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The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English, 03-11-05The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Hellenic Radio (ERA) <www.ert.gr/>CONTENTS[01] Weather forecast[02] Cloudy with rains and storms in all parts of the country. Snow will fall on high ground in the centre and north, and probably in low-lying areas of western Macedonia. Winds variable, moderate to very strong, turning gale force in the Aegean. Temperatures in Athens will range between 14-16 C; and in Thessaloniki from 9C to 11C(5/11/2003 8:25:00 μμ)[03] EU tells Turkey to settle Cyprus disputeIn its annual progress report, the European Commission said today that failure to settle the[04] Cyprus issue could pose a "serious obstacle" to Turkey's bid to open EU membership talks, rebuffing last-minute pressure from Ankara.Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul vowed to step up efforts to end the island's division, which joins the EU next May, but added that[05] Cyprus should not be used to delay the opening of negotiations with his country.From his end, Prime Minister Costas Simitis underlined Turkey had made significant progress but noted that issues mentioned in the Helsinki agreement such as the Cyprus issue and Greek-Turkish relations must also proceed.(5/11/2003 8:27:00 μμ) [06] Bulgarian president's contacts in AthensDuring his meeting today with Bulgarian President Giorgo Parvanov, who is conducting an official visit to Greece, PM Simitis reiterated Greece's support for Bulgaria's accession to NATO and the EU and conveyed Greece's position that interbalkan cooperation needs to deepen. Earlier today, the President of the Greek Republic Costis Stefanopoulos received Mr. Parvanov.The Bulgarian president also conducted meetings with political party leaders and the President of the ATHENS 2004 Olympics Organizing Committee, Gianna Angelopoulou. (5/11/2003 8:29:00 μμ) [07] Church tensionsThe first day of the meeting of the Hierarchy of the Church of Greece on the conflict with the Ecumenical Patriarchate, was held in a tense atmosphere.The discussion, which became heated at points, mainly focused on the issue of whether the Church of Greece intends to abide by the Act of 1928. In an announcement, the Patriarchate is demanding strict observance of the 1928 church agreement whereby the Church of Greece was given autonomy but the Ecumenical Patriarchate retained spiritual authority and over sees northern, eastern and southern Greece that were liberated from the Turks after 1912. The announcement also warns that any breach of the agreement will result in a major crisis in the relations between the two churches. (5/11/2003 8:31:00 μμ) [08] FBI director in GreeceGovernment spokesman Christos Protopapas confirmed today the arrival of the FBI Director to Greece.Mr. Protopapas stated that the US official will discuss with his Greek colleagues issues concerning security, given the cooperation with Greece on Olympic Games' security issues. (5/11/2003 8:32:00 μμ) [09] Police authorities to issue passports in 2004Following a decision of the Council of State, beginning in 2004, Police Authorities will issue passports instead of prefectures as they had been in the past.The Council's plenary session deemed the change constitutional as prefecture employees had been issuing illegal passports to foreigners. (5/11/2003 8:34:00 μμ) [10] Sailing ban due to gale force windsShips headed for Crete, the Dodekanese and Aegean islands remain at the ports of Piraeus and Rafina since this morning due to the extreme gale force winds.In the meantime, the Rio-Antirrio crossing remains closed due to the continued strike by dockworkers. (5/11/2003 8:35:00 μμ) [11] Guerrillas attack U.S. convoys, three Iraqis killedGuerrillas mounted two grenade attacks on U.S. convoys in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul today, killing three Iraqis and wounding at least nine people including two American soldiers.In a raid in the town of Falluja, west of Baghdad, U.S. troops captured two former generals in Saddam Hussein's army. The two were seized in a raid on Tuesday that also netted a large weapons cache. (5/11/2003 8:38:00 μμ) [12] Israel says to ease West Bank blockadeIsraeli security officials said today the army would relax its West Bank blockade to bolster Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie in a power struggle with Yasser Arafat delaying U.S.-backed peace moves.Security sources said Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz had also decided in principle to remove 10-20 Jewish settlement outposts on occupied West Bank land. He is to hold talks in Washington with U.S. officials who want the outposts uprooted. (5/11/2003 8:42:00 μμ) The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |