Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2001-06-13
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, June 13, 2001
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
TITLES
[Á] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] JOURNALISTS HOLD CONFERENCE IN SAMOTHRACE
[02] AIRLINE STAFF DECLARE THREE STRIKES: JUNE 15, 29, 30
[03] SWAN LAKE ON ICE BY ST. PETERSBURG BALLET
[04] BALKAN COOPERATION CONFERENCE IN ATHENS
[05] MORE EU RECOGNITION FOR GREECE'S CLEAN COASTS
[06] MAIN OPPOSITION CHIEF IN SWEDEN FOR EPP SUMMIT
[07] GREEK DM REFERS TO KOSOVO IN BALKAN INTERVIEW
[08] OVER TWO TRILLION DRACHMAS FOR NEW ECONOMY
[09] HEALTH SECTOR IN DISARRAY DUE TO STRIKES
[10] GLIGOROV SAYS HE HAS NO PROOF OF BRIBE OFFER
[11] THESSALONIKI MONK DIES BY GUNFIRE AT WEST BANK
[12] E. MACEDONIA-THRACE PREFECT LEADS BALKAN C/TEE
[13] THE PROTECTION OF THE OKTA REFINERIES IN SKOPJE
[14] "WOMAD" ETHNIC MUSIC FESTIVAL IN ATHENS
[15] MARGINAL GAINS IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
[16] APPEAL FOR PEACE BY THE PATRIARCHATE OF JERUSALEM
[17] GREECE WILL PARTICIPATE IN A MISSION TO FYROM
[18] APOSTOLAKIS ON THE "GREATER ALBANIA"
[19] OTE: COMMUTABLE BOND IN JULY
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[20] US-GREEK DEFENSE AGREEMENT
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] JOURNALISTS HOLD CONFERENCE IN SAMOTHRACE
The ninth annual conference of Greek journalists is to begin
tomorrow, at the northeastern Aegean island of Samothraki.
The four-day event, themed "Power and the Mass Media", is
jointly organized by the local municipality, the Prefecture
Administration of Evros, the ministry of press and mass media, the
ministry of Macedonia-Thrace and journalists' unions.
[02] AIRLINE STAFF DECLARE THREE STRIKES: JUNE 15, 29, 30
The federation of airline employees, OSYPA, has announced
that it has declared a 24-hour strike on June 15, followed by a 48-
hour strike on June 29 and 30.
Their demands include the signing of a collective labor
agreement, higher bonuses and more hirings.
[03] SWAN LAKE ON ICE BY ST. PETERSBURG BALLET
The St. Petersburg ice skating ballet will perform "Swan
Lake" in Thessaloniki from June 13 to 16.
The performance will be based on the choreography of
Konstantin Rassadin, in the grand tradition of the Kirov classical
choreographies.
[04] BALKAN COOPERATION CONFERENCE IN ATHENS
An international conference on economic cooperation in the
Balkans and Black Sea after activation of the stability pact for
the region is to get underway in Athens today.
The two-day event is organized by Euroforum International
London, in conjunction with the Council for Black Sea Economic
Cooperation and the Greek-Turkish Chamber of Commerce.
The conference is featuring the participation of
representatives of business associations from countries of the
European Union, Turkey and Greece and by officials of the
governments of those countries.
The conference will be opened by Deputy National Economy
Minister Ioannis Zafiropoulos, who will present Greece's plan for
restructuring of the Balkans, which will be imminently voted upon
by the parliament.
Speakers include the president of the Athens Stock Exchange,
Panayotis Alexakis; the president of the telecommunications
commission, E. Yakoumakis; the deputy governor of the Bank of
Greece, Panayotis Thomopoulos.
In addition, Transport and Communications Minister Christos
Verelis will outline the government's plans for major
infrastructure projects in the two sectors. Culture Minister
Evangelos Venizelos will present projects for the 2004 Olympic
Games to be hosted by Athens.
[05] MORE EU RECOGNITION FOR GREECE'S CLEAN COASTS
The European Union has once again recognized Greece for its
clean beaches this year, according to the Hellenic Association for
the Protection of Nature, Greece's representative for the EU's
"Blue Flags" program.
