Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 02-08-30

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

CONTENTS

[01] N17: TSELENTIS ON THE MOMFERATOS KILLING

[02] TZIOLAS' CONTACTS IN DUBLIN

[03] THE LOSSES CONTINUE IN THE ASE

[04] CONSUMER BOYCOTT IN GREECE ON SEPTEMBER 3

[05] A ROCKET WAS FOUND IN KIPSELI, ATHENS

[06] AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO SAVE NIGERIAN AMINA LAUAL

[07] "LAMBROS"-TSOUTSOUVIS RELATIONS

[08] EU FOREIGN MINISTERS' INFORMAL MEETING IN ELSINORE

[09] PAPADIMITRIOU IS IN JOHANNESBURG

[01] N17: TSELENTIS ON THE MOMFERATOS KILLING

Suspected member of November 17 Patroclos Tselentis referred to the killing of the publisher of Apogevmatini newspaper, Nikos Momferatos, in his testimony.

Tselentis named Dimitris Koufontinas and Christodoulos Xeros as Momferatos' shooters, the story Christodoulos Xeros followed in his testimony.

Furthermore, he pointed out that the code names of the organization's members changed since then. Dimitris Koufontinas took up the name Lucas instead of Thomas, Nikos Papanastasiou became Nikitas instead of Takis, Alexandros Giotopoulos changed to Lambros from Petros. Patroclos Tselentis changed his own name from Pavlos to Alekos and then to Tenia (the film).

Patroklos Tselentis supported that Dimitris Koufontinas murdered officer Christos Matis. He also added that during the robbery they had no intention of killing him, but did so, as Koufontinas said, because he did not freeze as he was told to.

[02] TZIOLAS' CONTACTS IN DUBLIN

Europe's economic and social policy is being discussed in the contacts Greek Undersecretary of Labor and Social Security, Eleftherios Tziolas has in Dublin. Mr. Tziolas participates in the forum Europe makes the difference: challenges for the European Social Model organized by the European Institute for the improvement of working and living conditions.

In the contacts he had, Mr. Tziolas referred to the globalized economy and the new quantitative and qualitative reality it creates. He stressed the need for a broader social dialogue with the participation of the society of citizens and all political and social forces in view of the new Inter-Parliamentary Conference in 2004. He also stated that the dialogue should not be exhausted on issues of procedure and institutions but it should concern the core and the prospects of the European unification.

On the problem of unemployment, Mr. Tziolas stated that a solution must be found taking under consideration the positions of employers and employees.

[03] THE LOSSES CONTINUE IN THE ASE

The losses continue in the Athens Stock Exchange today. The general index dropped to -0.43% at 2.129,06 points, while the volume of transactions was at 126.3 million Euro or 43 billion drachmas.

Of the stocks trading today, 119 recorded gains and 178 had losses, while the value of 111 stocks remained unchanged.

[04] CONSUMER BOYCOTT IN GREECE ON SEPTEMBER 3

Greek Consumer Institute, INKA, called on the Greeks to participate in a boycott with the slogan today we are not buying anything that will take place on Tuesday, September 3 in reaction to the wave of profiteering and expensiveness observed lately in the Greek market.

In a meeting of 55 Consumer Associations' representatives, it was decided that the mobilization should include a consumer boycott. It will serve as a warning, while in addition, electric switches will be turned off in a symbolic way and telephone calls will not be made for 2 minutes at 10pm on September 3.

[05] A ROCKET WAS FOUND IN KIPSELI, ATHENS

A rocket was found this morning behind a pile of garbage at 53 Kefallinias Street in Kipseli, Athens. The rocket was in a black plastic bag and was discovered by a local resident. Police took the rocket to be examined by specialists.

Based on the initial examination, it is an American-made training rocket. According to authorities, the individual who had it in its possession wanted to get rid of it because of the intensification of the investigations on terrorism.

[06] AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO SAVE NIGERIAN AMINA LAUAL

The Greek office of Amnesty International launched a signature collection campaign to save Nigerian Amina Laual, who has been sentenced to death by stoning accused of adultery.

