Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 00-01-27

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From: The Macedonian Press Agency at http://www.mpa.gr and http://www.hri.org/MPA.

CONTENTS

[01] DISAGREEMENT IN THE EU OVER THE PROTECTION OF THE NAMES OF "RETSINA",

[02] A DUTCH OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST WILL BE HONORED BY THE GREEK SPORTS PRESS

[03] THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE CHANGES ITS NAME

[04] ELECTIONS WILL BE HELD AT THE END OF THE GOVERNMENT'S FOUR-YEAR TERM

[05] SMALL GAINS IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE

[06] THE EARTHQUAKES IN CRETE AND SAMOTHRAKI ARE ISOLATED PHENOMENA

[07] BULGARIAN BUSINESS DELEGATION IN THESSALONIKI

[08] EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTARY CONFERENCE IN ATHENS

[09] THESSALONIKIS MAYORS TO HOST KIDS FROM ABROAD

[10] EARTHQUAKES JOLT CRETE AND SAMOTHRACE

[11] TEMPERATURE DROPPED TO -38 DEGREES CELSIUS IN YUGOSLAVIA

[12] TURKISH-GREEK SEA TOURISM PLAN PROMOTED

[13] ROMANIAN HOSPITALS ENFORCE QUARANTINE OVER FLU

[14] DEFENSE MINISTER DEPARTS FOR CYPRUS TODAY

[15] THE CHRISTIAN LOVE DICTATES TO WORK FOR PEACE, STATED THE ECUMENICAL

[16] WAN: 70 JOURNALISTS KILLED IN 1999

[17] GREEK FM ΙΝ HOLOCAUST CONFERENCE IN STOCKHOLM

[18] "THE TREASURES OF ANCIENT GREECE" IN AUSTRALIA

[19] NEW DRUG AGAINST CANCER IN THE UNITED STATES

[01] DISAGREEMENT IN THE EU OVER THE PROTECTION OF THE NAMES OF "RETSINA", "OUZO" AND "GRAPA"

The trade agreement between the European Union and South Africa, which provides for the African state to have the right to use the names of the Greek "retsina" and "ouzo" and the Italian "grapa" for the alcoholic beverages it produces, is expected to collapse.

Greece and Italy refuse to sign the agreement and therefore, it will be canceled as in order to be valid it has to be ratified by all the EU member-states.

Greece disagrees with the characterization of the "retsina" table wine as an alcoholic beverage made from grapes because based on the European Council regulations, "retsina" is a table wine but not an alcoholic beverage.

Meanwhile, South Africa appears to regard the name of "ouzo", as the names of many other alcoholic beverages in the EU (for example the Italian "grapa") as generic or semi-generic and therefore, it maintains that it has the right to use the name of "ouzo" as is not associated with a geographic region or indication. However, this claim is against the European community regulation according to which, "ouzo" is produced exclusively in Greece.

Another point of disagreement on behalf of Greece concerns all the EU member-states as well and refers to South Africa's disagreement with the EU regulations concerning the wine production from VITIS VITIFERA grapes or a crossbreed.

[02] A DUTCH OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST WILL BE HONORED BY THE GREEK SPORTS PRESS

Four times gold medalist in the 1948 Olympic Games, Dutch Fani Blankers-Kunn will be honored on January 31 in the annual event organized in Athens by the Greek Sports Press Association. The Dutch athlete is 82 years old and she was recently honored by the World Track and Field Federation (IAAF) as the leading athlete of the century.

In the first post-war Olympic Games when she was already 30 years old and a mother of two won the gold medal in the 100 meters, the 200 meters, the 80 meters hurdles and the 4x100 meters relay race.

[03] THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE CHANGES ITS NAME

The transformation of the ministry of agriculture and the change of its name to ministry of agriculture, reconstruction and development of the countryside will be approved by February 15.

The statement was made by minister of agriculture Giorgos Anomeritis on the sidelines of the international farm exhibition Agrotica 2000 that will be open in Thessaloniki until January 30.

The reformed ministry will be in full operation in the next few months and will have decentralized agencies in the prefectures and local administration organizations across the country.

Mr. Anomeritis reminded that European Union funds of 1 trillion drachmas will be allocated until the year 2006 for the further development of agriculture, while the policies that will be implemented in the following years will focus on the reconstruction of the Greek countryside both socially and economically.

[04] ELECTIONS WILL BE HELD AT THE END OF THE GOVERNMENT'S FOUR-YEAR TERM

The intention and the goal of the government is for parliamentary elections to be held in Greece at the end of its four-year term when its work will be completed, reiterated today acting government spokesman Yiannis Nikolaou.

Mr. Nikolaou pointed out that the pre-election climate is evident and it is not to the benefit of the country.

