Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 06-04-10

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

CONTENTS

[01] EUROPEAN COMMISSIONER KYPRIANOU VISITS ATHENS

[02] MUNICIPAL GARBAGE COLLECTORS EXTEND STRIKE ACTION

[03] THE MUNICIPALITY OF NEAPOLIS, THESSALONIKI STANDS BY THE CHILDREN OF

[04] SOLUTION WITHOUT PARTITION AND TRUSTEESHIP

[05] EARTHQUAKE OF MAGNITUDE 5.2 HITS KARPATHOS ISLAND

[01] EUROPEAN COMMISSIONER KYPRIANOU VISITS ATHENS

Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis received European Commissioner Markos Kyprianou, responsible for Health and Consumer Protection, at Maximos Mansion in Athens this morning. The meeting was held in the presence of Minister of Health and Social Solidarity Dimitris Avramopoulos and Minister of Development Dimitris Sioufas.

Mr. Kyprianou stated after the meeting that he briefed the prime minister on bird flu and consumer protection issues.

He stated that the preparation of the EU in order to deal with the bird flu threat is at the highest level in the world pointing out that the bird flu virus in the EU is limited to wild birds and only two bird flu cases were spotted in farms.

Mr. Kyprianou also mentioned that measures for the support of poultry farmers were announced last week and that the solidarity fund will be subsidized while a strategic drug reserve will be created to deal with the likelihood of a pandemic.

Responding to a question on medical tourism, he said that the European Commission supports this prospect for the Europeans who want to travel to other countries, where medical services are more affordable, to obtain medical care.

Mr. Kyprianou will also have meetings with Hellenic Republic President Karolos Papoulias and main opposition Socialist Party PASOK leader Giorgos Papandreou.

[02] MUNICIPAL GARBAGE COLLECTORS EXTEND STRIKE ACTION

Local administration employees decided to extend their strike for another 24 hours after a marathon discussion held by their union representatives yesterday. This means that tens of thousands of tons of garbage will remain on the streets of major urban centers in Greece.

Minister of Interior, Public Administration, and Decentralization Prokopis Pavlopoulos expressed regret because during a strike action he had to make statements on those who incite it and why. He said that he had not done something like that before but he will do it now on behalf of the government because truth has to shine, public health has to be ensured and the protection of the real interests of the employees has to get underway.

[03] THE MUNICIPALITY OF NEAPOLIS, THESSALONIKI STANDS BY THE CHILDREN OF TANZANIA

A message of love to the people of Tanzania, and particularly the children who are plagued by AIDS and other infectious diseases, is sent by the Municipality of Neapolis, Thessaloniki and the Holy Metropolis of Neapolis and Stavroupolis.

In a press conference today, it was announced that this year's Ai-Georgitika events to take place in Neapolis on May 5-7 will be dedicated to the children of this African country and the goal is to raise at least 7,000 euros to be donated to the Holy Metropolis of Irinoupolis and Seychelles in support of its missionary work.

The money will be used for the construction of at least four wells to deal with the lack of drinking water that kills many of the 3,000 children who die every day while medicines will be sent to meet the increased needs.

Neapolis Mayor Mr. Nathaniel Ladopoulos stated that local schools, teachers, parents, etc participate in the effort launched at the initiative of the Neapolis Cultural Center proving that humanity is not a privilege of the few.

He also stressed that it is a blessing that there are enlightened personalities in the Church like, Metropolitan Bishop Dimitrios of Irinoupolis and Seychelles who, through their work, turn the Word of God into deeds. He thanked Metropolitan Bishop Varnavas of Neapolis and Stavroupolis and all local forces participating in this important event, as he characterized it, while expressing the wish that more municipalities will follow the example of Neapolis.

Metropolitan Bishop Dimitrios of Irinoupolis and Seychelles, who comes from the town of Sohos near Thessaloniki, warmly thanked everybody for their expressed love and support to the people of Tanzania underlining that children die in Tanzania for 3 or 10 euros, the price of a chickenpox or malaria vaccine respectively.

On his part, Metropolitan Bishop Varnavas called on everyone to participate in the journey of love, particularly children, who must have the priceless, as he described it, experience of unconditional love. He also issued an appeal to every pupil in the municipality to adopt children from Tanzania, a proposal that can be promoted by teachers.

A one-day conference on the Missionary Work of the Patriarchate of Alexandria and all Africa in Tanzania will take place on May 5 within the framework of the scheduled events.

[04] SOLUTION WITHOUT PARTITION AND TRUSTEESHIP

We are entering a phase of mobility and prospects for Cyprus, stated Cyprus' EDEK party President Yiannakis Omirou from Thessaloniki last night.

Mr. Omirou underlined that a vital precondition for any development is for Turkey to abandon its expansionist moves against Cyprus and accept, particularly now while being on a European course, that a solution in Cyprus should be based on international law principles and not on partition or trusteeship reasoning.

[05] EARTHQUAKE OF MAGNITUDE 5.2 HITS KARPATHOS ISLAND

An earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale was recorded in the sea region southeast of the Dodecanese island of Karpathos, southeast Aegean, in the early morning hours today.

According to Thessaloniki's Aristotle University Geophysics Laboratory, the tremor was recorded by its telemetric network at 2.27am and its epicenter was located close to the island's south coasts.

Aristotle University seismologist Vasilis Karakostas told ANA-MPA that the epicenter was located at the southeast part of the Hellenic Arc and no aftershocks were recorded.

He stressed that there are no indications of increased seismic activity in the region of southeast Aegean adding that 48 hours should pass before any conclusions can be reached.

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