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Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 99-04-01
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, April 1, 1999
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] GREEK PREMIER ADDRESSES PARLIAMENTARY SESSION ON KOSOVO
[02] PRESIDENT OF PANAMA ON OFFICIAL VISIT TO GREECE
[03] PRESIDENT OF CHINA'S PEOPLE'S NATIONAL CONGRESS IN ATHENS
[04] ELUSIVE "17 NOVEMBER" STRIKES AGAIN, FIRES ROCKET AT PASOK
[05] PASOK GIVES STATEMENT ON TERRORIST ATTACK AGAINST ITS OFFICE
[06] MPA IS RIGHT ON TARGET WITH ITS TWO NEW BOOKS ON THE BALKANS
[07] THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE IS ON A FREE FALL
[08] EMERGENCY MEETING IN BONN ON THE YUGOSLAV REFUGEES
[09] DISCUSSION IN PARLIAMENT ON THE BEHAVIOUR OF THE US
AMBASSADOR
[10] YIANNIS NIKOLAOU: MPA WON A ENVIABLE PLACE IN THE BALKANS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[11] NATO RAIDS CONTINUE, DANUBE RIVER BRIDGE REPORTEDLY BOMBED
[12] YUGOSLAVIA: ATHENS PROPOSES TRUCE ON EASTER, BONN REJECTS IT
[13] YUGOSLAVIA DOWNS ANOTHER NATO WARPLANE
[14] THREE US SOLDIERS CAPTURED BY SERBS, NATO CONFIRMS
[15] ALTERNATE FM IN FYROM, DEFENSE MINISTER ON TOUR OF BALKANS
[16] IVANOV EXPLAINS TO ALBRIGHT RUSSIAN WARSHIP MISSION
[17] RUSSIA MAY UNDERTAKE NEW INITIATIVES ON YUGOSLAVIA
[18] GREEKS, SERBS IN MANHATTAN HOLD MASSIVE RALLY AGAINST NATO
[19] THE SERBS ARE HOLDING THREE US SOLDIERS
[20] RUSSIA: THEY ASKED FOR OUR MEDIATION BUT THEY DID NOT KNOW
WHAT THEY WANTED
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] GREEK PREMIER ADDRESSES PARLIAMENTARY SESSION ON KOSOVO
Greece's Prime Minister Kostas Simitis addressed the
Parliament yesterday evening, in a special session held for the
discussion of the crisis in Yugoslavia.
In his address, the Premier reiterated the need for
diplomatic initiatives and a
political resolution to crisis, advising cool-headedness,
alertness and decisiveness, all elements of a "responsible and
developed country of the European system.
He stressed Greece's respect for the principles of human and
minority rights, respect for the territorial integrity of
countries, the inviolability of borders and the peaceful
resolution of differences on the basis of the United Nations
charter.
"Referring to those principles is not rhetorical for Greece,
which lives under Turkey's aggressive behavior in the Aegean and
the continuing international crime of the Turkish occupation of a
major part of Cyprus," he added.
[02] PRESIDENT OF PANAMA ON OFFICIAL VISIT TO GREECE
The President of Panama Ernesto Perez Balladares, presently
on a three-day official visit to Greece, was received by his Greek
counterpart, President Kostis Stephanopoulos yesterday with whom
he discussed bilateral and international issues, focusing on the
situation in the Balkan region.
Also yesterday, Alternate Foreign Minister Yiannos
Kranidiotis and Panamanian Foreign Minister Jorge Eduardo Ritter
signed an economic and technological cooperation agreement.
President Balladares said the sizeable Greek community in
Panama and Greece's merchant fleet serve as bridges of friendship
between the two countries.
[03] PRESIDENT OF CHINA'S PEOPLE'S NATIONAL CONGRESS IN ATHENS
The President of the Chinese People's National Congress Li
Peng, presently on an official visit to Athens, met with Greek
President Kostis Stephanopoulos and Prime Minister Costas Simitis
yesterday, heading a 120-member delegation of Chinese political
leaders.
The delegation, which is to visit the island of Crete today and
tomorrow, is headed by Mr. Peng and includes the National
Assembly's Deputy President, Hi Luli, Deputy FM Ji Peiding and the
presidents of National Assembly committees.
