The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English, 04-03-18

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From: The Hellenic Radio (ERA) <www.ert.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Investigations of Madrid bombings continue

The international investigation of the Madrid terror bombings made progress, with Spanish police arresting five suspects and presenting five others to a judge. Moroccan authorities, meanwhile, rounded up associates of a key detainee, Jamal Zougam, with alleged al-Qaida ties.

[02] Blasts near Baghdad hotels used by foreign media

Explosions shook two Baghdad hotels used by foreign business people, contractors and media

companies on Thursday evening, a day after a suicide car bomb demolished another Baghdad hotel and killed seven.

[03] 300 parliament deputies sworn in

The new parliamentary session opened today with the swearing in of the 300 parliament deputies making up the Greek Parliament after the March 7 elections. Holy Synod representatives, headed by Archbishop Christodoulos as well as representatives of the diplomatic corps attended the swearing-in ceremony. Elections will be held in parliament tomorrow for its new presiding board.

The governing New Democracy party has proposed Mrs. Anna Psarouda-Benaki for the post of the Parliament President and she will be the first woman to hold the specific post in the Greek history.

[04] G. Papandreou addresses party parliamentary group

During todays first meeting of his partys parliamentary group Opposition Socialist Party of PASOK leader George Papandreou referred to the Cyprus problem underlining that the government should continue undertaking initiatives. Mr. Papandreou also pointed out that PASOK will support the government for as long as it undertakes initiatives and warned that if the Cyprus issue is left on an automatic pilot the government will be faced with PASOKs criticism.

[05] UN invites Greece,Turkey to Cyprus talks March 23

Responding to an invitation sent out by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the Greek government today announced that Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis will attend UN-backed talks taking place in Switzerland to resolve the Cyprus issue. Officials said the Greek premier would attend the later stage of the enlarged four-way talks on March 28.

Annan urges Athens and Ankara and the Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot leadership to reply as quickly as possible and points out that they must be represented at a sufficiently high level as to allow the taking of important decisions, in accordance with the commitments made in New York on February 13.

The negotiations are expected to begin at the level of foreign ministers, with the two prime ministers and Annan himself joining in at a later stage, depending on how the talks progress. The four-way talks are scheduled to continue until March 31, while diplomatic sources say they will take place irrespective of whether Turkish-Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash takes part or not.

[06] Bush-Karamanlis telephone contact

U.S. President George Bush and Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis briefly exchanged views on the Cyprus issue today, during a 15-minute telephone conversation. Bush stressed that the United States was prepared to assist in resolving the political problem on Cyprus while from his end, Karamanlis replied that a solution on Cyprus had to be viable, functional and compatible with European Union standards and asked for Washingtons intervention with the Turkish-Cypriot side in order to ensure a solution within this framework.

[07] Greek jourmalists attacked in Urosevac

Two Greek journalists belonging to a news crew sent in by the Greek television channel Alter were attacked by Albanians in Urosevac today, who threw rocks and stones at their vehicle as they entered the town. Members of the U.S. peacekeeping force, escorted the journalists to the border between Kosovo and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, rescued the two journalists.

The 15 Greek servicemen who were attacked last night by Albanians in Urosevac are safe according to Nikos Zahariadis press spokesperson for the Greek National Staff on Net 105,8. The second Greek battalion in Mirtovitsa

[08] NATO warns Albanians as Serb churches burn

Albanians set fire to Serb churches in Kosovo today in a second day of attacks as NATO boosted its peacekeeping strength, warning it would stamp out ethnic violence with force. In their second major intervention of the day, NATO troops fired teargas and rubber bullets to stop a crowd of Albanians marching on Caglavica, a Serb village hard hit in violence that killed at least 23 the day before. Britain today dispatched the first wave of its "spearhead" force of up to 750 rapid reaction troops to help quell a sudden outbreak of unrest in Kosovo.

[09] NATO warns Albanians as Serb churches burn

Albanians set fire to Serb churches in Kosovo today in a second day of attacks as NATO boosted its peacekeeping strength, warning it would stamp out ethnic violence with force. In their second major intervention of the day, NATO troops fired teargas and rubber bullets to stop a crowd of Albanians marching on Caglavica, a Serb village hard hit in violence that killed at least 23 the day before. Britain today dispatched the first wave of its "spearhead" force of up to 750 rapid reaction troops to help quell a sudden outbreak of unrest in Kosovo.

[10] Weather Forecast

Sunny weather is forecast in all parts of the country, with some early morning mist on the mainland and over the Ionian Sea. Winds variable, light to moderate, turning strong in the southeastern Aegean. Temperatures in Athens will range between 10-23 C and in Thessaloniki from 8-22 C.

[11] NATO warns Albanians as Serb churches burn

Albanians set fire to Serb churches in Kosovo today in a second day of attacks as NATO boosted its peacekeeping strength, warning it would stamp out ethnic violence with force. In their second major intervention of the day, NATO troops fired teargas and rubber bullets to stop a crowd of Albanians marching on Caglavica, a Serb village hard hit in violence that killed at least 23 the day before. Britain today dispatched the first wave of its "spearhead" force of up to 750 rapid reaction troops to help quell a sudden outbreak of unrest in Kosovo.

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