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Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 99-04-22

Macedonian Press Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: The Macedonian Press Agency at http://www.mpa.gr and http://www.hri.org/MPA.


MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, April 22, 1999

SECTIONS

  • [A] NATIONAL NEWS
  • [B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

  • NEWS HEADLINES

    [A] NATIONAL NEWS

  • [01] NATO SUMMIT FOR 50TH ANNIVESARY AND GREECE'S POSITIONS
  • [02] SWEDEN'S ROYAL COUPLE TO ARRIVE IN GREECE ON MONDAY
  • [03] PARLIAMENT HOLDS SPECIAL SESSION CONDEMNING '67 COUP
  • [04] KOSOVO REFUGEES TO BE INOCULATED IN GREECE
  • [05] GREECE IS READY TO UNDERTAKE AN INITIATIVE FOR THE PEACEFUL SOLUTION OF THE CRISIS IN KOSOVO
  • [06] APOSTOLAKIS: GREECE WILL NOT PARTICIPATE IN NATO GROUND FORCES OPERATIONS
  • [07] NIKOS ATHANASAKIS: GREECE WILL NOT TAKE PART IN GROUND FORCES OPERATIONS
  • [08] ATHANASAKIS ON THE OIL EMBARGO AGAINST YUGOSLAVIA
  • [09] ATHANASAKIS: THERE IS NO ISSUE OF RESIGNATION FOR THE FOREIGN MINISTER
  • [B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

  • [10] GREEK PREMIER TO MEET WITH US PRESIDENT CLINTON TODAY
  • [11] NATO AIRCRAFT POUND YUGOSLAVIA ALL NIGHT LONG
  • [12] GROUND TROOPS DEPLOYMENT IN KOSOVO REMAINS A POSSIBILITY
  • [13] GREEK PREMIER'S ITINERARY IN THE UNITED STATES
  • [14] LEFT-WING POLITICAL PARTIES FROM 12 COUNTRIES MEET IN CYPRUS
  • [15] NATO MISSILES HIT MILOSEVIC RESIDENCE, BUT NO ONE WAS HOME
  • [16] ALBANIAN PRESIDENT SAYS BELGRADE WANTS BALKAN WAR
  • [17] MILOSEVIC TELLS U.S. RADIO STATION: THE THREE SOLDIERS ARE FINE
  • [18] PRISTINA WAS BOMBED AGAIN TODAY
  • [19] ALBRIGHT-PAPANDREOU WILL MEET IN WASHINGTON
  • [20] INTERVENTION BY MR. TRAKATELIS TO STOP THE ECOLOGICAL DISASTER IN KOSSOVO
  • [21] GREEK EURO-DEPUTY RAISED THE QUESTION OF THE DESTRUCTION OF CULTURAL MONUMENTS IN YUGOSLAVIA
  • [22] MR. FLORAKIS' STATEMENTS IN BELGRADE

  • NEWS IN DETAIL

    [A] NATIONAL NEWS

    [01] NATO SUMMIT FOR 50TH ANNIVESARY AND GREECE'S POSITIONS

    On the occasion of NATO's fiftieth-year mark, Greece's Prime Minister Kostas Simitis, Defense Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos and Foreign Minister George Papandreou are to take part in the Alliance's Summit in New York, with the following targets in mind:

    The promotion of the Greek positions and the commitment of United States President Bill Clinton that Greece will not be drawn into military conflict.

    The promotion of the Greek initiative for arriving at an expeditious political solution to the Kosovo crisis.

    The handling the humanitarian problems that have resulted from the crisis.

    The stabilization of the Balkans and their embodiment into the European structure.

    The reaffirmation of Greece's role in NATO, taking into account the country's particular position as the only member of the Alliance and the European Union in the Balkan peninsula.

    Mr. Simitis is to have a vis-a-vis meeting with President Clinton today and will also meet with the President of FYROM Kiro Gligorov.

    Mr. Tsochatzopoulos will have a meeting with the U.S. Secretary of Defense William Cohen.

    Mr. Papandreou will meet with U.S. assistant Secretary of State Mark Grossman and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

    [02] SWEDEN'S ROYAL COUPLE TO ARRIVE IN GREECE ON MONDAY

    King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Sylvia of Sweden are to embark on a three-day visit to Greece on Monday, the first-ever official visit by a Swedish head of state to this country, at the invitation of the President of the Hellenic Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos.

    The royal couple will be received by Parliament President Apostolos Kaklamanis on Monday, and will attend a banquet held in their honor by President Stephanopoulos.

    On Tuesday, the King and Queen of Sweden will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and will meet with the Prime Minister Kostas Simitis, as well as with Athens Mayor Dimitris Avramopoulos. They will also attend a business seminar at the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

    On Tuesday night, King Carl Gustaf and Queen Sylvia will hold a reception.

