Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 99-02-26
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, February 26, 1999
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] GREEK PREMIER'S LETTER TO HIS EUROPEAN UNION COUNTERPARTS
[02] INTELLIGENCE SERVICE AGENT TO TESTIFY BEFORE PROSECUTOR
[03] GREEK PM GOES TO MILAN ON MONDAY ACCOMPANIED BY PANGALOS
[04] FOREIGN MINISTER PAPANDREOU ON NAIROBI OPERATION
[05] DEFENSE MINISTER: WE HAVEN'T SAID YES TO NATO's ACT IN KOSOVO
[06] FOREIGN ANALYSTS: STRONG ECONOMY, IN SPITE OF CRISIS, IN
GREECE
[07] BLACK SEA TRADE & DEVELOPMENT BANK INAUGURATION IN JUNE
[08] MAIN OPPOSITION PARTY LEADER TO TRAVEL TO US IN MARCH
[09] INTERNATIONAL WINE CONTEST TO BE HELD IN THESSALONIKI
[10] ATHANASAKIS: THE THREE WOMEN ASSOCIATES OF OCALAN ARE NOT
DETAINEES
[11] ATHANASAKIS: IT IS THE TURKISH PROPAGANDA THAT SPEAKS AND NOT
OCALAN
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[12] GREEK PREMIER IN BONN TODAY FOR EU SUMMIT
[13] UNITED STATES WARN YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC
[14] OCALAN'S ATTORNEYS TO GIVE PRESS CONFERENCE TODAY
[15] TURKEY CLAIMS OCALAN CONFESSED TO MORE, IMPLICATES SERBIA
[16] SIMITIS: TWO CAMPS OF NORTH AND SOUTH IN THE EU SUMMIT
MEETING
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] GREEK PREMIER'S LETTER TO HIS EUROPEAN UNION COUNTERPARTS
Greece's Prime Minister Kostas Simitis forwarded a letter to
his European Union counterparts, wherein he refers to the Ocalan
case, and Greece's involvement, and the Kurdish issue.
"The Ocalan matter is an issue which the European Union is
obliged to deal with in a humanitarian spirit and above all with
respect for human rights," the letter says.
"Abdullah Ocalan, after he failed to secure refuge in another
country, illegally entered Greece. This occurred despite the fact
that my government had clearly underlined that for many important
reasons our country was not the most appropriate to extend him
political asylum. Extending political asylum, due to the nature of
Greek-Turkish relations, would have transformed the Ocalan matter
into an additional Greek-Turkish dispute.
"The government, faced with the fact of the illegal presence
of Mr. Ocalan on Greek territory, had no other option but to help
him leave Greece for a country which could give him political
asylum, in accordance with the established process and rules of
international law. For this reason, Greece undertook great efforts
under extremely adverse conditions.
"Unfortunately, our efforts failed. As everybody knows,
Ocalan was arrested under as yet undetermined and legally dubious
circumstances. To my great regret, Greece was not able to promptly
inform its partners in the European Union in relation to these
developments, due to the extremely sensitive nature of the entire
matter and the declared reluctance of certain member- states to
involve the Union in this issue.
"It is nevertheless my steadfast conviction that the European
Union should have already dealt with this issue, from the first
moment that Mr. Ocalan entered the Union's territory, in Italy.
Political and humanitarian reasons, but also the respect for
fundamental human rights, demanded a more decisive stance.
"Today it is an obligation of the European Union to exert its
influence to ensure a fair and open trial for Mr. Ocalan. A trial
in accordance with the rules of due process, by an independent
court, with the ability (for Mr. Ocalan) to choose his own lawyers
and, of course, in the presence of international observers. The
related declaration adopted by the last EU General Affairs Council
is a step in the right direction."
"The EU, while unequivocally condemning all forms of
terrorism, must use all the means at its disposal to pursue every
initiative designed to assist the Kurdish population in gaining
full respect for their fundamental rights and to contribute
towards finding a political solution to the Kurdish problem," the
Premier concluded in his letter.
[02] INTELLIGENCE SERVICE AGENT TO TESTIFY BEFORE PROSECUTOR
The National Intelligence Service agent who remained at the
Greek embassy in Nairobi along with the three Kurdish women since
the PKK leader's apprehension by Turkey ten days ago, arrived in
Greece last night and is expected to testify before the Athens
prosecutor today on the events leading up to Mr. Ocalan's arrest.
Savvas Kalenderidis, the Greek ambassador to Kenya George
Kostoulas and the three Kurds arrived in Greece last night on a
chartered Falcon jet after being evacuated from the Greek embassy
in Nairobi
The successful evacuation was supervised by Greek foreign
ministry secretary general Pavlos Apostolidis, who flew to Kenya
on Wednesday night.
Foreign Minister George Papandreou said the operation was a
"humanitarian act", in accordance with the permanent principles of
Greece and the European Union.
[03] GREEK PM GOES TO MILAN ON MONDAY ACCOMPANIED BY PANGALOS
Prime Mister Kostas Simitis is to travel to Milan on Monday,
where he will take part in the European Socialist party's
Congress.
