Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 00-11-01

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

CONTENTS

[01] BULGARIA'S NATIONAL DEFENSE GENERAL STAFF CHIEF WILL BE IN ATHENS

[02] REPPAS: THERE IS NO SECRET AGREEMENT BETWEEN PAPANDREOU AND CEM

[03] BALKANS, THE CYPRUS ISSUE AND THE EURO-TURKISH RELATIONS WERE DISCUSSED

[04] EXTENSIVE DAMAGES IN THE ISLAND OF CORFU BY THE STRONG RAINFALLS

[05] SPAIN WILL DECORATE THE PRESIDENT OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY IN

[06] INTER-BALKAN CONFERENCE BY MPA ON THE NEW TECHNOLOGIES

[07] 2.367 OIL TANKERS WILL BE WITHDRAWN BY 2017

[08] GAINS OF 2.31% IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE

[09] THE PARALYMPIC GAMES' ATHLETES FROM NORTHERN GREECE WERE HONORED TODAY

[10] SIMITIS WILL BE IN ZAGREB ON NOVEMBER 24

[11] BRITISH TOURISTS PREFER GREECE OVER TURKEY

[12] SAE PRESIDENT PRAISES GORES POLICY ON CYPRUS

[01] BULGARIA'S NATIONAL DEFENSE GENERAL STAFF CHIEF WILL BE IN ATHENS TOMORROW

Bulgaria's National Defense General Staff chief wing-commander Miho Mihov will be in Athens tomorrow heading a delegation. The visit will be made at the invitation of his Greek counterpart general Manousos Paragioudakis.

The talks that will be held will focus on the cooperation between Bulgaria and Greece in the sector of defense, on issues of regional security and Bulgaria's bid for NATO membership.

The Bulgarian delegation will visit military units and Mr. Mihov will decorate three Greek officers in charge of the battalion in Bosnia-Herzegovina part of which was a Bulgarian mechanized platoon.

[02] REPPAS: THERE IS NO SECRET AGREEMENT BETWEEN PAPANDREOU AND CEM

Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas denied that there has been a secret agreement between Greek foreign minister Giorgos Papandreou and his Turkish counterpart Ismail Cem in Budapest, clarifying that there was an agreement in principle on the confidence-building-measures aimed at the normalization of bilateral relations.

Specifically, stated Mr. Reppas, there has been an agreement between Mr. Papandreou and Mr. Cem to list in two categories the issues concerning the rapprochement of the two countries. Namely, there are institutional issues that can be approached through the responsible officials and military issues that are under the auspices of NATO.

Finally, the Greek government spokesman reiterated that Greece in its relations with Turkey has shown a responsible stance and stressed once again that the only issue Greece will discuss with the neighboring country is that of the continental shelf.

[03] BALKANS, THE CYPRUS ISSUE AND THE EURO-TURKISH RELATIONS WERE DISCUSSED BY PAPANDREOU AND COOK

Greek foreign minister Giorgos Papandreou met with his British counterpart Robin Cook in Athens and discussed the situation in the Balkans, the Cyprus problem, the Euro-Turkish relations and the relations between Greece and Britain, while the excellent level of cooperation between the two countries was also confirmed.

In statements Mr. Papandreou made in view of the new round of negotiations on the Cyprus problem, expressed the hope that this time there will be a meaningful progress and pointed out that there is close cooperation with the British government for the solution of the Cyprus problem.

From his side, Mr. Cook reiterated that the solution of the Cyprus problem is not a precondition for the accession of Cyprus into the European Union. He said that the application for accession submitted by Cyprus has been taken under serious consideration and it is probably the first country that will be able to meet all the preconditions for EU accession faster than all the rest EU candidate states.

Referring to the Euro-Turkish relations, Mr. Papandreou stressed the need for the Helsinki conclusions to be imprinted on the partnership relation in view of the relevant discussion in the General Affairs Council. Mr. Cook also referred to the role of Greece in the new environment formed in the Balkans.

[04] EXTENSIVE DAMAGES IN THE ISLAND OF CORFU BY THE STRONG RAINFALLS

Extensive damages have been caused in the island of Corfu in the Ionian Sea as a result of the strong rainfall recorded in the island late last night. Streets and houses were flooded and many people were in danger. The most serious damages were recorded in the regions of Mesogi and Mouraitika.

Problems have been recorded in the telecommunications, while there have been no reports of injuries or missing people.

[05] SPAIN WILL DECORATE THE PRESIDENT OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY IN THESSALONIKI

Spain will honor Thessaloniki's Jewish Community president Andreas Sefiha with the medal of the Order of the Political Value. The medal will be delivered to Mr. Sefiha by Spain's ambassador Javier Jimenez Ugarte after a decision by the Spanish government and King Juan Carlos in a ceremony that will take place on November 11.

