Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 03-06-24

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

CONTENTS

[01] SUDANESE TO RECEIVE "BALTIC SKY" EXPLOSIVES

[02] EU-US SUMMIT IN WASHINGTON

[03] OPEN LINE WITH MOSCOW

[04] 20 OF THE 27 SUSPECTS TO BE TAKEN TO THE EXAMINER

[05] TSOCHATZOPOULOS MET WITH THE ITALIAN MINISTER ON EU POLICIES

[06] PROTOPAPAS COMMENTED ON THE SHIP WITH THE EXPLOSIVES

[07] A REAL SUSPECT SARS CASE IN GREECE

[08] THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION ON THE EU-US SUMMIT MEETING

[09] MEETING OF THE MAYORS OF ALEXANDROUPOLIS AND HASKOVO

[10] MORE LOSSES IN THE ASE

[11] COMPENSATION FOR THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY ANARCHISTS IN THESSALONIKI

[12] EU PRESIDENCY DECLARATION ON THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT

[01] SUDANESE TO RECEIVE "BALTIC SKY" EXPLOSIVES

A representative of a Sudanese chemical product company told the BBC that the large cargo of explosives located yesterday by the Greek authorities was to be delivered to his company.

Isam Bakri Halifa, of the Integrated Chemicals & Development Company, stressed that the cargo of 680 tons of explosives was going to be used for a peaceful cause.

However, there are still questions regarding the amount of cargo, as well as the wandering of the Baltic Sky in international waters.

Meanwhile, the ship's 7 crew members will be taken to the Examiner to enter their pleas, after he set charges for possession and transportation of explosives, with intention of delivering them to a third party for illegal activities.

The assistant DA also set charges of instigation against the foreign company that owned the boat, Alpha Shipping INC, based in the Marshall Islands, and misdemeanor charges against the 7 sailors for violating laws concerning navigation.

[02] EU-US SUMMIT IN WASHINGTON

Prime Minister C. Simitis will be traveling to Washington today, heading the EU delegation on its way for the annual Summit with the US. Express your views honestly, advised the US President's father, also President during the 1989-1992 period, who dined with Prime Minister Simitis in Athens yesterday. Diplomatic circles in Washington characterized the visit as upgraded, while in its framework, an EU-US judicial conscription agreement will be signed.

[03] OPEN LINE WITH MOSCOW

An open line of communication with Russia, as regards Turkish violations over the Aegean, which he characterized as a dangerous turn in Turkish foreign policy, was agreed on at the meeting Minister of Defense Giannos Papantoniou had in Moscow with the country's Prime Minister, M. Cassianof . The meeting was also occupied with Russia's relations to the EU and NATO, dealing with international terrorism, the Cyprus issue, while Mr. Papantoniou called Russia the 20th member of NATO.

[04] 20 OF THE 27 SUSPECTS TO BE TAKEN TO THE EXAMINER

Twenty of the 27 suspects arrested during the incidents at the Anti-Summit protests charged with participating in the destruction of downtown Thessaloniki, will be taken to the Thessaloniki Examiner today.

The suspects asked for a postponement yesterday, and were given one until today, while another 7 suspects will be taken to court tomorrow to enter their pleas.

All 27 suspects are accused of resisting the authorities, damages, illegal possession use of arms, while a date of trial was set for two minors accused of participating in the incidents, who were then set free.

[05] TSOCHATZOPOULOS MET WITH THE ITALIAN MINISTER ON EU POLICIES

Greek Minister of Development Akis Tsochatzopoulos met with Italian Minister of EU Policies Roco Bitilione in view of Italy's EU Presidency.

Mr. Tsochatzopoulos stressed that the Italian EU Presidency undertakes the responsibility to manage issues that were examined by the Competitiveness Council, issues of domestic market, business competitiveness, issues concerning industry, research, and technology and the efforts aimed at exploiting research for a more competitive production and economy.

Referring to the priorities of the Italian EU Presidency, Mr. Bitilione stressed that competitiveness is the major issue. He pointed out that the Competitiveness Council should give a long-term overall evaluation to the European Council both from a micro-economic point of view and concerning the capability of the European system to create new jobs and prosperity.

Mr. Tsochatzopoulos will be in Rome on July 12 in the first meeting of the Italian EU Presidency with the Competitiveness Council.

[06] PROTOPAPAS COMMENTED ON THE SHIP WITH THE EXPLOSIVES

The Greek government does not understand why the Sudanese government is protesting. There was a violation of international and state legislation. A ship with a dangerous cargo entered the Greek territorial waters illegally without earlier warning. The above were stated by Greek government spokesman Christos Protopapas commenting on the statements of the Sudanese Foreign Minister.

Responding to relevant questions on the case of the ship that was carrying huge quantities of explosives, Mr. Protopapas said that he is not aware what was the target of the ship's mission and observed that for unknown reasons it was wandering in the Mediterranean for the past month. He also added that there was cooperation and mutual briefing on the issue between the Greek law enforcement authorities and foreign authorities and agencies. The operation got underway when the ship was in Greek territorial waters and it was established that it was not near a populated area to avoid putting human lives at risk.

[07] A REAL SUSPECT SARS CASE IN GREECE

The existence of a real suspect SARS case in Greece was confirmed by Health Minister Kostas Stefanis in a press conference this afternoon.

