Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2001-05-02
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, May 2, 2001
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
TITLES
[Á] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] PRESIDENT OF CYPRUS ARRIVES IN GREECE TODAY
[02] POPE JOHN PAUL II ARRIVES IN ATHENS ON FRIDAY
[03] ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH TO TOUR NORTHERN GREECE
[04] NY TO HOST CONFERENCE ON INVESTING IN GREECE
[05] SPORTS TRADE FAIR TO BE HELD IN THESSALONIKI
[06] DEFENSE MINISTER TO ATTEND SERIES OF MEETINGS
[07] BLACK SEA BANK TO MEET AT TBILISI IN MAY
[08] PRESIDENT OF CYPRUS GLAFCOS CLERIDES IN GREECE
[09] MAY DAY RALLIES: RECORD TURNOUT, FEW EPISODES
[10] EPISODES IN THASOS OVER INSTALLATION OF RADAR
[11] FRENCH BOAT RUNS ADRIFT OFF CRETE, ALL RESCUED
[12] IOC'S ROGGE IN ATHENS, TO MEET WITH CITY'S MAYOR
[13] ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH ARRIVES IN N. GREECE
[14] PM: REFORMS NEEDED FOR NEXT GENERATIONS' SAKE
[15] BEGLITIS ON THE INCIDENTS IN FYROM
[16] SHELDON'S CONTACTS IN ATHENS
[17] THE GREEK AGRICULTURE MINISTER IS ON A VISIT TO SOFIA
[18] LOSSES IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
[19] THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE GREEK CATHOLIC CHURCH EXPRESSED
DISCONTENT
[20] ROUSOPOULOS: THE PASOK GOVERNMENTS HAVE HUGE RESPONSIBILITIES
[21] MOUNT ATHOS DISAGREES WITH THE JOINT STATEMENT BY ARCHBISHOP
CHRISTODOULOS AND THE POPE
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[22] THE POPE'S STATEMENT ON HIS VISIT TO GREECE AND SYRIA
[23] DOUKAKIS: THE SITUATION IN EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN IS CRITICAL
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] PRESIDENT OF CYPRUS ARRIVES IN GREECE TODAY
The President of the Republic of Cyprus Glafcos Clerides is
to embark on an official, two-day visit to Greece today.
Mr. Clerides, who will be accompanied by his wife, is
visiting Athens at the invitation of the President of the Hellenic
Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos with whom he will meet today.
Tomorrow, President Clerides will meet with Prime Minister
Costas Simitis and the two will discuss the latest developments
in the Cyprus issue and the island's course of accession to the
European Union, as well as Greek-Turkish relations.
[02] POPE JOHN PAUL II ARRIVES IN ATHENS ON FRIDAY
Pope John Paul II is due to arrive in Athens for an official
visit on Friday, May 4, at the invitation of the President of the
Hellenic Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos.
The Pontiff will be greeted at the airport by Foreign
Minister George Papandreou, while, immediately afterwards, he will
be meeting with the president, Prime Minister Costas Simitis,
Parliament Speaker Apostolos Kaklamanis and main opposition New
Democracy leader Costas Karamanlis at the presidential mansion.
The state is to enforce draconian security measures during
the Pope's stay in Athens. 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 1056, when Christianity was
divided into Eastern and Western branches.
The Pope will meet 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.
Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Christodoulos will be
present alongside the visiting pontiff on three occasions – the
first during John Paul's visit to the Athens Archbishopric,
followed by their joint appearance at the foot of the Acropolis.
Finally, Mr. Christodoulos will visit the pope at the residence of
the Vatican's representative in Athens the same evening, May 4.
In their addresses before the faithful, the Pope and the
Archbishop will refer to terrorism, pollution and the gradual loss
of Europe's Christian identity.
After his departure from Athens, the Pope will visit Damascus and
Malta.
Meanwhile, a group of Greek monks and nuns held an all-night
vigil at a Mount Olympus monastery last weekend, praying that the
Pope's visit, planned for May 4, will be cancelled. The vigil was
also attended by members of the clergy and faithful, who wished to
express their opposition to the Pope's visit.
The group also announced that it plans to hold a protest
rally against the visit, to be held in Athens today, two days
before the pontiff's arrival.
[03] ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH TO TOUR NORTHERN GREECE
Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos is to embark on a tour of
northern Greece today, at the invitation of local metropolitans.
During the course of his tour, Mr. Vartholomeos is expected
to refer to Greek-Turkish relations and to stress that friendship
between the two peoples "will be to the benefit of the two
countries".
Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Christodoulos will not be
meeting with the Ecumenical Patriarch, due to his scheduled
preparations for the Pope's imminent arrival to Athens.
Ties between the Patriarchate and the Church of Greece are
presently poor, given disputes over the two bodies' areas of
jurisdiction.
[04] NY TO HOST CONFERENCE ON INVESTING IN GREECE
Foreign Minister George Papandreou is to inaugurate a New
York conference that will review investment opportunities in
Greece, the Athens Stock Exchange and the Olympic Games of 2004.
The annual event, to be held on May 7, is organized by
Capital Link, working with the Greek-UK Business Council.
Other speakers will include the president of the Athens
Olympics organizing committee, Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, and
the chairman of the Athens Stock Exchange, Panayiotis Alexakis.
[05] SPORTS TRADE FAIR TO BE HELD IN THESSALONIKI
The second international Sports and Re-creation Equipment and
Facilities trade fair "Sportexpo" is to be held in Thessaloniki's
International Trade Center on May 24-27.
The theme of this year's Sportexpo, organized by Helexpo, will be
the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, with focus granted on several
special events not widely popular to the public, such as
triathlon, hockey, softball, baseball, canoe-kayak, pentathlon,
archery, body building, mountain biking, martial arts and
aerobics.
[06] DEFENSE MINISTER TO ATTEND SERIES OF MEETINGS
Defense Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos is to take part in a
meeting of European Union defense ministers which will take place
on May 14-15 with the participation of the six EU and NATO member-
states and the 15 candidate countries for EU accession.
The meeting will focus on issues concerning the final phase
of the creation of the European army, which must be rendered
operationally ready in 2003.
Also, the defense minister of the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia will pay an official visit to Greece on May 17-18, in
response to a visit made to Belgrade by his Greek counterpart.
Moreover, the informal meeting of defense ministers from
member-states of southeastern Europe's multinational brigade will
be held in Thessaloniki on June 5-6, in continuation of their
meeting in FYROM and to examine opportunities for utilizing the
force for Balkan security.
The said meeting will be attended by the US secretary of
defense.
[07] BLACK SEA BANK TO MEET AT TBILISI IN MAY
The Black Sea Bank will hold its third annual meeting of its
members in Tbilisi, Georgia, on May 20.
According to a bank announcement, this will be the first
international economic meeting to be hosted in Georgia, adding
that Georgia is one of the most important countries in which the
Black Sea Bank is scheduling investments.
The "Black Sea's Business Days" will also be organized in the
framework of this international meeting.
Georgian prime minister will inaugurate the event, while
speakers will include Greek European Union Commissioner Anna
Diamantopoulou.
[08] PRESIDENT OF CYPRUS GLAFCOS CLERIDES IN GREECE
The President of the Republic of Cyprus Glafcos Clerides is
arriving in Greece today, embarking on an official, two-day visit
at the invitation of his Greek counterpart Kostis Stephanopoulos.
Messrs. Clerides and Stephanopoulos are to meet at the
Presidential Mansion and will be giving a joint press conference
after their talks.
President Clerides will in turn attend an event at the Athens
Town Hall, where Athens Mayor Dimitris Avramopoulos will bestow
upon him the golden key to the capital.
A meeting will follow between President Clerides and the
Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Christodoulos.
Tomorrow, the President of Cyprus will have talks with Prime
Minister Costas Simitis and members of the government, as well as
with the leaders of Greek political parties.
On Friday morning, the last day of his visit, Mr. Clerides
will meet successively with Defense Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos
and the honorary president of main opposition New Democracy,
Constantine Mitsotakis.
Mr. Clerides, whgo will be accompanied by his wife, will
attend an official dinner hosted in his honor by President
Stephanopoulos, while there will also be a reception at the Cyprus
Embassy in Athens.
[09] MAY DAY RALLIES: RECORD TURNOUT, FEW EPISODES
Only minor episodes of vandalism marred yesterday's May Day
labor rally in Thessaloniki, which featured a record-breaking
turnout fuelled by last week's massive strike (also the largest in
over twenty years) held in protest to social security reforms
proposed by the state.
