Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 01-11-05

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

CONTENTS

[01] PROTOPAPAS ANSWERS ECEVIT STATEMENTS

[02] BOAT WITH 1000 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN ZAKYNTHOS

[03] AIRCRAFT CARRIER/CASINO OFF KYMI SHORE

[04] THE GOVERNMENT ON THE ECEVIT-CEM STATEMENTS

[05] ARCHBISHOP ANASTASIOS VISITED THE HOLY SYNOD AND THE GREEK PRESIDENT

[06] SIMITIS IN SLOVAKIA NEXT WEEK

[07] SIGNIFICANT GAINS IN THE ASE

[08] FOTIADIS ON THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE GREEK AND TURKISH CUSTOM AGENCIES

[09] PAPANDREOU, DE SOTO AND CEM CONTACTS

[10] PAPANDREOU-ANASTASIOS MEETING TOMORROW

[11] EURO-MEDITERRANEAN COOPERATION FOREIGN MINISTERS MEETING

[12] AN IMF DELEGATION WILL BE IN ATHENS

[13] CONFERENCE ON THE PROSPECTS FOR THE EU-GREEK-TURKISH COOPERATION

[14] THE GREEK STATE BUDGET FOR 2002 WILL BE PRESENTED TO THE "15"

[01] PROTOPAPAS ANSWERS ECEVIT STATEMENTS

The statements of the Prime Minister of Turkey, Bulent Ecevit, to Milliyet newspaper, that Turkey will annex the Northern part of Cyprus if the island is accepted in the European Union, were answered by government spokesperson Christos Protopapas. Mr. Protopapas stressed that Ankara is obliged to comply with the decision of the community.

The incorporation of Cyprus to the European Union has very clear perspectives, mentioned the Minister of Press and added that Turkey can contribute in its own way and according to the propositions of the European Union. The resolving of the Cyprus issues not a requirement for its incorporation to the European Union underlined Mr. Protopapas.

[02] BOAT WITH 1000 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN ZAKYNTHOS

A boat with more than 1.000 illegal immigrants was spotted by the coast guard sailing rudderless in the Southwest of Zakynthos. There was a fire in the engine room of the ship, and in combination with the bad weather in the area, there was great danger to the passengers.

At dawn, ships that were close by made the first attempts to tow the ship to the Zakynthos harbor. All of the illegal immigrants are fine.

[03] AIRCRAFT CARRIER/CASINO OFF KYMI SHORE

The aircraft carrier Varyag, which has been sailing rudderless since Saturday night, after the towing lines broke due to the harsh weather conditions in the Aegran, is now off the shore of Kymi. On Sunday morning, a Super Puma helicopter collected the 7 crew members (3 Russians, 3 Ukrainians and a Philippino). The crew members managed to lower the two anchors before abandoning ship, and one of the three tugboats attempting to reattach a line to the ship, has managed to tie to the stern. The aircraft carrier was traveling to China, where it would undergo changes to become a floating casino.

[04] THE GOVERNMENT ON THE ECEVIT-CEM STATEMENTS

Cyprus' EU accession is on a good course, reiterated government spokesman Christos Protopapas when he was called to comment on the statements made by Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit and Foreign Minister Ismail Cem, threatening with countermeasures in case Cyprus becomes an EU member. Mr. Protopapas added that the solution of the Cyprus problem is not a precondition for Cyprus' accession into the European Union.

The Greek government spokesman stressed that the statements made by the Turkish government are in conflict with the UN decisions and resolutions on Cyprus, while he added that the solution of the Cyprus problem is desired and efforts are being made toward this direction.

[05] ARCHBISHOP ANASTASIOS VISITED THE HOLY SYNOD AND THE GREEK PRESIDENT

Archbishop Anastasios of Albania visited the Holy Synod of the Greek Church today where he was received by Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens and All of Greece. Archbishop Anastasios was honored with the Grand Cross of Apostle Pavlos.

In his speech Archbishop Anastasios referred to the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States and stressed that the crucial problems concern all people, underlining the need for the Church's unity under the coordination of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Afterwards, he met with President Kostis Stephanopoulos, who expressed joy for the opportunity to formally receive the Archbishop of Albania in Athens, while he expressed a special interest in the current state of the Church of Albania.

Tomorrow, Archbishop Anastasios will meet with Minister of Education Petros Efthimiou, and Foreign Minister Giorgos Papandreou, while on Wednesday he is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Kostas Simitis.

[06] SIMITIS IN SLOVAKIA NEXT WEEK

Greek Prime Minister Kostas Simitis will be on a formal visit to Slovakia next week.

According to Greek government spokesman Christos Protopapas, the Prime Minister will be in Slovakia on Monday and Tuesday and will have talks with the country's political leadership.

[07] SIGNIFICANT GAINS IN THE ASE

Significant gains were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange today. The general index rose to +2.33% at 2.590,10 points, while the volume of transactions was at 193 million Euro or 66 billion drachmas.

Of the stocks trading today, 335 recorded gains and 16 had losses, while the value of 12 stocks remained unchanged.

[08] FOTIADIS ON THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE GREEK AND TURKISH CUSTOM AGENCIES

The cold relations between Greece and Turkey can cause damage to both countries, stressed Greek undersecretary of Finance Apostolos Fotiadis in the opening of the Greek-Turkish meeting of Customs Agencies held in the northeastern Greek city of Alexandroupolis.