The medal will be awarded to Mr. Sefiha in recognition of his efforts for the preservation of the Spanish-Jewish culture and the reunification of Spain with the Sefaradin community which is a celebrated part of its past.

[06] INTER-BALKAN CONFERENCE BY MPA ON THE NEW TECHNOLOGIES

The 6th Inter-Balkan Journalistic Conference that will take place in Thessaloniki on November 24-25 organized by MPA will be dedicated to the memory of professor Pavlos Petridis, who was the president of MPA's board of directors.

The conference under the title "The New Technologies in the Mass Media for the development of the Inter-Balkan Cooperation" will take place with the participation of general directors, editors-in-chief and editors from over 60 mass media from all the Balkan states and Greece.

The conference delegates will present their views and will discuss the better use of the new technologies by the newspapers, radio and television stations and Internet sites, while distinguished foreign and Greek computer science professors will also make presentations on the new technologies.

[07] 2.367 OIL TANKERS WILL BE WITHDRAWN BY 2017

About 2.367 oil tankers will be withdrawn by the year 2017, based on the timetable which was drawn up in the 45th summit meeting of the IMO Committee for the Protection of the Environment.

Meanwhile, according to a statement issued by the Greek Association of Shipowners, the final IMO decision will be reached in April and it will be accompanied by a number of additional measures that will safeguard the quality of the ships and the safety of the sea transportation.

The specific timetable cuts the number of years the oil tankers can be in operation compared to the existing demands by MARPOL but it is regarded as more flexible than that suggested by the European Committee.

[08] GAINS OF 2.31% IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE

Today's session in the Athens Stock Exchange was a pleasant surprise for the investors as it closed with gains of 2.31% and the general index was at 3.885,49 points.

The volume of transactions was satisfactory compared to the small turnover in the previous sessions reaching 96.5 billion drachmas.

Of the stocks trading today, the overwhelming majority namely, 350, recorded gains, while 16 had losses and 15 remained unchanged.

[09] THE PARALYMPIC GAMES' ATHLETES FROM NORTHERN GREECE WERE HONORED TODAY

The reception reserved for the athletes from northern Greece, who competed in the Paralympic Games in Sydney, was worthily of their great effort and successes.

Present at Thessaloniki's Macedonia Airport were relatives and friends of the athletes as well as representatives of the sports and political leadership.

The ministry of Macedonia-Thrace was represented by its general secretary, while also present were representatives of the municipality of Thessaloniki and Kalamaria.

Maria Kalpakidou, who won the bronze in the 50m backstroke, stated to MPA that she and her fellow-athletes did not expect such great reception. She also said that the Paralympics in Sydney were hard and thanked her coach as well as, her parents and her friends who supported her in her effort.

Simos Paltsanitidis, who won the bronze in the discus throw, stated that when you do something because you really want it you succeed.

[10] SIMITIS WILL BE IN ZAGREB ON NOVEMBER 24

Greek prime minister Kostas Simitis will be in Zagreb on November 24 to attend the European Union summit meeting with south-eastern European countries.

In the summit meeting, that will be held at the initiative of the French EU presidency, will be discussed the situation in the region and the issue of the reconstruction of Yugoslavia.

[11] BRITISH TOURISTS PREFER GREECE OVER TURKEY

Greece prevails over Turkey as a favored destination of British tourists, according to a survey by the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA).

As the ABTA reports, Greece's share of the UK package holiday market has risen to 16 percent from 11 percent during the past two years, while Turkey has seen its visitors fall from nine to six percent.

Spain continues to be the most visited country for British package holidays, accounting for 43 percent of trips made in the past 12 months.

France and Cyprus jointly ranked in third place after Greece with seven percent.

A.F.

[12] SAE PRESIDENT PRAISES GORES POLICY ON CYPRUS

The President of the Council of Greeks Abroad (SAE) United Andrew Athens praised the United States vice-president and presidential candidate Al Gore for announcing his policy on Cyprus and for his dedication to finding a solution to the Cyprus issue in accordance with relevant UN resolutions.

"The statement by Vice President Mr. Gore is dynamic and clear and will serve American interests and will help peace in this problematic region of the Mediterranean," Mr. Athens stated.

In his statement on Cyprus, Vice President Gore had said that "if I am elected President, Cyprus will be one of my priorities in foreign policy.

"My government will continue to support the relevant resolutions of the UN's Security Council which call for a bicommunal federation with two zones which will unite Cyprus."

A.F.

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