Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 00-09-05

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

CONTENTS

[01] PM IN N.Y. TODAY FOR UN MILLENNIUM SUMMIT

[02] PUBLIC ORDER MINISTER TRAVELS TO U.S. TOMORROW

[03] GREEK FM TO MEET WITH TURKISH COUNTERPART IN US

[04] ATHENS 2004 COMMITTEE DEPARTS FOR SYDNEY

[05] MESSAGE OF PEACEFUL COEXISTENCE BY GREEK AND TURKISH STUDENTS

[06] IMPRESSIVE GAINS IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE

[07] THE GREEK ACTING GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN COMMENTED ON THE CEM STATEMENTS

[08] ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WERE ARRESTED BY THE GREEK POLICE

[09] THE FRIENDLY RELATIONS BETWEEN GREECE AND JAPAN WERE POINTED OUT BY THE

[10] A RARE KIND OF DOLPHINS THAT DISAPPEARED 100 YEARS AGO WAS LOCATED IN

[11] BELGRADE REFUSES CLEARANCE TO GREEK PMS PLANE

[12] G/T MEDIA AND JOURNALISTS CONFERENCE IN ISTANBUL

[13] OVER 80,000 VISITORS DURING FIRST THREE DAYS OF TIF

[14] CLERIDES-ANNAN MEETING

[15] THE US PRESIDENT REPORT ON CYPRUS

[16] JUGANOVIC-VLASSOPOULOS MEETING

[17] GREECE- FYROM SIGN ENVIRONMENTAL MEMO

[01] PM IN N.Y. TODAY FOR UN MILLENNIUM SUMMIT

Prime Minister Costas Simitis is to arrive in New York today, where he will address the UN General Assembly Millennium Summit.

Mr. Simitis, who will remain in New York until September 9, will also participate in the Progressive Government leaders meeting -at the invitation of U.S. President Bill Clinton -, where he will speak on the effects of globalization and its containment.

Specifically, the Premier will focus on ways to control international bourses, so as to avert international economic crises. He will also outline the significance of new technologies, education and knowledge, and will stress the need for social cohesion, justice and solidarity, coupled with the establishment of common projects in disadvantaged regions of the planet.

Lastly, Mr. Simitis will underline the significance of the quality of democracy and democratic institutions.

The participants in the Progressive Government conference will discuss the reformation of the social state, development of national health systems, crime prevention and combat, respect for human rights and the ecumenical dimension thereof, development, the role of technologies is countering social isolation and fortifying the ideal of the international community.

The Progressive Leaders will aim to map out a draft plan to be presented at their next meeting in the Fall of 2001 at Stockholm.

While in New York, the Premier is expected to hold a series of meetings with other leading figures, such as the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, the President of Cyprus Glafcos Clerides and the Archbishop of America Dimitrios.

On the summit's sidelines, the Premier will also meet with the King of Jordan Abdullah, and the Presidents of FYROM, Iran and Albania.

The Greek Premier will be accompanied by deputy Foreign Minister Aggeliki Laiou, and Press and Media Minister Dimtiris Reppas and various political advisers.

A.F.

[02] PUBLIC ORDER MINISTER TRAVELS TO U.S. TOMORROW

A key memorandum of police cooperation - particularly in the field of counter-terrorism - between Greece and the United States will be signed in Washington tomorrow by Public Order Minister Michalis Chrysochoides and U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno.

A State department announcement notes that the said memorandum will facilitate cooperation between the two countries on a thorough series of matters pertaining to the maintenance of lawful order, inclusive of terrorism, with full regard to the sovereignty of both countries.

A.F.

[03] GREEK FM TO MEET WITH TURKISH COUNTERPART IN US

Foreign Minister George Papandreou is to meet with his Turkish counterpart Ismael Cem tomorrow, September 6, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Messrs. Papandreou and Cem are expected to discuss proposals for confidence building measures between the two neighbors.

The two ministers had agreed in July to meet in New York during this period, on the occasion of their presence there for the General Assembly.

They will have the opportunity to discuss the course of Greek-Turkish relations over the past year, while Mr. Papandreou is also expected to raise the Cyprus issue.

On the sidelines of the United Nations' General Assembly, the foreign minister will have contacts with all his Balkan counterparts. Along with his 14 European counterparts, he will also meet U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov.

A.F.

[04] ATHENS 2004 COMMITTEE DEPARTS FOR SYDNEY

Members of the Athens 2004 Organising Committee left for Sydney today, to attend the Olympic Games and to familiarise themselves with Australian expertise as far as the organisation of the greatest event on earth is concerned.

"It is an event of great coincidence, as exactly three years have passed since Athens accepted the task of organising the 2004 Olympic Games, on September 5th 1997, said the President of the Greek committee, Yianna Angelopoulou-Daskalaki.

