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Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English, 97-02-14Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Macedonian Press Agency at http://www.mpa.gr and http://www.hri.org/MPA.BRIEF GREEK NEWS BULLETIN BY MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCYThessaloniki, February 14, 1997TITLES
NEWS IN DETAIL[01] GREEK TEACHERS CONTINUE THEIR ALREADY MONTH-LONG STRIKEAthens, February 14 (MPA)Greece's primary and secondary school teachers, as well as kindergarten school teaching staff, are continuing their strikes which are to stretch into a fifth consecutive week for the high- school staff and until Wednesday for the primary education staff.The teachers of Thessaloniki will hold a massive rally on Monday. Prime Minister Kostas Simitis has firmly stated that there will be no changes made in the government's revenue policy. [02] CULTURE MINISTRY STAFF ON 48-HOUR STRIKE, MUSEUMS CLOSEDAthens, February 14 (MPA)Greece's Culture Ministry employees are currently on a 48- hour strike, demanding the stay of wage benefits, while, as they warned, they may embark on a full-blown strike next week if the Culture Minister does not respond to their claims.As a result, the country's museums remain closed during the work stoppage, including Thessaloniki's Byzantine and Archaelological Museum, the White Tower Museum, as well as the Acropolis in Athens. The workers' demands do not concern salary increases but, instead, they ask that certain bonuses already granted will not be abolished. The Culture Ministry has issued an announcement wherein it stated that the dialogue route with the employees is open but, it added, "it is clear that they cannot demand that all their claims are met or else they keep the Acropolis closed." Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos said that the strike is "a simple case of hostage-taking." [03] DEFENSE MINISTRY STAFF TO OBSERVE FOUR-HOUR WORK STOPPAGE ON MONDAYThessaloniki, February 14 (MPA)Employees of the Ministry of National Defense will conduct a four-hour work stoppage on Monday, to be followed by a protest rally in Thessaloniki's Third Army Corps.The Ministry's staff are demanding additional benefits in the form of danger- and insanitary-pay, as afforded to those employed at the Local Administration offices. Also, the workers have stated that they will conduct a 24- hour strike the following Wednesday, a move that will up the ante of their mobilizations. [04] INFERNO AT ISTANBUL'S TUZLA SHIPYARDS CONTAINED LATE LAST NIGHTIstanbul, February 14 (MPA)The fire which broke out early yesterday evening at Istanbul's Tuzla shipyards, where Turkey's largest oil tanker turned into a raging inferno, was contained during the early morning hours today.The spontaneous fire erupted at 5:30 pm when three sizeable explosions literally shook the area as far away as four kilometers. The city's fire brigade in its entirety wrestled with the catastrophe and 26 firemen have been hospitalized so far. Causes of the fire remain unknown. [05] UN CHIEF BELIEVES THAT A GREEK-TURKISH WAR OVER CYPRUS IS RULED OUTNew York, February 14 (MPA)United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has stated that tensions between Greece and Turkey have been reduced to such a degree that any possibility of war erupting between the two neighbors is ruled out.Mr. Annan also expressed the hope that the direct talks which the UN special envoy for Cyprus Han Sung Ju recently embarked upon will continue and will be followed by direct negotiations between the island's two communities, prior to September, which is when the pre-election period starts. Otherwise, he warned, "we will be overcome by pre-election fever and a series of other issues." When asked to comment on the recent statements made by British Foreign Minister Malcolm Rifkind who stated that the possibility of Greek-Turkish conflict is serious, Mr. Annan responded that "there were tensions in the area but I don't think that there will be war. We tried to defuse the tensions and our view is that there has been improvement." Moreover, the UN Secretary-General called on the two communities of Cyprus to bridge their differences and pointed out that the UN will play a leading role in the efforts to resolve the Cyprus isue, while the US and Britain will hold assisting roles. United States Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, speaking to Reuters, stated that the next two years present a significant opportunity to resolve the Cyprus issue, in spite of the recently climaxing tensions in the region. While Ms. Albright admitted that there is no specific plan for resolving the matter, she did say that the international community must take advantage of Cyprus' wish to enter the European Union, as well as the fact the 1998 will be presidential elections year for Cyprus. [06] UNDERSECRETARY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: WORST CASE SCENARIA ARE NOT HELPFULAthens, February 14 (MPA)Undersecretary of Foregnn Affairs Yiannos Kranidiotis stated that the United States worst case scenaria that foresee armed conflict between Greece and Turkey do not contribute to the efforts that are being exerted to resolve the existing tensions between the two neighbors and the Cyprus issue."There is an approach of equal distances where the culprit is leveled with the victim," Mr. Kraniditotis said, and added that this stance aims at the effort to create a climate which will result in certain initiatives and pressures exerted towards both sides. [07] TURKISH-CYPRIOTS REITERATE THREATS OF SETTLING INTO FAMAGUSTANicosia, February 14 (MPA)Turkish-Cypriots have reiterated their threats of settling into Famagusta, while the Cypriot Parliament approved the down payment funds earmarked for the purchase of Russian-made anti- aircraft missiles S-300.Turkish-Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash told the AFP that Famagusta is being prepared to house settlers, while one of his political advisers told the BBC that the city is undergoing ecological cleaning which is in no way related to a settlement. Complete archives of the Macedonian Press Agency bulletins are available on the MPA Home Page at http://www.mpa.gr/ and on the U.S. mirror at http://www.hri.org/MPA/Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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