[04] ELUSIVE "17 NOVEMBER" STRIKES AGAIN, FIRES ROCKET AT PASOK
The "17 November" terrorist organization, which has eluded
authorities for a great number of years, is believed to be behind
last night's rocket thrown at the ruling PASOK party's central
offices in Athens.
There were no victims in the attack as the rocket did not
detonate before ending up in an open-air garage nearby.
PASOK Central Committee secretary Kostas Skandalides stated
that these acts undermine democracy itself.
[05] PASOK GIVES STATEMENT ON TERRORIST ATTACK AGAINST ITS OFFICE
Greece's ruling PASSOK party has expressed its abhorrence
over last night's terrorist attack at its central offices in
Athens which were -unsuccessfully- targeted by a rocket launched
by the "17 November".
"It is fortunate that we did not mourn innocent lives. The
terrorist attack of'17 November' constitutes another blow to
democracy. It is a suspect operation at a critical time in our
nation's course. Our Movement is founded on the Greek people.
PASOK is not intimidated by the '17 November' rockets since the
matter of the country's democratic movement is a matter of ideas,
struggles and political views, not buildings or offices."
[06] MPA IS RIGHT ON TARGET WITH ITS TWO NEW BOOKS ON THE BALKANS
When the flames of war subside in Yugoslavia and Kosovo, then
the urgency of inter-Balkan cooperation in eradicating hatred,
animosity and nationalism will be illustrated.
This is precisely what the Macedonian Press Agency's
publication "Rigas Velestinlis: Inter-Balkan Cooperation Today"
professes, through a compilation of views expressed by fifty
political leaders, academicians and journalists from throughout
the Balkan region, including Greece's President Kostis
Stephanopoulos, Prime Minster Kostas Simitis, the leader of the
main opposition party, New Democracy, Kostas Karamanlis, and
others.
The book's presentation will take place today at the
Journalists Union premises in Athens and will be attended by
Greece's Minister of the Press and Media Dimitris Reppas,
Albania's Foreign Minister Paskal Milo, New Democracy's
spokesperson Aris Spiliotopoulos and the Chairman of the MPA's
Board of Directors, Prof. Pavlos Petrides.
Also, the MPA will present its "1999 Guide for the Balkans
and the Black Sea Countries", published with the collaboration of
"Ianos" Publishing House, which contains a wealth of information
for each Balkan and Black Sea country, subdivided in the sectors
of economy, defense, policy, biographies, etc.
[07] THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE IS ON A FREE FALL
The general price index in the Athens Stock Exchange was on a
free fall today. It closed at 3.121,91 reduced by 7,55%.
The transactions reached 134 billion drachmas. The big drop
is attributed to the mass sales of stocks by small investors who
are afraid of the crisis in Kosovo.
[08] EMERGENCY MEETING IN BONN ON THE YUGOSLAV REFUGEES
Greek foreign minister Giorgos Papandreou will be in Bonn
today after an invitation by the European Union troika, namely
Austria, Germany and Finland.
The foreign ministers of the countries bordering with
Yugoslavia will meet in Bonn later in the afternoon to discuss the
problem of refugees and the issue of the humanitarian aid for the
countries hosting them.
[09] DISCUSSION IN PARLIAMENT ON THE BEHAVIOUR OF THE US
AMBASSADOR
Undersecretary of national defense Dimitris Apostolakis
responding to a question by Communist Party deputy Dimitris
Kostopoulos referred to the behaviour of US ambassador to Athens
Nicholas Burns.
Mr. Burns can be provocative or he can appear to be
provocative with his behaviour but the government does not allow
him to go beyond his duties, stated Mr. Apostolakis. He explained
that the meeting of the US ambassador with the Air Force General
Staff chief was scheduled to take place a long time ago and it
simply coincided with the start of the crisis in Kosovo.
The undersecretary reiterated that Greece does not take part
in the military operations in Yugoslavia and stays firm in its
position that there should be a political solution to the crisis
in Kosovo.
From his side, the Communist Party deputy stated that no
foreign ambassador can act like a director and coordinator of
other states' actions.