She added that the presence of the Athens 2004 Committee in Sydney will be discreet and expressed her certainty that the organisation of the forthcoming event will be a success. She also wished Greek athletes participating in the Games good luck.

[05] MESSAGE OF PEACEFUL COEXISTENCE BY GREEK AND TURKISH STUDENTS

A message on the peaceful coexistence of the people of Greece and Turkey was conveyed to minister of Macedonia-Thrace Giorgos Paschalidis by 10 Turkish and 13 Greek female students attending an education program organized by the Research and Action Center for Peace and the Winpeace in Thessaloniki.

The program directed to the young citizens who are sensitized toward the positive coexistence of the people of Greece and Turkey for a peaceful and viable future in the Mediterranean provides for the exchange of young female students from both countries and combines educational, cultural and environmental elements always based on the principles of democracy and the peaceful coexistence of the peoples.

Mr. Paschalidis in statements he made to reporters said that the girls from Greece and Turkey prove that together we can build a peaceful future for the region without fanaticism and intolerance.

[06] IMPRESSIVE GAINS IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE

Impressive gains of 5.05% were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange and the general index was at 3.839,76 points, while the volume of transactions was at 121 billion drachmas and of the stocks trading today only 13 had losses.

Stock market circles underline that it appears that investors have regained their confidence in the Athens Stock Exchange reversing the negative climate of the past several months.

[07] THE GREEK ACTING GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN COMMENTED ON THE CEM STATEMENTS

Turkish foreign minister Ismail Cem gives his own interpretation to the Helsinki decisions and this is his right. But the important thing is that it is the "15" EU states that make the decisions on Turkey's partnership relations with the EU, said Greek acting government spokesman Tilemachos Hitiris.

The statement was made when Mr. Hitiris was asked to comment on the Turkish foreign minister's letter that was addressed to the EU and accuses Greece of avoiding the dialogue on a number of issues.

[08] ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WERE ARRESTED BY THE GREEK POLICE

A truck with 35 illegal immigrants from Albania was located by border guards and police officers near the village of Negrades in Ioannina, north-western Greece.

The truck driver ignored the border guards who signaled him to stop and a chase got underway that ended with the arrest of the illegal immigrants packed inside the truck while the driver managed to get away.

As it was made known, the illegal immigrants had paid 60.000 drachmas each to the Albanian who undertook to bring them to Greece.

In another similar incident, two Greek nationals attempted to bring to Greece 20 Iraqi illegal immigrants from the borders with Turkey and were arrested by border guards in Peplo, Evros in north-eastern Greece.

The illegal immigrants stated to police that they had entered Greece yesterday at dawn from the region of Evros River with the assistance of a Turkish slave-trader who got the sum of US$ 8.000.

[09] THE FRIENDLY RELATIONS BETWEEN GREECE AND JAPAN WERE POINTED OUT BY THE PRESIDENTS OF THE TWO STATE PARLIAMENTS

The friendly relations between Greece and Japan and the need to be further promoted through the exchange of visits by delegations of their legislative bodies were confirmed by Greek parliament president Apostolos Kaklamanis and Japan's Lower House speaker Tamisuke Waranuki in the meeting they had yesterday.

Mr. Kaklamanis stated that the two peoples in spite of the big geographic distance between them are linked through their ancient cultural tradition and their contribution to literature and the arts as well as through their dedication to the ideal of peace.

From his side, Mr. Watanuki renewed the invitation issued to Mr. Kaklamanis by the Japanese parliament to visit Japan formally as last September his scheduled visit was canceled because of the catastrophic earthquake that hit Athens.

[10] A RARE KIND OF DOLPHINS THAT DISAPPEARED 100 YEARS AGO WAS LOCATED IN THE AEGEAN SEA

A rare kind of dolphins that had disappeared 100 years ago from the Mediterranean was located in northern Aegean. It is the dolphin known as "Fokena or Falianos", which is relatively small in size as it is 1.80 meters long. Large populations of this specific kind of dolphins lived in the Aegean during the ancient times based on writings by Aristotle. Two such dolphins appeared in the Sea of Thrace near the coasts of Alexandroupolis in February and March this year and were located by members of the Greek Society for the Protection of Dolphins and Whales "Delphis".

According to "Delphis" chairwoman, oceanographer Emilia Drouga this event has a worldwide significance because this kind of dolphins had disappeared from the Mediterranean for the past 100 years. Those dolphins still live in the Black Sea and because of the pollution in the region they move south together with other kinds of fish.

The "Delphis" Society has started a program for the registration of the dolphins and whales living in the Aegean, Cyprus and the Ionian Sea. It has been established that a total of 12 kinds of whales and dolphins live in the Greek seas.

