MPA NEWS IN ENGLISH (04/04/1996)

From: Macedonian Press Agency <mpa@philippos.mpa.gr>

Macedonian Press Agency News in English Directory

NEWS IN ENGLISH BY MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY

Thursday, April 4 1996

TITLES

NEWS IN DETAIL

[01] BULGARIAN FOREIGN MINISTER MEETS WITH PRESIDENT AND PANGALOS TODAY

Bulgarian Foreign Minister met today with his greek counterpart Theodoros Pangalos in Athens, where the two men proceeded to the finalization of bilateral agreements between Greece and Bulgaria, regarding the Nestos River warers and cross- border cooperation policy.

The Greek Parliament will ratify the agreements immediately after Easter, while the Bulgarian Parliament has already done so.

The two Foreign Ministers also discussed a Bulgaria-initiated meeting of all Balkan nations foreign ministers to take place in Sofia during the first half of 1996.

Mr. Pirinski spoke extensively on his country's european orientation and stated that Bulgaria does not follow an axis policy, but rather a policy of unified principles in its relations will all neighboring countries.

This morning the Bulgarian Foreign Minister met with the President of Greek Parliament Apostolos Kaklamanis and it turn was received by the President of the Hellenic Republic Kostis Stefanopoulos.

[02] BULGARIAN FOREIGN MINISTER MEETS WITH GREEK PREMIER

Bulgaria's Foreign Minister Goergi Pirinski is currently in Athens on an official two-day visit to Greece, at the invitation of his greek counterpart Theodoros Pangalos.

Mr. Pirinski was received this morning by the Prime Minister Kostas Simitis, while in the afternoon he will meet with the President Kostis Stefanopoulos and Mr. Pangalos.

Topics of discussion will include the proposed Burgas- Alexandroupolis oil pipeline, the opening of three new border cross-points and the link of perpendicular road axes with Egnatia.

[03] U.S TRADE SECRETARY'S DEATH CONFIRMED, ALL 33 PASSENGERS KILLED

There are no survivors of yesterday's fatal airplane crash in Croatia, as the bodies of the 33 passengers, among whom was United States Trade Department Secretary Ron Brown, have been discovered scattered among the wreckage, according to Croatian Ambassador to the U.S. Miomir Zuzul.

The plane was traveling from Bosnia to Croatia and crashed on a mountain hill shortly before it was due to land at Croatia's Dubrovnik airport. The reasons for the crash remain unknown.

The Croat Ambassador stated that a woman who had been found alive, died on the way to the hospital.

Earlier, the U.S. government had announced that Ron Brown and his delegation of 13 businessmen and 12 U.S. government officials were considered killed.

[04] FYROM BUSINESSMEN VISIT THESSALONIKI'S PORT, NO DEALS CLOSED

FYROM businessmen visited the port of Thessaloniki today within the framework of a pursued collaboration regarding the transport of shipments to and from Skopje.

According to the Port's Administration President Apostolos Yenitsaris, "the visit was related to the port's potential of collaboration with FYROM companies. Many companies from FYROM worked with us prior to the embargo and came back to assess the situation," Yenitsaris said, adding that "others came for the first time and had the opportunity to see the port's modern facilities."

The Port's President stated that there were no deals closed during today's visit.

This marked the first official FYROM delegation to visit the Thessaloniki Port Administration, following the lift of the economic measures.

[05] NO CASES OF MAD COW DISEASE HAVE BEEN FOUND IN GREECE

No cases of the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), or more commonly known as "mad cow disease", have been discovered in Greece, according to the Regional Sector of the Central Macedonia's Geotechical Chamber.

According to the chamber's five-member veterinary committee, while BSE, found in cattle, and the Creutzfield-Jacob Disease found in humans, present symptom similarities, it has not been proven that BSE can be transmitted to humans. However, the committee does recommend that consumers avoid meat whose origin is the United Kingdom.

Given as a likely cause of BSE is the cattle's diet of meat flour and bone flour which has not been subjected to the proper heating process. According to findings, the disease can incubate for up to five years.

[06] ARMENIANS TO COMMEMORATE 1915 GENOCIDE IN THESSALONIKI

Thessaloniki's Armenian community will commemorate this month the 81st anniversary of the Armenia genocide by the Ottoman turks with evetns taking place until April 24.

The commemoration activities will range from concerts, to church services throughout the month, while a protest march to the turkish consulate is also being planned.

Also, Armenian merchants and shop-owners in Thessaloniki will close their shops on April 24 to honor the 1.5 million Armenians killed during the "ethnic cleaning" of 1915.

[07] THESSALONIKI HOSPITAL GETS BONE MARROW TRANSPLANT UNIT

Thessaloniki's George Papanikolaou Hospital will feature a bone marrow transplant unit, thanks to funds raised by the Association of Friends of Children with Cancer.

