Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 05-05-23

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

CONTENTS

[01] FAREWELL TO THE CAPTAIN

[02] DECISION ON PATRIARCH IRENAEUS

[03] BULGARIAN CERTAINTY FOR THE OIL PIPELINE

[04] THE GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN ON THE PRIME MINISTER'S TRIP TO THE UNITED

[05] THE GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN ON THE SUCCESS IN EUROVISION

[06] GREECE FACES 60 ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION COMPLAINTS

[01] FAREWELL TO THE CAPTAIN

Greek Communist Party honorary president Harilaos Florakis died on Sunday at the age of 91 from heart failure and his body will lie in state at the Communist Party headquarters at Perissos, Athens until Wednesday, May 25.

The farewell ceremony (civil funeral) will take place on Wednesday, May 25 at 6pm at the atrium of the Central Committee building and the burial service will be held on Thursday at 4pm at the village of Paliozoglopi in the municipality of Itamos at the Agrafa Mountains in Thessaly, central Greece.

In the farewell note he had written he mentioned that he had nothing to leave in his will. Harilaos Florakis was born on July 20, 1914 in Rachoula, Karditsa. He had worked as a telegraph operator and had engaged in an intense labor unionist and political activity while he also participated in the national resistance during WWII and the civil war.

In 1972 he became the Greek Communist Party General Secretary and in 1989 he was elected party president.

Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis stated that Florakis was one of the leaders who contributed personally and decisively to the effort to overcome the passions of the past.

He was always a restless and open mind with a special popular wisdom and one of the first to predict the need for changes and adjustments to the current situation, stated main opposition Socialist Party of PASOK President Giorgos Papandreou. Condolences sent the whole Greek political leadership.

[02] DECISION ON PATRIARCH IRENAEUS

The Pan-Orthodox Synod called by the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul to examine the crisis in the Patriarchate of Jerusalem opens without the participation of seven hierarchs who will be absent for health reasons.

Patriarch Irenaeus stated that he is not going to the Fener to be tried while Jordanian King Abdullah has already signed the decision for his removal from the Patriarchal Throne.

A delegation of the hierarchs who overthrew Irenaeus will also attend the Synod, while Irenaeus himself will be accompanied by his legal advisers. The synod will also attend Canon Law professors Yiannis Konidaris and Charalambos Papastathis.

Patriarch Alexios of Russia will not attend due to illness as well as Patriarch Ignatios of Antioch because he receives medical treatment at a US hospital. Patriarch Chrisostomos of Cyprus and Patriarch Nikolaos of Czech-Slovakia will not attend either. Patriarch Theoktistos of Romania and Patriarch Pavle of Serbia, both at a very old age, will not attend, as well as Patriarch Elias of Georgia.

Meanwhile, the Israeli authorities cut electricity in the Patriarchate of Jerusalem because bills were unpaid since August 2004.

For the record, the Patriarchate has more unpaid bills, while press reports in Israel mention that Patriarch Irenaeus had allegedly given his approval to the management of land property that belong to the Patriarchate.

[03] BULGARIAN CERTAINTY FOR THE OIL PIPELINE

The certainty that no matter who will be in the Bulgarian government after the June 25 parliamentary elections will continue to work intensively for the materialization of the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline, expressed deputy president of the Bulgarian government Plamen Panayiotov in response to a question by MPA.

On the US military installations in Bulgaria, Mr. Panayiotov stated that negotiations are at an early stage and announced that US specialists are expected in Sofia to examine the details of the issue, stressing that in the final agreement will be taken under consideration the relevant articles of the Bulgarian Constitution.

Mr. Panayiotov met with the general directors of Balkan and other European news agencies, who attend the international journalistic conference organized by the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA), and underlined the need to materialize the very important project of Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline for the wider SE European region. He appeared optimistic that the oil pipeline will be constructed within the timetable set while he underlined the efforts made toward this direction by the governments of Greece and Russia.

Regarding the withdrawal of the Bulgarian troops from Iraq he mentioned that it will be completed by the end of the year leaving open the likelihood for a small Bulgarian force to remain in Iraq in case there are new relevant UN decisions.

[04] THE GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN ON THE PRIME MINISTER'S TRIP TO THE UNITED STATES

The Prime Minister's trip to the United States was totally successful and the US President characterized Greece as a strategic ally. The US President thanked Greece for the good cooperation both at bilateral level and through international organizations, stressed government spokesman Thodoris Rousopoulos pointing out that such moves were a rare occurrence in the past.

Responding to a question by a reporter on what are the benefits for Greece stemming from the characterization strategic partner and if Greece will be a strategic partner on the issue of Islamic terrorism, the government spokesman stated that an effort is being made internationally launched at the end of the 1980s aimed at strengthening democracy.

Greece has given birth to Democracy and has played an important role in this effort at a Balkan level and in the wider Middle East region as well, said Mr. Rousopoulos, adding that Greece does not believe that this effort should remain limited to the wider Middle East region but it should have greater duration and cover a much larger geopolitical area.

Mr. Rousopoulos stated that the Greek government does not agree with the US approach on the issue of the FYROM name and expressed the hope that in time the United States will give a boost the UN effort aimed at reaching a solution to the problem.

Finally, he highlighted FYROM's intransigence toward the proposal presented by UN mediator Nimetz, clarifying that no new proposal has been submitted on the issue of the FYROM name.

[05] THE GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN ON THE SUCCESS IN EUROVISION

The quiet effort, and the coordinated action and professionalism brought Greece to the top place in the Eurovision song contest, stressed government spokesman Thodoris Rousopoulos.

Responding to a relevant question by a reporter, the government spokesman pointed out that the Eurovision contest to be held in Greece in 2006 will be organized by the state-run radio and television ERT, pointing out that the contribution of the Ministry of Tourism was decisive in the promotion of Greece abroad. The ERT and the General Secretariat of Information also did a professional job. In addition, the Greeks all over the world appreciated a very good effort and mainly, they appreciated the song, the singer and all those involved, stated Mr. Rousopoulos.

[06] GREECE FACES 60 ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION COMPLAINTS

The European Commission examines 60 complaints against Greece for an equal number of environmental protection issues.

Forty-four of them have already been characterized as violations and concern waste management, 16 concern air pollution and 11 the protection of nature, water reserves and omissions recorded in studies on the effects a number of projects will have on the environment.

Among them is the complaint targeting the under construction NW Thessaloniki waste management site. According to the complaint, the specific project is a threat for a rare lizard species.

The responsible directorate cannot deal with issues that could arise at a later time but only with those that have already arisen as a result of omissions, constructional defects or neglect.

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