Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English, 97-11-26

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

BRIEF GREEK NEWS BULLETIN BY MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY

Thessaloniki, November 26, 1997

TITLES

[01] MPA’S CONFERENCE ON EUROPEAN CULTURAL HERITAGE HAILED A SUCCESS

[02] PREMIER FIRMLY BACKS THE STATE’S ECONOMIC POLICY

[03] ANKARA WANTS GREEK AND TURKISH WISEMEN’S COMMITTEE TO MEET

[04] TVX’S GOLD MINE IN HALKIDIKI IS GUARDED BY A STRONG POLICE FORCE

[05] EARTHQUAKE OF 4.2 RICHTER ROCKS ISLANDS OF THE SPORADES

[06] RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR: OBSTRUCTION OF S-300 TRANSPORT IS CASUS BELLI

[07] METROPOLITE OF THESSALONIKI INVITED BY CHIEF RABBI TO ISRAEL

[08] CONFERENCE ON SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF M. ATHOS CLOSES TOMORROW

NEWS IN DETAIL

[01] MPA’S CONFERENCE ON EUROPEAN CULTURAL HERITAGE HAILED A SUCCESS

Thessaloniki November 26 (MPA)

The conference participants and speakers discussed matters related to journalism and culture, specifically the way European and Balkan news agencies promote cultural issues, the promotion of cultural values to the young people by the mass media and the role of the media in the development of a climate of peace and culture in Europe.

A score of general directors, editing directors and chief editors from international news agencies, European newspapers of international repute and Balkan mass media took part in the two- day event and presented 43 speeches.

The President of the Macedonian Press Agency’s board of directors Prof. Pavlos Petrides, during the closing of the conference, stated that it is difficult for one to speak for only one conclusion since the complexity of the issue is such that requires other outlets as well. A.F.

[02] PREMIER FIRMLY BACKS THE STATE’S ECONOMIC POLICY

Athens, November 26 (MPA)

During an address he presented at a conference organized by the Greek-American Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Simitis firmly defended the state’s economic policy and stressed that the completion of the country’s modernization will require another six to seven years.

Meanwhile, the president of the main opposition party, New Democracy’s Kostas Karamanlis accused the premier of lacking brevity and planning. A.F.

[03] ANKARA WANTS GREEK AND TURKISH WISEMEN’S COMMITTEE TO MEET

Ankara, November 26 (MPA)

The Greek government has refused such proposal for an all- topics discussions and maintains that this is merely a Turkish maneuver.

Meanwhile, the Turkish Foreign Minister Ismael Cem, currently in Brussels, met with the Prime Minister of Belgium and the European Commissioner Hans Van Den Broek with whom he discussed the matter of Turkey’s participation at the European conference. A.F.

[04] TVX’S GOLD MINE IN HALKIDIKI IS GUARDED BY A STRONG POLICE FORCE

Thessaloniki, November 26 (MPA)

Yesterday, police arrested a local who kept an ax and a pair of binoculars in his car. In the evening, minor episodes erupted in the community between the residents and the policemen. The President of the Olympiada Community Nikos Mitsiou said that policemen released smoke-producing bombs which injured two locals.

However, the local police department issued an announcement which stated that yesterday evening a group of 20 locals, armed with guns, rocks and wooden boards, attacked two police cars and fired against the police officers, causing material damages to the vehicles.

Meanwhile, the gold mine’s premises are guarded by a strong police force who are present to avert any potential obstruction by the protesting locals.

The project, operated by TVX Gold Hellas, an affiliate of the Canadian mining company TVX Gold Inc., has been in the eye of the storm for a long time now as a group of local residents is opposed to the mining operation fearing that it will result in environmental pollution and a drop in tourism.

TVX officials have issued an announcement where they state that these episodes threaten the suspension of what is Greece’s largest project in the past three decades, that is a whooping 270- billion-dollar investment.

TVX Gold foresees that the Olympiada project will triple the area’s gold output to 1.2 million ounces by next year. The company bought the two mines in the peninsula of Halkidiki in December of 1995.

According to the environmental impact study reports published by TVX Gold, the project is environmentally sound as it will employ modern technology to process the gold. A.F.

[05] EARTHQUAKE OF 4.2 RICHTER ROCKS ISLANDS OF THE SPORADES

Thessaloniki, November 26 (MPA)

According to the Geophysics laboratory of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the earthquake was registered at the lab’s seismology telemetric network at 5:37 am and its epicenter was located in the sea region between the islands of Skyros and St. Evstratios.

The lab’s seismologist Vasilis Karakostas said that the earthquake was a local one and should not be a cause for concern.

“There are no signs that the frequent seismic activity recently noted in southern Greece is to ‘spread’ towards Northern Aegean,” he said. A.F.

[06] RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR: OBSTRUCTION OF S-300 TRANSPORT IS CASUS BELLI

Nicosia, November 26 (MPA)

According to Cyprus’s Radio-Television Foundation, Mr. Muratov addressed the Rotary Club of Larnaca yesterday and stated that, according to international law, if one country opens fire on the ships of another, this act is considered to be casus belli.

Mr. Muratov added that his country is not to limit its military cooperation with Cyprus’s government and stressed that the cause of the current situation is not the purchase of the Russian-made missiles, but, instead, it is the continued invasion and occupation of part of the island by Turkey.

Moreover, he added that the resolution of the Cypriot issue based on a unified federal state will mean the ratification of the international law’s principles in solving regional issues, and will bear a positive influence ion basic points of international politics, such as strengthening stability in the eastern Mediterranean and improving the Greek-Turkish relations.

Lastly, the Russian diplomat stated that Moscow is opposed to a double-standard policy in the international political arena. A.F.

[07] METROPOLITE OF THESSALONIKI INVITED BY CHIEF RABBI TO ISRAEL

Thessaloniki, November 26 (MPA)

The chief Rabbi, is currently in Thessaloniki where he participated at the unveiling of Thessaloniki’s Jewish memorial in honor of the 50,000 Jews who lost their lives during WWII from Nazi atrocities.

In an interview to the Macedonian Press Agency, the Most Reverend stressed the need for all religions, and especially the monotheist ones, to act together in order to address the problems of the recent times.

“The role of the religions is to bring the peoples closer together. There are a lot of dangers in our world today, drugs, religious fanaticism, the breakup of families... All religions must take a stance against these problems and need to unite in order to face them,” he stated.

He also thanked the Greeks who honored the memory of the city’s Jewish community, one that contributed to Thessaloniki’s culture. He stated that the city was called the “Jerusalem of the Balkans.” A.F.

[08] CONFERENCE ON SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF M. ATHOS CLOSES TOMORROW

Thessaloniki, November 26 (MPA)

The Conference, an event parallel to the on-going exhibit “The Treasures of Mount Athos, features presentations by historians and distinguished figures of the Orthodox church on matters concerning the contribution of Mount Athos to the safeguarding of the orthodox tradition throughout the Ages, as well as the relations between the Athonite State with the Orthodox Church of the Slav peoples. A.F.

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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