Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 00-08-20

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

CONTENTS

[01] UNITED STATES THE FEATURED COUNTRY AT TIF 2000

[02] CSF III COFFERS OPEN, GRD350 BILLION TO BE DISBURSED

[03] PM ENDS VACATION TODAY, MEETINGS BEGIN MONDAY

[04] ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH IN HUNGARY, AT BELOYANNIS

[05] RUSSIAN MAN SUFFERS HEART ATTACK AT MT. ATHOS

[06] YUGOSLAV CHILDREN HOSTED IN GREECE RETURN HOME

[07] LABORERS ASSOCIATIONS MEET TO CARVE OUT POSITION

[08] "PRESPES 2000" FESTIVAL OPENS THIS WEEK

[09] PM WILL TRAVEL TO NEW YORK AFTER OPENING OF TIF

[10] PUBLIC ORDER MINISTER TRAVELS TO U.S. NEXT MONTH

[01] UNITED STATES THE FEATURED COUNTRY AT TIF 2000

The United States will be the featured country at this year's Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF), which opens on September 2, through a series of art exhibitions, musical events and lectures.

The Carnegie Hall Jazz Band is to perform at Thessaloniki's new Concert Hall, while the Sixth Fleet's band will perform at TIF.

Within the framework of TIF, to be formally inaugurated on September 1 by Prime Minister Costas Simitis, a retrospective exhibition featuring 70 works by Andy Warhol will be showcased at the Macedonian Museum of Modern Art from August 22 to September 19. Also, another exhibition titled Modern Odysseys will feature works by Greek-American artists of the 20th century.

Moreover, Thessaloniki's film festival organization, will co-sponsor a small tribute to American cinema, titled American Movies of the 20th Century: Milestones of a Legendary Vision, where screenings will include On the Waterfront and Apocalypse Now.

A.F.

[02] CSF III COFFERS OPEN, GRD350 BILLION TO BE DISBURSED

Deputy National Economy Minister Christos Pachtas has given the green light for the disbursement of more than 350 billion drachmas for projects funded by the EU's Community Support Framework (CSF) III for the period between 2000-2005, a sum just over half of the 700 billion drachmas budgeted for 2000.

The national economy ministry will establish four new directorates that will oversee the absorption of the CSF funds in accordance with European Union regulations.

According to the ministry, the directorates will each concern the sectors of management, regulatory control, disbursement and auditing.

Meanwhile, implementation is underway for projects approved under CSF II (1994-1999), budgeted at 1.2 trillion drachmas, where sums to be disbursed through the two CSFs this year amount to 78 percent of the Public Investment Budget.

According to Mr. Pachtas, the investment of more than 17 trillion drachmas under CSF III will help balanced development and achieve convergence of living standards with the rest of the EU.

A.F.

[03] PM ENDS VACATION TODAY, MEETINGS BEGIN MONDAY

Prime Minister Costas Simitis is returning from his vacation at the island of Sifnos today and is expected to embark on a series of meetings this week, in preparation of his inauguration of the Thessaloniki International Fair.

A delegation of representatives from the Northern Greece Industries Association is to meet with the Premier on Tuesday in order to brief him on its proposals for the state's economic policy.

The Premier is also expected to focus on the reforms planned for the sectors of health, education and labor.

A.F.

[04] ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH IN HUNGARY, AT BELOYANNIS

Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos is presently conducting a five-day official visit to Hungary, as of Friday, at the invitation of the country's prime minister, Viktor Orban.

Mr. Vartholomeos will attend events celebrating the 1,000 years since the founding of the Hungarian state, while he will also visit the historic Greek village of Beloyiannis where he will join the locals in celebrations for the 50th anniversary of its establishment.

The village, located 50 kilometers south of Budapest, is named after legendary Greek Communist Nikos Beloyiannis, who was executed in the early '50s in Greece by the government. Thousands of Greek political refugees settled in this village during the early 1950s.

