Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 99-09-15

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

MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, September 15, 1999

SECTIONS

[A] NATIONAL NEWS

[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

NEWS HEADLINES

[A] NATIONAL NEWS

[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

NEWS IN DETAIL

[A] NATIONAL NEWS

[01] FUNERAL OF MR. KRANIDIOTIS TO BE HELD IN ATHENS TOMORROW

A government delegation is already in Bucharest, comprising the Transportation Minister the deputy Foreign Minister, the director of the Premier's diplomatic bureau, civil aviation and air force experts, the chairman of Olympic Airways physicians and relatives of the victims. Prior to his departure for Bucharest, Transportation Minister Tasos Mantelis vowed that those responsible for the tragedy will be held responsible.

[02] DEATH OF KRANIDIOTIS PLUNGES GREECE INTO CONSTERNATION

The President of the Hellenic Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos stated that Mr. Kranidiotis' loss has deprived the country of a valuable man. The tragic news of Yiannos Kranidiotis' death has deeply shocked all of us.

Premier Costas Simitis stated that "his sudden and unfortunate death leaves behind a vast and irretrievable void. We shall remember him as a friend and close colleague, among the best there are, of whom we shall always be proud." Foreign Minister George Papandreou also expressed his profound grief over the loss of his close colleague.

[03] GREEK ALTERNATE FM KRANIDIOTIS KILLED IN AIRPLANE ACCIDENT

According to early reports, a large government delegation was also aboard the plane which landed safely in Bucharest's international airport.

The only survivors are reported to be the wife of the Foreign Ministry's press secretary Ms. Begliti and a journalist accompanying the delegation which was en route to today's Inter-Balkan Cooperation Foreign Ministers' meeting in Bucharest.

[04] YIANNOS KRANIDIOTIS, AN EXEMPLARY POLITICIAN TO THE END

He was born in Nicosia, Cyprus in 1947. He studied Law in Greece (University of Athens), in the United States (Harvard University) and in the United Kingdom (Sussex University). A member of the Athens Bar Association since 1973, he also held a Ph.D. in International Relations (Dimokrition University).

During his illustrious career, Mr. Kranidiotis had served in the following posts:

1981 - 1984 Special advisor to the Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou on Cyprus and to the Foreign Ministry on European Affairs.

1984 - 1989 Special Secretary for European Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

1988 - 1990 Director of the Greek Center for European Studies (EKEM).

1991 - 1992 Advisor to the Cyprus Government on European Affairs.

1993 - 1994 Secretary General for European Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

1994 - 1995 Deputy Foreign Minister for European Affairs.

1995 - 1997 Member of the European Parliament (Socialist Group).

1996 - 1997 Representative of Greece to the Intergovernmental Conference for the revision of the E.U. Treaty.

1997 - 1999 Deputy Foreign Minister.

Since February 18, 1999 Alternate Minister for Foreign Affairs in charge of European Affairs.

Mr. Kranidiotis was a member of the Central Committee of PASOK(Greek Socialist Party).

Fluent in English and French, Mr. Kranidiotis authored numerous books and articles on international relations and foreign and European policy issues. He is survived by his wife.

[05] SIX KILLED, THREE WOUNDED WHEN "FALCON" HITS AIR TURBULENCE

According to the latest reports, among the victims are the Minister's son, the plane engineer and three more individuals. While three passengers sustained injuries, the remaining four persons aboard the flight suffered minor injuries.

The plane suddenly lost altitude as it hit the turbulence plunging from 23,000 to 5,000 feet (7,300 to 1,500 meters).

[06] GREEK PREMIER DEEPLY MOURNS DEATH OF MR. KRANIDIOTIS

Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis declared: "The tragic announcement of Yiannos Kranidiotis's death has shaken us all. Indefatigable, he successfully defended Greek interests all over the world. He represented Greece with competence, culture and determination."

His death "creates a great void, (he will be) difficult to replace," he added.

[07] GREEK DEFENSE MINISTER POSTPONES VISIT TO ISRAEL

Mr. Tsochatzopoulos was to meet with Israeli President Ezer Weizman and Palestinian leader Yaser Arafat.

[08] NAMES OF OTHER VICTIMS ABOARD THE FALCON RELEASED

Besides the 52-year-old Minister and his only son Nicholas, the victims included Nikos Assimakopoulos, a police lieutenant; Dimitris Pantazopoulos, a journalist for the state-run ERT network; Nina Assimakopoulou, a journalist for the state-run radio broadcaster (ERA), and flight engineer Michael Papadopoulos.

Two passengers sustained serious injuries, Grigoris Papadopoulos, the director of the minister's office; Panayiotis Poulos, a cameraman, while flight attendant Anna Velissariou was reported as slightly injured.

The remaining four individuals on board the jet, including the two pilots, were unhurt.

[09] DEATH TOLL FROM THE ATHENS EARTHQUAKE REACHES 136

Meanwhile, state engineers are still inspecting buildings to determine their safety.

Out of 70,000 buildings reviewed, 6,700 are to be demolished, 24,000 were judged as needing repairs, and 37,000 were judged as unaffected.

