Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 04-09-13

Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

CONTENTS

[01] TWO COMMITTEES TO EXAMINE THE CHINOOK ACCIDENT

[02] GREAT NUMBERS OF FAITHFUL SAY THE LAST GOODBYE TO THE PATRIARCH OF

[03] SUPPORT TO THE EFFORTS OF THE PATRIARCHATE OF JERUSALEM

[04] MARGINAL LOSSES IN THE ASE

[05] THE GREEK EXPORTS TO CYPRUS

[06] SCHOOL BELL FOR THE GREEK STUDENTS

[07] MAJOR GENERAL AVLONITIS IS THE NEW AIR FORCE GENERAL STAFF CHIEF

[08] AN ISSUE OF RESPONSIBILITY

[01] TWO COMMITTEES TO EXAMINE THE CHINOOK ACCIDENT

Greek government spokesman Thodoris Rousopoulos announced today that two committees will be formed by the Ministry of Defense to examine the conditions under which the Chinook accident happened near the monastic community of Mount Athos in Chalkidiki northern Greece last Saturday, leading to the deaths of 17 people, among them, the Patriarch of Alexandria and All of Africa.

Mr. Rousopoulos stated that the first committee will investigate the conditions under which the accident happened and the second, presided over by the National Defense General Staff Chief, will investigate the delay in the time the political leadership was informed about the accident.

Mr. Rousopoulos stated that the Prime Minister was informed about the accident during the meeting he had with the representatives of the production sectors in Thessaloniki while, responding to a question by a reporter, he confirmed that the Minister of Defense had tendered his resignation to the Prime Minister but it was rejected.

Responding to relevant questions, Mr. Rousopoulos stated that when the findings of the investigations become public will be established who are responsible and added that the information that came to publicity show that the Greek Air Force mode of operation needs reorganizing.

[02] GREAT NUMBERS OF FAITHFUL SAY THE LAST GOODBYE TO THE PATRIARCH OF ALEXANDRIA

Great numbers of faithful visit the Athens Cathedral chapel of Agios Eleftherios to say their last goodbye to Patriarch Petros of Alexandria and All Africa.

On Wednesday, the body of the Patriarch will be taken to Cairo for burial. According to information, efforts are being made for the aircraft with the body of the Patriarch to make a stopover in Cyprus the birthplace of the Patriarch.

After a decision by Minister of Interior Prokopis Pavlopoulos a three-day national mourning has been declared in Greece.

Meanwhile, the Metropolite of Karthageni, also killed in the Chinook accident last Saturday, was buried in Athens today. He was the closest associate of the Patriarch of Alexandria.

Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens and All of Greece, who officiated in the funeral service, characterized the Metropolite as a man of great spirituality, who had done a notable work and his contribution to the Greek Orthodox Church was great.

The body of prior Arsenios of the Monastery of Machera will arrive in Cyprus this evening and the funeral will take place tomorrow.

The funeral of Giorgos Papapetrou, the brother of the Patriarch, was held this afternoon in Nicosia, Cyprus.

[03] SUPPORT TO THE EFFORTS OF THE PATRIARCHATE OF JERUSALEM

Governing party of New Democracy Central Committee Secretary Vangelis Meimarakis expressed support to the efforts of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem made for the benefit of Hellenism and Orthodoxy in the meeting he had with Patriarch Eirinaios of Jerusalem at the party offices in Athens.

On his part, the Patriarch Eirinaios referred to the friendship he shares with Mr. Meimarakis and pointed out that he briefed him on issues concerning the Patriarchate.

[04] MARGINAL LOSSES IN THE ASE

Marginal losses were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange today. The general index dropped to -0.08% at 2326.93 points, while the volume of transactions was small at 73,06 million euros.

Of the stocks trading today, 77 had gains and 197 had losses, while the value of 129 stocks remained unchanged.

[05] THE GREEK EXPORTS TO CYPRUS

Greece's annual exports to Cyprus are estimated at 580 million euros and Greece occupies the top place in the Cypriot market, according to the Cypriot embassy to Athens commercial attaché Yiannis Zanoupas, who presented the figures in a press conference today within the framework of Thessaloniki's 69th International Trade Fair.

On the other hand, the Cypriot exports to Greece are at 50 million euros annually, stated Mr. Zanoupas, who pointed out that this gap in the trade balance is understandable given the size of the two countries.

Mr. Zanoupas said that bilateral trade relations follow an upward course especially after Cyprus' EU accession, underlining that the Cypriot people are grateful for Greece's assistance in this process.

Referring to the tourist sector, he said that Cyprus sends an estimated 400,000 visitors annually to Greece, while there is an upward trend in the number of Greek tourists visiting Cyprus.

[06] SCHOOL BELL FOR THE GREEK STUDENTS

The new school year opened in Greece today and Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis, who was present in the opening day of an elementary school in Athens, pointed out the role of the teachers in education.

There is a divergence of views between the Teachers' Association (OLME) and the Ministry of Education regarding the operational readiness of the education institutes.

The sector of education should not be an arena for political rivalry and political party confrontation, stated Minister of Education and Religion Marietta Giannakou.

President of OLME Mr. Kalomiris insists that the new school year begins with 6,500 void positions, referring to the number of teachers that will have to be appointed to cover the needs of the schools across the country.

[07] MAJOR GENERAL AVLONITIS IS THE NEW AIR FORCE GENERAL STAFF CHIEF

The fourth in line in the Air Force Register, major general Giorgos Avlonitis, who was in charge of the airmen training, is the new Air Force General Staff Chief and after a decision by the Governmental Council for Foreign Affairs and Defense he replaces lieutenant general Papanikolaou, who was asked to resign by Minister of Defense Spilios Spiliotopoulos after the negligence recorded in the handling of the issue of the Chinook crash that killed 17 people, among them the Patriarch of Alexandria and All of Africa.

The bathyscaphe Thetis and the oceanographic ship Aegean will participate in the search to locate the Chinook that lays at the bottom of the sea in Chalkidiki northern Greece.

[08] AN ISSUE OF RESPONSIBILITY

Minister of Defense Spilios Spiliotopoulos stated that those responsible will be found referring to the negligence recorded in the reaction procedures and the location of the tragic helicopter that crashed last Saturday killing 17 people, among them the Patriarch of Alexandria and All of Africa.

Opposition party of PASOK will submit a question to Parliament on the issue of the three-hour delay in the reaction procedures and the location of the helicopter.

Minister of State and government spokesman Thodoris Rousopoulos stated that PASOK chooses the easy, and at the same time, the most irresponsible way to express its positions.

According to the Athens television station ANT1, the Chinook helicopter that crashed on Saturday near Mount Athos had a problem last year with one of its propellers.

Meanwhile, the search continues in the sea region southeast of the Sithonia Peninsula in Chalkidiki northern Greece where the Chinook with 17 people on board, among them Patriarch Petros of Alexandria and All of Africa, crashed on Saturday morning. For the moment, 8 of the passengers of the helicopter are still missing, while on Sunday morning the body of the Patriarch was collected from the sea and was identified. The body of the Patriarch will lay in state for three days in the chapel of the Athens Cathedral and the funeral will be held in Cairo.

Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article