France tops the list with 403 beaches with the cleanest
rating, followed by Spain with 370 and Greece with 351.
Beaches must satisfy 27 strict criteria to qualify.
[06] MAIN OPPOSITION CHIEF IN SWEDEN FOR EPP SUMMIT
The leader of the main opposition party of New Democracy
Costas Karamanlis is to depart today for Goteborg, Sweden, where
he will to attend a European People's Party (EPP) summit meeting
that gets underway tomorrow.
Accompanying Mr. Karamanlis is a high-ranking party
delegation, which includes deputy Dora Bakoyianni.
[07] GREEK DM REFERS TO KOSOVO IN BALKAN INTERVIEW
Defense Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos expressed his concern
over the "political and structural future" of Kosovo, during an
interview he granted to three television journalists from Albania,
FYROM and Yugoslavia.
Referring to Kosovo, Mr. Tsochatzopoulos stated that the
insistence expressed by some on independence for the province and
of some others for respect for the UN resolution that Kosovo
should remain a part of Yugoslavia, will mean either confrontation
or war for the Balkans.
"The is not an accepted means," he said, adding "only through
negotiations can we create a future Kosovo.
"UN Security Council decisions constitute a good basis for
resolving the issue," he stated, stressing that a democratic
system with parallel economic and social development and peaceful
relations with all neighbors is the only framework which can
safeguard the future of all Kosovo inhabitants.
Referring to KFOR's role, the Minister stated that the
increase of the peacekeeping forces' presence on FYROM's borders
is a positive development, which might lead to a solution to the
problem of Albanian extremists infiltrating Kosovo.
When asked to comment on the name issue pending between
Greece and FYROM, Mr. Tsochatzopoulos responded that "it isn't
fair for a country to proced to unexpected moves –at a time when
the other has problems- in order to achieve a ‘better solution'
for itself.
"We have the right, and an obligation, to continue discussion
and not take advantage of good or bad opportunities. The question
is when will we achieve progress so that we'll arrive at an
acceptable solution. That's what's important."
[08] OVER TWO TRILLION DRACHMAS FOR NEW ECONOMY
Capital amounting to 2.5 trillion drachmas is to be funneled
into the New Economy during the years to come, funded by the Third
Community Support Framework (CSF) and the New Economy Development
Fund (TANEO).
Addressing an Economist conference on "New Economy, Society
of Information and the Electronic Community" in Athens, National
Economy and Finance Minister Yiannos Papantoniou announced that
the government has earmarked around one trillion drachmas for
investments on information society in the period 2000-2006.
Mr. Papantoniou said that the government has earmarked 150
billion drachmas for TANEO's activities in the next four years,
while investments funded by both the 3rd CSF and TANEO will also
facilitate the speedier adoption of new economy and information
society policies.
[09] HEALTH SECTOR IN DISARRAY DUE TO STRIKES
State hospital doctors and staff are conducting a seven-hour
work stoppage today, joining their counterparts from the Social
Security Foundation (IKA) who are striking for five-days,
demanding higher pay, additional staff and improved pensions.
All state hospitals will be closed between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.
and the National First Aid Center (EKAB) will be on strike from 8
a.m. to 3 p.m.
[10] GLIGOROV SAYS HE HAS NO PROOF OF BRIBE OFFER
Albeit not retracting the allegation made in his published
memoirs, former president of FYROM Kiro Gligorov said yesterday
that he had no proof that Greece's then-premier Constantine
Mitsotakis had known of an attempt by Greek agents to offer
Gligorov a million-dollar bribe in 1992 in order to drop the use
of the word ‘Macedonia' from his country's name.
Mr. Gligorov, who was in Athens to promote the Greek edition
of his memoirs, said "I have no proof that this was done on his
(Mr. Mitsotakis') orders.
"I said exactly what happened and what my reply was."
As soon as Mr. Gligorov's allegation came to light on Monday,
Mr. Mitsotakis' response was immediate and to the point: "The
specific reference lacks any seriousness", he said, adding that
the allegation is "irrational and crude."
Mr. Mitsotakis, presently the honorary president of the main
opposition party of New Democracy, added last night that Mr.
