Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 01-03-27

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

CONTENTS

[01] POMP & CIRCUMSTANCE AT AIRPORT INAUGURATION

[02] GREEK FM DISCUSSES CYPRUS ISSUE WITH UK's COOK

[03] PRODI BECOMES HONORARY CITIZEN OF THESSALONIKI

[04] SIMITIS AND PAPARIGA DISCUSSED THE DEVELOPMENTS IN FYROM AND THE

[05] THE NEW ATHENS AIRPORT WILL HAVE A VERY POSITIVE EFFECT ON THE ECONOMY

[06] LOSSES IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE

[07] SIMITIS-KARAMANLIS-ZIZIC IN THE 8TH THESSALONIKI FORUM

[08] THE GREEK PRESIDENT WILL WATCH THE FOOTBALL GAME BETWEEN THE NATIONAL

[09] SIMITIS: THE NEW AIRPORT CONFIRMS GREECE'S GEO-POLITICAL IMPORTANCE

[10] APPEAL OF SUSPECTED LEFTIST TERRORIST CONTINUES

[11] ALBANIAN PM ATTENDS GREEK HOLIDAY RECEPTION

[12] IT'S OFFICIAL, THE POPE WILL VISIT GREECE ON MAY 4

[13] OPPOSITION AHEAD IN VOTES, BUT PM STILL LEADING

[14] COOK: THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY WILL NOT RECOGNIZE THE TURKISH

[15] PAPANDREOU'S INTERVIEW WITH THE CNN

[01] POMP & CIRCUMSTANCE AT AIRPORT INAUGURATION

The new international airport of Athens Eleftherios Venizelos, Europe's largest greenfield development, was inaugurated today by the Prime Minister Costas Simitis, in the presence of President Costis Stephanopoulos and other dignitaries who attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Christodoulos performed the customary blessing ceremony at the premises.

The first take off from the new airport, named after Greek statesman Eleftherios Venizelos, will take place this afternoon with an Olympic Airways Boeing 737-400 aircraft.

The first flights at Spata arrive from abroad after 3 p.m. tomorrow and the airport will be open to the public from 4 a.m. Thursday for departures. The old airport at Hellenikon closes tomorrow at midnight, apart from non-commercial flights. A gigantic 24-hour operation is to begin at 6 a.m. tomorrow to move all heavy equipment from Hellenikon via the Vari-Koropi road.

The new airport, located at Spata, southeast of Athens, aims at establishing a regional hub for air routes from Europe, Asia and Africa, while its initial capacity is 16 million passengers annually, with a potential for expansion to 50 million passengers a year. Two runways allow for simultaneous take-off and landing of up to 600 aircraft per day.

State-of-the-art facilities will provide for both an expanding tourism industry and the demands of the Athens-held Olympic Games of 2004.

A.F.

[02] GREEK FM DISCUSSES CYPRUS ISSUE WITH UK's COOK

Cyprus's European course could form stronger incentives for the island's security and for overthrowing the policy followed by Turkey on the specific matter, Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou said after talks with his British counterpart Robin Cook in London.

According to Mr. Papandreou the mentality that Greeks and Turks cannot co-exist and that views that the Turkish-Cypriots are being protected by the occupational forces will essentially have to be overthrown since the average Turkish-Cypriot sees a different vision before him, (sees that) he can take part in a great Europe.

A.F.

[03] PRODI BECOMES HONORARY CITIZEN OF THESSALONIKI

European Commission President Romano Prodi will be in Thessaloniki on March 31, to attend commemorative events on the 20th anniversary of Greece's accession to the European Union.

Mr. Prodi will be proclaimed an honorary citizen of Thessaloniki, during an extraordinary municipal council meeting where the Mayor of Thessaloniki Vassilis Papageorgopoulos will award him the city's Gold Medal of Honor.

It will be the first time the municipal council will be proclaiming a European Commission president an honourary citizen. 

The celebrations will also be attended by Prime Minister Costas Simitis and European Parliament President Nicole Fontaine, as well as other dignitaries.

The events will also include three forums: "Greece in Europe-20 years of future prospects", "Economic and regional development in Greece and Europe" and "Enlargement and future organization in Europe."

A.F.

[04] SIMITIS AND PAPARIGA DISCUSSED THE DEVELOPMENTS IN FYROM AND THE BALKANS

Greek prime minister Kostas Simitis discussed with Communist Party general secretary Ms. Aleka Papariga the developments at the borders of FYROM with Kosovo as a result of the actions by the Albanian extremist groups as well as, the situation in the Balkans in general.

