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Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2002-09-10Macedonian Press Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Macedonian Press Agency at http://www.mpa.gr and http://www.hri.org/MPA.MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY Thessaloniki, September 10, 2002 SECTIONS
NEWS HEADLINES[A] NATIONAL NEWS[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS[A] NATIONAL NEWSSpeaking to Flash radio, Mr. Efthymiou characterized the proposal submitted yesterday as the "golden mean", and stressed: "There is no possibility of courses not being made up. The Institutions and the professors know that there will be no lost courses a nd we hope that there will not be another exam period lost". Mr. Efthymiou pointed out that Greek universities retain a very high level and stressed that according to a Eurostat survey in June, Greece is the first country in the EU in University Education participation (58% of young people aged 18-21 are attending some form of University Education). They will gather outside the City Courthouse in solidarity to their two colleagues being tried due to the law concerning video games. This is the first Internet Cafe owner trial, as they allowed to play video games on their computers. The main point of their discussions will be issues of bilateral and mutual interest, European developments, the Cyprus issue and EU-Turkey relations. Mr. Papandreou is also expected to refer to the eradication of terrorism in Greece. The Foreign Minister will travel to New York to participate in the services for the 1-year anniversary of September 11 terrorist attack. On Thursday he will participate in the UN General Assembly and will have meetings with his EU, Middle Eastern and South American counterparts in the margin of the works. Also, tomorrow, the Foreign Minister will meet with his new Turkish counterpart, Sukru Sina Gurel, after the resignation of Ismail Cem, while on September 16 he will meet with the US Secretary of State Collin Powel. Two couples are in the spotlight of the investigations, since according to testimonies, they had come into contact with "November 17's" "Lucas". As far as the people that had pitched their tents next to Dimitris Koufontinas' tent are concerned, they have been located and have testified, but no evidence was found against them, and they were thus released. The 44-year-old is already in the Corydallos Penitentiary, and according to the DA he enters the courtyard alone for his own safety. In his short speech after the service, the Minister of Macedonia-Thrace, Giorgos Paschalidis, noted that Greece shares the pain of the American people and characteized security as a basic human right. The Mayor of Thessaloniki, Vassilis Papageorgopoulos, testified the grief of Thessaloniki citizens and stressed that the souls of the victims send out a message to rebuild a safe global society, while he expressed his opinion that the war against terror has started bearing results. US Consul General in Thessaloniki John Coenig thanked all Greeks for their solidarity to the US, which he assured them America will never forget. Mr. Coenig ended by saying that "together we can make the world a safer place". The ceremony was attended and given a human dimension by Greek American fireman from NY, Peter Critsimilios, who stated that New York firemen will continue to go through the debris until everyone lost is brought home. Mr. Simitis, in his message on the occasion of the 1st anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the United States, stressed that they had a negative effect on the world economy and international relations. Mr. Simitis added that they proved that the progr ess of humanity is a common concern for all peoples and states. He also underlined the need to implement the values of peace, democracy and humanism. He stated characteristically, that September 11, 2001 will be remembered as the day on which uncertainty for tomorrow became, in just a few seconds, a feeling shared by all people around the world. The realization that a world catastrophe is a likelihood permeated the whole of humanity, said the Greek Prime Minister. According to a Greek General Confederation of Labor research published by the Athens newspaper "TA NEA", only 22% of the workers stated that they are very satisfied, 56% expressed average satisfaction and 22% low. It is also proved that the Greeks work c ontinuously at an intense pace, more than the average EU worker, while the compulsory temporary employment period in Greece is double in length compared to the EU average. Also, 84.3% of the Greek wage earners work in the same company for over 2 years and 9.6% less than a year. Based on the results in the first half of the year, Minister of Finance Nikos Christodoulakis stated that the goal to have an overall growth rate of 3.8% in 2002 is absolutely feasible, adding that in 2003 the growth rate will be at 4%. The investment growth rate is a very encouraging element. Even though it was slowed down it was still at high levels (9.8%), compared to the second trimester of 2001. The above were stressed by Greek Parliament President Apostolos Kaklamanis in the meeting he had in his office with China's new ambassador to Athens. Mr. Kaklamanis underlined that the return of the Olympic Games to their birthplace in 2004 and the fact that Beijing will host the games in 2008, offer an opportunity to Greece and China to cooperate in an effort to bring back the Olympic ideal. He stressed that this ideal ceased to exist lately due to the commercialization of the Olympic Games. The Chinese ambassador conveyed to the Greek Parliament President his government's warm congratulations for the dismantling of terrorist group "17 November" and expressed the belief that with the return of the Olympic Games to their birthplace the initia l spirit of the games will be revived. The European road axis 8 links Bari with Durres, Skopje, Sofia, Burgas and Varna. The specific agreement concerns the parallel development of vertical road axes to axis 8 linking Egnatia Odos motorway with the Adriatic Sea and the Black Sea. This way the role of Egnatia Odos motorway will be boosted becoming a basic road axis linking East and West in the region of southeastern Europe. This project is expected to contribute to the economic cooperation of the countries in the region, and the strengthening of trade, while it will play a major role in the increase of exports regarding the Greek farm and industrial products. Of the stocks trading today, 127 recorded gains and 154 had losses, while the value of 94 stocks remained unchanged. Mr. Protopapas pointed out that the terrorists are murderers and bank robbers, who put Greece through hardship for 27 years, and there is no excuse for their actions. When asked to comment on whether Alicia Romero Cortez, the partner in life of Savvas Xiros one of the "17 November" terrorist group members, is likely to be deported, he stated that he knows nothing about the issue. The ruling mentions that the DNA examination is used as proof in court in all advanced countries for the past 15 years, adding that it has been used as evidence in all terrorist cases with positive results. Also, the ruling refers to a list of 150 findin gs, discovered in the terrorist group hideouts at Damareos Street and Patmos Street in Athens, which will be evaluated and compared with the DNA samples that will be taken by those arrested as 17N members. In an event that took place within the framework of Thessaloniki's 67th International Trade Fair, the director of the SOPEXA office in Greece stated that in the first months of the food crisis (late 2000 to early 2001) the French beef exports had shrunk by 80%. However, this decline has been limited today to 20%. The French beef corresponds to 70% of the imported beef in Greece, while it holds a 40% share in the Greek market, counting in the locally produced beef. [B] INTERNATIONAL NEWSMr. Papantoniou will refer to the goals and priorities Greece has set for the European Policy of Security and Defense. Macedonian Press Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |