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Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 97-11-23Macedonian 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: 19:52 GMT+2SECTIONS
NEWS HEADLINES[A] GREECE[B] BALKANSNEWS IN DETAIL[A] GREECE[01] PRESIDENT OF GREECE UNVEILS JEWISH MEMORIAL BUILDING IN THESSALONIKIWeb Posted: 19:52 GMT+2Thessaloniki, November 23 (MPA)The President of the Hellenic Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos is to unveil today the memorial of Thessaloniki's 50,000 Jews who lost their lives during WWII from Nazi atrocities.The ceremony will be attended by a score of Greek ministers, as well as high-ranking officials from the United States, Israel, Germany and other European countries. US President Bill Clinton is expected to forward a salutation. [02] MPA'S CONFERENCE ON EUROPEAN HERITAGE OPENS TOMORROWWeb Posted: 19:52 GMT+2Thessaloniki November23 (MPA)Leading journalists, most of them general directors, chief editors or executive staff of the largest and most reliable European mass media have arrived in Thessaloniki to participate in tomorrow's and Tuesday's European Conference that is organized by MPA in cooperation with the Organization Cultural Capital of Europe '97.The official opening of the conference "Europe and the Mass Media: Our Cultural Heritage" will be declared by the minister of press and mass media Dimitris Reppas, while messages will be delivered by the minister of Macedonia-Thrace Philippos Petsalnikos and mayor of Thessaloniki Konstantinos Kosmopoulos, who is also the president of the Cultural Capital of Europe Organization. Meanwhile, messages for the conference have begun arriving by the most important international organizations from all over Europe. EU Commissioner Marcelino Oreja, responsible for mass media, sent a letter apologizing for not being able to attend the MPA conference due to the culture ministers summit that is being held at the same time in Brussels. He also underlines that the EU will attend with great interest the conference through the representatives of Directorate X and will take under serious consideration its conclusions. A similar message was sent by Greek EU Commissioner Christos Papoutsis. Also, UNESCO's general director on issues of communications and information Mr.Henrikas Yushkiavitshus, requests in a telegram that the conclusions and the minutes taken in the conference be sent to the international organization. [03] THE GREEK CULTURE MINISTER IN BRUSSELS TODAYWeb Posted: 19:52 GMT+2Athens November 23 (MPA)Greek culture minister Evangelos Venizelos is in Brussels today to attend the EU culture ministers meeting that will be held tomorrow.The council will deal with the selection of the Cultural Capital of Europe for the year 2001, the status of European programs after 1998, the special funds for the promotion of cinema and television production and the reduction of the Value Added Tax imposed on music records. Also, the EU culture ministers will meet in Brussels with their counterparts from central and eastern Europe to exchange views on the protection of minors and human dignity in the Audio-Visual media and information sector. [04] THE GREEK MINISTER OF DEVELOPMENT IS VISITING CHINAWeb Posted: 19:52 GMT+2Athens November 23 (MPA)Greece's Minister of Development Vaso Papandreou is currently in China, within the framework of her formal visit to the country, accompanied by Greek businessmen, who are active in the region or they are interested to expand their businesses to this country of central-east Asia.The Greek minister is visiting China at the invitation of the Chinese deputy prime minister Song Jian, who also heads the government committee on science, research and technology. Ms.Papandreou will also meet with Zeng Peiyan, vice-president of the State Planning Committee, the supreme body of the Chinese government as well as, with other high ranking government officials. [05] GREEK AND TURKISH MAYORS PLAN TO ESTABLISH A GREEK-TURKISH ASSOCIATION OF AEGEAN MUNICIPALITIESWeb Posted: 19:52 GMT+2Thessaloniki November 23 (MPA)The likelihood of establishing a Greek-Turkish Association of Aegean Municipalities will be examined by Greek and Turkish mayors in their meeting in the Aegean island of Samos next February.The goal of the association will be to deal with the problem of pollution in the Aegean coasts as well as, with the solution of the problems concerning the trade transactions between Greek and Turkish municipalities in the region, stated to MPA city council member of Kusandasi and general secretary of the Association of Turkish Municipalities at the Aegean coasts Mehmet Zeki Fintantal. [06] GREEK CULTURE MINISTER FORWARDS MESSAGE TO MPA'S CONFERENCEWeb Posted: 19:52 GMT+2Thessaloniki November23 (MPA)The European conference of the mass media, that is organized by MPA, can contribute greatly in the efforts to reach valuable conclusions regarding the operation of mass media and the cultural policy in Europe, underlines Greek culture minister Evangelos Venizelos in a message he sent welcoming the Greek and foreign delegates.In his message the culture minister, who will be absent from the conference due to the culture ministers summit in Brussels stresses: "A post-industrial society is foremostly an information society and this fact can have different implications on its self-awareness. Therefore, the manner in which the mass media operate greatly affects the way we understand ourselves and our social reality. However, the reality of the mass media -especially the audio-visual ones- is quite often reduced to a repetition of stereotypes while, in regards to the sector of cultural heritage, references are usually occasional and fragmented and unavoidably they get lost in the host of information. Our experience has, afterall, proven that the large quantity of news and the speed in which they are broadcast often compromise knowledge itself. Therefore, it is the very operation of the mass media that raises issues not only related to transparency and credibility, but also concerning pluralism, quality and priorities. The protection, study and promotion of our cultural heritage is- and must be- one of the utmost priorities of information. Culture is, afterall, a powerful bond that decisively contributes to the communication and cooperation among the peoples, something which United Europe is so in need of. I am glad that the Macedonian Press Agency, having astute awareness of its role, organizes a conference of European dimensions, centered around such a sensitive topic. I am certain that the sharing of experiences can greatly contribute to the arrival of valuable conclusions for the operation of the mass media and for the cultural policy in Europe." [B] BALKANS[07] PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS IN THE BOSNIAN SERB REPUBLICWeb Posted: 19:52 GMT+2Sarajevo November 23 (MPA)Parliamentary elections are being held today in the Serb Republic of Bosnia, for the 83 seats in the Bosnian Serb Parliament.Twenty-eight political parties, 3 coalitions and 18 independent candidates are running. According to the returning board, 1.150.000 Bosnian Serbs have the right to vote, and 100,000 of them have cast their ballot in Yugoslavia where they reside under refugee status. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, under whose auspices the elections are held, has issued an appeal to the people that they cast their vote. 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 |