Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English, 99-06-03

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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 THE MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY

Thessaloniki, June 3, 1999

TITLES

[01] SPECIAL SESSION OF THE SERB PARLIAMENT

[02] NATO CONTINUED RAIDS AGAINST YUGOSLAVIA

[03] EUROPEAN UNION SUMMIT BEGINS

[04] SIMITIS’ SPEECH TO GREEKS LIVING IN GERMANY

[05] BELGRADE: ICJ DECISION “CYNICAL AND UNACCEPTABLE”

[06] SCHEDULE OF GREEK POLITICAL LEADERS

[07] OSCE CHAIRMAN IN BOSNIA

[08] ARMENIA: UNITY ALLIANCE WINS 43.4% OF THE VOTES

[09] ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH IN NEVROKOPI AND SERRES

[10] CHERNOMIRDIN DENIES SPLIT WITH HIS MILITARY ADVISORS

[11] GLIGOROV-CLARK MEET IN SKOPJE

[12] TODAY’S SCHEDULE OF THE EU SUMMIT

[13] EU LEADERS AWAIT BELGRADE’S RESPONSE TO THE PEACE DEAL

[14] TURKEY CLAIMS MORE ISLETS IN THE AEGEAN

[15] BELGRADE: PEACE PLAN REALISTIC

[16] YELTSIN PARDONS 713 DEATH-ROW CONVICTS

[17] EUROPES CREDIBILITY IS TESTED IN COLOGNE

[18] RUSSIA CALLS FOR MORE HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TO YUGOSLAVIA

[19] YUGOSLAV CRISIS TO BE RESOLVED?

NEWS IN DETAIL

[01] SPECIAL SESSION OF THE SERB PARLIAMENT

The Serb parliament holds a special session today in order to consider the peace plan submitted yesterday to Slobodan Milosevic by Viktor Chernomirdin and Marti Ahtisaari.

Today, the Russian mediator and the Finnish President, who flew to Belgrade yesterday, will resume talks with the Yugoslav President. American President, Bill Clinton did not rule out, in his message, the possibility of ground operations in case these diplomatic efforts fail as well.

[02] NATO CONTINUED RAIDS AGAINST YUGOSLAVIA

NATO air strikes were limited last night to a few targets around Belgrade and other areas in Serbia hit by the Alliance’s fighter planes. Missiles hit Obrenovac while one person was wounded by another missile that fell close to a gas station on the road from Belgrade to Pancevo.

[03] EUROPEAN UNION SUMMIT BEGINS

The second European Union Summit begins today in Cologne, Germany. European leaders will discuss about the crisis in Yugoslavia and are expected to issue a communique on the common European defense and the appointment of the official in charge of the European Foreign Policy. This post is likely to be assigned to NATO Secretary General, Javier Solana.

[04] SIMITIS’ SPEECH TO GREEKS LIVING IN GERMANY

Prime Minister Costas Simitis stated his belief that PASOK will win the euroelections, in a speech he addressed last night to Greeks who live in Cologne.

Mr. Simitis reminded that 29 years ago he had addressed his fist speech in Cologne in a meeting to protest against the dictatorship in Greece, held in Cologne and stressed that on June 13th, the Greek people will face a clear dilemma: “Will we move forward and secure everything we have achieved or will we go back with the ‘referendums’ of the Right? The stream cannot go back! We ask from the Greek people to compare the present to the future. To compare our work to others’ words. To compare if we achieved what we had said to whether the others have achieved what they had promised in the past. I believe we talk through our works. Our work shows the truth” he stressed.

Premier Simitis said that regarding the Yugoslav issue Greece has achieved to stand firm and secure in the middle of a crisis and that our country acts according to its own interests.

He also noted that his party, PASOK, supports the Greek immigrants with its policies and it has adapted an important organizational work in order to follow the developments that concern the Greeks who live abroad, referring to the founding of the Council of Greeks Living Abroad.

[05] BELGRADE: ICJ DECISION “CYNICAL AND UNACCEPTABLE”

Serbia’s Justice Minister Dragoljub Jankovic said the International Court’s Justice decision to reject the Yugoslav petition to end NATO air raids was “cynical and unacceptable”, in an interview in the daily Politika.

Yesterday the ICJ ruled that it has considered the case profoundly “it was not competent to judge most of the case”.

Jancovic stressed tat the consequences of the attack against Yugoslavia are such that a court should have taken temporary measures to protect the entire people of Serbia adding that Belgrade will continue to ask from the United Nations to issue a resolution to settle the problem.

