Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 97-08-04

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

Macedonian Press Agency: News in English Directory

MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH

Thessaloniki, August 4, 1997

NEWS IN ENGLISH

[A] NATIONAL NEWS

[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

TITLES

[A] NATIONAL NEWS

[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

NEWS IN DETAIL

[A] NATIONAL NEWS

[01] GREEK GOVERNMENT DELEGATION WILL VISIT TIRANA TOMORROW

A large government delegation, headed by Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos, will be in Albania tomorrow.

The Greek delegation will present to the government of Prime Minister Fatos Nano the Greek positions on all pending bilateral issues such as, illegal immigration, the guarding of borders, the situation of the Greek minority and the granting of a 20 million dollar loan promised by Athens.

Also, they will discuss the guarding of the borders and the determination of the territorial waters and continental shelf in the Ionian Sea, the restructurig of the Albanian police and armed forces with the assistance of Greece, and the improvement of the education offered to the Greek minority.

Meanwhile, the Greek Ministers of Public Order and Labour stated in newspaper interviews that the first priority will be the cooperation for the recording of the 250.000 illegal immigrants from Albania, who are working in Greece and should get residence and work permits. Also, the two sides should cooperate for the drawing up of a list with the names of those who escaped from the Albanian prisons during the March uprising.

[02] OLGA VASDEKI QUALIFIED FOR THE WOMEN'S TRIPLE JUMP FINALS IN THE IAAF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

The 6th IAAF World Championships for Athletics continues for a 3rd day in Athens' Olympic Stadium and the Greek interest focuses on the participation of Olga Vasdeki in the women's triple jump finals that will be held this afternoon.

Yesterday, the big winners were the Americans as the gold medals in the men's and women's 100m were won by Moris Greene and Marion Jones respectively.

[03] GREECE'S DEFENSE MINISTER VOWS THAT STATE WILL PROTECT SEIKH SOU FOREST

During his stay in Thessaloniki, Mr. Tsochatzopoulos studied a series of aerial photographs and stated that the government will assign the 3rd Army Corps with the responsibility of drawing these photographs at regular intervals to ensure the supervision of the forest. A.F.

[04] GREECE IS SECOND SAFEST COUNTRY IN EUROPE FOR TOURISTS

Greece is the second safest country in Europe for tourists, according to research conducted by a French institute of Documentation and Information.

According to the report, Portugal is the first country among European stated, with two reports for theft per 1,000 residents, while Greece has an average of four thefts per 1,000 residents. Spain and France ranked third and fourth with six and eight thefts respectively. A.F.

[05] GREEK BUSINESS DELEGATION VISITED ETHIOPIA

An 8-member business delegation from Greece visited Ethiopia a few days ago, in an effort to make better use both of the geographic proximity between the two countries and the satisfactory return on investements in this African state.

The Greek delegation was accompanied by the alternate director of UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization) in Athens, who had made two earlier visits to Ethiopia to prepare the grounds for the activation of Greek businessmen in the region.

[06] NIOTIS: PAN-MACEDONIANS COMMITTED THREE FOULS IN THESSALONIKI

Greece's former under-secretary of Foreign Affairs and current President of the Parliament's Permanent Cross-party committee for Greeks Abroad Grigoris Niotis stated that the members of the Pan-Macedonian Associations made three fouls during their recent session held in Thessaloniki.

Speaking from Melbourne, where he addressed the Seventh World Conference of Macedonians Living Abroad, Mr. Niotis said that the first foul was that "they were hostile towards the President of the Republic for not being present at the inaugurating session of the Pan-Macedonian Conference in Thessaloniki.

"The second foul was that they were hostile towards parliamentarians of political parties which represent a section of the Greek people in Parliament, deputies of the Coalition of the Left and Progress and of the Communist Party."

"The third foul, " Mr. Niotis stated, "was that they turned against the Foreign Minister and inexcusably demanded his removal from the Foreign Ministry." A.F.

[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

[07] ALBANIAN FM.: WE WANT GREECE'S SUPPORT

Greece's Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos and under- secretary of Foreign Affairs Yiannos Kranidiotis are to travel to Tirana tomorrow, in order to embark on contacts with the newly- elected Albanian government.

Albania's Foreign Minster Paskal Milo has stated that Mr. Pangalos' visit to Albania is not a routine one, but rather one of vast significant since" Mr. Pangalos and his delegation are not merely going to met with the new government in order to discus issues of common interests, but this visit is to take place at a time when Albania needs the support of the international community."