[10] YIANNIS NIKOLAOU: MPA WON A ENVIABLE PLACE IN THE BALKANS
General secretary of information Yiannis Nikolaou, presenting
two MPA publications namely, "Rigas Velestinlis - The need for
Inter-Balkan cooperation" and "The Guide for the Balkans and the
Black Sea countries" in the Association of Athens Newspaper
Journalists offices in Athens, stated that it is a national goal
for Greece to be an oasis and at the same time a factor of
stability in the region.
Mr. Nikolaou stated that in this storm that sweeps the region
Greece's interests and its international position can be
strengthened through the initiatives it will undertake.
Referring to the two publications, Mr. Nikolaou stated that
MPA showed through the years that Greece has room for more than
one news agency and specifically for a news agency that has a
special role in the region of the Balkans and south-eastern
Europe, adding that MPA has won a enviable place in the Balkans
and Europe with the tireless effort of its people and that
everyone should be proud of its work.
Right-wing main opposition party of New Democracy spokesman
Aris Spiliotopoulos referred to the two book publications saying
that Rigas Velestinlis' ideas remain current and underlined that
the military operation in Yugoslavia shows that Europe pays the
price of its absence in the past years. He said that now we have
reached the point where Europe lacking a vision and will and
without a strong political leadership, participates in a military
operation that has a rather destabilizing effect on the region.
MPA president professor Pavlos Petridis and MPA general
director Spiros Kouzinopoulos also referred to the two
publications. Mr. Kouzinopoulos expressed concern over the
whereabouts of MPA correspondent in Pristina Skeltzen Radja, who
has not contacted the news agency since the start of the NATO
bombings.
In the presentation of the two books were also present New
Democracy parliament spokesman Dimitris Sioufas, Communist Party
representative Makis Kopsidis and Coalition of the Left
representative Dimitris Papadimoulis. Also, president of Giorgos
Papandreou Institute Sofia Papandreou and former parliament
deputies Likourgos Kalergi and Roulis Kokelidis as well as
Bulgarian ambassador to Athens Kiril Topalov.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[11] NATO RAIDS CONTINUE, DANUBE RIVER BRIDGE REPORTEDLY BOMBED
NATO continued to raid Yugoslavia throughout the night,
while, as the Yugoslav news agency Tanjug reported, a bridge on
the Danube River was also bombarded. Tomahawk missiles struck the
city of Uzice, southeast of Belgrade, and Prishtina.
Meanwhile, both the United States and the Alliance have rejected
appeals for a truce during Easter. Ibrahim Rugova, the leader of
Kosovo's ethnic Albanians, has asked that NATO cease its raids
against Yugoslavia and that the Serbs stop the cleansing
operations in Kosovo.
[12] YUGOSLAVIA: ATHENS PROPOSES TRUCE ON EASTER, BONN REJECTS IT
The Greek government's proposal for the suspension of NATO
raids against Yugoslavia on the Catholic and Orthodox Easter
Sundays (April 4 and 11) has been downright rejected by the German
government.
German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer stated that Greece's
proposal, presented by Foreign Minister George Papandreou, would
be tantamount to granting permission to Yugoslav President
Slobodan Milosevic to continue ethnic cleansing operations in
Kosovo at Easter "and this would be inconceivable".
[13] YUGOSLAVIA DOWNS ANOTHER NATO WARPLANE
Yugoslav armed forces have downed another NATO warplane over
the past 24 hours, according to Russian Defense Minister Igor
Sergeyev.
The Russian Minister stated that six spies who were
installing radio beacons in Yugoslavia were detained.
[14] THREE US SOLDIERS CAPTURED BY SERBS, NATO CONFIRMS
Three United States Army soldiers who were missing on the
Yugoslavia-FYROM border have been captured by the Serb forces, as
shown by footage on Yugoslav television and confirmed by NATO.
The footage shows the three, two sergeants and a specialist,
seated at a table with microphones before them, apparently
responding to questions.
The bruised soldiers were named as James Stone, Andrew
Ramirez and Steven Gonzales. The Serb broadcast reported that the
men sustained injuries when they resisted arrest.
