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Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English, 99-06-08Macedonian 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, June 8, 1999TITLES
NEWS IN DETAIL[01] GREEK PREMIER TO GIVE ADDRESS IN THESSALONIKI TONIGHTThessaloniki, June 8 (MPA)Prime Minister Costas Simitis is to speak in Thessaloniki this evening, during the ruling PASOK party’s pre- election rally for Sunday’s European Parliament race. The Premier, who is also PASOK’s president, is to present his address in Thessaloniki’s central Aristotle Square, the same site where main opposition party leader, New Democracy’s Costas Karamanlis, gave his address last night. Traffic police is to enforce detours after 7 p.m., as downtown will be inaccessible by car. A.F.[02] MAIN OPPOSITION LEADER’S RALLY IN THESSALONIKI DRAWS CROWDThessaloniki, June 8 (MPA)A swarm of supporters crowded Thessaloniki’s vast Aristotle Square last night, during the main opposition leader’s rally for Sunday’s European Parliament race.New Democracy’s Costas Karamanlis emphasized that, come Sunday, the Greek people will give a resounding “no” to the Simitis-led PASOK government, “turning the page to the past”. In an at-times heated address, Mr. Karamanlis accused the government of being incapable to fight the corruption-laden state, as he characteristically said. Furthermore, Mr. Karamanlis underlined the need for a new start, itemizing the Imia incident, the cancellation of the S-300 missiles deployment to Cyprus and the Ocalan affair as PASOK’s fiascoes. He also slammed the government for dragging its feet in the completion of large infrastructure projects in Northern Greece. A.F. [03] G-8 FOREIGN MINISTERS CONVENE TODAY IN COLOGNECologne, June 8 (MPA)The foreign ministers of the countries comprising the “Group of Eight” will resume their talks on the Yugoslav issue in Cologne today. However, there are three apparent points of dissension that continue to lie between the West and Russia, concerning the finite decision on a draft plan for establishing peace in Kosovo which will be tabled before the UN Security Council. Nevertheless, British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook has announced that an agreement is imminent. A.F.[04] NATO CONTINUES TO POUND TARGETS IN BELGRADE, NOVI SADBelgrade, June 8 (MPA)NATO continued to pound infrastructure sites in Yugoslavia last night, targeting oil refineries near Belgrade and Novi Sad, while also striking a number of cities and villages in central Serbia, killing one civilian and injuring five others.United States Pentagon has warned that the attacks will intensify, while, according to reports, intense fighting is presently taking place between Serbian forces and the Kosovo Liberation Army (UCK). A.F. [05] U.K. PRESS: YUGOSLAV ARMY URGES MILOSEVIC NOT TO SURRENDERLondon, June 8 (MPA)Yugoslavia's Third Army is urging President Slobodan Milosevic not to yield to NATO's demands to withdraw from Kosovo, according to a report published today by Britain’s daily “The Independent”. Reporting from Belgrade, “The Independent” also states that the real reason for Belgrade's refusal to withdraw all forces from Kosovo and to allow the deployment of NATO troops was "outrage" within the Yugoslav officer ranks. According to the report, the officers are demanding a United Nations blue beret-style force before agreeing to withdrawing from Kosovo.Quoting political sources in Belgrade, the Yugoslav capital, the paper reported that the Third Army confronted Milosevic with its 'deep dissatisfaction' over the peace agreement on Friday. A.F. [06] CONSUMERS BAFFLED OVER DIOXINE-CONTAMINATED FOODSTUFFSAthens, June 8 (MPA)In the wake of the latest food-related turmoil, and as the list with dioxine-contaminated items continues to grow, European consumers are baffled over which foodstuffs are safe to eat.A spokesperson from the European Union Permanent Agriculture Committee announced yesterday that about 1,400 Belgian food manufacturing companies are suspected of producing dioxine-contaminated foods. The committee has banned all Belgium-produced meats and related by- products that are manufactured by the suspect companies. The EU’s Agriculture Ministers are convening in Luxembourg today As for Greece, the general secretariat of the consumer’s agency announced that the state is awaiting the results of the checks conducted to ascertain which products are safe. The National Council of Consumers has also called for checks on Greek foods. Concerning dairy products, the director of the Aristotle University’s pollution laboratory said that no amount of dioxine has been detected in the reviewed samples, albeit he advised consumers to stick with non- fat milk and yogurt. A.F. [07] S.E. EUROPEAN LEADERS RESPOND TO GREEK APPEAL FOR KOSOVOThessaloniki, June 8 (MPA)The leaders of Southeastern European countries have promptly responded to an appeal they received from the pro-rector of Thessaloniki’s Macedonia University Yiannis Tsekouras, who asked them to do everything within their power so that peace is restored to the strife-torn Yugoslavia, while also urging the Western states and European Union leaders to undertake initiatives that will bring an immediate end to the bombing. In response to a letter forwarded by Mr. Tsekouras, in his capacity as Chairman of the Association of South- Eastern Europe Economic Universities (ASECU), founded in Thessaloniki, Austrian President Thomas Klestil maintained that Yugoslavia is responsible for the atrocities conducted by the Yugoslav leadership against the Kosovars, while he added that no violation of human rights can be tolerated. Concurrently, the Austrian leader stated that one mustn’t forget that NATO had exhausted all diplomatic means for reaching a political solution to the Kosovo crisis, adding that Austria will continue to support the diplomatic efforts that aim at putting an end to the bloodshed in Yugoslavia.Italian Premier Massimo D’Alema also stressed that the crisis has to be resolved through diplomatic means, pointing out that Italy supports the diplomatic venue in order to prevent additional losses of human lives. Mr. D’Alema expressed his regret over the present situation in Kosovo and stressed that the decision to conduct strikes against Yugoslavia was an extremely difficult one. The Italian Premier expounded that NATO’s military action against civilian targets stemmed from the failure of the Rambouillet talks, since it was viewed as necessary to put an end to attacks inflicted on Kosovo’s Albanians and to enforce respect for human rights. “The violation of human rights provokes the indignation of the international community and of each and every individual,” he stated. In his response to the appeal, France’s President Jacques Chirac underlined the efforts being exerted by Europe, Russia and the United States in discovering a fair and peaceful resolution to the conflict. Mr. Chirac stated that his country advocates a diplomatic solution to the Kosovo crisis, stressing that a peaceful settlement of the issue would require that the Yugoslav president stop oppressing the Albanians in Kosovo and allow for the return of the refugees to their homes. He also stated that all the organizations involved in the settlement efforts are aiming at a political adjustment which will be based on granting Kosovo with essential autonomy. In his appeal, Mr. Tsekouras had said that ethnic cleansing, religious discrimination and racism cannot and should not be tolerated today, especially in the Balkans where the main feature is the mixed populations of various ethnic, religious and racial groups. “ However,” he stressed, “the solution to problems is not to be found through armed conflict, but through the diplomatic route, politics, negotiations, dialogue and only dialogue, however long this may take.” Prof. Tsekouras had also forwarded a letter to the Yugoslav and Albanian-Kosovar leaders, as well as those involved in the cultural, scientific, economic and church circles, wherein he asked them to take immediate action so that all Kosovars (both Albanians and Serbs) may return and be reinstated to their homes safely under conditions of full respect for individual and minority rights and so that the highest possible autonomy is conceded to them. More than forty Universities from Albania, Bosnia- Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cyprus, FYROM, Turkey, Yugoslavia and Greece are members of the Association, while another 20 Universities have expressed interest and are in the process of becoming members. The main aim of the Association is to contribute towards a supra-national cooperation, promoting economic and social progress as well as closer bonds among the peoples of the region through working together in the scientific and research fields. A.F. [08] GREECE DENIES REPORTS OF NATO ARMS