Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2001-01-17
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, January 17, 2001
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
TITLES
[01] PRESIDENT HOSTS DINNER IN HONOR OF KOSTUNICA
[02] YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT MEETS WITH PARTY LEADERS
[03] CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM DISCUSSION OPENS TODAY
[04] YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT: EUROPE WAS BORN IN GREECE
[05] GREEK FM MEETS WITH HIS YUGOSLAV COUNTERPART
[06] COMMISSION: 50 BILLION EUROS FOR EU JOB MARKETS
[07] BRITON TO SUE OLYMPIC AIRWAYS OVER BLOOD CLOT
[08] DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS CALL FOR THE ABOLITION OF THE
DEPLETED URANIUM SHELLS
[09] RELIEF IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE TODAY
[10] GREECE IS AT THE 43RD PLACE ON FIFA'S LIST
[11] THE CANCER CASES ARE 500% UP IN REGIONS BOMBED WITH DEPLETED
URANIUM SHELLS
[12] THE GREEK GOVERNMENT DID NOT COMMENT ON THE NUCLEAR ARMS IN
ARAXOS
[13] STATEMENTS BY THE GREEK DEFENSE MINISTER ON THE GREEK
SOLDIERS IN KOSOVO
[14] THE ALBANIAN HEALTH MINISTER WILL BE IN THESSALONIKI TOMORROW
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[15] EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION ON THE INTERRUPTION OF THE
DEPLETED URANIUM USE
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] PRESIDENT HOSTS DINNER IN HONOR OF KOSTUNICA
The President of the Hellenic Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos
hosted a dinner in honor of his Yugoslav counterpart Vojislav
Kostunica, before the latter's departure for Belgrade last night.
Addressing President Kostunica at the Presidential Mansion,
Mr. Stephanopoulos stated that Greece refused to participate in
the NATO bombings against Yugoslavia, and referred extensively to
the friendship between the peoples of Greece and Serbia.
President Stephanopoulos stated that Greece and Serbia always
found themselves "on the same side of the struggle for freedom and
independence."
Moreover, the President pledged Greece's support in
contributing toward the consolidation of the democratic
institutions in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and spoke of
the need for the comprehensive development of southwestern Europe.
He also called for the "full implementation of the decisions of
the UN Security Council in all cases, whether they regard Cyprus,
or Kosovo, or the Middle East."
Accompanied by Yugoslav Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic,
President Kostunica met with Greek government leaders with whom
discussed the strengthening of economic and political ties between
the two countries, as well as the issue of NATO's use of depleted
uranium bombs.
[02] YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT MEETS WITH PARTY LEADERS
The President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Vojislav
Kostunica, who conducted a one-day visit to Athens yesterday, met
with Greece's political and party leaders, namely the Parliament
President Apostolos Kaklamanis, main opposition New Democracy (ND)
leader Costas Karamanlis, Coalition of the Left and Progress
(Synaspismos) Nikos Constantopoulos and Communist Party of Greece
(KKE) secretary general Aleka Papariga.
Following talks with his Greek counterpart Kostis
Stephanopoulos and Prime Minister Costas Simitis, President
Kostunica was received by Mr. Kaklamanis who offered the House's
economic aid for the rehabilitation of the two Serbian
parliaments.
ND leader Mr. Karamanlis stressed that the international
community, including the European Union, bears "immense
responsibilities" for the reconstruction of Yugoslavia. Mr.
Karamanlis also stressed that "there should not be any further
changes of borders, nor should there be any new states in the
region, as it would lead to instability."
Mr. Constantopoulos called on the Greek government to
undertake initiatives securing the status quo of the existing
borders in the Balkans, while Ms. Papariga said that the KKE is
opposed to plans for the breaking away of Kosovo from Serbia and
the policies adopted by NATO and European governments.
[03] CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM DISCUSSION OPENS TODAY
A discussion on planned reforms to the constitution is to get
underway in Parliament today, where talks are expected to focus on
matters concerning transparency in public affairs, particularly
regarding the media and problems of accumulation of financial
power, which is viewed as a threat to democracy.
Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos (formerly Minister of
Justice) the ruling party's rapporteur, has proposed the
compulsory absence of main shareholders of mass media businesses
from state auctions. The said proposal was prompted by the dangers
inherent in the excessive growth of business groups - mostly from
the media sector- and their potential control over the political
system.
The House will devote two weekly sessions to discussions on
constitutional reforms, with talks expected to wrap up in April.
[04] YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT: EUROPE WAS BORN IN GREECE
Greece is the cradle of civilization, "this is where Europe
was born", Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica stated yesterday
during his stop at the Acropolis part of his one-day, official
visit to Athens.
