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Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English, 98-12-08Macedonian 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, December 8, 1998TITLES
NEWS IN DETAIL[01] GREECE IS PLEASED OVER EU'S DECISION CONCERNING TURKEYBrussels, December 8 (MPA)The Greek government has expressed its satisfaction over the decision drawn by the European Union's Council of Foreign Ministers, who convened in Brussels yesterday and decided to separate Turkey from the cluster of countries on the accession list.The Council has formed a separate clause concerning the 11 candidate countries from Central and Eastern Europe and another for Turkey's potential accession. Alternate Foreign Minster George Papandreou, who represented Greece at the meeting, stated that the Council issued a final statement where it notes that Turkey needs to exert specific efforts in order to become a democratic society in accordance with the Copenhagen Accord and the resolutions of the European parliaments. The participants also discussed the "Agenda 2000", albeit they failed to reach specific conclusions as Greece, Spain and Portugal refused to accept any move to stabilize EU expenditures over the span of the next five years. Concerning the Cohesion Fund, Mr. Papandreou stated that Greece rejects any idea of abolishing the possibility of funding in the event that a country enters the euro zone. A.F. [02] BANK OF GREECE FORECASTS 1999'S INFLATION RATE AT TWO PER CENTAthens, December 8 (MPA)The governor of the Bank of Greece Lukas Papademos stated that he too, as the government, forecasts next year's inflation to fall at the two percent mark, but he is especially optimistic that this endeavor can be achieved in the first half of the year, not towards the end.As such, he added, there will not be an immediate and drastic interest rate reduction , in order to avert the public from lining up at the banks for consumer loans. The Bank of Greece is expected to announced an interest rate reduction of half a percentage point tomorrow and commercial banks are expected to follow suit, albeit with two- percentage-point reductions. A.F. [03] NATO WILL NOT ACCEPT THREATS FROM THE SERBS, SAYS SOLANABrussels, December 8 (MPA)NATO's Secretary-General Javier Solana announced that the Alliance will not tolerate threats hurled from the Serbs concerning new ethnic cleansing operations in Kossovo.Meanwhile, Foreign Ministers of the NATO member-countries are to meet in Brussels today in order to review the military and political principles that will determine the Alliance's mission. A.F. [04] GREEK PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION IN RUSSIA FOR BSECC MEETINGAthens, December 8 (MPA)A Greek parliamentary delegation is presently in Russia where the members are to participate in the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Council's parliamentary assembly on economic ties.The three-day session begins in St. Petersburg today and will focus on the legal, institutional and political aspects of the upgrading of the BSECC. Issues on the agenda include transport and the creation of a legal framework for the avoidance of double taxation. A.F. [05] FARMERS TO HOLD PROTEST RALLY TODAYThessaloniki, December 8 (MPA)Thousands of organized farmers (Panthessaly Association of Farmers) from central and northern Greece are expected to participate in a protest rally to be held in Larissa, central Greece today, in order to underline their opposition to the government's agricultural policy and press their demands. The protests are to mount after the holidays when they threaten to blockade the national highways.The farmers are demanding a higher production ceiling for cotton crops and government intervention in Brussels to prevent what they claim will be a 30 per cent reduction in crop prices this year if the European Union does not alter its regulations. A.F. [06] MUSEUM STAFF EMBARK ON 48-HOUR STRIKE TODAYAthens, December 8 (MPA)Greece's museum staff, who fall under the aegis of the Culture Ministry, are to embark on a 48-hour strike today in protest of the government's plans to merge their pension fund with other state funds.Although most of the country's museum's will remain closed, the Federation of Culture Ministry Employees has said that a skeleton staff will remain on duty in order to deal with emergencies. A.F. [07] PRESS MINISTER REPPAS IN CYPRUS, MEETS WITH PRESIDENT CLERIDESNicosia, December 8 (MPA)Greece's Minister of Press and Media and government spokesperson Dimitris Reppas was received by the President of Cyprus Glafkos Clerides yesterday, during his visit to Nicosia..Following the