Mr. Fotiadis stated that the contribution of the Customs Authorities in Greece and Turkey is very significant and becomes more significant at this particular time when bilateral relations develop at a quick pace.

In the meeting participate Customs Offices directors from both countries and Turkish deputy undersecretary of Finance Ali Atagiun.

Mr. Atagiun expressed optimism on the particular undertaking and wished for best results for both sides.

In the meeting, that will be completed tomorrow, will be discussed the problems of drug trafficking, and illegal trade, while information will be exchanged on the control methods and technical means used by the customs authorities.

[09] PAPANDREOU, DE SOTO AND CEM CONTACTS

The Greek-Turkish relations and Cyprus will be at the center of the contacts Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Papandreou will have with his Turkish counterpart Ismail Cem and UN secretary-general special envoy to Cyprus, Alvaro de Soto.

Mr. Papandreou will meet tomorrow with Mr. de Soto, who is on a tour of the region aimed at the resumption of the proximity talks on Cyprus. Mr. de Soto had consultations with Cypriot president Clerides and Turkish Cypriot leader Denktash in Nicosia last weekend and today he is in Ankara for contacts with the Turkish leadership.

Greek Foreign Ministry spokesman Panos Beglitis stated, when asked to comment on the latest statements on Cyprus by Turkish officials in Ankara, that similar statements have been made in the past and do not come as a surprise, adding that they prove that the Turkish side is on a dead end.

Mr. Cem will be on a formal visit to Athens on Wednesday, and on Thursday will meet with his Greek counterpart. They will discuss Greek-Turkish issues, the Cyprus problem, regional issues such as, the developments in the Balkans and the Middle East in the light of the developments after the September 11 terrorist attacks and the developments in the wider Caucasus region.

[10] PAPANDREOU-ANASTASIOS MEETING TOMORROW

The Greek-Albanian relations will be examined in the meeting of Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Papandreou with Archbishop Anastasios of Albania tomorrow.

Greek Foreign Ministry spokesman Panos Beglitis characterized Archbishop Anastasios as a personality with international prestige underlining his important role and work in the creation of good relations between the two countries and his participation in the dialogue among different cultures.

[11] EURO-MEDITERRANEAN COOPERATION FOREIGN MINISTERS MEETING

The Euro-Mediterranean Cooperation Foreign Ministers are meeting in Brussels today and among the issues under discussion are the security systems and the cooperation to combat terrorism in the Mediterranean and the Middle East, the economic and trade cooperation and the creation of the necessary conditions for dialogue among different cultures.

Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Papandreou will brief his counterparts on the conclusions of his tour of Pakistan, India and Iran and will also have contacts with his European counterparts, the Syrian Foreign Minister, and the general secretary of the Arab League.

[12] AN IMF DELEGATION WILL BE IN ATHENS

An International Monetary Fund, IMF, delegation will be in Athens on Thursday until November 19 to collect information on the Greek economic figures necessary for the organization's annual report.

The IMF officials will have contacts with the responsible government ministers and representatives of the Ministers of Economy, Development, Labor and Health. They will also meet with Bank of Greece, National Bank of Greece and Alpha Bank executives as well as, Greek Industries Association and Greek General Confederation of Labor officials.

The IMF officials will collect information concerning the figures on macro-economic indexes, the course of the privatization process, the structural changes, and the social security system. Also, the Greek government will be briefed on the IMF predictions in order to have additional data at its disposal in view of the drawing up of the new state budget.

The specific report will be included in the IMF's annual review that will be issued in the spring of 2002.

[13] CONFERENCE ON THE PROSPECTS FOR THE EU-GREEK-TURKISH COOPERATION

The prospects for the EU-Greek-Turkish economic and business cooperation will be the main issues in the 4th Conference organized by the Greek-Turkish Cooperation Council in Athens on November 8.

The conference will be formally opened by Foreign Ministers of Greece and Turkey, Giorgos Papandreou and Ismail Cem.

The three themes of the conference will be "EU-Greece-Turkey: Potential and Prospects for cooperation in the new Euro environment", "US-Greece-Turkey: Potential of development and creation of joint business ventures - Sectors of Cooperation" and "Potential and prospects for the development of the monetary-economic sector".

[14] THE GREEK STATE BUDGET FOR 2002 WILL BE PRESENTED TO THE "15"

The basic indexes of the Greek state budget for 2002 will be presented to the "15" in Brussels by Finance Minister Nikos Christodoulakis.

The new state budget, that will be tabled in parliament on November 21, will be presented to the Eurogroup in a climate of euphoria after the recent announcement concerning the National Bank of Greece merger with Alpha Bank. In the meeting will also be examined the course of the fiscal indexes for 2001 in Belgium, Luxembourg and Ireland.

In the presentation, the Greek Finance Minister is expected to refer to the fiscal policy directions, the creation of a surplus, and the adherence to the outlook concerning revenues and spending. He is also expected to refer to the growth rate, stressing that it will be at 4.0%-4.3% in 2001, while in 2002 it will be at 4% or marginally lower.

The goal to create a surplus in 2002 will not be abandoned, while the outlook for a surplus estimated at 1% of the GDP is regarded as more realistic than the 1.3% predicted in the state budget's draft plan or the 1.5% prediction included in the Stability Program.

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