Responding to the question if there will be an intervention by the prime minister in order to determine when elections will be held, Mr. Nikolaou stated that Mr. Simitis and the government members have stated repeatedly that the intention is to hold parliamentary elections in September 2000.

[05] SMALL GAINS IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE

Small gains of 0.10% were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange today. The general index closed at 4.941,60 and the volume of transactions reached 157.2 billion drachmas.

The session started with losses which were increased gradually but in the process the trend changed and the investors expressed purchase interest limiting the initial losses.

[06] THE EARTHQUAKES IN CRETE AND SAMOTHRAKI ARE ISOLATED PHENOMENA

Thessaloniki's Aristotle University seismologists characterize the two earthquakes measuring 5 and 4.4 on the Richter scale that were recorded earlier in the morning and their epicenters were located respectively in the sea region west of Crete and in northern Aegean, north of Samothraki, as isolated phenomena that should not cause concern.

According to data available, the two earthquakes do not constitute proof of an increased seismic activity in the region.

[07] BULGARIAN BUSINESS DELEGATION IN THESSALONIKI

In an effort to promote bilateral economic and trade ties, a delegation of Bulgarian entrepreneurs conducted a visit to Thessaloniki yesterday, headed by the Chairperson of Plovdiv's Chamber of Commerce and Industry Dobrina Prodanova.

The general director of Thessaloniki's Chamber of Commerce and Industry Charalambos Goudoulakis presented the Bulgarian delegates with an outline of Thessaloniki's commercial and cultural role, as well as of the city's significance now that it hosts the headquarters of the Balkan Reconstruction Organization.

In his address, Mr. Goudoulakis drew parallels between Thessaloniki and Plovdiv, pointing out that both are the second largest cities in their respective countries, and could greatly benefit from increased trade.

In turn, Ms. Prodanova briefed her Greek host on the Plovdiv's chamber right to organize a Euro Info Center, which, she stated, will facilitate Greek investments in Bulgaria.

A.F.

[08] EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTARY CONFERENCE IN ATHENS

The second European Parliamentary Conference on information and communication technology is presently underway in Athens, featuring the participation of 50 deputies from the European Union's member-states.

The two-day conference was inaugurated by the President of the Hellenic Parliament Apostolos Kaklamanis while PASOk deputies Theodoros Katsanevas and Dimitrios Sarris are to jointly preside over the event.

The conference is also attended by two deputies from each Greek party represented in parliament.

A.F.

[09] THESSALONIKIS MAYORS TO HOST KIDS FROM ABROAD

Six mayors from Thessaloniki's municipalities are to coordinate their efforts in strengthening a host program for children and young adults of Greek descent who live aboard.

The program, whose idea was launched during the Thessaloniki-held Third World conference of the Council of Greeks Abroad (SAE), will be hosted by the mayors of Kalamaria, Abelokipi, Neapoli, Polichni, Stavroupoli and Triandria.

Already, the city council of Neapoli has already resolved to host 50-100 children or young adults of Greek descent during the summer months.

A.F.

[10] EARTHQUAKES JOLT CRETE AND SAMOTHRACE

An earthquake registering 5 on the Richter scale jolted the island of Crete at 8:50 a.m. today, while another quake shook the island of Samothrace earlier today (2.03 a.m.), this one measuring 4.4 on the open-ended scale.

No damages have been reported in either of the tremors. Crete's earthquake was recorded at a distance of 350 kilometers south of Athens, with its epicenter in the sea area west of Crete.

A.F.

[11] TEMPERATURE DROPPED TO -38 DEGREES CELSIUS IN YUGOSLAVIA

Temperature dropped to -38 degrees Celsius in the villages at the Peterska plateau in Yugoslavia.

Meanwhile, there is strong concern in the northern Serb province of Voivodina as its rivers have begun freezing. The responsible agencies in the region announced that large ice-packs could block the river bed and cause extensive floods.

Also, Serb experts warn that if large ice-packs are created in the Danube river they can end up at the remnants of the damaged bridges in Novi Sad that were destroyed during the NATO bombings, flooding about 4/5 of the city.

[12] TURKISH-GREEK SEA TOURISM PLAN PROMOTED

Turkish firm Seatour Marina, which belongs to the Koc Group, is reportedly preparing a proposal to promote sea tourism with yachts, in cooperation with Greek firms which are already active in the sector.

As the Turkish daily "Hurriyet" reported, the potential collaboration would focus on attracting Mediterranean tourism to the Greek-Turkish coastline .

As the general director of Seatour Marina told "Hurriyet", both sides are presently reviewing specific plans and marketing strategies, one of which includes a yacht race in the Aegean.

A.F.

[13] ROMANIAN HOSPITALS ENFORCE QUARANTINE OVER FLU

A great number of hospitals and maternity clinics in Romania have enforced a system of quarantine in order to prevent the spread of a flu epidemic, according to health ministry reports.

