Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 98-10-07
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, October 7, 1998
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] PARLIAMENT TO REVIEW IMMUNITY LIFT OF TWO OPPOSITION DEPUTIES
[02] NATO SECRETARY-GENERAL SOLANA TO ARRIVE IN ATHENS ON FRIDAY
[03] DEFENDORY '98 EXHIBITION OF WEAPONS UNDERWAY IN PIRAEUS
[04] PRIME MINSTER SIMITIS TO RECEIVE MINISTER OF DEFENSE TOMORROW
[05] THE RESPONSIBLE COMMITTEE DECIDED TO BACK THE LIFTING OF THE
PARLIAMENTARY IMMUNITY OF THE TWO ND DEPUTIES
[06] THE NATO SECRETARY-GENERAL VISIT TO GREECE WAS CANCELED
[07] PAPANDREOU: EVERY EFFORT SHOULD BE MADE FOR A POLITICAL
SOLUTION IN KOSOVO
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[08] OPTIMISM ABOUNDS IN FINANCIAL MARKETS, NIKKEI RISES TO +600
POINTS
[09] HOLBROOKE-MILOSEVIC TALKS BRING NO RESULTS
[10] GREECE'S DEPUTY FM: VIOLENCE IS NOT THE BEST SOLUTION TO
KOSSOVO
[11] CIA DOCUMENTS NOW ADOPT CORRECT NAME FOR FYROM
[12] MILOSEVIC REPORTED TO HAVE RUSSIAN GROUND-TO-AIR MISSILES
[13] OSCE CONCERNED OVER BELGRADE'S ORDER FOR CENSORSHIP OF
FOREIGN NEWS
[14] CIA DOCUMENTS REFER TO SKOPJE AS FYROM
[15] NEW MILOSEVIC-HALBROOKE MEETING
[16] RUSSIA WILL TAKE MEASURES FOR THE PROTECTION OF ITS VESSELS
CARRYING THE S-300 MISSILES
[17] PAPANTONIOU: GREECE IS NOT AFFECTED NEGATIVELY BY THE GLOBAL
CRISIS
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] PARLIAMENT TO REVIEW IMMUNITY LIFT OF TWO OPPOSITION DEPUTIES
The proposals to lift the parliamentary immunity of two
deputies from the main opposition -party New democracy are to be
reviewed in Parliament today. The two parliamentarians are Kostas
Karaminas and Varsamis Yovanoudas.
Meanwhile, a warrant for the arrest of another ND deputy,
George Voidonikolas has been issued. He is charged with issuing
bounced checks. The matter was examined at the party's
headquarters by ND leader Kostas Karamanlis.
[02] NATO SECRETARY-GENERAL SOLANA TO ARRIVE IN ATHENS ON FRIDAY
NATO Secretary-General Javier Solana is to arrive in Athens
on Friday and will be received by the Prime Minister Kostas
Simitis, according to government spokesman Dimitris Reppas.
Mr. Reppas said he had no new information on the dialogue
between Greece and Turkey at NATO under Mr. Solana's auspices .
Moreover, he did not comment on press reports which claim there
had been a recent meeting between Greek and Turkish officials on
the issue, saying that it was Mr. Solana's as well as Athens' and
Ankara's wish that these talks remain confidential.
[03] DEFENDORY '98 EXHIBITION OF WEAPONS UNDERWAY IN PIRAEUS
Greece's Minister of Defense Akis Tsochatzopoulos inaugurated
the 10th Defendory international exhibition of conventional
weapons at the Piraeus Port Authority (OLP) exhibition center
yesterday.
Mr. Tsochatzopoulos accompanied his visiting Russian
counterpart Igor Sergeyev around the Greek defense industry's
pavilions and the two men in turn inspected Russian weapons
systems on display.
Afterwards, US ambassador Nicholas Burns guided Mr.
Tsochatzopoulos around the pavilions of the US defense industries.
