Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 00-07-31

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

CONTENTS

[01] CONTINUE THE INVESTIGATION, SAYS THE WIDOW OF BRIGADIER SAUNDERS

[02] MORGAN STANLEY: THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE IS BEING UPGRADED

[03] THE GREEK FOREIGN MINISTRY WELCOMES THE STATEMENTS BY ANNAN AND

[04] LOSSES OF 0.24% IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE

[05] INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE GREEKS OF THE DIASPORA IN KOS

[06] 12TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON GREEK PHILOSOPHY IN PATMOS

[07] THE CASES OF FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE ARE ON THE DECLINE

[08] THE GREEK MINISTER OF DEFENSE WILL VISIT ALBANIA

[09] THE FUNERAL OF ERRIKOS THALASSINOS WILL BE HELD TODAY

[10] THE PIRATE OF THE SAILING-BOAT "ERATO" HAD SERVED IN THE FOREIGN LEGION

[11] THE GREEK JUSTICE MINISTER ON THE GERMAN WAR REPARATIONS

[01] CONTINUE THE INVESTIGATION, SAYS THE WIDOW OF BRIGADIER SAUNDERS

"The goal of my life is the arrest of those who are responsible for the death of my husband", stated Ms. Heather Saundres, the widow of British military attach in Athens brigadier Saunders who was killed in the Greek capital by members of the terrorist organization "17 November".

Ms. Saunders stated in an exclusive interview with the British newspaper "The Mail" that she will form a pressure group for the Greek and the British governments to continue the investigations until the arrest of those responsible for the assassination of her husband, while she revealed that she feels betrayed by the British foreign office because it did not offer the necessary protection to her husband.

[02] MORGAN STANLEY: THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE IS BEING UPGRADED

The last day of July had good news for the Athens Stock Exchange which was informed that it will be upgraded from an emerging market to a developed market by May 31, 2001.

The international money and financial house Morgan Stanley published today its report on the Athens Stock Exchange and Greek minister of national economy and finance Yiannos Papantoniou expressed the government's satisfaction over this development.

Mr. Papantoniou stated that the positive news on the Athens Stock Exchange came sooner than expected but he avoided to make any predictions on the moves of the foreign institutional investors.

Referring to the course of the Athens Stock Exchange he predicted that it will be positive in the long-term, characterizing as especially positive the course of the Greek economy.

The Morgan Stanley report was welcomed by the management of the Athens Stock Exchange expressing the view that its effect will be positive and will signal the increase in the inflow of foreign capital with a more permanent character that will result to the creation of a more robust market and the establishment of a climate of security for the investors.

[03] THE GREEK FOREIGN MINISTRY WELCOMES THE STATEMENTS BY ANNAN AND HALBROOKE ON CYPRUS

The Greek foreign ministry welcomes the statements made by UN secretary-general Kofi Annan and permanent representative of the United States in the UN Richard Halbrooke stressing that they are very important and timely as the talks on Cyprus held under the auspices of the UN are in progress, stated the ministry's spokesman Panos Beglitis.

Mr. Beglitis stated that the Halbrooke statement did not come as a surprise and it confirmed the interest of the US side in the solution of the Cyprus problem within the framework of the UN.

Referring to the statements made by Kofi Annan, Mr. Beglitis said that they are a positive message directed to the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot side.

[04] LOSSES OF 0.24% IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE

Losses of 0.24% were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange and the general index was at 3.988,28 points, while the volume of transactions was at 67.7 billion drachmas.

Of the stocks trading today 125 recorded gains, 203 had losses and 43 remained stable.

[05] INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE GREEKS OF THE DIASPORA IN KOS

The University of Ioannina Department of Philosophy in cooperation with three municipalities in the south-eastern Aegean island of Kos will organize the 2nd International Scientific Conference on the Greeks of the Diaspora and the problems of the new generation.

In the conference will participate over 50 diplomats, university professors, academics and journalists from Greece and abroad.

[06] 12TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON GREEK PHILOSOPHY IN PATMOS

Twenty distinguished scientists from different parts of the world, who are specializing in the Greek philosophy and the problem of truth, will address the 12th International Greek Philosophy Conference on Research and Truth that is organized in the Aegean islands of Patmos and Samos on 20-27 August by the International Greek Philosophy Society, the International Greek Philosophy and Culture Center and University of Athens Philosophy Department.

