Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 06-03-30

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] VALINAKIS-BRYZA MEETING

[02] THE SE EUROPEAN ENERGY MINISTERS MEET IN THESSALONIKI ON SATURDAY

[03] KOMOTINI-ALEXANDROUPOLIS NATURAL GAS PIPELINE

[04] THE REGIONS AT THE CENTER OF ATTENTION

[05] THE PRIME MINISTER IN ROME FOR THE EPP CONGRESS

[06] EDUCATION MINISTER YIANNAKOU VISITS THE UNITED STATES

[01] VALINAKIS-BRYZA MEETING

Deputy Foreign Minister Yiannis Valinakis will meet in Athens tomorrow with US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia Matthew Bryza.

According to a statement issued, they will discuss issues of mutual interest.

[02] THE SE EUROPEAN ENERGY MINISTERS MEET IN THESSALONIKI ON SATURDAY

The meeting of the SE European Cooperation Process Energy Ministers on Energy: Fundamental Pylon of development in SE Europe will take place in Thessaloniki on Saturday.

Greece will be represented by Minister of Development Dimitris Sioufas, Deputy Minister Anastasios Nerantzis and ministry general secretary Nikos Stefanou.

The meeting participants are Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, FYROM, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, and Austria, currently holding the rotating EU presidency.

The United States, Russia, the Stability Pact and Moldavia will attend the meeting under an observer status.

[03] KOMOTINI-ALEXANDROUPOLIS NATURAL GAS PIPELINE

Minister of Development Dimitris Sioufas will inaugurate on Monday the opening of construction work at the Industrial Area of Komotini, northeast Greece, where the Komotini-Alexandroupolis natural gas pipeline will be built.

The construction of the project is necessary to link the Greek Natural Gas Transfer System with the Turkish one in order to carry natural gas from Turkey and become part of the EU interstate energy transfer networks in the future.

[04] THE REGIONS AT THE CENTER OF ATTENTION

Minister of Macedonia-Thrace Giorgos Kalantzis briefed the prime minister on the construction course of the major public works underway in Macedonia and Thrace, north Greece, and on the issue of the Phosphoric Fertilizers Industry in Thessaloniki.

After the meeting, Mr. Kalantzis characterized Macedonia and Thrace as a huge construction site stressing that contractors have undertaken the construction of the last parts of Egnatia Odos motorway, while the construction of the vertical axes linking Egnatia Odos with the northern borders is in progress.

Concerning the major public works in Thessaloniki (metro, undersea tunnel, airport) he said that difficulties were overcome and very soon contractors will take over.

Referring to the operation of the Phosphoric Fertilizers Industry, he said that according to the briefing he had by the company itself, the board of directors will meet on Monday with the heads of the workers unions to decide how the Thessaloniki plant will operate.

[05] THE PRIME MINISTER IN ROME FOR THE EPP CONGRESS

Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis will be in Rome today to attend the 17th European People's Party, EPP, Congress organized by the three Italian center-right parties, members of the EPP.

This year's congress coincides with the 30th anniversary of the founding of the EPP and delegates will elect new president, vice-presidents, general secretary and treasurer.

Over 800 representatives of 68 political parties from 35 European countries that are full members, associate members or have an observer status will attend the congress. Among those attending will be 15 European prime ministers.

According to a statement by the party of New Democracy, a political manifesto will be presented in the congress with the EPP priorities on issues faced by the EU, a number of resolutions as well as changes in the EPP founding charter.

[06] EDUCATION MINISTER YIANNAKOU VISITS THE UNITED STATES

Minister of Education Marietta Yiannakou presented the Greek experience on the social assimilation of immigrants speaking in the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington on the first day of her three-day visit to the US capital within the framework of which she will attend a conference on Greek-US relations organized by the Hellenic American Heritage Council.

The meetings Ms. Yiannakou will have with US government officials will also focus on the particular issue, while the moves she made so far and her future plans on the Greek education system were well received by the Greek American community at a reception given in her honor by Greece's ambassador to Washington Mr. Mallias.

Speaking in the Woodrow Wilson Center, the minister referred to the need for cooperation both within the EU framework and within the framework of the Euro-Atlantic relations to deal with the ideology of extreme Islamism formed in conditions of social exclusion and cultural isolation. Ms. Yiannakou said that the Greek policy of assimilation and training of immigrants, Muslims in particular, is an implementation of the collective EU decisions for the equal access of citizens to education and job opportunities.

Ms. Yiannakou pointed out that in contrast with the rest western European peoples, who just recently began coexisting with Muslim communities, the Greek people have a long experience of peaceful coexistence with Balkan and Middle East Muslim communities.

Ms. Yiannakou stressed that a total of 130,000 children of immigrants study in Greek schools and their right to education does not depend on whether their parents are legally or illegally in Greece. She also said that to meet the needs of the Muslim minority in Thrace, the status of which is defined by the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, Greece implements a number of positive measures in favor of the minority students offering advisory support to their teachers and other cultural activities.

She underlined that it is the responsibility of the host country to guarantee the social assimilation of immigrants pointing out, however, that they have an obligation to understand and respect the social values of the country in which they live.

Responding to relevant questions by the audience, she referred to the Greek state's decision to send 2,000 teachers around the world to help the Greeks living abroad improve their Greek and teach the Holocaust in Greek schools.

Later today, Ms. Yiannakou will visit the Holocaust Museum in Washington. Earlier, she met with US Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Paula J. Dobriansky, while she had a working lunch with Georgetown University School of Foreign Service Dean Bob Galucci, met with US Senator Sarbanes and visited the American Hellenic Institute.

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