Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 99-09-17
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, September 17, 1999
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] URGENT INQUIRY ORDERED ON FALCON'S TECHNICAL PROBLEMS
[02] AFTERSHOCKS RATTLE ATHENS, BUT EXPERTS SAY IT'S NORMAL
[03] FUNERAL OF MR. KRANIDIOTIS TO BE HELD IN ATHENS TODAY
[04] MPA COLLECTS FUNDS ON ITS INTERNET SITE FOR QUAKE
VICTIMS
[05] PM MEETS WITH TRANSPORTATION MINISTER TO DISCUSS FALCON
[06] CONDOLENCES STILL POURING IN OVER DEATH OF KRANIDIOTIS
[07] THE ILL-FATED FALCON HAD PRESENTED PROBLEMS IN THE PAST
[08] TRANSPORTATION MINISTER GIVES FALCON REPORT TO PREMIER
[09] THE LAST GOODBYE TO YIANNOS KRANIDIOTIS
[10] MR. SIMITIS WAS BRIEFED ON THE FALCON FILE
[11] ALL THOSE WHO WIILL SUPPLY WITH SPOILT FOOD THE
EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS WILL BE BROUGHT BEFORE THE PROSECUTOR
[12] MEMORANDUM ON THE TRANSBALKAN PIPELINE
[13] NEW RECORD HIGH IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
[14] THE PRESIDENT OF THE GREEK SHIPOWNERS DIED TODAY
[15] THE ECONOMIC UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS WILL HONOR
DISTINGUISHED PERSONALITIES
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[16] TURKISH PREMIER INSISTS ON INTRANSIGENT STANCE OVER
CYPRUS
[17] THE NEW ARCHBISHOP OF AMERICA TO BE ENTHRONED TOMORROW
[18] SECOND ROUND OF GREEK-TURKISH DIALOGUE CONCLUDES
[19] TURKEY, ITALY RESTORE TIES AFTER MONTHS OF TENSION
[20] FOUR PERSONS KILLED IN SAINT PETERSBURG BLAST YESTERDAY
[21] FOUR TONS OF EXPLOSIVES FOUND IN A MOSCOW DISTRICT
[22] TURKEY: HUNDREDS OF QUAKE SURVIVORS PROTEST LACK OF AID
[23] BELGRADE MUNICIPALITY OFFERS AID TO ATHENS QUAKE
SURVIVORS
[24] ATHENS-SKOPJE TWICE A WEEK WITH OLYMPIC AIRWAYS FLIGHT
[25] AUSTRALIA ARCHBISHOPRY GETS TENTS FOR ATHENS QUAKE
VICTIMS
[26] ALBANIAN PM ANNOUNCES CANDIDACY AS SOCIALIST PARTY
LEADER
[27] PAPANDREOU WILL MEET WITH ALBRIGHT AND CEM IN NEW YORK
[28] THE MAYOR OF ISTANBUL WILL BE IN ATHENS TOMORROW
[29] NEW INVESTMENT BY MITILINEOS IN FYROM
[30] THE BODIES OF 20 SERBS WERE FOUND IN A WELL IN NORTH-
WESTERN KOSOVO
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] URGENT INQUIRY ORDERED ON FALCON'S TECHNICAL PROBLEMS
The Athens chief public prosecutor has ordered an
urgent preliminary inquiry into the circumstances of the
plunge of the Falcon aircraft hat caused the death of
Greece's alternate foreign minster Yiannos Kranidiotis and
five other passengers.
Prosecutor George Koliokostas ordered the questioning
of witnesses and the inclusion of the aircraft's documents
on inspections, maintenance and repairs to be attached to
the case file. He also ordered an expert's report to
ascertain the condition of the plane and whether a
malfunction had occurred during the flight.
The state, meanwhile, insists that Transportation
Minister Tasos Mantelis bears no responsibility over the
tragedy, although the opposition parties has demanded his
resignation.
