Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 02-07-17

Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

CONTENTS

[01] MANHUNT TO FIND KOUFODINAS

[02] KARAMANLIS MET WITH KOSTUNICA IN BELGRADE

[03] THE GREEK INTELLIGENCE SERVICE REJECTS ANY RELATION WITH KOUFODINAS

[04] GAINS IN THE ASE

[05] KARAMANLIS VISITS ALBANIA

[06] THE GREEK FOREIGN MINISTRY WELCOMES THE MEETING OF THE PRESIDENTS OF

[07] THE 17N 45-CALIBER PISTOL USED IN SEVEN ASSASSINATIONS WAS PRESENTED TO

[08] ND: COMPLETE LACK OF STRATEGY IN TOURISM

[09] A 26YEAROLD AD-MAN IS THE NEW FACE IN THE XIROS CASE

[10] TURKISH FIGHTER JETS VIOLATED THE CYPRIOT AIRSPACE

[11] INFLATION IN THE EURO-ZONE DROPPED TO 1.8%

[12] 270.000 NEW JOB POSITIONS IN GREECE IN THE PERIOD 1997-2001

[13] US RESOLUTIONS FOR THE RETURN OF THE PARTHENON MARBLES

[01] MANHUNT TO FIND KOUFODINAS

The authorities on all Greece's borders are on alert so that Dimitris Koufodinas does not manage to escape abroad. Special reports were sent to all ports, airports and border stations, which included the three pictures of Koufodinas published yesterday, with an additional two created in the criminology labs of the police, with possible alterations he may make on his face.

During the past 24 hours the counter-terrorism department has been searching for possible rural areas that Koufodinas could use as a hideout.

At the same time, the police is following Dimitris Koufodinas' course from the time when he first arrived in Athens from Serres, in order to discern who he kept in touch with during all these years.

Last night the counter-terrorism department raided a residence in Plaka, Keratea, where Dimitris Koufodinas had a warehouse. Inside they found beehives and other apiculture equipment. The neighbors there knew him with his wife's last name (Sotiropoulos). Aggeliki Sotiropoulou is Savvas Xeros' ex-wife. Witnesses mentioned that the last time Koufodinas appeared in Keratea was the day of the Piraeus bombing.

The police questioned the Albanian caretaker of the warehouse, Sotiris Mazeli, at the local police station. He was later released. He mentioned that he last saw Koufodinas 24 hours before the explosion at the port during which Xeros injured himself. Information reveals that Dimitris Koufodinas recently called Mazeli and the authorities are trying to trace the call.

The possibility of whether Koufodinas, as head of the operational sector of "November 17", was present at the explosion, is being investigated, while according to information he was the last man out of the hideout on Damareos st.

In any case the house in Keratea and the apartment in Varnavas are not the only ones in the Attica region which Dimitris Koufodinas passed through. He rented houses all over Athens, one of which in Vrilissia, on Kyprion Agoniston st.

One more house of the Koufodinas-Sotiropoulou couple was found in the village of Gavros in Evritania. Residents say that they saw him go to the specific house in the mountain quite often. It should be noted that the village of Gavros is a few kilometers from Savvas Xeros' country house.

Police investigate Xeros' family and friends

There were developments in police investigations to find and arrest "November 17" members. The counter-terrorism service is still questioning Savvas Xeros' brother Vassilis, and another two individuals whose identity has not been made public. All three were transported to Athens late last night on a C-130 from Thessaloniki.

It all began when the authorities brought in Xeros' brothers, Dimitris, Nikos, and Vassilis in order to give statements to the Thessaloniki police. Two other unknown individuals were also called in. After a 24-hour questioning the police released Dimitris and Nikos, however it was deemed necessary for Vassilis Xeros to be immediately transferred to Athens.

According to information, the statements of the five people revealed important information which has to be corroborated. In any case, Xeros' fourth brother, Christodoulos, was also called in to be questioned in Athens. Also, dozens of suspects are being taken to the Attica Security Police every day.

Xeros' condition after surgery on his right eye on Saturday, has been characterized as stable and satisfactory. This was mentioned in the medical release of the "Evaggelismos" hospital, which noted that: "The right hand injury is being surgically treated regularly. We hope that his condition improves. The condition of the burns on his chest has definitely improved. Disturbances to his respiratory system have almost completely disappeared".

Meanwhile, the authorities officially announced that the 45mm Colt handgun found in the cache in the Patmos st. hideout, was used by N17 members in the confrontation with the police in Sepolia, in November 1991.

"Koufodinas had nothing to do with PASOK or it's student group"

The Local PASOK Organization of the Gizi area denied that Dimitris Koufodinas was ever a member of theirs.

"Publications mentioning that Dimitiris Koufodinas was a member of the Gizi PASOK Local Organization in the 1980s do not respond to the truth or reality", they stressed in their announcement.

"From 1976 to 1977, Dimitris Koufodinas was a active student connected to the PAMK student group, which he left in 1977. Since then he has had no connection with the PAMK student group, nor has he later had any connection whatsoever with the PASP university student organization and the Gizi local PASOK Organization.

