Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 97-10-09

From: Macedonian Press Agency <mpa@philippos.mpa.gr>

Macedonian Press Agency: News in English Directory

MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH

Thessaloniki, 9 Oktober, 1997

NEWS IN ENGLISH

[A] NATIONAL NEWS

[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

TITLES

[A] NATIONAL NEWS

[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

NEWS IN DETAIL

[A] NATIONAL NEWS

[01] GREEK GOVERNMENT MEETING ON THE NEW BUDGET

The main points of the new budget were discussed in a meeting that was held under Prime Minister Kostas Simitis with the participation of the government’s economic staff.

In the meeting was examined the likelihood to extend taxation to the capital market and raise the tax factor on state bonds to 11%.

[02] STEPHANOPOULOS ON STRASBOURG

President of the Hellenic Republic Mr. Constantinos Stephanopoulos is in Strasbourg today to take part in the second conference at level of heads of states and governments.

Mr Stephanopoulos will address the conference tomorrow in the morning while in the afternoon he will meet his Albanian counterpart Mr. Radxep Meintajni. President Cleridis of Cyprus who also takes part in the conference will meet tomorrow his counterpart of the European Commission Mr. Jacques Santers and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Mr. Dannielle Tarcys.

[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

[03] THE QUEEN OF THE NETHERLANDS IS VISITING THESSALONIKI

Queen Beatrice of the Netherlands, accompanied by her husband Prince Claus and Dutch Foreign Minister Hans van Mierlo, visited the exhibition of the Treasures of Mount Athos in the Museum of Byzantine Civilization in Thessaloniki.

The royal couple arrived at Macedonia Airport this morning and was welcomed by Minister of Macedonia-Thrace Philippos Petsalnikos, mayor of Thessaloniki and president of the Organization Cultural Capital of Europe, Konstantinos Kosmopoulos and local authorities.

The Queen of the Netherlands later attended the ceremony for the opening of an exhibition with works of 20th century Dutch etchers.

[04] A DELEGATION OF EURO-PARLIAMENT’S FOREIGN ECONOMIC RELATIONS COMMITTEE IS IN ATHENS

A delegation of the Euro-Parliament’s Foreign Economic Relations Committee arrived in Athens today and its visit will be completed on Saturday.

The visit’s aim is the exchange of views with the Greek government on issues concerning the economic and trade relations of the European Union and Greece with third countries especially, in the Mediterranean and the Balkans.

[05] GLAFKOS CLERIDES IS VISITING STRASBOURG

Cypriot President Glafkos Clerides arrives in Strasbourg today to attend the two-day Summit meeting of the Council of Europe that opens tomorrow.

Mr.Clerides will go to the French city from Washington where he met twice with US Presidential envoy Richard Halbrooke. During his stay in the United States, mr.Clerides also addressed the UN General Assembly in New York.

[06] HALBROOKE: THE COMMUNITIES IN CYPRUS LIVE SEPARATELY AND NATIONAL RECONCILIATION IS NOT NECESSARY

US Presidential envoy to Cyprus Richard Halbrooke stated that it is very likely that a reconciliation procedure will not be necessary in Cyprus “where the two communities live totally separately from each other”.

Mr.Halbrooke, who was the US special mediator in Bosnia, had urged Washington to exert pressures for national reconciliation there, saying that a divided Bosnia is very likely to be again involved in a war and commenting on that he pointed out characteristically that “Bosnia is not Cyprus”.

A division of Bosnia through a changed Dayton peace accord will increase the likelihood of a war and will send the message to Albania, FYROM, Bulgaria and Greece that borders can be re-drawn, said mr.Halbrooke.

[07] TWO ASTRONAUTS AND A COSMONAUT WILL VISIT THESSALONIKI

Two NASA astronauts, Fred Haise and Millie Hughes-Fulford as well as, Russian cosmonaut Valery Poliakov, who had been forgotten in space when the Soviet Union collapsed and holds a record stay of 14 months, will arrive in Thessaloniki this evening.

The three will attend the 1st International Meeting of Aero- Space Medicine that will take place in Aristotle University of Thessaloniki on October 10-12.

[08] PRONTI RESIGNS

Prime Minister Pronti of Italy submitted today the resignation of his government after the failure to conclude on a draft budget supported by the whole coalition he heads after the Communist Refoundation declared their refusal to vote for the budget introduced by the PM.

The possibilities ahead of the “Olive coalition” are either to cooperate with centre - right parties of go for early elections while it is not excluded that President Scalfaro may ask Pronti to remain so that the budget be approved of by the parliament.

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