The president of Greece's largest umbrella trade union
organization Confederation of Workers of Greece (GSEE) Christos
Polyzogopoulos, addressed a May Day rally organized by
Thessaloniki's local Labor Center and vowed that the trade union
movement would not "back down an inch" from its positions.
He also called on Prime Minister Costas Simitis to guarantee
"honest dialogue on finding additional funds for the social
insurance system".
Thesaloniki's Communist Party-affiliated PAME trade union
organization organized their own separate rally which also
featured a large turnout.
Meanwhile, in its May Day message, the ruling PASOK party
said May Day in 2001 is undoubtedly being celebrated in a climate
of emotion and intense social confrontation.
In his message, the leader of the main opposition party of
New Democracy Costas Karamanlis said that this year's May Day
"puts forward the need for social solidarity, sealing the end of
obsessions and necessitating a new page and a change in policy."
[10] EPISODES IN THASOS OVER INSTALLATION OF RADAR
Episodes erupted at the port of Thasos island when locals,
protesting the planned installation of a radar, attempted to
obstruct the embarkation of a SWAT team dispatched to oversee the
project.
Bearing black flags, the locals attempted to disrupt the
installation process and sawed off four electrical utility poles
in their effort to cut off the power supply to the premises.
Last night, the City Council of Thasos unanimously voted to
issue an injunction against the radar's installation since this,
as it stated, would cause permanent and irreversible damage to the
island's landscape and the balance of its ecosystems.
In a separate petition tabled with the environment, city
planning and public works ministry's environmental management
department, the municipality called for all the necessary measures
to be taken for safeguarding the environment.
[11] FRENCH BOAT RUNS ADRIFT OFF CRETE, ALL RESCUED
Five Belgian passengers on board a French sailboat that ran
adrift early today off the coast of Crete, have been rescued and
are well, according to Greece's merchant marine ministry.
According to the Ministry, the French-registered sailboat
"ALIN 1", of the catamaran type, issued a distress signal at dawn
as it was sailing 5 nautical miles southwest of Crete after its
mast snapped.
Nearby vessels rushed to its assistance, and three of the
five passengers, which included one woman, were picked up by the
Singapore-flagged freighter "INNOVATOR", while the other two were
picked up a short while later by a helicopter from the French
naval frigate "TOURVIL" which was sailing in the area.
The Belgians were taken to hospital in Hania for a check-up.
[12] IOC'S ROGGE IN ATHENS, TO MEET WITH CITY'S MAYOR
A delegation of International Olympic Committee (IOC)
officials, led by IOC Coordinating Committee chief Jacques Rogge,
is presently in Athens to check on the city's progress in
preparing for the 2004 Olympic Games.
Mr. Rogge is to have successive meetings with the Mayor of
Athens Dimitris Avramopoulos, the Ministers of Development Nikos
Christodoulakis and Transportation Christos Verelis and
Undersecretary of Labor Christos Protopapas.
Tomorrow, Mr. Rogge will be received by the Minister of
Culture Evangelos Venizelos, Environment, City Planning and Public
Works Costas Laliotis and Public Order Michalis Chrysochoides.
The IOC officals will hold a series of meetings with the
Athens Olympics organizers with whom they will review the pace of
preparations, especially at the indoor stadiums of Nikaia, Liosia
and Galatsi, as well the Olympic Village and press facilities.
During his previous visits to Athens, Mr. Rogge had stressed that
the next six months will be crucial in the country's course in
preparing for the Games.
[13] ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH ARRIVES IN N. GREECE
Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos embarked today on an
official visit to northern Greece's Bishopries of Xanthi, Serres
and Nigrita, which fall under the patriarchate's jurisdiction.
At the Bishopry of Xanthi, the Patriarch will attend events
commemorating Saint Theofanis, while at the Bishopries of Serres
and Nigrita he will inaugurate a new cathedral.
The visit will last until May 7, when the Patriarch will be
returning to Istanbul. He is visiting at the invitation of the
Metropolitans Panteleimon and Maximos.
Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Christodoulos will not be
meeting with the Ecumenical Patriarch, due to his scheduled
preparations over the Pope's imminent arrival to Athens.