The Greek Premier is said to be determined to set forth the
Kurdish issue and the Ocalan affair by condemning Turkey's human
rights violations and its abhorrent disregard for the European
Union's principles and regulations.
According to reports, the Premier is to be accompanied by
former foreign minister Theodoros Pangalos, their first joint
appearance since the latter was asked by the former to resign last
week.
Meanwhile, rumors that Mr. Pangalos is to be assigned as
Greece's new EU Commissioner have yet to be confirmed.
[04] FOREIGN MINISTER PAPANDREOU ON NAIROBI OPERATION
Greece's Foreign Minister George Papandreou expressed his
satisfaction over the successful execution of last night's
operation to evacuate the three Kurdish women and the Greek
Intelligence Service agent from Nairobi.
Mr. Papandreou stated that "the development closes a chapter
in our country's efforts with regard to the protection of human
rights. Greece will place particular emphasis on this sector,
which it considers crucial for stability and peace in the broader
region," he said, stressing also that Athens would make every
effort for the principles of the rule of law to be applied in
Turkey's trial of Ocalan, who is facing high treason charges,
punishable by the death penalty.
The Greek Foreign Minister thanked, in particular, the
ambassadors of Belgium and Sweden for their assistance, adding
that the German presidency of the EU had also shown "sensitivity".
The Swedish consul was present at Nairobi airport, while the
Belgian ambassador followed the cars with the four people to the
airport.
One of the three Kurdish women holds a Belgian passport, a
second possessed Greek political refugee travel documents, while
the third had been given assurances that she could be given the
same if she so wished.
[05] DEFENSE MINISTER: WE HAVEN'T SAID YES TO NATO's ACT IN KOSOVO
Greece has not given its consent to a military intervention
by NATO in Kosovo, according to Defense Minister Akis
Tsochatzopoulos who reiterated Greece's steady position for a
peaceful, political solution to the strife-torn region.
Mr. Tsochatzopoulos further added that Greece will not
participate even if the international community authorizes NATO
to intervene in Kosovo. Referring to the 1,500 troops who have
been transported to Skopje via Thessaloniki, the Defense Minister
said that their aim is to ensure the safety of observers assigned
to Kosovo.
[06] FOREIGN ANALYSTS: STRONG ECONOMY, IN SPITE OF CRISIS, IN
GREECE
In spite of the political crisis reverberating from the
Ocalan affair, the Greek economy remains robust, according to
foreign analysts.
Credit Suisse First Boston forecasts wide profit
opportunities in the Athens Stock Exchange, while it hails the
Greek state's bonds where returns are expected to be high as a
result of the imminent drop in interest rates.
Credit Suisse analysts forecast that Greece will adhere to
its plan to enter the Economic and Monetary Union the year 2000.
[07] BLACK SEA TRADE & DEVELOPMENT BANK INAUGURATION IN JUNE
The inauguration ceremony of the Black Sea and Trade
Development Bank (BSTDB) is expected to take place in June,
following the decisions drawn during the Sixth Regular Meeting of
the institutions; Board of Directors, held on February 19-20.
The Meeting also approved three major policy documents
concerning the BSTDB's financial policies, the rules and
regulations for project financing and commercial activities and
the bank's portfolio of risk management and investment policies.
The next Board of Directors meeting will take place in Kiev,
Ukraine, on April 4 and 5.
[08] MAIN OPPOSITION PARTY LEADER TO TRAVEL TO US IN MARCH
The leader of the country's main opposition party, New
Democracy's Kostas Karamanlis, will conduct his first official
visit to the United States during the second week of March.
While in the US, Mr. Karamanlis will be received by US Vice-
President Al Gore and US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.
During his four-day visit, Mr. Karamanlis will also meet with
various US Congressmen, while he is to deliver addresses at
several academic institutions and "think tanks".
His itinerary includes visits to other US cities, including
Boston, New York and Chicago.
[09] INTERNATIONAL WINE CONTEST TO BE HELD IN THESSALONIKI
An international wine competition is to be held on March 3-6
in
Thessaloniki during Detrop '99, a food and drinks trade fair.
Eligible for entry in the contest, which is organized by the
Macedonia Wine Producers Union and state trade fair organizer
HELEXPO, are wines that meet the production standards of their
country of origin and an international code of practice.
The organizers want to promote quality wines to consumers and
distributors and publicize the wine culture of the Mediterranean
basin, which, in turn, will aid the industry's growth. Judging
the entries will be a committee of wine experts and journalists
from Greece and abroad.
[10] ATHANASAKIS: THE THREE WOMEN ASSOCIATES OF OCALAN ARE NOT
DETAINEES
The National Intelligence Service agent major Savvas
Kalenteridis is not a detainee and he did not spend last night at
a military unit. He chose to spend the night at a relative's home,
stated acting Greek government spokesman Nikos Athanasakis. He
added that the major did not meet with minister of defense Akis
Tsochatzopoulos and after he rests he will inform his department
over the events that took place in Kenya.