Mr. Tsochatzopoulos also received visiting Senegalese Foreign
Minister Cheikh Harnidou Kane and Italian Deputy Defense Minister
Gianni Rivera.
[04] PRIME MINSTER SIMITIS TO RECEIVE MINISTER OF DEFENSE TOMORROW
Prime Minister Kostas Simitis is to meet with the Minster of
National Defense Akis Tsochatzopoulos tomorrow with whom he will
discuss the armed forces outfitting program.
The meeting will determine whether or not the National
Defense and Foreign Affairs Council will meet on Friday.
[05] THE RESPONSIBLE COMMITTEE DECIDED TO BACK THE LIFTING OF THE
PARLIAMENTARY IMMUNITY OF THE TWO ND DEPUTIES
The responsible Parliament committee decided to propose to
Parliament the lifting of the parliamentary immunity of the two
New Democracy deputies Kostas Karaminas and Varsamis Yiovanoudas.
In the vote that was held, 31 backed the lifting of the
parliamentary immunity for Mr. Karaminas and 7 were against it. In
the case of Mr. Yiovanoudas 27 voted in favor and 10 against. The
final decision will be made by the Parliament.
The political parties represented in Parliament and minister
of justice Evangelos Yiannopoulos backed the lifting of the
parliamentary immunity of the New Democracy deputies Kostas
Karaminas and Varsamis Giovanoudas in the responsible
parliamentary committee meeting held today.
It should be reminded that Mr. Karaminas is being accused of
refusing to undergo alcohol test after a deadly car accident he
caused, while Mr. Yiovanoudas is accused of beating up his
girlfriend, university student Maria Katavati, with whom he had an
extramarital affair.
[06] THE NATO SECRETARY-GENERAL VISIT TO GREECE WAS CANCELED
The scheduled visit of NATO secretary-general Javier Solana
to Greece has been canceled.
Mr. Solana was scheduled to meet with prime minister Kostas
Simitis and have talks with minister of defense Akis
Tsochatzopoulos.
The exact reasons that led to the cancellation of the visit
have not been made public yet.
[07] PAPANDREOU: EVERY EFFORT SHOULD BE MADE FOR A POLITICAL
SOLUTION IN KOSOVO
Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic has disappointed Greece
and his stance does not help the Serbs, said Greek deputy foreign
minister Giorgos Papandreou, adding that Milosevic's stance also
does not help the Greek government in its effort to undertake
initiatives nor the Balkans in general.
Mr. Papandreou stated that the first step Milosevic could
make is to stop the use of excessive force in Kosovo and expressed
the hope that the Yugoslav president will respond positively to
the initiative that will be undertaken next week in Antalya,
Turkey by Greece, Romania and Bulgaria.
Mr. Papandreou said that Greece has great reservations over
the likelihood of a NATO military intervention in Kosovo and
pointed out that every effort should be made for a political
solution through diplomacy, consultations and any other
initiatives that are possible to be developed.
On the 4.000 Greeks, who live in Belgrade, he stressed that
the government follows the developments closely and for the moment
there is no danger for them but if things change they will be
warned in time.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[08] OPTIMISM ABOUNDS IN FINANCIAL MARKETS, NIKKEI RISES TO +600
POINTS
The global economy does not look as dire anymore, following
yesterday's impressive rise in European financial markets and the
slight recovery at Wall Street. The Nikkei index rose to +600
points.
According to financial analysts, this slight recovery could
lead the a further increase in the indices of European markets. In
the Athens Stock Exchange, the general price index rose by .81%
yesterday.
[09] HOLBROOKE-MILOSEVIC TALKS BRING NO RESULTS
United States envoy Richard Holbrooke met with Yugoslav
President Slobodan Milosevic yesterday, but the talks bore no
breakthrough in the Kossovo crisis, at a time when NATO is
reiterating its threat to bring its troops in the region.
