Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2000-06-22
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, June 22, 2000
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] OLYMPIC AIRWAYS FLIES NON-STOP TO BOSTON
[02] GREEK DIPLOMAT WRITES TO "WASHINGTON POST"
[03] SAE LAUNCHES ANTI-PROPAGANDA CAMPAIGN
[04] 2001 BUDGET TO BE DRAFTED IN DRACHMAS & EUROS
[05] EU COMMISSION PRESIDENT IN ATHENS TOMORROW
[06] KING ABDULLAH II OF JORDAN HOLIDAYS IN GREECE
[07] GREEK FM MEETS WITH ADVISER TO UN SECRETARY
[08] STATHOPOULOS DENIES PROVOKING CRISIS
[09] STEPHANOPOULOS PLEASED WITH ENTRY OF GREECE INTO EMU
[10] US & UK FEAR SAFETY ISSUE DURING 2004 OLYMPICS
[11] INTRACOM SIGNS INTERNET AGREEMENTS WITH TURKEY
[12] PAPANDREOU-DE SOTO DISCUSS CYPRUS ISSUE
[13] BACOURIS RESIGNS FROM OLYMPIC 2004 COMMITTEE
[14] LORD ELGIN JR FURIOUS OVER SUGGESTIONS THAT MARBLES BE
RETURNED
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[15] GREEK EU COMMISSIONER VISITS TURKEY
[16] EURO-MED INDUSTRY MINISTERS MEET IN CYPRUS
[17] TURKISH MAYOR URGES VOTERS TO MARRY GREEKS
[18] GREECE HAS ITS DAY AT HANNOVER'S EXPO 2000
[19] GREEK FIREMEN EXTINGUISH BULGARIAN FIRE
[20] CONCERN OVER LACK OF GREEK SPEAKERS IN AUSTRALIA
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] OLYMPIC AIRWAYS FLIES NON-STOP TO BOSTON
The national air carrier Olympic Airways will start flying to
Boston non-stop, according to company reports.
OA will operate two scheduled flights to Boston, Monday and
Thursday, using the latest aircraft in its fleet, the Airbus A340-
300.
The national carrier was servicing the route via its
scheduled flights to New York or Toronto, Canada.
[02] GREEK DIPLOMAT WRITES TO "WASHINGTON POST"
Greece's Ambassador to the United States Alexander Filon
wrote a letter to the editor of the US daily "Washington Post"
conveying the Greek government's efforts to fight terrorism.
Through his letter, published on Tuesday, June 19, Mr. Filon
responded to an editorial published by the same paper which was
critical of Greece's anti-terrorist record.
"Combating terrorism is a top priority not only for the
government, but for the people of Greece as well, as evidenced by
the public outcry and commentary in the Greek press following the
(recent) appalling murder of Brigadier Saunders (British military
attache to Greece)", he wrote.
In his letter, Mr.Filon also pointed out that "the Greek
government has moved rapidly to tighten and intensify those anti-
terrorist resources and methods - including the impending
signature of an agreement for police cooperation with the U.S., a
new initiative for joint action in the European Union... as well
as measures to increase the effectiveness of the legal framework,
such as witness protection. In fact, Greek-U.S. antiterrorism
cooperation has increased in the past few years, as repeatedly
confirmed by the U.S. Administration."
In reference to claims made by former CIA director James
Woolsey, who said that members of the ruling PASOK party have not
acted on information that could have led to the apprehension of
terrorists, Mr. Filon responded "What possible incentive could
there be for the ruling party to turn a blind eye to November 17
when its own members and premises have been targeted?
"The invitation from the Greek government for those accusers
to tell what they claim to know has been open to them. So far,
they have failed to respond," he added.
[03] SAE LAUNCHES ANTI-PROPAGANDA CAMPAIGN
The Council of Greeks Abroad (SAE) is to embark on an anti-
propaganda campaign in the United States, in an effort to counter
the misinforming of the American public and of political officials
concerning acts of terrorism in Greece.
According to SAE World President Andrew Athens, "we have
invited a number of celebrities having key positions both in the
US Senate and the government to visit Greece.
"The guests will receive information on Greece's role in the
Balkans and the European Union and will exchange views with
politicians and economic officials," he added.
