Subject: MPA GREEK NEWS BULLETIN 30/5/95 Topic: mpa From: Macedonian Press Agency BRIEF GREEK NEWS BULLETIN BY MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY Thessaloniki, May 30 1995 [1] GREECE IA A FACTOR FOR THE SOLUTION OF THE BOSNIAN CRISIS [2] MINOR OPPOSITION PARTY WITHDRAWS MPs FROM PARLIAMENT [3] THE GREEK MINISTER OF DEFENCE WILL MEET WITH HIS US COUNTERPART [4] GREEK-ALBANIAN COMMITTEE MET IN TIRANA [5] NO RESULTS FROM THE TALKS ON CYPRUS HELD IN LONDON, [6] THE GREEK PRESIDENT SENT A LETTER OF CONDOLENCES TO YELTSIN [7] SKOPJE IS A BASE OF HEROIN PRODUCTION [8] SMOKING AND ALCOHOL THE MAIN CAUSES OF MOUTH CANCER. ----------------------------------------------------------------- [1] GREECE IA A FACTOR FOR THE SOLUTION OF THE BOSNIAN CRISIS Greece is a factor that can contribute in the solution of the Bosnian crisis said today after returning from the session fo the General Affairs European Council Greek Alteranate foreign Minister Mr Georgios Alexandros Mangakis. Mr Mangakis said that the co-president of the Geneva conference for the solution of the Yugoslav crisis Lord Owen shares the Greek opinion that Serbian president Milocevic should be supported. Greek government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos stated that is not ruled out the possibility Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias to visit Belgrade directly from Holland clarifying that he is not announcing a visit of mr.Papoulias' to former Yugoslavia. Mr.Venizelos also added that Greece is ready to undertake any initiative that will lead to the de-escalation of the crisis in Bosnia. Responding to a question by a reporter on whether there is an initiative by Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos for the release of the UN peace-keepers held as hostages in Bosnia, the greek government spokesman said that he does not know anything about it but he added that he believes it is quite normal for the Ecumenical Patriarch to undertake peace initiatives in the context of his activities. Meanwhile, mr.Venizelos did not rule out the possibility of a meeting between the Foreign Ministers of Greece and Turkey on the side of the Summit meeting of NATO's Foreign Ministers in Holland. He said that a meeting has not been scheduled to take place but added that such meetings are not unusual during Summits. [2] MINOR OPPOSITION PARTY WITHDRAWS MPs FROM PARLIAMENT Minor opposition partry of Political Spring announced late Tuesday that their eleven-member parliamentary group will noy take part in the parliamentary works till Foreign Policy is discussed in the parliament. Mr Samaras accused the governmental PASOK and the main opposition party of New Democracy of having aggreed to follow decisions "taken in another continent".The Press and Media Minister accused President of the Political Spring Party Mr Antonis Samaras that he undermines the parliamentary institutions The New Democracy accused Mr Samaras of having supported PASOK" saty in the government. Mr Samaras used to be the Foreign Minister in New Democracy government under Mr Mitsotakis between 1990-92.He left the party in June 1993 and established Political Spring which took 4.5% in the October 1993 elections and 8.2% in the 1994 elections for the European Parliament. [3] THE GREEK MINISTER OF DEFENCE WILL MEET WITH HIS US COUNTERPART Greek Defence Minister Gerasimos Arsenis is meeting today with his US counterpart William Perry in the US Pentagon and the main topic of their discussion is expected to be the crisis in Bosnia.Regarding the Bosnian crisis is expected that the two ministers will discuss the steps that are needed to be made for the de-escalation of the crisis. Also, they will discuss issues concerning the greek-turkish relations and the developments in Albania and Skopje. [4] GREEK-ALBANIAN COMMITTEE MET IN TIRANA The first meeting of the greek-albanian committee responsible for the preparation of the programme for the development of the region and the solution of the problems concerning the borders of the two countries was held yesterday in the context of the EU programme PHARE. The problems facing the greek-albanian programme concern mainly the sectors of road transportation, border outposts, tele- communications, the environment and the economic development of the region in general. The programme for the period 1995-1999 that was agreed during the committee meeting held yesterday will be funded with 45 million ECU and concerns the cities of Agii Saranta, Argyrokastro, Koritsa, Premeti and other southern albanian regions. This year priority will be given to the transportation infrastructure in southern Albania and especially to the road linking Kakavia with Argyrokastro. The inter-border programme aims at making the economic cooperation between the two countries even closer through the development of the infrastructure, the improvement of the living conditions and health and the protection of the environment. [5] NO RESULTS FROM THE TALKS ON CYPRUS HELD IN LONDON, Gustav Feissel, deputy representative of the UN Secretary General in Cyprus, stated after his meeting with Cypriot President Kliridis, that nothing came out of the secret talks on the Cyprus problem held in London. He also stated that his assessment on the results of the talks coincides with the assessment of the US and British representatives. Mr.Feissel reiterated that the UN continue to have the initiative in the efforts for the solution of the Cyprus problem and that the US-British initiative is assisting the work of the international organization. He also announced that he has submitted to the UN Secretary General his report on the results of Joe Clark's recent tour in Athens, Ankara and Nicosia. Later, mr.Feissel had a meeting with Rauf Denktash in order to be briefed on the turkish-cypriot leader's views regarding the London talks. [6] THE GREEK PRESIDENT SENT A LETTER OF CONDOLENCES TO YELTSIN Greek President Mr Cpnstantinos Stephanopoulos has sent a letter of condolences to russian President Boris Yeltsin expressing his sympathy for the victims of the devastating earthquake measuring 7,5 on the Richter scale that hit in the early morning hours of last Sunday the remote Sakhalin island. [7] SKOPJE IS A BASE OF HEROIN PRODUCTION A confidential Foreign Ministry note with serious charges on the production of hard drugs in FYROM was revealed yesterday in the greek Parliament. The document, which had been sent to greek diplomatic missions abroad mentions that heroin was being produced near military camps in Kousanovo and Krivolak, while the chemicals used for the production of heroin are either made by a Skopje-based company or they are imported. In the document is also mentioned that many poppy plantations are located near Novo Selo, close to the greek borders and in Ofce Pole, near Axios River. According to the document, information by the International Bulletin of Narcotics large quantities of heroin recently seized in Germany, Switzerland and Greece were sold by ethnic albanian drug dealers from Kosovo, Skopje and Shkodra in Albania using as bases central hotels in Skopje. In the document is added that those drug dealers provide the money for the purchase of weapons arming the albanians in Kosovo, while Strunica and the whole area around the Lake of Doirani are transit points for the drug trade and the maximum jail sentence for drug trafficking in FYROM is six months. [8] SMOKING AND ALCOHOL THE MAIN CAUSES OF MOUTH CANCER. Smoking and alcohol are the basic causes of mouth cancer while their combination is 16 times more harmful. The cancer of the mouth represents 3% of all the cancer cases and the highest percentages are reported among the males, according to the professors of the Athens University Dental School and those responsible for the programme "Europe against cancer" who made the announcement on the occassion of the World Day Against Smoking. Professor of Dentistry Angelos Angelopoulos stated that 80% of the mouth cancer cases are detectable and this is very important because the early diagnosis increases the survival rate of the cancer patients. -------------------------MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY--------------------------- The Macedonian Press Agency is a non-governmental press organization which aims: - To transfer and make use of news and information about the situation in the Balkans, Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean countries mostly upon matters which are of vital interest for the Greek business, scientific and cultural activities. - To become a "bridge" between the Greeks who live abroad and their home countryby contributing to a more essential connection and above all to inform them about the investment opportunities as well as the intellectual and artistic movements in Greece, the Balkans, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. - To show the achievements and the abilities of the business, scientific and intellectual world of Greece all over the world. The service provides daily news in English. --------------------------------------------------------------------------