MPA NEWS IN ENGLISH (14/08/1996)

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

Macedonian Press Agency News in English Directory

MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH

Thessaloniki, August, 14 1996

TITLES

NEWS IN DETAIL

[01] CYPRUS:UNARMED DEMONSTRATORS INJURED BY TURKISH FIRE IN BUFFER ZONE

According to information from Cyprus, four greek- cypriot demonstrators and a UN peacekeeper were injured today when turkish army opened fire against the demonstrators who unarmed had reached the buffer zone at Derinia, after the funeral of the greek-cypriot demonstrator Tassos Issak who was murdered at the same place on Sunday.

The same information says that none of the injured is in serious condition but they have been tranferred to hospital.

Earlier Issak's funeral had taken place in his homeplace in Paralimni, at the presense of cypriot political leadership and thousands of people who had come to Paralimni from all over Cyrpus.

The demonstartors left the buffer zone some time later.

[02] GREECE TO SEEK FULL CONDEMNATION OF MURDER OF CYPRIOT DEMONSTATOR

Greek Foreign Minister mr Theodoros Pangalos announced today that Athens had made official notes to the United States, the European Union and the United Nations to protest against the murder of Tassos Issak, an unarmed greek-cypriot demonstrator by the turkish troops and policemen and, as mr Pangalos said, the para-state terrorists who had been brought deliberately to the buffer zone of the island.

Mr Pangalos said that Greece will not stop till the murder is fully condemned by the international community while he announced that Greece offers to be the godfather of the baby, Issak's wife will bring to life soon will bring to life.

Mr Pangalos stressed that the murder is among the elements that deteriorate the grecoturkish relations while he underlined that the United Nations peacekeeping forces in Cyrpus did not act as they should to prevent a murder during which they were present, characterizing the UN representative's statement as "disturbing".

[03] TURKISH WARSHIP HITS LAND NEAR GREEK ISLAND OF KOS

A turkish warship which last night hit on the shore near the greek island of Kos in the East Aegean Sea was drawn away by greek navy at noon today.

The warship "Yavuz", one of the most important boats of the turkish navy had attempted to cross the very narrow straits between Kos and the turkish coast and hit land, due, as the greek foreign minister mr Theodoros Pangalos said today, to a mistake made by the captain.

Mr Pangalos added that the ship was inside greek territorial water in the context of "harmeless pass" while greek defense minister mr Yerassimos Arsenis excluded the eventuality of a deliberate act by the turkish captain.

Other turkish warships which were nearby did not enter greek territorial waters and waited till the operation for the drawing of "Yavuz" had finished.

The turkish ship is already in Turkey.

[04] PANGALOS:ANKARA SHOULD DENOUNCE THE STUDY OF THE TURKISH WAR ACADEMY

Athens has not received yet any answer by the turkish side on the study of the turkish war academy which, as mr Pangalos stressed, questions the status in the Aegean Sea.

Such studies are official documents, said mr Pangalos and added that as long as Ankara does not denounce it, it is valid.

Greece, said mr Pangalos, waits for the answer of Ankara on the memorandum the European Union gave to turkish foreign minister ms Tansu Ciller about the financing of Turkey by MEDA programme.

[05] SCOPJE VIOLATES INTERIM AGREEMENT SAYS ATHENS AND CANCELS BILATERAL MEETING AT FOREIGN MINISTER LEVEL

"The Athens-Scopje interim agreement which was signed in New York last September has been being violated by Scopje" said greek foreign minister mr Theodoros Pangalos commenting on the recent interviews by his FYROM counterpart mr Liubomir Frckovski who described greek position on the issue of the name as "ridiculus".

Mr Pangalos accused his counterpart of making noisy statements and attributed the cancellation of the bilateral meeting at foreign minister level in New York to the eventuality that mr Frcovski put the same subjects on the table which would create conditions that would make improvement of bilateral relations impossible and affect negatively the bilateral procedure in New York.

The greek minister said that mr Frcovski creates problems where he thinks he can and noted that despite what his counterpart says, Scopje took part in the Olympic games and the negotiations with the European Union as FYROM.

As mr Pangalos said Greece will put all these aspects of the bilateral relations in the agenda of the next meting in the New York procedure on the name of FYROM.

The main opposition party of New Democracy accused the government of not solving the whole difference which helps Scopje use the name "Macedonia".

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