Having recently visited Athens where he briefed Parliament
and government members on SAE's plans, Mr. Athens stated that "the
Greek government is determined to do everything possible to
eradicate every act of terrorism in the country."
[04] 2001 BUDGET TO BE DRAFTED IN DRACHMAS & EUROS
Finance Undersecretary George Drys, who was in Thessaloniki
yesterday, has announced that next year's budget will be drafted
both in drachmas and in euros.
Mr. Drys arrived in Thessaloniki in order to brief
authorities on how to spend their budgetary funds more efficiently
and make savings. He also briefed tax and customs agencies over
changes in the fiscal policy procedures following the country's
entry in the eurozone on January 1, 2001.
"It is a fact that the convergence program has now been
replaced by the stability and growth program, which cannot differ
in its quality characteristics," he stated.
He further added that the replacement of the Greek currency
with the euro would be definitely take place in the second half of
2002.
[05] EU COMMISSION PRESIDENT IN ATHENS TOMORROW
European Commission President Romano Prodi will arrive in
Greece tomorrow in order to address a conference held by the
University of Athens.
Mr. Prodi will also have talks with Prime Minister Costas
Simitis, who is to attend the conference, and with main opposition
New Democracy party leader Costas Karamanlis.
[06] KING ABDULLAH II OF JORDAN HOLIDAYS IN GREECE
King Abdullah II of Jordan has arrived in Rhodes for a cruise
of the Greek islands with his family.
The Jordanian king and his two children arrived in Rhodes by
air yesterday afternoon and boarded the British-flagged yacht
Sarafsa, which sailed immediately for Lindos, where they spent
last night. Queen Rania is to join them tomorrow afternoon.
According to reports, the cruise is to take in the islands of
Halki, Symi, Tilos, Nisyros and Santorini. The king's visit is of
a private nature and he will not be having any meetings with Greek
officials.
[07] GREEK FM MEETS WITH ADVISER TO UN SECRETARY
Foreign Minister George Papandreou met with the adviser to
the United Nations Secretary General Alvaro de Soto today, in
light of the resumption of the third round of UN-led proximity
talks which will be held in Geneva on July 5.
Mr. De Soto relayed the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's
wish to accomplish substantive talks and negotiations between the
divided island's two sides, as well as the latter's will to carry
out an active role in this process.
Moreover, Mr. De Soto briefed Mr. Papandreou on his recent
contacts in Nicosia and Ankara.
Neither Mr. De Soto nor Mr. Papandreou discussed the essence
of the ongoing negotiations, given the news blackout presently
enforced by the UN.
[08] STATHOPOULOS DENIES PROVOKING CRISIS
PASOK MP's Mr Koulouris and Mr Papathemelis have set the
stage for the resignation of the Minister of Justice, Michalis
Stathopoulos, claiming that such a move would invalidate the
issues put forward by the Church and would let it be known that,
ID cards aside, the government is planning to take measures
against it. When asked to comment on the matter, MP George
Daskalakis pointed out that although it is a decision for the
Prime Minister to take, Mr Stathoupoulos' resignation would make
matters easier.
In response to the tense issue, Mr Stathopoulos firmly stated
that his two colleagues have expressed personal rather than
political view, "obviously believing that the recent crisis in
Church-State relations should be attributed to the Minister of
Justice. I do not believe that I have caused this crisis, in my
opinion, it was provoked by those whose unjustified reaction to a
legal action taken by the State led to public uproar."
[09] STEPHANOPOULOS PLEASED WITH ENTRY OF GREECE INTO EMU
Mr Stephanopoulos, President of the Democracy today spoke
positively of Greece's entry into the EMU, during a meeting held
in Kilkis, further stating that the country is now in a position
to compare itself to that of its European counterparts.
The President of the Democracy added that this recent move
has broadened our horizons and concluded his speech by saying "it
is not the political parties that I wish to flatter, but the Greek
nation, for its unanimity, development and level of progress."
[10] US & UK FEAR SAFETY ISSUE DURING 2004 OLYMPICS
Britain and the US have once again aired their negative views
concerning the issue of safety during the Olympic Games 2004, due
to be held in Athens.