[10] GREEK FM MOURNS LOSS OF MR. KRANIDIOTIS: "PEACE LOST A FRIEND"

"We are shaken, the whole government, the whole ministry. I cannot believe it. We lost people who gave the battle for peace in the Balkans. Peace lost a friend.

"I lost a friend, the most capable colleague in the ministry. Greece and Cyprus lost an indefatigable worker for the national interests...We offer our condolences to the families of the victims, who were so unjustly lost."

[11] GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN: KRANIDIOTIS' DEATH IS A NATIONAL LOSS

Obviously shaken by the grim news, Mr. Reppas also expressed his condolences over the deaths of the other five passengers on the plane.

Main opposition New Democracy leader Costas Karamanlis was among the first to call Prime Minister Costas Simitis last night and offer his condolences.

Democratic and Social Movement (DHKKI) leader Dimitris Tsovolas stated:

"We would like to express our condolences for the unexpected death of an outstanding government cadre, Alternate FM Yiannos Kranidiotis, his son, the journalists and the other members of the Greek diplomatic mission."

[12] CYPRIOT PRESIDENT: MR. KRANIDIOTIS' DEATH LEAVES BEHIND A VOID

"He has left a void. Mr. Kranidiotis was knowledgeable of our national problem. He was a good friend, an excellent diplomat and his loss constitutes a national detriment. Especially during a period critical for the Cypriot problem.

"May God grant courage to his family."

[13] MEMORIAL SERVICE HELD IN PARLIAMENT FOR MR. KRANIDIOTIS

In his address, the President of the Parliament Apostolos Kaklamanis stated that the tragedy has shaken all of Greece, at a time when it is mourning the victims of last week's earthquake in Athens.

Foreign Minister George Papandreou stated that it is impossible to comprehend his death, as his loss is fresh, unjust and great.

Among those who honored the memory of the beloved politician were representatives from the main opposition party New Democracy, the Communist Party of Greece, the Coalition of Left and Progress and the Democratic and Social Movement.

[14] THE ILL-FATED FALCON HAD PRESENTED PROBLEMS IN THE PAST

The Olympic Airways Falcon 900 jet, manufactured by the French Dassault, was given to the Ministry of National Defense in 1992 by France in compensation for the former's purchase of the Mirage 2000 fighter.

In turn, the National Defense Ministry turned the Falcon over to Olympic Airways which, following minor modifications, used it as a VIP and liaison aircraft.

It is considered to be one of the highest-speed aircraft, and had undergone maintenance one month ago.

The pilot of last night's flight was among Olympic Airway's most experienced captains.

[15] THE BODIES OF THE VICTIMS OF THE AIR TRAGEDY HAVE ARRIVED IN ATHENS

The prime minister, the cabinet, the parliament president, many parliament deputies, political party leaders and relatives of the victims were at the airport. The bodies of the victims will be taken to the church of St. Konstantinos in Glifada where a memorial service will be held. The prime minister expressed deep sorrow for the death of Yiannos Kranidiotis. The funeral of the deputy foreign minister will take place in Athens on Friday at noon.

The prime minister expressed his condolences to the families of the victims while referring to Yiannos Kranidiotis said that he was a friend and a close associate who fought for the country's interests. Mr. Simitis said that Greece's strength today is the outcome of his contribution as well, adding that his loss leaves a void which is hard to cover.

[16] PRIME MINISTER SIMITIS CALLED FOR RESPONSIBILITIES TO BE ATTRIBUTED

Mr. Reppas said that the rumors circulating on the causes of the accident should not be adopted and stated that the conclusions of the Greek-Romanian committee of specialists investigating the accident will soon be out. He responded positively to the question if the Falcon had presented problems in the past, adding that they had been fixed and the technicians had given their seal of approval.

The last time the aircraft had been used by the prime minister was in his trip from Crete to Sarajevo.

[17] URGENT PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION ON THE CAUSES OF THE TRAGEDY

Minister of transportation Tasos Mandelis refused to give details on the tragic accident and ordered the investigation on the causes of the accident to be held with absolute clarity and be completed as soon as possible. When asked to comment on whether the aircraft had technical problems in the past he said that this is being under investigation by the committee of specialists.

Meanwhile, the aircraft is being inspected by Greek and Romanian specialists to shed light on the circumstances of the air tragedy.

[18] ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE TO THE VICTIMS OF THE EARTHQUAKE IN ATHENS

The Stavros Niarchos Institute will offer 500 million drachmas for the construction of projects in the earthquake stricken regions, while the Onasis Institute will offer the sum of 200 million drachmas. It will also offer another 100 million drachmas for the purchase of rescue equipment that will be ordered by the Fire Department.

The Chilean community in Athens is also collecting money for the relief of the earthquake victims.

[19] EARTHQUAKE MEASURING 3.6 ON THE RICHTER SCALE

The tremor was felt in the town of Eleftheroupolis and according to Thessaloniki's Aristotle University Geophysics Laboratory seismologists, it was an isolated incident and there is no cause for alarm, while they also stated that the earthquake is not related with the Athens earthquake.

