Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 00-10-18

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

CONTENTS

[01] NATO EXERCISE PROCEEDS AS ORIGINALLY PLANNED

[02] ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH IN ATHENS TODAY

[03] A SMALL TANKER RUN AGROUND AT THE PORT OF PREVEZA

[04] THERE IS NO PROBLEM OF COOPERATION BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT AND "ATHENS

[05] GREEK FIGHTER JETS FLEW OVER THE ISLAND OF LIMNOS WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK

[06] THE GREEK GOVERMENT SPOKESMAN ON MILOSEVIC'S ASSETS

[07] REPPAS: THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH IS ON A PRIVATE VISIT

[08] LOSSES OF 2.60% IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE

[09] ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH VARTHOLOMEOS IS ON A PRIVATE AND INFORMAL VISIT TO

[10] SIMITIS:THE ECONOMY IS ON THE RIGHT TRACK

[11] GREEK, TURKISH RETIRED OFFICERS TO MEET IN U.S.

[12] GREECE TO REVIEW BILATERAL, EU TIES WITH ALBANIA

[13] GREEK WARSHIPS WILL BE IN CYPRUS ON SATURDAY

[14] FM MILO VOWS TO PROVE RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

[15] ANTENNA TV WINS NATIONWIDE LICENSE IN BULGARIA

[16] WOMEN FROM CYPRUS TOOK PART IN THE WORLD PEACE MARCH AGAINST VIOLENCE

[01] NATO EXERCISE PROCEEDS AS ORIGINALLY PLANNED

NATO's military exercise Destined Glory 2000 is to proceed as originally planned today, with the inclusion of the airspace over the Aegean islands of Limnos and Ikaria, after the Alliance rejected Turkey's objections.

Greece temporarily ordered the six six Greek jet fighters F-16 to withdraw from the exercise last week after Ankara requested changes in pre-determined flight corridors and the exclusion of two passing over strategically placed Greek islands.

According to the Greek general staff, the flight corridors in which NATO fighters were to operate during the exercise, had been agreed upon during the planning stages of the exercise without any objection.

A.F.

[02] ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH IN ATHENS TODAY

Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos is to embark on a seven-day private visit to Athens today, where he will arrive at noon by private plane from Istanbul.

The Ecumenical Patriarch will be formally received at the airport by the Archbishop of Greece and All of Athens Christodoulos.

Tomorrow, the Patriarch will inaugurate a patriarchal representation office in Kolonaki, while in the evening of the same day he will give a speech at Athens University's school of theology.

During his stay, Mr. Vartholomeos will also visit the Athens suburbs of Peristeri and Nea Smyrni, the cities of Patras and Thebes, the town of Megara and the island of Salamis.

The Ecumenical Patriarch is arriving in Greece at a time when the Church of Greece is locked in a dispute with the government over whether religion should be mentioned on the state-issued identity cards.

A.F.

[03] A SMALL TANKER RUN AGROUND AT THE PORT OF PREVEZA

A small oil tanker run aground at the port of Preveza, northwestern Greece yesterday on its way to the port of Amfilochia to unload its cargo. No one of the crew was injured and there was no crack observed on the ship.

Coast Guard ships arrived at the scene of the accident to deal with the likelihood of an oil slick.

[04] THERE IS NO PROBLEM OF COOPERATION BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT AND "ATHENS 2004"

There is a procedural issue that will be handled in a few days and there is no problem of cooperation between the Greek government and the "Athens 2004" Organization, clarified Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas on the occasion of the dispute between minister of environment, land planning and public works Kostas Laliotis and "Athens 2004" member Kostas Liaskas concerning the bid for the appointment of technical advisers on the projects that are overseen by the Greek state.

The Greek government spokesman stated that the issue will be handled in a spirit of good faith and understanding and confirmed that the Olympic Games organized by Greece will be excellent.

[05] GREEK FIGHTER JETS FLEW OVER THE ISLAND OF LIMNOS WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF "DESTINED GLORY"

The Greek fighter jets participating in the NATO exercise "Destined Glory" flew over the north-eastern Aegean island of Limnos today, according to Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas, who characterized as positive development the outcome of the consultations based on which Greece returned to the NATO exercise.

Mr. Reppas stated that Greece's participation in the exercise is due to the fact that the exercise has returned to its initial planning as the aircraft can use the air corridors that had been agreed.

[06] THE GREEK GOVERMENT SPOKESMAN ON MILOSEVIC'S ASSETS

There has been no evidence confirming the existence of Slobodan Milosevic's assets in Greece, like bank accounts, stated Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas, responding to a question by a reporter.

The responsible bank agencies have checked a specific list of names and nothing relevant has come up, concluded the Greek government spokesman.

[07] REPPAS: THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH IS ON A PRIVATE VISIT

Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas, responding to a relevant question by a reporter, reiterated that the visit of Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos to Greece is a private one and he is not a guest of the Greek government.

Mr. Reppas mentioned that within the framework of this visit the Ecumenical Patriarch will be received by prime minister Kostas Simitis on Tuesday.

[08] LOSSES OF 2.60% IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE

Significant losses of 2.60% were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange today and the general index plunged to 3.627,55 points as a result of the complete lack of purchasing interest.

The volume of transactions was very small at 50.4 billion drachmas reminding more and more of last August's dramatic sessions.

Of the stocks trading today, only 34 recorded gains, 324 had losses and 19 remained unchanged.

[09] ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH VARTHOLOMEOS IS ON A PRIVATE AND INFORMAL VISIT TO ATHENS

Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos arrived in Athens today accompanied by Metropolite Chrisostomos of Efesos, Metropolite Fotios of Imvros and Tenedos, Metropolite Gabriel of Cologne and Greece's consul general Panagiotis Kalogeropoulos. The Ecumenical Patriarch was welcomed at the airport by Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens and All of Greece, while on behalf of the government he was welcomed by minister of education Petros Efthimiou and undersecretary of foreign affairs Angeliki Laiou as well as by mayor of Athens Dimitris Avramopoulos.

In statements he made upon his arrival in Athens, Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos pointed out that his visit is private and informal and takes place after invitations he received to participate in specific events.

He stated that if there is time there will be certain friendly visits, while the inauguration of the Ecumenical Patriarchate's representation office in Athens will also take place. He also clarified that during his week-long stay in Athens there will be no discussions on general or pending issues.

The Ecumenical Patriarch attended a luncheon offered in his honor by the association of Greek-Turkish business cooperation at the Athenian Club at noon today.

During his visit he will have contacts with the president of Greece, the prime minister, the parliament president, the leaders of the opposition parties, the mayor of Athens and distinguished personalities from the political and spiritual world.

[10] SIMITIS:THE ECONOMY IS ON THE RIGHT TRACK

Prime minister Kostas Simitis briefed president Kostis Stephanopoulos on the current domestic and foreign political developments. Mr. Simitis presented to Mr. Stephanopoulos the outcome of the Biarritz EU Summit meeting in France and referred to the state of the European economy.

In statements he made afterwards, Mr. Simitis stressed that the economy is on the right direction in spite of the oil crisis and underlined that the government will face any problem that can appear in the heating oil prices. According to Mr. Simitis, the government has stated that it will take all necessary measures in case of a problem.

Referring to the role of Greece in the Balkans, he underlined the active presence of the Greek government in the developments in Yugoslavia.

[11] GREEK, TURKISH RETIRED OFFICERS TO MEET IN U.S.

Greek and Turkish retired military officers are to meet in Washington, D.C., in October, in order to review eastern Mediterranean security issues and bilateral military issues.

The closed meeting, which has not been authorized by either the Greek or Turkish governments, has been organized by the U.S. National Defense University, and the Western Policy Center, a Greek-American think-tank whose aim is to promote U.S. strategic interests in the region.

A.F.