The prime minister presented the firm Greek positions to Ms. Papariga and briefed her on the initiatives undertaken by the Greek government within the framework of the EU and NATO for the normalization of the situation. He said that the European Council has accepted Greece's proposal according to which, the EU-FYROM association agreement will be signed on April 9. He also referred to the talks he had with FYROM president Boris Trajkovski.

On the conclusions of the European Council concerning the crisis in FYROM, Mr. Simitis stated that the EU has sent a clear message that accomplished facts, conflicts and nationalism are unacceptable, adding that the EU assistance and solidarity toward FYROM are given.

On the issue of the name that will be used by FYROM, Mr. Simitis said that it is still pending and clarified that he has pointed out to the FYROM state and political leadership that the improvement of bilateral relations does not mean that the issue of the name does not have to be resolved. He said that the issue is still open and certain moves should be made on behalf of the FYROM side.

[05] THE NEW ATHENS AIRPORT WILL HAVE A VERY POSITIVE EFFECT ON THE ECONOMY

Minister of environment, public works and land planning Kostas Laliotis speaking in the inauguration ceremony for the new Athens Airport stated that the main ambition for the "Eleftherios Venizelos" Airport is to be recognized as one of the most modern, safe and reliable airports in Europe and the world and become competitive and profitable.

Minister of transportation and telecommunications Christos Verelis referred during the inauguration ceremony to the positive effect the new Athens airport will have on the Greek economy.

Mr. Verelis stated that 2.000 job positions will be created for every 1 million passengers, adding that in the next 12 months the new airport will serve about 13 million passengers.

[06] LOSSES IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE

Losses were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange today. The general index dropped to -0.80% at 3.057,89 points, while the volume of transactions was small at 147 million Euro or 50.1 billion drachmas.

Of the stocks trading today, 107 recorded gains and 223 had losses, while the value of 44 stocks remained stable.

[07] SIMITIS-KARAMANLIS-ZIZIC IN THE 8TH THESSALONIKI FORUM

The 8th Thessaloniki Forum that will take place on April 2-3 is expected to become the grounds for a fruitful dialogue on the future of the southeastern European states. The forum will be held with the participation of almost all the members of the Serb government in the presence of Greek prime minister Kostas Simitis and right-wing main opposition party of New Democracy leader Kostas Karamanlis.

The forum is organized by the Association of Industries in Northern Greece and the Hellenic-American Chamber of Commerce.

In the conference have been invited Yugoslav prime minister Zoran Zizic and Stability Pact coordinator Bodo Hobach. The meeting will also be attended by the finance ministers of Yugoslavia, Cyprus, Albania and FYROM. Also, present will be senior executives representing international organizations and credit institutions such as, the European Reconstruction Agency in southeastern Europe, the World Bank, EBRD and the Overseas Private Investment Cooperation.

Also, invited to attend the forum are the foreign ministers of Albania, FYROM and Yugoslavia. The US assistant secretary of state James Swiggart, responsible for south-central European affairs, will present the US position regarding the situation in the region, while it is the first time that the US is represented in the forum at such a high level.

[08] THE GREEK PRESIDENT WILL WATCH THE FOOTBALL GAME BETWEEN THE NATIONAL TEAMS OF GREECE AND GERMANY

Greek president Kostis Stephanopoulos will watch the football game between the national teams of Greece and Germany that will take place in Athens tomorrow within the framework of the preliminary phase for the World Cup.

His presence is expected to boost the morale of the Greek football players, who will do everything in their power to get a good result.

[09] SIMITIS: THE NEW AIRPORT CONFIRMS GREECE'S GEO-POLITICAL IMPORTANCE

Greece with its new airport confirms its geo-political importance and underlines the new opportunities for development that are being opened, stressed prime minister Kostas Simitis speaking today in the inauguration ceremony of Athens "Eleftherios Venizelos" International Airport at Spata.

Mr. Simitis pointed out that the project was completed based on the specifications set and following transparent procedures taking under consideration the public interest, while he referred to the difficulties that were encountered. He also referred to the rest big projects that are underway across the country.

Mr. Simitis said among others that the new airport can serve 16 million passengers a year, while it can be expanded further.

Meanwhile, the new airport has its own web site (www.aia.gr) for the passengers, visitors and all those who would want to cooperate with the Athens International Airport (AIA) company. The site's visitors can get information on how they can go to AIA, how long it will take them and how much it will cost if they choose mass transportation. Also, they can learn all about the scheduled flights, bank services, stores and restaurants on the grounds of the new airport.

[10] APPEAL OF SUSPECTED LEFTIST TERRORIST CONTINUES

Suspected leftist terrorist Abraham Lesperoglou, who is charged with the October 1982 attempted murder of a policeman is to testify in the Athens Court of Appeals today.

Lesperoglou, who police believe was a member of the 1980s terrorist group Anti-State Struggle, was convicted of trying to kill policeman George Psaroudakis during an attempted burglary. Psaroudakis has testified that Lesperoglou was the man who shot him.

