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Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English, 98-11-25Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Macedonian Press Agency at http://www.mpa.gr and http://www.hri.org/MPA.BRIEF GREEK NEWS BULLETIN BY THE MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCYThessaloniki, November 25, 1998TITLES
NEWS IN DETAIL[01] PREMIER TO CONFER WITH FOREIGN AND DEFENSE MINISTERS OVER CYPRUS ISSUEAthens, November 25 (MPA)Prime Minster Kostas Simitis is to meet with the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and National Defense, Theodoros Pangalos and Akis Tsochatzopoulos respectively, in order to discuss the Cyprus issue.Today's meetings is taking place in light of the Cypriot President's imminent visit to Greece. Mr. Glafkos Clerides will arrive in Athens on Friday, November 27, where he will be received by the Greek Premier. Mr. Clerides met with the British envoy for the Cyprus issue Sir David Hannay in London yesterday, where the latter briefed the Cypriot leader on his recent talks in Turkey. [02] DEVELOPMENT MINISTRY TO UNVEIL NEW PRICE REDUCTIONS TODAYAthens, November 25 (MPA)New price reductions or freezes are to be presented today by the Minister and Undersecretary of Development, Vaso Papandreou and Michalis Chrysochoides respectively.According to reports, the reductions concern twenty sectors of goods and services, among them construction, electronics and cellular phones. The so-far price reductions have already had a positive effect on inflation as the price index appears to have dropped to 4.3%. [03] GREEK PRIME MINISTER TO VISIT GERMANY IN EARLY DECEMBERAthens, November 25 (MPA)Prime Minister Kostas Simitis will be received by the new German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder on December 7, during a visit to Germany, government spokesman Dimitris Reppas said.Mr. Simitis will also meet with the German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, on December 4, while alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou will visit Germany on December 1, where he will meet with the German Foreign Minister. [04] ATHENS TO HOST CONFERENCE ON RENEWABLE SOURCES OF ENERGYAthens, November 25 (MPA)Greek government officials and EU Commissioner Christos Papoutsis are to address the conference "Application of Renewable Sources of Energy, National Priorities and European Strategy" which will be held in Athens on November 30- December 2.The main focus of the conference is the further introduction of renewable energy sources in the country's energy balance and the shaping of an integrated national strategy on development of these forms of energy. Among the speakers at the conference will be the Minister of Development, Vaso Papandreou, Minster of Environment, City Planning and Public Works Kostas Laliotis, the Minister of the Aegean Elisabeth Papazoi and the Eurodeputy of the Coalition for the Left and Progress Michael Papayiannakis. [05] GREECE TAKES PART IN BUDAPEST'S INTERNATIONAL FOOD EXPOThessaloniki, November 25 (MPA)The International Exhibition of Foods and Beverages and Food Process (FOODAPEST) is currently underway in Budapest, featuring the participation of Greece.The event, held every two years, is considered the largest in the field for the central-eastern European region. It should be noted that Greek food and beverages exports to Hungary are steadily on the rise. The exhibited products represent all the food and beverage sectors of Greece, as well as related machinery and process materials. [06] INTERIOR MINISTER: GREECE WILL ACCEDE TO EMU IN THE ALLOTED TIMELondon, November 25 (MPA)Barring unforeseeable circumstances, Greece will achieve its inflation-curbing targets and thus achieve the criteria for accession to the Economic and Monetary Union, stated the Minister of the Interior Alekos Papadopoulos who is presently in London.Speaking to the BBC, Mr. Papadopoulos was called to comment on the statements of Greek Minister of National Economy and Finance Yiannos Papantoniou, who had stated on Monday that there could a slight delay of a few months in meeting the targeted inflation mark. The Minister of the Interior said that "what I am aware of is that Greece will submit its request (for accession) by the end of the year 1999 and in March it will enter the EMU. "From what it looks like, there is nothing that could hinder this accession," he said, albeit adding that "of course, there is always an element of the unexpected in politics." [07] TURKEY RETREATS ON ITS ITALIAN TRADE BOYCOTTAnkara, November 25 (MPA)Ankara has yet to officially enforce its threatened boycott on imported Italian products, in spite of the ongoing dispute over the extradition of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, according to a Turkish government spokesperson."We have not decided on an official boycott against Italian products and we bear no responsibility for the Turkish private sector's reactions towards Italy," he stated, in response to the relevant warning issued by the European Commission's President Jacques Santer who has stated that Turkey could face retaliatory sanctions if the Turkish government or state-owned companies continue the boycott over Rome's refusal to hand over Mr. Ocalan who is on trial in absentia in Turkey on charges of heading a terrorist organization, threatening the country's territorial integrity and ordering killings. Following his meeting with the Italian Premier Massimo D'Alema, Mr. Santer stated that the embargo is a "clear violation" of accords signed between Turkey and the EU, such as the Turkey-EU customs union signed in 1995. In response to these views, the Turkish government spokesperson said that his country is aware of its obligations." [08] BALKAN AUTHORS IN THESSALONIKI ON FRIDAY FOR LITERARY EVENTSThessaloniki, November 25 (MPA)A number of renowned Balkan authors are to attend a two-day literary event, set to begin in Thessaloniki on Friday, titled SLiterary landscapes of the Balkan nature and soul."The event is held within the framework of the city's "Dimitria" festivities and is co-organized by the Municipality of Thessaloniki and the InterBalkan Center of Books and Culture. Bulgaria's ambassador to Greece Kyril Topalov will speak on the "Greek-Bulgarian literary ties in the 18th-19th century. [09] CENSURE MOTION AGAINST TURKISH PREMIER TO BE HELD TODAYAnkara, November 25 (MPA)The Turkish Parliament is to hold a vote of confidence this evening, which will determine whether or not Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz and his coalition government will remain in power.The censure vote was initiated by the True Path and Republican People's Party If more than 275 parliamentarians vote in favor of the censure, then the government will fall. [10] NATO SECRETARY-GENERAL IN FYROM TOMORROWSkopje, November 25 (MPA)NATO's secretary-general Javier Solana and the Alliance's military chief Wesley Clark are to travel to FYROM tomorrow where they will be received by President Kiro Gligorov, the outgoing Prime Minister Branco Cervenkovski and the Premier by proxy Lupco Georgievski.Mr.Gligorov stated that his country is ready to allow the deployment of a NATO rapid intervention force in FYROM. [11] CYPRIOT MINISTER OF THE INTERIOR IN ATHENS TODAYAthens, November 25 (MPA)Cyprus Interior Minister Dinos Michaelides is presently in Athens to discuss matters of bilateral interest with Greek government officials.Discussions will focus on the Shengen Convention, European Union issues, local administration and matters relating to cooperation between the Greek Television and Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation. [12] PARLIAMENT PRESIDENT: GREECE SUPPORTS CROATIA'S EUROPEAN ORIENTATIONAthens, November 25 (MPA)The President of the Hellenic Parliament Apostolos Kaklamanis received the Croatian President Franco Tudjman yesterday, with who he discussed problems in the wider region of the Balkans and relations between the two countries.Following the talks, Mr. Kaklamanis stated that Greece supports Croatia's European orientation and extended an invitation to the members of the Croatian parliament to visit Greece. President Tudjman called on the international community to take immediate measures on the strife in the Yugoslav province of Kosovo, saying that there would be "serious" consequences if peace was not maintained. He further hailed Greece's positive and constructive contribution to resolving the Balkan crisis. [13] THESSALONIKI HOSTS BALKAN CONFERENCE OF CARTOGRAPHYThessaloniki, November 25 (MPA)A Balkan and Black Sea cartography conference is to begin in Thessaloniki today, where map experts are to trade experiences and information on geography of rapidly-changing region.The three-day conference will start with the official presentation of three Braille maps of Thessaloniki, the first of their kind in Greece, and will feature the participation cartographers from universities in Turkey, Yugoslavia, Romania, Bulgaria and Greece. The conference is taking place under the aegis of the Council of Europe and will focus on mapping of urban centers. Also today, Defense Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos will open the proceedings of the Fifth National Congress of Cartographers, where the Hellenic Army Geographic Service, the Naval Hydrographic Service and the chairman of the International Cartographic Association, Aberdeen University professor Michael Wood, will be presented with awards for their contribution to the science during the congress. Mr. Tsochatzopoulos is also scheduled to inaugurate the exhibition of priceless 20th century maps of Greek port cities. The International Cartographic Association will also hold its regular meeting during the events, with the participation of scientists from as far as Japan and Australia. The inaugural meeting of the members of the European Union program Cartotech for European cartographic heritage will also be held. The Thessaloniki-based National Center for maps and Cartographic Heritage - National Map Archive is the leader of the group. [14] SIR DAVID DOES NOT EXPECT BREAKTHROUGH IN NEW ROUND OF TALKSLondon, November 25 (MPA)The British government's and European Union's envoy for the Cyprus issue Sir David Hannay is not optimistic that immediate breakthroughs will arise in the new round of UN talks conducted over the occupied island's issue.Following an hour-long meeting with Cypriot President Glafkos Clerides in London yesterday, Sir David said: "I think at the moment it's a period of quiet diplomacy. I hope our talks will contribute to that." When asked to comment on his recent visit to Turkey, Sir David replied that he did not wish to draw any conclusions from the visit. "It is a very rapidly moving situation in Ankara with the prospect of elections in April," he said. Sir David said he had talks with ministers and officials in Ankara. "I was able to cover a wide range of issues," he said, adding that ways to help the UN shuttle talks were also discussed. "It is a procedure to which we give our full support," he said. "We do not anticipate a great and immediate breakthrough in every issue, but we hope that steady progress can be made through it." [15] ATHENS-THESSALONIKI TRAIN ROUTE WILL BE CLOSED FOR THREE DAYSThessaloniki, November 25 (MPA)The Athens-Thessaloniki rail link will be closed until Friday, November 27, due to floods brought on by recent rains.The Greek Railways Organization, (OSE) said in a statement that damage had been noted to the tracks at a number of locations. The Corinth- Tripoli link in the Peloponnese will also be closed for the next two days to allow for repair work to be completed. For more information, passengers may contact OSE at 529-7777. [16] FEW, YET BRAVE, TAXPAYERS DECLARE INCOME OF MORE THAN 10 MILLION GRDAthens, November 25 (MPA)Very few Greek taxpayers declared an annual income of more than ten million drachmas on their 1997 income tax returns, with 42,000 out of four million Greek households actually admitting such income.According to Finance Ministry data, more than three million taxpayers declared an income of up to four million drachmas for 1997, while a mere one percent declares income of more than 14 million. [17] SENIOR MOSSAD OFFICER RESIGNS OVER ISRAEL'S SPY FIASCO IN CYPRUSTel Aviv, November 25 (MPA)A senior officer in Israel's Mossad has resigned following the arrest in Cyprus of two of its suspected agents, according to Israeli newspaper reports.According to Reuters, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's spokesman had declined to comment on the report. The Israeli nationals who were apprehended in Cyprus earlier this month suspected of spying, have been charged with three counts of espionage by the Larnaca court. and, if found guilty, face ten years in jail. The charges concern spying against the National Guard and the Cyprus Republic, not only in Zygi but also in other parts of the island between October 15 and November 6. Udi Hargov, 37 and Ig'al Damari 49 were arrested on November 7 and their presence in Cyprus coincided with major National Guard activities on the island. Cypriot police found sophisticated surveillance equipment in the apartment they were renting in Zygi, the planned site for the island's first ever naval base. Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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