Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 04-06-21

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

CONTENTS

[01] HISTORIC MOMENTS

[02] THESSALONIKI'S BID FOR EXPO 2008

[03] THE OLYMPIC FLAME RETURNED TO EUROPE

[04] LOSSES IN THE ASE

[05] THE GREEK GOVERNMENT ON THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT

[06] NEW LIKELY CANDIDATE FOR THE COALITION OF THE LEFT PRESIDENCY

[07] MEASURES AGAINST A BIOCHEMICAL THREAT

[08] THE EXILE OF THE PARTHENON MARBLES MUST END

[09] THE DEPA MANAGEMENT IN AZERBAIJAN

[10] PRESIDENT STEPHANOPOULOS MET WITH HIS AZERI COUNTERPART

[01] HISTORIC MOMENTS

The Greek football lives historic moments after the qualification of the Greek national team to the quarterfinals in the Euro2004, while celebrations continue across Greece. The match of the Greek national football team opposite to the national team of Russia ended 2:1 in favor of Russia yesterday but Greece was the one to qualify to the next phase given the previous performance of the Greeks and the score in the Spain-Portugal match.

Coach Otto Rehhagel stated that the Geek team worked a miracle.

Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis stressed in a message on the occasion of the Greek victory that the Greek national team through its fair qualification to the next phase of the Euro2004 displays the capabilities of the Greek football.

Parliament President Anna Psarouda-Benaki thanked the players and the coach because they made the Greeks proud wishing them further success.

PASOK President Giorgos Papandreou stated that the team deserved to be qualified to the next phase.

Deputy Culture Minister Fani Palli-Petralia stated that the Greek football players wrote one of the greatest pages in the history of the Greek football.

Alternate Culture Minister Giorgos Orphanos, responsible for sports issues, pointed out that the qualification to the next phase of Euro2004 proved that the Greek players and their coach can occupy one of the top places in the European football.

[02] THESSALONIKI'S BID FOR EXPO 2008

The Greek delegation departs for Paris to present Thessaloniki's bid to host the EXPO 2008 international exhibition. The Greek delegation is made up of internationally known personalities and government ministers.

The Greek delegation, headed by Minister of Macedonia-Thrace Nikos Tsiartsionis, will include for the first time two more government ministers, Minister of Agricultural Development and Food Savvas Tsitouridis and Deputy Foreign Minister Evripidis Stilianidis. The celebrities who are members of the Greek delegation are Greek state-run ERT television presenter Alexis Kostalas, French-Greek television journalist and TV show presenter Nikos Aliagas and world-famous Greek singer Nana Mouskouri.

The presentation of Thessaloniki's file will concentrate on its advantages compared to the other candidate cities, Trieste and Zaragoza.

[03] THE OLYMPIC FLAME RETURNED TO EUROPE

The Olympic Flame this morning came back to Europe for the last leg of the International Torch Relay. First two stops for the Greek delegation will be in Belgium at Antwerp and Brussels on a route running via major European capitals and cities whose history is closely linked to the Olympic Games.

Montreal, Canada was the final stopover on the North American continent. It was a time to recall the 1976 Games, as the Greek community welcomed the Flame on the streets with the Greek flag, a coincidental chance to celebrate the Greek national football team's passage through to the last eight of the Euro 2004 football tournament.   

Montreal recalls the 1976 Olympic Games, welcomes the Olympic Flame and wishes Athens good luck, said Mayor Gerald Tremblay at the restrained ceremony to welcome the Greek delegation to the city's Olympic Stadium, on what was an unexpectedly chilly Sunday morning. The music played during the ceremony had been specially written by and composed by a Greek of the diaspora, George Saponitis.

The first Torchbearer was also of Greek origin. George Adamopoulos, 36 years old, wheeled himself onwards with the Torch to great applause. He has been confined to a wheelchair since he was the victim of a criminal assault at the age of 15. Before this he had been planning for a career in sports. On completing his distance, he handed the torch to Stephane Prefontaine, who had lit the cauldron in the Montreal Olympic Stadium in 1976. The Canadians chose to assign the Torch to people known to have the strength to overcome difficulties, or people known for their achievements and innovative actions. Hence the Torch was carried by Marc Garneau, the first Canadian in space, by astronaut Julie Payette and by athletes and citizens who have contributed to their local communities.  

The Flame passed all the central points in the multicultural Montreal, giving the various different ethnic communities the opportunity to welcome the torchbearers. It received a special welcome from Montreal's Greek community, at the statue of Athena just outside St. Joseph's church, where they had been waiting from early on to greet it. The procession's arrival coincided with the final whistle of the Euro 2004 match which, generated still more enthusiasm. Dozens of Greek-Canadians started to follow the Olympic Flame in their cars towards the locale of the main event. They saw the Greek delegation off with folk songs and dances, while the hooting of the car horns gave the ceremony a special color.  

The last Torchbearer was Bruny Surin, a legendary figure in Canadian sports, as he has taken part in three Olympic Games. The Olympic flame that was lit in Montreal in 1976 never burned out, remarked ATHENS 2004 representative Spiros Lambridis, as he handed an Olympic torch to Montreal's Mayor. The city has maintained its Olympic spirit. We are waiting for you to visit Greece and watch the best and safest Games ever, said Giannis Mourikis, the Greek ambassador to Canada.

Last week, the Flame of the ATHENS 2004 Olympic Torch Relay was welcomed by representatives from several states and other guests in an impressive ceremony held at the United Nations headquarters, in New York. The event took place in the UN forecourt and was coordinated and presented by the world-renown Television presenter and reporter, Barbara Walters.