[20] FOREIGN JUDGES ARE BEING TRAINED IN THESSALONIKI

The seminars are being attended by 10 high court judges from Cyprus, 30 from Romania and 42 lower court judges from Bulgaria. They will also attend another seminar in Luxembourg organized by the European Law Academy in Trier, Germany.

[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

[21] INTER-BALKAN FOREIGN MINISTERS MEETING TO BE POSTPONED

The forum, attended by foreign ministers or their deputies from Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, FYROM, Romania and Turkey, was to have discussed the situation in the Balkans after the Kosovo conflict.

[22] TURKEY'S FM OFFERS CONDOLENCES ON MR. KRANIDIOTIS' DEATH

Mr. Kranidiotis was killed late last night when his Falcon jet suddenly encountered severe air turbulence, shortly before landing successfully at Bucharest's airport.

Five other passengers, including Mr. Kranidiotis' only son Nicolas, have died.

[23] ROMANIAN PRESIDENT OFFERS CONDOLENCES TO STEPHANOPOULOS

Romanian Premier Radu Vasile has called for the postponement of today's Inter-Balkan Foreign Ministers meeting, which was to be attended by Mr. Kranidiotis.

[24] ROMANIAN TRANSPORTATION MINISTER COMMENTS ON AIR TRAGEDY

"They told me one thing. It was at an altitude of 21,000 feet when they lost control of the aircraft which was to land in 15-20 minutes. They gained control of the plane at an altitude of 10,000 feet," the Romanian Minister stated.

Romanian aeronautics authority head Gabriel Dumitrescu told journalists that "at the present time, there isn't a satisfactory explanation for the tragic event", albeit he did not rule out the possibility of the Falcon having undergone mechanical failure.

"When the aircraft was at a distance of 20 minutes before touchdown, the crew reported that on-board equipment was not functioning properly. Shortly thereafter, they reported that there were injured passengers aboard. The landing took place normally a short while later," he stated.

[25] AIR ACCIDENT SURVIVORS GIVE DETAILED ACCOUNT OF THE TRAGEDY

Ms. Maria Begliti, who was to accompany the Minister to the Inter-Balkan Conference at Bucharest, told the BBC radio that as the aircraft was to land at Bucharest in approximately 20 minutes and flying at an altitude of 23,000 feet, which she happened to notice at that time on the cabin's screen, she heard a deafening sound and had the impression that the plane's interior was falling apart.

"Things were flying all over and, when everything calmed down, those who hadn't fastened their seat belt were lost in the cabin's debris," she said, adding that immediately afterwards everything was calm and the flight continued normally.

She said she was saved because she was wearing her seat belt.

Another surviving passenger, journalist Alfonsos Vitalis, also attributed his escape from harm to having had his seat belt fastened.

Describing the moments when the jet was rapidly losing altitude, Mr. Vitalis said:

"The minister was standing, briefing the journalists on the meetings he was to have in Bucharest, when the aircraft started losing altitude. Those who weren't wearing seat belts apparently lost their lives," he said.

Meanwhile, the director of Bucharest hospital's first aid unit, where the injured passengers were taken to, also emphasized the significance of seat belts.

"Their injuries appear to have been caused by the free fall," he said, "as if the aircraft fell from an altitude of seven thousand meters to two thousand.

"Those who didn't have their seat belts fastened hit their head forcefully. This is what it appears to have happened, at least judging from their severe traumas. It is as if they fell without a parachute or they fell out of the seventh or ninth floor of a building."

[26] TRANSPORTATION MINISTER ORDERS INVESTIGATION OF AIR TRAGEDY

"A report will be drawn which will outline in detail all the parameters that led to the tragic outcome," he stated, adding that the report will be forwarded to him and the prosecutor.

Mr. Mantelis and the delegation visited the injured passengers who are presently hospitalized in Bucharest, two of whom are in critical condition.

The delegation will return to Athens this afternoon, aboard a plane transporting the bodies of the tragedy's victims.

[27] THREE-DAY MOURNING IN CYPRUS FOR THE DEATH OF YIANNOS KRANIDIOTIS

Cypriot president Glafkos Clerides expressed the deep sorrow of the Cypriot government for the loss of a distinguished son of Cyprus. Cypriot parliament president Spiros Kiprianou stated that it is a tragedy for Greece and Cyprus, it is a time of mourning and sorrow. Cypriot foreign minister Yiannakis Kasoulides spoke of a big loss for Greece and Cyprus.

[28] POSITIVE PROSPECTS FOR THE SOLUTION OF THE ISSUE OF FYROM'S NAME, ACCORDING TO AN INTERNATIONAL MEDIATOR

In an interview with the FYROM state television, US diplomat Mr. Nimits, who participated as UN mediator in the signing of the interim accord between Greece and FYROM in September 1995, stressed that the good neighborly relations that are being developed between the two countries constitute an example and can help find a mutually acceptable solution in the issue of the name of FYROM.

He said that the name issue must closed in order for the two countries to undertake the solution of other issues which are important for the restoration of stability in the Balkans. He also said that now is the time for the resumption of the consultations which had been interrupted before this summer.

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