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Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English, 98-01-21Macedonian 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 THE MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCYThessaloniki, January 21, 1998TITLES
NEWS IN DETAIL[01] GREEK F.M. PANGALOS: GREECE’S TEN-MILE AIR SPACE IS NON- NEGOTIABLEAthens, January 21 (MPA)“Greece’s national airspace is ten nautical miles and this is non-negotiable”, stated Greece’s Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos, who also called on Turkey to seek recourse with the International Court of Justice at The Hague for any whatsoever claim it may have.“The ten nautical miles have been status quo since 1931 and Turkey recognized them up until 1973,” Mr. Pangalos added. Moreover, the Greek Foreign Minister stated that when an issue is accepted by international practice then it creates a prima facie legal precedent. “If Ankara challenges this than it can seek recourse with the International Court of Justice at The Hague, but then it will have to accept the Court’s jurisdiction on other matters as well,” Mr. Pangalos stated. In regards to Greece’s territorial waters, Mr. Pangalos stated that the country has the right to extend them to 12 nautical miles, although the government has yet to decide when it will embark on the relevant procedures. However, when it does, it will proceed so in a responsible manner, he added. Lastly, the Greek Foreign Minister stressed that Turkey has to fulfill certain conditions if it wants to gain access to the European Union, while he also said that during his meeting yesterday evening with the newly-appointed Turkish ambassador in Athens, he stressed that Greece harbors no hostility towards Turkey. [02] GREECE’S ARMED FORCES ARE TO DEFEND AEGEAN SEA AT ALL COSTAthens, January 21 (MPA)Greece’s armed forces are to defend the Aegean Sea at all costs, stated Defense Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos during his visit to the island of Samos, while he also stated that Turkey is training its army with scenaria of capturing the islands of Chios, Samos and Kos.Moreover, Prime Minister Kostas Simitis stated that Greece will not fall into the trap being set up by Turkey which wants collision, aiming at dragging Athens to the negotiations table. Mr. Simitis expressed his concern over a potential accident in the Aegean, due to the ever-increasing Turkish provocation. [03] BANKS AND PUBLIC SERVICE OFFICES TO STRIKE TOMORROWThessaloniki, January 21 (MPA)Greece’s public sector is to paralyze tomorrow when the country’s banks and public service offices are to embark on a 24- hour strike.Yesterday’s meeting of the ministers of national economy and finance, labor and transportation with the presiding board of the Greek General Confederation of Labor was fruitless. Minister of national economy and finance Yiannos Papantoniou reiterated the proposal for 6 months of negotiations between the leadership of Public Service Agencies and the workers’ unions for the amendment of the general regulations concerning the employees which will be later presented to Parliament. [04] CHANGES MAY TAKE PLACE ON TAX DRAFT BILLAthens, January 21 (MPA)The Prime Minister Kostas Simitis is appearing open to certain changes taking place on the draft tax bill, as long as these modifications do not concern the budget’s funds.Meanwhile, the opposition parties have been quite vocal in their criticism against the draft bill, during yesterday’s first- day discussion in the Parliament’s plenary session regarding the draft bill. [05] FOREIGN UNDERSECRETARY BACKS BALKANS INTEGRATION TO EUROPEAthens, January 21 (MPA)Addressing a meeting on the Balkans organized by the Foreign Ministry’s Hellenic Center for European Studies, Foreign Undersecretary Yiannos Kranidiotis stated yesterday that the inclusion of the Balkan states in Europe and European institutions is a necessary step in order for the countries in that region to gain political stability and economic development."With this in mind and due to the fact that Greece is a member of both the European Union and NATO, Athens wishes to serve as a bridge between the EU and the Balkans," Mr. Kranidiotis stated. The Undersecretary said that Greece could play a similar role in the greater region, by further developing its relations with the countries of the Black Sea and the Middle East. Moreover, Mr. Kranidiotis announced the opening of the Black Sea Bank in Thessaloniki in 15 days, since seven of the countries participating in the venture -which had delayed their capital contributions- have now deposited the relevant funds. [06] GREECE’S ALTERNATE F.M. OPENS “GREECE IN BRITAIN” FESTIVAL TODAYLondon, January 21 (MPA)Greece’s Alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou is to depart for London today where he will inaugurate the six-month- long series of events "Greece in Britain".The event falls within the framework of events held in light of Britain’s reign as European Union president and will include cultural and other aspects of modern Greek life, such as concerts, exhibitions, dance performances, film screenings and conferences. The program will officially commence today at the House of Commons, featuring the presence of prominent political figures from both countries. Mr. Papandreou will meet with Britain's International Development Secretary Clare Short during his visit. [07] TOURISM BETWEEN GREECE AND CHILE TO BE STRENGTHENEDAthens, January 21 (MPA)The President and secretary-general of the Greek National Tourist Organization Yiannis Stephanides and George Skoulas respectively, are to meet with Chile’s Foreign Minster Mariano Fernandez and Chile's Ambassador in Athens, Marcia Cov Arrubias on Monday, January 26, when they will discuss the various ways to further promote tourism relations between the two countries.The meeting is prompted by the arrival of Chile's Economy Minister Alvaro Garcia to Athens on that day. The officials will discuss specific plans aiming to upgrade tourism relations between the two countries, such as the organization of conventions, training and special forms of tourism. [08] PASSPORT-VISA REVIEW AGENCY TO OPEN AT MACEDONIA-THRACE MINISTRYThessaloniki, January 21 (MPA)Beginning on Monday, January 26, a passport review agency is to operate in Thessaloniki, a collaboration between the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Macedonia-Thrace.This was announced by the alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs George Papandreou, who added that the Ministry of Macedonia-Thrace will also host an agency that will grant visas to Greek-origin individuals from the former Soviet Union. [09] GREEK DEFENSE MINISTER TO ATTEND DEFENSE MINISTERS’ MEETING IN OCHRIDSkopje, January 21 (MPA)Greece’s Minister of Defense Akis Tsochatzopoulos has accepted an invitation issued by his FYROM counterpart Lazar Kitanovski to participate in a meeting alongside the Defense Ministers of Bulgaria Georgi Ananiev, of Albania Sabit Brokaj which will take place at the beginning of February in Ochrid.The head of the Greek liaison office in FYROM, Ambassador Alexandros Mallias, delivered the official acceptance by National Defense Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos. The meeting is to take place at the initiative of FYROM. Albania and Bulgaria have not replied officially to the invitation yet, although the defense ministers of the two countries had expressed the desire to during the NATO conference in Madrid held several months ago. [10] ITALIAN PREMIER ROMANO PRODI VISITS FYROMSkopje, January 21 (MPA)The Prime Minister of Italy Romano Prodi is embarking today on an official visit to FYROM.The Italian Premier will be received by FYROM’s President Kiro Gligorov and Premier Branco Cervenkovski. The officials are to discuss issues concerning the development of bilateral relations, with emphasis on the economic sector, the situation in the Balkans and the construction of a west-east motorway. According to Mr. Prodi, 140 Italian companies are currently active in FYROM, either alone or in joint ventures. Italy currently holds the sixth place in trade relations with FYROM, whereas Greece is steadfast at third place. [11] WIDOW OF FRANCOIS MITTERRAND, DANIELLE, TO BE IN ATHENS ON MONDAYAthens, January 21 (MPA)The widow of the late French President Francois Mitterrand, Danielle, will be in Athens on Monday, January 26, where she will be the keynote speaker at a conference titled "Racism against Democracy", organized by the Institute for Strategic and Developmental Studies (ISTAME).Mme. Mitterrand will address the meeting in her capacity as president of the "France Liberte" foundation. 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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