Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 02-10-25

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

CONTENTS

[01] INDEMNITIES TO NAZI VICTIMS

[02] N17 TESTIMONIES CONTINUE

[03] EUROPEAN COMMISSIONER DIAMANTOPOULOU TO VISIT ROMANIA AND BULGARIA

[04] LOSSES IN THE ASE

[05] MAGRIOTIS IN THE BSCO MEETING

[06] POLICE LIEUTENANT SHOOTS, KILLS MUGGER

[07] OTE DELEGATION TO BUCHAREST ON MONDAY

[08] "ATHENS 2004" PRESIDENT PRESS CONFERENCE IN LONDON

[09] SIMITIS ON CYPRUS AND AGRICULTURE

[01] INDEMNITIES TO NAZI VICTIMS

Checks for 8,000 euro were sent by the Austiran authorities as minimum indemnities to two Komotini residents, Giorgos Papadopoulos and Ioannis Maratsikoudis, for the three years of horror they spent captive in a Vienna nazi concentration camp.

The two men were arrested along with 13 more Komotini citizens, one of whom is still alive, in the Spring of 1942 by German troops. They stated that no amount of money is capable of replacing the lost years of their youth and erasing the images of the horror they lived and the deaths of their friends from their minds

[02] N17 TESTIMONIES CONTINUE

November 17 suspects Theologos Psaradellis and Vassilis Tzortzatos are expected to testify before Special Examiner Leonidas Zervobeakos today, after additional changes were announced against them.

Thomas Serifis, awaiting trial in Corydallos penitentiary, is also expected to testify today. Christodoulos Xeros and Giannis Serifis, who has criminal charges set against him for participation in the organization, will appear before Mr. Zervobeakos on Sunday.

Finally, Pavlos Serifis who asked for an extension to prepare his testimony will testify on October 29.

[03] EUROPEAN COMMISSIONER DIAMANTOPOULOU TO VISIT ROMANIA AND BULGARIA

Greek European Commissioner Mrs. Anna Diamantopoulou will visit Romania and Bulgaria on October 28-30 to sign the Joint Assessment Paper in the sector of employment.

Romania will be the first stop for the European Commissioner (28-29 October) who will sign the Joint Assessment Paper with Romanian Minister of Labor and Social Solidarity Mr. Marian Sarbu.

On Monday, October 28, the Greek European Commissioner will meet with Romanian Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana and Secretary of State Cristian Diaconescu. After the meeting, the European Commissioner and the two Romanian officials will give a joint press conference at Bucharest's EC Infocentre.

The Greek Commissioner will also meet with European Integration Minister Mrs. Hildeguard Puwak. An official lunch will be given in her honor by Mr. Sarbu and National Employment Agency President and Secretary of State in the Ministry of Labor and Social Solidarity Mr. Ioan Cindrea.

Mrs. Diamantopoulou will also meet with Economic and Social Council President Ion Giurescu and representatives of the social partners.

She will have contacts with Vice-President of the Senate Mr. Alexandru Athanasiu and representatives of non-governmental organizations.

A meeting of Mrs. Diamantopoulou with Romanian President Ion Iliescu is likely, as it has not been confirmed yet. Mrs. Diamantopoulou will leave for Sofia on Tuesday, October 29.

Greek European Commissioner Mrs. Anna Diamantopoulou will visit Bulgaria on October 29-30 to sign with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labor and Social Policy Mrs. Lydia Shouleva the Joint Assessment Paper on the country's priorities in the sector of employment.

Mrs. Diamantopoulou will be received by President Georgui Parvanov, Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and Parliament President Ognyan Gerdzhikov.

Mrs. Diamantopoulou will also have talks with European Affairs Minister Mrs. Meglena Kuneva and she will hold meetings with the Parliamentary Committees on Social and European Affairs. In addition, she will have the opportunity to address the Bulgaria-European Parliament Joint Parliamentary Committee.

Mrs. Diamantopoulou's talks with the Bulgarian officials will focus on Bulgaria's preparation for its future accession into the EU. Within this framework, a special emphasis will be given to the sector of employment and social policy, the preparation for the participation in the European Social Fund, political equality issues and issues concerning the social inclusion of people with disabilities. The talks will be held in the light of the recent EU report which mentions the notable progress made by Bulgaria in the EU accession preparations.