[12] GREECE TO REVIEW BILATERAL, EU TIES WITH ALBANIA

The Greek government is reportedly set to review its bilateral ties with Albania, as well as the European economic programs it has initiated towards this country.

In a closed session last night, Foreign Minister George Papandreou addressed the members of the Parliamentary Committee of Foreign Affairs and Defense, following the serious irregularities reported during the second round of municipal elections in Albania, especially in the city of Himara.

"The most effective means to send a message to Albania is through the European Union," Mr. Papandreou stated, adding that Greece will utilize all the evidence that attests to the severe democratic deficiencies in the neighboring country.

While he stopped short from stating exactly what measures Greece intends to take, Mr. Papandreou stressed that the country will address all the international organizations and the EU in order to send a clear message to Albania.

Specifically, the FM suggested that Greece plans to place weight on matters concerning EU funding to Albania, as well as the said country's stabilization and association agreement with the EU.

Regarding bilateral relations, Mr. Papandreou stated that the Greek government will reconsider its financial credits towards the neighboring country and will intensify the review of all visas granted to Albanian nationals wishing to enter Greece.

Nevertheless, Mr. Papandreou advised that the problem that arose with the violation of the Greek minority's rights in Himara should not be viewed as an isolated event, but, rather, should be considered as a part of the democratic deficit noted in Albania, which shortcoming has a wider impact onto the Balkan region.

A.F.

[13] GREEK WARSHIPS WILL BE IN CYPRUS ON SATURDAY

Two frigates, a submarine and two missile-boats of the Greek Navy will sail into the port of Larnaca, Cyprus on Saturday within the framework of the exercise "Nikiforos - Toxotis", as it was announced by the Cypriot ministry of defense.

The warships, the frigates "Salamis" and "Aegean", the submarine "Okeanos" and the missile-boats "Stavrakis" and "Blessas" will be at the port of Larnaca until Tuesday, October 24.

[14] FM MILO VOWS TO PROVE RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

Albanian Foreign Minister Pascal Milo has vowed to definitively prove that his country has respect for the human rights of minorities, wherever they may exist, during an address before Albania's Parliamentary Committee of Foreign Affairs.

According to Mr. Milo, Albania has a clear map of the existing minorities and there is no need to manufacture new situations that could escalate the tension between his country and Greece.

"The government is ready to carefully deal with the situation created, being convinced that one electoral region, such as Himara, cannot create problems in the ties between two countries or provoke international concern," he stated.

The Foreign Affairs committee concluded that the Albanian government should work towards the further improvement of Greco-Albanian relations, while the committee chairman stated that Albania should express its will to maintain good bilateral ties with Greece.

A.F.

[15] ANTENNA TV WINS NATIONWIDE LICENSE IN BULGARIA

Bulgaria's state telecommunications commission has granted a nationwide broadcasting license to Nova Televisia, the first private television in Bulgaria and which was recently bought by Greece's Antenna TV.

Sweden's Modern Times Group (MTG), ranked second among three bidders in the effort to obtain a license for the country's second private nationwide television channel, TV-3.

Up to date, Nova Televisia's audience amounted to three million viewers, a number that his set to rapidly increase as Antenna will embark on its transmission to even the most remote areas of the country.

A.F.

[16] WOMEN FROM CYPRUS TOOK PART IN THE WORLD PEACE MARCH AGAINST VIOLENCE AND POVERTY

Seventy Cypriot women from 24 women organizations and labor unions in Cyprus took part in the World Peace March against violence and poverty that was held outside the UN organization building in New York yesterday.

The women from Cyprus chanted slogans calling for the continuation of the difficult struggle for a free and united homeland and united their voices with the voices of women from all over the world calling for an end to the violations of human rights.

The members of the Cypriot delegation arrived in New York in the weekend and had meetings with representatives of the five permanent members in the UN Security Council, as well as with a representative of the UN secretary-general to whom they delivered their written petitions. In the meetings participated refugees from the Turkish occupied northern part of Cyprus and mothers of missing persons since the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974.

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