    [03] PARLIAMENT HOLDS SPECIAL SESSION CONDEMNING '67 COUP

    The Hellenic Parliament's plenary session convened yesterday evening in light of the 32nd anniversary since the military coup of April 21, 1967, which brought a seven-year dictatorship to Greece.

    Parliament President Apostolos Kaklamanis stated that that the military coup d'etat abolished parliamentary principles and the Greek people's freedom, leading the country to isolation. He further spoke of the largest disaster to strike the country, after the catastrophe in Minor Asia, the invasion of Cyprus by Turkey.

    "The drama of Cypriot Hellenism is perpetuated with the initial and continuing responsibility of our NATO allies, mainly the US, who are concerned over the Kosovo refugees but are not touched by 20 0,000 Greek Cypriot refugees or the continuing occupation of northern Cyprus," he pointed out.

    [04] KOSOVO REFUGEES TO BE INOCULATED IN GREECE

    Approximately 2,000 refugees from Kosovo are to receive inoculations from the Greece's Center of Preventive Medicine of the Social Services Foundation (IKA) of Alexandroupolis, which is cooperating with Turkey's Medical School of Edirne and related Bulgarian centers.

    In addition to the hepatitis shots, the refugees will also be randomly tested for sexually-transmitted diseases.

    The mission's cost, which amounts to 20 million drachmas, will be picked up by Greece's Ministry of Economy.

    [05] GREECE IS READY TO UNDERTAKE AN INITIATIVE FOR THE PEACEFUL SOLUTION OF THE CRISIS IN KOSOVO

    Greece is ready to undertake a diplomatic initiative together with the rest Balkan and European Union states for a peaceful solution of the crisis in Kosovo, stated prime minister Kostas Simitis.

    Mr. Simitis, who will participate in the NATO summit meeting in Washington that will be held on April 23-25, will meet with US president Bill Clinton as well as with many other state leaders.

    [06] APOSTOLAKIS: GREECE WILL NOT PARTICIPATE IN NATO GROUND FORCES OPERATIONS

    Greece has made it clear that it will not participate in NATO ground forces operations in Yugoslavia, stated undersecretary of defense Dimitris Apostolakis responding to a question by Communist Party parliament deputy Nikos Gatzis.

    However, he clarified that Greece is a NATO member-state and must meet its obligations toward the alliance.

    [07] NIKOS ATHANASAKIS: GREECE WILL NOT TAKE PART IN GROUND FORCES OPERATIONS

    Greece will not participate in NATO ground forces operations in Yugoslavia, stressed acting Greek government spokesman Nikos Athanasakis. He said that a special army unit can take part as a peace-keeping force if a peace agreement is reached.

    At this moment, there is no issue of ground forces operations. There are no troop movements toward this end and all the forces that have passed through Thessaloniki will be used in the NATO peace-keeping force in FYROM. The Greek officers are being briefed on the results of the NATO operations after they are completed. Only those who plan the operations have in advance briefing. Greece does not participate in the operations, stated Mr. Athanasakis.

    [08] ATHANASAKIS ON THE OIL EMBARGO AGAINST YUGOSLAVIA

    Clarifications on the stance of the Greek government that lifted its reservations on the imposition of an oil embargo on Yugoslavia, were given by acting Greek government spokesman Nikos Athanasakis.

    He said that together with Italy we backed the option to impose an oil embargo after the end of the bombings. Italy changed its stance and we were forced to agree with the drawing up of the regulation with a footnote allowing the distribution of oil for humanitarian reasons.

    [09] ATHANASAKIS: THERE IS NO ISSUE OF RESIGNATION FOR THE FOREIGN MINISTER

    There is no issue of resignation for foreign minister Giorgos Papandreou, stated acting Greek government spokesman Nikos Athanasakis commenting on a newspaper report that was published today.

    The foreign minister exercises his duties successfully and any reference to an alleged resignation creates problems, added Mr. Athanasakis.

    [B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

    [10] GREEK PREMIER TO MEET WITH US PRESIDENT CLINTON TODAY

    Greece's Prime Minister Kostas Simitis is to meet with the President of the United States Bill Clinton in Washington today, to whom he will present Greece's peacemaking plan for Kosovo.

    Mr. Simitis is presently in the US to participate in NATO's 50th anniversary. Greece's Foreign and Defense Ministers, George Papandreou and Akis Tsochatzopoulos respectively, are also in Washington, where they will have a series of meetings on the sidelines of the NATO Summit.