Speaking on the current affairs program "the Black Box",
Nicholas Burns, US ambassador to Athens and Robin Cook, British
Foreign Secretary reiterated their fears of visiting the Olympics
in 2004 if members of the 17th November terrorist group have not
been caught.
[11] INTRACOM SIGNS INTERNET AGREEMENTS WITH TURKEY
Socrates Kokkalis, President of the Intracom group today
announced two significant agreements made with Turkey in the field
of computers, as well as important moves aimed at expansion within
the Internet.
Speaking at Intrasoft's general meeting, Mr Kokkalis also
asked that private universities be founded in Greece, conveying
his intention to formally present the Greek government with a
proposal concerning the issue.
It was also decided that Intrasoft will offer employees 4% of
its shares and together with Intracom, will enter the contests
currently being held. The contest's finalists will be responsible
for sponsoring and carrying out public and private projects.
The main issue dealt with by those present at the general
meeting was the approval of the company's annual financial
situation.
[12] PAPANDREOU-DE SOTO DISCUSS CYPRUS ISSUE
Discussions were held this morning between George Papandreou,
Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs and Alvaro De Soto, special UN
envoy, in view of the third round of talks concerning the ongoing
conflict between Cyprus and Turkey, due to begin on July 5th in
Geneva.
The UN envoy assured the Greek Minister of Kofi Annan's wish
to proceed with crucial talks and with further negotiation on both
the Greek-Cypriot and the Turkish-Cypriot side. The UN Chief has
also promised to play a more active role in the issue.
Mr De Soto also shared details of his recent trips to
Lefkosia and Ankara with Mr Papandreou, during the course of the
meeting.
However, no mention was made of the current negotiations
concerning the Cyprus-Turkey issue or of the attempts being made
to prepare the ground for the third round of talks.
[13] BACOURIS RESIGNS FROM OLYMPIC 2004 COMMITTEE
The General Manager of the Olympic Games 2004 Committee,
Kostas Bacouris, has resigned from his position, following a joint
agreement reached as a result of the Prime Minister's decision to
move Mr Bacouris to another position of responsibility.
Mr Bacouris will be replaced by Petros Sinadinos, currently
General Secretary of the Ministry of Commercial Shipping. The
change in management comes amid sharp criticisms from the
International Olympic Committee, who accused Greece of being badly
prepared and behind schedule.
Dimitris Reppas, government Press Spokesman, announced that
the new executive committee will be made up of Y.Angelopoulou,
P,Sinadinos, S, Dapralos, K. Liaska and Marton Simitsek. The new
committee board will consist of 17 as opposed to 15 members.
In response to speculations that Mr Bacouris was replaced
because he "put the brakes on the preparations for the Races", Mr
Reppas insisted that the reshuffling of the committee was not a
personal attack on Mr Bacouris, but a step towards achieving more
effective results. He added that the stepping down of the ex-
General Manager was not a sign of failure, but a sign of the
committee's determination to succeed.
[14] LORD ELGIN JR FURIOUS OVER SUGGESTIONS THAT MARBLES BE
RETURNED
Outrage shook the Elgin household following the attempts made
by Michael Russel, Scottish Minister of Culture to put forward a
vote calling for the Parthenon Marbles to be returned to Greece.
The current Lord Elgin, descendent of the man who originally
brought the Marbles to England, vehemently defended his ancestor,
claiming that he effectively succeeded in preserving the ancient
Greek monuments.
"He spent years trying to save these sculptures and safely
transported them to England with the approval of the Ottoman
Empire ruling Athens at the time. The Marbles would have
undoubtedly been destroyed had they remained in Athens, either
during the war or by natural elements. They were handed over to
the British Museum under the strict condition that they be
displayed together. I believe that this condition should be kept"
said Lord Elgin in an interview with the Scottish newspaper
Dunfermline Press.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[15] GREEK EU COMMISSIONER VISITS TURKEY
Greece's European Union employment and social affairs
Commissioner Anna Diamantopoulou embarked today on a two-day
official visit to Turkey, the first such visit conducted by a
Greek commissioner and the second by a European Commission member
since Turkey became a candidate for EU last December.
Ms. Diamantopoulou will be meet with Turkey's Labor Minister
Yasar Okuyan and Family and Women's Affairs Minister Hasan Gemisi.
