Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 04-06-25

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

CONTENTS

[01] REHHAGEL: IF WE FALL, WE WILL FALL LIKE HEROES

[02] HALKI ON THE AGENDA

[03] THE MAYOR OF LONDON BACKS THE RETURN OF THE PARTHENON MARBLES TO GREECE

[04] ONLY THE GREEK POLICE WILL BE ARMED IN THE OLYMPICS

[05] SAE AND THE ARCHBISHOPRIC OF ALBANIA TO FOUND A MEDICAL CENTER IN

[06] CODE OF ETHICS IN THE SECTOR OF TOURISM

[07] LOSSES IN THE ASE

[08] IFIGENIA PAPAGIANNOPOULOU DIED LAST NIGHT

[09] JACQUES ROGGE AND DENIS OSWALD CARRIED THE TORCH IN LAUSANNE

[01] REHHAGEL: IF WE FALL, WE WILL FALL LIKE HEROES

If we fall, we will fall like heroes, stated Greek national football team coach Otto Rehhagel in a press conference he gave yesterday a few hours before this evening's quarterfinal in which the Greek team will play opposite France in the Euro 2004 Tournament.

He said that Greece was a big upset in the European Championship and such tournaments want such surprises. There is always a surprise-team that moves ahead. However, only the best teams play in the finals. If we fall, we will fall like heroes, said Mr. Rehhagel.

The Greek football players assure that they are not defeatist and will fight to win France, the current European football champion.

It is estimated that about 6,000 Greek football fans will cheer for the Greek national team in the Lisbon stadium where the most important match in the history of the Greek football will take place at 9:45pm this evening (Greek time).

[02] HALKI ON THE AGENDA

The Greek-Turkish relations and the reopening of the Theology School of Halki will be on the agenda of the talks in the three separate meetings Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis will have with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the NATO Summit meeting in Istanbul.

Ankara will announce the reopening of the Theology School of Halki to US President George Bush during his visit to Turkey.

Athens has denied that Ankara has asked anything in return for the reopening of Halki.

[03] THE MAYOR OF LONDON BACKS THE RETURN OF THE PARTHENON MARBLES TO GREECE

London's Mayor Ken Livingston stated, during a special ceremony held in the London City Hall yesterday on the occasion of PASOK President Giorgos Papandreou visit within the framework of the efforts for the promotion of the Olympic Truce, that his views on the issue of the Marbles are very clear, stressing that he believes that it is right for the Parthenon Marbles to return to the place of their heritage.

The Mayor of London expressed certainty that the Athens Olympic Games will enjoy an unbelievable success and stated that he is proud because he will have the chance to represent London in this great event.

[04] ONLY THE GREEK POLICE WILL BE ARMED IN THE OLYMPICS

Only the Greek police officers will be armed during the Athens Olympic Games. Nobody else, except from the Greek security forces, will be allowed to be armed when inside the Olympic facilities.

Minister of Public Order Giorgos Voulgarakis stressed on the issue that armed guards will be allowed only for the protection of heads of states and clarified that the specific clause concerns the security escorts for Greek and foreign VIPS for whom there is a special status in effect internationally.

Mr. Voulgarakis reiterated categorically that there will be no armed security escorts with the national Olympic teams which will be in Athens in August.

He also announced that people will be able to report anything suspicious during the Olympic Games by calling the telephone number 1014.

Speaking before the special parliamentary committee, Mr. Voulgarakis stated that NATO will monitor the airspace and will assist in the case of radio-biochemical threats.

NATO announced formally yesterday through its general secretary that it will assist Greece in its effort to host safe Olympic Games in the period of August 13-29.

[05] SAE AND THE ARCHBISHOPRIC OF ALBANIA TO FOUND A MEDICAL CENTER IN HIMARA

Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana and All of Albania, Council for the Greeks Abroad, SAE, President Andrew Athens and SAE's medical issues director Dr. Kiriakos Kanakis discussed the medical care needs in the southern part of Albania and the potential for the creation of a Medical Center in the city of Himara during their visit to the city on June 22.

Mr. Athens had a telephone communication with Albanian Prime Minister Fatos Nano who thanked him for the project underway expressing his support to the effort made.

[06] CODE OF ETHICS IN THE SECTOR OF TOURISM

The Ministry of Tourism, which will be renamed into Ministry of Tourist Development, will present a code of tourist ethics and professional conduct issued for the first time and concerns the tourist sector.

The above announced Minister of Tourism Dimitris Avramopoulos addressing the Greek Journalists' Conference held for a 12th year in the north Aegean island of Samothraki.

The Tourist Ministry goal is to attract other visitors as well and not only the fanatic fans of the Olympic Games, who watch them every time they take place. Another goal is to boost the tourist sector to correspond to 35% of the GDP in the next decade.

