Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 00-07-05

Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

CONTENTS

[01] ALTERNATE FM DISMISSES CRITICISM ON G/T AFFAIRS

[02] PASOK SECRETARY RELAYS PATRIARCHS VIEW ON IDs

[03] MR. REPPAS REQUESTED MEASURES AGAINST THE ACTIVITIES OF ALBANIAN GANGS

[04] REPPAS ON SECURITY DURING THE OLYMPIC GAMES

[05] PAPANDREOU MET WITH HIS SLOVENIAN COUNTERPART

[06] GAINS OF 1.19% IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE

[07] THE NEW TURKISH PROVOCATION WAS DISCUSSED IN THE EURO-PARLIAMENT

[08] TURKISH PRIZE TO THE GREEK COMPANY COCO-MAT

[09] THE VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE ORGANIZATION FOR THE ATHENS OLYMPIC GAMES IS

[10] SEVEN FOREIGN COMPANIES TABLED THEIR BIDS FOR THE NATURAL GAS CITY

[11] THE GREEK FOREIGN MINISTRY CONDEMNS THE ACTIONS AGAINST THE TURKISH

[12] GREECE HOLDS THE 31ST PLACE IN FIFA'S LIST

[13] ZAFIROPOULOS: THE GREEK-IRISH BUSINESS COOPERATION CAN BE IMPROVED

[01] ALTERNATE FM DISMISSES CRITICISM ON G/T AFFAIRS

Alternate Foreign Minister Elisabeth Papazoi dismissed criticism that Greece has made concessions while Turkey remains intransigent, in regards to the recent advance of Turkish troops in Cyprus.

In an interview with the Athens radio station "Flash", Ms. Papazoi said that "Greece has made no concessions to date... Greece is no longer accused of not cooperating with Turkey (in resolving differences), and the newest reaction of the Turkish-Cypriot side is simply one more indication of its intransigence and behavior that is beyond the scope of international laws.

"I don't think anyone has anything to say about Greece or Cyprus. It is clear that both we and Cyprus are moving in the right direction. If the other side decides on an intransigent stance, then it will have to bear the appropriate consequences."

In regards to statements made by the Speaker of the Cypriot Parliament Spyros Kyprianou, who said that Greece should review the policy it has been enforcing for the past 25 years since the island's invasion, Ms. Papazoi said that "I think the issue right now is whether or not the proximity talks will bring a result. And, yes, I would say that the Turkish-Cypriot side's stance to date does not leave room for optimism.

"But I believe that we should remain true to the proximity efforts, of course without making any concessions, and that's what we've done so far."

A.F.

[02] PASOK SECRETARY RELAYS PATRIARCHS VIEW ON IDs

The secretary of PASOK's central committee Costas Skandalides stated that the Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos views the Church-State quarrel over the content of state ID cards as excessive, relaying the latter's opinion after a recent meeting held in Istanbul.

In an interview with the Athens radio station "Flash", Mr. Skandalides said that he understood the Ecumenical Patriarch to want emphasis granted on other, far more important, issues and that he believes the matter should never have been inflated to such a degree.

"He was moderate, that's the impression I got," he said.

A.F.

[03] MR. REPPAS REQUESTED MEASURES AGAINST THE ACTIVITIES OF ALBANIAN GANGS TO BE TAKEN BY ALBANIA

Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas requested measures to be taken by the Albanian government against the activities of Albanian gangs on the occasion of the attack launched by an Albanian gang targeting the Greek residents in the village of Dervitsani.

Mr. Reppas stated that such phenomena create problems to Albania itself, underlining that the government and the officials in the neighboring country must realize that bilateral relations are not a one-way street and this must be displayed by the Albanian side through certain actions.

[04] REPPAS ON SECURITY DURING THE OLYMPIC GAMES

"We take all necessary measures to organize perfect Olympic Games that will have no relation whatsoever with the Olympic Games in Atlanta", stated Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas when asked to comment on the report published by the newspaper "Wall Street Journal" on security during the Athens Olympic Games in 2004.

The government spokesman attributed the report to acts of expediency saying characteristically that such publications do not offer any help but on the contrary they try to undermine Greece's effort for a perfect event, adding that everyone will realize what is the ulterior motive.

Mr. Reppas described as exaggerated and unreal the publication which among others mentions that in a meeting of Olympic Games' sponsors at a luxury hotel in Athens those attending it avoided to seat next to the windows fearing a new terrorist hit.

He also pointed out that Greece is safe and everyone can drink coffee anywhere he or she likes, which is proven by the wave of tourists, mainly Americans, visiting the country.

[05] PAPANDREOU MET WITH HIS SLOVENIAN COUNTERPART

Slovenian foreign minister Lois Petern, who attended a political-economic forum in Athens, met today with Greek foreign minister Giorgos Papandreou.

Their talks focused on bilateral and international issues and the Slovenian foreign minister expressed his country's interest in becoming a member of the EU and NATO. Mr. Papandreou characterized as excellent the cooperation between the two countries and expressed Greece's support to the efforts made by Slovenia in order to be included in the European structures.

[06] GAINS OF 1.19% IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE

Gains of 1.19% were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange and the general index was at 4.026,18 points, while the volume of transactions was at 97 billion drachmas.

Of the stocks trading today 325 had gains, 14 recorded losses and 23 remained unchanged.

Stock market analysts speculate that there was strong purchase interest in today's session but they are cautious regarding the short-term course of the stock market as today's behavior of the Athens Stock Exchange can not be the basis for long-term predictions.

