Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 00-12-03

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

CONTENTS

[01] BULGARIAN PRESIDENT ARRIVES IN ATHENS TOMORROW

[02] DEFENSE MINISTER ON OFFICIAL VISIT TO SWEDEN

[03] GREECE AMONG HIGH-RISK STATES IN EUS BSE REPORT

[04] GREECE AND TURKEY ARE EQUALLY IMPORTANT TO U.S.

[05] RAF PILOT MAKES EMERGENCY LANDING IN CRETE

[06] NEW YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT VISITS MT. ATHOS TODAY

[07] UN SPECIAL ADVISER ARRIVES IN CYPRUS TODAY

[08] EU AGRICULTURE MINISTERS HOLD SPECIAL COUNCIL

[09] MARIA CALLAS WAY ESTABLISHED IN PARIS, FRANCE

[01] BULGARIAN PRESIDENT ARRIVES IN ATHENS TOMORROW

BULGARIAN PRESIDENT ARRIVES IN ATHENS TOMORROW

Thessaloniki, December 3

The President of Bulgaria Petar Stoyanov is to conduct an official visit to Greece tomorrow, at the invitation of his Greek counterpart Kostis Stephanopoulos.

According to a Presidency announcement, President Stoyanov will conduct a two-day visit to Greece, commencing on December 4.

Messrs. Stoyanov and Stephanopoulos are to discuss the situation in the Balkans, European developments, and bilateral issues, particularly in the sector of the economy.

The visit will comprise another important step in reinforcing the very good level of bilateral relations between Greece and Bulgaria, the announcement said.

A.F.

[02] DEFENSE MINISTER ON OFFICIAL VISIT TO SWEDEN

Minister of National Defense Akis Tsochatzopoulos is presently on an official visit to Sweden, at the invitation of his counterpart Bjorn Von Zindov.

In his capacity as a vice-president of the European Socialist Party (ESP), Mr. Tsochatzopoulos will address an international conference organized by the ESP entitled "Globalization, the enlargement of the European Union and the role of the states".

The Defense Minister will also address a meeting of Greek expatriates in Sweden and on Monday he will visit the Ericsson company installations.

Later on Monday, Mr. Zindov will hold a dinner in honor of his Greek counterpart and the delegations of the two countries will hold talks and a joint press conference.

Following the press conference, Tsohatzopoulos will depart for Brussels, to participate in the winter NATO defense ministers' conference, which gets underway tomorrow.

A.F.

[03] GREECE AMONG HIGH-RISK STATES IN EUS BSE REPORT

A recent European Union report titled Geographical Risk of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) places Greece among the Community's high-risk countries, citing that it has not received any official data regarding the disease.

The report, published in August, was authored by the European Commission's Scientific Steering Committee (SSC) whcih found that the SSC has not received any data from Greece and is unable therefore to provide a scientifically based opinion in this regard.

It must be assumed, however, that Greece has been exposed to the BSE-agent. Under these circumstances, the SSC would consider it prudent in risk assessment terms to assume that the geographical BSE risk in Greece is at a high level.

Agriculture Minister George Anomeritis has said that his ministry did not send data to the EU's Steering Committee because it was an advisory body; however, he added, Greece regularly sent data to the EU's permanent veterinary committee.

A.F.

[04] GREECE AND TURKEY ARE EQUALLY IMPORTANT TO U.S.

The United States do not choose between Greece or Turkey, nor do they pressure one country against the other, according to U.S. Ambassador to Athens Nicholas Burns, who also stressed that both countries are equally important to the US and NATO.

Addressing a conference titled The new geopolitical role of Greece, Ambassador Burns stated that Washington tries to take a balanced approach to trilateral US-Greece-Turkey relations.

The issue, he said, is not what the US does, but what Greece and Turkey do.

Describing relations between Greece and the United States as "healthy", Ambassador Burns stated that they could become "excellent" if the disagreements of the past could be overcome.

Specifically, the U.S. diplomat pinpointed terrorism, narcotics, the environment and nuclear proliferation as the four factors that would determine Greek-American relations in the coming years, while he asked for greater cooperation in combating terrorism.

In regards to the Cyprus issue, Ambassador Burns said that a compromise between the island's Greek and Turkish populations would be the basis of a future solution to the problem.

The Athens-held conference was organized by the US-based Rand Corporation and the Kokkalis Foundation.

A.F.

