Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 00-08-07

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

CONTENTS

[01] STATE TO SUBMIT BILL PROMOTING PRIVATIZATIONS

[02] STATE TO SUBMIT COUNTERTERRORISM BILL THIS MONTH

[03] 4TH EMIGRANTS FROM LIMNOS CONFERENCE ENDS TODAY

[04] OLYMPIC COMMITTEE TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR MEDICAL SERVICES DURING GAMES

[05] PHONELINES FOR TERRORIST INFORMATION ARE SET UP

[06] TIMEs NEW CLAIMS ARE «UNFOUNDED REDUNDANCIES»

[07] CNN POLL: TOWERING MAJORITY FOR MARBLES RETURN

[08] 16 KILLED, 317 INJURED IN 241 ACCIDENTS SINCE FRIDAY

[09] ANCIENT, MODERN GREECE INTRODUCED IN N.Y. SCHOOLS

[10] ATHENS MASS TRANSPORTATION FARES UP AS OF TODAY

[11] PRESIDENT OF CYPRUS COMMENTS ON PROXIMITY TALKS

[12] UK ACCUSES FRANCE OF SABOTAGE IN GREEK TANK DEAL

[13] US REMAINS COMMITTED TO NEGOTIATING CYPRUS SETTLEMENT

[14] GREEK CREW MEMBERS OF «SKYROS» VESSEL ARE SAFE

[01] STATE TO SUBMIT BILL PROMOTING PRIVATIZATIONS

As part of its structural reforms project, aimed at meeting the fundamental axes of a new economic policy, the government plans to imminently submit a bill to parliament promoting the speedier privatization process of state-owned enterprises.

Companies to be fully- or partly-privatized, or listed on the bourse, include the National Telecommunication Organization (OTE), Hellenic Postal Service (ELTA), and Olympic Airways.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Economy plans to submit a series of amendments concerning the sale of a majority stake of ELTA and Olympic Airways, through international tenders, to strategic partners. In regards to OTE, the government is said to want to maintain a 33.4% stake in its shares, in order to maintain veto power within a strategic alliance.

Total revenues from this year's privatizations are estimated to exceed 1 trillion drachmas and expected to cover part of the country's public debt.

The timetable of structural changes, being mapped out in the National Economy Ministry, contains the following points: deregulation of the power and telecommunications markets; privatization, within the next 8 months, of 15 state-owned enterprises, freeing the market from an array of complications stemming from the intricate system of licenses required for starting any business activity; Finally, the social security system is to be reformed by the middle of next year.

A.F.

[02] STATE TO SUBMIT COUNTERTERRORISM BILL THIS MONTH

The government is expected to submit a counter-terrorism bill to parliament this month, seeking to grant the police and judiciary wider powers in handling terrorism cases.

According to the Sunday edition of the Athens daily "To Vima", the said bill calls for the abolishment of measures construed as protecting terrorism suspects, while it will also allow for house searches.

Justice Minister Michalis Stathopoulos, who met with the US Ambassador to Athens Nicholas Burns last Tuesday, is to travel to the United States in September in order to sign a police cooperation protocol between the two countries.

A.F.

[03] 4TH EMIGRANTS FROM LIMNOS CONFERENCE ENDS TODAY

The 4th Emigrants Conference held in Myrina has successfully come to a close, with around 200 people attending, including political party representatives, ministers and army representatives.

The conference aimed to improve relations between Greeks abroad and an office will be created for them in Lesbos. The conference for emigrant Greeks of Limnos will be held every four years, with a conference for young emigrants due to be held in between.

The turnout of young Greek emigrants at the Youth conference was impressive, as were their calls for a return to their homeland.

[04] OLYMPIC COMMITTEE TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR MEDICAL SERVICES DURING GAMES

The Olympic Games "Athens 2004" Committee has assumed joint responsibility, together with the city of Athens and the Greek Olympic Committee, for all health and medical services related to the event, in an announcement replying to a relative question posed by New Democracy MP, Nikitas Kaklamanis.

"Medical services will be provided to all those who may need it during their stay in the Games' host country", the announcement said, before going on to say that a special Medical Service management team should be added to the organizational list currently being drawn up.

The ministry of Health will also see to matters concerning it, when necessary. "As a result, there is no question the Health ministry not being represented in the Committee" the announcement said.

[05] PHONELINES FOR TERRORIST INFORMATION ARE SET UP

Two phone lines through which Greek citizens can provide information relating to past and potential terrorist acts in the country have been set up. Callers who help the fight against terrorism by calling the numbers 170 and 1964 can rest assured that the conversations will be held in utmost confidence.

The calls will be free of charge and lines will be open 24 hours a day. According to Greek police, incoming phone numbers will be untraceable, the conversations themselves will not be recorded and all callers will have the possibility to remain anonymous.

[06] TIMEs NEW CLAIMS ARE «UNFOUNDED REDUNDANCIES»

The Greek government has dismissed as an "unfounded redundancy" the new and provocative article published in "Time" magazine, which quotes an anonymous Greek official as having stated that terrorists in Greece cannot be captured in spite of the fact that they are active in a vicinity less than a fourth the size of Central Park.

Acting government spokesperson Tilemachos Hytiris stressed that the Greek police are closely cooperating with the United Kingdom's Scotland Yard.

According to "Time", the unidentified source also claimed that, after each attack the November 17 terrorists made a habit of calling the switchboard of the Athens daily "Eleftherotypia", but noted that in the latest hit that cost the life of British defense attache Brigadier Stephen Saunders they instead called one of the paper's editors on his cell phone.

The paper has stressed that this specific detail does not fully correspond with what actually happened.