The European Commissioner will meet with non-governmental organizations active on issues of equality, social welfare and minorities as well as with representatives of social partners and mass media.

[04] LOSSES IN THE ASE

Losses were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange today. The general index dropped to -0.90% at 1.761,29 points, while the volume of transactions was small at 54.2 million Euro.

Of the stocks trading today, 208 recorded losses and 87 had gains, while the value of 80 stocks remained unchanged.

[05] MAGRIOTIS IN THE BSCO MEETING

Greek Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs Yiannis Magriotis, who represents Greece in the Black Sea Cooperation Organization, BSCO, meeting, will have contacts in Tirana today with Albanian Prime Minister Fatos Nano, Foreign Minister Ilir Meta and Parliament President Servet Pelubi. The BSCO Presidency is currently held by Albania.

Yesterday, Mr. Magriotis toured the villages of the ethnic Greek minority in Albania and attended a memorial service held at the Vouliarati Cemetery where Greek soldiers killed during the WWII are buried.

[06] POLICE LIEUTENANT SHOOTS, KILLS MUGGER

A police lieutenant shot and lethally wounded 23-year-old Anastasios Dimouras. According to police reports, the 23-year-old and two accomplices, approached a Mercedes stopped at traffic lights on Posidonos st. on motorcycles, and attempted to break the window in order to steal the bag of the woman driving.

The Lieutenant was in the car behind the Mercedes, witnessed the scene, exited his car and tried to avert the mugging. The riders of the two motorcycles fled the scene, and he tried to contact the authorities. While leaving the scene of the crime, one of the motorcycles followed him. One of the two young men riding on it broke his car window with a rock and the Lieutenant fired. The bullet hit Athanasios Dimouras.

According to information the young man died from a shot to the head, after being taken to Asclepeus hospital in critical condition. Investigations are underway to discern the exact circumstances of the shooting.

[07] OTE DELEGATION TO BUCHAREST ON MONDAY

A Greek Telecommunications Organization, OTE, delegation will visit Bucharest on Monday, October 28 to discuss the latest technical details on the increase of the company's share capital in the Romanian telecommunications company ROM TELECOM.

The Romanian government approved yesterday a US$ 200.000 increase of OTE's share capital in the Romanian ROM TELECOM allowing OTE to take over 51% of the company.

[08] "ATHENS 2004" PRESIDENT PRESS CONFERENCE IN LONDON

Athens 2004 Organization President Mrs. Yianna Angelopoulou-Daskalakis presented the progress made in the Athens 2004 Olympic Games preparations before 170 representatives of international mass media in the British capital. The press conference was given at the invitation of the Foreign Press Correspondents Association.

Mrs. Angelopoulou-Daskalakis underlined the importance of the systematic promotion of the efforts made by Greece aimed at hosting flawless Olympic Games in 2004.

She stressed that Athens has made a significant progress in its effort to host safe and technically excellent Olympic Games, adding that every five-star hotel will be renovated by the year 2004. She also stated that security was and will continue to be a top priority.

Responding to a question on the Parthenon Marbles kept in the British Museum, the Athens 2004 President pointed out that the Athens Olympic Games in August 2004 will be complete games and the wish is for Parthenon to be complete as well.

[09] SIMITIS ON CYPRUS AND AGRICULTURE

An agreement on the Euroarmy issue could be reached today at the informal Summit Meeting of the European Council stressed Greek Prime Minister Kostas Simitis, who met with the EU's High Representative on Foreign Policy and Security Xavier Solana, with Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Papandreou.

On the issue of a common agricultural policy, Mr. Simitis was in favor of freezing subsidies to farmers, and told the press that what farmers make today, is what they will be making until 2006. Deliberations will start then, and any decisions made will be applied after 2006.

As far as Cyprus' accession is concerned, the Prime Minister said that the issue of conditions must end at the Summit and that final decisions on the enlargement must be made at the next Summit Meeting in Copenhagen.

Shortly after midnight, Mr. Simitis informed the Greek press of the course of the Summit's first day's works.

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