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Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English, 98-06-09Macedonian 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, June 9, 1998TITLES
NEWS IN DETAIL[01] IONIAN BANK EMPLOYEES DETERMINED TO CONTINUE STRIKEAthens, June 9 (MPA)Striking workers at the state-run Ionian Bank are determined to press on with their strike unless the government promises to safeguard their jobs in light of the Bank?s proposed privatization. Ionian, which is due to undergo a majority stake sale by its parent Commercial Bank this summer, has been the subject of a crippling strike action by unions and employees opposed to privatization and the proposed sale of the bank. Striking Ionian workers, who have already been issued with a legal warning by the bank's management, warning them of disciplinary action if they do not return to work, have vowed to continue their strike action. Government spokesman Dimitris Reppas has stressed that the Ionian sale will proceed as planned, via a majority stake sale through the Athens stock exchange after approval from Commercial Bank's shareholders on June 19.[02] GREEK CULTURE MINISTER TO ASK FOR RETURN OF PARTHENON MARBLESThessaloniki, June 9 (MPA)Greek culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos is to ask for the return of the Parthenon Marbles which are housed in the British Museum, after the recent disclosure that the Museum?s staff caused irreparable damage to the monuments by scraping away their original paint and weathered patina. The scandal, hushed up for 60 years, was revealed by William St Clair, a world expert on the Marbles. According to Mr. St. Clair , British Museum curators in the late Thirties scrubbed many of the 2,500-year-old marbles with metal scrapers in an attempt to make them look whiter.Mr. Venizelos stated that following the recent disclosure, a basic argument for the maintenance of the Marbles at the British Museum, that supposedly they are being protected, has fallen apart, since it damaged the museum's reputation and undermined Britain's "moral authority" for retaining the marbles. In an interview with CNN, Mr. St Clair stated that he believed the historic surfaces of 80 per cent of the Parthenon marbles, removed to Britain by Lord Elgin in 1801, have been lost forever. The Greek embassy in London said the episode was "shameful" and "outrageous". Peter Ainsworth, United Kingdom?s shadow culture minister, said the discoveries were "extraordinary" and he wanted an urgent assessment made of the new evidence. Mr. St Clair, a former senior Treasury official, said that Chris Smith, the Culture Secretary, should order an immediate independent inquiry. In an attempt to head off criticism, the museum immediately promised to hold an international seminar of scholars, restorers and marble experts to consider the damage. [03] UNITED STATES, EU SLAP SERBIA WITH INVESTMENT BANWashington, June 9 (MPA)After the European Union slapped an investment ban on Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic on Monday over his use of force in Kossovo, the United States government has announced its own economic sanctions against Mr. Milosevic?s government, in protest the use of violence by the Serb authorities against the province?s ethnic Albanians. ``We do believe sanctions can have an influence,'' State Department spokesman James Rubin said. ``Being able to impose and suspend them at will is a way to influence President Milosevic.'' European Union Foreign Ministers have agreed to a ban on new investments in Serbia, and a freeze on the republic's assets abroad, while NATO defense ministers are to weigh military options on Thursday, including the possible dispatch of a preventative force to Kossovo?s external borders. The six- power Contact Group is also due to discuss Kossovo at a meeting in London on Friday.[04] BALKAN FOREIGN MINISTERS MEET IN ISTANBULIstanbul, June 9 (MPA)The two-day conference of Balkan Foreign Ministers started in Istanbul yesterday, where top diplomats from nine Balkan countries have gathered for talks dominated by the Kossovo crisis. With Greece being represented by Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos, the Foreign Ministers participating at the conference are from Albania. Bulgaria, FYUROM, The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Romania and Turkey.Delegations from Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia are also attending the conference under observer-status. In his address, Mr. Pangalos stated that the issue of human rights is not an internal affair of any country and, referring to Kossovo, added that human rights need to be respected in the region,. Albeit stressing his opposition on imposing sanctions on Yugoslavia. ?The best thing (to happen) would be to allow this country (Yugoslavia) in the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe,? he stated. Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem condemned violence by all sides and said the flow of refugees was causing ``serious problems'' for neighboring countries. But Yugoslav Foreign Minister Zivadin Jovanovic, in an apparent reference to Kossovo, said his country opposed any interference in its internal affairs. ``The Albanians of Kossovo are threatened by a massacre similar to that of Bosnia,'' Albanian Foreign Minister Paskal Milo told the meeting. ``Many villages are demolished, hundreds of innocent women and children have been killed and thousands of terrorized refugees have abandoned their houses.'' [05] DELEGATION OF DIPLOMATS VISITS WESTERN KOSSOVOPrishtina, June 9 (MPA)Sixty diplomats - supervised by Yugoslav authorities- visited western Kossovo on Sunday and reported evidence of heavy clashes but cautioned against premature judgment of what happened. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees liaison office in Tirana said about 10,000 refugees had arrived from Kossovo over the past 10 days, although international institutions said the flood had begun to tail off.[06] RICHARD HOLBROOKE: TURKISH SIDE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR CYPRUS ISSUENicosia, June 9 (MPA)In an interview with the ?Los Angeles Times?, U.S. diplomat Richard Holbrooke stated that the Turkish side bears full responsibility for the Cyprus crisis. In the article, the Mr. Holbrooke stressed that the current situation at the island does not contribute to peace, characterized the ongoing issue of the island as a dangerous problem and stressed that the matter must be resolved. Moreover, Mr. Holbrooke holds the Turkish side as responsible for the failure of talks between the two sides, since it refused to take up in dialogue unless the occupied territory was recognized and demanded that the Cypriot government withdraw its accession bid from the European Union. When asked if peace in Cyprus is better ensured through barbed wire, Mr. Holbrooke responded ?No, because Cyprus is not a quite and peaceful place. One spark, a flight, a rock concert, a misunderstanding is enough to create conflict.?[07] UNITED NATIONS HOLDS DRUG SUMMITNew York, June 9 (MPA)The manufacture, trafficking and abuse of amphetamine-type stimulants is one of six core issues being addressed in New York at the currently-held United Nations drug summit. The other core issues on the agenda of the special session of the General Assembly on the world drug problem are money laundering, precursor chemicals, reducing demand, reduction of illicit crops and alternative development, and enhanced judicial cooperation. World leaders, among them United States President Bill Clinton and UN secretary-general Kofi Annan, are to adopt an action plan to be implemented by 2003 to reduce supply and demand for these drugs within the following five years by 2008. Easy to produce, cheap to buy and hard to control, synthetic drugs, which include methamphetamine and "Ecstasy", are abused by an estimated 30 million people around the world, according to the United Nations International Drug Control Program (UNDCP). "Through the 1990s, we have evidence that the growth rate in illicit manufacturing, trafficking and the spread of abuse has been greater for amphetamine-type stimulants than it has been for heroin and cocaine", said Pino Arlacchi, UNDCP Executive Director.[08] S-300 MISSILES HAVE BEEN DELIVERED IN CYPRUS, RUSSIAN PRESS REPORTSMoscow, June 9 (MPA)Russia has already delivered -in secret- the anti-aircraft S- 300 missiles to Cyprus, according to an article published today in the Russian daily ?Sevdonia? which does not reveal its sources.According to the article, over 200 Russian experts are already at the island in order to assist in deploying the system, while the Cypriot staff handling the missile- facilities are being trained by the Russian officials. According to the AFP, neither the missile-making company nor the Russian Foreign Ministry are confirming the information. [09] WORLD CUP BEGINS IN FRANCE TOMORROWThessaloniki, June 9 (MPA)The 16th world Cup (Mudial) is to begin in France tomorrow, featuring the participation of the world?s 32 best national soccer teams.The 702 ball players are ready to begin the 63 matches that will be held in ten French stadiums. Tomorrow Brazil will play against Scotland at 6:30 pm, while at 10 pm Morocco will play against Norway. Twelve thousand journalists from all over the world have arrived in France, along with 840 photojournalists. [10] GREECE?S SOCCER TEAMS PREPARE THEIR LINE UPSThessaloniki, June 9 (MPA)Panathinaikos has entered the transfer craze for good since, as of the season coming up, it will feature Croatia?s Aliosa Asanovic while rumor has it that it also has its eye set on Real Madrid?s Davor Suker and two Peruvian players. As for AEK, it?s trying to entice Christos Kostis to stay in for another four years for 160 million drachmas a year.The transfer targets in PAOK are still the same, namely Frousos and Katsiabis, while, as far as foreign players are concerned, Aris will take its pick after the World Cup?s close. 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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