Government Spokesperson Christos Protopapas also responded to the publications connecting Xeros to PASOK. "In the post political changeover period, tens of thousand of young people joined political parties and youth organizations, and worked in the ranks of student, university or other youth movements. Many of them then left, dissociated themselves or followed other political paths". The Press Minister added that it is impossible for one to come to conclusions from the passage of a young man from a political party during that period.

"I believe that no one will try to lead to arbitrary and unfounded conclusions or any form of political interpretations around the issue", he said characteristically.

To the question on whether a man named Giotopoulos was arrested in Strasbourg, Mr. Protopapas answered that no arrest has been made, while answering a question concerning former Director of the Greek Information Service (EYP), Mr. Alexakis, he noted that: "He was in the past Director of EYP, he is no longer the Director of EYP, and no one is covering him. There is no issue concerning Mr. Alexakis with which I should be occupied with and I will not discuss the period during which Mr. Alexakis was Director of the EYP".

[02] KARAMANLIS MET WITH KOSTUNICA IN BELGRADE

Greek right-wing main opposition party of New Democracy leader Kostas Karamanlis referred to the contribution of Federal Republic of Yugoslavia President Voislav Kostunica to the efforts for the stabilization of the Balkan region. The statements were made in the meeting he had with Mr. Kostunica in Belgrade, first stop of the his two-day visit to Yugoslavia and Albania within the framework of the mission he undertook as the Vice-President of the European People's Party for the promotion of democracy in the Balkans.

Mr. Karamanlis congratulated Mr. Kostunica for the Serajevo Summit meeting held with the participation of countries which had fought hard against each other in the recent past. Mr. Karamanlis stated that the European People's Party believes that the prospect for the European Union is the EU accession of all Balkan countries.

The New Democracy leader also stated that the prospects for the party of Mr. Kostunica is to become a member of the European People's Party and attend the next EPP congress in Portugal as an observer.

[03] THE GREEK INTELLIGENCE SERVICE REJECTS ANY RELATION WITH KOUFODINAS

In a statement issued today, the Greek intelligence service, EYP, underlines that Dimitris Koufodinas, who is wanted by the police within the framework of the investigations on terrorist organization 17 November, has absolutely no relation with the Greek intelligence service which was called KYP in the past.

The statement was issued on the occasion of recent press reports according to which, Koufodinas worked for or was an associate of KYP.

Meanwhile, Greek government spokesman Christos Protopapas commented on the information according to which, Koufodinas propagandized in favor of the governing Socialist Party of PASOK in the prefecture of Achaia in southern Greece, saying that such scenarios are funny.

[04] GAINS IN THE ASE

Gains were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange today. The general index rose to +0.58% at 2.136,58 points, while the volume of transactions was at 573.7 million Euro or 195.5 billion drachmas.

Of the stocks trading today, 186 recorded gains and 104 had losses, while the value of 83 stocks remained unchanged.

[05] KARAMANLIS VISITS ALBANIA

Greek right-wing main opposition party of New Democracy leader Kostas Karamanlis continues his visit to Albania. He was scheduled to meet today with Socialist Party President Fatos Nano and Democratic Party President Sali Berisha.

Mr. Karamanlis will also visit Durres where he will meet with newly elected Albanian President Alfred Moisiu. He will also visit the Greek NATO force unit in Albania.

Later in the afternoon, before his departure for Athens, he will meet with New Democratic Party President Gentz Polo.

Yesterday, Mr. Karamanlis met in Tirana with Archbishop Anastasios of Albania and praised his work. He said that Archbishop Anastasios is the representative of Orthodoxy in Albania and a leading personality of Hellenism, adding that he is well aware of his very important work benefiting both the Albanians and the Orthodox Greeks. He said that the Archbishop's efforts create a new understanding that puts aside the intolerance and suspiciousness of the past.

Mr. Karamanlis also stated that the road to Europe should open for all the Balkan states.

[06] THE GREEK FOREIGN MINISTRY WELCOMES THE MEETING OF THE PRESIDENTS OF BOSNIA-YUGOSLAVIA-CROATIA

Greek Foreign Ministry spokesman Panos Beglitis stated that the meeting of the Presidents of Bosnia, Yugoslavia and Croatia has a historic importance.

He said that the meeting is a very positive development for stability, cooperation and security in the wider Balkan region. He added that this historic meeting opens new prospects of peace and cooperation among the Balkan states and the Balkan people.

Mr. Beglitis stressed that Greece welcomes this meeting and confirms its will to back reconstruction of the Balkan states and their prospects for accession into the Euro-Atlantic institutions.

[07] THE 17N 45-CALIBER PISTOL USED IN SEVEN ASSASSINATIONS WAS PRESENTED TO THE PRESS BY THE POLICE

Three people, Savvas Xiros' brothers, Christodoulos and Vasilis and Dionisios Georgiadis are being questioned in relation with the activities of terrorist organization 17 November. The statement was made by Greek Police spokesman Lefteris Economou, who presented to the press one of the organization's two historical 45-caliber pistols found in the Damareos Street hideout in Pangrati, Athens. The specific pistol was used in a total of seven assassinations and an armed assault.

