Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 04-03-12

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

CONTENTS

[01] SECURITY WITH EVERYONE'S CONTRIBUTION

[02] TRAINS WITH EXPLOSIVES REACHED GREEK BORDERS

[03] IN LUCERNE WITH BEFORE THE DEADLINE

[04] KARAMANLIS-ROGGE MEETING TOMORROW

[05] CLARIFICATIONS BY THE GREEK POLICE ON THE EXPLOSIVES FOUND IN A FREIGHT

[06] THE GOVERNMENT CALLED FOR NATO'S ASSISTANCE FOR THE SAFETY OF THE

[07] MOLIVIATIS-MILLER MEETING

[08] GAINS IN THE ASE

[09] TELEGRAM OF CONDOLENCES BY PRESIDENT STEPHANOPOULOS TO KING JUAN CARLOS

[10] ATHENS 2004 FLAG AT PEAK OF EVEREST

[11] TRAIN WITH EXPLOSIVES NOT RELATED TO TERRORISM

[01] SECURITY WITH EVERYONE'S CONTRIBUTION

The issue of Olympic Security has been upgraded to a higher priority and a series of meetings under Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis was announced yesterday, while Minister of National Defense Spilios Spiliotopoulos announced that the government is prepared to ask for NATO's contribution in the security of the Olympics. A meeting will be held between the Ministry of Public Order and the US Ambassador to Athens regarding the inter-branch security drill underway. There is no issue of pressure, more of ensuring the whole world that we will hold safe Games, stated outgoing Minister of Public Order G. Floridis.

[02] TRAINS WITH EXPLOSIVES REACHED GREEK BORDERS

A train trapped with explosives, which was supposed to load propane in Thessaloniki, was neutralized by the authorities of Northern Greece last Monday. According to today's first page of Ta Nea newspaper, a Bulgarian citizen is being held and questioned, while police appreciations point to the Balkan mafia. The Greek authorities stopped the train in the Strymonas station and searched the train. Under one carriage they found a small quantity of explosives, an electronic detonator and various other parts that were not connected, therefore could not explode.

[03] IN LUCERNE WITH BEFORE THE DEADLINE

His reassurance that an extension on negotiations will not be given if a solution is not found by the deadline set in New York was given yesterday by Representative of the UN Secretary General on the Cyprus issue, Alvaro de Soto, who met with Foreign Minister Petros Molyviatis. Both sides expressed their optimism that Cyprus will be incorporated to the EU as a united island on May 1. The quadrilateral meeting with the participation of Greece, Turkey and the two communities of Cyprus, will be held in Lucerne, in the presence of the UN Secretary General, if it is finally necessary to be convened, according to Mr. Annan's announcement.

[04] KARAMANLIS-ROGGE MEETING TOMORROW

Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis will meet with the President of the International Olympic Committee Jacques Rogge tomorrow. Mr. Karamanlis presided over a ministerial committee on the issue of preparations for the Olympics yesterday.

The Olympic Games and mainly the issue of security are the first priority of the new government, and it has now taken on new dimensions after the terrorist attack in Madrid. Information mentioned that the Greek government is prepared to ask for the operational participation of NATO in the framework of the Olympic security measures.

Today, Mr. Karamanlis will hold meetings with the Ministers of National Defense, Tourism, Transports and Finance. The Minister of the Environment, Planning and Public Works Giorgos Souflias will visit Olympic works and the Minister of Health, Mr. Nikitas Kaklamanis, will visit the Olympic Village with the President of the Athens 2004 Olympic Organizing Committee, Gianna Aggelopoulou.

[05] CLARIFICATIONS BY THE GREEK POLICE ON THE EXPLOSIVES FOUND IN A FREIGHT TRAIN

The Greek Police links the explosives found in a train in northern Greece to the activities of the Bulgarian mafia and specifically, to a group of Bulgarians involved in illegal trade.

Greek Police director Lefteris Economou made statements on the case today. According to Mr. Economou, a freight train made up of 16 empty cars entered Greece coming from Bulgaria in the evening of March 8 with destination Thessaloniki's Train Station. A suspect package was located in the last car that belonged to a Bulgarian fuel company. The investigation that followed showed that it contained 700gms of explosive material and two detonators, which, however, could not cause an explosion because they were not assembled into an explosive device.