In the conference, representatives of the press, local administration and the tourist sector exchanged views on tourist development and the promotion of the country. Over 450 delegates, the majority of them journalists, participate in the conference organized by the Prefecture of Evros, the municipality of Samothraki, the Association of Greek Prefectures and the Associations of Journalists.

[07] LOSSES IN THE ASE

Losses were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange today. The general index dropped to -1.11% at 2313.50 points, while the volume of transactions was at 127.8 million euros.

Of the stocks trading today, 57 had gains and 250 had losses, while the value of 87 stocks remained unchanged.

[08] IFIGENIA PAPAGIANNOPOULOU DIED LAST NIGHT

Ifigenia Papagiannopoulou a well-known songwriter, radio producer and journalist, died last night at the age of 40 probably from allergic shock to a medicine she received.

She had worked for many newspapers and magazines like TO ETHNOS and Epikerotita and in theater productions making adaptations of children's theater plays, while she had also collaborated with great names in music and theater among them, music composers Mimis Plessas and Thanasis Polikandriotis.

[09] JACQUES ROGGE AND DENIS OSWALD CARRIED THE TORCH IN LAUSANNE

The Olympic Torch Relay arrived in Paris today and tomorrow will be in London.

On Thursday, 24 June the Olympic Flame shone its light for the second time since 1948 on Geneva and Lausanne. The two Swiss cities are the 19th and 20th, respectively, to be visited by the ATHENS 2004 Global Torch Relay. IOC President Jacques Rogge and IOC Coordination Commission Chairman Denis Oswald took part in the Torch Relay and ran with the Olympic Torch along the shores of Lake Leman, wildly cheered on by the thousands of friends of Olympism who had converged on every section of the route.

In separate statements to Greek state television (ERT) the two men said:

Denis Oswald: I believe the message of the Torch Relay is amazing. It is the first time in the history of the Games that the Flame has visited all five continents and the enthusiasm for the Torch Relay certainly proves it was a wonderful idea. The hard work and constant testing make things go smoothly and I believe that with the Sport Events that have taken place the situation is improving every day and that the Games will be fantastic. Naturally, we are anxious before each great sporting event but I am convinced that everything possible is being done so that the Athens Games will be successful.

Jacques Rogge: The Flame's message is one of peace because it reminds the world of the Truce, which you Greeks first implemented, and which is an amazing idea. It also symbolizes the world's unity because it unites people from different countries, religions, nationalities and it also unties all the cities that hosted the Summer Olympic Games in the past. It is, therefore, a symbol with a double meaning, and that is marvelous. When I first heard the ATHENS 2004 proposal for the Global Torch Relay I was excited because it hadn't been done before and it sends the message of the Games to the entire world. When someone sees what happens in every city the Flame visits, when one sees Pele, one of the most famous athletes of all time, bearing the Olympic Torch in tears - it is very moving. I, myself, was moved. I had tears in my eyes and saw that all Torchbearers feel a powerful emotion. I am absolutely convinced that everything necessary as far as Olympic Games security is concerned has been done. All that is humanly possible has been done and I am convinced that the Greek government and ATHENS 2004 have done all that was necessary. With respect to the general progress of preparations I am especially satisfied and can say - 50 days before the Opening Ceremony - that Athens will be ready on 13 August.

The Torch Relay started out from the Geneva Airport, where a huge crowd had gathered earlier. People of all ages, many of them holding Greek flags, went there to celebrate the Flame's return to Swiss territory after 56 years.

The welcoming ceremony was quite impressive, with the Old Grenadiers (Les Vieux Grenadiers), the traditional sleepless guard of the city for more than 250 years, and the young Greek priestesses giving the festivities a particularly local color.

The ideal weather conditions afforded resident of both cities the opportunity to swarm the streets of the Torch Relay route to cheer the Torchbearers.

There were 139 Torchbearers running with the Flame in both cities. The Torch Relay stopped briefly at many points of special cultural and Olympic significance where events were held in the Flame's honor: the UN European headquarters, Geneva's famous 140m-tall fountain, the Olympic Stadium, the Olympic Museum and the IOC headquarters in Lausanne. The ceremonies attended former Swiss Prime Minister and Special Counsel on Sports matters to the UN Secretary General, Adolf Oggi, General Secretary for the Olympic Games, Spyros Kapralos, and local authorities representatives.

Aside from leading figures of the Olympic Movement who carried the ATHENS 2004 Torch, other prominent Torchbearers were: Bertrand Piccard, the first person to circumnavigate the globe in a hot-air balloon in a single stretch; Olympic gold medallists Marc Rosset and Yang Xilan; and the man who has been for a number of years Switzerland's champion with a disability, Christian Gobe.

At the same ceremony, representatives of the Greek community gave Geneva's authorities an olive branch, which is to be planted in a central spot of the city as a reminder of the Flame's passage.

The Torch Relay was concluded with festivities held in Lausanne's Place De la Navigation.

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