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Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 98-07-08

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

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


MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, July 08, 1998

SECTIONS

  • [A] NATIONAL NEWS
  • [B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

  • NEWS HEADLINES

    [A] NATIONAL NEWS

  • [01] IONIAN BANK TO BE SOLD BY AUGUST
  • [02] NORTHERN GREECE'S RAILWAY WORKERS TO STRIKE TOMORROW
  • [03] GREEK WORKERS ARE THE LOWEST PAID IN EU, ACCORDING TO EUROSTAT
  • [04] UNICEF: ALMOST HALF OF GREEK MEN SMOKE, SEVENTH IN WORLD ORDER
  • [05] REPPAS ON THE ISSUE OF THE NAME OF FYROM
  • [06] GOVERNMENT MEETING ON THE ECONOMY
  • [07] GREECE'S RESPONSE TO THE DEMILITARIZATION OF THE ISLANDS
  • [08] 1.000 PRE-HISTORIC TOMBS WERE DISCOVERED NEAR THESSALONIKI
  • [09] THE GREEK-BULGARIAN EXHIBITION NESTOS-MESTA '98 OPENS TOMORROW
  • [10] EU COMMISSIONER FLYNN WILL VISIT GREECE ON THURSDAY
  • [11] POLICE COOPERATION ACCORD BETWEEN GREECE AND FYROM
  • [B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

  • [12] GREEK DEFENSE MINISTER MEETS WITH US COUNTERPART
  • [13] RUSSIAN S-300 MISSILES TO BE TEST FIRED IN MOSCOW TOMORROW
  • [14] US PENTAGON SPOKESPERSON COMMENTS ON GREEK DEFENSE MINISTER'S VISIT
  • [15] GREEK PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION ON OFFICIAL VISIT TO ALGERIA
  • [16] GREEK DEFENSE MINISTER: CUTS IN DEFENSE SPENDING WOULD BE A MISTAKE
  • [17] OECD REPORTS ON MONEY LAUNDERING IN GREECE
  • [18] CONTACT GROUP TO CONVENE IN BONN TODAY
  • [19] UNHCR REPORTS 13,000 REFUGEES FROM KOSSOVO
  • [20] TSOCHATZOPOULOS: RUSSIA'S CONSENT TO A NATO INTERVENTION IN KOSSOVO IS NECESSARY
  • [21] GREEK WARSHIP IN DURRES
  • [22] THE SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE IN TIRANA IS GREEK
  • [23] THE TURKISH VIOLATIONS IN CYPRUS WERE DISCUSSED BY THE EUROPEAN COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RIGHTS
  • [24] KOSOVO LIBERATION ARMY DEMANDS THE PROVINCE'S INTEGRATION IN ALBANIA

  • NEWS IN DETAIL

    [A] NATIONAL NEWS

    [01] IONIAN BANK TO BE SOLD BY AUGUST

    The declaration for the sale of the state-owned Ionian Bank is to be ready by next week and will only grant potential buyers 30 days to submit their tenders.

    Officials from the Ministry of National Economy have stated that the sale process will most likely take place between August 20-30.

    The declaration is to make explicit references to the labor and insurance rights of the bank's employees.

    [02] NORTHERN GREECE'S RAILWAY WORKERS TO STRIKE TOMORROW

    Only three trains, serving social needs, are to run on the railway tracks of Macedonia and Thrace tomorrow, after the 24-hour strike declared by the sector's workers in the region.

    In Athens and the Peloponnese the scheduled routes will proceed as scheduled, expect from those whose destination is in Macedonia and Thrace.

    For more information on the schedule changes, travelers can contact the local railway stations or their travel agencies.

    [03] GREEK WORKERS ARE THE LOWEST PAID IN EU, ACCORDING TO EUROSTAT

    Greeks employed in executive and specialized positions earn less than a Danish unskilled worker, according to Eurostat's annual report on wage inequalities.

    The European Union's statistics agency said that wage inequalities in Greece are attributed to the excessive emphasis given to job seniority.

    As such, an unskilled worker in Greece, the lowest paid in the European Union, earns 231,00 drachmas, whereas his Italian counterpart earns 346,000.

    Luxembourg recorded the highest wages in the EU, three times more than those of their Greek counterparts, followed by Denmark and Germany.

    Wage inequalities were also major in Spain which ranks second from the bottom after Greece. The Netherlands and Sweden recorded the lowest discrepancies.

    [04] UNICEF: ALMOST HALF OF GREEK MEN SMOKE, SEVENTH IN WORLD ORDER

    Almost half of adult Greek males smoke, ranking them seventh in the world, while over one-fourth of Greek women can't do without cigarettes, giving them the tenth place respectively.