[11] BELGRADE REFUSES CLEARANCE TO GREEK PMS PLANE

Yugoslav air traffic control authorities refused clearance to the Greek aircraft transporting Prime Minister Costas Simitis to New York this morning, claiming that no relevant passage permission had been issued and requiring that the Greek Foreign Ministry proceed to the necessary diplomatic steps.

The Olympic Airways pilot informed Belgrade that he is conducting an O.A. Athens-New York regular flight and, as such, does not require a special clearance for passage.

While the Premier's aircraft was forced to take a detour through another air corridor in order to continue its course, the Greek government stated that the whole matter was simply a result of miscommunication.

The Premier is en route to New York where he will address the United Nations General Assembly Millennium Summit.

It should be noted that Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou recently announced that he plans to visit the Balkan region, Yugoslavia included, although Belgrade doesn't seem to welcome this initiative.

A.F.

[12] G/T MEDIA AND JOURNALISTS CONFERENCE IN ISTANBUL

The Second Greek-Turkish Conference of Journalists and Media Executives is to be held in Istanbul between October 6-8, organized by the Turkish chapter of the Permanent Group of Contact and Cooperation of Greek and Turkish Journalists.

Among the topics to be discussed are "Foreign Policy issues in Greek-Turkish relations are considered -as a rule- to be national ones. How are journalists and the media affected by this equation and to what degree do they contribute to this view?" and "Practical measures that can be taken by the media in order to improve bilateral relations across the board".

The conference, which was first held in Athens last February, will feature the participation of 50 Greek journalists and media executives.

A.F.

[13] OVER 80,000 VISITORS DURING FIRST THREE DAYS OF TIF

Over 80,000 visitors from throughout the county, as well as the Balkan region and the European Union, visited the 65th Thessaloniki International Fair, during the first three days of it operation.

Being this year's featured country, the United States' pavilion exhibits products from various conglomerates such as Procter & Gamble, Philip Morris, XEROX and Chrysler, while Turkey's participation (the first after 25 years) is also expansive with 80 exhibitors.

Regarding the private sector's participation at TIF, Greek enterprises from the metal processing sector hold center stage.

Covering an expanse of 49,000 square meters, TIF features the official participation presence of 38 countries. Visitors can also enjoy a number of cultural events on the sidelines of TIF, such as a concert by Nikos Papacostas and Franco Simone tomorrow night.

Singer Maria Farandouri will present the same show as the one she performed at the EXPO 2000 fair in Hanover, for a triumphal close to the 65th TIF.

A.F.

[14] CLERIDES-ANNAN MEETING

Specific ideas that concern the talks procedure for the solution of the Cyprus problem will be presented to UN secretary-general Kofi Annan by Cypriot president Glafkos Clerides in the meeting they will have in New York later today.

The above were stated by Cypriot government spokesman Michalis Papapetrou who stressed that meaningful negotiations must be underway, adding that the Turkish side wants to secure recognition but this will never happen.

[15] THE US PRESIDENT REPORT ON CYPRUS

The need to intensify the talks aimed at finding a just and permanent solution in Cyprus is backed by US president Bill Clinton two weeks before the opening of the new round of talks in New York.

In a letter attached to his bimonthly report to the US Congress on the progress made in the efforts for the solution of the Cyprus problem in the period June 1 - July 31, the US president reiterates the US commitment in the process taking place under the auspices of the United Nations which is aimed at the establishment of a two-zone, two-community federation.

[16] JUGANOVIC-VLASSOPOULOS MEETING

Outgoing Greek ambassador to Belgrade Panagiotis Vlassopoulos had a meeting with Montenegro president Milo Juganovic.

In the meeting both men expressed satisfaction for the promotion of friendly relations between Montenegro and Greece and the president of Montenegro praised the Greek ambassador's contribution to the efforts for the development of bilateral cooperation in all sectors wishing him success in his career.

They also exchanged views on the current situation in Montenegro and Yugoslavia in the light of the upcoming federal elections.

Mr. Vlassopoulos took over his duties in Belgrade in 1996 and he was one of the few ambassadors who stayed in the Yugoslav capital during the NATO bombings.

[17] GREECE- FYROM SIGN ENVIRONMENTAL MEMO

Greek undersecretary of Land Planning and the Environment, Ilias Efthimiopoulos signed a memorandum with FYROM Environment minister, Mr Popovski, calling for Understanding and Cooperation for Viable Development and the Environment, which reflects the will of both countries to protect their natural environment using whatever knowledge and technology they possess.

The memorandum was signed after the two ministers met in Skopje and is the result of recent cooperation between the ministries of both countries, aimed at ensuring inter-Balkan cooperation as well as bilateral cooperation for the protection of the environment and the promotion of viable development.

"Greece is willing to work towards achieving the points outlined in the memorandum and will help her neighbouring country to achieve a higher level of environmental protection and a better quality of life for its citizens", Mr Efthimiopoulos said after signing the memorandum.

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