[02] AFTERSHOCKS RATTLE ATHENS, BUT EXPERTS SAY IT'S NORMAL
An aftershock measuring 4 on the Richter scale rattled
Athenians at 2 a.m. today, with its epicenter located at the
same area as September 7's devastating earthquake. National
seismologists are insisting that the series of aftershocks
following a strong quake is a normal phenomenon.
The chairman of the committee set up to evaluate the
risk of earthquakes said that it could not make any sort of
ruling on a prediction by a controversial Greek early
warning system (VAN) because the team had failed to present
any evidence. He said that VAN had in the past erroneously
predicted earthquakes.
[03] FUNERAL OF MR. KRANIDIOTIS TO BE HELD IN ATHENS TODAY
The funeral of Greece's alternate Foreign Minister
Yiannos Kranidiotis will be held in Athens this afternoon at
the city's First Cemetery, while the service will be held at
1pm at the church of St. Dionisios Areaopagitis in Kolonaki.
He will lie in state until the service.
Mr. Kranidiotis and five more individuals, including
his only son Nicholas, were killed on Tuesday night when
their Falcon jet en route to Bucharest encountered severe
air turbulence and plunged from 23,000 to 5,000 feet (7,300
to 1,500 meters).
The other victims are 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. Their funerals were held
yesterday.
[04] MPA COLLECTS FUNDS ON ITS INTERNET SITE FOR QUAKE
VICTIMS
The Macedonian Press Agency's effort to collect funds
for Athens' earthquake victims is being met with success, as
its home page on its Internet server, created solely for
this purpose has been accessed by contributors throughout
the world.
The MPA, wishing to contribute to the offered
assistance, established the home page, which can be found at
www.mpa.gr, in order to facilitate those who wish to
provide economic aid by using their credit cards.
A bank account has been set up at Egnatia Bank and the
collected sum will be sent to the appropriate state
authorities who in turn will distribute the funds as needed.
Those wishing to provide economic relief to the
earthquake's victims can contact MPA's site on the Internet
and then transfer to the relevant homepage.
[05] PM MEETS WITH TRANSPORTATION MINISTER TO DISCUSS FALCON
Prime Minister Costas Simitis is to meet with
Transportation Minister Tasos Mantelis today, in order to be
briefed on the course of the investigation over the Falcon
in-flight tragedy that cost the lives of six people, among
them the country's alternate Foreign Minister Yiannos
Kranidiotis.
Their meeting was scheduled for yesterday and its
postponement led to speculation over Mr. Mantelis' future in
the Cabinet.
Government spokesperson Dimitris Reppas stated
unequivocally that Mr. Mantelis will remain at his post,
while he also stressed that responsibilities will be handed
out, if there are any, over the causes of the in-flight
tragedy.
[06] CONDOLENCES STILL POURING IN OVER DEATH OF KRANIDIOTIS
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues to receive a
flood of condolences from leaders around the world,
expressing their grief over the untimely death of the
country's alternate foreign misnter Yiannos Kranidiotis.
French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin sent letters of
condolences
to his Greek counterpart Costas Simitis as well as to FM
George Papandreou, expressing his deep regret and saying
Greece had lost one of its most "remarkable diplomats".
France's Minister Delegate for European Affairs, Pierre
Moscovici, also expressed his shock at the death of Mr.
Kranidiotis, his son and four other persons.
A statement issued by the South African Department of
Foreign Affairs extended its "heartfelt sympathy and
condolences" to the Greek government, Kranidiotis' family,
and the families of the other five victims.
Israeli and Palestinian participants of the "Athens
Dialogue", which was hosted by the Greek foreign ministry,
yesterday expressed their condolences . Mr. Kranidiotis
spearheaded the effort to bring together Israeli and
Palestinian politicians, opinion makers and academics closer
together in parallel efforts to the Mideast peace
negotiations.
[07] THE ILL-FATED FALCON HAD PRESENTED PROBLEMS IN THE PAST
A report on the ill-fated Falcon jet, aboard which six
persons were killed Tuesday night -among them Greece's
alternate Foreign Minister Yiannos Kranidiotis - when it
encountered severe air turbulence, was issued by
Transportation Minister Tasos Mantelis shortly before
midnight last night.
According to the report, the Greek government's Falcon
jet had been given the seal of approval from airplane
mechanics prior to the fateful flight to Bucharest, although
it had presented a series of problems as early as 1997.
The plane, frequently consigned to the hangar for
repairs, underwent serious malfunction in August 1998, when
it was forced to land in Kazakhstan on a return trip from
China. Problems usually surfaced in the auto-pilot and the
landing gear systems.
The Olympic Airways Falcon 900 jet, manufactured by the
French Dassault, was given to the Ministry of National
Defense in 1992 by France as an offset 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.
[08] TRANSPORTATION MINISTER GIVES FALCON REPORT TO PREMIER
Transportation Minster Tasos Mantelis dismissed
speculation over his resignation, following his meeting
today with Prime Minster Costas Simitis to whom he turned
over the report containing all data relevant to the ill-
fated Falcon 900 jet.
According to the report, the VIP aircraft, where
Greece's alternate Foreign Minister Yiannos Kranidiotis and
five other persons were killed in flight, did not have
safety problems.
Mr. Mantelis reiterated that the Premier has ordered a
thorough inquiry into the causes of the tragedy, until the
very last detail.
[09] THE LAST GOODBYE TO YIANNOS KRANIDIOTIS
The epilogue of the Falcon air tragedy was written at
Athens' A' cemetery this afternoon where Yiannos Kranidiotis
and his son Nicholas were buried.
A memorial service was held at the church of St.
Dionisios Areopagitis today at noon attended by president of
the republic Kostis Stephanopoulos, prime minister Kostas
Simitis, parliament president Apostolos Kaklamanis,
political party leaders, relatives and friends.
The prime minister in his funeral oration praised the
personality of Yiannos Kranidiotis stressing that he was the
architect of Cyprus' EU accession course, while he said that
we mourn for the death of Yiannos, which is a loss for
Greece and Cyprus. Prime minister Simitis also said that
Yiannos Kranidiotis had dedicated his life to Greece and
Cyprus and that he was a man of morals to whom we owe a lot,
adding that the government and our country will always
remember his smile.
On behalf of the Greek parliament, its president
Apostolos Kaklamanis referred to the contribution of Yiannos
Kranidiotis to the national issues of Greece and Cyprus and
stressed that the Greek parliament honors him as a
politician, as a man and as a fighter.
Right-wing main opposition party of New Democracy
leader Kostas Karamanlis stated that this is a day of
mourning and stressed the contribution of Yiannos
Kranidiotis saying that he was a politician and technocrat
who served the Greek national interests with hard work.
Funeral orations were also read by Spiros Halvatzis on
behalf of the Greek Communist Party, by the Coalition of the
Left leader Nikos Konstantopoulos, by Democratic Social
Movement parliament deputy Yiannis Dimaras.
Cypriot parliament president Spiros Kiprianou stated
that injustice is the only word that fits to describe the
tragedy and stressed that the inquiry underway will show if
the air tragedy is the result of human error or a crime
committed by nature.
Cypriot foreign minister Yiannakis Kasoulides stated
that Cyprus was always in the mind of Yiannos Kranidiotis
but this fact never clouded his thought.
Cypriot socialist EDEK party leader Vasos Lissaridis
stated that the nation mourns and that he still can not
realize that he came to Athens to say the last goodbye to
Yiannos Kranidiotis
Greek foreign minister Giorgos Papandreou spoke about
his close friend and associate and stated that for about 20
years he was the tireless soul of hellenism's foreign
policy, while he underlined his contribution to the efforts
for the settlement of the Cyprus problem, the Greek-Turkish
relations and the European issues.
[10] MR. SIMITIS WAS BRIEFED ON THE FALCON FILE
Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas, responding
to the question on whether there is an issue of resignation
for the minister of transportation, stated that now more
than ever Mr. Mantelis is in the position to meet to the
fullest the prime minister's mandate for an in depth inquiry
over the circumstances and the causes of the air tragedy.
Prime minister Kostas Simitis was briefed in detail on
the Falcon file in the meeting he had with Mr. Mantelis and
the cabinet secretary Socratis Kosmidis. The "black box" of
the ill-fated Falcon will be taken to Germany today and Mr.
Reppas stated that the timetable for the completion of the
inquiry can not be determined yet.
[11] ALL THOSE WHO WIILL SUPPLY WITH SPOILT FOOD THE
EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS WILL BE BROUGHT BEFORE THE PROSECUTOR
All those who will supply the tent cities of the
earthquake homeless with spoilt food will be brought before
the prosecutor. The order for strict inspections was given
by minister of interior Vaso Papandreou during her visit to
the earthquake victims camp in Peristeri.
The statement was made after the food poisoning cases
reported among the homeless living in camps believed to have
been caused by spoilt food offered by a number of catering
companies. Ms. Papandreou stated that we will not play with
the public's health and underlined that all those
responsible will be punished.
[12] MEMORANDUM ON THE TRANSBALKAN PIPELINE
The Trans-Balkan Pipeline joint venture that will
undertake the construction and management of the Burgas-
Alexandroupolis oil pipeline materializes gradually. One
more step toward the drawing-up of its founding charter was
made in Moscow yesterday with the signing of a new
memorandum by Greece, Russia and Bulgaria.
According to Greek minister of development Evangelos
Venizelos, during the tripartite meeting, the Russian side
presented for the first time the companies that will
participate from its part in the Trans-Balkan Pipeline joint
venture. A similar move is expected by Bulgaria as soon as
privatizations in the energy sector are being completed in
the country.
Greece was represented in the meeting by energy general
secretary Antonis Papathanasopoulos, while the atmosphere in
the talks was described as positive. The construction cost
of the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline is estimated at
500 million dollars and it will be 280-300 kilometers long.
[13] NEW RECORD HIGH IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
The intense fluctuations were the main characteristic
of today's session in the Athens Stock Exchange. With the
opening of transactions the general index reached 6.500 but
the pressures exerted especially on the sector of
constructions limited the profits and closed at 6355.04,
which is a new record high improved by 0.53%, while the
volume of transactions reached 545 billion drachmas.
In the banking sector the National Bank of Greece share
closed at 27.490 GDR, the Commercial Bank share at 30.500
GDR and the Credit Bank share at 27.860 GDR.
In the industrial sector, the state Telecommunications
Company, OTE, share closed at 7.500 GDR, Intracom's ordinary
share at 29.500GDR, AGET IRAKLIS at 14.000 GDR, the ordinary
share of the cement company TITAN at 41.000 GDR, the ΔΟΛ
share at 28.750 GDR, Inform Λύκος at 14.750 GDR. ΕΛ.ΠΕ AT
6.004 GDR, Τηλέτυπος at 10.000 GDR, "Τεγόπουλος" at 15.960
GDR, KAE at 13.830 GDR, METKA at 10.650 GDR and
"Μυτιληναίος" at 11.950 GDR.
[14] THE PRESIDENT OF THE GREEK SHIPOWNERS DIED TODAY
Yiannis Hatzipateras, president of the Greek Ship-
owners, died in London at dawn today at the age of 73.
His funeral will be held in London.
[15] THE ECONOMIC UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS WILL HONOR
DISTINGUISHED PERSONALITIES
Four distinguished foreign personalities British actor
and author Peter Ustinof, founder of the Doctors Without
Borders organization Bernard Kuschner from France, French
film director Jules Dassin and Italian film director
Bernardo Bertolucci will be honored today by the Economic
University of Athens for their contribution to the literary
and scientific world.
The prizes will be awarded by Greek president Kostis
Stephanopoulos.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[16] TURKISH PREMIER INSISTS ON INTRANSIGENT STANCE OVER
CYPRUS
Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit has reiterated his
intransigent stance over the Cyprus issue, by stating that
Ankara will make no concession on this matter, claiming
that it is a national matter that concerns Turkey.
