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Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English, 99-04-05Macedonian 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, April 5, 1999TITLES
NEWS IN DETAIL[01] TWELFTH NIGHT OF NATO STRIKES IN YUGOSLAVIA, ELEVEN WOUNDEDBelgrade, April 5 (MPA)NATO aircraft continued to raid Yugoslavia for the twelfth successive night, targeting Serbia throughout, but focusing on Kosovo’s capital Prishtina.According to reports, at least 11 persons have been wounded from the surge of air attacks, while random explosions burst in Belgrade where the mass media are reporting that the city’s airport has been hit. Twenty Tomahawk missiles were launched against Yugoslavia last night alone. Meanwhile, the United States have announced their intent to dispatch 24 Apache helicopters and a 2,000-troops force to Albania. A.F. [02] GREEK TROOPS TO BE DISPATCHED TO ALBANIA AND FYROMThessaloniki, April 5 (MPA)Greek troops will be dispatched to Albania, FYROM and other Balkan countries, while 5,000 refugees from Kosovo will be hosted in Greece.Government spokesperson Dimitris Reppas stated that Greece will be present wherever it is needed, and clarified that the aforementioned mission falls within the parameters of the multinational force’s effort to ensure the safe distribution of humanitarian aid. Regarding the refugees, Mr. Reppas stated that they will be hosted in specially set up camps in Fokida, Fthiotida, Eubia and the Peloponnese, at least in the first phase of their stay in Greece. A.F. [03] GREEK FM MEETS WITH US DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATEAthens, April 5 (MPA)Greece’s Foreign Minister George Papandreou will meet with US Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott in Athens today. Meanwhile, the president of Greece’s minor opposition party, Coalition of the Left and Progress Nikos Konstantopoulos is departing for Belgrade today where he will meet with Yugoslavia’s political leaders and will be also received by President Slobodan Milosevic.Mr. Konstantopoulos will remain in Belgrade for two days and in turn will travel to other Balkan countries. A.F. [04] VENIZELOS: YES TO REFUGEES, BUT IN PROPORTION TO POPULATIONThessaloniki, April 5 (MPA)Minister of Development Evangelos Venizelos stated today that the refugees fleeing Kosovo should seek shelter as near to their homes as possible, adding that while Greece will take in refugees, their number should be commensurate to the country’s population and the behavior of the other European states.Speaking to an Athens radio station, Mr. Venizelos also pointed out that Greece is presently providing a significant amount of humanitarian aid support to the two countries most burdened by the mass exodus, Albania and FYROM. The Development Minister underlined the need for utmost alertness given the present phenomenon of instability in the region. A.F. [05] US DENIES PLANS OF SENDING GROUND TROOPS TO KOSOVOWashington, April 5 (MPA)Sending troops for ground operations in Kosovo is not among the State Department’s plans, according to Samuel Berger, US presidential national security advisor.According to the Russian news agency Itar-Tass, Mr. Berger indicated that NATO’s air raids in Yugoslavia are to continue , but the 24 Apache helicopters, along with 2,000 U.S. troops, dispatched to Albania are not qualified as a ground force. Mr. Berger added that the US does not think ground operations are necessary for meeting its goals in Yugoslavia, stressing that such an operation would take months of preparations . A.F. [06] BELGRADE: US SOLDIERS WILL BE RELEASED ONCE BOMBING ENDSWashington, April 5 (MPA)The three U.S. servicemen captured by the Serb troops on the Yugoslav-FYROM border will not be tried, but, instead, they will be released as soon as NATO’s bombing of Yugoslavia is stopped.As the Russian Itar-Tass news agency reported, Belgrade’s vice-mayor Milan Bozic told the ABC television company that “they will return home as soon as this madness is over.” Mr. Bozic described as “falsehoods” the reports about the alleged trial of the three soldiers and assured the American public that the servicemen will be treated in a humane way as long as they are kept by the Serb side. A.F. [07] BELGRADE APPEALS TO ETHNIC ALBANIANS NOT TO FLEE KOSOVOBelgrade, April 5 (MPA)The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia has issued an appeal to Kosovo’s ethnic Albanians not to flee their homes and to raise their voice against the Alliance’s raids.“Kosovo’s Albanians have started to realize that only their country, the F.R. of Yugoslavia, can provide them with shelter,” according to a statement issued by the federal cabinet which added that NATO has shown its true colors even before the public opinion of its member- states, through the “criminal” attacks against hospitals, industries, bridges and housing units. A.F. [08] BODIES OF U.S. SERVICEMEN WERE NOT TRANSPORTED TO SALONICAThessaloniki, April 5 (MPA)Serbian press reports claiming that the bodies of U.S. servicemen killed in Yugoslavia were recently transported to Thessaloniki are unfounded and extremely dangerous, according to the spokesperson of Greece’s General Army Staff.The Serb television station has reported that customs officials at the Greece-FYROM border have claimed 19 coffins containing the mortal remains of US servicemen have been transported to Greece from FYROM through a border guardhouse. Speaking to the Macedonian Press Agency, the General Army Staff spokesperson in Thessaloniki Stamatis Lazarou has categorically denied reports of US military coffins being transferred in Thessaloniki and stressed that such reports can actually create problems in Greece’s relations with its neighboring countries. Meanwhile, customs officials at the Evzonon border station also refute the same reports. A.F. [09] TALBOTT, PAPANDREOU DISCUSS KOSOVO CRISIS AT LENGTHAthens, April 5 (MPA)Greece’s Foreign Minister George Papandreou met with US Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott in Athens today where the two men held an at-length discussion over the Kosovo crisis, focusing on the repercussion thereof. According to reports, Messrs. Talbott and Papandreou discussed the refugee issue, where the US official is said to have pressured the Greek government into taking in more refugees that it had planned. Mr. Papandreou is reported to have stressed that Greece can only take in a limited number of refugees, and only with the understanding of the EU and in proportion to the number that will be hosted by other countries. Moreover, Mr. Talbott is said to have tried to secure access to Greek ports, mainly Thessaloniki’s, for the accommodation of NATO forces bound for the Balkans.Mr. Papandreou reiterated Greece’s concern over the on-going crisis in the region and the government’s intent not to participate in NATO’s military operations. A.F. [10] KOSOVO: NUMBER OF REFUGEES CONTINUES TO SURGE, TOPS 300,000Tirana, April 5 (MPA)The number of refugees fleeing Kosovo continues to surge, with 200,000 having already arrived in Albania and another 115,000 presently in FYROM. According to Germany’s Ministry of the Interior, Europe is to provide shelter to 100,000 refugees, while the exact number to be allocated to each EU member-state will be outlined on Thursday when the EU Foreign Ministers Council convenes.The Greek government has availed two C-130 aircraft for the transport of refugees, while the country can take in 10,000 displaced persons. Government spokesperson Dimitris Reppas stressed that Greece will contribute to alleviating the problem, but he added that the United Nations request that Greece take in 50,000 refugees “is beyond every logical acceptance”. Meanwhile, Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou had a telephone conversation with his Turkish counterpart Ismael Cem yesterday, where they agreed to activate a common initiative in coordinating the efforts of transferring refugees to NATO countries. A.F. Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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