[06] SCHEDULE OF GREEK POLITICAL LEADERS

Prime Minister Kostas Simitis is in Cologne today, taking part in the European Union Summit. Last night he addressed a speech to Greeks living in Germany, were he referred to the euro-elections as well as the Yugoslav crisis.

Main opposition leader, Costas Karamanlis is in Bonn as of last night where he participates in the European People’s Party Summit, discussing subjects that concern the institutional reforming of the European Union, the boost of employment and the Yugoslav crisis.

In his speech the president of New Democracy stressed the need to form a common administration of Kosovo after the crisis is over while noting the need to appoint an official representative of the EU who will act as a mediator between the Kosovars and the Serbs.

The Secretary General of the Communist Party, Aleka Papariga tours in the region of Ipiros and tonight she will address a speech in the town of Ioannina.

Leader of the Coalition of the Left and the Progress, Nikos Konstantopoulos will visit Lamia and Patra today where we will meet with local representatives.

Dimitris Tsovolas, president of the Democratic and Social Movement, will visit the municipality of Peristeri and during the day he will go to the central market where he is to meet with local representatives.

Antonis Samaras, president of Political Spring party, is in Thessaloniki where he is to visit industrial facilities. At 1.30 pm he will give a press cnoference and later in the evening he will visit the conference center of HELEXPO. Mr Samaras will leave Thessaloniki tomorrow to Kilkis.

[07] OSCE CHAIRMAN IN BOSNIA

OSCE chairman Knut Vollebaek pays a three-day visit to Bosnia and Croatia as of last night, the OSCE office in Sarajevo announced.

Vollebek is to meet with the High Representative of the international community, Carlos Westendorp as well as with members of the collective presidency of Bosnia. Afterwards he is to leave to Banka Luka, the administrative center of the Bosnian Serbs.

He will also meet NATO officials from the Stabilisation Force which oversees the implementation of the Dayton peace agreement.

OSCE is in charge of the organization of the post- war elections in Bosnia.

[08] ARMENIA: UNITY ALLIANCE WINS 43.4% OF THE VOTES

The Unity Alliance of Armenia, led by ex-communist leader Karen Dermichyan and Armenian Defense Minister Vazgen Saarkisian won Sunday’s electrions.

With 95% of the votes counted, the Unity Alliance won 43.4% of the votes, while the Communists came secont with 12,5%. The Alliance is expected to claim 65 or 66 seats in the 131 member Armenian Parliament.

OSCE’s observers welcomed the results of the election despite the problemes that emerged stressing that steps of democratisation are being made in the Armenian society.

[09] ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH IN NEVROKOPI AND SERRES

Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos will visit Nevrokopi and Serres today, continuing his tour of Northern Greece.

Yesterday, the citizens of Drama received Vartholomeos with enthusiasm. The Patriarch will leave to Constantinoples on June 5.

[10] CHERNOMIRDIN DENIES SPLIT WITH HIS MILITARY ADVISORS

Viktor Chernomirdin’s aide, Valentin Sergeyev dismissed media reports regarding disagreements between the Russian mediator and his military advisors concerning the peace deal for Kosovo.

Moscow television station NTV, reported yesterday that military advisors accompanying Viktor Chernomirdin accused him of supporting too much the proposals submitted by the American side.

Sergeyev stressed that these reports are based only on rumors, now that the negotiations have reached a crucial stage.

After last nights talks with Slobodan Milosevic, Chernomirdin stated that the Yugoslav President and the country’s leadership have to make a hard choice and hoped that they will accept the proposals he submitted.

[11] GLIGOROV-CLARK MEET IN SKOPJE

NATO chief commander General Wesley Clark flew to Skopje, last night in order to meet with FYROM President Kiro Gligorov.

Clark stated that his trip to Skopje is related to NATO’s decision to increase the number of its troops stationed in FYROM and Albania.

“We should start sending forces right now” he said adding that NATO will continue to bomb Yugoslavia until the terms set by G-8 are fully accepted.

“The Yugoslav Army has suffered major losses and Milosevic cannot win this conflict with NATO” Clark claimed and called Sloodan Milosevic to accept the peace deal and withdraw his military forces from Kosovo.

[12] TODAY’S SCHEDULE OF THE EU SUMMIT

German Chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder received today leaders of the European Union member-states who take part in the EU Summit in Cologne, in the conference center Gurzenich. Afterwards the “15” met with the president of the European Parliament Jose Maria Gie-Robles.

