Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 97-11-05

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

Macedonian Press Agency: News in English Directory

MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH

Thessaloniki, 5 November 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 PREMIER: INTER-BALKAN SUMMIT WAS A SUCCESS

The Inter-Balkan Summit Conference has been absolutely successful, as the Prime Minister Kostas Simitis stated during a press conference held at Heraklion, following the session's closure yesterday.

This was the first time that the Balkan leaders gathered together in order to discover common ways to address the region's problems, Mr. Simitis noted.

US State Department spokesperson James Rubin stated that the meeting held between the Greek Premier and his Turkish counterpart Mesut Yilmaz was a constructive and beneficial one, but much work remains to be done in order to bear results.

Greece's main opposition party leader, New Democracy's Kostas Karamanlis said that the Summit resulted in failure. A.F.

[02] FINANCE, ECONOMICS MINISTRIES TO MEET OVER BUDGET

The Greek government is to draw the final touches on 1998's budget, during a Finance and Economics Ministries conference to be chaired by Prime Minister Kostas Simitis and attended by the governor of the Bank of Greece Lukas Papademos The Minister of National Economy Yiannos Papantoniou stated that the recent crisis in the stock market is to result in small changes in the budget's sizes.

According to reports, 1998's budget will contain two new taxes, one being a monthly toll for mobile phones ranging from 1,000-2,000 drachmas and the other being a .4% state tax imposed on stock market transactions. Moreover, there will be a 10% tax increase on state bonds and treasuries, tax on living standards will be upped by 15%, while objective criteria of properties will be taxed up to 50% more. A.F.

[03] GREEK HOSPITAL DOCTORS STRIKE, TO MEET WITH HEALTH UNDERSECRETARY

The course of the protests and strikes conducted currently by Greek hospital doctors is to be determined after today's meeting between their representatives and the Undersecretary of Finance Nikos Christodoulakis.

Currently, only emergency cases are being attended to at the country's hospitals. Meanwhile the Social Insurance Foundation's doctors are continuing their strike for a second week, seeking more pay, payment of overtime work and the equation of their salaries with those received by state hospital doctors. A.F.

[04] GREECE REJECTS THE DIRECT DIALOGUE ON ALL ISSUES WITH TURKEY

Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas reiterated today that Greece categorically rejects the likelihood of direct dialogue with Turkey covering all issues.

Mr.Reppas stated that Greece believes that such a choice is not necessary, adding that the two Prime Ministers will meet again in the next Summit that will take place in Antalya, Turkey.

The Greek government spokesman also stressed that this initiative, that was undertaken by the Greek government, creates new facts and marks the beginning of a new era both for bilateral relations and the multilateral cooperation of the Balkan peoples.

He expressed the Greek government's satisfaction for the response with which the Summit was met and referred to the positive comments made by the leaders of the neighboring countries.

When called to comment on the speculations regarding the limited presence of Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos in the Inter-Balkan Summit, the government spokesman stated that mr.Pangalos was one of the architects of this Summit and therefore, its positive results are a source of satisfaction for the minister as well.

[05] THE BUDGET WILL BE PRESENTED ON NOVEMBER 12

The new budget will be presented on November 12, as the final decisions on its figures were made today in the government's economic staff meeting that was presided over by Prime Minister Kostas Simitis.

According to information, the new budget will include two new taxes, namely, the monthly tax on mobile phones that will be 1.000- 2.000 drachmas depending on how much they are being used by their owners and the taxation of stock exchange transactions by 0,3%.

[06] NEW TURKISH PROVOCATION IN THE AEGEAN

The Turkish provocation continued today. Twenty four Turkish fighter jets violated the Greek air space 12 times and in three instances the Greek Air Force intercepted them.

At noon, F-16 fighter jets flew over the south-eastern Aegean where the Greek military exercise ``Parmenion'' is taking place.

Meanwhile, the pilots of Turkish F-16 jets are being trained in the destruction of S-300 missiles within the framework of the Turkish military exercise ``Toros '97'' that is being held in the occupied northern Cyprus.

[07] EARTHQUAKES HIT ATHENS AND CRETE

An earthquake measuring 4,6 on the Richter scale hit Athens at noon today and its epicenter was located 36 kilometers north of the Greek capital in the region of Avlona. The tremor was followed by two aftershocks measuring 4 and 4,2 on the Richter scale.

It is the second earthquake activity that is being recorded in the last 24 hours in the prefecture of Attica, but seismologists stated that the phenomenon should not cause concern.

Meanwhile, an earthquake measuring 5,2 on the Richter scale occurred in Crete this afternoon and its epicenter was located in the sea region between the island of Gavdos and the city of Sfakia in southern Crete.

[08] MOBILE LIBRARIES FOR THE MINORITY SCHOOLS IN THRACE

The mobile libraries program was presented by Minister of Macedonia-Thrace Philippos Petsalnikos to the teachers and parents of children attending the minority elementary school in Velkio, north-eastern Greece.

This is the second ``book-bus'' that visits villages in the prefecture of Rodopi and the young students of Velkio welcomed it with great joy and interest.

Mr.Petsalnikos stated that the mobile libraries program aims at developing the interest of children in extracurricular book reading.

[09] THE GREEK-TURKISH RELATIONS ARE AT THE CENTER OF PUBLICITY

The Greek-Turkish relations are still at the center of publicity after the Inter-Balkan Summit in Crete and the Simitis- Yilmaz meeting.

Former Greek Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias referred today to the memorandum he had signed with Mesut Yilmaz for the confidence-building measures in the Aegean. Mr.Papoulias stated that this agreement was never implemented on behalf of Ankara, adding that this fact creates reservations regarding what the Turkish side intends to respect.

Responding to a question on mr.Yilmaz's influence and power, mr.Papoulias stressed that the military is the center of political power in Turkey. The goal of the Turkish policy and especially of the Turkish military was to force Greece to enter in negotiations that cover all issues, said mr.Papoulias, who added that after the issue of Imia, Turkey has expressed its aggressiveness in a way that directly challenges Greece's territorial integrity. According to mr.Papoulias, this is a new fact and the new fact has to be faced with a new policy.

Meanwhile, Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz, who has denied his handshake with Greek Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos even though it was captured on camera, has presented a vague picture of the Inter-Balkan Summit to his country. Initially, he had stated that he expects a response to his proposal for a dialogue with Athens that will cover all issues, but later he was forced to say that the Greek Prime Minister's response to the matter was unquestionably negative.

[10] NATO AND THE EU APPLAUDED THE SIMITIS-YILMAZ MEETING

The European Union and NATO applauded the meeting of the Prime Ministers of Greece and Turkey that was held within the framework of the Inter-Balkan Summit in Crete.

In spite of the fact that no formal statements have been made, EU circles did not hide their satisfaction for the meeting as they believe that an important step was made for the normalization of the Greek-Turkish relations. NATO, on the other hand, was more cautious and expressed guarded optimism regarding the Greek-Turkish Summit meeting.

According to the BBC, sources close to EU Commissioner, responsible for foreign relations mr.Hans van den Broek, characterized the Simitis-Yilmaz meeting as a positive step toward the right direction.

The BBC also reported that the NATO Secretary-General will continue the efforts for confidence-building-measures between Greece and Turkey in the Aegean, based on the proposals that were submitted by mr.Solana a few weeks ago and also, based on the new additional proposals that he will possibly present to the two interested sides in the immediate future.

[11] GREECE IS SATISFIED WITH THE INTER - BALKAN CONFERENCE

Government spokesman Dimitris Reppas, confirmed that Greece is fully satisfied from the results of the Inter - Balkan Conference, adding that it has resulted in the creation of new facts and a new era to bilateral relations and to multi-party cooperation. Speaking about the Premier Kostas Simitis's meeting with his Turkish counterpart, Mesut Yilmaz,

Mr. Reppas characterized it as beneficial and stated that their next meeting will be held in 1998, at Antalya, during the next Inter - Balkan conference. Responding to a question if Mr. Yilmaz's invitation to Mr. Simitis has been rejected, the government's spokesman replied that in order for a meeting to be accomplished between the two Premiers there have to be positive conditions and something like this does not exist at the moment.

