING
Over 2,500 Finance Ministry police (SDOE) are to be combing
the country's markets and shopping centers every day over the
Christmas shopping period in an attempt to restrict profiteering.
At a meeting yesterday, Deputy Finance Minister Apostolos
Fotiadis and Deputy Development Minister Milena Apostolaki said
500 officers would be inspecting shops in Athens and the
remaining 2,000 will be on the lookout throughout Greece.
[08] GREECE TO HOST INTERNATIONAL YOUTH CONFERENCE
An international youth conference is to be held in central
Greece's city of Elasona on December 22-29, organized by the
Athens-based European Cultural Organization for Social Education
and held under the auspices of the European Commission's "Youth"
program.
The meeting aims to develop ties of friendship among the
youth of the Mediterranean region, namely from Greece, Italy,
Spain, Lebanon and Tunesia and to encourage their active
participation in social and cultural events.
The sixty participants will form task groups and will hold
discussions with local authorities, while their program includes
sightseeing in Thessaloniki and the archaeological site of
Vergina.
[09] OTE, MATAV NOW ENTER FINISH LINE IN MAKTEL BID
The battle of bids between Greece's OTE and Hungarian telecom
firm Matav for a 51 percent stake in the Former Yugoslav FYROM's
telecom monopoly Maktel, is coming to a crescendo, with a
preferred buyer to be selected today.
While FYROM's commission overseeing the tender is to decide
today which of the two bidders it will opt for, Matav is
reportedly viewed more favorably because some 60 percent of the
company is owned by Germany's giant Deutsche Telekom. Greek
conglomerate Dimtiris Kontomenas is also a shareholder of Deutche
Telekom, whose offer amounts to 618.2 million euros, outbidding
OTE by 9.9 million euros.
[10] PATRIARCH DIODOROS OF JERUSALEM PASSES AWAY
Patriarch Diodoros of Jerusalem passed away last night at the
age of 77, after a long illness.
The Patriarch's health had been steadily deteriorating, as he
long suffered from renal failure and underwent a cardiac episode
three days ago.
His Beatitude Patriarch Diodoros was born at the island of
Chios in 1923 and traveled to Jerusalem in 1938 where he finished
his early education. In 1957 he graduated from the Theological
School of Athens and subsequently returned to Jerusalem where he
was appointed Patriarch in 1981.
The late Patriarch was a noted philanthropist who, through the
Greek Orthodox Church, founded new schools, orphanages and
hospitals, while he held an instrumental role in the restoration
of historic monasteries.
[11] MARGINAL LOSSES 0.24% IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
Marginal losses of 0.24% were recorded in the Athens Stock
Exchange. The general index was 3.454,28 points and the volume of
transactions was small at 72.75 billion drachmas.
Of the stocks trading today, 181 recorded gains, 181 had
losses and 34 remained unchanged.
[12] THE CIVILIAN OATH WILL BE ADOPTED FOR THE CHRISTIANS AS WELL
The establishment of a civilian oath not just for the
atheists but for the Christians as well, who don't want to give a
religious oath, is being promoted by the ministry of justice with
a new provision.
This way all the Christians, who wish to, can swear in courts
citing their honor and conscience to testify the truth. This
provision is expected to create new reactions on behalf of the
Church of Greece.
[13] THE ATHENS AIRPORT IS SAFE
The Athens Airport is safe as are the flights made, while the
accusations and the insinuations made from time to time are
groundless, stated Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas
responding to a relevant question.
When he was asked if an issue was raised on behalf of the US
side on the safety of the Greek airports he responded that from
time to time discussions are being held between the Greek
authorities and the US Civil Aviation Agency.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[14] THE FUNERAL OF THE PATRIARCH OF JERUSALEM
The funeral of Patriarch Diodoros of Jerusalem, who died at
the age of 77 after suffering a heart attack three days ago, will
take place on Friday.
Diodoros was born in the northeastern Aegean island of Chios
in 1923 and in 1938 he went to Jerusalem where he finished high
school. He became a chorister and then a monk. In 1981 he was
elected Patriarch of Jerusalem.
[15] TSOCHATZOPOULOS' CONTACTS IN SARAJEVO
Greek minister of defense Akis Tsochatzopoulos pointed out in
the meeting he had with Bosnia-Herzegovina Federation president
Zifko Radisic that there is a need for the speeding up of the
economic and social development in Bosnia in order for the region
to start approaching the security institutions in southeastern
Europe and the European Union.
In the meeting they had they discussed the prospects of
bilateral cooperation between Bosnia and Greece in different
sectors and mainly the prospects for the Greek side to back
Bosnia's rapprochement moves with the European Union. They also
discussed the five-year presence and the activities of the
international peace-keeping force in Bosnia and Mr. Radisic
requested that the peace-keeping force extend its stay in the
region.
Mr. Tsochatzopoulos also met with defense minister of the
Serb Republic in Bosnia Manolio Milovanovic and discussed issues
concerning bilateral cooperation, and invited him to visit Greece.
Mr. Tsochatzopoulos also met with the minister of defense of the
federal government and later he visited the Greek army camp.
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