The pistol was used in the assassination of police officers Pantelis Petrou and Sotiris Stamoulis on Jan. 16, 1980, in the assassinations of Nikolaos Momferatos and Panagiotis Rousetis on Feb. 21, 1985, and in the assassination of Alexandros Athanasiadis-Bodosakis on March 1, 1988. Also, it was used in the assassination of Parliament deputy Pavlos Bakoyiannis on June 29, 1989, in the armed assault in which Parliament deputy Eleftherios Papadimitriou was injured on Dec. 21, 1993 and in the assassination of British military attache in Athens Brigadier, Stephen Saunders on June 8, 2000.

[08] ND: COMPLETE LACK OF STRATEGY IN TOURISM

The Opposition is accusing the government of a complete lack of strategy in the most profitable, in foreign currency, sector of Greek economy, tourism, which it is letting sink, according to competent New Democracy MP Anastasios Liaskos. He stressed that it is imperative measures are taken to relieve the sector immediately.

Specifically, Mr. Liaskos supported that the long-term lack of government policy on tourism has resulted in today's unprecedented crisis in the sector. The crisis of Greek tourism comes at a difficult period and its negative course will strengthen the same negative dynamics for Greek economy. The inability to adjust to the international competitive framework is the main cause of this negative development, he underlined.

According to him, although we are at the heart of the tourist season, average hotel accommodation in the major tourism areas has dropped immensely, while desperation has driven businessmen to last minute bookings for humiliating prices.

Initial evidence has shown a significant drop in foreign currency from tourism due to the drop in quality and the level of income of the incoming tourists. We call Mr. Simitis' government to realize that the most dynamic and profitable sector of Greek economy has been left to its own fortune and is sinking. There is a limit to having a non-existent government and fooling the people. Immediate measures that will relieve the sector are imperative. Tourism is a national case and is not a field in which to play around and experiment, ended Mr. Liaskos.

[09] A 26YEAROLD AD-MAN IS THE NEW FACE IN THE XIROS CASE

A 26yearold ad-man from Thessaloniki is the new player investigated by the police in the Xiros case. Last night, Savvas Xiros' brother, Vasilis and this individual arrived in Athens on board a C-130 military transport plane to be questioned by anti-terrorist agents as a result of the incriminating evidence against them that came to surface.

According to information, the 26yearold and Vasilis Xiros lived for a few years in Athens where they worked for an advertising agency and then they returned to Thessaloniki. Their stay in Athens and the contacts they had with Savvas Xiros were the reason for their transfer to Athens, according to Savvas Xiros' two other brothers, Dimitris and Nikos.

[10] TURKISH FIGHTER JETS VIOLATED THE CYPRIOT AIRSPACE

Five Turkish fighter jets violated the Cypriot airspace this morning.

According to the Cypriot news agency, CNA, Cypriot Defense Ministry spokesman Andreas Giorkas stated that at 11am this morning two F16 and three F4 Turkish Air Force fighter jets flew over the occupied part of Nicosia and in a parallel course with the Pentadachtilos mountain range.

[11] INFLATION IN THE EURO-ZONE DROPPED TO 1.8%

Inflation in the Euro-zone dropped in June to 1.8% for the first time in the past two years, compared to 2% in May, according to the European statistics agency Eurostat. In all 15 EU member-states, inflation dropped from 1.8% in May to 1.6% in June (last year it was at 2.8%).

Inflation in Greece dropped from 3.8% in May to 3.6% in June remaining, however, among the three highest in the EU. The highest inflation recorded in the 15 EU member-states in the month of June was in Ireland (4.5%), while the lowest was in Britain (0.6%), Germany (0.7%) and Belgium (0.8%).

[12] 270.000 NEW JOB POSITIONS IN GREECE IN THE PERIOD 1997-2001

The responsible European Commission authorities estimate to 270.000 the new job positions created in Greece in the period of 1997-2001. The European Commission does not want to officially confirm this number, which it regards as very satisfactory, because its calculations are not completed yet. The European Commission estimates are expected to be included in its relevant report that will be issued in November.

Based on the official European Commission data published by the Athens newspaper Imerisia, a total of 10 million new job positions were created in the 15 EU member-states in the five-year period of 1997-2001 and 6 million of them were filled by women.

[13] US RESOLUTIONS FOR THE RETURN OF THE PARTHENON MARBLES

Two resolutions tabled recently in the US Senate and the US House of Representatives call on the British government to enter negotiations with Greece as soon as possible to facilitate the return of the Parthenon Marbles before the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.

In the two resolutions, the Parthenon is characterized as the leading expression of the ancient Greek art and the main symbol of the Greek cultural heritage, copies of which can be found in many public buildings, including the Lincoln Memorial.

In the resolutions, the Parthenon is characterized as an ecumenical symbol of civilization, democracy and freedom making the return of the Parthenon Marbles an issue that concerns the whole world and not only Greece.

Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article