[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

[12] COMMISSIONER HANS VAN DEN BROEK NOT WELCOMED BY TURKISH- CYPRIOTS

The European Union's Commissioner for Foreign Affairs Hans van den Broek is not welcomed in Cyprus's occupied p[art, because of his stance towards the Cyprus issue, according to Turkish- Cypriots press reports.

The President of the Turkish-Cypriots Chamber of Industry Eren Ertan is said to have stated that Mr. van den Broek's statements of a Turkish ``occupation army'' were bothersome, and he advised the region's residents to boycott all the events that are to be attended by the Commissioner. A.F.

[13] TURKEY'S MILITARY EXERCISE ``TAURUS'' CURRENTLY UNDER WAY

The Turkish military exercise ``Taurus'' is currently under way at Cyprus's occupied part.

The Turkish Army's land units and Navy troops are to land at the shores of the occupied area Kormakites.

Real ammunition is to be used in today's exercises which will feature the participation of 20 F-16 aircraft, 12 F-4 and two transport planes.

According to the Turkish Defense Minister Ismet Sezgin, the unified defense Doctrine between Greece and Cyprus threatens peace on Cyprus and is aimed against Turkey.

The Turkish official reiterated that the establishment of the S-300 anti-aircraft missiles poses a serious threat for Turkey and the surrounding region.

``We will not allow this,'' he said. A.F.

[14] BULGARIA'S DEFENSE INDUSTRIES TO BE PRIVATIZED

Bulgarian Premier Ivan Kostov announced today that his government will proceed to privatize 22 defense industries in the production of automatic rifles, anti-aircraft and anti-tank outfitting and telecommunications machinery. Already, interest has been expressed by Greek, German, Israeli and American companies.

A 1992 bill prevented the Bulgarian armament industry from going private, but the Parliament repealed the law in order to pave the way to the privatization of 22 defense industries. A.F.

[15] GREEK COURT ORDERS GERMANY TO PAY REPARATIONS TO WWII NAZI VICTIMS

A Greek provincial court, in the city of Livadia near Athens, has ruled that Germany must pay $32 million in reparations to the families of those who were executed by Nazis during WWII.

The court ruled in favor of a suit filed by about 100 people who are related to those slaughtered by Nazis. Germany has two months to file an appeal and, if it refuses to abide by the decision, then the matter will be remanded to the European Court of Human Rights. A.F.

[16] NEW SCANDAL IN TIRANA

A new scandal rocks the political leadership of the Ministry of the Interior in Albania, a few days after the revelations made by Interior Minister mr.Tseka on the involvement of high ranking ministry officials in the illegal trafficking of drugs and immigrants.

The revelations on the new scandal were made by the newspaper ``Koha Yone'', which reported that the Ministry of the Interior is being staffed with officials who had been appointed after presenting falsified credentials.

[17] ILLEGAL LABORATORIES IN TIRANA PROCESS DRUG SUBSTANCES

Greek Euro-deputy and vice-President of the Socialist Group in the Euro-Parliament Yiannis Roubatis calls for the intervention of the Council of Ministers and the EU Commission to deal with the problem of the increased number of illegal chemical laboratories in Tirana which process drug substances.

Based on data provided by the Albanian Interior Ministry, many illegal labs process drug substances and make visible the likelihood for Tirana to be turned into a center of drugs production, with unpredictable implications for neighboring countries such as, Italy and Greece.

A high ranking official of the Albanian Ministry of Interior revealed that the drug dealers control the trafficking of drugs from Turkey and Albania and that they make efforts to buy chemical plants in Tirana to use them for the processing of drugs.