Mr.Holbrooke also stated that, during his visit to Kossovo,
he ascertained that the Yugoslav military forces have not
withdrawn from the area.
[10] GREECE'S DEPUTY FM: VIOLENCE IS NOT THE BEST SOLUTION TO
KOSSOVO
"Greece has forwarded its own message to Belgrade," stated
that undersecretary of Foreign Affairs Yiannos Kranidiotis in New
York, responding to reporters' questions regarding the Greek
government's stance in regards to the possibility of a NATO
military intervention in Yugoslavia.
Mr. Kranidiotis stressed that "our view is that the use of
violence is not always the best solution to a crisis," adding that
"all other means must be exhausted before we resort to violence."
He referred to a strict message addressed to Yugoslav
President Slobodan Milosevic by the tripartite Greek-Bulgarian-
Romanian summit meeting in Delphi during last weekend and
expressed the view that diplomatic means for de-escalating the
crisis have not yet been exhausted.
Mr. Kranidiotis expressed the hope a war between Turkey and Syria
would be averted and that the dispute would be overcome through
negotiations.
[11] CIA DOCUMENTS NOW ADOPT CORRECT NAME FOR FYROM
The efforts exerted by the Pan-Macedonian Association of
United States and Canada have paid off, as they have resulted in a
shift within the Central Intelligence Agency's policy, that is, to
begin referring to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia as
"FYROM".
The head of the CIA's public relations department Grace
Sullivan, as well as the director of information of Kessing's
Worldwide, Richard Thomas, have met the requests that these
changes be made, requests which were submitted by the chairman of
the PanMacedonian Committee of National Affairs., Mr. Ikonomou.
Ms. Sullivan, in a letter addressed to Mr. Ikonomou, thanked
the Association for addressing the matter regarding the
publication "Former Yugoslavia: Collection of Maps", which was
published by the CIA in 1993.
In her letter, Ms. Sullivan points out that the United States
recognized FYROM's independence in February of 1994 and stresses
that all maps that were published thereafter bear the name FYROM.
In turn, Mr. Thomas of "Keesing's Worldwide", the
organization that compiles and publishes data concerning the
world's countries and their leaders, points out that as soon as he
noted the mistake in the reference books on FYROM, which
mistakenly referred to the country as the "Republic of Macedonia"
he corrected it to FYROM. He further added that there was no
political motive involved in the slight.
The chairman of the Pan-Macedonian Association Evangelos
Michalopoulos stated that the CIA"s assurance and recognition that
the name of FYROM remains as it has been established through the
UN's interim agreement constitutes significant success. .
[12] MILOSEVIC REPORTED TO HAVE RUSSIAN GROUND-TO-AIR MISSILES
According to the London Times, Serb President Slobodan
Milosevic' security forces have acquired state-of-the-art, ground-
to-air missiles from Russia, capable of facing NATO's aircraft.
While the Times' report that it has not been ascertained
whether the missiles were acquired through legitimate and official
Russian channels, the new defense system needs to be taken into
serious consideration.
The paper detailed the weaponry as new warheads, fuses and
sensors for mobile Sam 6 missiles. An upgrade of an old Russian
surface-to-air missile had also converted the existing system to
one with faster reactions and an extended range. In addition,
the system was mobile and could provide early warnings of NATO air
strikes.
The Times reported that the threat posed by the system was
discussed by British Ministry of Defense staff yesterday.
[13] OSCE CONCERNED OVER BELGRADE'S ORDER FOR CENSORSHIP OF
FOREIGN NEWS
The Organization for Security and cooperation in Europe
(OSCE) has expressed its profound concern over the Yugoslav
government's orders to the country's privately-owned radio and
television stations that they not re-broadcast foreign news.
The OSCE's representative responsible for freedom of the
press, warned that these threats constitute a violation of
Belgrade's commitments as outlined in 1975's accords.