    According to a report published by UNICEF, 46% of Greek men and 28% of Greek women smoke cigarettes, with a 37% of the country's adult population bring addicted to cigarettes.

    According to the same report, approximately 3.5 million persons lose their lives every year from cigarette-related causes.

    [05] REPPAS ON THE ISSUE OF THE NAME OF FYROM

    Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas responding to a question made by reporters on the statements of foreign minister Theodoros Pangalos on the issue of FYROM, clarified that Greece's policy on the issue has not changed.

    Mr. Reppas also expressed the view that everything stated on the issue of FYROM's name is simply speculation and added that the talks between the two countries are being held within the United Nations and not at bilateral level.

    [06] GOVERNMENT MEETING ON THE ECONOMY

    A meeting on the economy for the presentation of the first assessments on the 1999 budget was held at noon today with the participation of undersecretaries of national economy and finance Mr. Pachtas and Mr. Dris.

    Another meeting was held with the participation of the undersecretaries of finance and development to examine the price control mechanisms aimed at limiting inflation. The inflation rate for the month of June is expected to be announced on Friday.

    [07] GREECE'S RESPONSE TO THE DEMILITARIZATION OF THE ISLANDS

    The Greek foreign ministry characterized the Turkish government's position concerning a proposed demilitarization of the Aegean islands as a violation of the commitments Turkey has undertaken with the Madrid declaration and the agreement for the implementation of confidence-building-measures in the Aegean.

    In a statement issued by the Greek foreign ministry it is underlined that the statements of the Turkish foreign ministry are obviously being made for reasons related to the internal situation of the country.

    [08] 1.000 PRE-HISTORIC TOMBS WERE DISCOVERED NEAR THESSALONIKI

    One thousand tombs dated back to the iron era, with impressive copper jewelry and copper daggers were found at the Nea Philadelphia cemetery in Thessaloniki, near the pre-historic settlement unearthed in the region in 1995.

    According to archaeologists, this is one of the few pre- historic settlements in northern Greece where excavations continue.

    [09] THE GREEK-BULGARIAN EXHIBITION NESTOS-MESTA '98 OPENS TOMORROW

    The Greek- Bulgarian trade exhibition "Nestos-Mesta ‘98" opens in the southern Bulgarian city of Gotse Deltsev tomorrow.

    In the exhibition, that was held for the first time last year, participate 12 Greek companies from the northern Greek cities of Drama and Kavala and 24 Bulgarian companies. The exhibition is being held in the Bulgarian city's cultural center building and will last until Saturday.

    [10] EU COMMISSIONER FLYNN WILL VISIT GREECE ON THURSDAY

    EU Commissioner Padraig Flynn, responsible for issues of employment and social affairs, will visit Greece on Thursday. On his two-day visit to Greece the EU Commissioner will have contacts with government officials.

    On Thursday, he will meet with prime minister Kostas Simitis and with ministers of labor and health to discuss issues within their authority and on Friday he will visit hospitals and psychiatric clinics in the region of Athens and in the island of Leros.

    [11] POLICE COOPERATION ACCORD BETWEEN GREECE AND FYROM

    Greek minister of National Order Giorgos Romeos went on an official two-day visit to FYROM today, where he met with the Internal minister of the neighbouring country, Al. Cokrevski.

    During the talks the two ministers had, in Ochrid, they reached an agreement on the cooperation of the police authorities of Greece and FYROM.

    In statements he made later, mr Romeos stressed that the two sides had a cooperation, in the past, on drugs, organised crime and illegal emigration issues and noted that, through the present agreement, this cooperation has become more substantial.

    Mr Romeos, also, pointed out that organized crime and arms smuggling are common enemies for the two countries.

    [B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

    [12] GREEK DEFENSE MINISTER MEETS WITH US COUNTERPART

    Greece's National Defense Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos is continuing his ten-day official visit to the United States and is to meet with his US counterpart William Cohen is Washington today.

    Yesterday, Mr. Tsochatzopoulos stated that the delivery of the Russia-made S300 anti-aircraft missiles to Cyprus is to take place in November, not this summer, following a decision of Cypriot President Glafkos Clerides. This delay is enforced in order to reduce the tension and to not disrupt the US and United Nations initiatives for the Cyprus issue.

    [13] RUSSIAN S-300 MISSILES TO BE TEST FIRED IN MOSCOW TOMORROW

    The S-300 anti-aircraft missiles purchased by Cyprus from Moscow are to be test-fired tomorrow in Russia. Cypriot Defense Minister Yiannakis Omirou arrived in Moscow yesterday on a four-day visit and will attend the test-firing of the ground-to- air missiles which will take place at a firing range 1,200 km south of Moscow.