talks, Mr. Reppas stated that nothing has changed on the S-300 missiles issue. "Cyprus is a state that has the same rights as any other member state of the UN," he stressed, adding that "it is not a state with reduced rights. It has a complete right to its own defense, and within this it can go ahead with deploying the S- 300s." Furthermore, he stated that Cyprus and Greece had to take the initiative on the Cyprus problem and choose on which field to fight. "This field should not be one of armaments, heightening tensions and confrontation," he said. "It should be the field of developing welfare, the field of respect for human rights and communications." Mr. Reppas said a solution would mean brave decisions from both sides, adding that Cyprus had already shown the way with the government's demilitarization proposal. The Greek government spokesperson also met with the President of the Cypriot Parliament Spyros Kyprianou, A.F. [08] GREECE AND BULGARIA TO BE LINKED WITH OPTIC FIBERSofia, December 8 (MPA)Northern Greece's port city of Kavala and South Bulgaria's Haskovo are to be linked with a 140-kilometer optic fiber, a MECU102 project which is mostly funded by the European Union's PHARE program.Bulgaria's Telecommunications Organization and Greece's Telecommunications Organization (OTE) are to participate in the project's funding at the respective countries. A.F. [09] GREEK CULTURE MINISTRY ACQUIRES "HISTORIA ALEXANDRI MAGNI"Athens, December 8 (MPA)Greece's Culture Ministry has purchased a rare book on Alexander the Great, "Historia Alexandri Magni", published in Rome in 1471, during an Athens-held auction.The ministry shelled out 8.8 million drachmas for Curtius Rufus' 150-page book, of which no other copy exists in Greek libraries. The book, first or second edition, was written in the 1st century AD in 10 tomes, the first two of which have been completely lost, as have sections from the remaining tomes. The previous owner of the "Historia" had bought it at a 1994 Christie's auction in London. A.F. [10] EXPLOSION AT GREEK COFFEE SHOP IN GERMANY, 19 WOUNDEDBonn, December 8 (MPA)Nineteen person were wounded, three of whom severely, after a strong explosion that occurred yesterday at a Greek coffee shop in the German city of Erlagen, near Nuremberg.The cause of the tremendous blast remains unknown, although the German police are looking at every angle, such as an accidental gas leak, a personal vendetta or a racially-motivated attack. Although no names of the wounded have been released, it is believed that the majority of them are Greek as the cafe was a place frequented by persons of Greek origin. Three persons are hospitalized in a comatose state, while the remaining 16 were treated for minor wounds. A.F. [11] CHIEF OF RUSSIAN COMMUNIST PARTY'S CENTRAL COMMITTEE TO VISIT ATHENSAthens, December 8 (MPA)The president of Russian Communist Party's central committee, Gennady Zyuganov, is to arrive in Athens tomorrow for a two day visit, at the invitation of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE).Mr. Zyuganov will be received by KKE's secretary-general Aleka Paparega and will meet with leading KKE officials, as well as other political figures. A.F. [12] GREECE- PORTUGAL HAVEN FOR SHOPPERS, LEAST EXPENSIVE COUNTRIES IN EUThessaloniki, December 8 (MPA)Greece continues to be the least expensive country among the European Union's member-states, a spot shared with Portugal which is also a haven for bargain shoppers.According to press reports, Greece has the lowest prices in automobiles and jeans, as well as the cheapest phone rates. On the other end of the spectrum, is Britain, which is the most expensive consumer market in all of the EU. Concurrently, Greece and Portugal are listed among the EU's poorest states. According to the EU Statistics Agency, the Greeks and Portuguese have the lowest per capita income, not surpassing the ECU10,000 per annum. Luxembourg has the highest per capita income in the EU, as its citizens enjoy annual earnings that are triple -and sometimes quadruple- from the European Union's lowest. A.F. [13] NEW CHAIRMAN OF WORLD FEDERATION OF CARDIOLOGY IS A GREEK PHYSICIANThessaloniki, December 8 (MPA)A Greek professor of cardio-pulmonary medicine is the new chairman of the World Federation of Cardiology, which is headquartered in Geneva.Nestor Agomahalelis, professor at the School of Medicine of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, was elected to the post after a unanimous vote granted by the 25-member International Scientific Council during its annual conference. A.F. Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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