MPA NEWS IN BRIEF (26/06/1996)

From: Macedonian Press Agency <mpa@philippos.mpa.gr>

Macedonian Press Agency Brief News in English Directory

BRIEF GREEK NEWS BULLETIN MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY

Thessaloniki, June 26, 1996

TITLES

NEWS IN DETAIL

[01] ANDREAS PAPANDREOU TO BE BURIED TODAY WITH STATE LEADER'S HONORS

Greece will bid it last farewell to Andreas Papandreou, as he will be laid to rest today. Thousands of people from throughout the country are expected to attend the funeral, and scores of foreign leaders and government delegations have began arrving in Athens since yesterday.

Just as throughout last night, even in today's sweltering heat thousands of mourners are queuing past the body of the Greek Socialist leader and thrice Premier, as he lay in state in a coffin draped with flag at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Athens.

Meanwhile, workers have been working feverishly to place concurrent translation devices inside the church in four laguages, english, german, italian and french.

The funeral procession will embark at 5 p.m. and the cortege will wind slowly through downtown Athens past parliament where a monent of silence will be observed. A military procession will accompany the cortege which will be placed on a gun carriage and will be escorted by thousands of Greek citizens and political leaders from Greece and throughout the world.

Four fighter jects F-16 and Mirage 2000 will fly in synchronized manoeuvres while a 21 cannon salute will be fired from Lycabettus mountain.

Andreas Papandreou will be buried this evening at 7:00 o clock at the Athens First Cemetery across from the grave of his father, former Prime Minister and Governor of the Aegean George Papandreou.

Archbishop of Athens and all Greece Serapheim will officiate the funeral service at the Athens Metropolitan Cathedral.

Eulogies will be read by Prime Minister Kostas Simitis, Parliament President Apostolos Kaklamanis, one of Mr. Papandreou's children, two PASOK representatives, leaders of the main opposition parties, and two representatives from foreign services.

Tight security measures are being taken for the funeral where some 17,000 police officers, the total force of the Attica Police, will be posted along the route of the funeral procession.

Scores of dignitaries from 80 countries throughout the world, including heads of state, have arrived in Athens amidst tight secutity.

Former French premier and president of the Socialist International and French Socialist Party Pierre Mauroy as well as former minister and sec-general of France's Socialist Party Lionel Jospin arrived this afterrnoon.

"Socialist International is in mourning today," stated Mr. Mauroy, "we came to bid farewell to one of our own," he added.

Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic stated upon his arrival at the Athens airport that the deceased was a "great european politician, while Turkey's foreign Minister Emre Gionensay stated that he admired Mr. Papandreou's economic wisdom and noted that his thought and wisdom contributed to the development of socialism in Greece.

[02] FOREIGN LEADERS AND DIGNITARIES ARTRIVE FOR THE FUNERAL OF ANDREAS

Foreign dignitaries and political leaders throughout the world are arriving in Athnes today in order to attend the funeral of the late Andreas Papandreou who passed away on Sunday.

Already in Athens are the Prime Ministers of Albania and Australia's Victoria, as well as United States Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin and US Ambassador to Athens Thomas Niles, Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, Bulgarian Premier Zhan Videnov, Armenian Premier Arad Bagradian, Slovenian Premier Janez Drnovsek, Lebaneze Premier Raf Hariri, and Croatian Foreign Minister Matte Granic.

Representatives from the European Union countries will be German Foreign Minsiter Klaus Kinklel, accompanied by Oscar Lafontaine, the head of the German Social Democratic Party SPD and SPD deputy and President of the German-Greek Parliamentary Group Ingrid Skarpelli-Sperk, Dutch Premier Wim Kok, and the British environment minister.

From France, French Education Minister Francois Bayrou, Former French Premier and Ptisident of the Socialist Internaitonal and French Socialist Party Pierre Mauroy as well as former minister and secretary-general of France's Socialist Party Lionel Jospin. From Spain, Former Spanish Premier and Socialist Party leader Felipe Gonzales.

Russia will be represented by Deputy Premier Vitaly Ignachienko and Foreign UnderSecretary Nikolai Athanasievski.

United Nations Secretary-General Butros Ghali will be represented by the UN assistant secretary-general Peter Hansen.

Other dignitaries attending will be Syrian Vice President Abdel Halim Kadam, Canada's Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworth, Europarliament President Klaus Haensch and the President of the European Socialist Group Pauline Green.

Portugal will be represented by Foreign Undersecretary Jose Kamego. Also, Italian Minister of State Livia Turco, Maltese Foreign Minister and deputy Premier Guido de Marco, Finnish International Commerce Minister Anti Kaliomaki, Norwegian Commerce Minister Grete Knudsern and Sweden's Alternate Foreign Minister Piere Sorri. The European commissioner Jacques Santer will be represented by Greek Commissioner Christos Papoutsis.

[03] BULGARIAN PREMIER ZHAN VIDENOV ARRIVES IN ATHENS FOR THE FUNERAL

Bulgarian Prime Minister Zhan Videnov arrived in Athens today in order to pay his last respects to the late Andreas Papandreou.

Mr. Videnov stated that his people have lost a great friend, a great politician of the "Balkan policy."

"Andreas Papandreou offered a great deal to the approach between Bulgaria and Greece and especially during the period when there was conflict between NATO and the Warsaw Pact," Mr. Videnov stated.

The Bulgarian Premier did not rule out the possibility of a meeting with Greek Premier Kostas Simitis during his stay in Athens.

"I believe that an opportunity for such meeting will be given to us so that we can continue the discussion we started in Florence."

[04] US EMBASSY, CONSULATE CLOSED TODAY IN HONOR OF ANDREAS

In order to honor the late Greek leader Andreas Papandreou, the United States Embassy in Athens and Consulate-General in Thessaloniki will be closed today.

Also closed will be the American Library in the Hellenic American Union and the American Center in Thessaloniki.

[05] ALL GOVERNMENT OFFICES TO BE CLOSED TODAY IN HONOR OF ANDREAS

All government offices will be closed today, while the General Confederation of Workers of Greece (GSEE) has declared a three-hour work stoppage. Shops in Athens, museums and archaeological sites will also be closed. The Union of Greek Banks also announced that banks, both greek and foreign, will be closed today.

[06] UN SECRETARY-GENERAL'S NEW SPECIAL ENVOY MEETS WITH DENKTASH

North Korea's former Foreign Minister Han Sung Ju, the Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General for the Cypriot issue, will meet with Turk-Cyrpiot leader Rauf Denktash at Cyrpus' occupied territory today.

In his first visit to Cyprus since he was appointed to his curent post on May 1, Mr. Ju met yesterday with the President of Cyprus Glafkos Clerides.

On Saturday, he will give a press conference and will depart for Athens the next day. Accompanied by his alternate, Gustav Feishel, Mr. Ju will travel to Ankara, Moscow, London, Brussels and Paris.

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