Twenty-three thousand Romanians have caught pneumonia since the beginning of the year, while about 450 people have been hospitalized with the illness, local officials have stated.

Temperatures in Bucharest have repeatedly dipped as low as minus 20 Celsius (minus four Fahrenheit), with some heating systems running only at night for lack of fuel.

A.F.

[14] DEFENSE MINISTER DEPARTS FOR CYPRUS TODAY

Defense Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos is embarking on an official two-day visit to Cyprus today, where he will address the Economist conference on the economy of Cyprus.

In addition to meeting with the President of the Republic of Cyprus Glafcos Clerides, Mr. Tsochatzopoulos will also be received by Archbishop Chrisostomos, his Cypriot counterpart Socrates Hasikos and other political party leaders.

A.F.

[15] THE CHRISTIAN LOVE DICTATES TO WORK FOR PEACE, STATED THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH

The important role of Orthodoxy and the systematic effort by the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestants to proselytize the Orthodox Christians mainly at the zone of responsibility of the Russian Christian Orthodox Church were stressed by Ecumenical Patriarch Varholomeos in an interview to the Polish newspaper "Gazata Wyhorcza" during his visit to Poland on January 22-25.

The head of the Christian Orthodox Church also referred to the World Council of Churches and the balances that are being preserved stressing however that the Protestants seek to appropriate the Council's decisions.

Responding to the question if the stance adopted by the Church of Serbia and the other Christian Orthodox Churches during the wars in Yugoslavia could be characterized as nationalist, he stated that all the Christian Orthodox Churches condemned the persecutions of the Albanian-speaking population in Kosovo and the bloody retaliations coming from any warring sides.

[16] WAN: 70 JOURNALISTS KILLED IN 1999

At least 70 journalists and other media staff were killed on the job during the course of 1999 in 19 countries, according to the World Association of Newspapers (WAN).

The 1999 report features the highest number of victims since 1994, when 73 journalists were killed, WAN reported. Fifty-one were killed in 1995, 32 in 1996, 26 in 1997 and 28 in 1998.

The largest number of deaths occurred in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia,

where 22 media workers died, 18 of them in NATO bombardments -- 15 at the

Yugoslavian state television building, and three in the Chinese Embassy.

Ten journalists died in the Sierra Leone conflict, while deaths were also reported in Colombia (6), Nigeria (5), Sri Lanka (5), India (4), Russia (4), Burma (2), East Timor (2), Angola (1), Argentina (1), Great Britain (1), Indonesia (1), Ivory Coast (1), Lebanon (1), Pakistan (1), Peru (1), Tajikistan (1) and Turkey (1).

The Paris-based WAN represents 17,000 newspapers, while its membership includes 63 national newspaper associations, individual newspaper executives in 93 countries, 17 news agencies and seven regional and world-wide press groups.

A.F.

[17] GREEK FM ΙΝ HOLOCAUST CONFERENCE IN STOCKHOLM

Foreign Minister George Papandreou, addressing a Stockholm-held international conference on the Holocaust, referred to the present situation in the Balkans, as well as the efforts being exerted for the creation of a framework of co-existence that would include all the peoples of various religions and nationalities.

Mr. Papandreou, who is leading a delegation of Greek officials, stated that the greatest challenge faced at the dawn of the 21st century is the prevention of another genocide. He further referred to the Greek government"s efforts to resolve the Cyprus issue and stated that Greece counts on the international community"s support.

Greece"s Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Education, as well as Thessaloniki"s Jewish Community, Greece"s Jewish Museum and the "George Papandreou Foundation" are taking part in the forum with report presentations.

The conference coincides with today"s Holocaust Remembrance Day.

A.F.

[18] "THE TREASURES OF ANCIENT GREECE" IN AUSTRALIA

Ancient Greek treasures worth over 730 million dollars will be exhibited in Sidney's Powerhouse Museum from July 15 to November 15, 2000, within the framework of an agreement that was signed recently by the museum's director and the responsible department of the Greek ministry of culture.

The exhibition "One thousand years of Olympic Games-The Treasures of Ancient Greece" will include 54 exhibits on the ancient Olympic Games and the track and field events.

[19] NEW DRUG AGAINST CANCER IN THE UNITED STATES

A new drug which, according to many scientists in the United States, can contribute effectively to the cure of cancer patients was recently produced in Chicago laboratories.

According to the newspaper The New York Times, a long scientific research was recently completed by a scientific team headed by Chicago University professor Dr. Philip Eaton which maintains that a small quantity of the substance they have produced can be proved to be especially effective in the treatment of certain types of cancer.

The production of the pharmaceutical substance, named octanitrocubane (ONC), was the result of a number of difficult consecutive steps first thought of by Plato, as it is mentioned characteristically by the newspaper.

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