Meanwhile Yugoslavia's Ministry of Information has stressed
that the re-broadcasting of such programs constitutes an immediate
threat to the state as it equals espionage and adds that any form
of subversive activity that is harmful to the country's defense
capability is unacceptable.
[14] CIA DOCUMENTS REFER TO SKOPJE AS FYROM
The Pan-Macedonian Association of US and Canada had a
significant success. Its systematic and right to the point moves
had as a result the US official documents to refer to Skopje as
FYROM, the name under which the US government had recognized the
new republic in February 1994.
This fact is being confirmed both by the letters of the CIA
public relations head to Pan-Macedonian Association national
issues committee president and by the maps issued recently.
[15] NEW MILOSEVIC-HALBROOKE MEETING
A new meeting on Kosovo had today US special envoy Richard
Halbrooke with Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic. The goal of
the meeting was to persuade Milosevic to comply with the UN
Security Council decisions.
The meeting, according to the Americans, did not have the
desired results. Mr. Halbrooke maintains that the Serb forces
remain in Kosovo.
[16] RUSSIA WILL TAKE MEASURES FOR THE PROTECTION OF ITS VESSELS
CARRYING THE S-300 MISSILES
Russia will take decisive action in case Turkey hits the
Russian vessels that will carry the S-300 anti-aircraft defense
missiles to Cyprus. The statement was made to the BBC by the
Russian defense ministry international cooperation committee
director general Leonid Ivasov. The general is a member of the
Russian delegation visiting Athens, headed by Russian defense
minister Igor Sergeyev.
General Ivasov stated that Cyprus has the right to install
the missiles adding that they are defense missiles and therefore
Turkey should not be worried. He also stated that Russia will take
measures for the protection of its ships and crews, adding that if
the Turks strike the Russian ships the Russian reaction will be
negative.
He also reiterated that his country has signed a military
cooperation with Cyprus during the recent visit of the Russian
defense minister to Nicosia. On its content, he said that it
provides for the cooperation between Russia and Cyprus in the
military sector and in the sector of defense and added that the
legal framework has already been defined. The Russian general said
that the transport and the installation of the S-300 missiles in
Cyprus is being placed within this framework.
[17] PAPANTONIOU: GREECE IS NOT AFFECTED NEGATIVELY BY THE GLOBAL
CRISIS
Greek minister of national economy and finance Yiannos
Papantoniou stated to the US television network CNN that the
international economic crisis did not lead Greece away from its
goals.
The basic goal of the government continues to be Greece's
participation in the EMU and all necessary initiatives will be
undertaken toward this direction, said Mr. Papantoniou adding that
the EMU is a major national target and all necessary means will be
used in order to be met.
The global economic crisis is estimated that it will not
overturn the government predictions for a growth rate of 3.5% and
3.7% this year, said Mr. Papantoniou stressing that Greece is a
European economy and Europe has not been strongly affected by the
crisis.
Mr. Papantoniou, in response to an observation by the US
interviewer that there is skepticism over the feasibility of the
target concerning the reduction of inflation to 2.5% by 1999, said
that there are difficulties but all necessary measures will be
taken to overcome them.
To the question if the 2004 Olympic Games will increase the
US investment interest toward Greece, Mr. Papantoniou responded
that big infrastructure projects are underway in the country and
strong US interest for investments is already being recorded
adding that when Greece will become a member of the EMU this
interest will be even greater.
Referring to the overall economic crisis, Mr. Papantoniou
expressed disappointment over the "lack of leadership" which is
being observed in the handling of the crisis. He attributed the
"absence" of strong economies to the fact that Germany is in a
transitional period due to the recent elections, Japan remains
very weak and the United States have domestic problems.
Outlining the ways through which the global economy could
overcome the crisis, he said that the strong countries should
increase the resources of the International Monetary Fund and
pointed out the need for a stronger political direction by the
IMF, while he suggested the strengthening of mechanisms overseeing
the movement of capital.
Complete archives of the Macedonian Press Agency bulletins are available
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