Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2001-04-19
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, April 19, 2001
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
TITLES
[Á] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] DRACONIAN SECURITY MEASURES IN STORE FOR POPE
[02] WEEK-OLD MIRACLE BABY FIGHTS FOR HIS LIFE IN ICU
[03] LABOR MINISTRY PROPOSES RETIREMENT AT 65
[04] GREECE: CYPRUS NOT HOSTAGE TO TURKEY'S POLICY
[05] THE GREEK FOREIGN MINISTRY IS CRITICAL OF THE CEM STATEMENTS
[06] LOSSES IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
[07] APPLICATIONS FOR GERMAN WAR REPARATIONS
[08] THE 86TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
[09] THE HEALTH CONDITION OF ACTOR DINOS ILIOPOULOS HAS
DETERIORATED
[10] THE GOVERNMENT PRESENTED ITS PROPOSALS FOR THE REFORM OF THE
SOCIAL SECURITY SYSTEM
[11] A THESSALONIKI MUNICIPALITY DELEGATION IN PLOVDIV
[12] NINE-YEAR-OLD GIORGI ASKALOV RETURNS TO HIS COUNTRY
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[13] INFLATION IN THE EURO-ZONE WAS 2.6% IN MARCH
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] DRACONIAN SECURITY MEASURES IN STORE FOR POPE
Greece is to enforce draconian security measures during Pope
John Paul II's visit to Athens on May 4-5, as his arrival to
Greece is expected to unleash loud protests among Orthodox
zealots.
In addition to heavy police escort, the 80-year-old Pontiff
will be protected by sharpshooters during his address at Pnyx
Hill, a location beneath the Acropolis where the Apostle Paul
preached to the ancient Athenians. Security forces will also be on
guard at the Vatican's embassy.
The Athens visit will fulfil the Pope's dream to retrace the
steps of Pope Apostle Paul. He will be the first pontiff to visit
Greece since the Great Schism of 1054, when Christianity was
divided into Eastern and Western branches.
The Pope will met with President Costis Stephanopoulos, who
extended the invitation for the visit during his earlier talks at
the Vatican, as well as with Prime Minister Costas Simitis.
According to the itinerary, the Pope will arrive in Athens at
11:30 on Friday, May 4, on board an Alitalia airliner, and a small
welcoming reception will be held at the airport.
Later, he will be visiting the Presidential Mansion where the
official welcoming will be taking place, as well as the
Archdiocese, before arriving at the residence of his
representative in Athens where he will be staying.
He will dine with Catholic clergymen there and rest before
going to Agios Dionysios Catholic Cathedral for a meeting with
clergymen and monks of the Catholic Church.
At 8 a.m. on May 5, the Pope will be visiting the indoor
basketball stadium at the installations of the Athens Olympic
stadium where a church service will be held in Greek and Latin.
The Pope's address to the faithful is to be read in Greek.
After his departure from Athens, the Pope will visit Damascus
and Malta.
[02] WEEK-OLD MIRACLE BABY FIGHTS FOR HIS LIFE IN ICU
A week-old baby born without vital signs after being
delivered by cesarean section from its dead mother continues to
miraculously struggle for his life at the intensive care unit of
Thessaloniki's Ippokrateion hospital.
The newborn boy was delivered one hour after his mother,
seven months pregnant, died in a car crash last Thursday near the
city of Grevena in northern Greece. Doctors at a local clinic said
the baby was "clinically dead" and without a pulse when it was
delivered by C-section, before being revived and placed on a
respirator.
[03] LABOR MINISTRY PROPOSES RETIREMENT AT 65
The gradual adoption of 65 as the retirement age for
everyone, beginning with those who were insured after 1993, is one
of the Labor Ministry's proposals to be set forth to the Inner
Cabinet today, part of the effort to overhaul the state's ailing
social security system.
At the same time, a report by British actuaries reviewing the
condition of Greece's social security funds has called for a five-
year increase in the age of retirement, as an alternative option
to deal with the sector's problems. The report, conducted by the
British Government Actuary's Department, found that the deficit is
1.3 trillion drachmas annually (or 3.3 percent of GDP), and is
likely to grow to 11.1 percent of GDP, or 4.5 trillion drachmas
annually, by 2030 unless the system is changed.
Labor Minister Tasos Yiannitsis will also propose that the
existing plethora of social security funds be merged into eight,
namely IKA, or the Social Security Foundation for private sector
employees, the Civil Service fund, the OAEE self-employed
professionals' fund, farmers, public utility employees, bank
employees, academics and journalists.
Moreover, the Ministry is to propose a different way of
calculating the size of the pension on the basis of income over
the last 15 years (and not five, as is the existing regulation in
most funds) a larger minimum pension depending on the retiree's
needs and a different structure of the social security system.
[04] GREECE: CYPRUS NOT HOSTAGE TO TURKEY'S POLICY
Cyprus is not hostage to Turkey's policy, the spokesperson of
Greece's Foreign Ministry Panos Beglitis stated, adding that
Ankara ought to shift its position.
Mr. Beglitis was responding to statements made by Turkish
Foreign Minister Ismael Cem who, during his visit to the island's
occupied territory yesterday, warned that Cyprus accession to the
European Union will be a "highly priced success" that will bring
"new suffering" to the local Turkish and Greek communities.
Mr. Beglitis stated that the European Union, following the
Helsinki Summit, has formed a clear framework for Cyprus'
accession to the EU, and no country can impede this process.
Mr. Beglitis also stressed that Turkey's EU orientation is
closely associated with the policy it intends to follow in respect
to the Cyprus issue.
