Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 02-07-30

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] US CONSULATE OF THESSALONIKI WAS A N17 TARGET

[02] PRIME MINISTER'S POPULARITY INCREASED - KARAMANLIS STILL AHEAD

[03] BATTLING THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS

[04] PETSALNIKOS: NO "WHITE CELLS" FOR N17 MEMBERS

[05] THE 12 THAT BROUGHT OCALAN TO GREECE IN COURT

[06] AGGREEMENT WITH BOSNIA ON BALKAN RECONSTRUCTION

[01] US CONSULATE OF THESSALONIKI WAS A N17 TARGET

The US Consulate of Thessaloniki was a target of November 17, during the 1990-1993 period, due to the FYROM name issue, which was then constantly in the news, according to today's publication of the Eleftherotypia.

This is the conclusion high ranking officers deciphering and studying the material taken from the electronic files of the organization, consisting of 50 disks, have come to.

Specifically, the authorities believe that for a long time period, from '90-'93, a detachment of the organization lived and moved in Thessaloniki. This appreciation is reinforced firstly by the testimonies of Thessaloniki residents that recognized the faces of some of the suspected members that have already been arrested, and secondly because immediately after the heavy military equipment was stolen from the Sykourio camp, it was stored in a basement apartment in downtown Thessaloniki.

The authorities are connecting the evidence above with the organization's strategic planning for strikes in N. Greece, and specifically, in Thessaloniki. Information concerning attacks on police stations and the Thessaloniki Port Police, theft of arms or the expropriation of a patrol boat has already been deciphered.

We know what has happened to us during the past 27 years, but when we clear up all the things that did not happen will we fully realize what the recent developments mean, stated a high ranking authority spokesperson characteristically.

[02] PRIME MINISTER'S POPULARITY INCREASED - KARAMANLIS STILL AHEAD

Prime Minister Kostas Simitis' popularity appears to have increased by approximately four units, while the increase of ND President Kostas Karamanlis' popularity is slightly smaller, according to the third and final part of the Metron Analysis interest poll published in today's Imerisia, however the percentage is still higher for the Mr. Karamanlis.

Specifically, Mr. Simitis concentrated 53.1% of preference, in contrast to the 49.1% he had at the beginning of last month, while Mr. Karamanlis concentrated 58.4% instead of 56% he had in the previous poll.

The President of ND is in the first position with the President of the Coalition of the Left Nikos Constantopoulos, concerning political party leader popularity, with 58.5%. They are followed by the Prime Minister with 53.1%, the President of DIKKI, Dimitris Tsovolas with 45.3%, and the Secretary General of the Greek Communist Party, Aleka Papariga with 25.3%.

Correspondingly, in the negative opinion percentages concerning political leaders, Aleka Papariga has concentrated 65.2%, D. Tsovolas 44%, K. Simitis 42.7%, K. Karamanlis 35.2%, and N. Constantopoulos has the smallest percentage, 28.3%.

[03] BATTLING THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS

A battle against time is being fought by the authorities, which are facing the serious possibility of many of the felonies the suspected members of N17 are accused of, being written off.

The writing off of the Wells murder is becoming a headache for the Greek Police, since there are no legal grounds to prosecute independent (non-continuous) crimes committed before 1982, but a further network of clauses and interpretations in the specific legislature leaves some leeway for the rest of the accused, who based on the existing evidence were not involved in any murders, to hope that they land softly after their brush with the law.

This is the direction in which the President of the Authority for the Protection of Personal Data and Vice Chairman of the Supreme Court Mr. Constantinos Dafermou, is moving in. According to him, Time softens and erases everything, while G. A. Magakis has established that independent crimes such as murders have already been written off.

[04] PETSALNIKOS: NO "WHITE CELLS" FOR N17 MEMBERS

Information concerning the imprisonment of suspected November 17 members in white cells in the Corydallos penitentiary was refuted by Minister of Justice Philippos Petsalnikos, in statements from Kastoria.

The claims expressed concerning white cells or the placing of related surveillance equipment such as hidden cameras, are completely inaccurate, stressed Mr. Petsalnikos.

Everything that is in effect for all other prisoners will be in effect for these prisoners. Democracy cares for doing Justice. Democracy does not torture, he added.

In fact, the Ministry of Justice issued a disclaimer concerning a publication in an afternoon newspaper stating that the Ministry of Public Order in conjunction with the Ministry of Justice, charged the Themis Construction company with selecting the sites where the accused members of N17 were to be housed, even before the first five suspects were arrested.

In the announcement, the Ministry of Justice stressed that the works at the Corydallos penitentiary began by Themis Construction after the arrests of the first suspected members of N17, and specifically on July 13.

In total 26 cells will be constructed, 7 of which are ready at the moment, in the semi-basement area of the women's block of the Corydallos penitentiary. The 26 cells are expected to be ready by Thursday and cover a large area of 800 square meters.

As far as special cells are concerned, four are being constructed in the hospital and psychiatric ward, while it is rumored that Constantinos Telios will be taken directly to one of these when he is taken to Corydallos.

As far as security measures are concerned, they are as strict as possible. A very characteristic example is that supply trucks may enter only once a day, at a specific time and then no other vehicle may enter.

Finally, the suspects have had contact with no one during their transfer, while they are expected to meet with their attorneys today, after the visiting hours are decided on.

[05] THE 12 THAT BROUGHT OCALAN TO GREECE IN COURT

The twelve individuals that participated in the illegal entry of Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan into Greece in 1999, despite Greece's declared opposition to any such action, will be brought before justice.

Foreseeing danger in the very sensitive Greek Turkish relations, the penal department of the Supreme Court, with its decision numbered 1655/2002, rejected the appeal 5 of 13 accused (the 13th is Ab. Ocalan himself, who is being held in a Turkish prison) filed with the Appeals Council, which indicted them to be tried facing criminal and misdemeanor charges.

The accused are Captain Ant. Naxakis and Ocalan's comrades Ya Kat Cengiz and Kaya Ayber, who are facing the charge of offending Greece's international peace (fellony), as well as writer S. Vassilopoulou and her daughter Eleni (for harboring Ocalan), the pilot of the airplane that transferred Ocalan to Greece, S. Pechlivanoudis, and heads of security G. Magginas and D. Karagiorgos, employees of the Greek Information Service and the Greek Police, of the airline Ocalan traveled by, as well as the airport in which he was received in the VIP lounge, although they knew they were not granting the lounge to a Russian official, as they had initially stated, but the Kurdish leader.

[06] AGGREEMENT WITH BOSNIA ON BALKAN RECONSTRUCTION

A five-year agreement (2002-2006), reached in record time, was signed yesterday by deputy Foreign Minister Andreas Loverdos and his Bosnian counterpart, Ivica Isim. Bosnia was absent from the Greek plan for Balkan reconstruction and the issue was raised by Foreign Minister Zlatko Lagumjia, during his visit in Athens.

This void in foreign policy (in the sector that was handled by former deputy Foreign Minister Giannis Zafiropoulos), possibly explains why the funds offered by Greece fall so short of Bosnia's needs. But, as A. Loverdos committed, Greece can offer additional funds, if the Bosnian government exhibits absorption. We do not have to wait another 5 years, he said characteristically.

The Greek Presence

The bilateral agreement, in the framework of Balkan financial reconstruction, comes to reinforce the Greek presence in Bosnia. The central Sarajevo hospital, elementary school and orthodox church was built with Greek money.

At the same time, the Greek military force in Bosnia (100 men), based in Vizoko, is building a hospital in Kassovo, the Serb Republic. Its presence in the region is continuous and that is appreciated by the area's residents, most of whom are Muslim.

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