Accompanied by Greece's Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos,
President Kostunica openly favored the return of the Parthenon
Marbles to Greece, stating that "everyone should own cultural
monuments which belong to them. I am certain of that. Just as in
Greece, certain important pieces of our cultural heritage are
absent in my country, Serbia. It's not enough to just think about
it, they (monuments) should be situated where they were created. I
am sorry that this is happening in Greece too."
Messrs. Kostunica and Venizelos discussed the return of the
Parthenon Marbles from the British Museum, as well as restoration
work presently underway at the Parthenon, the new Acropolis museum
and the ecological issue currently preoccupying the Balkans.
[05] GREEK FM MEETS WITH HIS YUGOSLAV COUNTERPART
Foreign Minister George Papandreou met yesterday with his
Yugoslav counterpart Goran Svilanovic, who accompanied President
Vojislav Kostunica on his visit to Athens.
Messrs. Papandreou and Svilanovic discussed matters of
bilateral interest, including European Union-Yugoslav relations,
regional cooperation and issues pertaining to the energy,
transport and development sectors.
Following their talks, Mr. Papandreou announced that a joint
Greek-Yugoslav committee will be established to examine the
possibilities of cooperation between the two countries in the
economic, cultural and educational sectors. According to Mr.
Papandreou, the said committee will initially be presided by the
foreign ministers of the two countries.
Mr. Papandreou also stated that he and Mr. Svilanovic
discussed regional cooperation, in light of the Balkan Summit,
scheduled for the end of February in Skopje.
In turn, Mr. Svilanovic invited his Greek counterpart to
visit Belgrade.
[06] COMMISSION: 50 BILLION EUROS FOR EU JOB MARKETS
The European Commission is to invest about 60 billion euros
between 2001-2006, for modernizing and restructuring of the
European Union's labor markets and supporting investments in human
potential.
According to a Commission announcement, issued on the
initiative of Greek Employment and Social Affairs Commissioner
Anna Diamantopoulou, sixty percent of these funds are to be
allocated for the support of national and regional policies for
the economic and social cohesion of the EU's poorest areas.
Out of the funds package, 11.6 billion euros are to be
allocated towards countering social marginalization, eight billion
for the support of entrepreneurial initiatives, 11 billion for
human resources investment support and four billion for action
supporting gender equality.
[07] BRITON TO SUE OLYMPIC AIRWAYS OVER BLOOD CLOT
A British man is to sue Greece's national air carrier
Olympic Airways, as well as Air France, over a blood clot he says
he suffered after flying with them.
According to Britain's "Daily Telegraph", 35-year-old
attorney at law Lars Lewis plans to sue the airlines for failing
to warn him of the dangers of blood clots.
Mr. Lewis spent two weeks in a hospital being treated with
blood-thinning agents after he was found to have a potentially
fatal blood clot in his lungs, according to the article.
He said the clot arose after he flew economy class from Paris
to Athens and back, and then a couple of days later, from Paris to
La Rochelle in western France.
[08] DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS CALL FOR THE ABOLITION OF THE
DEPLETED URANIUM SHELLS
Doctors Without Borders - Greece board of directors member
Elias Pavlopoulos stated in a press conference in Thessaloniki
today, that was given on the occasion of a photography exhibition
for the 10 years of the organization in Greece, that the use of
depleted uranium weapons must be abolished. He also called for the
immediate publication of all the scientific reports in the
possession of NATO concerning the effects of the specific bombs on
the health of the general population, as they were recorded in the
research conducted in the Persian Gulf and Bosnia.
Mr. Pavlopoulos pointed out the need to shed light on the
issue, adding that the scientists will not be able to reach safe
conclusions in the immediate future concerning the effects of the
depleted uranium shells on the health of the general population,
the environment and the food chain as the results will be evident
after a considerable period of time.
The Doctors Without Borders, said Mr. Pavlopoulos, have
already started their own scientific research and the results will
be made public as soon as all necessary data will be collected to
support specific points of views.
[09] RELIEF IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE TODAY
Gains were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange today. The
general index was up by 2.29% at 3.205,01 points and the volume of
transactions was at 127.4 million Euro or 43.417 billion drachmas.
Of the stocks trading today, 294 recorded gains and 46 had
losses, while the value of 34 stocks remained unchanged.
[10] GREECE IS AT THE 43RD PLACE ON FIFA'S LIST
Greece is at the 43rd place of FIFA's world listing. The
Greek national football team was one place down in the month of
January as it gathered 573 points.
The first place in the world listing is occupied by Brazil,
followed by France and Argentina. The forth place is shared by the
Czech Republic and Italy with 742 points, while the 6th place is
occupied by Portugal.