[18] INFLATION IN TURKEY REACHED 93,2%

Inflation in Turkey reached 93,2%, and according to the French financial newspaper ``La Tribune'', it is one of the highest inflation rates recorded in the country in recent years.

It should be noted, that the inflation rate recorded in March 1995 was 119,7%.

[19] THE HEAD OF THE CIA WILL RECEIVE THE ELLIS ISLAND MEDAL

The head of the CIA, mr.George Tenet, who is of Greek origin, will be honored with the Ellis Island medal which is being awarded to distinguished Americans in recognition of the contribution to the US society of the different minorities they represent.

The ceremony will be held in Manhattan tomorrow in a formal dinner of businessman and mr.Tenet is scheduled to deliver a speech on security issues.

[20] TURKEY'S GENERAL STAFF CHIEF INVITES GREEK COUNTERPART TO ANKARA

Turkey's chief of General Staff, Ismael Chaki Karadayi has invited Greece's Chief of General Army Staff Athanasios Tzoganis to visit Ankara.

Meanwhile, according to the Turkish daily ``Milliyet'', the second-in-command of the General Army Staff Cevik Bir referred to Greek-Turkish relations during a conference titled ``Turkey and Europe'' and stated that his country's military leaders want to reduce the existing tension between the two countries and have proceeded to take certain actions which have produced no result. A.F.

[21] NEW SCANDAL ERUPTS IN TIRANA, STATE OFFICIALS ACCUSED OF FORGERY

Albania's Interior Ministry is staffed by officials who have forged their diplomas, according to Albanian press reports which bring forth another scandal that rocks the country on the aftermath of the recent revelation that officials of the same ministry have been active in illicit trade activities and illegal immigration.

According to Tirana's daily ``Koha Jon'', after a brief check performed by the Ministry, 20 high-ranking officials were discovered to have submitted forged diplomas and academic records.

According to Hasan Hametia, a leading official of the Ministry, the matter is of grave importance, while''not only do they not have a university degree, but they haven't even finished high school.'' A.F.

[22] MICHAIL GORBACHEV HOSPITALIZED IN VERN FOR UNKNOWN REASONS

The then-Soviet Union's last leader Michael Gorbachev has been admitted to a hospital in Vern, for unknown as-of-yet reasons, according to Swiss radio reports.

According to the Swiss news agency SDA, Mr. Gorbachev will remain in the hospital at least until tomorrow, in order to undergo medical examinations, which has also been confirmed by the international ecological organization ``Green Cross'', which is headed by the Russian former leader. A.F.

[23] GLIGOROV: THE SUMMIT CONFERENCE SIGNALS NEW PROGRESS

The President of FYROM Kiro Gligorov, characterized the Summit Conference as a signal for the formation of new relations between the Balkan countries, as well as for the definition of a strategy, that will form a catalytic factor in the cooperation and the growth of economic relations in the wider territory of South- East Europe, during a Press Conference given today at Skopje.

Mr. Gligorov pointed out that the Conference has been a success, both in terms of its results as for the fact that for the first time the leaders of the Balkan countries gathered in order to discuss the problems that constitute a negative factor for the further tightening of cooperation between the countries of the Balkan Peninsula.

[24] TURKISH OFFICIAL KILLED BY STRAY BULLET IN CYPRUS DURING ``TAURUS '97''

The tragic incident, which occurred at the region of Morphos, was a freak accident since the bullet had bounced back from a nearby rock.

[25] THE TRIAL OF THE 17 ALBANIANS CONTINUES IN PRISTINA

The trial of the 17 Albanians continues in Pristina. The Albanians are accused of taking part in the terrorist organization Liberating Army of Kossovo. The accused claim that they have been tortured by the Serbian interrogators.

One of the accused, Aslan Selini, reports that he has received death threats during the interrogation, while another accused, Bislim Giogats, supports that he had been beaten so hard that he lost consciousness. Giogats rejects the accusations and states that they forced him to admit his participation to the Liberating Army of Kossovo, the existence of which, as he claims, he knew only from the mass media.

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