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Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2003-05-22Macedonian 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, May 22, 2003 SECTIONS
NEWS HEADLINES[A] NATIONAL NEWS[A] NATIONAL NEWSVassilis Papageorgiou. on the issue because an investigation is penal and disciplinary being carried out by the proper Air Force authorities, and it is right to wait for their findings". He also recommended that everyone avoid making extreme statements concerning flight safety in the Air Force. "It is a very sensitive issue. An investigation is underway, my orders are for it to go in depth and when the responsibility is found, there will obviously be very harsh penalties, depending on those responsibilities". The meeting is being organized by Foreign Affairs sector of ND and the "Constantinos Karamanlis" Institute for Democracy, and participants include, among others, former Foreign Minister Theodoros Pagalos, former foreign policy Head of the Coalition of th e Left, Nikos Choundis, DIKKI EuroMPs, Mr. Alyssandrakis and Mr. Bakopoulos, as well as well known ND officials. After the end of the works on Saturday afternoon, the President of ND will depart from Rhodes for Astypalea. There, Mr. Karamanlis will have consecutive meetings with the mayor and island body representatives, and will the depart for Athens. The suspect was taken to the Counter Terrorism Service from the Attica area, and according to unconfirmed information, this individual allegedly belongs to the first generation of the organization. So far it is unknown how the police located his trail, while there may be announcements on the issue in the next few hours. He had been named by Savvas Xeros during his preliminary statement, while according to information, Xeros had recognized him from photographs. As was made known, he is a peripheral member of the organization, not part of the main body. Police sources mention that the findings in the two organization hideouts led to his location. Constantinos Avramidis was taken in during the early morning hours in the Attica area, and is expected to be arrested by this evening, while he may possibly ev en appear before Special Examiner Leonidas Zervobeakos today. Aegean with the increasing number of violations of Greek airspace by Turkish military aircrafts. The Minister said that he is concerned with Turkey's position, but noted that the Armed Forces are ready. Mr. Evert stressed that there may be a serious incident in the Aegean and Greece must be prepared for every eventuality. Mr. Papantoniou stated that there was convergence in his position with that of Mr. Evert on major national issues, which he considered important since Greece is a country facing a serious national threat. Mr. Evert also commented that there was full agreement, especially on Turkey's provocative stance. "Turkey must understand that these tactics of airspace violations is a dead end and that there is no chance of a European path for Turkey with the policy i t is following. Turkey must understand that it will be isolated from all of Europe and we will take initiative in actions, I do not mean ND, but Hellenism as a whole, to cut Turkey's path off if it continues with this policy. We want Turkey in the Europea n Union, but in the frame of mind of a democratic nation, a state that respects human values and international law. And it is proven that Turkey does not respect international law and provokes on a daily basis. It is harming itself. Mr. Michalopoulos is facing multiple charges of blackmail and attempted fraud, all criminal offenses. Therefore, the OTEnet subscribers temporarily have no access to the international Internet. A great effort is being made by OTEnet and everybody involved to restart the connections and restore access to international Internet. Mrs. Allende will leave for the island of Crete as soon as she arrives in Greece to visit archaeological sites and meet with local authorities. On Monday, May 26, she will have separate meetings in Athens with Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Papandreou, governing Socialist Party of PASOK Central Committee general secretary Kostas Laliotis, Greek Parliament President Apostolos Kaklamanis and right -wing main opposition party of New Democracy leader Kostas Karamanlis. She will attend a formal luncheon given in her honor by Mr. Kaklamanis. Later in the afternoon, she will meet with Prime Minister Kostas Simitis and then she will be received by Greek President Kostis Stephanopoulos. On Tuesday, May 27, Mrs. Allende will visit the archaeological site of the Acropolis and before departing for her country she will give a press conference at the Grande Bretagne Hotel organized by the Chilean embassy in Athens. Isabel Allende, the daughter of the assassinated President Salvador Allende, is a mother of two and has studied Sociology at the University of Chile. She was elected to Parliament in 1998 and in 2002. She has served as President of her country's Socialis t Party, while since 1994 she is the party's Vice-President. In the past, she was a professor at the University of Chile and she is the general director of the Salvador Allende Institute. Of the stocks trading today, 215 recorded losses and 81 had gains, while the value of 81 stocks remained unchanged. civil engineer Kostas Avramidis from Kilkis. Police confirm that Avramidis, also known as "Pontios", was a 17N member of peripheral interest and soon he will undergo formal questioning. The testimonies that included Avramidis' name were two. The first belonged to Sotiris Kondilis or Aris of 17N, who stated that a person called Kostas brought him into contact with Dimitris Koufodinas in order to become a member of the terrorist group. He said that this individual was also known as "Pontios" and lived in the region of Exarchia in Athens. He worked occasionally in the construction of buildings, had gray hair, and wore eyeglasses because he was near-sighted. Savvas Xiros, who is also accused of being a 17N member, had stated that a man named Kostas, who was a Fine Arts School student, was not fit to become a member of the terrorist group because he was an absentminded artist. Other information, mentions that Kostas Avramidis was known to the police for a number of years and had been arrested a few times after protests held in the center of Athens. He was a friend of Christodoulos Xiros and in the past six months he was watched closely by the counter-terrorist agency. The EU is ready to offer all possible assistance in order to alleviate the suffering of the Algerian people affected by this tragedy. Mr. Christodoulakis admitted that the Greek economy faces problems but underlined that it is able to deal with them. He said that the economic policy has to continue to be on the path of stability, development and more job positions. Present in the reception were Thessaloniki's Prefect Panagiotis Psomiadis, representatives of the Ministry of Macedonia-Thrace, the 3rd Army Corps, the Municipality of Thessaloniki, and consul generals of other countries in northern Greece. Also, present were personalities of the city's business and literary world and members of the Greek-Bulgarian Friendship Association of Thessaloniki "Cyril and Methodius". [B] INTERNATIONAL NEWSIn statements he made after the meeting that lasted over an hour, Mr. Simitis said that the Europe of the "25" must move forward regardless of the different views existing inside the EU. On the Cyprus issue, Mr. Simitis said that the resumption of dialogue is meaningless if Turkey does not change its position. In the meeting they also discussed the changes in the sectors of security, defense and common foreign policy promoted by the under formation EU Constitution to which Britain is opposed. The Greek Prime Minister also pointed out that relations between Europe and the United States are very good. Macedonian Press Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |