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Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2001-03-02

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, March 2, 2001

SECTIONS

  • [A] NATIONAL NEWS
  • [B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS TITLES
  • [Á] NATIONAL NEWS
  • [01] ALOIS BRUNNER TRIED IN ABSENTIA TODAY IN PARIS
  • [02] DETROP FOOD FAIR OPENS TODAY IN THESSALONIKI
  • [03] GREEKS IN RUSSIA EXHIBITION FEATURED IN MOSCOW
  • [04] AUSTRALIAN CONSULTANTS HIRED BY ATHENS 2004
  • [05] MINISTERS MEET IN TIRANA FOR CRIME COMBAT
  • [06] SIMITIS: A DOUBLE NAME FOR FYROM WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED
  • [07] MEETING OF GREEK AND TURKISH FILM CRITICS
  • [08] THE BRITISH METROPOLITAN POLICE CHIEF WILL VISIT GREECE
  • [09] US STATE DEPARTMENT REPORT ON THE DRUG SITUATION IN GREECE
  • [10] GAINS IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
  • [11] ZAFIROPOULOS WILL VISIT HOLLAND IN APRIL
  • [B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
  • [12] DOLLIS: GREECE PLAYS A STABILIZING ROLE IN THE BALKANS
  • [13] ALOIS BRUNNER RECEIVED A LIFE SENTENCE IN ABSENTIA

  • NEWS IN DETAIL

    [A] NATIONAL NEWS

    [01] ALOIS BRUNNER TRIED IN ABSENTIA TODAY IN PARIS

    Nazi official and war criminal Alois Brunner, who masterminded the deportation of Thessaloniki's 50,000 Jews to death camps during World War II, will be tried in absentia today at the Paris Assize Court.

    Brunner, who is of Austrian descent, was an SS lieutenant who espoused the German citizenship in order to gain ascent in Hitler's regime hierarchy. He not only is the perpetrator of the destruction of Thessaloniki Jewish community -having organized 19, in all, missions to the crematoriums- but he also led 24,000 Jews in France's Drancy concentration camp during World War II.

    According to Nazi-hunter Simon Wiesenthal, Brunner is in Syria if he is alive.

    "We know that he is no longer in the apartment where he lived" in Damascus, Wiesenthal told the French news agency AFP, albeit adding "Syria is big enough to hide such a man."

    Brunner was suspected of having sought refuge in Syria in the 1950s.

    "He is in Syria if he is still alive," Mr. Wiesenthal added, saying that Brunner would now be 88 years old.

    Brunner ran the Drancy internment camp outside Paris, from where Jews were deported to camps in Germany and Eastern Europe. He is also held responsible for massive deportations of Jews from Vienna and Slovakia.

    This will not be the first time Brunner will be tried in absentia; a trial was held in 1954 in Paris, followed by another two years later in Marseilles, and in both cases he was handed the death penalty. French lawyer Serge Klarsfeld, who is intent on finding Brunner since his father was among the lieutenant's victims, stated that today's trial will focus on Brunner's involvement in the mass killings that took place at Drancy's concentration camp.

    French authorities have repeatedly raised the Brunner matter to Syria, while French President Jacques Chiraq, during his 1996 visit to Damascus, had requested from the then-president Hafez al Assad that he investigate the matter.

    [02] DETROP FOOD FAIR OPENS TODAY IN THESSALONIKI

    The 16th international DETROP foodstuffs, beverages, machinery and equipment exhibition, organized by Helexpo, will be inaugurated today by the Minister of Agriculture George Anomeritis at Thessaloniki's exhibition center.

    The biannual fair, whose theme this year will be the benefits and quality of the Mediterranean diet, will showcase products from 498 Greek and 618 foreign exhibitors.

    This year's participation is of a larger scale compared to last year when 939 exhibitors took part, 37 percent of whom were from abroad. Bulgaria, Italy and Poland are among the featured countries, while direct foreign exhibitors are from seven countries and the indirect from 27.

    An International Wine Competition is also being held on DETROP's sidelines, aiming to present the world's quality wines and to further promote and expand the wine culture in the Mediterranean region.

    The competition is organized by the Ambelonas Vinters Union and held under the auspices of Office International de la Vigne et du Vin and several Greek wine agencies.

    The judges committee will comprise Greek and foreign wine experts, producers and journalists.

    [03] GREEKS IN RUSSIA EXHIBITION FEATURED IN MOSCOW

    An exhibition entitled "Greeks in Russia" was inaugurated at the Russian History Museum on Moscow's Red Square yesterday, commemorating the 10 years since the establishment of the Federation of Greek Communities in Russia.

    Organized by the Greek Embassy, the exhibition features artifacts and documents attesting to the presence of Greece in the region from antiquity to the present, while documents of the Greek community in Moscow of the 19th century will be exhibited for the first time ever.

    [04] AUSTRALIAN CONSULTANTS HIRED BY ATHENS 2004

    Three Australians have been hired as consultants by the Athens 2004 Olympics Organizing Committee (ATHOC), all rated as among the "Top 10" of Sydney 2000 officials.

    According to an ATHOC press release, the three Australian executives were named as David Richmond, Jim Sloman and John Quayle. Richmond was the general director of Australia's state-run Olympic Coordinating Authority, while Sloman was head of the Games' operations and the Sydney 2000 (SOCOG) deputy general director. Quayle was general director of SOCOG's administration and management unit.

    At the same time, two of Greece's Olympic gold medallists, weightlifter Pyrros Dimas and sprinter Voula Patoulidou, became new members of the GOC in accordance with the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) new charter.

    Two Parliament deputies and former deputy sports ministers, Andreas Fouras (PASOK) and Fani Palli Petralia (New Democracy), also became GOC members according to merit.

    [05] MINISTERS MEET IN TIRANA FOR CRIME COMBAT

    The Public Order Ministers of Greece and Albania, along with the Interior Ministers of Italy and Germany, met in Tirana, Albania, yesterday in order to discuss the operation of a regional center for the combat of criminal activity.

    According to Albanian Minister of Public Order Ilir Gioni, the meeting was initiated by Albania's Premier Ilir Meta seven months ago.

    Greece was represented by Public Order Minister Michalis Chrysochoides, while Italy and Germany were represented by ministers Enco Bianco and Otto Sili, respectively. The meeting was originally scheduled in Vlore, but adverse weather conditions necessitated the move to Tirana.

    [06] SIMITIS: A DOUBLE NAME FOR FYROM WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED

    The Greek government will not accept a double name for FYROM, stated Greek prime minister Kostas Simitis, adding that the negotiations are being held only on the basis of one internationally recognized name.

    Mr. Simitis, speaking in parliament, stated that political negotiations are underway but they have not given results. However, he expressed the hope that a positive result will be reached soon and that the other side will realize that the solution of the problem can not be delayed any longer. Mr. Simitis also said that if something worthwhile comes up the political parties, the parliament and all those who are involved in the decision-making process will be informed.

    Mr. Simitis also referred to the recent meeting he had with the FYROM president during the second Balkan Summit meeting in which the two sides expressed their wish for a solution to be found as soon as possible.

    [07] MEETING OF GREEK AND TURKISH FILM CRITICS

    A meeting of film critics from Greece and Turkey will be held in Alexandroupolis, northeastern Greece, on March 3-5 organized by the city's Cinema Club in cooperation with the Greek Association of Film Critics and the Turkish Association of Film Critics.

    The goal of the meeting is to exchange views on the art of cinema and lay the foundations for future cooperation on cultural issues.

    [08] THE BRITISH METROPOLITAN POLICE CHIEF WILL VISIT GREECE

    Sir John Stevens, chief of the British Metropolitan Police, known in the past as Scotland Yard, will visit Greece on March 5- 6.

    The British Metropolitan Police chief will meet with interior minister Vaso Papandreou, public order minister Michalis Chrisochoidis and Greek Police Chief lieutenant general Yiannis Georgakopoulos to discuss issues of Greek-British police cooperation. The talks will focus on the assassination of British military attache Stephen Saunders by the terrorist organization "17 November" last summer.

    Mr. Stevens stated in view of his visit to Greece that Athens and London are both international cities that face many and complex challenges in the policing area. He also added that it is an honor for the British police the fact that the Greek public order ministry has asked for its advice regarding the Athens 2004 Olympic Games security preparations.

    [09] US STATE DEPARTMENT REPORT ON THE DRUG SITUATION IN GREECE

    The US State Department in its annual report on the international situation concerning drug production and trafficking as well as, money laundering mentions the excellent cooperation that exists between the US and Greek enforcement agencies even though it characterizes Greece as an important drug trafficking passage to western Europe.

    In the report it is mentioned that Greece is an important drug trafficking passage because of its extensive and unguarded sea and land borders. Specifically, it is mentioned that heroin and hashish come from Turkey, while marijuana and other drugs reach Greece via Albania, Bulgaria and FYROM.

    In the special chapter concerning money laundering and economic crime, the report places Greece among the countries that face significant problems and has upgraded it by one category compared to last year.

    [10] GAINS IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE

    Gains were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange. The general index rose to 1.42% at 3.154,82 points and the volume of transactions was satisfactory at 185.5 million Euro or 63.21 billion drachmas.

    Of the stocks trading today, 304 recorded gains and 41 had losses, while the value of 25 stocks remained stable.

    [11] ZAFIROPOULOS WILL VISIT HOLLAND IN APRIL

    Greek undersecretary of national economy Yiannis Zafiropoulos responsible for economic relations, will be on a formal visit to Holland on April 1-3. He will be accompanied by a delegation of Greek businessmen, who will have contacts with their Dutch colleagues.

    The interest of the Dutch businessmen focuses on the traditional sectors of consumer products such as, olive oil, fish, fresh and processed fruits and vegetables, juices, textile, clothing and footwear. Also, they are interested in industrial and building materials, new technology and telecommunications material.

    A special emphasis is given to the prospects of the Greek- Dutch business cooperation in the wider Balkan and Black Sea region and especially, to the sectors of agricultural applications, high technology and technical projects.

    [B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

    [12] DOLLIS: GREECE PLAYS A STABILIZING ROLE IN THE BALKANS

    General secretary for Greeks Abroad, Dimitris Dollis referred to Greece's stabilizing role in the Balkans in an interview with the television network CNN in London.

    Mr. Dollis stated that Greece is a factor of vital importance in the effort for stability and prosperity in the Balkan Peninsula. He also stressed that there is a direct link between peace and stability in the Balkans and the prosperity of the peoples in the European continent and the European Union.

    Mr. Dollis completed his visit to the British capital today after addressing a British parliament event on the Athens 2004 Olympic Games.

    [13] ALOIS BRUNNER RECEIVED A LIFE SENTENCE IN ABSENTIA

    Alois Brunner, the Austrian war criminal, who organized the Holocaust of 50.000 Jews in Thessaloniki and 24.000 Jews in Dransy, France during WWII, was tried in absentia in Paris today and received a life sentence.

    Today's trial concerned the events in Dransy. There were no defense attorneys present as Brunner is supposedly dead. His fate is unknown as some sources say that he is dead and others maintain that he is hiding somewhere in Syria.

    Serz Clarsfelt, president of the association "Sons and daughters of the displaced Jews in France" had filed a suit in 1987 against Brunner on behalf of the Jewish children killed in Hitler's death camps.

    In July 31, 1944, when Brunner was commander in Dransy, had ordered the transfer of 345 Jewish children to Nazi ghettoes in Germany, Austria and Poland. Their parents had already been transferred to Nazi concentration camps after a decision made by Brunner. Of those children, 284, were killed and the rest managed to survive, while a few of them are still alive in different countries.


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