Greece's Foreign Minister George Papandreou is
departing for the United States today where he will attend
the United Nations General Assembly.
During his stay in the U.S., Mr. Papandreou will meet
with his counterparts from Turkey and Russia, as well as
with Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.
The FM met with Prime Minister Costas Simitis yesterday
with whom he reviewed the development of relations between
Greece, the European Union and Turkey.
[17] THE NEW ARCHBISHOP OF AMERICA TO BE ENTHRONED TOMORROW
The enthronement ceremony of the new Archbishop of
America Demetrios will be held tomorrow, September 18 at the
Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New York, and will be
officiated by the former Archbishop of North and South
America Iakovos.
The ceremony will be broadcast live on cable and on the
Internet, as well as through Antenna Satellite Radio and
Television.
A taped version will be shown on the national Greek
television ERT (Sept.18 at 3pm), Channel 25 (Sept.19 at
9:30am), Odyssey Channel (Sept. 19 at 1pm Eastern Time) and
Hellenic Heartbeat (Sept. 19 at 3pm Central Time).
Archbishop Demetrios,71, was born at Thessaloniki in
1928. An honors graduate of the University of Athens School
of Theology (1946-1950), he also received his Doctorate of
Theology from the University of Athens in 1977.
He traveled to the United States in 1965 and enrolled
at Harvard University where he was awarded a Ph.D (with
distinction) in 1972.
In June of 1993 he left the United States where he had
spent over 20 years, and returned to Greece to pursue full-
time scholarly research and writing and assumed
responsibilities at the Archdiocese of Athens.
For eleven years he served as Distinguished Professor
of Biblical Studies and Christian Origins at Holy Cross
Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, MA. He also
taught at Harvard Divinity School as Visiting Professor of
New Testament. He has published extensively, including three
major books:
Authority and Passion (1987), The Transcendent God of
Eugnostos (1991), and Christ, the Pre-existing God (1992).
The newly elected Archbishop was ordained a deacon in
1960 and priest in 1964. He was elected titular Bishop of
Vresthenis in 1967 as auxiliary bishop to the Archbishop of
Athens with primary responsibility for the programs and
theological education of the clergy.
In 1968, he was elected Metropolitan of Attika and
Megaridos, not accepting the election because a military
junta was ruling Greece at that time.
Archbishop Demetrios speaks Coptic, English, French,
Greek, German, Hebrew and Latin. His brother, Antonis
Trakatellis, a biochemistry professor and former Rector of
the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, is currently
serving a second term as a Greek member of the European
Parliament.
[18] SECOND ROUND OF GREEK-TURKISH DIALOGUE CONCLUDES
Greek and Turkish diplomatic delegations concluded the
second round of talks in Ankara yesterday, on a senior
foreign ministry officials' level, with the discussion
focusing on cultural and multilateral cooperation.
According to a joint announcement issued after the
talks, meetings between the high-level missions from the
foreign ministries of both countries will resume in October.
During yesterday's talks, the two delegations exchanged
views on issues concerning smuggling, the combating of
organized crime and terrorism.
The Greek delegation was headed by ambassadors
Constantinos Gerokostopoulos and Anastasios Skopelitis,
while the Turkish side was headed by ambassador Faruk
Logoglu.
[19] TURKEY, ITALY RESTORE TIES AFTER MONTHS OF TENSION
Turkey announced yesterday that it had made up with
NATO ally Italy after months of tension and a war of words
over Rome's stance on Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan.
"In our recent past, we had some problems, but we have
overcome them,"
Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem told a press conference
after meeting with his Italian counterpart Lamberto Dini.
"We will now pursue our relations on to new horizons,"
he added.
In turn, Mr. Dini stated that "it is our common
intention to open up our relations, especially in the
political field," Dini agreed.
According to the French news agency AFP, the two
countries decided to set up political, economic and cultural
working committees to improve strained ties.