[07] THE NEW TURKISH PROVOCATION WAS DISCUSSED IN THE EURO-PARLIAMENT

The issue of the Turkish provocation in Cyprus was raised in the Euro-Parliament by Greek main opposition party of New Democracy Euro-deputies Yiannis Marinos and Christos Zacharakis. The two Euro-deputies asked to be informed what will be the reaction of the French EU presidency to the continuous violations of the Cypriot airspace by Turkish jets and the 200meter advance of the Turkish occupation forces inside the buffer zone.

France's European Affairs minister avoided to take a stand and stated that the EU respects the UN resolutions on the sovereignty of Cyprus which is a candidate for EU membership, adding that it must have good relations with its neighbors.

Mr. Marinos and Mr. Zacharakis condemned the stance of the French minister and pointed out that maybe the French government intends to be opposed to Cyprus' EU accession and promote Turkey's accession in spite of the fact that Ankara violates fundamental principles of the International Law.

[08] TURKISH PRIZE TO THE GREEK COMPANY COCO-MAT

The "Environment and Peace" prize will be awarded to the Greek furniture and mattress company Coco-Mat by the Turkish state in a ceremony that will be held in Istanbul tomorrow in the presence of prime minister Bulent Ecevit. The company regards this prize as a recognition of the initiative it undertook five years ago to forge a cooperation with the Turks under unfavorable conditions at the time.

The Coco-Mat Company, which is based in the city of Xanthi in north-eastern Greece and is active in the furniture and mattress sector, has received many prizes for its quality products and it is a healthy and constantly growing industry.

[09] THE VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE ORGANIZATION FOR THE ATHENS OLYMPIC GAMES IS OPTIMISTIC

"Athens 2004" vice-president and International Olympic Committee member Lambis Nikolaou responded immediately after the meeting he had with prime minister Kostas Simitis to the new report published on the newspaper "Wall Street Journal" according to which, certain Olympic Games sponsors are examining the likelihood to ask that the 2004 Olympic Games be moved to another country.

Mr. Nikolaou stated that the foreign press publications that refer to alleged security problems in the 2004 Olympic Games have ulterior motives. He appeared optimistic over the course of the event and stressed that everything will go well. He also stated that in the recent meeting of the International Olympic Committee on security issues it was stressed that Greece had presented one of the best security programs.

[10] SEVEN FOREIGN COMPANIES TABLED THEIR BIDS FOR THE NATURAL GAS CITY NETWORK

Seven large foreign companies tabled their technical proposals on the Athens natural gas city network.

Specifically, offers were tabled by the French Gas De France, the US Synergy, the Canadian British Columbia Gas, the Irish Bord Geis Eirreiann, the Slovak SPP, the Russian Gazprom and the Belgian Tracktebell in cooperation with the Greek technical company AEGEK.

The strong interest expressed is attributed to the fact that the natural gas will be used exclusively as a fuel in the historical center of Athens based on a relevant legislation, and therefore the company that will undertake the network's management will have huge profits.

The opening price for the acquisition of the network was recently set at 51 billion drachmas, a sum offered a month ago by the Italian company Italgas.

[11] THE GREEK FOREIGN MINISTRY CONDEMNS THE ACTIONS AGAINST THE TURKISH CONSULATE IN RHODES

The attack with flammable liquid against the Turkish consulate in Rhodes was condemned by Greek foreign ministry spokesman Panagiotis Beglitis.

In a statement he stressed that the attack with flammable liquid against the Turkish consulate in the Aegean island of Rhodes is strongly condemned. He said that these are irresponsible actions that are condemned by the majority of the Greek people and will not affect the positive climate in bilateral relations.

In the statement it is also mentioned that the Greek authorities have launched an investigation for the arrest of those responsible, while it is stressed that the buildings and the personnel of the Turkish diplomatic authorities in Greece are absolutely safe.

[12] GREECE HOLDS THE 31ST PLACE IN FIFA'S LIST

Greece is at the 31st place in FIFA's world ranking for the month of July. The Greek national football team has 583 points and is upgraded by one place compared to the previous month.

Brazil is at the top of the list followed by France, while the Czech Republic is third followed by Spain and Argentina.

[13] ZAFIROPOULOS: THE GREEK-IRISH BUSINESS COOPERATION CAN BE IMPROVED

Greek undersecretary of national economy Yiannis Zafiropoulos speaking in the Greek-Irish business meeting in Dublin stated that there is room for the further development of trade transactions between Greece and Ireland.

Mr. Zafiropoulos, who is in Ireland within the framework of the formal visit of president Kostis Stephanopoulos to the country, said that the Irish economy had and continues to have an impressive growth unprecedented for a European country, stressing that it has served as a model for Greece. He referred to the economic efforts made by the Greek government that led to the EMU membership, adding that a new period of economic development is opened for Greece sealed by the positive effects of the materialization of the 3rd Community Framework of Support, the plan for the reconstruction of farm economy and the hosting of the 2004 Olympic Games.

He also said that the prospects are favorably affected by the materialization of the US$ 550 million Greek plan for the economic reconstruction of the Balkans.

Mr. Zafiropoulos said that Greece had a growth rate of 3.5% in 1999, while in 2000 it will be over 4% and in the following years it will continue to rise. He also referred to the sectors that are regarded as most open to cooperation. Specifically, he referred to the sectors of computers, constructions and food and beverages, adding that the tourist sector is also on the rise for the past few years.

On regional cooperation, the Greek undersecretary of national economy stated that south-eastern Europe has a significant development potential as well as the countries of the Black Sea, the Mediterranean and the Middle East, while Greece is probably the only country that has the necessary preconditions in order to lead a coordinated economic, social and cultural cooperation aimed at the economic and social prosperity.

Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article