    The President of the Republic of Cyprus Glafkos Clerides is also due to visit Moscow from July 11-14.

    [14] US PENTAGON SPOKESPERSON COMMENTS ON GREEK DEFENSE MINISTER'S VISIT

    Commenting on the official visit conducted to the United States by Greek National Defense Minster Akis Tsochatzopoulos, US Pentagon spokesperson Kenneth Bacon stated that it marked the "second chapter" after "a very good" visit to Athens last April by US Defense Secretary William Cohen.

    "I think they have created a very good relationship and they are going to build on it", Mr. Bacon stated.

    Mr. Tsochatzopoulos is to meet with Mr. Cohen today and the two men will discuss issues related to Kossovo and NATO military options, confidence-building measures and de-escalation of tension in the Aegean as well as Cyprus.

    [15] GREEK PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION ON OFFICIAL VISIT TO ALGERIA

    A delegation of the Hellenic Parliament's foreign affairs and defense committee arrived in Algiers yesterday at the invitation of Algeria's national assembly president.

    The six-member delegation, headed by MP Elias Papadopoulos will meet with several Algerian officials. The visit is conducted within the framework of inter-Parliamentary exchanges and the strengthening of Greek-Algerian relations.

    [16] GREEK DEFENSE MINISTER: CUTS IN DEFENSE SPENDING WOULD BE A MISTAKE

    Under the conditions of "indivisible European security", an international armed intervention in Kossovo is "unthinkable" without Russia's consent, stated the Greek National Defense Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos, now in the United States on a short working visit.

    Speaking in Washington at the Carnegie Foundation for promotion of universal peace, he pointed to the great importance of the recent meeting between Russian President Boris Yeltsin and Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic and emphasized: "Political efforts should be fully exhausted before NATO turns to any military measures".

    In the minister's opinion, such measures "should be a component part of more general political strategy, hammered out by international organizations: the European Union, the United Nations, the Contact Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the West European Union".

    "The main principle of the new NATO is cooperation with international organizations to which it renders assistance," the minister noted. "A military intervention without a mandate violates this principle."

    Asked about Greece's plans on purchasing weapons, the minister stated: "We are not a rich country, ... but we need modernization. Greece has been constantly slashing expenditures for weapons since 1987-1988. I believe it was a political mistake. If you lag behind in this sphere, it will be difficult to come abreast".

    "We now carry out a five-year program for modernization in cooperation with many countries," Tsochatzopoulos continued. "I was here already at Lockheed's and Boeing's. We need fighters with an early warning system as well as training and refueling planes. We shall announce a tender."

    In the minister's opinion, his country "has no choice" in the question on the need for rearmament. "Neighbors show a huge military buildup," he said. "Turkey spends annually four billion US dollars for weapons. The cost of our entire five-year program is 16 billion dollars".

    [17] OECD REPORTS ON MONEY LAUNDERING IN GREECE

    The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has reported on cases of money laundering in Greece, among other European countries, in a study issued by its Financial Action Task Force.

    The study, which focuses on legislative reforms needed to take place in order to face the phenomenon, reports that drug traffic and trade constitutes one of the most rapidly growing problems in the country.

    According to the study's author, Patrick Mullet, the study was not limited to Greece but, instead, concerned the countries which participate in the Financial Action Task Force and was based on data gathered by the Task Force's delegation.

    "Due to its geographic position, Greece could be used by organized crime syndicates active in eastern and central Europe," Mr. Mullet told the BBC.

    Stressing that the study's basic aim is not to discover the countries active in money laundering, but, rather, countries whose legislation impedes such activity, Mr. Mullet added that Greece's relevant legislation is far more efficient than it was four years ago.

    [18] CONTACT GROUP TO CONVENE IN BONN TODAY

    The six-member "Contact Group" is to convene in Bonn today in order to examine ways to reduce the tension in Kossovo and to review the results of the recent tour conducted in the region by the US envoy Richard Holbrooke.

    According to diplomatic reports, the "six" are expected to ask the members of the Kossovo Liberation Army (KLA) to stop attacking the unarmed Serbs, since they deem that the Yugoslav forces have already done so.

    According to the same reports, the Contact Group is to review cease-fire proposals as well as a proposal that foresees the formation of a committee, which will comprise KLA representatives, which will be willing to embark on talks with Belgrade.

    [19] UNHCR REPORTS 13,000 REFUGEES FROM KOSSOVO

    "The situation in Western Kossovo continues to be very tense," Judith Kumin, a spokeswoman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told reporters in Geneva yesterday.

