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Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English, 99-04-19Macedonian 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 19, 1999TITLES
NEWS IN DETAIL[01] GREEK PM TO MEET WITH UN SECRETARY GENERAL IN NEW YORKNew York, April 19 (MPA)Prime Minister Kostas Simitis is presently in New York, where he will take part in the NATO summit marking the 50th anniversary of the Alliance.Mr. Simitis’ visit follows Greece’s initiative for ending the war in Yugoslavia and settling the conflict in Kosovo through peaceful means. The Premier will meet with United Nations Secretary- General Kofi Annan with whom he will discuss the Kosovo issue. A.F. [02] NATO INTENSIFIES RAIDS, STRIKES BUILDINGS AND CHEMICAL PLANTSBelgrade, April 19 (MPAAs NATO raids continue to incessantly target key structures in Yugoslavia, among them chemical manufacturing plants, fears of an ecological disaster abound among scientists. A thick cloud literally looms over Belgrade’s suburb Pancevo where a chemical oil plant was bombarded and many residents complained of respiratory problems. According to Serb media, a NATO missile slammed into a monumental building in the heart of Novi Sad, Serbia's second largest city. A.F. [03] TURKEY: ECEVIT LEADING IN PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONSAnkara, April 19 (MPA)Turkish Prime Minster Bulent Ecevit is leading in the country’s parliamentary elections, held yesterday, where voters cast their ballot on the local, mayoral and national races. Mr. Ecevit’s Democratic Left Party is steadily ahead in the polls counted so far, while the Islamist Virtue Party is faring worse than it expected. The ultra-right Nationalist Movement Party is marking an increase, while Mesut Yilmaz’s Motherland Party and Tansu Ciller’s True Path Party both appear to be losing ground. A.F.[04] UNDERSECRETARY OF ECONOMY ARRIVES IN SKOPJE TODAYThessaloniki, April 19 (MPA)Greece’s Undersecretary of National Economy Alexandros Baltas is to travel to Skopje today, where he and a delegation of Greek entrepreneurs will examine the prospects of purchasing FYROM ventures on preferential terms.FYROM’s market remains an attractive field for Greek investors, with indirect Greek ventures amounting to $70 million, either having already been established or being in the works. A.F. [05] INFORMAL BALKAN MEETING TO BE HELD IN ATHENS TODAYAthens, April 19 (MPA)An informal meeting of experts from those Balkan countries neighboring with Yugoslavia is to be held in Athens today, where they will exchange views on ways to reconstruct the region after the war ends.The meeting is an extension of Greece’s initiative for stabilization, democratization and development of the Balkans. FYROM’s Foreign Minister Mr. Dimitrov will take part in the meeting, along with the European Union’s German Presidency representative Mr. Neubert and senior officials from the Foreign Ministries of Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey. Representatives of the Belgrade Economic Institute -- who had also been invited but are unable to attend -- will send their proposals in writing. A.F. [06] PUBLIC OPINION POLL: GREECE SHOULDN’T FACILITATE NATO TROOPSThessaloniki, April 19 (MPA)Greece should not facilitate NATO’s troops, even if this stance causes the country to clash with its Allies, according to a public opinion poll published in the Athens daily “Ta Nea”.Specifically, 56.9% of those polled are opposed to Greece providing accommodations to NATO’s troops, while 25.7% believe that the country should withdraw from the Alliance. Fifty-three percent are in favor of Greece remaining a member of NATO. Concerning the war in Yugoslavia, 83.9% of those polled believe that the United States are defending national interests in Kosovo. As for the war’s key players, the public does not view them in a positive light. To begin with, 94.4% have a negative view of U.S. President Bill Clinton, with British Premier Toni Blair faring slighting better by being viewed negatively by 77.6% of those polled. NATO’s Secretary-General Javier Solana is viewed favorably by a mere 3.7%, while 69.5% hold a negative stance towards his policy. On the contrary, 63.5% of those polled expressed positive views for Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, with negative views of him and his policy amounting to 26.9%, while Russian Premier Yevgeni Primakov is viewed favorably by 53.1%, with 16.4% having a negative point of view. A.F. [07] GREEK PREMIER TO DISCUSS KOSOVO CRISIS IN NEW YORKNew York, April 19 (MPA)Greece’s Prime Minister Kostas Simitis, presently in New York for NATO’s 50th anniversary, plans to outline the three points of Greece’s proposal for Kosovo, namely the discovery of a political solution, the creation of a plan for the region’s development and the coordination of humanitarian aid efforts.Mr. Simitis has stressed that any consequences to be borne from the Balkan crisis will not steer Greece away from its course and has expressed his optimism that the country will achieve its target of acceding to the Economic and Monetary Union. During his stay in the United States, the Premier will meet with U.S. officials and leading members of the Greek-American community. A.F. [08] GREEK PREMIER’S ITINERARY IN THE UNITED STATESNew York, April 19 (MPA)Greece’s Prime Minister Kostas Simitis, presently in New York for NATO’s 50th anniversary, is to meet with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan this afternoon and with Archbishop Spyridon of America tomorrow. On Wednesday, Mr. Simitis will address a lunch held in his honor by the Council on Foreign Relations. The Premier’s address will concern foreign policy issues, including the Kosovo crisis, Greek-Turkish relations and the Cyprus issue.On Thursday, the Premier will attend a lunch held in his honor by the board of directors of the Woodrow Wilson Research Institute on foreign, economic and social policy issues. On Saturday, the 19 NATO leaders will attend a formal dinner held in their honor and hosted by US president Bill Clinton at the White House. Mr. Simitis will depart for Greece on Sunday, April 25 after the close of the NATO summit. A.F. [09] RUSSIAN PATRIARCH EMBARKS ON KOSOVO PEACEMAKING MISSIONMoscow, April 19 (MPA)The Patriarch of Moscow and All of Russia Alexi II, who plans a peacemaking mission to Yugoslavia, met with Yugoslav ambassador to Russia Borislav Milosevic today, according to the Russian news agency Itar-Tass.Diplomatic sources stated that Romania provided an air lane for the Patriarch’s plane but it could not guarantee the safety of his flight. Moreover, Itar-Tass reported that Hungary agreed today to provide air passage to the Patriarch’s flight to Belgrade tomorrow. While in Belgrade, the Russian Patriarch will meet with Yugoslav officials and the head of the Serb Orthodox Church, Patriarch Pavle. A.F. [10] SERBS CLAIM TO HAVE DOWNED THREE NATO PLANESBelgrade, April 19 (MPA)Air defense gunners of the Prishtina Corps of the Yugoslav Armed Forces shot down three NATO planes flying over Kosovo, according to the Russian news agency Itar- Tass.Quoting the Serb state-owned television station RTS, Itar-Tass reported that two of the aircraft were downed on Saturday, during their raid in central Yugoslavia and the third was shot down later on Saturday, in the Cicavica mountain massif. A.F. [11] YELTSIN, CLINTON TO DISCUSS KOSOVO ON THE PHONE TODAYMoscow, April 19 (MPA)Russian President Boris Yeltsin is to speak with his U.S. counterpart Bill Clinton this afternoon, in order to discuss the Kosovo crisis, according to the French news agency AFP.Citing Kremlin foreign policy aide Sergei Prikodko, AFP reported that the talks will take place after Mr. Yeltsin has consulted top government officials to devise a new strategy to defuse the escalating crisis in the Balkans. A.F. [12] GREECE NOT AT RISK FROM TOXIC CLOUD IN SERB ATMOSPHEREThessaloniki, April 19 (MPA)There is no immediate risk of environmental pollution in Greece emanating from the toxic cloud lingering over Serbia, after NATO aircraft bombarded a chemical manufacturing plant.According to professor Themistocles Kouimtzis, director of the environmental pollution control lab at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, local experts are awaiting the data derived from gauging the atmosphere and rain water near the Axios River and Thessaloniki. The professor added that the southern winds presently over the Sahara region are acting as a protecting barrier over Greece. However, the laboratory chief expressed his concern over a possible ecological disaster should NATO bombs hit accidentally or intentionally a detergent factory near Belgrade. The said factory houses 174 tons of acid containing floride and hydrogen at a 92 per cent concentration, which, if hit, could release a toxic cloud in the atmosphere. A.F. [13] PREMIER OUTLINES THE TWO TARGETS OF HIS VISIT TO UNITED STATESNew York, April 19 (MPA)Speaking upon his arrival in New York, Prime Minister Kostas Simitis stated that the purpose of his visit has two targets: first, to outline Greece’s position on the Kosovo crisis and, second, to present the country’s policy to US offcials and the Greek-American community leaders. Mr. Simitis outlined the specific reasons held by Greece for developing peacemaking initiatives in the Balkan region. “Greece has a double identity,” he stated. “It participates in the multinational formations, it follows the general direction. But it is also a country in the Balkan region, it belongs to Southeastern Europe, it participates in the activities taking place in the Mediterranean region. It has special problems, it has its own interests and aims in this region. “As such, whatever adjustments there may be, whatever regulations are agreed upon, the new parameters have to serve Greece’s aim as well, that is to correspond to the region’s special conditions,” he said, adding “to serve (Greece’s) special interests and aims. The Premier itemized the three points of Greece’s proposal for Kosovo, namely the discovery of a political solution, the creation of a plan for the region’s development and the coordination of humanitarian aid efforts. He stressed that he is confident the country will achieve its target of acceding to the Economic and Monetary Union, stressing that it is an “attainable goal.” The second aspect of the Premier’s visit is to conduct a series of meeting with U.S. Officials and Greek-American leaders, to whom he will outline the state’s policy and present its achievements, mainly in the economic sector. A.F.[14] GREECE’S FORMER FM PANGALOS OPPOSES GIVING ACCESS TO NATOAthens, April 19 (MPA)Greece’s former foreign minister Theodoros Pangalos is opposed to Greece granting NATO with access to the port of Thessaloniki for conducting ground operations in Yugoslavia.In an interview with the Athens daily “Ta Nea”, Mr. Pangalos opined that the Greek government should adopt the stance of FYROM, which has not allowed the Alliance to use its territory for land operations in the neighboring Yugoslavia. The former minister stated that he doesn’t believe NATO will proceed to land operations, stating that such act would mean a complete lack of gravity on behalf of the Clinton Administration. Instead, Mr. Pangalos believes that the most likely outcome of the conflict will be the partition of Kosovo. Concerning the name issue pending between FYROM and Greece, Mr. Pangalos disclosed that, during his term in the Foreign Ministry, all the technical details had been completed prior to signing an agreement which would grant FYROM the name “Republika Macedonia-Skopje". He further said that he did not bring forth the said proposal for discussion with the Greek Cabinet and added that, in his view, FYROM displayed an erroneous sense of hesitancy which is why the agreement was not signed. A.F. Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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