TRANSPORTS ON ITS RAILThessaloniki, June 8 (MPA)Macedonia-Thrace Minister Yiannis Magriotis has categorically refuted reports from Skopje which, quoting anonymous NATO sources, claim that the Alliance is transporting military equipment to FYROM from Greece by rail at night. Speaking to the Macedonian Press Agency, Mr. Magriotis stressed that Greece has informed NATO that it will not accept the transport of any military equipment during the period of the European Union’s parliamentary elections, as long as Yugoslavia is being bombed. Furthermore, Mr. Magriotis expressed the hope that a final solution for bringing peace to the region will be found within the following hours, while he stressed that Greece will assist both NATO and the United Nations in this effort.The report stemmed from a telegram dispatched from the French news agency AFP, which claimed that NATO is transporting military equipment through Greece by rail at night “to duck a ban by Athens on the deployment of US Marines heading to Macedonia, a NATO source said here Monday under condition of anonymity.” The official in charge at the railway station of Idomeni (Greece-FYROM border), told the MPA that, aside from the regular daily route, no other Skopje-bound train has passed through the station. According to well-informed sources, in the past three days since the government imposed the military transport ban, no arms or troops have been transferred via Greece to the NATO forces in FYROM. A.F. [09] GREEK FM OPTIMISTIC, BELIEVES SOLUTION TO KOSOVO IS IMMINENTThessaloniki, June 8 (MPA)In spite of the complications that have arisen in the course of the negotiations, Greece’s Foreign Minister George Papandreou has expressed his optimism that a solution to the Kosovo crisis is imminent. Speaking to an Athens-radio, Mr. Papandreou stated that the various hurdles are not immense enough to curb the course towards peace. “Peace will be restored in the region within a few days,” Mr. Papandreou stated, while adding that this does not mean that there will be no issues to face on “the day after”, a time when Greece will be called on to carry out a significant role. A.F.[10] THESSALONIKI-LITOCHORO ANTI-WAR MOTORCADE TOMORROWThessaloniki, June 8 (MPA)The Anti-war, Anti-imperialist Initiative is organizing a motorcade from Thessaloniki to Litochoro tomorrow evening, in protest to the arrival of a 2,500- strong US Marine contingent in the region.The motorcade will depart at 4 p.m. from downtown Thessaloniki. A.F. [11] EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ELECTIONS: FIRST POLL AT 9 PM ON SUNDAYAthens, June 8 (MPA)The first official polls of the European Parliament elections in Greece will begin at 9 pm on Sunday, a time concurrent with the remaining European Union member- states, according to the Minister of Development Vaso Papandreou who added that exit polls will be continuously aired up until that time Ms. Papandreou also stated that the abstention rate, which now stands at alarmingly-high numbers, will begin to wane as Sunday approaches. A.F.[12] TURKEY: PROSECUTOR CALLS FOR OCALAN’S EXECUTIONIstanbul, June 8 (MPA)The Ankara state security court prosecutor has called for the imposition of the death penalty on Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan, during today’s closing arguments at the treason trial.According to Turkish daily “Milliyet”, the court was not swayed by Mr. Ocalan’s testimony and this would become apparent by the prosecution’s closing argument, given today, calling for a death sentence, i.e. hanging. “Milliyet” also reported that, as of today, the court will review if Mr. Ocalan’s life could be spared by commuting his sentence to life imprisonment. Mr. Ocalan’s attorneys were granted their request that the trial be adjourned until June 23, in order to prepare for his final defense. A.F. [13] THE THREE MAIN STUMBLING BLOCKS FOR PEACE IN YUGOSLAVIAWashington, June 8 (MPA)Western states and Russia differ on three key points of the Kosovo peace plan which will be submitted to the UN Security Council.According to CNN, which quotes Western sources, the main stumbling blocks are: 1) Having NATO at the core of the peace implementation force. 2) Language noting the war crimes indictment against Yugoslav President. 3) Terms giving the peace force "robust" measures to ensure peace. A.F. Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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