Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 02-01-24

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

CONTENTS

[01] MILLER SADDENED BY 60 MINUTES

[02] MINISTER IN SCOTLAND YARD TRAINING

[03] EXCELLENT CONDITIONS FOR IMMIGRANTS

[04] SIMITIS WILL VISIT BRUSSELS

[05] SIMITIS: GREECE IS THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS CENTER IN SE EUROPE

[06] THE GERMAN AMBASSADOR VISITED THE COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY CHAMBER

[07] SIMITIS IS ANNOYED BY THE INTROVERSION CLIMATE

[08] THE FOREIGN MINISTER BRIEFED THE PARLIAMENT COMMITTEE

[09] AFGHAN ECONOMIC REFUGEES DEMONSTRATED IN RHODES

[10] INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON GREEK LITERATURE

[11] CARGO SHIP RUN AGROUND

[12] INAUGURATION OF THE NEW US OFFICES IN THE OCCUPIED NORTHERN CYPRUS

[13] EU INTERVENTION TO STOP THE SALE OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL TREASURES IN TURKEY

[01] MILLER SADDENED BY 60 MINUTES

The US Ambassador to Athens, Mr. Thomas Miller, expressed his sadness to the President of the Parliament, Mr. Apostolos Kaklamanis, on the recent CBS show, 60 Minutes.

Furthermore, he pointed out that everything that was shown about terrorism does not express or stand for the official position of the US government, but is the personal opinion of some of its retired employees.

Mr. Kaklamanis wished Mr. Miller the best of luck in his work, and added that a US Ambassador with his ability and experience is in a position to answer all those that are worried or that are pretending to be worried for the safety of the 2004 Olympics.

During the first formal meeting of the US Ambassador and the President of the Parliament it was agreed upon to promote the visits of MPs and senators, to strengthen the ties of the two countries' parliamentary bodies.

[02] MINISTER IN SCOTLAND YARD TRAINING

Minister of Public order Michalis Chrysochoidis is starting his to day visit to London today.

Mr. Chrysochoidis will have meetings with the British Prime Minister and Deputy Minister of the Interior, as well as other officials. He will also be informed by representatives of the Scotland Yard, on protective measures he will have to take in view of the 2004 Athens Olympics.

[03] EXCELLENT CONDITIONS FOR IMMIGRANTS

His satisfaction for the facilities of the Stay Center for the illegal immigrants in the former Lagadas prisons, after the initiative of the Prefectural Local Government of Lesvos, was expressed by the representative of the High Commission of the UN for refugees in Athens, Petros Mastakas.

Mr. Mastakas made a surprise visit to the facilities, in order to record the conditions under which the 150 illegal immigrants are living, as well as the healthcare services available.

Specifically, the representative of the Athens Office of the High Commission of the UN for Refugees characterized the center as a model for the Aegean and Ionian region, and pointed out that in other areas where great numbers of illegal immigrants have come ashore, baby steps are still being taken in relation to what the Posidonio program, designed by the Ministry of Commercial Shipping and carried out by local government, foresees.

[04] SIMITIS WILL VISIT BRUSSELS

Greek Prime Minister Kostas Simitis will meet with European Commission President Romano Prodi in Brussels on January 30. Deputy Foreign Minister Tasos Yiannitsis announced that Mr. Simitis will be on a visit to Brussels on January 30-31. He made the statement after the preparatory meeting that was presided over by Mr. Simitis.

The Prime Minister will also meet with the College of Commissioners to present the Greek positions on European developments, the EU problems, and the targets the EU has to focus on. He will also refer to the Greek issues and the Greek EU Presidency.

On January 31, he will deliver a speech in the College of Europe on Greece's viewpoint concerning the European issues.

[05] SIMITIS: GREECE IS THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS CENTER IN SE EUROPE

Greece is the telecommunications center in the wider southeastern European region, stressed Prime Minister Kostas Simitis in the cabinet meeting that had telecommunications as its main topic.

Mr. Simitis stated that in the one-year period since the liberalization of the telecommunications market the foundations were laid for the development of healthy competition in a sector that used to operate as a monopoly. He added that the benefits for the user-consumer have been made visible through the right legislation regulating the telecommunications market.

The liberalization of the telecommunications market creates more opportunities, said the Prime Minister. Mr. Simitis said that over 2 trillion drachmas will be invested in telecommunications over the next 3 years and 20.000 job positions will be created, while the state revenues have already reached 250 billion drachmas.

[06] THE GERMAN AMBASSADOR VISITED THE COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY CHAMBER

The potential for further improvement of the trade and economic relations between Greece and Germany was discussed yesterday in the visit of German ambassador Karl-Heinz Kuhna to Thessaloniki's Commerce and Industry Chamber.