Moreover, Mr. Milo stated that the visit is within the spirit of the new government's policy statement which refers to relations with neighbouring countries as a cornerstone of its foreign policy.

Accompanying Mr. Pangalos will be the Minister of Public Order George Romeos and Labour Miltiadis Papaioannou, who will meet with their Albanian counterparts. A.F.

[08] TRACK AND FIELD WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS CONTINUE IN ATHENS

Greek athletes continue to achieve a series of success during the Athens '97 world Athletics Championships. Panayiotis Stroubakos entered the 800-meter semi-finals, having puled up into second place.

The United States dominated in today's events, collecting two gold medals, with Maurice Greene winning the men's 100-meter gold with a time of 9.86 seconds, and Marion Jones winning the gold in the women's 100-meter race with a time of 10.83 seconds. A.F.

[09] POLICE ARREST A FATHER AND SON IN MURDER OF A ROMANIAN

Police in northern Greece have arrested three Georgians, among them a father and son, for the murder and robbery of a man , and for the rape and robbery of a woman, both of them Romanians.

According to the police report, Nikoloz Mantartiev, 50, his son Malkhaz, 24, and Ivan Mantaniev, 22, all from Georgia, were lying in wait last Thursday on a path used by illegal immigrants entering Greece from FYROM. Armed with a revolver and two pistols, they intended to rob anyone who passed. Four Romanians, two men and two women, were stopped by the Georgians and were led to the nearby abandoned railway station of Axioupolis.

The Georgians robbed and tied up the two men, Johan Lucian Boga, 21 and Nikolae Nitou, 24 and raped one of the women in front of them. The Georgians shot Boga, a swimming champion in his country, when he tried to attack them although he was unarmed, and he died from massive haemorrhaging after he was transported to a nearby hospital. The three suspects have been identified by their victims. A.F.

[10] BULGARIA HAS OVERCOME THE DANGER OF ECONOMIC COLLAPSE

Bulgaria has overcome the danger of economic collapse, based on a report drawn up by a US economic organization.

According to the predictions included in the report, foreign exchange reserves will be 1,9 billion dollars by the end of 1997, the GDP will be increased by 4%, while inflation in 1998 will drop to 12%.

[11] THE CYPRIOT PARLIAMENT PRESIDENT CALLED FOR THE ARREST OF DICTATOR GIZIIKIS

Cypriot Parliament President Spyros Kyprianou called on the Greek government to arrest dictator Faidon Gizikis after the latter's confession that he had ordered the overthrow of Archbishop Makarios. In a statement to the Cypriot state radio and television, PIK, mr.Kyprianou also called for the arrest of Gizikis' associates whom the general has mentioned by name. The President of the Cypriot Parliament stressed that the file of Cyprus must open and reality should be brought to light.

Yesterday, Patroklos Stavrou, a close associate of Archbishop Makarios, called on general Gizikis to commit suicide and denied the general's allegations that the members of the coup had left the back side of the Presidential Building in Nicosia unguarded on purpose in order for Makarios to be able to escape.

[12] DENKTASH WILL ANNOUNCE TODAY IF HE WILL PARTICIPATE IN THE SWITZERLAND TALKS

Turkish-Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash is expected to announce today if he will participate in the second round of the direct talks with Cypriot President Glafkos Clerides that will take place in Montreaux, Switzerland on August 11-16.

It should be reminded that, mr.Denktash threatens not to attend the talks if the negotiations for Cyprus' accession into the EU are not suspended.

[13] THE MAJORITY OF THE BOSNIAN SERBS REGARD THE NATO PEACE- KEEPING FORCE AS HOSTILE

The overwhelming majority of the Bosnian Serbs support the policy followed by Radovan Karadjic, whom they regard as their "natural leader", and condemn the policy of Serb Republic of Bosnia President ms.Biljana Plavsic.

According to a poll conducted by the Bosnian Serb state television, 66,8% of the Serbs stated that Radovan Karadjic is their "natural leader" and only 5,7% expressed support for President Plavsic.

The public opinion poll was conducted after the latest incidents in the Bosnian Serb leadership and Plavsic's attacks against Karadjic.

Also, 70% responded that they regard the NATO peace-keeping force as "hostile" and called for its withdrawal as soon as its mandate ends in June of 1998.

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