Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 01-01-14

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

CONTENTS

[01] EVENT TO BE HELD IN MEMORY OF PAVLOS PETRIDES

[02] YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT ARRIVES IN ATHENS ON TUESDAY

[03] JAPANESE PM CONDUCTS HISTORIC VISIT TO GREECE

[04] MILITARY MDs OFFER FREE TREATMENT IN XANTHI

[05] INTER-BALKAN TELEMARATHON ON "RIGAS CHARTER"

[06] GREEK MPs "QUIZED" ON RELATIONSHIP, SEX PRACTICES

[01] EVENT TO BE HELD IN MEMORY OF PAVLOS PETRIDES

An honorary event held in memory of the late Pavlos Petrides, vice-president of the Papandreou Foundation and president of the MPA, will be held tomorrow evening at the Foreign Ministry's amphitheater.

The event will feature the presentation of the latest book authored by Petrides, referring to Greece's political scene between 1957-67.

The book will be presented by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs George Papandreou, Culture Evangelos Venizelos and Press and Media Dimitris Reppas, as well as the speaker of the main opposition party, New Democracy's Prokopis Pavlopoulos, the President of the minor opposition party of Coalition of the Left and Progress Nikos Constantopoulos and professor George Magakis.

A.F.

[02] YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT ARRIVES IN ATHENS ON TUESDAY

The President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Vojislav Kostunica will arrive in Athens on Tuesday, January16, for his first official visit to Greece.

President Kostunica will be received by his Greek counterpart Kostis Stephanopoulos on Tuesday, at 11:00 a.m. and the two will give a joint press conference at 12:30 p.m.

Just before 1:00 p.m. the Yugoslav president will meet with Prime Minister Costas Simitis at his office and the two will make statements at 1:45 p.m. A working dinner offered by the prime minister will follow.

At 3:20 p.m. on the same day, Kostunica will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, after which he will visit the Acropolis and the Athens Town Hall, where he will meet with Athens Mayor Dimitris Avramopoulos.

At 5:30 p.m., he will make his way to Parliament for a meeting with Parliament speaker Apostolos Kaklamanis, followed by a meeting with main opposition New Democracy leader Costas Karamanlis at 6:00 p.m., with Coalition of the Left leader Nikos Constantopoulos at 6:30 p.m. and with Communist Party of Greece (KKE) General Secretary Aleka Papariga at 7:00 p.m.

Finally, the Yugoslav president will attend an official dinner at the Presidential Mansion and is due to leave for Belgrade at 11:30 p.m.

A.F.

[03] JAPANESE PM CONDUCTS HISTORIC VISIT TO GREECE

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori is presently on a two-day official visit to Greece, the first-ever visit to Greece by a Japanese premier, for talks on bilateral relations and regional issues.

Mr. Mori held talks with his Greek counterpart Costas Simitis yesterday evening with whom he discussed Greek-Japanese relations as well as regional issues of concern to the two countries.

Following the one-and-a-half hour meeting, Mr. Simitis said that bilateral relations between Greece and Japan were excellent and that he has accepted an invitation to visit Japan. Moreover, Mr. Simitis briefed his Japanese counterpart on the course of Greek-Turkish relations and the Cyprus issue, where he said Japan could have a positive influence for progress as a member of the G-8 group.

Mr. Simitis also added that Greece could serve as a springboard for Japanese businesses interested in penetrating the euro-zone.

Messrs. Mori and Simitis agreed that there are significant opportunities for bilateral cooperation in the sectors of tourism and culture.

Mr. Mori saluted Mr. Simitis' "serious efforts...with regard to Greek-Turkish relations" while adding that Greek-Turkish rapprochement was vital for achieving stability in eastern Europe.

He also added that a delegation of Japanese government officials and entrepreneurs will soon visit Greece to promote tourism-related issues in view of the Olympic Games in 2004.

Premier Mori also conveyed his country's gratitude for the quick release of the Japanese tourists taken hostage during a bus-hijacking in November, while he announced that Japan will be donating more than one billion dollars for the reconstruction of the Balkans.

A.F.

[04] MILITARY MDs OFFER FREE TREATMENT IN XANTHI

A delegation of military doctors and nursing staff visited the village of Kotyli, Xanthi yeserday and offered free dental and medical treatment to the local residents. The physicians also provided a lecture on the prevention communicable diseases.

An army veterinarian also accompanied the team and met with the local stock breeders with whom he discussed animal hygiene and ways of prevented animal diseases.

A.F.

[05] INTER-BALKAN TELEMARATHON ON "RIGAS CHARTER"

The Inter-Balkan Cultural Agency is to hold a telemarathon tomorrow, January 15, to be broadcast by Greece's ERT channel, aiming at the promotion of regional cooperation on matters of culture.

"Riga's Charter has drawn a series of initiatives for 2001, among them meetings in Athens and Brussels, seminars, theatrical plays, book presentations, etc.

Costas Georgousopoulos is the president of the Inter-Balkan Cultural Agency.

A.F.

[06] GREEK MPs "QUIZED" ON RELATIONSHIP, SEX PRACTICES

From the Premier to the newest member of the House, the 300 deputies of the Hellenic Parliament will be called on to fill out a questionnaire on sex and relationships, to be provided by Dr. Thanos Askitis, a parliamentarian for the ruling PASOK party and a clinical psychiatrist who founded Greece's first independent sex therapy center.

The questionnaire will comprise 30 questions concerning views on marriage, fidelity and how the demands of political life erode or enhance romance and sex.

The responses to the questionnaire, which will be forwarded tomorrow, January 15, will be anonymous and, in an effort to ensure secrecy, it will be accompanied by an envelope pre-addressed to a special postal box. The results will be released to the public.

A.F.

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