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Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English, 99-01-07Macedonian 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 7, 1999TITLES
NEWS IN DETAIL[01] GREEK PREMIER TO MEET WITH ARCHBISHOP CHRISTODOULOS TODAYAthens, January 7 (MPA)The relationship between church and state is to be discussed today between the Prime Minister Kostas Simitis and the Archbishop of Athens and All of Greece Christodoulos.The meeting, the first between the two men, is taking place at Mr. Christodoulos's request. According to reports, the two sides might discuss issues such as the construction of a new metropolitan church and cremation of the deceased. A.F. [02] EDUCATION MINISTER TO MEET WITH TEACHERS' FEDERATION REPSAthens, January 7 (MPA)For the first time after a twenty-month period, the Minster of National Education Gerasimos Arsenis is to meet today with representatives of the state's teachers' federation (OLME).The teachers have reportedly accepted the Minister's proposal to discuss institutional and economic matters, albeit they set as a precondition for the talks a discussion on the educational reforms. Meanwhile, the Undersecretary of Education Yiannis Anthopoulos stressed that the reforms are not to be amended and are presently in the application phase. While schools are set to re-open tomorrow, students throughout the country are to decide on the fate of their mobilizations. A.F. [03] CLINTON's IMPEACHMENT TRIAL BEGINS TODAYWashington, January 7 (MPA)In an event unseen since 130 years ago, United States President Bill Clinton is to appear before the Senate today where his impeachment trial begins before a jury of 100 senators.President Clinton stands accused of two articles of impeachment alleging perjury and obstruction of justice. Both stem from his effort to conceal his relationship with a White House intern Monica Lewinsky in the sex-and-cover-up scandal that has transfixed the world for nearly a year. Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., expressed optimism that agreement was near on a procedure for a "full trial ... and votes on articles of impeachment at the end of the process." Votes are expected to be taken on the President's fate by February, at the earliest. A.F. [04] ARTHUR C. CLARKE: LABELING 2000 AS 'MILLENNIUM YEAR' IS WRONGWashington, January 7 (MPA)Arthur C. Clarke, author of "2001: A Space Odyssey," feels so strongly about people erroneously calling next year the start of a new millennium that he issued a public statement this week to correct them."Because the Western calendar starts with Year 1, and not Year 0, the 21st Century and the Third Millennium do not begin until January 1, 2001," Mr. Clarke said in a statement received by Reuters today. "Though some people have great difficulty in grasping this, there's a very simple analogy which should appeal to everyone. If the scale on your grocer's weighing machine began at 1 instead of 0, would you be happy when he claimed he'd sold you 10 kg of tea?" Mr. Clarke questioned. "And it's exactly the same with time. We'll have had only 99 years of this century by January 1, 2000: we'll have to wait until December 31 for the full hundred." Mr. Clarke's view has long been held by people who doubt that anyone else can count. Australian Prime Minister John Howard, for example, made the same point in 1997 -- only to be called the 'party pooper of the century' in newspapers. Clarke said the psychological effect of the three zeros and the Y2K bug that will affect computers was much too powerful to be ignored. "So everyone will start celebrating at midnight December 31, 1999," Mr. Clarke said, adding that 2000 should be called the Centennial Year and 2001 the Millennial Year. A.F. [05] GREECE ANSWERS TO TURKEY OVER AEGEAN FLIGHTS STATEMENTSAthens, January 7 (MPA)The director of Greece's Civil Aviation Agency Dionysis Kalofonos has responded to the Turkish Foreign Ministry's announcement wherein it questions Greece's technical ability to provide flight accommodations over the Aegean Sea's air space.Mr. Kalofonos stated that Greece's updated and fully automatic flight information system is to be ready by February 15. Moreover, Greece's Undersecretary of Defense Dimitris Apostolakis stated that the Turkish Foreign Ministry's statement is another manifestation of Ankara's audacity and exaggeration in the region. Commenting on the Turkish allegations, he said "supposedly, it can provide information quicker at a time that it is well known that in every air or naval accident in this region, even a Turkish one, Greece has arrived first and has offered its help to save victims." 'Ankara already knows that its demand shall not be fulfilled,' Mr. Apostolakis stressed. A.F. [06] GREEK TRAWLER OWNERS TO CONTINUE STRIKEThessaloniki, January 7 (MPA)Greek of trawler boats have decided to continue their strike in protest to a European Union directive, following a meeting held near Thessaloniki on Tuesday. The fishermen are protesting EU Directive 1626 which reduces the distance from the coast in which fishing is permitted and increases the mesh size of nets.Members of the Panhellenic Union of Trawler Owners have decided to moor their boats in protest along the Thessaloniki seafront today, as they did on Monday. Also tomorrow, officials from the Agriculture Ministry are to meet with union representatives. Trawler owners claim the provision of the directive stipulating a larger mesh for nets will result in a 50 per cent reduction in catches, since smaller fish will slip through, while Turkish trawlers will continue to catch those fish and channel them to the Greek market. A.F. [07] CANADIAN MP DECLARED HONORARY PROFESSOR AT ARISTOTELIAN U.Thessaloniki, January 7 (MPA)Canadian member of parliament Edward Mc Whinney is to be declared professor emeritus at Thessalonikis' Aristotleian University, School of Law, on January 18.The ceremony will begin with a salutation given by the dean of he university and the law school's rector and, in turn, law professor Ms. Kalliope Koufa will bestow upon Mr. Mc Whinney the honors. A.F. [08] CANCELLED FLIGHTS, CLEAR SKIES AND IRATE PASSENGERSAthens, January 7 (MPA)Skies were clear this morning at the Athens airport, perhaps too clear, as three scheduled flights were canceled due to a shortage in Olympic Airways staff.As a result of the cancellations, which came after lengthy delays, passengers waiting to fly with the national air carrier became irate and, before too long, minor episodes erupted at the international airport. O.A. provided them with boarding at a nearby hotel until their flights, to Thessaloniki and the island of Kos, actually took place. The president of O.A. Theodoros Tsakirides stated that the air carrier can no longer meet the salary demands posed by the pilots since it is presently at a revitalization phase. He also blamed the delays in hiring 45 new pilots to state bureaucracy. He said that while there are trained pilots who can be hired, the air carrier's administration is obligated to uphold the ministerial order and declare new examinations. Furthermore, he stressed that from now on all flights will be conducted, they amount to 120 on a daily basis, with the exception of one or two. He also issued an appeal for cooperation to the pilots and the crews and warned that they otherwise risk losing their jobs. A.F. [09] BULGARIA FREES TRADE WITH CEFTA, TURKEYSofia, January 7 (MPA)Bulgaria hopes to boost trade, facilitate investment, expedite economic reforms and also ease its entry to the European Union under two trade agreements that come into effect this month, according to the chairman of Bulgarian's Chamber of Commerce Bozidar Danev.Bulgaria lifted customs duties on 80 percent of its industrial goods on January 1 under its new membership of the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA), which groups the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Romania. A free trade zone agreement with neighboring Turkey also comes into effect this month, which is expected to boost trade turnover between the two Balkan states that amounted to $350 million for January-October 1998. A.F. [10] OTE SHARE ON AN UPWARD COURSE AT WALL STREETThessaloniki, January 7 (MPA)The Hellenic Telecommunications Organization's share climbed nine points on the New York Stock Exchange, with 650,000 shares floating, thereby confirming investors' interest abroad.Thirty-four million shares OTE shares were sold during the initial offering at the NYSE on November 1, 1998. Before the end of the year, on December 31, 1998, they closed at $13.00. A.F. [11] SURMOUNTING EVIDENCE: CYPRUS' OCCUPIED REGION LOADED WITH US-MADE ARMSThessaloniki, January 7 (MPA)There is surmounting evidence that the Turkish occupation forces in Cyprus are equipped with US-made arms, in clear violation to US legislation, featuring four times more combat arms and five times more heavy artillery than the Cypriot Republic.The substantiating data is published in today's edition of the Athens daily 'Ta Nea' which also notes that that weapons list has been forwarded to Washington from Nicosia and Athens so that it may proceed to the removal of the US-made arms. Specifically, the occupation forces on the island have 231 M48 tanks, whereas the Republic of Cyprus has 61. They also have 38 transportable heavy 115mm cannons, as opposed to the Greek-Cypriot side's 12, 62 mobile staff transport vehicles as opposed to the Republic's six, - which 62 are in addition to 255 armored vehicles, 208 armed staff transportation vehicles of US-Turkish construction, 36 TOW antitank missiles and four radar. The aforementioned list does not contain a number of US-made arms transported on the island's occupied region after 1980 and it is not known whether or not they fall under the congressional ban. A.F. [12] TWO GREEK EUROMPS WANT KOZLODUI'S 1- UNITS CLOSED FOR GOODAthens, January 7 (MPA)Two Greek eurodeputies have tabled a resolution to the European Parliament wherein they request