Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 00-11-05

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

CONTENTS

[01] JAPANESE PM THANKS GREECE FOR HANDLING OF CRISIS

[02] KIDNAPPER COMMITS SUICIDE, LEAPS OUT OF WINDOW

[03] PREMIER ACQUAINTS EPIRUS WITH THIRD CSF

[04] THESSALONIKI FILM FESTIVAL TO HONOR AGELOPOULOS

[05] BALKAN ART DIRECTORS TO MEET IN THESSALONIKI

[06] THESSALONIKI TO HOST GREEK-CANADIAN CONFERENCE

[07] TIF TO HOLD GREEK PRODUCTS EXHIBITION IN ISTANBUL

[08] GREEK PRESIDENT TO VISIT THE CZECH REPUBLIC

[09] GREEK PM TO MEET WITH CLERIDES THIS MONTH

[10] BALKAN RECONSTRUCTION BOARD MEETS THIS MONTH

[01] JAPANESE PM THANKS GREECE FOR HANDLING OF CRISIS

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori expressed his gratitude to the Greek government over its successful handling of yesterday's crisis where a bus full of 33 Japanese tourists were taken hostage by an armed man.

"I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis and all the officials of the Greek government for their efforts in accomplishing a positive end to the kidnapping," he stated.

The Japanese tourists had in Athens on Thursday for a nine-day package tour. At the time of the hijacking, they were on a three-day excursion in Greece's Argolid prefecture, which was to include a visit to the Epidavros archaeological site.

During the course of the hijacking, Japanese government spokespeople said they urged the Greek government to make the lives of the tourists their top priority.

According to the Japan Times Online, the Japanese government set up a liaison office within the crisis management center of the Prime Minister's official residence at around 7p.m. to gather information on the bus hijacking. Japan's foreign ministry also established its own headquarters to facilitate in disseminating any information, headed by Administrative Vice Foreign Minister Yutaka Kawashima.

A.F.

[02] KIDNAPPER COMMITS SUICIDE, LEAPS OUT OF WINDOW

The man who held a bus full of Japanese tourists hostage yesterday before giving himself up to police last night, committed suicide this morning by jumping out of the seventh-floor window of the police headquarters where he was being held.

The 48-year-old hijacker, Christos Kenteras, leaped out of the window at 8:40 a.m. today when he momentarily escaped the attention of police officers who were about to fingerprint him.

Kenteras, who was described as "distraught and dangerous", had held the Japanese tourists, their tour guide and the bus driver hostage yesterday for ten hours yesterday, before agreeing to exit the bus and hold negotiations with a Greek television reporter.

About two hours prior to hijacking the bus, Kenteras had gunned down his elderly mother-in-law and another man because he reportedly blamed them for his marital problems.

A.F.

[03] PREMIER ACQUAINTS EPIRUS WITH THIRD CSF

Prime Minister Costas Simitis embarked on a tour of the region of Epirus, northwestern Greece, in order to brief local officials on the 3rd Community Support Framework (CSF) and its contribution to the country's development and modernization.

Addressing local authorities of Epirus, the European Union poorest region, the Premier referred to the investment programs of the 3rd CSF and the prospects to arise therefrom, while he also expressed the need for the correct utilization of the 17.5 trillion drachmas.

This revenue will change the country's image over the next six-year period (2000-2006).

A.F.

[04] THESSALONIKI FILM FESTIVAL TO HONOR AGELOPOULOS

The 41st Thessaloniki Film Festival, which gets underway on November 10, will include a tribute to film director Theodoros Angelopoulos and his work.

Featuring the screening of about 200 films, the ten-day festival's program will include two concerts by Eleni Karaindrou at the Concert Hall (on November 16-17), as well as photography and book exhibitions.

A.F.

[05] BALKAN ART DIRECTORS TO MEET IN THESSALONIKI

Art directors from various Balkan theaters are to meet in Thessaloniki on November 18, in order to discuss the creation of a Balkan State Theater Union.

Organized by the State Theater of Northern Greece, he meeting will examine the problems and present operational state of Balkan state theaters, as well as prospects for joint productions, exchanges and information.

The art directors of state theaters from Belgrade (Yugoslavia), Zagreb (Croatia), Tirana (Albania), Sofia (Bulgaria), Bucharest (Romania), Ljubljana (Slovenia), Sarajevo (Bosnia-Herzegovina) and Istanbul (Turkey) will be present.

A.F.

[06] THESSALONIKI TO HOST GREEK-CANADIAN CONFERENCE

A conference on the coexistence of different cultures, titled Multiculture: A developing dialogue. The Greek and Canadian example, will be held in Thessaloniki, on November 8-10, under the auspices of Greece' Culture Ministry.

The conference will highlight the issue of coexistence between different cultures in the two countries and will be attended by Culture Minister Theodoros Pangalos, Thessaloniki Deputy Mayor Nikos Makrantonakis and the Canadian Ambassador to Greece David Hatton.

The event is organized by the Canadian embassy and the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

A.F.

[07] TIF TO HOLD GREEK PRODUCTS EXHIBITION IN ISTANBUL

The Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) is to hold the first exhibition of Greek products in Istanbul this month, representing the sectors of tourism, transportation, food and beverage, juices, dairy products, olive oil, agro-chemicals, fertilizers, agricultural machinery, etc.

To be held between November 16-19, the exhibition will be hosted at the Hannover Messe International, in the Maslak area of Istanbul, where over half of the country's 500 strongest firms are based.

A.F.

[08] GREEK PRESIDENT TO VISIT THE CZECH REPUBLIC

The President of the Hellenic Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos will conduct a three-day official visit to the Czech Republic, beginning on November 14, at the invitation of his Czech counterpart Vaclav Havel.

This shall be the first visit by a Greek head of state since 1993, when the Czech Republic became independent.

A.F.

[09] GREEK PM TO MEET WITH CLERIDES THIS MONTH

Prime Minister Costas Simitis will be meeting with Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides and Cyprus Parliament speaker Spyros Kyprianou in mid November, immediately after the end of the fifth round of Cyprus proximity talks in Geneva, which are presently underway.

According to press reports, the meeting will be held in order to assess the results of the talks and decide a joint strategy in view of the EU summit in Nice in December, which President Clerides will also attend, and the UN resolution on whether to renew the term of the UN peace-keeping force UNFICYP on Cyprus.

The meeting between Messrs. Simitis and Kyprianou is scheduled for November 13, while there will be a meeting at Mr. Simitis' office with President Clerides the next day.

A.F.

[10] BALKAN RECONSTRUCTION BOARD MEETS THIS MONTH

The board of directors of the Balkan Reconstruction Organization is to convene in Thessaloniki on November 13, its first meeting following the political changes in Yugoslavia.

Minister of Macedonia-Thrace George Paschalides is to take part in the meeting, which is awaited with interest after the decision drawn by the European Union's General Affairs Council to expand the Organization geographically so that it will encompass all of Yugoslavia's regions.

A.F.

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