The suspect case is a 36yearold Chinese marble dealer who comes from a province in China regarded as innocent as far as SARS is concerned. He traveled to Europe on June 15 and visited Frankfurt, Milan, Rome and Graz and on June 21 he arrived in Athens. From there, he went to the northern Greek city of Kavala and to another northern Greek city, the city of Dramas where the first symptoms of the disease were detected. Mr. Stefanis stated that the country's health services system was notified immediately as if it was a positive SARS case and the Chinese man was taken to Thessaloniki's Papanikolaou Hospital where he was placed in a negative pressure chamber.

The initial tests came out positive but due to the gravity of the situation samples will be sent to Hamburg to be reconfirmed. The final confirmation of whether this is a SARS case will come with the detection of virus antibodies in the blood after 15 days. The Chinese patient has also presented slight breathing difficulties without a cough, while the x-ray results were negative and the CAT scan results show no pneumonia.

Mr. Stefanis pointed out that in the case of the Chinese businessman the epidemiological background is questionable because the city Xiamen in the province of Fujian was characterized by the WHO as a SARS innocent region for many months now. Also, starting today China has been declared innocent region and every restrictive measure against the syndrome has been lifted.

Referring to the way the issue is being handled by the Greek health authorities, Mr. Stefanis stressed that the system operated in an impeccable manner since the beginning in spite of the reassuring evidence.

He also made it known that the Chinese businessman was traveling together with a colleague who was hospitalized for precautionary reasons and has no symptoms of the syndrome.

[08] THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION ON THE EU-US SUMMIT MEETING

The European Commission on Monday said both Europe and the United States wanted to further their cooperation in spite of recent strained ties. The statement was made in view of the EU-US Summit that opens in Washington tomorrow.

The EU and the US cooperate on an even wider range of areas, broadening and deepening the transatlantic partnership. Even though relations have recently gone through a period of strain, both sides are firmly committed to demonstrating that the EU and the US have a relationship that works and produces concrete results with direct positive effects for our citizens, and also jointly take up global and regional challenges, according to the European Commission statement.

The European Commission mentions that international issues such as the Middle East, Iraq, international terrorism, the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, judicial cooperation as well as trade and economic relations between the EU and the US will be discussed during the upcoming summit.

The summit will begin with a private meeting between US President George W. Bush, European Commission President Romano Prodi and Greek Prime Minister Kostas Simitis.

Discussions are expected to focus on coordinating actions between the two sides on implementing the road map of the quartet (the EU, UN, US and Russia) for peace in the Middle East.

Discussions between the two delegations will follow and will be completed with a working luncheon. The meeting between the delegations will begin with a presentation by the Greek EU Presidency of the results of the Thessaloniki EU Summit, primarily concerning the EU's draft Constitution and the strategy on common defence and security policy.

Issues such as Iraq, Afghanistan, non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, transport security, judicial cooperation and probably the Galileo programme and the issue of the International Criminal Court will also be discussed at the meetings.

Talks during the working luncheon will centre on trade and economic issues, such as the forthcoming ministerial conference within the framework of the World Trade Organization in Mexico, trans-Atlantic cooperation in the framework of dialogue on economic markets, research regarding the energy sector and negotiations concerning the air transport sector.

Agreements on mutual judicial assistance and extradition between the EU and the US will also be signed at the US Justice Department on the same day by US Attorney General John Ashcroft and Greek Justice Minister Filippos Petsalnikos.

[09] MEETING OF THE MAYORS OF ALEXANDROUPOLIS AND HASKOVO

Mayor of Haskovo in Bulgaria and Local Association of Haskovo region Municipalities President Georgi Ivanov and Rodopi-Evros Enlarged Local Administration President Mr. Hatzopoulos met with Mayor of Alexandroupolis Mr. Alexandris in Alexandroupolis today.

The goal of the visit is the best possible preparation of proposals in view of the inter-border program Interreg 3 in order to have full preparedness.

[10] MORE LOSSES IN THE ASE

Losses were recorded again today in the Athens Stock Exchange. The general index dropped to -0.34% at 1.881,27 points, while the volume of transactions was at 147.5 million euros.

Of the stocks trading today, 237 recorded losses and 81 had gains, while the value of 57 stocks remained unchanged.

[11] COMPENSATION FOR THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY ANARCHISTS IN THESSALONIKI

Sixty shop-owners in Thessaloniki's city center who saw their properties being damaged by vandals in last Saturday's violent incidents caused by anarchists on the occasion of the anti-globalization demonstrations, will be compensated within the next few days.

The above were stated by Minister of Macedonia-Thrace Giorgos Paschalidis who added that in the rest ten cases of heavily damaged shops, specialists will have to assess the damage before their owners receive compensation.

Mr. Paschalidis reiterated that the main priority during the difficult times of the violent demonstrations was to protect human lives, adding that the material damage caused was limited.

[12] EU PRESIDENCY DECLARATION ON THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT

The EU presidency issued a declaration regarding a declaration by the Acceding Countries Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia, and the associated countries Bulgaria and Romania and the EFTA countries, members of the European Economic Area, concerning the EU Common Position on the International Criminal Court.

According to the EU Presidency declaration the Acceding Countries Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, the Slovak Republic, and Slovenia, and the associated countries Bulgaria and Romania and the EFTA countries, members of the European Economic Area, declare that they share the objectives of Common Position 2003/444/CFSP on the International Criminal Court defined by the General Affairs and External Relations Council on June 16, 2003, on the basis of Article 15 of the Treaty on European Union. They will ensure that their national policies conform to that common position.

The European Union takes note of this commitment and welcomes it.

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