Responding to a question on the three women associates of
Ocalan, he said that they are not detainees but for security
reasons the government deemed necessary that they had to stay in a
hotel. Mr. Athanasakis said that one of them has Belgian passport
and in a few days she will leave for Belgium, while Greece has
granted a political asylum to the other two. He stated that they
can move freely but they should assume the responsibility for
their actions.
[11] ATHANASAKIS: IT IS THE TURKISH PROPAGANDA THAT SPEAKS AND NOT
OCALAN
We will hear a lot of things and many things will follow from
Turkey's side. It is the Turkish propaganda that speaks and not
Ocalan, stated acting Greek government spokesman Nikos Athanasakis
commenting on the reports that appeared in the past few days in
Turkish newspapers and are presented as allegedly the testimony
given by Ocalan to the Turkish authorities.
Every word coming from Turkey is propaganda and in the end
turns against it, stated Mr. Athanasakis who characterized as
laughable the alleged evidence that is presented against Greek
government officials. Mr. Athanasakis referred to a "Hurriyet"
report over a secret investigation made by Washington concerning
minister of defense Akis Tsochatzopoulos who allegedly allowed
NATO secrets to leak to Russia.
Ankara appears to have a psychosis when it comes to the
alleged relations of PKK with Greece and tries to hurt Greece,
said Mr. Athanasakis calling on the Greek journalists not to
reproduce Turkish newspaper reports.
On the allegations made by Turkey that a training camp for
Kurds operates in Lavrion, he reiterated a statement made by a UN
official according to which, the specific area is under constant
monitoring by the United Nations.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[12] GREEK PREMIER IN BONN TODAY FOR EU SUMMIT
Although discussions are to focus on the Agenda 2000, the
European Union Summit, which begins today in Petersberg, is to
also address the Ocalan affair and the Kurdish issue.
The Greek Premier forwarded a letter to his EU counterparts,
wherein he called on the EU to deal with the Kurdish issue that
has arisen in the wake of Turkey's capture of Kurdish rebel leader
Abdullah Ocalan in a spirit of "humanitarianism and
with respect for human rights."
The European Parliament has ratified a resolution on the
Kurdish issue, acknowledging the international dimensions of the
matter and pointing out the risks emanating from the problem for
the region throughout.
[13] UNITED STATES WARN YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC
The United States have warned Belgrade that there will be
intense military action on behalf on NATO if Slobodan Milosevic
orders any attack against the Kosovo Liberation Army.
A Pentagon official stated that the Yugoslav army has
transported 4,500 troops to the borders of Kosovo. NATO secretary-
general Javier Solana has confirmed that the Alliance is presently
negotiating with Moscow on the possibility of Russian troops
participating in a peacekeeping operation in the strife-torn
region of Kosovo.
[14] OCALAN'S ATTORNEYS TO GIVE PRESS CONFERENCE TODAY
The attorneys representing PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan are to
give a press conference today.
Meanwhile, the President of the Turkish Parliament and former
Foreign Mister Hikmet Cetin has accused the European Union of
enforcing double standards, as it did not condemn Greece for the
aid it granted to Mr. Ocalan.
[15] TURKEY CLAIMS OCALAN CONFESSED TO MORE, IMPLICATES SERBIA
Turkish press reports, failing to cite sources, claim that
Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan has confessed to his prosecutors
that Iran, Greece and Serbia are among the countries that have
helped PKK in their armed campaign for independence on Turkish
territory, according to the French news agency AFP.
The Turkish press reports that members of the HADEP party are
being trained at a special camp in Romania and that Yugoslavia is
supplying the PKK with arms.
Mr. Ocalan is also said to have stated that there is a
hospital in Iran's Orumiyeh which treats injured members of the
PKK and that there are schools in Syria where PKK rebels are being
trained.
[16] SIMITIS: TWO CAMPS OF NORTH AND SOUTH IN THE EU SUMMIT
MEETING
There are two camps, according to prime minister Kostas
Simitis, that have been created in the EU summit meeting in Bonn.
Mr. Simitis said that one camp is made up of countries from
the north that do not want spending to be increased, while the
other camp is made up of countries from the south which stress the
need for convergence and cooperation and the materialization of
the European vision. Responding to a question on whether the front
formed in the south is concrete, Mr. Simitis said that as far as
Spain, Portugal and Greece are concerned it is a united front.
Referring to the structural funds, he stressed that the
negotiation has a great importance for Greece as the resources
must be secured in order to implement the second development plan
and expressed optimism over the outcome of the effort.
Responding to a question by MPA on whether the Kurdish issue
and the Ocalan affair came up for discussion, the prime minister
said that they will be discussed in the working lunch of the 15 EU
leaders.
Mr. Simitis stressed that the Bonn EU summit meeting will
deal mainly with the "Agenda 2000", stressing that the European
Union policy of the next few years is being formed characterizing
this process as very important.
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