A.F.

[05] RUSSIAN MAN SUFFERS HEART ATTACK AT MT. ATHOS

A 50-year-old Russian died of hearty failure yesterday, as he was climbing a mountainous site at the all-male monastic community of Mount Athos.

The man, who reportedly had a history of heart problems, was identified as Aleksandr Kouznietsov. An autopsy is to be performed.

A.F.

[06] YUGOSLAV CHILDREN HOSTED IN GREECE RETURN HOME

A group of young children from Yugoslavia who had been hosted by Greek families during the summer, returned to their homes on yesterday with hopes of coming back for another holiday during Christmas.

The hosting was part of an initiative headed by the Greek and Yugoslavian branches of the Red Cross aimed at offering these youngsters a holiday away from their war-ravaged homes.

A.F.

[07] LABORERS ASSOCIATIONS MEET TO CARVE OUT POSITION

A conference featuring the participation of the General Confederation of Greek Laborers (GSEE), Workers' Centers from thoughout Northern Greece and the administration of the Thessaloniki Laborers Center (EKTH) is to be held on August 31, in an effort to map out the position to be adopted by the region's unions over the government's economic agenda.

EKTH chairman Panayiotis Avramopoulos said that the state's present policy is in dire need of reform, especially in the sector of unemployment and labor.

Unionists threaten with mobilization in the case the government shuns their demands and proposals.

A.F.

[08] "PRESPES 2000" FESTIVAL OPENS THIS WEEK

The annual Prespes festival, to be held in Florina and on the island of Agios Achileios from August 25 through 28, will feature the attendance of Balkan leaders and several Greek deputies and government officials.

Greece's Minister of the Interior, Public Administration and Decentralization Minister Vasso Papandreou will meet with FYROM's interior and public order minister and Albania's vice president and labor minister on August 26, while National Economy Deputy Minister Yiannis Zapheiropoulos will hold meetings with his FYROM and Albanian counterparts.

Macedonia and Thrace Minister George Paschalidis will officially open the events on the island of Agios Achileios on August 27, while Environment, City Planning and Public Works Minister Costas Laliotis on 22 August will inaugurate a pedestrian bridge connecting the Koula checkpoint to the island of Agios Achilleios.

Culture Minister and Deputy Culture Minister Theodoros Pangalos and Giorgos Floridis, respectively, will hold separate meetings with their counterparts from Balkan states on 27 August, while, later in the day, Mr. Pangalos will inaugurate the "Prespa Library" at Agios Germanos.

The Prespes festival will feature concerts by Socratis Malamas, Dimitris Mitropanos, Maria Farantouri, Elli Paspalia, Savina Giannatou, the Florina-born tenor Sotos Papoulkas and gipsy Ferush Mustamov, and a Bulgarian poetry night held on 28 August.

Within the framework of the festival, a labor-housing lottery will be held on Friday, August 28, while the European Judo Championship is scheduled to take place on September 8 and 9 at Amynteo.

A.F.

[09] PM WILL TRAVEL TO NEW YORK AFTER OPENING OF TIF

Prime Minister Costas Simitis will travel to New York in September, at the invitation of U.S. President Bill Clinton, where he will participate at the Progressive Government leaders meeting.

Mr. Simitis will depart Greece on September 5, following after the inauguration of Thessaloniki's International Fair on September 1. While in New York, the Premier is expected to hold a series of meetings with other state leaders.

The Greek Premier will be accompanied by the same group of

government officials who had escorted him to Berlin, while Foreign Minister George Papandreou is also expected to be present.

A.F.

[10] PUBLIC ORDER MINISTER TRAVELS TO U.S. NEXT MONTH

Minister of Public Order Michalis Chrysochoides will travel to the United States in September in order to sign a police cooperation protocol between the two countries.

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

The said bill calls for the abolishment of measures construed as protecting terrorism suspects, while it will also allow for house searches.

A.F.

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