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Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English, 99-04-06Macedonian 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 6, 1999TITLES
NEWS IN DETAIL[01] NATO’s LATEST RAID UPS THE ANTE WITH FIVE DEAD, MANY INJUREDBelgrade, April 6 (MPA)At least five persons were killed and over twenty others were wounded during NATO’s latest raid, this time launched against the city of Alexinac, south of Belgrade.A score of homes were demolished, along with a health center and a shopping mall. The allied aircraft also targeted bridges and airports, having upped the ante in the war against Yugoslavia. United States President Bill Clinton announced yesterday that the raids will continue to increase in severity. Meanwhile, Moscow appears to have another diplomatic initiative in the works as Premier Yevgeni Primakov is traveling to Belgrade where he will meet with Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic. A.F. [02] PREMIER BRIEFS STATE LEADERS ON YUGOSLAVIA CRISISAthens, April 6 (MPA)Prime Minister Kostas Simitis continues to stress that Greece will not participate in NATO’s military operations in Yugoslavia. He further stated that Greece is linearly opposed to any act that could lead to a change of borders in the Balkan region. The Premier is to hold a briefing session today with the country’s political leaders, among them main opposition party leader, New Democracy’s Kostas Karamanlis, the secretary-general of the Communist party of Greece Aleka Papariga, minor opposition party leader, Political Spring’s Antonis Samaras, and N.D.’s honorary President Constantine Mitsotakis. A.F.[03] REFUGEE SITUATION HAS TAKEN DRAMATIC DIMENSIONSAthens, April 6 (MPA)As the number of Kosovo refugees continues to swell into unprecedented dimensions, United States President Bill Clinton stated that the US will increase the amount of aid to the displaced Kosovars, albeit he admitted that it was impossible to prepare NATO for such a wave of migration. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of persons are lined up at the FYROM border while the UNHCR urged Skopje to ease up on the bureaucratic procedures and grant entrance to the refugees. A.F.[04] CYPRIOT FOREIGN MINISTER ARRIVES IN ATHENS TODAYAthens, April 6 (MPA)Cypriot Foreign Minister Yiannakis Kassoulides is to arrive in Athens today where he will discuss Nicosia's contribution to the efforts of providing humanitarian aid to Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia. According to Greek government spokesperson Dimitris Reppas, Greece will under no circumstances agree to refugees being sheltered in the Turkish-occupied areas of Cyprus. Turkish-Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash has proposed the settlement of 5,000 Kosovo refugees in Turkish-occupied Famagusta. A.F.[05] GREEK PREMIER ADDRESSES THE NATION ON KOSOVO CRISISAthens, April 6 (MPA)Prime Minister Kostas Simitis gave a televised address to the nation last night, where he spoke on the present situation in Yugoslavia.Mr. Simitis reiterated that will not get involved in military operations, as it had stated from the very beginning of NATO’s raids against Yugoslavia, “because we are neighbors with Yugoslavia. Because we want a political solution.” The Greek Premier also stressed that “from the very first day, we have declared that Yugoslavia must provide a wide ranging autonomy to Kosovo's residents. Yugoslavia must respect their human rights and promote a peaceful settlement of differences. We condemn the policy of ethnic cleansing followed by Serbia." Mr. Simitis added that any fear by Greece is unjustified. “We will not get involved in military confrontations. Greece belongs in a zone of stability and in Europe's power structure. It remains in this zone," he said, adding, "We are against any act that could lead to a change of borders in the Balkans." Concerning the refugees problem, Mr. Simitis said that decisions taken over the past few days are the result of Greece’s initiatives. “As far as we are concerned the basic aim should be for the refugees to remain near their country of origin. All European Union member-states are obliged to contribute according to their strength and ability. “We pay special attention to the issue of the Greek minority in Albania, to the protection of the property of the Greek ethnic minority in that country. Albania's leadership has reassured us that its (Greek ethnic minority) rights would not be infringed upon,” he added. A.F. [06] SYNASPISMOS PRESIDENT MEETS WITH BULGARIA’S PARVANOVSofia, April 6 (MPA)The president of Greece’s Coalition of the Left and Progress Nikos Konstantopoulos met with the Bulgarian Socialist Party Georgi Parvanov in Sofia yesterday, prior to the former’s visit to Belgrade. Messrgs. Konstantopoulos and Parvanov stressed their support for an immediate end to the war in Yugoslavia and a resumption of diplomatic efforts for a peaceful solution in Kosovo. Furthermore, they both agreed that future negotiations must target autonomy for Kosovo within the borders and sovereignty of Yugoslavia. Following his meeting with Mr. Parvanov, Mr. Konstantopoulos departed for Belgrade where he will be received by Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic today. A.F.[07] FYROM’S PREMIER FORWARDS LETTER TO HIS GREEK COUNTERPARTThessaloniki, April 6 (MPA)Outlining the severe problems his country is faced with due to the surging in-flow of Kosovo refugees, FYROM’s Prime Minister Ljupcko Georgievski has forwarded a letter to his Greek counterpart Kostas Simitis where he laments that his country will soon be faced with a political tragedy.According to the Athens daily To Vima, Mr. Georgievski writes that FYROM is faced with humanitarian and economic catastrophes, while he lashes out against the United States and the European Union, accusing them of having embarked on military operations in Yugoslavia without displaying a sense of responsibility and without any planning for FYROM’s fate. Furthermore, Mr. Georgievski holds Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic accountable for the humanitarian tragedy in Kosovo, and questions the degree to which the US and the EU can guarantee FYROM’s integrity and sovereignty, and if they will fund at least a section of the humanitarian aid provided to the refugees who have flooded his country. Concerning the presence of 12,000 NATO troops in FYROM, Mr. Georgievski commented that while it is viewed by Yugoslavia as an act of aggression, “we did not want to finance this war, which, either way, is not ours.” A.F. [08] TALBOTT: U.S. DO NOT SUPPORT BORDER CHANGES IN THE BALKANSAthens, April 6 (MPA)United States Assistant Secretary of State Strobe Talbott, has stressed that the Clinton Administration does not condone a change of borders in the Balkan region, and saluted the positions adopted by Greek government officials, especially Greece’s Defense Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos who denounced the national cleansing imposed by President Slobodan Milosevic in Yugoslavia.When asked to comment on the oppression of the Kurds in southeast Turkey, Mr.Talbott stated that the US. do not have a specific formula for all the problems that arise in every corner of the world, but, instead, each issue is dealt with separately depending on the given situation. “Turkey is an allied country for the United States and Greece, it is a country that is faced with a series of problems, one of which concern democracy,” the US official stated. In regards to the at-times tempestuous Greek-Turkish relations, Mr. Talbott stated that the best way to resolve these issues is the involved countries’ efforts. A.F. [09] RUSSIA: BORIS YELTSIN CALLS NATO RAIDS “BARBARIC”Moscow, April 6 (MPA)Russian President Boris Yeltsin called NATO raids on Yugoslavia “barbaric” and said future developments in the Balkans depend on the West, while Russia continues to work towards stopping the bombings. According to the Russian news agency Itar-Tass, President Yeltsin said that “one cannot but express indignation at the barbaric bombings”, adding that the Alliance has bombed historical monuments of culture which are registered by UNESCO. A.F.[10] KOSOVO REFUGEES TO BEGIN ARRIVING IN GREECE ON THURSDAYThessaloniki, April 6 (MPA)According to reports leaked by Skopje railway staff, a train with approximately 2,000 Kosovo refugees on board is ready to depart from Gevgelija for Thessaloniki, prompting Greek Railway organization staff and customs officials into immediate mobilization. The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs has so far refused to issue clearance to the train, until details are drawn on the refugees’ status and their registration process is completed. As such, the train, which remains in Gevgelija, is expected to arrive in Greece either tomorrow evening or on Thursday. A.F.[11] GREECE’S POLITICAL YOUTH GROUPS TO HOLD TORCHLIGHT MARCHESAthens, April 6 (MPA)Greece’s political youth organizations, in cooperation with the Yugoslav Youth of Greece, are to hold torchlight marches throughout the country tomorrow, in protest to NATO’s raids on Yugoslavia. The marches will be held in Athens, Thessaloniki, Patra, Ioannina, Irakleio, Komotini, Alexandroupoli, Larisa, Kalamata, Rhodes and outside the NATO base of Aktio in Preveza.The youth organizations have stated their solidarity to the Yugoslav people who are fighting for survival, defending their country’s integrity. A.F. Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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