Ties between the Patriarchate and the Church of Greece are
presently poor, given disputes over the two bodies' areas of
jurisdiction. The Patriarch has spoken harshly recently of Mr.
Christodoulos' efforts to gain control over bishoprics that fall
under Mr. Vartholomeos because they were under Turkish control
when the Church of Greece was granted autocephalous status in
1833.
[14] PM: REFORMS NEEDED FOR NEXT GENERATIONS' SAKE
Urgently appealing for efforts to build a better future for
Greece, Prime Minister Costas Simitis addressed the ruling PASOK
party's parliamentary group today and stressed that better days
will emerge only through sacrifices.
Specifically referring to the volatile issue of social
security reforms, which has sparked enormous and unprecedented
protests, the Premier stressed that the time has come for the
government to clearly face its mission and called on all parties
and union leaders to submit their completed proposals.
"Greece mustn't return to where it came from" he stated,
adding that ‘good-intention' policies are actually anti-social
when they fail to correspond to reality.
The government's mission, according to the Premier, is
to ensure economic stability and growth, to advance reforms and
projects and to achieve social cohesion, in all, "to lead Greece
into the 21st century", a mission that calls for "heightened
political responsibility".
Stressing that he understands and empathizes with those who
fear the planned reforms, Mr. Simitis stressed that the
demographic shift, specifically an aging population, necessitates
these measures.
"The reforming of the social security system will be the
subject of a substantial political dialogue," he stressed, adding
"during this dialogue we are open to receiving all proposals and a
combination of measures that will be tabled".
In reference to the proposed measures, the Premier stated
that state expenditures for pensions are to be increased to a tune
of seven trillion drachmas between 2010-2020, and will
subsequently multiply to 40 trillion drachmas during 2020-2030.
The Premier said social insurance systems throughout the
European Union are undergoing reforms and Greece has the
opportunity to achieve a smoother transition.
He further underlined that the reforms must be based on the
principles of social justice, solidarity of generations and
security and certainty that every citizen should have for his
present and his future in a social state.
"We embarked on this four-year term with a focus on Health,
Education and Employment", he stated, pointing out that funds
allocated for these sectors amounted to 3.5 times greater than the
inflation rate.
The Premier stressed the need for fulfilling all
restructuring reforms and proceeding to the necessary innovations
in order to achieve cohesion with the EU's developed societies,
which would only bolster Greece's position with the European
Union.
"Greece is called on to face a challenge of historic
proportions," he stated, adding "no one will achieve our targets
for us. We have to attain them on our own right and worth."
[15] BEGLITIS ON THE INCIDENTS IN FYROM
Greek foreign ministry spokesman Panos Beglitis condemned the
incidents that took place in the city of Bitola, FYROM.
Mr. Beglitis stated that the attacks on Albanian property in
Bitola are strongly condemned, adding that such actions can
undermine the climate of coexistence among ethnic groups and work
in a way that can destabilize the domestic political normality.
Mr. Beglitis also pointed out that every political power in FYROM
has to condemn those incidents and at the same time launch an
effort aimed at completing the political dialogue and consolidate
political and social stability in the country.
[16] SHELDON'S CONTACTS IN ATHENS
US armed forces chief Henry Sheldon, who is on a formal visit
to Greece, met with defense minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos in
Athens today.
In the meeting that was held in the Pentagon, were discussed
the developments in the Balkans, bilateral military relations, the
Greek-Turkish relations and the new structure of NATO.
Mr. Sheldon also met with right-wing main opposition party of
New Democracy leader Kostas Karamanlis.
According to information, Mr. Sheldon appeared satisfied with
the improvement in the Greek-Turkish relations, while Mr.
Karamanlis pointed out that there have been no meaningful steps
showing a change in Turkey's stance.
[17] THE GREEK AGRICULTURE MINISTER IS ON A VISIT TO SOFIA
Greek minister of agriculture Giorgos Anomeritis and
undersecretary Evangelos Argiris left for Sofia today for
bilateral contacts with Bulgarian agriculture ministry officials
and minister Ventislav Varbanov. They will also attend the
Agribusiness Forum 2001 on agriculture, the nature and food
safety.
In the forum, that will be attended by Bulgarian prime
minister Ivan Kostov, Mr. Anomeritis will speak about the
challenges faced in the creation of a new joint agricultural
policy. Among those attending will be EU agriculture ministers
council president Margarita Winberg as well as the agriculture
ministers of the 14 countries under EU accession.
