Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 06-03-01

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

CONTENTS

[01] NEW PRIVATIZATIONS

[02] BAKOYIANNIS FROM BRUSSELS TO THE BALKANS

[03] A TOTAL OF 22 KEP IN THE SERVICE OF THE GREEKS ABROAD

[04] THE 6TH INTERNATIONAL WINE COMPETITION BEGINS IN THESSALONIKI TOMORROW

[05] THE FOREIGN MINISTRY ON THE CYPRUS ISSUE

[06] MOST NEW CANCER CASES DIAGNOSED IN PEOPLE OVER 50

[07] A PARIS COURT OF APPEALS RULED IN FAVOR OF BOURBOULIA'S EXTRADITION TO

[08] CAREFUL PREPARATION

[01] NEW PRIVATIZATIONS

The government expects revenues as high as last year's namely, 1.6 billion euros, according to Minister of Economy and Finance Giorgos Alogoskoufis after the inner cabinet meeting yesterday.

Until now the privatizations program was met with great success, stated the minister, with public revenues reaching 3 billion euros since 2004.

Regarding the procedures to be followed it was pointed out that they will be open and transparent to achieve the biggest benefit both for society itself and the state revenues.

On the strike mobilizations, Mr. Alogoskoufis stated that it is the workers' right adding, however, that the government has an obligation to materialize a social and economic policy that will solve the problems of the past and create a better future for the country.

Today, Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis will meet with Culture Minister Giorgos Voulgarakis and new Athens mayor Theodoros Behrakis.

[02] BAKOYIANNIS FROM BRUSSELS TO THE BALKANS

Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyiannis, who met yesterday with EU High Representative of Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) Javier Solana, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and European Parliament President Josep Borrell, briefed Hellenic Republic President Karolos Papoulias today before departing tomorrow on a tour of the Balkan capital cities.

In Brussels, Mrs. Bakoyiannis discussed in detail the problems in the Balkan region where Greece has a strong presence and a special interest, she stated characteristically.

[03] A TOTAL OF 22 KEP IN THE SERVICE OF THE GREEKS ABROAD

A total of 22 Citizen Service Centres (KEP) will be in operation in an equal number of Greek consulates around the world to serve the Greeks abroad beginning on Friday, March 3 after an order issued by Deputy Foreign Minister Theodoros Kassimis.

The KEP abroad will be on-line with the Greek Ministry of Interior and will be able to issue an estimated 1,000 different kinds of certificates.

The 22 Greek consulates offering KEP services as of March 3 are in New York, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Toronto, Montreal, Buenos Aires, London, Brussels, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Berlin, Munich, Stuttgart, Stockholm, Moscow, Mariupol, Rome, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Johannesburg.

[04] THE 6TH INTERNATIONAL WINE COMPETITION BEGINS IN THESSALONIKI TOMORROW

A total of 617 Greek and foreign wines will compete in the 6th International Wine Competition in Thessaloniki to take place on March 2-4 organized by the Wine Producers Association of the Northern Greece Vineyard in cooperation with HELEXPO DETROP-OENOS.

In the competition will participate wines from Greece and other 13 countries (Argentina, Austria, Brazil, France, Germany, United States, Spain, Italy, Cyprus, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, Portugal). The wine samples will be tasted and evaluated by 35 distinguished sommeliers from Brazil, United States, Canada, France, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany and Sweden. The foreign participations make up 25% of the overall wine samples.

The competition results will be announced in Athens on March 11 and the following day the public will have the opportunity to taste the prize winning wines in Oenorama 2006 exhibition taking place in EKEP Metamorphosis, Athens.

[05] THE FOREIGN MINISTRY ON THE CYPRUS ISSUE

Yesterday's meeting of Cyprus Republic President Tassos Papadopoulos with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in Paris sends out a positive message, commented Foreign Ministry spokesman Giorgos Koumoutsakos responding to relevant questions.

It is a very positive development and constitutes a step within the framework of the Greek position for a carefully prepared beginning of talks for the solution of the Cyprus issue, he added.

President Papadopoulos briefed Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyiannis this morning on the outcome of his meeting with the UN Secretary General.

The Greek Foreign Ministry spokesman stated that the Greek side even though it believes that it is too soon to make any assessments, mainly on issues like demilitarization, it realizes that the character and message reflected is in harmony with the Greek position and that there should be a stage of meaningful preparation to create the necessary safety valves and avoid the likelihood of a new failure.

Responding to a question on information that the Turkish side has allegedly put into effect a ban preventing the Cypriot aircraft from entering the Istanbul FIR, the Greek Foreign Ministry spokesman stated that based on the available information, there is no document by the responsible Turkish authorities referring to the specific demand.

Mr. Koumoutsakos pointed out that a ban was in effect according to which, the Istanbul FIR was off-limits to the Cyprus Airways and the state-owned Charter Eurocypria planes, adding that in any case it remains to be confirmed whether the ban has been extended.

In case this is confirmed it will be one more proof of Turkey's unconstructive and inflexible stance, stressed the Greek Foreign Ministry spokesman, who reminded that all those issues are being evaluated and examined within the framework of the decisions that made Turkey an EU candidate state.

[06] MOST NEW CANCER CASES DIAGNOSED IN PEOPLE OVER 50

As life expectancy rises, so does the number of new cancer cases among older people. Today, only 15% of the new cancer cases recorded annually is diagnosed in people under the age of 50, while the rest 85% is diagnosed in older ages.

Another characteristic fact is that cancer deaths show a steady, slow, upward trend.

The above were mentioned in the 6th Conference of the Geriatric and Gerontology Society in N. Greece taking place in Thessaloniki.

In conclusion, it was mentioned that taking advantage of the new drugs and treatment techniques aimed at raising the survival rate and maintaining a good quality of life for this large group of patients is among the most important goals for oncology in the immediate future.

[07] A PARIS COURT OF APPEALS RULED IN FAVOR OF BOURBOULIA'S EXTRADITION TO GREECE

A Paris court of appeals ruled today in favor of former judge Konstantina Bourboulia's extradition to Greece pending an arrest warrant.

Mrs. Bourboulia, wanted by the Greek authorities for involvement in a trial-rigging scheme, has until Monday night to appeal to a higher court. In case no such move is made, the ruling will be regarded as final and the French state will have 10 days, after next Tuesday, to turn her over to the Greek authorities.

[08] CAREFUL PREPARATION

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and Cyprus Republic President Tassos Papadopoulos agreed in their meeting in Paris that there is a need for careful preparation to achieve full resumption of the negotiating process at the appropriate time.

The meeting lasted longer than the scheduled one hour and was characterized as productive resulting in a joint communiqu?.

According to information, Mr. Papadopoulos presented a verbal proposal to Mr. Annan with the goals, procedures and climate necessary for negotiations to start over.

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