Thirty-year-old Amina Laual is a Muslim and she was sentenced to death by stoning on March 22, 2002. The ruling was issued by a court in the city of Bakori in the state of Katsina in northern Nigeria which implements the new penal law, based on the Sharia, the Islamic Law. This law is in effect only for Muslim citizens.

Amina has allegedly confessed that she had a child while being divorced. Based on the new law, pregnancy outside the marriage constitutes adequate evidence to find a woman guilty of adultery.

[07] "LAMBROS"-TSOUTSOUVIS RELATIONS

The relationship between suspected leader of N17 Alexandros Giotopoulos and Christos Tsoutsouvis is being investigated by the counter terrorism service, after new evidence was found in the N17 investigation.

According to today's publication of the Ta Nea newspaper, what interests the authorities today, is the mapping of the underground paths used by Greece's leading armed terrorist groups. They believe that this way they will be able to complete the picture they have of N17 and ELA, as well as the shady dealings that went on with terrorist groups in Greece. Most police and judicial authorities overseeing the questionings and Greek Police high officials, believe that the most representative expressers of the first and second generation of armed groups in Greece, not only kept in touch with each other, but were at some points fellow-travelers.

According to the newspaper, from the evidence concentrated by the counter terrorism service, it is appreciated that Alexandros Giotopoulos and Christos Tsoutsouvis must have come into contact after Tsoutsouvis departed from ELA. It was the post-Kassimis era for ELA, a period during which the descendants of ELA's founder were arguing in the framework of the Revolutionary Council, concerning the new strategy to be followed at the dawn of the next decade.

Tsoutsouvis was a real hard-liner who demanded that ELA be finished with firecrackers, and move on to more serious actions, and was approached, through common friends, by N17. His clear views and dynamic personality in the closed circle of armed groups, quickly brought him to the core of N17. After a very short time in the organization, he would participate in one of the organization's most important murders: The execution of officers Pantelis Petrou and Sotiris Stamoulis, in Pagrati, on January 16, 1980.

This report is related to one of the 386 keys found in the hideout of the Anti-state Struggle in 1986. After investigations, it was revealed that the tag attached to the key and the notes concerning N17's getaway plan in the Petrou-Stamoulis murder, had both been written by Christos Tsoutsouvis.

There are also suspicions that he was connected to the Wells murder, since authorities support that another one of the keys found in Tsoutsouvis' organization's hideout, unlocked the door of the car used in the Wells murder. This pushes the connection between ELA and N17 back to 1975.

[08] EU FOREIGN MINISTERS' INFORMAL MEETING IN ELSINORE

The Foreign Ministers of the 15 EU member-states confirmed the EU enlargement dates in their informal meeting in Elsinore, Denmark today.

Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Papandreou told the Greek reporters that an agreement has been reached according to which, the EU states should adopt a common position on agriculture in the extraordinary Summit Meeting in Brussels on October 30. The list of the 10 new EU member-states should also be announced on that date.

The 15 EU Foreign Ministers also discussed the issue of the imminent elections in Slovakia and the Irish referendum for the ratification of the Nice Treaty. It was also stressed that it should be pointed out to the European societies that the EU enlargement is a process of peace because it creates a momentum that boosts stability in the region, said Mr. Papandreou.

In their next meeting, the 15 EU Foreign Ministers will discuss the prospects for the candidatures of Bulgaria and Romania and the problem created by the US demand regarding the jurisdiction of the International Penal Court.

[09] PAPADIMITRIOU IS IN JOHANNESBURG

Right-wing main opposition party of New Democracy parliament deputy Elsa Papadimitriou is in Johannesburg to attend the two-day parliamentary conference on Sustainable Development: The role of Parliaments in the sectors of implementation and responsibility.

The two-day conference is taking place within the framework of the Summit Meeting on Sustainable Development that is being held in the South African city under the auspices of the UN and will be completed on September 4.

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