Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 02-08-05

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

CONTENTS

[01] WORRIES THAT ARMS WERE STOLEN TO CARRY OUT BATTLE

[02] GREEKS BELIEVE N17 WAS A PAWN

[03] TWO GOLD MEDALS FOR GREECE

[04] ASE CLOSED AT BELOW 2100

[01] WORRIES THAT ARMS WERE STOLEN TO CARRY OUT BATTLE

After conferring with the Prime Minister, I have ordered that all possibilities be looked into, and it is obvious, at this specific juncture in time, that light must be shed on every aspect of this case very quickly, stated Minister of National Defense Giannos Papantoniou to the Sunday Ethnos newspaper, concerning the arms theft from the Kos military camp.

According to information of the newspaper, the Prime Minister is especially worried with the incident at the military camp, since he appreciated that the weapons were not stolen to fire a few shots off at a wedding, but to carry out a battle.

Investigations are still under way to locate the culprits of the arms theft from the Kos infantry battalion, which are mainly concentrated on the camp's interior. From the authorities' evidence so far, it appears to have been an inside job, by a person that knew the site well, while it is estimated that at least 8 individuals participated.

Investigations are continuing in the presence of a DA, a military judge and the Security Police, with the participation of some Forensics members, who are trying to lift some fingerprints. The battalion's Commander hastily returned to the island in order to assist in the authorities' investigations.

The authorities' interest seems to be concentrated on 16 soldiers who served both in that camp as well as in the others on the island over the passed 2 years.

However, all R&R has been revoked both for officers as well as soldiers serving on all of the island's units, while the background of all the soldiers that served in that unit over the passed 2 years is being investigated.

[02] GREEKS BELIEVE N17 WAS A PAWN

An image of a controlled terrorist organization, with selected targets, had been formed concerning "November 17" after its 25 years of action, according to the results of Metron analysis published in the "Eleftherotypia" and "Ta Nea" newspapers

Specifically, according to the appreciation of Greek society, as that was recorded in 2000, there was a differentiation between those who carried out the killings and those who wrote the proclamations and directed the organization. Greeks also appreciated that the terrorists had been trained abroad, were very clever, professionals, had connections in the government, were mainly male, and looked just like ordinary people. Finally, all participants appreciated that N17 strayed from its original goals along the way.

Meanwhile, 4 strikes that were carried out against targets in Thessaloniki closely watched by N17, during the 1991-1992 period by the "People's Revolt" organization, are under the counter-terrorism service's "microscope", in order to establish whether there is a connection between the two organizations, and if the "communicating vessels" theory holds water.

These actions were the bombings against three German airlines from July 1991 until December 1992, the Lufthansa offices (July 13, 1991), and AEG and Miele (January 12, 1992), responsibility for which had been assumed by the newly appeared "People's Revolt". The fourth strike, for which there was no responsibility assumed was carried out (December 5, 1992) against the offices of the 2nd IRS offices very close to the Thessaloniki Police HQ.

Greek Police officials claimed that the professionalism of such a "young" organization had impressed the officers of the Thessaloniki Police, some of whom did not rule out the possibility of an older organization hiding behind the strikes.

Today, according to the evidence revealed by the computer disks found at the hideouts, Greek Police officials appreciate that the actions were carried out by the "People's Revolt" in conjunction with N17, which may have been scared off by the mobilization of the Thessaloniki authorities at the time and the numerous questionings that followed, and thus preferred to concentrate their actions on Athens.

At the same time, after his four our testimony on Sunday night to the Special Examining Judge, Sotyris Condylis, who admitted his participation in N17, was charged and is now awaiting trial. He was taken to the Corydallos penitentiary at noon.

Theodorakis enraged with the Left

"Just the fact that "November 17" started its activities after the Junta fell, is a caricature of history, a historic hubris towards a people that is waiting for its elect to fulfil their debt to it in vain, and which now seems that some of the major absentees are whispering: "Here is our (late) resistance against the Dictatorship" secretly indicating the killers shamelessly".

The above was underlined by Mikis Theodorakis in an article in the "Eleftherotypia" newspaper, regarding the Left, the armed struggle and N17. He wonders where these "brave" men were during the Junta, and accuses the Left for its position on terrorism, pointing out: "No other mass movement has suffered the distortion, abuse and ,finally, the decline leading to tolerating terrorism, suffered by the Greek Left." Mr. Theodorakis accused the Left of not openly and directly condemning these "cowardly and abject killers", merely for having the "nerve to carry the banners of the Left". "They should be drowned in the people's contempt by calling out on the streets the descendants of a Left honored by the blood and sacrifices of real warriors for the people, thus standing apart from these bad copies of fighters, these pathetic individuals, who started turning on their brothers after the first difficulty".

[03] TWO GOLD MEDALS FOR GREECE

The Greek Young Men's National Basketball Team won the 6th European Championship for Young Men held in Lithuania, beating Spain 77-73. This was the 3rd gold medal for a Greek national team after the Men's National Team in 1985 and the Teenager's National Team in 1995.

The European Sailing Championship for 470 type sailing boats, held in Talin, Estonia, also held a success for Greece.

Sophia Bekatorou and Emilia Tsoulfa won the gold medal for the third time running. The athletes finished in third, first and eighth place in the three last races.

Andreas Kosmatopoulos and Kostas Trigonis won the silver medal in the same championship.

[04] ASE CLOSED AT BELOW 2100

Today's session of the ASE closed at below 2100 units recording losses of 0.84%. The general price index hit its lowest at 2070.94 units and peaked at 2091.10 units, with a total volume of transactions of 37.2 million euro. 43 stocks rose, 270 dropped and 86 remained at the same value level.

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