Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 01-06-30

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

CONTENTS

[01] COOPERATION AND SECURITY IN EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN

[02] EURO-MEDITERRANEAN CONFERENCE OF PARLIAMENT PRESIDENTS

[03] EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY ON ORTHODOXY IN PATMOS

[04] 18 MILLION PASSENGERS WILL BE SERVED BY 200 SHIPS OF DIFFERENT TYPES

[05] STATEMENTS BY ND ON THE POLITICAL CRISIS IN YUGOSLAVIA

[06] 150.000 FOREIGNERS APPLIED FOR RESIDENCE PERMITS

[07] BALKAN COOPERATION FOR THE PROTECTION OF RARE BIRDS

[08] EROS RAMAZZOTTI CONCERT IN THESSALONIKI

[09] TSOCHATZOPOULOS: KOSTUNICA IS RESPONSIBLE FOR A POLITICAL SOLUTION TO

[01] COOPERATION AND SECURITY IN EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN

A meeting on "Greece-Turkey-Israel-USA: Cooperation and Security in Eastern Mediterranean" will take place in Athens on July 4-5 organized by the Kokkalis Foundation and aimed at examining the cooperation prospects among the three countries in the region which have a western orientation.

The Athens meeting is a follow-up to the Tel-Aviv meeting last December.

Among those invited to attend the meeting are personalities from the political, diplomatic, academic and journalistic world from all four countries.

Specifically, among others they are, Efraim Inbar and Stuart Cohen from Israel, Kemal Kirisci and Ahmed Evin from Turkey, Ian Lesser and Philip Gordon from the United States as well as Dimitris Keridis, Ekavi Athanasopoulou, Thanos Dokos, Dimitrios Stafanakis and Alexis Rontos representing the Greek side.

[02] EURO-MEDITERRANEAN CONFERENCE OF PARLIAMENT PRESIDENTS

The 3rd Euro-Mediterranean Conference of Parliament Presidents takes place in the parliament building in Athens today under the auspices of the Greek parliament with the participation of delegations from the parliaments of Greece, Egypt, Italy, Spain and Tunisia.

The conference working group is made up of Greek parliament president Apostolos Kaklamanis, the presidents of the parliaments of Egypt and Italy, the vice-president of the Spanish parliament and the Tunisian parliament political and foreign affairs committee president.

[03] EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY ON ORTHODOXY IN PATMOS

The 8th annual general assembly meeting of the European Parliamentary Conference on Orthodoxy, that will be completed tomorrow, opened in the Aegean island of Patmos yesterday.

Greek parliament president Apostolos Kaklamanis opened the conference that is being held with the participation of delegations from 20 European parliaments, the Euro-parliament, and US and Canada House Representatives, while Russia is represented by former president Gevgeni Primakov.

The issues under discussion concern the role of Orthodoxy in Europe and internationally, as well as questions concerning the challenges faced by modern societies.

[04] 18 MILLION PASSENGERS WILL BE SERVED BY 200 SHIPS OF DIFFERENT TYPES AND SIZES

According to estimates, about 18 million passengers will be served in Greece this summer season by about 200 ships of different types and sizes that cover both main and secondary sea routes.

A notable increase in the number of passengers that will be served is expected to be recorded in the routes covered by newly built ships.

[05] STATEMENTS BY ND ON THE POLITICAL CRISIS IN YUGOSLAVIA

The political crisis that erupted in Yugoslavia creates understandable questions on the procedures followed in the extradition of the former Yugoslav president to the International Court of Justice in The Hague, stated Greek right-wing main opposition party of New Democracy spokesman Thodoros Rousopoulos. He stressed, however, that this is an issue that concerns mainly the Yugoslav people themselves.

He also underlined that the preservation and cohesion of the Yugoslav Federation is a factor of stability in the Balkans and the support of the country is a necessity for the European Union and the international community.

Mr. Rousopoulos concluded by saying that it is equally important for the international penal justice to be mobilized always on the basis of the standing rules and principles.

[06] 150.000 FOREIGNERS APPLIED FOR RESIDENCE PERMITS

About 150.000 foreigners have applied so far to the Greek state for temporary residence permits.

Applications can be filed in about 1.300 special centers operating in every municipality in Greece.

According to figures provided in a special interior ministry meeting in Athens, one month after the new immigration legislation was put in effect the whole procedure has normalized and immigrants do not face problems when submitting their applications.

[07] BALKAN COOPERATION FOR THE PROTECTION OF RARE BIRDS

Greece, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey have launched a cooperation aimed at the protection of two threatened bird species in the Balkans, called Laggona (a small-sized kind of cormoran) and Kephaloudi (a most rare kind of duck).

Laggona can be found at the Adriatic coasts, northern Aegean, Black Sea, Caspian Sea and Iraq. Its population numbers less than 30.000 couples and 15% of its overall population in Europe can be found in Greece.

The population of Kephaloudi numbers just 13.000 members and its main reproduction regions in eastern Mediterranean can be found in Turkey, while Lake Vistonida in Thrace, northeastern Greece, is one of the most important wetlands in the world where Kephaloudi spends the winter.

[08] EROS RAMAZZOTTI CONCERT IN THESSALONIKI

Italian singer Eros Ramazzotti will give a spectacular concert in Thessaloniki tomorrow within the framework of his international tour for the promotion of his new work called "Stilelibero".

After the concerts in Thessaloniki and then in Athens, Ramazzotti will continue his tour in Sweden, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Germany and Finland.

[09] TSOCHATZOPOULOS: KOSTUNICA IS RESPONSIBLE FOR A POLITICAL SOLUTION TO THE CRISIS

Yugoslav president Voislav Kostunica has the responsibility for a political solution to the problem that was created after the resignation of the country's prime minister, who disagreed with Milosevic's extradition to the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

The above were pointed out by Greek defense minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos in the northern Greek city of Dramas yesterday, commenting on the political crisis in the neighboring country, while he expressed the belief that Kostunica has the support of the majority of the Yugoslav people in the effort to find a democratic solution.

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