The unit, the first of such kind in Macedonia, will be housed in a two-story, 2,500 sq.mr. building and will have a 20-bed capacity, eight of which will be earmarked for chidren undergoing transplants, another eight for those recuperating, and four reserved for short-stay patients.

Health and Welfare Minister Anastasios Peponis will lay the foundation stone on April 7.

[08] ALTERNATE FOREIGN MINISTER SPEAKS IN NEW YORK

Alternate Foreign Minister George Romeos, who also oversees matters regarding Greeks abroad, stated that in order for the greek community abroad to solve its problems and help Greece, it must coordinate its efforts with the mother country.

Speaking at a press conference in New York, Mr. Romeos discussed the role and mission of the Council of Greeks Abroad (SAE) and pointed out that the Council's role is not to replace the greek organizations established abroad, with which it will closely collaborate, but instead to "coordinate the efforts in facing the common problems and to fulfil the common aims of Greeks throughout the world."

The Minister also referred to the legislation regarding the International Convention of Hellenism, scheduled to take place in Thessaloniki during the first months 1997, coinciding with the city's appointment as European Cultural Capital.

Mr. Romeos also stated that during his United States visit he had the opportunity to "communicate with the greek community's organizations and to affirm the complete acceptance of the governmental policy by the Greeks abroad."

[09] PANATHINAIKOS WON 1-0 IN THE SEMIFINAL FIRST LEG EUROPEAN CUP GAME

Sounds of pure delight were heard last night in Athens when thousands of cheering fans jammed the streets celebrating the victory of the Greek soccer team Panathinaikos who scored a 1-0 win against European Cup holders Ajax in Amsterdam.

The victorious goal, which was shot three minutes from time by Polish striker Krysztof Warzycha, placed the greek champions half-way into the Champions League May final.

Up to now, Ajax had a record unbeaten 10-match Cup run. Its defeat by Panathinaikos was its first in the European competition since 1994, when it was beaten by Italy's Parma in the Cup Winners' quarter finals.

[10] BRITISH LABOUR PARTY SHADOW MINISTER FAVORS RETURN OF ELGIN MARBLES TO GREECE

Britain's Labour Party Shadow Minister of Arts Mark Fisher stated today that when the Labour Party comes to power, it will embark on negotiations with the greek government regarding the issue of returning the "Elgin" marbles of Parthenon to Greece.

Noting that Athens' atmospheric pollution has been reduced and that standards of curatorship have been significantly improved in Greece, Mr. Fisher stated that the british opposition to the return of the marbles to Greece no longer stands. Moreover, the British Shadow Minister pointed out that a museum currently planned in Athens would provide a suitable home for the marbles.

In an interview to the british paper "Daily Telegraph", Mr. Fisher stated that if his party came to power, "it would be foolish and internationally churlish not to hold proper talks with the greek government."

Also, the former Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock, has made repeated requests for the return of the marbles to Greece. He has said that "the Parthenon without the Marbles is like a smile with a missing tooth."

[11] GREECE, YUGOSLAVIA TO HAVE ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION

Given that the economies of Greece and Yugoslavia are mutually dependent upon the conditions of the ever-increasing competition for the draw of foreign capital, a co-operation between the two countries appears to be a sound path to follow, stated today the economic advisor of the Greek Embassy in Belgrade, Christos Farmakis.

Farmakis addressed representatives of appoximately 100 yugoslav businesses at the Yugoslav Economic Chamber.

[12] MILOSEVIC MET UNITED STATES DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE

The evolution of the bilateral cooperation between Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the United States and the current political situation in the region were he important issues that the Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic discussed in Belgrade with US Deputy Secretary of State John Cornbloom. During the meeting both remarked that the peace plan is being successfully implemented in Bosnia-Herzegovina and that it is a significant contribution to the consolidation of peace and stabilisation in the Balkan region. It was also stressed that FR Yugoslavia will persist in its efforts to promote peace and equality among nations and states, along with developing comprehensive cooperation with international partners in the mutual interest.

[13] MUTUAL RECOGNITION LEAD SERBO-CROATIAN RELATION TO NORMALISATION

"The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia sincerly wants to establish the best possible relation with the Republic of Croatia and this orientation of the Yugoslav side has been affirmed in all the meetings on various levels of the representatives of the two states," Head of the Bureau of FR Yugoslavia in Zagreb Veljko Knezevic declared in an interview for the Croatian daily "Glas Slavonije".

Regarding on when will the mutual recognition be signed Mr. Knezevic stated: "This entails a process that has its own rhytm and which will lead to complete normalization. Should it continue along the current path, I believe that there are good chances of Yugoslavia and Croatia defining their relations in a mutually satisfactory way within a resonable amount of time."

In order to avoid past and future frictions between this two nations, certain issues have to be settled, Knezevic particularly stressed. He took the issue of Cape Prevlaka as an example.