Both Torchbearer Tony Jones and UN Secretary-general Kofi Annan kindled the special altar installed in the forecourt with the Flame. Then an address was given at the event by UN Secretary-general, Kofi Annan, IOC representative and member, Bob Ctvrlik, ATHENS 2004 President Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, International Olympic Truce Centre Manager, Stavros Lambrinidis and Alternate Culture Minister, Fani Palli-Petralia.

In her address, which had a highly international character, ATHENS 2004 President, spoke about the significance of the Olympic Flame visiting the UN and the historical homecoming of the Olympic Games, which was an invitation to the World to embrace once more the Olympic ideals that unite all of us.

In reference to the symbolism of the Olympic Flame, UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan said: I hope the influence of the Flame on the Olympic Games of 2004 will silence the rumble of war in the world and everyone will acknowledge the message of hope conveyed to all the world- a message that gives hope for a better and more peaceful world.

[04] LOSSES IN THE ASE

Losses were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange today. The general index dropped to -0.96% at 2337.65 points, while the volume of transactions was at 84.7 million euros.

Of the stocks trading today, 76 had gains and 228 had losses, while the value of 84 stocks remained unchanged.

[05] THE GREEK GOVERNMENT ON THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT

Government spokesman Thodoris Rousopoulos left open the likelihood for Greece to propose a candidate for the European Commission Presidency including former Prime Minister Kostas Simitis.

Responding to a question on whether Greece intends to undertake an initiative in the process to find a widely acceptable candidate for the position of the European Commission President, Mr. Rousopoulos stated that during the recent two-day Summit meeting in Brussels, Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis participated in the relevant discussions, which had no outcome. He stressed that the government participates and discusses, adding that for Greece the final goal is important and the outcome has a special value.

[06] NEW LIKELY CANDIDATE FOR THE COALITION OF THE LEFT PRESIDENCY

It appears that there will be a fifth candidate for the post of the Coalition of the Left Presidency after the likely candidates Alekos Alavanos, Michalis Papagiannakis, Fotis Kouvelis and Yiannis Dragasakis, who aspire to succeed Nikos Konstantopoulos to the post of the party president after the statement he made according to which, he will not run again for party president.

The new likely candidate is Euro-deputy Dimitris Papadimoulis, after the proposals made to him to lead a unitary effort. According to the Athens newspaper TA NEA, Mr. Papadimoulis appears to be negative toward such a development but he does not hide his concern about the future of the party.

[07] MEASURES AGAINST A BIOCHEMICAL THREAT

The responsible authorities take precautionary measures for the extreme likelihood of a biochemical threat that could involve the use of viruses and bacteria during the Olympic Games in Athens.

NATO's specially trained battalion to deal with biochemical warfare will be in Greece during the games.

The head of the laboratory at Evangelismos Hospital in Athens explains that the microorganisms that are regarded as dangerous and can be used in such attacks are odorless, have an effect on people in a period of a few days and can be easily mixed with other substances.

Already, Firefighters and special units have been trained to deal with similar attacks, while Evangelismos Hospital doctors have been trained in Britain to treat biochemical warfare victims.

[08] THE EXILE OF THE PARTHENON MARBLES MUST END

The exile of the Parthenon Marbles must end writes famous Scotch journalist and author Neal Ascherson in an article on the British newspaper The Observer.

He underlines that Britain has no arguments to confront Greece's demand for the return of the Parthenon Marbles.

He mentions characteristically, The row has been running for two centuries. The arguments for keeping the marbles in London change all the time, but the arguments for returning them stay much the same. In 1828, a Polish visitor to London, Krystyn Lach-Szyrma, wrote: There [in Athens] everything had its reason for existence and meaning and formed one whole; here everything is in pieces, almost in ruins, without any sense or order. In a word, these remains brought to England are no longer what they were in Greece... where the common people, even through looking at them, developed their taste and perception.

[09] THE DEPA MANAGEMENT IN AZERBAIJAN

Greek Natural Gas State Company, DEPA, President Raphael Moses accompanied by the company's strategic planning general director Vasilios Tsobanopoulos had separate meetings with Azerbaijan's Minister of Fuel and Energy Medjid Kerimov and the hydrocarbon company president Natig Aliyev.

In the meetings they reviewed the progress made in the natural gas projects in Greece and confirmed the prospect for the rich natural gas deposits in Azerbaijan to become alternative sources of natural gas supply.

The meetings took place in Baku within the framework of the formal visit of Greek President Kostis Stephanopoulos to Azerbaijan during which it was underlined that both countries want to develop further their trade relations mainly in the natural gas sector.

[10] PRESIDENT STEPHANOPOULOS MET WITH HIS AZERI COUNTERPART

The will expressed by Greece and Azerbaijan to further develop and strengthen bilateral relations was confirmed in the meeting of President Kostis Stephanopoulos and Azeri President Ilham Aliyev held in Baku today, as well as in the talks held in the presence of deputy Foreign Ministers Evripidis Stilianidis and Panagiotis Skandalakis.

A total of three agreements aimed at promoting bilateral economic relations were signed in the meetings held. The agreements concerned the promotion of mutual cooperation and the protection of investments, road transportation and mutual assistance in the sector of customs.

President Stephanopoulos underlined Greece's interest in the development of education and cultural relations and the cooperation of higher education institutions.

In a press conference after the meeting with President Stephanopoulos, the President of Azerbaijan stated that his country will not recognize the occupied northern part of Cyprus denying relevant Turkish press reports.

On his part, President Stephanopoulos stressed that Greece and the Republic of Cyprus have no objections to the international community's wish to offer economic support to the Turkish occupied northern part of the island. He underlined that the Cypriot Republic will take additional measures to help the Turkish Cypriots.

This afternoon, the Greek President will meet with the president and representatives of the Greek community in Baku and then he will visit the Parliament. Later in the evening, he will attend a formal dinner given in his honor by the President of Azerbaijan.

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