    Ms. Kumin said that UNHCR had reports of artillery fire from the Kossovo side of the border on Monday morning. "There are only a few new arrivals of refugees in northern Albania, as the border seems nearly impossible for civilians to cross," she said.

    According to the refugees, villages in the western part of Kossovo continue to be shelled, mainly at night. Food there is reportedly becoming scarce, since people are afraid to go into towns to get fresh supplies.

    So far, UNHCR has registered over 10,000 refugees in the Tropoje district of northern Albania. The agency believes that an additional 3,000 refugees have left Tropoje for other parts of Albania, making a total of 13,000 refugees who have crossed the border into Albania since May.

    The authorities in Montenegro, meanwhile, report that over 15,000 internally displaced persons have arrived there from Kossovo, including ethnic Albanians and Serbs, according to UNHCR.

    [20] TSOCHATZOPOULOS: RUSSIA'S CONSENT TO A NATO INTERVENTION IN KOSSOVO IS NECESSARY

    Greek minister of defense Akis Tsochatzopoulos stressed in his speech on the promotion of world peace which was delivered in the Carnegie Institute in Washington that an armed intervention of NATO in Kossovo will be unthinkable without the consent of Russia within the framework of the indivisible European security.

    Mr. Tsochatzopoulos pointed out the significance of the recent meeting of Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic with Russian president Boris Yeltsin and stressed that NATO should use every political means before it uses any military measure. The military measures, stated Mr. Tsochatzopoulos, should be part of an overall political strategy which is hammered out by international organizations, namely, the European Union, the United Nations, the OSCE Contact Group and the Western European Union. NATO's main principle is its cooperation with the international organizations and a military intervention without authorization would be a violation of that principle, said Mr. Tsochatzopoulos.

    Also, the Greek minister of defense said that it is unacceptable to encourage the secessionist ethnic Albanians, who maintain the hope that NATO will attack Serbia, while he emphasized the view that the respect for the internationally recognized borders and the respect of human rights should be two absolutely necessary preconditions for the successful solution of the problem, adding that if the borders change once there will be a great turmoil in the Balkans where there are many minorities.

    Mr. Tsochatzopoulos also spoke about the need to create an international peace-keeping force by the Balkan states capable of supporting the efforts of NATO and the Western European Union.

    [21] GREEK WARSHIP IN DURRES

    The Greek frigate "Macedonia" sailed into the port of Durres together with other three warships of NATO's permanent naval force in the Mediterranean.

    The visit of the four vessels, the first one made to an Albanian port, is placed within the framework of the efforts made by the north Atlantic alliance for the strengthening of security and stability in the region.

    [22] THE SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE IN TIRANA IS GREEK

    Separate meetings with Albanian president Redzep Meidani, prime minister Fatos Nano and Parliament president Skender Ginusi had in Tirana Council of Europe political affairs general director Peter Furer and the European organization's general secretary special representative Andreas Papakonstantinou within the framework of their visit to Albania, opening the term of the Greek diplomat as the head of the Council of Europe in the country.

    Their talks focused on the reforms made by the government for the strengthening of the institutions and the developments in the region. According to the Albanian television, Mr. Furer assured that Yugoslavia's request for membership to the Council of Europe will not be considered for as long as Belgrade continues its present policy toward Kossovo.

    [23] THE TURKISH VIOLATIONS IN CYPRUS WERE DISCUSSED BY THE EUROPEAN COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RIGHTS

    The latest public meeting of the Council of Europe Human Rights Committee that was held in Strasbourg dealt with the human rights violations in Cyprus.

    Cypriot prosecutor general Alekos Markides stated to MPA that in the meeting was discussed Cyprus' appeal on the human rights and freedoms violations which are the result of the continuing Turkish invasion and military occupation of northern Cyprus. In the next two to three months the European institution is expected to examine important aspects of the Cyprus issue.

    [24] KOSOVO LIBERATION ARMY DEMANDS THE PROVINCE'S INTEGRATION IN ALBANIA

    According to reports by international press agencies in Geneva, the spokesman of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), Mahmut Bardili, stated, today, that KLA rejects the bids for a political solution for the Kosovo crisis and added that it will fight for the secession of the province from Serbia and Yugoslavia and the creation of the "Great Albania".

    The statement was made to reporters at the UN headquarters, where mr Bardili introduced himself as the spokesman of the SKosovo National Movement"


    Complete archives of the Macedonian Press Agency bulletins are available on the MPA Home Page at http://www.mpa.gr/ and on the U.S. mirror at http://www.hri.org/MPA/


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