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Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English, 97-05-20Macedonian 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, May 20, 1997TITLES
NEWS IN DETAIL[01] PM TO MEET WITH DEFENSE MINISTER, ALTERNATE FM DEPARTS FOR THE HAGUEAthens, May 20 (MPA)Prime Minister Kostas Simitis is to meet with the Minister of National Defense this afternoon, while the alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou is to depart for The Hague in order to participate at the European Union conference which will address common foreign policy and defense issues.The EU's Dutch-held Presidency is to submit a draft document which, according to diplomatic circles in Athens, falls short of the initially-stated expectations. Specifically, matters regarding the Western European Union do not concern the WEU as the EU's defense bracket, but rather convey the wish that it become closer linked with the Community in the future. A.F. [02] GREEK FM TO MEET WITH ISRAEL PRESIDENT AND PREMIER TODAYJerusalem, May 20 (MPA)Greece's Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos is to meet with the President of Israel Ezer Weisman, Premier Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister David Levy, within the framework of his two- day visit to Israel and Gaza.Mr. Pangalos will aim at alleviating the deadlock reached in Israeli-Palestinian relations and will relay the Palestinian side's concerns. During his talks with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat yesterday, Mr. Pangalos clearly stated that Greece has undertaken a mediator role and also sharply condemned all efforts to halt the Oslo Agreement and the Israeli government's settlement policy. Mr. Pangalos called on all parties to respect and uphold the agreement. Mr. Arafat saluted Greece's support, a country which, as he characteristically stated, has always stood by the Palestinian people during difficult times and added that the eforts to reach a peaceful process must be continued. Also, Msrs. Arafat and Pangalos discussed bilateral issues and the Greek FM vowed that Greece will contribute to the Palestinian vision that all religious factions celebrate together in Bethlehem in the year 2000. A.F. [03] PREMIER IN PARLIAMENT STRESSES ECONOMY'S POSITIVE COURSEAthens, May 20 (MPA)Greece's Premier Kostas Simitis stressed the state economy's positive course, during his address in Parliament last night, while he also said that significant steps remain to be taken towards the Economic and Monetary Union.During his rejoinder, Mr. Simitis also referred to the advances the government has made for bringing social justice into the country and blamed the main opposition party New Democracy for its policies. A.F. [04] MAIN OPPOSITION PARTY LEADER CRITICIZES GOVERNMENT IN PARLIAMENTAthens, May 20 (MPA)In his first parliamentary face-off with the Premier, the main opposition party's leader, New Democracy's Kostas Karamanlis, sharply criticised the government for its economic policies.Also, Mr. Karamanlis was critical of the state's rate in absorbing European Union funds and asked that the privatization process be intensified and that the public sector limit its expenditures. Other opposition party leaders blamed both the government and New Democracy for the course of the national economy. A.F. [05] ROUVAS-KUT CONCERT HELD ON GREEN LINE AMIDST EPISODES AND ARRESTSNicosia, May 20 (MPA)Forty persons were wounded and another fifty-five were arrested during episodes that erupted last night before and after the concert given on Cyprus' green line by Greek pop idol Sakis Rouvas and his Turkish counterpart Burat Kut.Groups of protesters were confronted by police forces, while episodes also occurred on the Turkish-Cypriot side. Nevertheless, the concert went on as planned, and both of the singers expressed the hope that it will contribute to the establishment of peace. Among the three thousand spectators, of whom one thousand were Greek-Cypriot, were the United Nations' Secretary General's alternate special representative to Cyprus Gustav Feishel, an array of dignitaries from both communities and many foreign diplomats. Commenting from New York, the UN Secretary-General's spokesperson Fred Ekchard said that the concert was "a sign that the two communities wish to bridge their differences." A.F. [06] GREEK LIEUTENANT SERVING AT GJIROCASTER'S CONSULATE SHOT IN ACCIDENTGjirocaster, May 20 (MPA)A Greek police lieutenant serving at the Greek consulate in Albania's Gjirocaster, was accidentally shot this morning while he was on duty.According to the Greek Ministry of Public Order, Nikos Markakis, 32, was killed at 10 am when he was cleaning his gun and it backfired. The consulate was open at that time, full of people who were applying for a visa to enter Greece. Immediately after the incident the consulate was evacuated and the victim's body was transported to Greece. Greek investigators are to travel to Gjirocaster today in order to examine the conditions under which the tragic event occurred. A.F. [07] TURKEY CONTINUES "CLEAN-UP" OPERATION IN NORTH IRAQ FOR SEVENTH DAYAnkara, May 20 (MPA)Turkish military forces continue their "clean-up" operations against the PKK's Kurds in Northern Iraq for the seventh successive day, in spite of the resounding reactions voiced by the United Nations' Secretary General Kofi Annan who has asked that the Turkish troops withdraw from the region, as well as from Egupt, Libya and Baghdad.Turkish Defense Minister Turan Tayan said that the operation will continue until it produces the desired results. According to reports from Turkey's General Army Staff, 1,139 PKK members have been killed since the beginning of this mission. A.F. [08] HUNDREDS OF TURTLES SMUGGLED FROM GREECE TO AUSTRIA ARE IN DANGERVienna, May 20 (MPA)Four hundred and thirty six turtles that were smuggled from Greece last October and were impounded by Austrian customs authorities are now at risk of dying, after having been stored for seven months at the zoo of Vienna's Schonbrunn summer palace.If the turtles are not soon returned to Greece, there is a risk that they might not be able to re-adjust to the summer's high temperatures. The delay of the animals' return to their natural environment is mostly due to bureaucratic hurdles as Klagenfurt's judicial authorities has halted the deportation of the turtles until their smugglers are tried and sentenced in court. 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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