Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 98-09-12
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, September 12, 1998
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] THE MPA CONFERENCE ON RIGAS CONTINUES
[02] KARAMANLIS' TOUR OF THESSALONIKI
[03] THE BLACK SEA BANK BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING CONTINUES IN
CHALKIDIKI
[04] MILO: MILOSEVIC CAN NOT BRING DEMOCRACY TO SERBIA AND THE
FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA
[05] THE B' UNITY OF THE MPA CONFERENCE ON RIGAS HAS BEEN
COMPLETED
[06] THE SERB MINISTER OF INFORMATION ACCUSED ALBANIA OF
HARBOURING TERRORISTS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[07] PRIMAKOV IS THE NEW PRIME MINISTER OF RUSSIA
[08] BULGARIA IS A MEMBER OF CEFTA
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] THE MPA CONFERENCE ON RIGAS CONTINUES
The proceedings of the MPA conference on "The effect of the
ideas of Rigas Velestinlis on the countries of south-eastern
Europe and the need for Inter-Balkan cooperation today" continue
at the Sun Beach Hotel in Agia Triada near Thessaloniki.
The main speakers today will be foreign minister of Albania
Paskal Milo and FRY minister of information Alexander Vutsic,
government undersecretaries, academicians and professors.
Yesterday, first day of the Inter-Balkan conference, the
speakers referred to the personality of Rigas Fereos and to the
vision of the Balkan cooperation.
[02] KARAMANLIS' TOUR OF THESSALONIKI
Right-wing main opposition party of New Democracy leader
Kostas Karamanlis met this morning with representatives of the
production sectors of northern Greece at the offices of
Thessaloniki's Commerce Association.
Later, he visited the construction works for the water supply
of Thessaloniki from the Aliakmon river. The leader of the main
opposition party will speak this evening before representatives of
the region's production sector's.
[03] THE BLACK SEA BANK BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING CONTINUES IN
CHALKIDIKI
The Black Sea Bank Board of Directors meeting continues in
Chalkidiki northern Greece in an effort to settle the details
concerning its opening in 1999.
The main issue for discussion is the headquarters of the
institution and a decision on this will play a "key role" in
determining the exact time of its official opening.
The main goal is for the Greek Parliament to ratify the
agreement in order to become a law of the state. Based on the
existing plan, the permanent headquarters of the Black Sea Bank
will be in Thessaloniki.
[04] MILO: MILOSEVIC CAN NOT BRING DEMOCRACY TO SERBIA AND THE
FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA
Albanian foreign minister Paskal Milo characterized Slobodan
Milosevic as "democratic dictator" saying that the Yugoslav leader
can not bring democracy to Serbia and the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia.
Mr. Milo speaking in the MPA conference on the Ideas of Rigas
Velestinlis and the Inter-Balkan cooperation today, he stressed
that the crisis in Kosovo is a problem concerning all the Balkan
peoples and not just the Albanians and the Serbs. He said that it
is a regional crisis and at the same time a European one and added
that "The philosophy and practice of the Serb-Albanian
cohabitation in Kosovo is so badly compromised that it is
difficult to think that it will have a future. But the great
challenges can be faced even when it seems that there is no way
out".
Mr. Milo maintained that there is no democracy in Serbia
today. "Serbia", he said, "is nowadays lacking the visionary
politicians, the ones who could promote the philosophy of freedom
and self-determination within the framework of a democratic civil
society. Democracy and nationalism are irreconcilable with one
another and a lot of extreme nationalistic manifestations in
certain countries of the region can be explained by their low-
level democracy. A democratized Serbia will, undoubtedly, be less
nationalistic and will have less problems in the peaceful
cohabitation of Serbs and Albanians as well as in the
understanding and cooperation in the Balkans. But Milosevic can
not bring democracy in Serbia and the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia."
Mr. Milo added that the national issues in the Balkan region
are so delicate and fragile that look like a "time bomb that can
explode and poison the atmosphere in the inter-Balkan relations."
At the same time , he pointed out that all the Balkan populations,
among them the Albanians, consider themselves as victims of
history.
"In Bosnia and Kosovo today", he continued in his speech,
"two divergent processes prevail, that have badly compromised the
principle of cohabitation upon which the civil society is based".
Mr. Milo said that "It is very simple to say that those who do not
want such a cohabitation in FRY are the Albanian separatists. But
it is known that in the distant and in the recent future as well,
the Albanians have lived in harmony with the Serbs, when there was
a just equilibrium between them. For about 20 years, when
Yugoslavia was ruled by Tito, such a fragile equilibrium had been
established but Milosevic destroyed it at the end of the 80's
provoking the aggressive Serb nationalism."