[05] RAF PILOT MAKES EMERGENCY LANDING IN CRETE

A British Royal Air Force plane was forced to make an emergency landing at Crete's Iraklion airport yesterday, after experiencing engine failure.

The plane was an RAF C-130 with a 10-member crew and 23 passengers - all members of the military.

Its pilot reported that he was returning to land at the airport shortly after take-off, at 9:07 a.m., due to failure of the no. 1 engine.

An alarm was immediately sounded at the "Nikos Kazantzakis" airport, while all emergency measures to ensure the plane could land safely were taken.

The landing was carried out flawlessly, with no injuries to either crew or passengers nor any damage to the aircraft itself.

The C-130 was on its way to Lenham, UK and will now remain at Iraklion airport until the engine is repaired.

A.F.

[06] NEW YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT VISITS MT. ATHOS TODAY

Yugoslavia's new President Vojislav Kostunica embarked today on a 24-hour visit to the semi-autonomous monastic community of Mount Athos for a two-day pilgrimage.

Accompanied by Yugoslav Premier Zoran Zizic, President Kostunica will first visit the well-known Vatopedi Monastery on Mount Athos, before heading on to the predominately Serbian Orthodox Hilandariou Monastery in order to attend an all-night religious service.

Today marks the day that the Serbian Orthodox celebrate the Presentation of the Virgin, according to the Julian calendar.

Heading an unofficial delegation of around 20 government officials and advisers, the Yugoslav leaders will arrive in Thessaloniki tomorrow where they will meet with the Minister of Macedonia-Thrace Giorgos Paschalidis. While in the city, they will also visit Thessaloniki's cathedral of St. Demetrius, and will also lay a wreath at a World War I memorial honoring Serbia's war dead.

A.F.

[07] UN SPECIAL ADVISER ARRIVES IN CYPRUS TODAY

UN Secretary General's Special Adviser on Cyprus Alvaro de Soto is to arrive in Nicosia today, for meetings with President Glafcos Clerides and leader of the Turkish Cypriot community Rauf Denktash, as part of the UN-led peace effort.

Mr. de Soto recently met with French foreign ministry officials in Paris, which holds the six-monthly rotating European Union presidency.

He will be giving a press conference on Tuesday, having concluded most of his meetings on the island.

De Soto is also due to have a meeting with the ambassadors of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.

Following a meeting he had yesterday with Turkish Foreign Minister Ismael Cem, Mr. de Soto said that the UN will not modify its proposals for solving the Cyprus conflict even though Turkish-Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash has rejected them.

Moreover, in the next several days, the UN is expected to issue a report by the Secretary General on Cyprus, the EU will review the text of its partnership agreement with Turkey and the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe is to examine ways for the execution by Turkey of a Court judgment in a case of human rights violations of a Greek Cypriot.

Mr. de Soto has already conducted five rounds of proximity talks, since last December when the UN launched its latest initiative on Cyprus with a view of reaching a comprehensive settlement on the island.

A.F.

[08] EU AGRICULTURE MINISTERS HOLD SPECIAL COUNCIL

Greece's national committee on addressing Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) has finalized its positions on the issue, ahead of the European Union's special Council of Agriculture Ministers in Brussels on Monday.

In a session chaired by Agriculture Minister George Anomeritis last week, the committee ruled in favor of a final ban on meat and bone meal (MBM) meat flour in feeding animals and the implementation of the fast test in detecting the mad cow disease in bovines.

Additionally, the committee favors the complete ban of intestines of bovines, regardless of age, but not the intestines of sheep under the age of 12 months.

Greece's positions are in line with those of the European Commission, which agreed on several new proposals to respond to the BSE crisis, such as a temporary ban on the feeding of MBM to all farm animals and a requirement that all animals over 30 months are tested for BSE to enhance consumer confidence.

A.F.

[09] MARIA CALLAS WAY ESTABLISHED IN PARIS, FRANCE

A small street in Paris was officially renamed Maria Callas Way, in the honor of the renowned opera singer who died in the French capital in 1977.

The tree-lined street is located in the 16th district and faces the posh apartment on Avenue Georges Mandel where Callas died at the age of 54 in mysterious circumstances, 12 years after she last performed on stage.

In a ceremony attended by Greek officials, Paris Mayor Jean Tiberi stated that with her miraculous voice, Callas deeply altered operatic traditions. With her genius, she left her mark on the history of music.

A.F.

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