Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 01-04-05

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

CONTENTS

[01] GREEK FM IN TURKEY TO FORTIFY RAPPROCHEMENT

[02] PREMIER ANNOUNCES SOCIAL POLICY MEASURES

[03] GREEK DM IN SKOPJE FOR MULTINATIONAL BRIGADE

[04] CRETA PLASTICS: BUYOUT IN POLAND

[05] THE GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCED MEASURES AGAINST POVERTY

[06] DANISH PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION IN ATHENS

[07] BIG GAINS IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE

[08] TALKS BETWEEN THE CHURCH OF GREECE AND THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE

[09] CARGO SHIP RUNS AGROUND, NO ONE INJURED

[10] ISADORA DUNCAN WANNABES PINCHED AT MYCAENAE

[11] TIMEOR DANAE ET DONA FERENTES, SOME TURKS SAY

[12] PALESTINE, ISRAEL TALKS IN ATHENS "RAY OF LIGHT"

[13] THE EUROPEAN POPULAR PARTY SUMMIT OPENS IN SOFIA TODAY

[14] THE SE EUROPEAN DEFENSE MINISTERS SUPPORT INTER-BORDER COOPERATION

[15] TSOCHATZOPOULOS: THE INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS SHOULD SETTLE THE

[01] GREEK FM IN TURKEY TO FORTIFY RAPPROCHEMENT

Greece's Foreign Minister George Papandreou is to depart this evening for a working visit to Ankara, where he will be received by his Turkish counterpart Ismael Cem and Premier Bulent Ecevit.

According to the Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Panos Beglitis, Mr. Papandreou's visit to Ankara aims at strengthening Greek-Turkish rapprochement and, potentially, provide for new prospects in bilateral relations.

Mr. Papandreou, who will also meet with Turkish deputy premiers Mesut Yilmaz and Devlet Bahceli, is to also discuss Turkey's national plan for adjusting to European standards.

Talks are to center around the course of the nine low policy agreements between Greece and Turkey -seven of which have already been ratified by the Hellenic Parliament- as well as confidence building measures, the transfer of technological know-how to Ankara, the Cyprus issue, the European Union and the Balkans.

The two agreements pending concern the avoidance of double taxation and mutual guaranteeing of investment.

A.F.

[02] PREMIER ANNOUNCES SOCIAL POLICY MEASURES

Prime Minister Costas Simitis is to announce a series measures aimed to boost social policy, following today's cabinet meeting.

The said measures, aimed at fortifying the low-income classes, are reportedly budgeted at two hundred billion drachmas.

The measures, as well as projects concerning the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, are to be funded through four trillion drachmas derived from expenditure cutbacks, especially from the armed forces' armaments program.

The measures include the granting of the family allowance to both spouses, a rent allowance and, finally, an allowance to mothers with a third child.

A.F.

[03] GREEK DM IN SKOPJE FOR MULTINATIONAL BRIGADE

Greek Defense Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos is presently in Skopje where he will attend a meeting of defense ministers from the Southeast Europe Multinational Brigade countries.

The meeting will feature the participation of US Defense Secretary, as well as the defense ministers from Sweden, FYROM, Turkey, Albania, Italy, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Romania, Slovenia and Ukraine.

The talks will focus on the latest developments in FYROM, Kosovo and southern Serbia.

A.F.

[04] CRETA PLASTICS: BUYOUT IN POLAND

The agreement for the buyout of the Poli-Chem masterbatches production unit (raw material used in the coloring process and improvement of the properties of plastic products) by Global Colors Polska SA, the Creta Plastics subsidiary in Poland, has been signed. The final transfer is expected to take place by the end of April.

The firm's industry plant is at Kedzierzyn-Kozle, west of Katovice, the largest urban complex in Poland.

Polic-Chem had 2.000 sales of masterbatches worth 660 million drachmas and it is one of the two largest producers in Poland. However, the needs of the domestic market are covered mostly by imports.

[05] THE GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCED MEASURES AGAINST POVERTY

The adoption of measures against poverty was decided in today's cabinet meeting. Specifically, it was decided to allocate a total of 550-600 billion drachmas for the economic support of the poor in the 2002-2004 three-year period.

Speaking in today's cabinet meeting, prime minister Kostas Simitis stated that there is no crisis in the governing socialist party of PASOK and there will be no government reshuffle.