The conference will be attended by about 300 delegates, among them 15 of Greek origin, from the United States, Canada, Europe, Russia, the Middle East, Japan, South Africa and Latin America.

[07] THE CASES OF FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE ARE ON THE DECLINE

The cases of foot-and-mouth disease are on the decline in Thrace north-eastern Greece, while scientists confirm that there is no reason for concern among the consumers as the disease can not infect humans.

As it has been made known thousands of farm animals have already been destroyed within the framework of the efforts aimed at preventing the spread of the disease to the livestock.

[08] THE GREEK MINISTER OF DEFENSE WILL VISIT ALBANIA

Greek minister of defense Akis Tsochatzopoulos will be in Albania today to attend the ceremony for the withdrawal of the Greek military force from the country.

Within the framework of his visit the Greek defense minister will have contacts with Albanian president Redgep Meidani and prime minister Ilir Meta.

[09] THE FUNERAL OF ERRIKOS THALASSINOS WILL BE HELD TODAY

Film director and script-writer Errikos Thalassinos, who died yesterday from cancer at the age of 73, will be buried in his hometown of Iraklion in the island of Crete.

Errikos Thalassinos was one of the most productive creators of the Greek cinema in the 1960s. He directed 41 films and wrote the lyrics for works by music composers Mikis Theodorakis and Yiannis Markopoulos.

[10] THE PIRATE OF THE SAILING-BOAT "ERATO" HAD SERVED IN THE FOREIGN LEGION

The Czech pirate, who had hijacked the sailing-boat "Erato" in Nafplio, southern Greece last week and held its 5 Swiss passengers and captain hostage for 13 hours demanding to go to Casablanca, Morocco, had served in the Foreign Legion.

According to Prague newspapers, pirate Frantisek Veseli had gone to Germany in 1987 and then to France where he joined the Foreign Legion. In 1994, he returned to the Czech Republic and got a job at the "Textilana" company plant. In 1998, he developed meningitis and when he returned to his job his behavior was changed.

The director of "Textilana" recalled that Veseli was a very good employee and was fluent in three languages. He stated that he was surprised to find out that in an exhibition in Paris in 1999 he had disappeared with a large amount of company money. He was never seen again and gave no signs of life not event at his hometown of Liberec.

A month ago Veseli's relatives were informed by the Czech consul general in Paris that he had been traced at the Greek borders on June 26 but because there was no notice by the Interpol the Greek police did not have any reason to arrest him.

Meanwhile, the Czech press still wonders whether the pirate that was killed by the Greek Coast Guard was in deed the Czech Frantisek Veseli. According to the Czech embassy in Athens the document found on Veseli was not a passport but a gun license with a picture. The picture was of bad quality and the dead man could not be identified but the gun in his possession was a Czech-made 9mm gun. Veseli's sister is expected in Greece today to identify the body.

[11] THE GREEK JUSTICE MINISTER ON THE GERMAN WAR REPARATIONS

Greek justice minister Michalis Stathopoulos in an interview with the German newspaper "Berliner Zeitung" called on the German government to start negotiations on the Greek claims for WWII reparations.

The interview under the headline "We will accept only a fair solution", Mr. Stathopoulos underlines among others that from a legal point of view the 1960 Greek-German agreement leaves open the possibility for further claims after the signing of a peace treaty. After the reunification of Germany a legal situation was created that can been seen as the signing of a peace treaty. Therefore, the Greek claims must be examined. He also said that there is a political point of view as well. The law that was recently passed in the German parliament concerning reparations for those who worked in forced labor camps during WWII shows that 55 years after the end of the war the issue of reparations is not regarded as closed.

Referring to the issue that was created after the Greek Supreme Court accepted the group appeal made by the relatives of the Distomo massacre victims and the confiscation of German property in Athens, Mr. Stathopoulos said that the government had to be consulted first on the issue of the property confiscation. Now, Germany has brought its case to the courts and if the courts rule that the confiscation move was illegal the case will go to the justice minister. He also said that negotiations can be made to find a political solution to the problem, adding that if a solution is fair it will be accepted both by the Germans and the Greeks.

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