the immediate and permanent closing of four units at the Bulgaria's nuclear plant, Kozlodui.The resolution, to be discussed at the House's plenary session on January 14, has been tabled by parliamentarians Antonis Trakatellis and George Dimitrakopoulos, both members of Greece's main opposition party New Democracy. They call on the Bulgarian government to proceed to the immediate closing of the nuclear reactors 1-4 (which are of outdated technology and are deemed dangerous) and also ask the European Parliament to express its chagrin at Bulgaria's delay in applying the commitments it has undertaken internationally. Moreover, the eurodeputies urge the Parliament to ask the Commission not to fund the update of units 5-6 if the remaining units are not permanently dismantled. A.F. [13] ALBANIA: MAJKO-BERISHA MEETING IS 'EVENT OF THE YEAR'Tirana, January 7 (MPA)The meeting held between Albania's opposition party leader and former president Sali Berisha with the Prime Minister Padeli Majko has raised everyone's hopes for a smoother course into 1999, while the country's political leaders are opposed to early elections and grant the newly-formed government the due time necessary for executing its undertaken tasks.Commenting on rumors of a reshuffle in the Majko-led government, Parliament President and leader of the Social- Democratic Party Skender Ginoushi told the Macedonian Press Agency that the 'Time for change has not come. The government has (been) only three months (in office) and hasn't had the time to prove what it is capable of doing.' Regarding a potential reinstatement of the Democratic Party to Parliament, Mr. Ginoushi stated 'this does not mean that there need to be changes in the government. Also speaking to the MPA, the leader of the Human Rights Association Party Vasil Melo stated that 'before we speak of changes and early elections, we need to talk about a series of serious problems faced by the country.' Mr. Melo's priority is the dialogue between the Socialist and Democratic parties which was paved through the meeting between Mgrs. Majko and Berisha. On a somewhat different note, since he characterized the country's government as 'failed', the leader of Albania's Republican Party Fatmir Mediu said that the holding of elections is impossible until order is restored. 'The need to hold elections did not arise today but rather earlier, and this is because the government has failed in all sectors,' Mr. Mediu told the MPA, albeit stressing that 'what is urgent is to (discover) a new formula for governing the country.' A.F. [14] DETAINED CULT MEMBERS WANT TO GO TO GREECEJerusalem, January 7 (MPA)Members of an American doomsday cult awaiting deportation after allegedly planning violent acts in Jerusalem want to go to Greece rather than return to the United States, their lawyer said yesterday.Eran Avital, a lawyer who represents three members of the Concerned Christians, said his clients also told him their leader, Monte Kim Miller, who dropped out of sight in the fall, was in London. Avital said his clients preferred to go to Greece because other group members are already there and because they believed the United States would be destroyed soon. Miller and several dozen followers have not been seen since selling their homes and belongings in the Denver area last fall. Miller told his followers that he will die in the streets of Jerusalem in December 1999 and be resurrected three days later. Fourteen cult members, including six children, came to Israel in September and rented two homes in the Jerusalem suburbs of Mevasseret Zion and Moza. Israeli police watched the homes for several weeks and raided them Sunday, detaining the residents. Israeli police have said the cult members planned to provoke bloodshed by attacking policemen in Jerusalem. A senior police source said the cult members were planning violent acts in Jerusalem's walled Old City and that one possible location was the Temple Mount, site of Jewish- Arab tensions in the past. Deportation orders were issued against 11 group members, including three women and six children. They are being held in a Jerusalem hostel under police guard, Avital said. Three others were investigated by police on suspicion they plotted violent acts near Jerusalem holy sites in the belief that this would trigger a bloody Armageddon and hasten the second coming of Christ. The three men have denied the allegations, telling an Israeli magistrate on Monday that they had no plans to hurt anyone. But yesterday, after a police investigation, the judge ordered the three - identified as John Bayles of Denver, Terry Smith of Eagle, Colo., and Eric Malesic of Westminster, Colo. - to be deported, the Interior Ministry said. Avital said his clients would not fight deportation even though they would have preferred to remain in Israel to await what they believe will be the return of Jesus Christ at the millennium. Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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