"It should be handled with patience and without any rush or tension, in a way to meet both the Yugoslav and the Croation expectation," Mr. Knezevic said.

[14] CROAT WAR CRIMINAL SURRENDERED HIMSELF TO THE HAGUE TRIBUNAL

The Austrian authorities are still waiting for the official request of the International Hague Tribunal for Croat Zdravko Mucic extradition, Austrian newspapers revealed. Zdravko Mucic was arrested two weeks ago according to a Tribunal's warrant. Mucic, former commander of the Celebic concentration camp, has been charged with crimes against Serbs.

Obviouslly, the Hague Tribunal is in no rush to indict Mucic and Zejnil Delalic, a Muslim arrested on similar charges in Munich, Serbian newspaper Vecernje Novosti remarked. The same publication added that there is a great difference between these two cases and the urgency displayed by the judges when two Bosnian Serb officers were transferred to the Hague with special NATO flights.

Meanwhile, former No. 1 man of the Croatian army in Bosnia- Herzegovina - General Tihomir Blaskic - left two days ago for Hague, and turned himself in at the International Tribunal. He was accused for holding the massacre of Muslims in the village of Ahmic, but the indictment against him is still not completely known.

[15] CANADIAN PREMIER WILL VISIT ROMANIA ON APRIL 16

Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien will be in Romania on April 16 when the first reactor of the Romanian nuclear power plant in Cernavoda is sheduled to be put into operation, Romanian News Agency Rador announced. Romanian nuclear reactor has been made in co-operation with Canada.

Canadian Premier is going to Romania on his way to Moscow to attend the April 18-20 conference on nuclear security, AFP said quoting Canadian sources.

[16] AMERICAN TROOPS WILL CONDUCT MILITARY OPERATIONS IN ROMANIA

American troops will be able to conduct military operations on Romanian airports, up to a certain level and in certain conditions, said the head of a US military experts team Robert Nodd. That was the conclusion reached by the U.S. military expert team that arrived in Romania to asses the potential of military airfiled of Bucharest, Timisoara, Constanta and Craiova, Romanian News Agency Rador transmitted.

The American experts established that, in spite of financial dificulties, the operational potential of the Romanian military facility was beyond expectations.

Bucharest offered to provide the airport of Timisioara, located near Serbia's borders, for peace operations in Bosnia.

[17] GERMAN MILITARY DELEGATION WILL VISIT ROMANIA

Germany's Defense Minister Volker Ruhe and a team of military experts are going to visit Romania during the April 11-14, Romanian News Agency Rador reported They will meet with Romania's President Ion Iliescu, Premier Nicolae Vacaroiu and with the Romanian Defense Minister Gheorhe Tinca. The main issues of their discussions will focus on the political and military situation in the region and the development of the military co-operation between Germany and Romania.

The guests will also will visit Military Academy and will meet with German community in Sibiu.

[18] U.S. READY TO HELP THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA

The United States is ready to help the Republic of Moldova to solve the conflict with the Russian-speaking separatists in the Transdnestrian region, prooving once more that Washington back up the independence and the territorial integrity of the country, stated in Chisinau Joseph Presle, State Department's Ambasador for relations with former Soviet republics. Presle visited Chisinau and Tiraspol and expressed his optimism that the situation in Trandnestrian region might be settled this year.

The issue will be raised by President Clinton during the next summit with the Russian president Yeltzin.

Meanwihle, a new currency, the Transdnestrian rouble, was put into circulation in the separatist Transdnestrian region of the Moldova Republic, Romanian News Agency Rador reported. The new banknote has been printed in Germany.

[19] IMF URGES REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA NOT TO PAY THE DEBTS

International Monetary Fund urges Moldova's government not to pay the debts of non-bugetary companies, Romanian News Agency Rador reported. If Moldova follows IMF's advice, IMF might give Chisinau a $200 million loan to settle its relations with the Russian Gazprom company, the main gas supplier of the country.

Moldova's Vice-premier Valentin Cunev had signed a protocol with the company, through that the Moldova's government committed itself to convert the debts into $120 million worth securities.

[20] FOREIGN EXCHANGE RATE REPORT

CURRENCY          FIXING      BUY         SELL
ECU              302.3940   301.4870    303.3010
U.S. Dollar      240.6500   239.9280    241.3720
Deutsche Mark    162.6540   162.1660    163.1420
UK Sterling      367.6000   366.4970    368.7030
French Franc      47.7650    47.6220     47.9080
Swedish Crown     36.2400    36.1310     36.3490
Danish Kroner     42.1350    42.0090     42.2610
Norwegian Crown   37.5600    37.4470     37.6730
Italian Lira      15.4190    15.3730     15.4650
Swiss Franc      201.2040   200.6000    201.8080
Spanish Peseta     1.9440     1.9382      1.9498
Finnish Mark      52.0090    51.8530     52.1650
Yen              224.8000   224.1260    225.4740

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