Mr. Simitis stated that starting on January 1, 2002 the households in mountainous, semi-mountainous and island regions with an annual income of up to 750.000 drachmas will receive an annual poor relief of 100.000-200.000 drachmas.

Also, the families with an annual income of up to 1 million drachmas will receive a pre-school and a school grant of 100.000 drachmas for every child under the age of 16.

It was also decided that 432 new day nurseries will soon be in operation, while 1.000 units offering assistance to the elderly at home will soon be established.

The measures were presented in detail by ministers of health and labor Alekos Papadopoulos and Tasos Yiannitsis. In addition, they announced that economic assistance will also be receive by the long-term unemployed over the age of 45 as well as the one-parent families, people with special needs, the repatriated Greeks, former drug addicts, immigrants, women and the elderly.

[06] DANISH PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION IN ATHENS

The members of the Greek parliament European Affairs Committee met with the members of the Danish parliament European Affairs Committee in Athens yesterday under the presidency of Greek parliament 3rd vice-president Dinos Vrettos.

The meeting was held within the framework of the Danish delegation tour to Turkey and Cyprus and its goal is to examine the course of the two countries toward the European Union.

Mr. Vrettos pointed out that Greece regards the Nice Treaty as a positive development as it will contribute to the EU enlargement that will include Cyprus. He also referred to the role the state parliaments can play in the EU in view of the 2004 inter-governmental conference which will deal with this issue.

Danish committee president Claus Larrsen Jensen presented the goals of the visit referring to the importance of the EU enlargement to include Cyprus and Turkey, the role of the state parliaments in the EU and the common agriculture policy.

[07] BIG GAINS IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE

Big gains were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange today. The general index rose to +3.11% at 3.059,73 points, while the volume of transactions was 159.52 million Euro or 54.35 billion drachmas.

Of the stocks trading today, 348 recorded gains and 10 had losses, while the value of 16 stocks remained stable.

[08] TALKS BETWEEN THE CHURCH OF GREECE AND THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE

The relations of the Church of Greece and the Ecumenical Patriachate will be discussed by their delegations in the talks that open in Istanbul today.

The delegation of the Church of Greece will also meet with Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos.

[09] CARGO SHIP RUNS AGROUND, NO ONE INJURED

A cargo ship carrying 2,900 tons of pumice stone ran aground yesterday evening off the coast of Yiali. No one among the eleven-member crew was injured.

The impact caused a crack in the ship's fore watertight compartment, causing the vessel to take in a small amount of water. Fears of sea pollution have not been expressed.

A.F.

[10] ISADORA DUNCAN WANNABES PINCHED AT MYCAENAE

Two French tourists were arrested at the archaeological site of Mycaenae yesterday, and are now facing indecent exposure charges, after taking took off their clothes and parading among the antiquities in their underwear, taking pictures of one another.

According to the police report, the two, part of a 20-member group of tourists, were arrested after being spotted by the site's guard who alerted the police.

Released on verbal order by the prosecutor pending trial, the two are being charged with causing scandal through indecent behavior.

A.F.

[11] TIMEOR DANAE ET DONA FERENTES, SOME TURKS SAY

Conservative circles in Turkey are mistrusting of Greece's Foreign Minister George Papandreou, who is to arrive in Ankara this evening for a working visit, viewing his support of Greek-Turkish rapprochement as a continuation of the Byzantine-devious policy, according to BBC.

Nevertheless, Turkey's Foreign Ministry has not espoused such Beware the Greeks Bearing Gifts skepticism, as it has characterized the Greek FM's statements as positive and in the right direction.

As for Ankara's armaments procurement program, a spokesman of the Turkish foreign ministry stated that the basic cause for that spending is Turkey's geographic location, not Greece.

During his stay in Ankara, Mr. Papandreou will be received by his Turkish counterpart Ismael Cem, Premier Bulent Ecevit and deputy premiers Mesut Yilmaz and Devlet Bahceli.

Mr. Papandreou's visit to Ankara aims at strengthening Greek-Turkish rapprochement and, potentially, provide for new prospects in bilateral relations. Talks are to center around the course of two low policy agreements pending between Greece and Turkey concerning the avoidance of double taxation and mutual guaranteeing of investment. Seven other agreements have already been ratified.

Mr. Papandreou is to also discuss other matters with his interlocutors, such as confidence building measures, the transfer of technological know-how to Ankara, the Cyprus issue, the European Union and the situation in the Balkans.

A.F.

[12] PALESTINE, ISRAEL TALKS IN ATHENS "RAY OF LIGHT"

Foreign Minister George Papandreou met with Israeli Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Shimon Peres yesterday, to whom he reiterated Greece's readiness to help the Middle East peace process in any way possible.

Mr. Papandreou thanked Mr. Peres for the opportunity to have an in-depth discussion on the situation with him and on prospects of the Middle East issue and expressed the hope that peace will return to the region.

Regarding Greek-Israeli relations, Mr. Papandreou said they are very good and stressed that the strategic relationship between Europe and the Middle East is very important.

In turn, Mr. Peres said that Mr. Papandreou is a friend both at a personal and political level.

"We want to bring peace to the Middle East, starting probably from Athens, Peres said and pointed out that the situation in the Middle East is very difficult, as it is in the Balkans, and that Europe can constitute a very important model for overcoming crises in these regions.

It can serve for the 'Europeanization' of the Balkans instead of the 'Balkanization' of Europe," he stated.

Referring to his earlier meeting with the Palestinian Authority's International Cooperation and Development Minister Nabil Saath, Mr. Peres said that it was a ray of light.

A.F.

[13] THE EUROPEAN POPULAR PARTY SUMMIT OPENS IN SOFIA TODAY

The European Popular Party summit meeting opens in Sofia, Bulgaria this afternoon with the participation of the prime ministers of Hungary, Poland, Spain, Slovakia and Austria.

Bulgarian president Petar Stoyanov will address the summit and later he will have talks with his FYROM counterpart Boris Trajkovski.

A few hours before the opening of the summit, Bulgarian prime minister Ivan Kostov had a meeting with his Polish counterpart.

[14] THE SE EUROPEAN DEFENSE MINISTERS SUPPORT INTER-BORDER COOPERATION

The southeastern European defense ministers, who met in Skopje today, condemned the actions of terrorist groups in FYROM and south Serbia. In a joint statement they have issued, underlined that they offer their full support to the efforts made by the FYROM government for the easing of the tension.

The defense ministers also decided to maintain a continuous cooperation between the border authorities of their countries in order to tackle the illegal trafficking of weapons and drugs through the establishment of a rapid information exchange system using advanced technical equipment.

They agreed that the countries in the region will intensify their efforts aimed at collecting the weapons in the possession of civilians, while they will adopt measures for the removal of landmines. At the same time, they will promote mutual relations among the southeastern European countries aimed at creating good neighborly relations.

Also, the defense ministers declared that they support the inviolability of the borders and back the FYROM government efforts aimed at the country's accession into the European structures.

[15] TSOCHATZOPOULOS: THE INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS SHOULD SETTLE THE CRISIS IN FYROM

The international organizations must intensify their efforts for the settlement of the crisis in FYROM and the consolidation of peace and stability in the region, underlined Greek minister of defense Akis Tsochatzopoulos speaking in the meeting of the southeastern European defense ministers taking place in Skopje.

Mr. Tsochatzopoulos condemned the actions of the Albanian extremists and pointed out that the meeting of the ministers today sends out the message that such actions will not be tolerated.

He congratulated the FYROM government because it dealt with the situation calmly and referred to the democratic changes that take place in Yugoslavia and the cooperation that was developed with NATO in the region of south Serbia. He also backed the accession of the Balkan states into the Euro-Atlantic structures and the regional security institutions and structures.

The Greek minister of defense suggested that specific proposals must be submitted in the next defense ministers meeting on June 15 aimed at undertaking joint initiatives toward peace and security in the region.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Mr. Tsochatzopoulos had talks with Turkish defense minister Sabahadin Cakmacoglu and FYROM defense minister Ljuben Paunovski.

In his opening speech, FYROM president Boris Trajkovski stated that there will be no negotiations with the extremists, stressing that talks will be held only with the legal political parties of the Albanians. He also underlined that the government will promote changes concerning the rights of the minorities.

FYROM defense minister Mr. Ljuben Paunovski accused the Albanian extremists that they do not have as a goal the promotion of their rights, stating that they use this pretext to promote the illegal trade of weapons, drug-trafficking and women. He also pointed out that there is a big risk for the existing crisis to spread to the wider region and get religious characteristics.

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