Mr. Milo pointed out that a new political will is needed
regarding the issue of Kosovo, mainly from abroad, in order to
restore the lost balance or to establish a new one between the
Serbs and the Albanians in FRY. Any breakthrough toward this
direction will be a new historical chance not only for the
Albanians and the Serbs but for the peaceful coexistence and the
secure future of all the Balkan peoples as well.
[05] THE B' UNITY OF THE MPA CONFERENCE ON RIGAS HAS BEEN
COMPLETED
The proceedings of the MPA conference on the "Ideas of Rigas
and the Inter-Balkan cooperation today" continued with the unity
on The Spread of the ideas of Rigas to the south-eastern European
countries.
Albanian foreign minister Paskal Milo stressed that Rigas
Fereos is an idol for the Greek people and his reputation has gone
beyond the Greek borders and due to this reputation different
Balkan countries have claimed him as their own. Referring to the
activities of Rigas, he stressed that he tried to bring the ideas
of the French Revolution to the Balkans and draw up a new
Constitution that could unite the Balkan peoples. Two centuries
ago, said Mr. Milo, the vision of Rigas could have been regarded
as a utopia but today, at a time of globalization, with the
European unification underway, the countries converge to a common
ideal.
Bulgarian undersecretary of culture Svetlozar Zekov stated
that the word "accession" has become fashionable since the start
of the unification of Europe, adding that it would be best if the
unification is not just economic and political but cultural as
well. He referred to the activities of Bulgaria's National Book
Center and to its cooperation with Greece's respective center and
suggested that the countries of the region should undertake an
initiative for a Balkan cultural agreement aimed at promoting
literature as well as, for the publication of a multi-lingual
Balkan literature magazine under the auspices of UNESCO.
Croat professor of modern Greek language Vesna Kurelec
referred to the ideas of Rigas and the Croat enlightenment and
stressed that his premature death overshadowed his role as a
linguistic reformist.
Bulgarian ambassador to Athens, student of Rigas' ideas and
literary man Kiril Topalov characterized Rigas as a Balkan
typological phenomenon of his time. Romanian professor
specializing in Balkan issues Alexandru Firescu referred to the
Romanian translators and poets who had Rigas as a model.
Dimokrition University of Thrace Ioannis Papadrianos stated that
Rigas based on his descent belongs exclusively to Greece but his
revolutionary work concerned all the Balkan peoples, adding that
his tragic death had a deep effect to the Serb literary world and
especially to Nobel prize winner Ivo Andric.
[06] THE SERB MINISTER OF INFORMATION ACCUSED ALBANIA OF
HARBOURING TERRORISTS
A strong Yugoslav-Albanian dispute erupted during the
proceedings of the MPA conference on "The effect of Riga's ideas
to the countries of south-eastern Europe and the need for Inter-
Balkan cooperation" that will be completed this evening at the Sun
Beach Hotel of Agia Triada near Thessaloniki.
Speaking in the conference Albanian foreign minister Paskal
Milo characterized Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic as
"democratic dictator" saying that he can not bring democracy to
Serbia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
Shortly afterwards, Serb minister of information Alexander
Vucic responding to the accusations launched by Mr. Milo stressed
that Albania tolerates on its territory -if not backing- terrorist
training camps and does nothing to stop the illegal arms trade.
Mr. Vucic expressed the hope that the Albanian side will sit
at the negotiating table in the immediate future for the sake of
true peace and unity in the Balkans.
In his speech the Serb minister of information accused the
foreign mass media of misinformation by creating news that present
the Serbs as those who are mainly responsible for all bad and need
to be punished. He said that part of the blame belongs to the
Balkan reporters who are proven to be equally prone to spreading
"false news".
The bombardments in Miskina or Bosnia or at the Sarajevo
market, said Mr. Vucic, were used as bombs by the mass media as
well and worked as excuses for the imposition of sanctions on the
former Yugoslav Republic and the Bosnian Serbs. Mr. Vucic
concluded that the misinformation provided by the mass media was
evident and in the presentation of the incidents in Kosovo and
Metochi.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[07] PRIMAKOV IS THE NEW PRIME MINISTER OF RUSSIA
The international community welcomed with relief the Duma's
approval of Gevgeni Primakov's candidacy for the post of the
Russian prime minister.
Brussels sent the message to Primakov that he can count on
the political and financial support of the European Union under
the pre-condition that Moscow will promote the implementation of
economic reforms.
[08] BULGARIA IS A MEMBER OF CEFTA
Bulgaria yesterday became the seventh member of CEFTA, the
Central European Free Trade Agreement, which will be put in effect
on January 1st, 1999. Other members of CEFTA are the Czech
Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Romania.
Present in the signing ceremony of the agreement in Prague
was Bulgarian prime minister Ivan Kostov who stated in an
interview broadcast by the "Free Europe" radio station that the
completion of the structural changes in the economy is the biggest
problem for Bulgaria.
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