[05] THE GREEK FOREIGN MINISTRY IS CRITICAL OF THE CEM STATEMENTS
Greek foreign ministry spokesman Panos Beglitis was very
critical of the statements made by Turkish foreign minister Ismail
Cem during his recent visit to the Turkish occupied part of
Cyprus. Mr. Beglitis said that Turkey must change its policy and
realize that the Cyprus issue is not the hostage of the Turkish
policy.
Mr. Beglitis stated that the statements made by Mr. Cem
display the self-entrapment and dead end faced by the Turkish
policy in the Cyprus issue. He said that the European Union with
the Helsinki decision has formed a clear framework for Cyprus' EU
accession and no country can block its course. Mr. Beglitis added
that Turkey's course to the EU is linked with the policy it will
follow on the Cyprus issue.
[06] LOSSES IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
Losses were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange today. The
general index dropped to -0.91% at 3.285,96 points, while the
volume of transactions was 286.05 million Euro or 97.473 billion
drachmas.
Of the stocks trading today, 108 recorded gains and 208 had
losses, while the value of 58 stocks remained stable.
[07] APPLICATIONS FOR GERMAN WAR REPARATIONS
The individuals, who have the right to demand war reparations
from the German funds established for the victims of forced labor,
those who suffered property damages, etc, during World War II,
must submit their applications to the responsible offices at
Greece's prefectures to be conveyed to the International
Organization of Immigration.
The German law according to which, seven organizations among
them the International Organization of Immigration will pay
compensation to former slave-workers, forced labor workers and
victims of the Nazi period injustice, has been put into effect on
August 12, 2000.
[08] THE 86TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Events in memory of the victims of the Armenian genocide will
be held in Thessaloniki on Sunday and Tuesday on the occasion of
the 86th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
In April 1996, the Greek parliament adopted April 24 as
Armenian Genocide Memorial Day. Eighty-six years ago an estimated
1.5 million Armenians were massacred by the Young Turks'
government, while those who survived were forced to abandon their
homes and scatter around the world.
[09] THE HEALTH CONDITION OF ACTOR DINOS ILIOPOULOS HAS
DETERIORATED
The health condition of actor Dinos Iliopoulos, who is
hospitalized in the Central Clinic of Athens for the past week,
has deteriorated.
According to his doctors, his health condition is not good as
both of his lungs have suffered an infection.
Since early this morning, Dinos Iliopoulos is sedated and is
linked to a breathing machine. The next 48 hours are regarded as
crucial for the development of his health condition.
[10] THE GOVERNMENT PRESENTED ITS PROPOSALS FOR THE REFORM OF THE
SOCIAL SECURITY SYSTEM
Greek prime minister Kostas Simitis presented the basic axes
of the government proposals for the reform of the social security
system in statements he made today after the joint meeting of the
government committee and the executive bureau of the governing
socialist party of PASOK
The prime minister stressed that the public character of the
social security system will be preserved, its privatization has
been rejected, while its tripartite funding by the employers,
employees and the state will be maintained. Also, the social
security levy will not be increased, neither the overall pension
age limit.
Mr. Simitis stated that the transition to the new condition
will be gradual to avoid injustice and sudden changes. He also
clarified that there will be no change for those who are already
receiving pension and for those who have secured their pension
rights.
All those who have 40 years of social security will have the
right to receive pension without reaching a specific age, which
was not in effect until today, stated Mr. Simitis. He also called
on political parties, workers and the responsible agencies to
participate in a dialogue on the government proposals.
[11] A THESSALONIKI MUNICIPALITY DELEGATION IN PLOVDIV
A delegation of the municipality of Thessaloniki headed by
city mayor Vasilis Papageorgopoulos is on a visit to the Bulgarian
city of Plovdiv.
The delegation visited the Commerce and Industry Chamber
president and earlier it toured the city.
Tomorrow, it is scheduled to meet with Plovdiv mayor Mr. Ivan
Tsomakov and afterwards it will attend a special session of the
city council. The delegation members will also meet with the
governor of the region of Plovdiv and the managing director of the
city international fair.
The delegation will return to Thessaloniki on Saturday after
visiting the monastery of Batskovo.
[12] NINE-YEAR-OLD GIORGI ASKALOV RETURNS TO HIS COUNTRY
Nine-year-old Giorgi Askalov from Minvonti, in north Caucasus
will depart for his country tomorrow from Thessaloniki's Macedonia
Airport.
The 9yearold boy was operated on in Athens where he underwent
a plastic surgery to restore his ear that was cut off by Chechen
gunmen who had kidnapped him. The gunmen had cut his ear off
demanding ransom in order to release him.
The boy's father Spartakos Askalov expressed his warm thanks
to Macedonian Press Agency for making his son's ordeal public in
May 2000. As a result a doctor from Athens expressed interest in
operating on young Giorgi for free.
The nine-year-old said that he leaves friends behind and that
his dream is some day to live in Greece permanently.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[13] INFLATION IN THE EURO-ZONE WAS 2.6% IN MARCH
Inflation in the Euro-zone remained at 2.6% in the month of
March, maintained at the same levels with February, according to
figures provided by the European Union statistics agency,
Eurostat. In all EU member-states inflation was 2.3%.
In the same period last year, inflation in the Euro-zone was
2.1%, while in all EU member-states it was at 1.9%.
Last month's largest inflation percentages were recorded in
Portugal (5.1%), Holland (4.9%) and Ireland (4.1%), while the
lowest inflation was recorded in France (1.4%), Sweden (1.7%) and
Austria (1.9%).
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