The German ambassador met with the chamber's president Mr. Dimitrios Bakatselos and Vice-President Emmanuel Vlachoyiannis, who presented the investment opportunities in northern Greece and the cooperation potential between businesses in Thessaloniki and in Germany. The meeting attended Germany's honorary consul in Thessaloniki Ernst-Joachim Dooring.

[07] SIMITIS IS ANNOYED BY THE INTROVERSION CLIMATE

Prime Minister Kostas Simitis appears to be annoyed by the introversion climate that tends to be created in the governing Socialist Party of PASOK and the government itself.

The introversion climate is the result of the talk that followed after the statement made by Mr. Theodoros Pangalos according to which, PASOK can win the next elections only by miracle. Also, a role in the situation that was created in the party was played by the resignation of Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs Yiannis Zafiropoulos and the letter signed by 45 parliament deputies on the issue of the social security system reforms.

Any untimely action is damaging, said Mr. Simitis and added that PASOK's positions on the social security system and the health care system were expressed in the party congress. Mr. Simitis also said that the presentation of different views distorts the overall picture of the party and the government.

[08] THE FOREIGN MINISTER BRIEFED THE PARLIAMENT COMMITTEE

Foreign Minister Giorgos Papandreou briefed the parliament committee on foreign affairs and defense at a closed doors meeting on the latest developments in the issues of national importance and the results of the recent visit of Prime Minister Kostas Simitis to the United States.

The Foreign Minister is expected to brief the committee on the developments in the Cyprus issue and the Clerides-Denktash meeting, the issue of the Greek-Turkish dialogue, the Turkish claims and the Greek preparations for the 2003 EU presidency.

Mr. Papandreou also announced that in 20 days he will give to the political parties the draft plan on the Foreign Policy Council in order to be established before the end of the year.

The Foreign Minister requested a closed doors meeting without the presence of journalists because he wanted to brief the parliament deputies in detail on issues of national importance which include certain sensitive aspects that should not be made public.

[09] AFGHAN ECONOMIC REFUGEES DEMONSTRATED IN RHODES

Afghan economic refugees held a demonstration yesterday at the center of the city of Rhodes in the island of Rhodes, southeastern Aegean requesting to remain in Greece.

The economic refugees want to avoid deportation and held the demonstration when they heard rumors according to which, they will be returned to Turkey and from there to their country.

[10] INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON GREEK LITERATURE

The works of the three-day international conference organized by the Ministry of Culture, the Ioannina Intellectual Center and the University.

The conference, which will end on Sunday, January 27, is on Literary triptych: Papadiamandis-Sikelianos-Embirikos.

[11] CARGO SHIP RUN AGROUND

A cargo ship under a Syrian flag carrying containers from Thessaloniki to Lemessos in Cyprus ran aground in shallows in the Thermaic Gulf, and is at this time being towed free by the Coast Guard.

The Latakia Feeder cargo ship departed from the Thessaloniki harbor with 9 foreign crew members, but for unknown reasons ran aground of the shores of the Epanomi area, without any injury to the crew.

Two towing boats of the Thessaloniki Coast Guard are participating in pulling the ship free. The cargo ship hull has not breached and there has been no pollution to the area.

[12] INAUGURATION OF THE NEW US OFFICES IN THE OCCUPIED NORTHERN CYPRUS

Greek government spokesman Christos Protopapas responded to a question on the initiative of the Americans to inaugurate their new building in the Turkish occupied northern Cyprus in the presence of the Turkish Cypriot leadership.

Mr. Protopapas stated that he is in total agreement with the statements made by Cypriot government spokesman Michalis Papapetrou. The Cypriot government has made a demarche on the issue and asked for clarifications.

The inauguration in the Turkish occupied northern Cyprus of the new offices of US ambassador Donald Butler, held in the presence of Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash and other Turkish Cypriot officials, caused the reaction of the Cypriot government in Nicosia.

In a statement issued by Nicosia it is stressed that presentations were made to the US embassy expressing the discontent of the Cypriot government on Mr. Butler's move at a time when the direct talks between Cypriot President Clerides and Mr. Denktash are in progress.

In a statement issued by the US side there is no reference to a recognition or not of the Turkish Cypriot institutions.

[13] EU INTERVENTION TO STOP THE SALE OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL TREASURES IN TURKEY

The European Commission stated that it is ready to intervene to stop the auction sale of ancient Greek, Hellenistic and Byzantine period antiquities by Turkish agencies.

Responding to a question by Greek Euro-deputy Stavros Xarhakos, elected with the right-wing main opposition party of New Democracy, the responsible European Commissioner pointed out that Turkey has made little progress in the cultural sector. He said that the European Commission will call on the Turkish authorities to adopt the EU Council of Ministers regulation on the export of cultural goods and to respect the directive for the return of cultural goods that have been removed illegally from an EU member-state.

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