She will also address a seminar organized in Istanbul by the
Economic Development Foundation on the social model and the EU's
enlargement process.
Meanwhile, in a press conference earlier this week, Ms.
Diamantopoulou, stated that the EU's social agenda for the next
five years will be announced in Brussels on June 28 and will be
ratified by an EU Summit meeting in September.
According to the Commissioner, 60 trillion drachmas will be
spent over the next five years to boost levels of employment.
[16] EURO-MED INDUSTRY MINISTERS MEET IN CYPRUS
The third Euro-Mediterranean Conference of Industry Ministers
is to begin in Limassol today, where the participants will discuss
promotion of investment, the development of small and medium
enterprises and other related issues.
The conference will feature the participation of Industry
Ministers from the European Union's 15 member-states and from
the 12 countries of the Mediterranean region.
The President of the Republic of Cyprus Glafcos Clerides is
to address the conference which is organized by the Cyprus
Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism in cooperation with the
European Commission and the Portuguese Presidency of the European
Union.
According to an official press release, the conference is
expected to promote Cyprus worldwide and to contribute to the
recognition of the role Cyprus can play in facilitating the EU
targets in the Mediterranean region and the broader Middle East
region.
Among the keynote speakers are Cyprus' Minister of Commerce,
Industry and Tourism Nicos Rolandis, Minister of Economy and
Finance of Portugal J. Pina Moura, Minister for Economic Services
of Malta J. Boccini and EU Commissioner for Enterprise and
Information Society E. Liikanen.
[17] TURKISH MAYOR URGES VOTERS TO MARRY GREEKS
The mayor of the Turkish city of Edremit has urged his voters
to opt for a Greek bride or groom, in an effort to facilitate the
presently-noted rapprochement between the two neighboring
countries.
According to the Turkish daily "Hurriyet", Mayor Tudzai
Kilic, who is affiliated with the Nationalist Action Party,
addressed a City Council session where he noted the positive
effect borne on Greek-Turkish relations by last year's devastating
earthquake. He said that, since Greeks are nearer to the Turks
than any other peoples, "we should marry Greek women and marry our
girls with Greek men. This way we can give a greater dimension to
rapprochement between the two countries."
[18] GREECE HAS ITS DAY AT HANNOVER'S EXPO 2000
Greece will be the honored country on Sunday, June 25, at
Hannover's Expo 2000, the exposition fair that features the
participation of 190 countries and international organizations.
The Minister of National Economy and Finance Yiannos
Papantoniou will attend the celebrations at the fair's Greek
pavilion, along with Development Minister Nikos Christodoulakis,
alternate Foreign Minister Elizabeth Papazoi and undersecretary of
City Planning and Environment Ilias Efthimiopoulos.
The Greek pavilion covers an expanse of 1,400 sq.m. and
features presentations on ancient Greek technology, as well as
tourism and the Athens 2004 Olympic Games.
[19] GREEK FIREMEN EXTINGUISH BULGARIAN FIRE
Ten Greek firemen cooperated with their Bulgarian
counterparts when flames engulfed the Ali Boudous region in Rodopi
at the end of last week. Sofia's daily newspaper "24 hours"
maintained that the fire was caused by lightening and spread to
the villages Paria and Lovtsa.
According to the newspaper, the participation of the Greek
fireman was considered essential as strong winds had caused the
fire to spread rapidly.
Our firemen were described by the Bulgarians as being
decisive in putting out the flames which burnt a forest over 50
hectares in size as well as 300 hectares of land.
[20] CONCERN OVER LACK OF GREEK SPEAKERS IN AUSTRALIA
The number of Greek emigrant students living in Victoria,
Australia, who have chosen Greek language as one of their optional
subjects has dropped by 29% compared to last years figures.
The figures were provided by the Australian minister of
Education and Greek emigrants, when visited by Panayiotis
Psomiadis, MP of the opposition party New Democracy. The
Australian minister expressed fears that the drop in students
opting for Greek could have worrying effects on the future of
Hellenic learning in Australia.
Teachers have underlined the importance of strengthening the
teaching of Greek in Australia and Mr Psomiadis has made further
inquiries as to the measures that will be taken to keep the Greek
language alive within Australia's Hellenic community.
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