Gligorov is selling himself short.
"If we had decided to try to bribe him, we would have given
him a little more than a million dollars."
[11] THESSALONIKI MONK DIES BY GUNFIRE AT WEST BANK
The Patriarchate of Jerusalem has filed a demarche with the
Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority, over the death
of a Greek monk, whose origin is from Thessaloniki, who was killed
by a sniper at the West Bank.
The 36-year-old Germanos Tsibouktakis was the abbot of the
St. George Monastery since 1990.
His funeral will be held today.
[12] E. MACEDONIA-THRACE PREFECT LEADS BALKAN C/TEE
The Prefect of Eastern Macedonia-Thrace Aris Papadopoulos was
unanimously appointed as the first chairman of the Board of
Directors of the Balkan Committee founded during the course of the
first general assembly of Balkan regions.
The Balkan Committee, founded in the framework of the union
of Europe's coastal regions, aims at achieving the best possible
cooperation between Balkan regions, fostering initiatives for
peace, stability, security, development and local employment, all
founded on the premise of respecting the national, religious and
cultural characteristics of the participating areas.
In addition to the chairman, the committee will comprise
representatives from each participating country, who will serve as
vice presidents.
The general assembly session was attended by representatives
from 32 regions of Italy, Albania, Turkey, Croatia, Greece and
Romania.
The Balkan committee's headquarters are to be established in
northern Greece's port city of Kavala, where the first assembly
was held.
[13] THE PROTECTION OF THE OKTA REFINERIES IN SKOPJE
The issue of the protection of the Greek interest oil
refinery in Skopje from a possible attack by ethnic Albanian
extremist groups was raised by right-wing main opposition party of
New Democracy parliament deputy Giorgos Voulgarakis, in a question
he directed to ministers of development Nikos Christodoulakis and
foreign affairs Giorgos Papandreou.
Mr. Voulgarakis wants to be informed on the steps both
government ministers intend to take within the framework of NATO
and the European Union to avert the eventuality of such an attack.
He underlined that Hellenic Petroleum has invested considerable
capital in FYROM in the past two years and owns the biggest part
of the former state-owned OKTA refinery, while it has undertaken
to construct, operate and exploit the oil pipeline linking
Thessaloniki with the Skopje oil refinery that is under Greek
management and control.
The US$200 million investment is the largest Greek investment
in Skopje and together with other investments in the region
contributes to the Greek economy's development and expansion
abroad.
According to international news reports, members of the
illegal ethnic Albanian separatist movement UCK have warned that
the OKTA oil refinery is a likely target of a terrorist attack.
[14] "WOMAD" ETHNIC MUSIC FESTIVAL IN ATHENS
The ethnic music festival "WOMAD", which was an idea of
singer Peter Gabriel and was founded in 1982, will take place in
Athens on June 22-24.
The festival is organized by the Greek culture ministry in
cooperation with the Cultural Olympiad.
The organizers' representative Thomas Brumann stressed that
it is an honor for the festival to participate in the Cultural
Olympiad, the third after Barcelona and Sydney, adding that in the
events will participate artists from 17 European, Asian, African
and Latin American countries.
[15] MARGINAL GAINS IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
Marginal gains were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange
today. The general index rose to +0.39% at 2.899,32 points, while
the volume of transactions was at 141.7 million Euro or 52.500
billion drachmas.
Of the stocks trading today, the majority namely, 298
recorded gains and 44 had losses, while 39 stocks remained stable.
[16] APPEAL FOR PEACE BY THE PATRIARCHATE OF JERUSALEM
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem in a statement
it has issued, made an appeal for peace to Israelis and
Palestinians on the occasion of the death of 34yearold Rev.
Hieromonk Germanos (civil name, Georgios) Tsibouktsakis, who was
killed yesterday by a sniper at an Israeli outpost in West Bank.
According to the statement, the Patriarchate of Jerusalem
expresses concern about the ongoing unstable situation in the Holy
Land and the recycling of bloodshed which results in the loss of
many innocent victims and appeals, as it has done numerous times
in the past, to both Israelis and Palestinians to intensify their
peace efforts.
In an urgent session today, the Holy Synod of the Greek
Orthodox Patriarchate condemned this and all similar attacks. It
denounced violence, called for peace, and demanded that the
authorities conduct a thorough investigation of the incident to
uncover its cause and the circumstances of the shooting and bring
the perpetrators to justice.
Rev. Monk-Priest Germanos was born in Evosmos, Thessaloniki
in Greece in 1966. He studied at Thessaloniki's Aristotle
University and went to Jerusalem in November 1990. He was anointed
monk in December 1993. In 1994, he became the acting superior of
the Monastery of Saint George in Hozeva (Wadi Kelt). On March
2000, by the decision of the Holy Synod of the Greek Orthodox
Patriarchate of Jerusalem, he was ordained Deacon in the church of
the Holy Sepulchre and priest in October 2000.
[17] GREECE WILL PARTICIPATE IN A MISSION TO FYROM
If it is deemed necessary, Greece will participate in a multi-
national force deployed in FYROM, stated acting government
spokesman and press undersecretary Tilemachos Hitiris responding
to a question by a reporter on whether Greece will send a military
force to the country.
The press undersecretary reiterated that the Greek government
is in favor of a solution that will be reached through dialogue
and not through the use of force. He pointed out that prime
minister Kostas Simitis presented the plan for the solution of the
crisis in the region to his counterparts in Brussels today and
later in the afternoon he will give a press conference.
Mr. Hitiris also mentioned that Greek foreign minister
Giorgos Papandreou had a telephone communication yesterday with
his FYROM counterpart Ms. Ilinska Mitreva.
[18] APOSTOLAKIS ON THE "GREATER ALBANIA"
Greek undersecretary of defense Dimitris Apostolakis,
speaking before Greek Air Force Cadet School graduates, stated
that there is a real danger and many questions behind a concealed
idea for the creation of a "Greater Albania" in the Balkan region.
Mr. Apostolakis maintained that the idea for the creation of
the so-called "Greater Albania" is groundless and is condemned to
failure as it causes the reaction of the international community
and the Albanian political parties. He said that in case FYROM is
divided into pieces then there is an increased likelihood for a
conflict and Greece cannot be neutral toward the possible
developments at its borders.
Referring to Turkey's overall policy toward Greece and the
efforts made by Ankara to have a say in European defense issues,
he stated that Greece and its partners are opposed to Turkey's
demands.
On Cyprus' EU accession course, Mr. Apostolakis said that it
will contribute to the solution of the political problem, while he
expressed reservations on how Turkey will react to this
eventuality maintaining that a reaction by Ankara will not be just
a reaction to the Cypriot Republic but to the European Union as a
whole.
[19] OTE: COMMUTABLE BOND IN JULY
The Greek Telecommunications Organization, OTE, is expected
to issue its commutable bond in July, through which 15% of the
company that belonged to the Greek state will go to private
investors. This development will clear the way for changes to be
made in the company's charter concerning the election of its
management.
Next month, a regulation will be approved by the Greek
parliament that will allow the general assemblies of the state-
owned companies to elect their president and managing director
under the precondition that the state participation in those
companies will be less than 51%.
The OTE investment program for 2001 is estimated at 250
billion drachmas. Meanwhile, OTE's mobile phone network in
Bulgaria is expected to be in operation this summer, while the
number of OTE's customers in Albania is on the rise and are
estimated at 120.000 after the first expansion of its network last
December.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[20] US-GREEK DEFENSE AGREEMENT
A US-Greek defense agreement was signed in Brussels today by
Greek foreign minister Giorgos Papandreou and US Secretary of
State Colin Powell, on the sidelines of the NATO summit meeting.
In statements he made afterwards, Mr. Papandreou stressed
that the agreement has a special importance as it is the result of
two-year long negotiations with the US side. He also said that the
agreement essentially covers in a transparent way, agreements that
were in effect for decades, while it upgrades bilateral
cooperation in the defense sector.
Everything that is in effect for the US citizens in Greece is
in effect for the Greek citizens in the United States and this is
a proof that cooperation between the two countries is on an equal
basis, said Mr. Papandreou.
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