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Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English, 97-04-29Macedonian 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, April 29, 1997TITLES
NEWS IN DETAIL[01] EU-TURKEY ASSOCIATION COUNCIL TO BE HELD IN LUXEMBURG TODAYLuxemburg, April 29 (MPA)The European Union-Turkey Association Council is to be held this evening in Luxemburg where the common position adopted by the "15" will be discussed.As Greece's Premier Kostas Simitis and Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos have said, Greece will lift its veto over Turkey's financing from the EU only if Ankara meets the three terms posed by Greece, that is, Turkey must respect international rules and accords and must not use the threat of force or force against Greece. The European Union's common position for the EU-Turkey Association Council states that the further strengthening of relations between the Community and Turkey depends on a number of factors. Specifically, one of these factors is "the improvement of relations between an EU member-state and Turkey through the settlement of issues between them in acordance with international law, including means such as the International Court of Justice, as well as through good neighborly relations and the rejection of the threat of use of force in accordance with the UN Charter." Moreover, the common position states that Turkey must improve its human rights record, bringing its standards to internationally- accepted levels. A.F. [02] LAST PART OF GREEK BATTALLION DEPARTS FOR ALBANIA TODAYThessaloniki, April 29 (MPA)The last part of the Greek battallion participating in the multinational peacekeeping force assigned to Albania is to depart today from Thessaloniki's port.The ninety troops will be transported on the Greek Navy's tank-landing ships "Chios" and "Kos". The eight-nation force, code-named "Alba" (the Italian word for dawn), is to supervise the transport of the humanitarian aid sent to Albania. A.F. [03] ALBANIA: SALI BERISHA WANTS ELECTIONS THROUGH MAJORITY SYSTEMTirana, April 29 (MPA)Albanian President Sali Berisha met in Tirana yesterday with a European Council delegation to whom he announced that his country's upcoming elections, scheduled for June, will be held through a majority system.Mr. Berisha blamed Albania's former communists for the riots in the country's southern region after the illicit banking scandal that led hundreds of thousands of Albanians to lose their hard- earned savings. The Albanian President also said that the elections must be held under the supervision of the C of E, the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe, the European Parliament and American institutions. Mr. Berisha did add that the main obstacle to fixing the exact date of the elections is posed by the armed committees which the Socialist Party, after it signed an open agreement with them on March 28, recognized as its armed wing and also asked the government of national reconciliation to recognize. Meanwhile, 150 Albanian officers have deserted from their country's army, which numbers 4,500 troops, according to Albania's Defense Minister Faki Bukai. Also, 25 persons were killed and seven were injured in a strong explosion that occurred last week in a military depot in northern Albania. The explosion took place when two youngsters, 17 and 19 years old, activated an explosive mechanism by mistake in their attempt to steal mines and guns. A.F. [04] GREEK-GERMAN COMPANIES TO COOPERATE IN BALKANS, THESSALONIKI THE BASEThessaloniki, April 29 (MPA)Greece's Prime Minister Kostas Simitis called on the German business sector to venture into the Balkan region in cooperation with their Greek counterparts, with Thessaloniki being the base.During his stay in Germany, Mr. Simitis met with leaders from Germany's business and banking sectors. In turn, the Premier of Hesse said that the ground towards this direction will be paved through Germany's participation in the upcoming September's International Trade Fair to be held in Thessaloniki. A.F. [05] RUSSIAN PROPOSAL ON CYPRUS TO BE TABLED TO SECURITY COUNCIL TODAYNicosia, April 29 (MPA)A Russian proposal on resolving the Cyprus issue is to be tabled during today's meeting of the United Nations Security Council, according to Cypriot President Glafkos Clerides.President Clerides characterized this move by Russia as a positive one, but he declined to make any further comment. Meanwhile, aside from today's SC meeting, representatives of the UN Chief Kofi Annan met in New York yesterday where they discussed the Cyprus issue. A.F. [06] BULGARIAN PREMIER SAYS: FYROM IS PART OF BULGARIA'S HISTORYSkopje, April 29 (MPA)Bulgarian President Petar Stoyanov's statement that "Macedonia constitutes a part of Bulgaria's history" has - surprisingly- stirred no reaction from FYROM (Former Yugoslav Republic Of Macedonia) which broadcast the statement on its state- owned stations without comment.Specifically, Mr. Stoyanov said that "As President, and being Bulgarian, I will not alter my conviction that "Macedonia's history constitutes a part of Bulgaria's history." In the past, milder statements had provoked a storm of reactions from Skopje. A.F. [07] US TO BLOCK IMF'S $486 MILLION LOAN TO CROATIA IF ACCUSED WAR CRIMINAL IS NOT TURNED INWashington, April 29 (MPA)The United States are set to block the 486 million dollar loan approved for Croatia by the International Monetary Fund if Zagreb does not turn in to the international Court for War Crimes in The Hague, within two weeks, the Croat nationalist Slavko Alexovski.Alexovski is accused of having committed war crimes in central Bosnia during the war in former Yugoslavia. This is the first direct measure that Washington has announced, following its repeated warnings towards Croatia which, in spite of the Dayton Agreement, refuses to cooperate with the International Court of Justice. A.F. [08] ROMANIA: IMF GRANTS $430 MILLION LOANBucharest, April 29 (MPA)The International Monetary Fund has approved a 430 million- dollar loan to Romania, aiming at strengthening the reforms program adopted by the country's conservative coalition government.Although the IMF will pay $86 million immediately, the loan's remaining sum will be granted in four quarterly payments, in accordance to the course of the reforms planned by the Romanian government. Romanian Premier Victor Corbea characterized the loan as "an act of international trust". He added that the reform process has begun its one-way course to the right direction. A.F. [09] ALBANIA'S SCHOOLS TO RE-OPEN TODAYTirana, April 29 (MPA)After a two-month hiatus, Albanian students returned to their classrooms today as the Albanian Ministry of Education has decided that the situation is calm enough for schools to re-operate.Certain schools, especially in the region near Tirana, are guarded by armed policemen. Schools in the regions of Gjirocaster and Durres have been operating since last week but the University of Tirana remains closed. A.F. [10] LABOUR PARTY SHOWS IMPRESSIVE LEAD TWO DAYS BEFORE THE ELECTIONSLondon, April 29 (MPA)Albeit two days before Britain's elections, Toni Blair's Labour Party already presents an impressive lead, bordering on 22 percentage points.In spite of Prime Minister John Major's efforts to the contrary, he visited Northern Ireland yesterday, the early forecasts are expected to materialize. A.F. 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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