According to the Yugoslav press, the three were captured on the
Yugoslav side of the border by the Serb Army Corps.
The U.S. army troops were part of what used to be a U.N.
peacekeeping mission charged with monitoring the border between
FYROM and Yugoslavia. When that mission ended in February, the
troops remained as part of a NATO border force.
[15] ALTERNATE FM IN FYROM, DEFENSE MINISTER ON TOUR OF BALKANS
Greece's alternate Foreign Minister Yiannos Kranidiotis is
presently in Skopje, escorting a humanitarian aid mission to
FYROM which is swamped with a massive influx of refugees from
Kosovo.
Concurrently, Defense Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos is
presently on a visit to Bucharest, Sofia and Skopje.
Albania's Premier Pandeli Majko, who met with Greece's FM
George Papandreou in Tirana yesterday, pledged that the property
belonging to the Greek minority in southern Albania will not be
harmed.
[16] IVANOV EXPLAINS TO ALBRIGHT RUSSIAN WARSHIP MISSION
Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov explained to his US
counterpart Madeleine Albright that the Russian warship, which is
departing today for Yugoslavia, will collect reconnaissance
information and thus "ensure the security of Russia."
According to the Russian news agency Itar-Tass, Mr. Ivanov
said that Ms. Albright had contacted him upon learning the news
about the voyage of Russian Black Sea fleet warships to the
conflict zone. The said mission has reportedly caused concern in
the UDS administration.
Mr. Ivanov stated that the warship is leaving because of the
"escalation in the conflict" in Yugoslavia. It will provide
"objective information on the developments to Moscow," Mr. Ivanov
said.
[17] RUSSIA MAY UNDERTAKE NEW INITIATIVES ON YUGOSLAVIA
Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov has stated that Russia
may in the near future undertake new initiatives on settling the
Yugoslav crisis.
"It is necessary to substitute the logic of war with the
logic of political settlement," Mr. Ivanov stated.
[18] GREEKS, SERBS IN MANHATTAN HOLD MASSIVE RALLY AGAINST NATO
More than 3,000 protesters, many of them of Greek and Serb
origins, rallied yesterday evening in Manhattan in order to voice
their opposition to NATO's raids against Yugoslavia.
The massive crowd, which was colored by Serb, Greek, Cypriot and
Byzantine flags, conducted a march to the New York Times building.
The rally featured the participation of Greek-American
leaders, representatives from the Federation of Greek
Associations, students from the "Hellenic Front", and officials
from the Holy Archbishopry of America.
Adorned with the distinct "target" sign, the protesters
chanted "Kosovo is Vietnam", "Quo Vadis USA?", and "You want
peace? Don't start war".
[19] THE SERBS ARE HOLDING THREE US SOLDIERS
The Serb government regards the three American soldiers
captured by the Yugoslav forces as prisoners of war.
In a statement issued by the information service of the
Pristina based 3rd Army Corps of the Yugoslav army, that was
broadcast by the Serb television, is mentioned that Serb soldiers
captured yesterday the US sergeants Andrew Ramirez, James Stone
and Ivan Gonzales on Yugoslav territory. The three Americans
belong to the scouting patrol of the US infantry division based in
Germany. They had crossed the borders of FYROM and they were
inside Kosovo when they were captured after putting up a
resistance to the Serb forces.
NATO spokesman James Shea confirmed the incident and stated
that the capture of the three Americans will not affect the
determination of NATO.
[20] RUSSIA: THEY ASKED FOR OUR MEDIATION BUT THEY DID NOT KNOW
WHAT THEY WANTED
Russia expressed regret because prime minister Gevgeni
Primakov's mission to Belgrade had as a result for NATO to toughen
its stance toward Yugoslavia.
Russian foreign minister Igor Ivanov stated today that
certain NATO members had asked Russia to mediate for the
settlement of the crisis but Mr. Primakov's mission in Belgrade
and Bonn toughened even more NATO's stance adding that it is not
clear exactly what the alliance wants, reported Russian news
agency Itar-Tass.
Mr. Ivanov rejected the accusations that the goal of Mr.
Primakov's mission was to win a political victory for Russia and
clarified that the only goal was the return of peace to Kosovo.
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