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Friday, 22 November 2024
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Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 97-02-02Macedonian Press Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Macedonian Press Agency at http://www.mpa.gr and http://www.hri.org/MPA.Last Update: 21:26 GMT+2SECTIONS
NEWS HEADLINES[A] GREECE[B] BALKANS[C] EUROPENEWS IN DETAIL[A] GREECE[01] THESSALONIKI IS "CULTURAL CAPITAL OF EUROPE" GRANDIOSE CROWNING CEREMONY YESTERDAYWeb Posted: 21:26 GMT+2Thessaloniki, February 2 (MPA)Thessaloniki is Europe's Cultural Capital for 1997, and yesterday's formal inauguration ceremony was attended by a score of political leaders from Greece and 40 other countries.The President of the Hellenic Republic, Kostis Stephanopoulos, declared the city's official crowing and stated that "culture is the means by which humanity's progress is measured." The inauguration's festivities included a multifaceted performance that featured vignettes portraying Thessaloniki's history throughout the centuries. [02] FARMERS PRESS ON WITH THREATS OF ROADBLOCKS ON TUESDAYWeb Posted: 21:26 GMT+2Thessaloniki, February 2 (MPA)Taking the lead from high-school teachers, elementary and kindergarten school teaching staff will embark on a five-day strike tomorrow, while the country's public servants will begin a 48-hour strike as well.Meanwhile, farmers in Greece's central region of Thessaly insist on their protest and threaten to place roadblocks at the national highways on Tuesday, February 4. [03] PREMIER: "EXTREME MOBILIZATIONS LEAD TO NOWHERE"Web Posted: 21:26 GMT+2Thessaloniki, February 2 (MPA)"Extreme forms of mobilizations lead to nowhere, instead they do damage. At the very most, they may lead to some form of temporary adjustments which will simply worsen the situation and we do not intend, in any way, to contribute to the worsening of the situation through apppeasement," stated the Prime Minister of Greece, Kostas Simitis during his stay in Thessaloniki whre he visited the premises of the area's largest farming cooperative, PASEGES.Mr. Simitis, who was in town to attend the formal inauguration ceremony of "Thessaloniki, Cultural Capital of Europe 1997," stated also that farmers must learn their trade well, pointing out that the country's adjustment to the European Union's common agricultural policy has not been finalized yet and, as such, Greece must adjust to the EU's policies given the economy's globalization. [B] BALKANS[04] YUGOSLAV FOREIGN MINISTER MEETS WITH POLITICAL LEADERS IN THESSALONIKIWeb Posted: 21:26 GMT+2Belgrade, February 2 (MPA)The Federal Yugoslav Republic's Foreign Mistry announced today that Yugoslav Foreign Minister Milan Milutinovic met in Thessaloniki yesterday with his Greek counterpart Theodoros Pangalos. The statement does not make any reference to the content of the talks.The Yugoslav Foreign Minister, according to the announcement, also met with other members of the Greek government and with political leaders. Mr. Milutinovic was in Thessaloniki to attend the formal inauguration ceremony of "Thessaloniki, Cultural Capital of Europe 1997." [05] BULGARIAN CULTURE MINISTER: THERE IS NO "MACEDONIAN" LANGUAGEWeb Posted: 21:26 GMT+2Thessaloniki, February 2 (MPA)Bulgaria's Culture Minister Ivan Marazov, who was also a presidential nominee in last October's elections, told the Macedonian Press Agency that a solution must be found on the language issue that divides Skopje and Sofia.The Sofia University archaeology professor characterized the Former Yugoslav Republic of "Macedonia" as a reality that Bulgaria has recognized, but, he added, the language spoken at FYROM is simply a dialect. Mr. Marazov also stated that FYROM cannot claim that a "Macedonian nation" exists. In 1992, Bulgaria's then-government, led by Phillip Dimitrov, formally recognized FYROM, albeit distinguishing that it recognizes a state, not a nation. "The term 'nation' is a very modern one for my studies," Mr. Marazov explained, adding that during those past ages, in which he is an expert, the concept of nation and borders did not even exist. Also, the Bulgarian Minister stated that the problem his country faces on the language issue with FYROM, is comparable with the difference between Athens and Skopje on the name issue. [06] CLERIDES: ISSUE OF BOTH COMMUNITIES' SECURITY IS OF UTMOST IMPORTANCEWeb Posted: 21:26 GMT+2Nicosia, February 2 (MPA)The issue of the future seciutty of Cuprus' two communities is of utmost importance, stated the President of the Republic of Cyprus Glafkos Clerides during his meeting yesterday with the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, held in Davos, Switzerland.President Clerides refuted claims according to which he promised not to allow for Greek military flights over Cyprus until the end of his term. "This will not happen," Mr. Clerides categorically said. "I have stated publicly that if the United States initiative begins and proceeds, then we of course will not perfom flights over Cyprus so that they will not say that we impeded the climate that could have led to a solution." When asked to comment on the reports of a US-Britain common plan to resolve the Cyprus issue, Mr. Clerides stated that he does not have specific information on the said plan. He did point out, however, that the British special envoy for the Cyprus issue, Sir. David Hannay, is currently in the U.S. to meet with State Department officials. [07] BULGARIA: A COUNTRY ON THE VERGE OF ECONOMIC COLLAPSEWeb Posted: 21:26 GMT+2Sofia, February 2 (MPA)Bulgaria has all the symptoms of a country on the verge of economic collapse, the strongest, aside from the skyrocketing inflation rate, being the citizen's relentless protest rallies.Many of the country's highways and motorways remain closed due to roadblocks, even obstructing access to roads that lead to Greece and Turkey. The International Monetary Fund yesterday warned Bulgarian President Petar Stoyanov that, at least in the economic sector, the country must show restrain. [C] EUROPE[08] GERMAN DIPLOMATIC SOURCES ARE GUARDED ON BONN'S READINESS TO DECIDE ON BRUNNER FILEWeb Posted: 21:26 GMT+2Thessaloniki, February 2 (MPA)German diplomatic sources told the Macedonian Press Agency that it is unkown as to how ready their government is to tackle the case of Alois Brunner, the man wanted for having led, among hundreds of thousands of other Europeans, 50,000 of Thessaloniki's Jews to the gas chambers during WWII.The same sources stressed that while Germany is highly concerned over the issue of punishing war criminals, the process of issuing an arest warrant or an extradition order is quite complex. Moreover, the German officials are guarded in assessing the decision of Greece's government in 1959 to cede to West Germany the right to prosecute war criminals. Any decision relevant to the Brunner case will be drawn at a state level in Bonn, according to the sources. Brunner is believed to be alive and living in Syria, although Damascus has repeatedly denied such information. Complete archives of the Macedonian Press Agency bulletins are available on the MPA Home Page at http://www.mpa.gr/ and on the U.S. mirror at http://www.hri.org/MPA/Macedonian Press Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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