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Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English, 98-11-12Macedonian 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, November 12, 1998TITLES
NEWS IN DETAIL[01] 1999 BUDGET TABLED IN PARLIAMENTAthens, November 12 (MPA)The National Economy and Finance Minister Yiannos Papantoniou tabled the 1999 budget in Parliament last night. The new budget allows for slight wage and pension increases (2%) , fixed public utilities rates as well as a freeze on new hires.The new budget does not contain any new taxes. According to reports, the increases are to amount to approximately two percent and will be effective as of January 1, 1999. The new budget also allows for additional revenue derived from the State Telecommunications Organization's shares. [02] LEONIDAS SABANIS WORLD CHAMPION IN WEIGHTLIFTINGAthens, November 12 (MPA)Greece's Leonidas Sabanis earned three gold medals, and broke a world record and three national ones at the 69th world weightlifting championships, held in Finland. The Olympic gold medalist lifted 147.5 kilos in the 62-kilo category, while he also earned first in the 172.5 kilos category and first place in the total with 320 kilos.Greece's Valerios Leonides and George Gelilis are competing today in the 69 kilos category. [03] US READIES FOR POSSIBLE ATTACK ON IRAQWashington, November 12 (MPA)The U.N. Security Council held an emergency session on Iraq on Wednesday, and the secretary-general Kofi Annan called on Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein to immediately resume cooperation with U.N. weapons inspectors.The United States and Britain have been threatening a military strike since Iraq announced October 31 that it was halting the activities of the U.N. Special Commission, known as UNSCOM, which is responsible for eliminating Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. The US has dispatched 100 warplanes and 3,000 marines in the Persian Gulf. [04] ALBANIAN PREMIER TO VISIT ATHENS TODAYAthens, November 12 (MPA)Albania's Prime Minster Panteli Majko is to be in Athens today on an official visit. The Albanian Premier will be received by his Greek counterpart Kostas Simitis with whom he will discuss matters of mutual interest.Moreover, Mr. Majko will hold talks with the leaders of Greece's opposition parties and with leading businessmen.. [05] SWEDISH FOREIGN AID MINISTER SCHORI IN ATHENS TODAYAthens, November 12 (MPA)Swedish Foreign Aid Minister Pierre Schori is due to address an event this evening at the Athens Concert Hall on the subject of "Greece and Sweden in a United Europe".Mr. Schori is best known in Greece for the solidarity he showed to Greek democrats during the seven- year military dictatorship (1967- 74) and as a close friend and associate of late Swedish premier Olaf Palme. [06] US GROUP CALLS FOR USE OF GREEK AS OFFICIAL OLYMPIC GAMES LANGUAGENew Jersey, November 12 (MPA)A New Jersey-based non-profit organization "Hellenic Action Inc.", has called for the restoration of Greek as the official language of the modern Olympic Games.In a press release, the group says that "whereas the Olympic Games originated in Hellas (Greece) over 2,700 years ago; and whereas the modern Olympic Games were taken from the land of Hellas and the Hellenic people by members of the European aristocracy in the late 19th century and given an official language other than Hellenic, therefore, be it resolved that Hellenic Action Inc. (HAJ) places itself on record as demanding that this historical wrong surrounding the Olympic Games be corrected..." [07] FOREIGN MINISTER ASKS GERMANY TO REIMBURSE GREECE FOR WWII LOANAthens, November 12 (MPA)Greece's Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos has reiterated the demand that Germany reimburse the Greek government for a wartime loan forcibly extracted from the country's central bank by Nazi occupation forces during World War II, estimated at $US 10 billion.Bonn has refused to consider that Greece has any case in claiming payment of the loan and has also refused to honor Greek court decisions on paying reparations to Greeks who lost family members during the occupation. [08] GREEK PARLIAMENT APPEALS FOR CHALKI THEOLOGICAL SCHOOLAthens, November 12 (MPA)The Greek Parliament's Orthodoxy committee has issued an appeal to the world's parliaments that they condemn the Turkish government's decision to fire the board of trustees of the Theological School at Chalki.In the statement, the Greek parliament's committee writes that "the Turkish aggression against Orthodoxy and Hellenism was recently expressed through the abolishment of the supervisory committee of the Theological School of Chalki, a school whose operation the Turkish authorities has forbidden for the past thirty years. " The Committee has forwarded the appeal to parliamentary bodies throughout the world and asks them to condemn Turkey's decision and to demand its immediate recall and the respect of the rights of Constantinople and the Ecumenical Patriarchate. [09] US AMBASSADOR TO TURKEY VISITS ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHIstanbul, November 12 (MPA)The United States Ambassador to Turkey Mark Robert Parris visited Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos in Istanbul in order to be briefed on Ankara's firing of the Chalki Orthodox theological school's board of trustees.The US State Department has instructed Mr. Parris to lodge an official demarche with Ankara over the matter. Mr. Vartholomeos, who intends to meet with Turkish government authorities in Ankara next week, has issued a condemnation of the violations of the Greek Orthodox minority's rights "Because we are Christians we cannot freely exercise our rights," Mr. Vartholomeos stated, adding that "we are not inserted, transplanted or intruders. We are the native element of this land. We were born here and we will die here." [10] FIRST INTER SOUTHEAST EUROPE FORUM TO BEGIN IN THESSALONIKIThessaloniki, November 12 (MPA)The 1st Inter-Southeast Europe Forum is scheduled to begin in Thessaloniki tomorrow, featuring the participation of government officials and representatives of private companies from Greece, Albania, Bulgaria, FYROM, Bosnia, Croatia, Romania, Turkey, Yugoslavia and Cyprus.The participants will present the existing situation in their countries and the prospects of inter-state alliances in public sector informatics' application projects. The Forum will close on Saturday. [11] BOMB ATTACK AGAINST CHIEF OF ALBANIA'S SUPREME COURT OF APPEALSTirana, November 12 (MPA)The chief of Albania's Supreme Court of Appeals, Fehmi Abdiou, was the target of a bomb attack which occurred at his residence yesterday evening. There were no victims from the unidentified attempt.According to unconfirmed deports, over six kilos of TNT were used in the bomb. Albanian Premier Pandeli Majko condemned the attack as a "political assassination attempt" and stressed that the terrorists want to weaken the country's institutions and the state of justice. [12] 1ST EXHIBITION OF GREEK-CYPRIOT VENTURES INAUGURATED IN BUCHARESTBucharest, November 12 (MPA)The First Exhibition of Greek and Cypriot businesses was inaugurated in Bucharest yesterday, an event organized by Thessaloniki's HELEXPO-International Trade Fair of Thessaloniki.The exhibition, which will conclude on Saturday, features 13 Greek and 12 Cypriot ventures mainly from the sectors of food, beverages, apparel, electrical appliances and financial services. Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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