A.F.

[07] CNN POLL: TOWERING MAJORITY FOR MARBLES RETURN

An overwhelming majority (75%) of poll respondents are in favor of the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece, according to CNN which has been conducting the survey since August 1.

With 3,873 individuals having answered to the poll so far, which concludes tomorrow, 2,919 stated that the ancient monuments should be returned to Greece by the British Museum as they constitute part of Greece's national heritage.

The remaining 975 (25%) are supporting that that the Sculptures should remain at the British Museum for the sake of safekeeping.

A.F.

[08] 16 KILLED, 317 INJURED IN 241 ACCIDENTS SINCE FRIDAY

Sixteen persons lost their lives and another 317 were injured in 241 traffic accidents since Friday as city dwellers continued to flee to the beaches and countryside en masse.

Traffic has increased in the country's airports and ports with the crescendo expected to be reached on August 15, when most of the summer vacationers are expected to start returning home.

A.F.

[09] ANCIENT, MODERN GREECE INTRODUCED IN N.Y. SCHOOLS

An acquaintance program with Ancient and Modern Greece will be introduced as of this school year at New York state's primary schools by the Education Council of the New York Municipal Authority.

The Greek Press Office in New York has provided flags, television material, videos and many illustrated pamphlets on the history and myths of Ancient Greece, and on the art, customs, dances, music and landscape of modern Greece, to Primary School 221 of Brooklyn, which held an event with video presentations of antiquities, Greek dances and food.

A.F.

[10] ATHENS MASS TRANSPORTATION FARES UP AS OF TODAY

Public transport fares in Athens and the surrounding Attica region are increasing as of today, with the new ticket price for blue buses and cable cars now being 150 drachmas, up from 120 drachmas. Fares on the newly built metro system will remain unchanged at 250 drachmas, while fares for the old metro line will rise to 200 drachmas.

A monthly bus pass for all forms of public transport will rise to 12,000 drachmas from 10,000 drachmas; and for buses and cable cars to 6,000 drachmas from 5,000 drachmas.

A.F.

[11] PRESIDENT OF CYPRUS COMMENTS ON PROXIMITY TALKS

Nicosia is not ready yet to respond to as to whether or not it will continue with the procedure followed in the proximity talks held between the divided islands two sides, according to the President of the Republic of Cyprus Glafcos Clerides.

Nevertheless, he added, the recently-concluded thrid round of talks in Geneva was "useful" as the Greek-Cypriot side had the opportunity to fully present its views on all matters petraining tot he Cyprus problem.

Two rounds of UN-led proximity talks, separate meetings of the UN with President Glafcos Clerides and Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash, have already been held since December, while the third wrapped up in Geneva on Friday. A fourth round is scheduled to start September 12 in New York.

A.F.

[12] UK ACCUSES FRANCE OF SABOTAGE IN GREEK TANK DEAL

In what could hardly be viewed as merely another Anglo-Franco spat, the French are accused of having attempted to undermine the sale of British Challenger 2 tanks to Greece through elaborate schemes that reportedly involved espionage and sabotage.

According to the U.K.'s "Sunday Times", which quotes anonymous sources from within the British Defense Ministry, the French secret services are suspected of trying to sabotage Britain's £1.2 billion bid to supply the Greek government with Challenger 2 tanks. The British and French are among four countries vying for the deal to sell 250 tanks to Greece.

According to the "Sunday Times", French spies were identified by the British Defense Ministry as the chief suspects in a covert operation to sabotage the trials of rival tanks.

Evidently, the British are not alone in accusing the French of dirty tricks; American defense executives regularly complain of the industrial espionage tactics used by French security services.

As the article reports, American businessmen were warned in 1991 by security experts that they should not discuss business secrets on French airlines because the cabin staff might be spies or their seats might be bugged.

American government officials said Boeing, IBM and Texas Instruments were among the companies being targeted by French intelligence.

In the sale to Greece, Great Britain's Vickers Defense Systems, which manufactures the 60-ton Challenger 2 tank, is facing competition from the Leclerc tank manufactured by Giat Industries, the German Leopard 2A5 made by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, and the American Abrams tank made by General Dynamics.

During a series of performance trials, the British and American tanks experienced navigation problems and Greek defense officials judged the German tank, the Leopard 2A5, as the best performing tank.

Despite not having ranked first in the trials, the British executives are still confident that the Challenger 2 tank is the favorite to win the coveted contract.

A.F.

[13] US REMAINS COMMITTED TO NEGOTIATING CYPRUS SETTLEMENT

The United States remains committed to negotiating a settlement to the Cyprus issue, "based on a bizonal, bicommunal federation".

In a letter to the speaker of the House of Representatives and the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, President Clinton made clear the intention of his government to continue negotiations, despite the delay in rescheduling the restarting of Cyprus talks for July 5, due to President Clerides' surgery.

President Clinton also advised all US officials concerned to "urge all parties to support positive movement in the United Nations-sponsored talks.

[14] GREEK CREW MEMBERS OF «SKYROS» VESSEL ARE SAFE

All the crew members, six Greeks among them, of the Panama-flagged freighter "Skyros" that collided with an Uruguayan Navy minesweeper on Saturday are reportedly safe, but eight sailors were killed and 13 others were injured in the accident. Three sailors remain missing.

The Navy minesweeper sank after being split in two by the 24,000-ton Greek freighter Saturday afternoon, 11 miles off La Paloma port, which is 188 miles east of Montevideo.

The "Skyros" freighter was taken to La Paloma port, where it will remain under custody until an investigation into the accident is completed.

A.F.

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