[11] THE CANCER CASES ARE 500% UP IN REGIONS BOMBED WITH DEPLETED
URANIUM SHELLS
The cancer cases in certain regions of Serbia and Kosovo,
that a year and a half ago were bombed by NATO with depleted
uranium shells, have increased as much as 500%, like in the case
of Pancevo. The increase in cancer cases throughout Serbia
compared to their number before the NATO bombings is estimated at
30%, while the next thirty generations will suffer the effects of
the depleted uranium bombs. The above were stated by Serb
ecologists Biljana Tomasevic and Budomir Babic in a press
conference they gave in Thessaloniki today on the occasion of the
event under the title "From the Persian Gulf Syndrome to the
Balkans Syndrome" organized by Greek environmental organizations
at Thessaloniki's Macedonia University.
The Serb ecologists underlined that the 31.000 depleted
uranium bombs dropped on Yugoslavia have left behind a total of 15
tons of nuclear waste and in order to be cleaned the country's
soil must be removed at a depth of 2 meters, according to the Serb
minister of health.
Mr. Babic stated that reports drawn up by independent
organizations in the United States and Holland have showed that
the depleted uranium is catastrophic for the environment and the
health of the general population, stressing that Thessaloniki as
well as cities in Albania, Bosnia and Bulgaria must be concerned.
Responding to the question if the parts of the depleted
uranium shells will be collected, Mr. Babic stated that the
Yugoslav army has started collecting them in south Serbia, while
there is not enough information on what takes place in Kosovo.
[12] THE GREEK GOVERNMENT DID NOT COMMENT ON THE NUCLEAR ARMS IN
ARAXOS
The Greek military force in Kosovo is deemed necessary, its
role is peacekeeping and stabilizing, reiterated today Greek
government spokesman Dimitris Reppas when asked to comment on what
will be the government's decision concerning the transfer requests
submitted by Greek soldiers serving in the region, adding that the
government will take all necessary measures to safeguard this
presence.
Mr. Reppas underlined that the isolated requests submitted
will be taken under consideration.
When called to comment on a press report published by the
Athens newspaper "TA NEA" based on which, nuclear arms were
removed from the Araxos Air Base, the Greek government spokesman
responded that there will be no further comment, adding that from
time to time a number of decisions are being made within the
framework of the cooperation with NATO.
[13] STATEMENTS BY THE GREEK DEFENSE MINISTER ON THE GREEK
SOLDIERS IN KOSOVO
The assurance that the requests of the Greek soldiers serving
in Kosovo and want to return to Greece will be met, was given
today by Greek minister of defense Akis Tsochatzopoulos, who met
in Athens with his Bulgarian counterpart Bojko Noev. Mr.
Tsochatzopoulos denied the information that the transfers of the
Greek soldiers in Kosovo have been frozen and stressed that all
necessary measures are being taken for the protection of the
health of the Greek soldiers in the region.
Commenting on the Athens newspaper "TA NEA" news report based
on which, nuclear arms have been removed from the Araxos Air Base,
the Greek minister stated that NATO is responsible for any
statements on the issue but Greece's position on the restriction
of nuclear weapons is firm.
The Greek and Bulgarian ministers of defense agreed on the
promotion of the bilateral defense cooperation.
Mr. Tsochatzopoulos was also asked on the concerns raised by
the information according to which, a "mad cow" disease case was
recorded in the Italian cattle farm that supplies with meat an
international fast-food restaurant chain and the Greek army. The
Greek minister of defense gave assurances that all necessary
inspections are being made on the food with which the Greek army
is supplied.
[14] THE ALBANIAN HEALTH MINISTER WILL BE IN THESSALONIKI TOMORROW
Albanian health minister Leonard Solis will be in
Thessaloniki tomorrow at the invitation of Inter-Balkan Medical
Center president Georgios Apostolopoulos. The Albanian minister
will be accompanied by University of Tirana medical school
professors.
The goal of the visit is to promote cooperation on health
issues and new technology applications in medicine.
Mr. Apostolopoulos will honor the delegation in a special
ceremony that will be held on January 19 followed by a lecture on
music's therapeutic properties.
The visit of the Albanian minister takes place after the
contacts Mr. Apostolopoulos had with Albanian prime minister Ilir
Meta and Mr. Solis during his recent trip to Albania for the
promotion of Inter-Balkan cooperation issues in the sector of
health and the training of doctors.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[15] EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION ON THE INTERRUPTION OF THE
DEPLETED URANIUM USE
The European Parliament approved a joint resolution on the
interruption of the use of depleted uranium until the scientific
investigation which is underway is completed. The resolution was
reached at the initiative of Euro-deputy Antonis Trakatellis,
elected with the Greek right-wing opposition party of New
Democracy. The investigation seeks to establish if the specific
substance is linked to the health problems observed on NATO
soldiers serving in Yugoslavia and the local population.
The Euro-deputy spoke in the European parliament's plenary
session about the risks and effects of the depleted uranium use
and referred to the role of the European Commission and EU foreign
and defense policy head, Javier Solana with regards to the issue.
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