Mr. Economou stated that a Bulgarian national was examined within the framework of the preliminary investigation. The individual in question is in police custody awaiting deportation because he was in Greece illegally.

According to Mr. Economou, the incident is not linked with terrorist action.

[06] THE GOVERNMENT CALLED FOR NATO'S ASSISTANCE FOR THE SAFETY OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES

The Greek government called for NATO's assistance for the safety of the Athens Olympic Games.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Giorgos Koumoutsakos stated that in completion of the process already underway the government called on NATO today to offer its assistance for the safety of the Olympic Games mainly in the sectors of air vigilance, the common supervision of the sea region and the protection from a chemical, biological or radiation incident.

[07] MOLIVIATIS-MILLER MEETING

The issue of the terrorist attack in Madrid was at the center of the contacts Foreign Minister Petros Moliviatis had today.

The Foreign Minister met with US ambassador to Athens Thomas Miller who stated that he had an excellent cooperation with the previous government and expects that the same will happen with the new government as well to minimize the dangers in view of the Athens Olympic Games.

The Foreign Minister also had meetings with the ambassadors of Ireland and Russia.

[08] GAINS IN THE ASE

Gains were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange today. The general index rose to +0.44% at 2419.93 points, while the volume of transactions was at 132.3 million euros.

Of the stocks trading today, 169 had gains and 101 had losses, while the value of 123 stocks remained unchanged.

[09] TELEGRAM OF CONDOLENCES BY PRESIDENT STEPHANOPOULOS TO KING JUAN CARLOS

Greek President Kostis Stephanopoulos sent a telegram of condolences to King of Spain Juan Carlos expressing regret and repugnance for the repulsive as he characterized the bloody terrorist attack in Madrid.

Mr. Stephanopoulos expressed his personal condolences and the condolences of the Greek people.

[10] ATHENS 2004 FLAG AT PEAK OF EVEREST

Twelve experienced Greek climbers are departing tomorrow with a high aim. They will conquer the roof of the world, the peak of the Himalayas, Mt. Everest, at 8,848 meters, marking the greatest climbing feat in the world. The members of the Greek mission hope that on the eve of the Olympics the Greek flag and the Athens 2004 banner will be in place on Mt. Everest, as symbols of world peace and fair play.

To the question of what scares them most, the 12 Greeks answered immediately, everything and nothing. Life in the city has just as many unexpected events and dangers.

The members of the mission will be fully equipped, while they were given the opportunity to organize themselves in the best possible way. The climbers among whom Cypriot Kyriakos Nisiforou will move in opposite directions aiming at maximizing their chances of achieving their goal. The first team will move to the north (beginning from Tibet) led by Costas Tsivelekas and the other team will move south (from Nepal) led by Panagiotis Kotronaros. With the support of the local Serpa tribe and 50 kilos worth of equipment on their backs, the team aims at placing the Greek and Cypriot flags and the Athens 2004 banner at the top of the world.

[11] TRAIN WITH EXPLOSIVES NOT RELATED TO TERRORISM

The train found carrying explosives in Northern Greece last week was characterized as work of the Bulgarian mafia and is unrelated to terrorism according to the Greek Police.

According to today's publication in the TA NEA newspaper, police forces and members of the anti-terrorism service, located and neutralized a quantity of explosives under a carriage in the Strymonas region in the prefecture of Serres. The train had departed from Bulgaria and was traveling to the Thessaloniki harbor, where it was supposed to load quantities of propane and then return to Sofia.

According to statements made by Greek Police Spokesperson Lefteris Economou to Flash Radio, the case became known to the Greek authorities, after information given to them by a Bulgarian national. According to the information there was a trapped train coming from Bulgaria with four empty tanker carriages.

In the search that was carried out, pointed out Mr. Economou, a small quantity of explosives, an electronic detonator and various other parts were found under one carriage, however they were not connected to one another and could not explode.

After a thorough search, the train arrived at its destination and transferred the propane back to Bulgaria, while the Bulgarian informant was questioned by the anti-terrorism service and is expected to be deported back to his country.

According to the Spokesperson of the Greek Police, the most probable scenario is that members of the Bulgarian mafia are implicated, aiming at misleading the Greek authorities, while it is also considered possible that the case was staged in order to make a profit off the increased security measures in Greece due to the upcoming Olympic Games.

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