For the record, Greece and Bulgaria have developed close and
creative relations in the farm sector, while a strong effort is
being made by Greece to assist Bulgaria in its EU accession
procedure. Also, an effort is being made for the development of
trade and investment activities in the neighboring country by
Greek companies.
[18] LOSSES IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
Small losses were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange
today. The general index dropped to -0.59% at 3.267,30 points,
while the volume of transactions was relatively high at 180.67
million Euro or 61.56 billion drachmas.
Of the stocks trading today, 115 recorded gains and 195 had
losses, while the value of 60 stocks remained stable.
[19] THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE GREEK CATHOLIC CHURCH EXPRESSED
DISCONTENT
The representatives of the Greek Catholic Church expressed
their discontent in a press conference they gave today on the
measures imposed to be in effect during the Pope's visit to Greece
on May 4-5.
Greek Catholic Church press office representative Nikos
Gasparakis stressed that the rejection of their request to be
allowed to use the open-air Olympic Stadium for the mass that will
be officiated by the Pontiff on Saturday, constitutes a rejection
of the most basic human right namely, the right of the people to
go to church.
He also stressed that the Holy Seat has realized the
sensitivities of the Greek Orthodox Church and for this reason the
Vatican's diplomatic delegation has decided that the Pope will not
be offered soil at the airport, as it traditionally happens when
he visits foreign countries, to avoid any misinterpretation of the
gesture.
[20] ROUSOPOULOS: THE PASOK GOVERNMENTS HAVE HUGE RESPONSIBILITIES
Right-wing main opposition party of New Democracy press
spokesman Thodoros Rousopoulos, commenting on prime minister
Kostas Simitis speech that was delivered before the governing
socialist party of PASOK parliamentary group, stated that Mr.
Simitis confirmed the huge responsibilities the PASOK governments
and himself personally have for the current situation in the
social security system.
Mr. Rousopoulos stressed that Mr. Simitis tried to persuade
the PASOK parliament deputies to back his choices but once again
he ignored the Greek society and the insecurity the government has
caused with its proposals.
Mr. Rousopoulos stated that the dialogue, the usefulness of
which was discovered only today by the prime minister, demands
above all honesty and clear-cut positions.
[21] MOUNT ATHOS DISAGREES WITH THE JOINT STATEMENT BY ARCHBISHOP
CHRISTODOULOS AND THE POPE
The Holy Community of Mount Athos, in a letter to the
archdiocese in Athens, expressed its total disagreement and
indignation regarding the joint statement that will be issued by
Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens and All of Greece and Pope John-
Paul B', and called for the reversal the specific decision.
In the letter it is mentioned that it is unthinkable for an
Orthodox Bishop and a heretic not only to issue a joint formal
statement but to cosign it as well.
It is also mentioned that the content of the joint statement
is unacceptable from a theological point of view.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[22] THE POPE'S STATEMENT ON HIS VISIT TO GREECE AND SYRIA
In a statement he made from the Vatican today, Pope John-Paul
B' called on the Catholics to pray for his trip to Greece which is
very important to him. He also expressed the wish that the outcome
of his trip will be positive in order to increase understanding
between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches intensifying the
progress toward total unity among the Christians.
The Pope also referred to his visit to Syria and expressed
the wish that it will strengthen the religious dialogue with the
faithful of Islam and promote a fruitful and peaceful coexistence.
[23] DOUKAKIS: THE SITUATION IN EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN IS CRITICAL
The Association of Greek-Americans from Mitilini honored
former Massachusetts governor and US presidency nominee Michael
Doukakis in a special event that was held in Crystal Palace,
Astoria, in New York.
In his speech, Mr. Doukakis characterized as critical the
situation in eastern Mediterranean, while he underlined that
thanks to the Helsinki Agreement, Cyprus will join the European
Union. He also added that many changes must be made for Turkey's
wish to be fulfilled and become an EU member.
Mr. Doukakis pointed out that one cannot be a Greek and not
be involved in public life, stressing that the same goes for the
Greek-Americans.
The president of the association announced that a campaign
will be launched aimed at founding a library in Greece named after
Michael Doukakis.
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