    Today, Mr. Papandreou will meet with U.S. assistant Secretary of State Mark Grossman and, later in the afternoon, will be received by the Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. The Greek FM will also conduct an official visit to Moscow next week, April 28, on the invitation of his Russian counterpart Igor Ivanov.

    Mr. Tsochatzopoulos will meet with his US counterpart William Cohen.

    [11] NATO AIRCRAFT POUND YUGOSLAVIA ALL NIGHT LONG

    Allied aircraft continued to pound Yugoslavia throughout the night, targeting the outskirts of Belgrade and other Serb cities. Meanwhile, Russian President Boris Yeltsin's envoy Viktor Cernomyrdin is to visit the Yugoslav capital today where he will have talks with President Slobodan Milosevic.

    At the same time, the European Union will proceed to imposing a fuel embargo on Yugoslavia.

    Mr. Milosevic, speaking to a U.S. television network, stated that the conflict could easily be resolved if NATO's ceased the attacks. Moreover, he added that the Kosovo crisis can only be solved through direct talks between the government and the ethnic Albanians.

    [12] GROUND TROOPS DEPLOYMENT IN KOSOVO REMAINS A POSSIBILITY

    NATO military chiefs are examining the possibility of deploying ground troops in Kosovo, while the same subject was discussed yesterday in Washington between U.S. President Bill Clinton and British Premier Toni Blair.

    White House press secretary John Lockhart stated that the Clinton Administration will support NATO's military command if it requests a shift in its present strategy. The Alliance has so far ruled out the possibility of a ground operation.

    [13] GREEK PREMIER'S ITINERARY IN THE UNITED STATES

    Greek Prime Minister Kostas Simitis, presently in New York for NATO's 50th anniversary, addressed a lunch held in his honor yesterday by the Council on Foreign Relations. The Premier's address concerned foreign policy issues, including the Kosovo crisis, Greek-Turkish relations and the Cyprus issue.

    Today, the Premier will attend a lunch held in his honor by the board of directors of the Woodrow Wilson Research Institute on foreign, economic and social policy issues.

    On Saturday, the 19 NATO leaders will attend a formal dinner held in their honor and hosted by US president Bill Clinton at the White House.

    Mr. Simitis will depart for Greece on Sunday, April 25 after the close of the NATO summit.

    [14] LEFT-WING POLITICAL PARTIES FROM 12 COUNTRIES MEET IN CYPRUS

    The leader of Greece's Coalition of the Left and Progress (Synaspismos) party Nikos Konstantopoulos participated in the left parties conference held in Cyprus, where left-wing political parties from 12 countries, including five EU member states, discussed the Kosovo issue.

    The conference, organized by Cyprus' communist party AKEL, also featured the participation of Russian Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov who strongly criticized the NATO attacks on Yugoslavia.

    Both he and Mr. Konstantopoulos met earlier in the day with President Glafcos Clerides.

    According to the Cyprus News Agency, Mr. Konstantopoulos said the war had had consequences not only for Yugoslavia and Albania, but also several former Eastern Bloc countries, such as Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary, whose tourism, imports and exports industries had been devastated by the bombing campaign.

    He stated that there was no legal basis for the air strikes.

    "The US is trying hard to create a new world order with it as the only superpower," he said. "It is using the Balkans as a trampoline into Europe".

    Mr. Zyuganov stated that there could be no solution to the crisis in the Balkans without Russia and accused both the United States and the Alliance of using Kosovo as a pretext to gain a foothold in a united Europe, which he said America saw as a threat to its dominance as the only world superpower.

    He said Belgrade had been ready to sign a deal on Kosovo, which was acceptable to the European Union, "but not to (U.S. Secretary of State) Albright".

    [15] NATO MISSILES HIT MILOSEVIC RESIDENCE, BUT NO ONE WAS HOME

    NATO missiles struck the residence of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic early this morning, but no victims were reported as the house was vacant.

    According to the Yugoslav news agency Tanjug, the presidential residence, located in an aristocratic suburb of Belgrade, was completely destroyed.

    [16] ALBANIAN PRESIDENT SAYS BELGRADE WANTS BALKAN WAR

    Albanian President Rejep Meidani is of the opinion that Yugoslavia wants to drag Tirana into the war over Kosovo, according to an interview published today in France's daily Le Figaro.

    According to the French news agency AFP, Mr. Meidani stated that "Belgrade wants to push us into the war to change the nature of the conflict, transforming it into a confrontation between two states.

    "We do not want to play that game, but if there is a major intrusion into its territory, Albania will react vigorously," he warned.

    The Albanian President also stated that ground operations by NATO were necessary in Kosovo to ensure a peaceful outcome to the conflict.

    However, he ruled out the partition of the Serb province between Serbs and ethnic Albanians, saying that it as up to the Kosovars to decide on independence.