All three judges and one of the four jurors found him guilty and sentenced him to 17 years' imprisonment.

A.F.

[11] ALBANIAN PM ATTENDS GREEK HOLIDAY RECEPTION

Albanian Prime Minister Ilir Meta attended a reception given at the Greek Embassy in Tirana in honor of Greece's national Independence Day of March 25.

Hosted by Ambassador Dimtiris Iliopoulos, the reception was also attended by other officials, among them the leader of Albania's Socialist Party Fatos Nano, the president of the Democratic Party Sali Berisha, and the Archbishop of Albania Anastasios.

Mr. Iliopoulos noted that Greece's national holiday of March 25, marking the anniversary of the beginning of Greece's revolution against Ottoman rule in 1821, paved the road for the liberation of other Balkan countries.

A.F.

[12] IT'S OFFICIAL, THE POPE WILL VISIT GREECE ON MAY 4

The Vatican has officially announced that Pope John Paul II will visit Greece on May 4, at the start of a five-day pilgrimage to retrace the steps of Apostle Paul.

The pontiff is arriving in Greece specially in order to worship at the site where the Apostle Paul preached to the Athenians on Pnyx Hill.

The 80-year-old Pope will depart for Syria on May 5 and plans to travel on to Malta on May 8 before returning to Rome on May 9.

The visit is the first-ever by a pontiff to the modern Greek state and the first by a Roman Catholic pope in Greece proper for more than 1,200 years.

The President of the Hellenic Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos had invited the Pope to the country during his recent visit to the Vatican.

A.F.

[13] OPPOSITION AHEAD IN VOTES, BUT PM STILL LEADING

The main opposition party of New Democracy is ahead of the ruling PASOK party in intended votes, but Primer Minister and PASOK leader Costas Simitis is still deemed most suitable for the post, according to a recent poll.

Conducted by Metron Analysis on behalf of Antenna TV, the poll found that 31 percent of the respondents would cast a vote for ND, as opposed to 27.5% who would opt for PASOK, followed by 13.8% for the Athens Mayor's newly-founded party Free Citizen's Movement (KEP), 5.5% for the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), 3.6% for the Coalition of the Left and Progress and 1.7% for the Democratic and Social Movement (DIKKI).

As for the most likely winner in prospective elections, the poll found that 39.3 percent believe New Democracy would prevail, as opposed to 33.4 percent who are confident of PASOK's victory. However, 30 percent view PASOK as the party most suitable to govern, followed by ND (27%), KEP (9%), KKE (3%), Coalition (2%) and DIKKI (1%).

Mr. Simitis was voted as the most suitable person for the premier's post by 33 percent of the respondents, followed by N.D. leader Costas Karamanlis (25%) and Athens Mayor Dimtris Avramopoulos (16%).

Mr. Avramopoulos scored highest on the popularity scale with 65.4 percent, followed by Mr. Karamanlis (51.7%), Coalition leader Nikos Constantopoulos (50.5%), Costas Simitis (48%) and DIKKI leader Dimitris Tsovolas (38.4%).

A.F.

[14] COOK: THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY WILL NOT RECOGNIZE THE TURKISH CYPRIOT REGIME

British foreign minister Robin Cook made it clear that the Turkish Cypriot regime will not be recognized by the United Nations and the international community and called on Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash to return to the negotiating table.

Mr. Cook spoke in a gathering in northern London last night that was attended by Turkish Cypriots as well. In the same meeting, his Greek counterpart Giorgos Papandreou stated that Cyprus will become an EU member whether a solution is reached on the Cyprus problem or not.

[15] PAPANDREOU'S INTERVIEW WITH THE CNN

Greek foreign minister Giorgos Papandreou referred to Greece's positions regarding the crisis in FYROM in an interview with the US television network CNN.

Mr. Papandreou referring to his visit to London and his meeting with British foreign minister Robin Cook stated that Greece and Britain sent a clear message to the terrorists namely, that they do not represent the Albanian population and the Albanian community and that they are just a small isolated group.

Responding to a question on the assistance offered to FYROM by Greece in spite of the differences between the two countries on the issue of the name that will be used by FYROM, Mr. Papandreou stated that the Greek government is in close cooperation with the FYROM government, stressing that Greece wants FYROM to be a stable and multi-ethnic country, adding that Greece does not want the borders to change because this would destabilize the wider region. Mr. Papandreou stated that Greece works within the framework of the KFOR and shares a bilateral military relation with FYROM.

Referring to the NATO actions concerning border control, he pointed out that the alliance gradually increases its presence in this area, stressing that the region is mountainous and the terrain is unknown.

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