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Friday, 22 November 2024
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Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English, 97-05-26Macedonian 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 26, 1997TITLES
NEWS IN DETAIL[01] PAPANDREOU-OYMEN TO MEET IN ATHENS TODAYAthens, May 26 (MPA)Turkey's under-Secretary of Foreign Affairs Onur Oymen is currently in Athens where he will participate in an open discussion for the Greek-Turkish relations.Upon his arrival yesterday, Mr. Oymen stated that he came to Greece with friendly sentiments and, after noting that the problems between the two countries are known, he added that "wherever there are problems there are solutions too." Mr. Oymen will have talks with Greece's alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou. Mr. Papandreou stated that Greece should not hold high expectations from a Greek-Turkish meeting. "Of course, a dialogue does not mean that one is negotiating concessions or territorial rights. The public discussion gives the opportunity to exchange points of view, one side to recognize the other's intentions." Meanwhile, the experts committee formed by Greece to address Greek-Turkish issues is to forward its memorandum to the Turkish side through the EU's Dutch-held Presidency. A.F. [02] GREEK DEFENSE MINISTER SAYS TURKEY'S CLAIMS MAY HAVE BOOMERANG EFFECTAthens, May 26 (MPA)Greece's National Defense Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos today warned Turkey that its continuous claims directed against Greece's sovereignty and the Aegean Sea's status quo may have a boomerang effect.Turkish President Suleiman Demirel has stated that the Turkish naval staff hold a map of 130 islets of disputable status, while he also disputed the Greek sovereignty of islands in the Saronic Gulf. Greece's Defense Minister stressed that "there is nothing to claim in the Aegean, except the continental shelf. The Aegean is delineated through international treaties and everything is well- defined." in an interview published today in a Greek daily, Mr. Tsochatzopoulos asked Turkey to respect international agreements and accords which determine the Aegean Sea's status. Referring to Mr. Demirel's comment that his country cannot allow Greece to extend its territorial waters to 12 miles since that would transform the Aegean into a "Greek lake", Mr. Tsochatzopoulos said that "Greece does not consider the Aegean a 'Greek lake'." However, he added, "a great naval power such as Greece, has every interest in consolidating free navigation and the respect of international waters and passages. And this is applicable both to the Aegean's international waters and to the Bosporus passages." Mr. Tsochatzopoulos also stressed that Greece will never set economic, legal or political limitations on the freedom of seas or passages. "Of course, this stands even when it decides to exercise -as Turkey has already done- its inalienable right to extend, in accordance to international law, its territorial waters to 12 nautical miles." Moreover, the Greek Defense Minister added that "according to international treaties, with the exception of the Imvros and Tenedos islands, the total of the Aegean's island territory constitutes an integral part of the Greek state. No Greek government will ever allow a foreign power to interpose between Greece's mainland and Greece's islands, thereby interrupting the Greek state's communication and cohesion. Greece, and all should be aware of this, will respond decisively to any military attempt to change the Aegean's international territorial status." Responding to a question regarding Turkey's claims of islands in the Aegean, Mr. Tsochatzopoulos said "specifically, they are dreaming of 131 islands and islets and they state this in a report published by Turkey's General Navy Staff. "These are, I would say, 'midsummer night's dreams'." A.F. [03] GREEK-TURKISH BUSINESSMEN MEET IN ISTANBULThessaloniki, May 26 (MPA)Aiming at the promotion of cooperation among the Balkan region's businessmen, as well as those from the Black Sea and the Middle East, a group of Greek and Greek-Cypriot businessmen met with Turkish and Turkish-Cypriot businessmen in Istanbul yesterday, an event initiated by the Turkish Committee of Foreign Economic Relations.Present at the event was Cyprus' former Foreign Minister Alekos Michaelides who is to meet with the U.S. State Department's Director of the Office of Southeastern European Affairs, Carey Cavanaugh. Also, in an initiative taken by the Greek Association of Businessmen, a two-day Greek-Turkish business conference is to begin today in Istanbul. A.F. [04] GREEK BOXER TAKES GOLD IN 20TH ACROPOLIS CUPThessaloniki, May 26 (MPA)Greece's George Mourlas yesterday won the gold medal at the 20th Acropolis Cup, beating Russia in the 81-kilos category with 7- 3.Thanks to their impressive performances, Mourlas and Yiannoulas, who took third place in the 71-kilos category on Friday, will now be able to participate in the European Boxing Championships, to be held next year in Belarus. A.F. [05] FRANCE: SOCIALISTS-COMMUNISTS EMERGE STRONG IN FIRST ROUND OF PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONSParis, May 25 (MPA)France's socialists and communists gained a head start during yesterday's first round of the country's parliamentary elections.The central-right coalition is ahead with 37% of the votes, while the Socialist Party and the Communist Party have gathered 29% and 9.5% respectively. These two parties could remain strong in next Sunday's second round. Meanwhile, Jean Mari Lepen's ultra-right party gained 15 % of the votes. 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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