    [17] MILOSEVIC TELLS U.S. RADIO STATION: THE THREE SOLDIERS ARE FINE

    Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic told KHOU radio station of Houston that the Geneva conventions have been fully observed in regards to the three US troops taken prisoner by the Serb forces.

    According to the Russian news agency Itar-Tass, Mr. Milosevic stated that Red Cross representatives may visit the prisoners, although not on a daily basis.

    The Yugoslav President further assured the radio station that the three soldiers are "in good health and treated well."

    [18] PRISTINA WAS BOMBED AGAIN TODAY

    The Yugoslav news agency Tanjug reported that NATO aircraft hit a populated area of Pristina just after 11am this morning. Also, the NATO aircraft bombed Milosevic's residence early this morning which was completely destroyed. At the time of the attack, Milosevic and his family were not in the presidential residence.

    Diplomatic sources mention that Russian president Boris Yeltsin, through his envoy Victor Chernomirdin, made an appeal to the Yugoslav president for a more conciliatory stance. The Russian special envoy stated soon after his arrival in Belgrade that he brought with him specific proposals for an end to the Yugoslav tragedy.

    [19] ALBRIGHT-PAPANDREOU WILL MEET IN WASHINGTON

    Greek foreign minister Giorgos Papandreou will meet with US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright in Washington today. Mr. Papandreou will also visit Moscow for contacts with his Russian counterpart Igor Ivanov.

    Greek minister of defense Akis Tsochatzopoulos will have a meeting in the US capital with his US counterpart William Cohen.

    [20] INTERVENTION BY MR. TRAKATELIS TO STOP THE ECOLOGICAL DISASTER IN KOSSOVO

    Right-wing main opposition party of New Democracy Euro-deputy Antonis Trakatelis sent a letter addressed to European Parliament Environmental Committee chairman Mr. Collins asking for an open discussion on the ecological disaster in Kossovo as a result of the NATO bombings.

    Also, with a question submitted to the EU Council of Ministers that will be discussed in the next plenary session in Strasbourg on May 3-7, Mr. Trakatelis asked for an end to the thoughtless destruction of targets that are a threat for the public health and the environment as well as for the banning of the use of ammunition in Kossovo that includes uranium.

    [21] GREEK EURO-DEPUTY RAISED THE QUESTION OF THE DESTRUCTION OF CULTURAL MONUMENTS IN YUGOSLAVIA

    Greek governing socialist party of PASOK Euro-deputy Nikos Papakiriazis raised the issue of the destruction of the European cultural heritage as a result of the war in Yugoslavia in a question directed to the EU Council of Ministers. Mr. Papakiriazis requested to be informed by the European Council on whether it is aware of the accusations and information that are being presented in the international mass media according to which, the war in Yugoslavia has caused extensive destruction or irreparable damage to European cultural heritage monuments among them Christian Orthodox monasteries and churches.

    Mr. Papakiriazis wants to know what the European Council intends to do to stop the destruction in case those accusations are proved to be true, while in the case of destroyed monuments he asks the European Council what intends to do in order to restore them.

    Mr. Papakiriazis spoke of a "cultural war crime" that takes place in a European country as well as an "ecological war crime". He mentioned that the so-called "humanitarian war", which is a term of unprecedented hypocricy, has caused big losses among civilians and has made worse the plight of the refugees. He also added that this is the main reason that makes imperative the immediate end of the bombings and the adoption of a political solution.

    [22] MR. FLORAKIS' STATEMENTS IN BELGRADE

    Greek Communist party honorary president Harilaos Florakis will meet in Belgrade tomorrow with Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic.

    In statements he made upon his arrival in the Yugoslav capital, Mr. Florakis expressed his admiration to the courage and strong resistance displayed by the Serb people. He criticized the Greek government because it agreed with the imposition of the oil embargo on Yugoslavia and because it has not made a clear condemnation of the bombings.

    Mr. Florakis said that the new fact in the Greek political scene is that the young members of all political parties in Greece are protesting jointly against the NATO attack on Yugoslavia and stressed that this is a proof of the determination to defend Greece's national sovereignty and rights.

    Commenting on the NATO air strike against the residence of Slobodan Milosevic, he said that the NATO forces are ruthless and they take absolutely nothing under consideration, adding that this is an unprecedented action.

    Mr. Florakis also expressed fear over a possible involvement of Greece in the war scenarios that are being promoted by the alliance. He added that Greece already has a problem with Thrace and mentioned that any change of borders is made after a war. Mr. Florakis stated characteristically that the Greek borders were defined after the Balkan Wars, adding that anything which is defined through a war can change again only through a war. Mr. Florakis stressed that there is no example of a change of borders through a peaceful settlement.


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