The Summit Council began its session at 10.45 (local time) and at 11.00 Mr. Robles gave a press conference.

The noon session will hold from 15.00 to 17.30 and at 19.00 the 15 leaders will attend the diner hosted at Augustusburg palace in Bruhl town.

[13] EU LEADERS AWAIT BELGRADE’S RESPONSE TO THE PEACE DEAL

The fifteen European Leaders are anxious to receive at the EU Summit, Finnish President Marti Ahtisaari who will bring Belgrade’s response to the peace deal submitted by himself and Viktor Chernomirdin.

Ahtisaari acts as European Union envoy to the Yugoslav crtisis and is expected to brief the German Chancellor and the rest of the European leaders on the results of his visit to Belgrade.

Today it is believed to be the most crucial day that will determine the course of the conflict in Yugoslavia.

Greek premier, Costas Simitis said to MPA that he expects positive results from the negotiations held in Belgrade, while Foreign Minister Giorgos Papandreou stressed that “the moment of truth has come” for the Kosovo issue.

[14] TURKEY CLAIMS MORE ISLETS IN THE AEGEAN

Turkey claims more islands and islets from Greece, which, according to the Turkish Army Staff are part of the “ottoman heritage” while their “status is not determined by international conventions”, accusing Greece of “inventing problems in the Aegean”.

Turkish daily “Cumhurriet” reports that the Army Staff works out it’s response to Greece regarding 152 isles and islets Turkey claims from Greece, which will be announced as soon the EU Summit in Cologne is over.

Top Turkish official stated that there “every islet that it is not named in any convention belongs to Turkey, which is the heir of the Ottoman Empire”, including 152 islets close to the Turkish coastline.

He accused Greece of raising a Greek flag on Agathonisi island in order to provoke a tough response form Turkey which could be used against his country during the EU Summit.

[15] BELGRADE: PEACE PLAN REALISTIC

Valentin Sergeyev, aide to Russian mediator, Viktor Chernomirdin said that the Yugoslav leadership showed great interest in the peace plan submitted yesterday, and sees it as a “realistic” way out of the Kosovo crisis.

Sergeyev stressed that during last night’s talks Belgrade stated that the conditions included in the peace deal are realistic and open the way to an end of the NATO strikes against Yugoslavia

[16] YELTSIN PARDONS 713 DEATH-ROW CONVICTS

Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed today a decree pardoning 713 prisoners facing capital punishment, according to an announcement issued by the Kremlin.

The punishments of the last 713 prisoners to have been sentenced to death, have been commuted to either life or 25 year imprisonment.

Yeltsin had suspended executions since 1996, because of Russia’s bid to join the Council of Europe and according to the conditions of membership, Moscow has to abolish death penalty before the end of February.

[17] EUROPES CREDIBILITY IS TESTED IN COLOGNE

Europe’s credibility depends on the developments in the Kosovo crisis, Prime Minister Costas Simitis stressed today, in a letter he addressed to the leaders of the European Union member states.

The issue of Yugoslavia ranks first among the subjects to be discussed in today’s session of the EU Summit in Cologne.

The Summit’s agenda for today and tomorrow includes: the developments in Kosovo the European Employment Pact the European Defense and Security Policy the European Charter of Rights the Common Strategy on Russia the Institutional Reforms in the EU and the promotion of the Euro-parliaments role

[18] RUSSIA CALLS FOR MORE HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TO YUGOSLAVIA

Russia supports the increase of the humanitarian assistant to Yugoslavia, said today Russia’s envoy to the United Nations, Sergei Lavrov, adding that unless the strikes against Serbia are stopped, the catastrophy in Kosovo cannot be overcome and progress cannot begin.

Lavroc stressed that people carrying humanitarian assistance are not secure under continuing raids and NATO seeks to completely destroy Yugoslavia without caring for the consequences suffered by civilians.

[19] YUGOSLAV CRISIS TO BE RESOLVED?

According to information coming from Belgrade, Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic has agreed to the proposals presented to him yesterday by Viktor Chernomirdin and Marti Ahtisaari.

Yesterday, Greek Foreign Minister, Giorgos Papandreou has said to MPA that the US, Russia and Ahtisaari (representative of the EU) had come to terms on the Yugoslav crisis and the only question remained to be answered was Milosevic’s response.

At 12.30pm (German time) Mr Papandreou is to meet with journalists coverings the EU Summit in Cologne.

Earlier, premier Costas Simitis had expressed his belief that positive results would emerge from the Ahtisaari-Chernomirdin-Milosevic meeting.

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