[20] FOUR PERSONS KILLED IN SAINT PETERSBURG BLAST YESTERDAY
Four people were killed and at least three others were
injured in a blast that occurred in an eight-storey
apartment building in Saint Petersburg yesterday, according
to the Russian news agency Itar-Tass.
Police were quoted as saying that the blast was caused
by a bomb, with the strength of 4-5 kilograms (10 to 12
pounds) of TNT which exploded just before midnight on the
sixth-floor of the building.
The explosion was reported as being much smaller than
other recent bomb blasts in Russia, when the equivalent of
up to 300 kilos of TNT has been used.
[21] FOUR TONS OF EXPLOSIVES FOUND IN A MOSCOW DISTRICT
Four tons of explosives packaged in 76 bales for sugar
were discovered today in Moscow's Kapotnya district,
according to the Russian news agency Itar-Tass.
The chief of the Moscow interior agency's press
service said that the explosives made of a mixture of
ammonium nitrate, hexogen and TNT were discovered in a
section of a garage.
The explosives supposedly came from the Northern
Caucasus.
[22] TURKEY: HUNDREDS OF QUAKE SURVIVORS PROTEST LACK OF AID
Several hundred angry earthquake survivors in the
Turkish province of Sakarya marched on the provincial
governor's headquarters yesterday, demanding his
resignation.
According to the local NTV news channel, the marchers
were irate over the fact that they had still not been issued
with tents, a month after the killer earthquake destroyed
their houses on August 17.
The protesters attempted to stage a sit-in outside the
governor's offices, but security forces moved in to disperse
them. Scuffles broke out, and at least one man was
detained by police.
It was the second such protest in the earthquake-
stricken region, after residents of a tent city in Izmit
took to the streets on Tuesday to demonstrate for better
living conditions.
[23] BELGRADE MUNICIPALITY OFFERS AID TO ATHENS QUAKE
SURVIVORS
The Mayor of Belgrade Voislav Michailovic arrived in
Athens this morning, accompanying a city council delegation,
in order to offer humanitarian aid for the survivors of the
earthquake that devastated the Greek capital on September 7.
During his meeting with the Mayor of Athens Dimitris
Avramopoulos, Mr. Michailovic stressed that, during these
difficult times, the residents of Belgrade feel the need to
express their solidarity to the Greek people and, in spite
of their limited resources, reciprocate a part of what the
Greeks offered to Serbia and Belgrade.
In turn, Mr. Avramopoulos thanked his counterpart from
Belgrade for their heartfelt and expedient reaction and
stressed that the Athenians know how to appreciate gestures
of solidarity.
[24] ATHENS-SKOPJE TWICE A WEEK WITH OLYMPIC AIRWAYS FLIGHT
Olympic Airways will embark on regular flights from
Athens to Skopje twice a week, as of September 21.
The flights will become more frequent as of October 31,
three times a week, while O.A. officials will provide Greek
visas to its passengers, as the state-run Skopje radio
reported.
[25] AUSTRALIA ARCHBISHOPRY GETS TENTS FOR ATHENS QUAKE
VICTIMS
The youth committee of Australia's Archbishopry has
issued an appeal for te collection of tents to be sent to
Athens's earthquake survivors.
The response so far has been satisfactory, with 120
canvass tents having been forwarded in one day and which are
now en route to Athens on an Olympic Airways flight,
provided by the national air carrier free of charge.
[26] ALBANIAN PM ANNOUNCES CANDIDACY AS SOCIALIST PARTY
LEADER
Albania's Premier and Socialist Party general secretary
Pandeli Majko has announced his candidacy for the party's
presidency, appearing confident that he will win the top
post.
Commenting on the candidacy of Fatos Nano, Mr. Majko
stated that "the delegates will be called to decide among
two choices. My choices and priorities are the country's
security and stability."
While he stressed his government's determination to
quash crime and corruption, Mr. Majko conceded that crime
and politics are often intertwined.
"It's no secret," he said, "crime is neither of blue
color (Democratic Party) nor pink (Socialist Party), it has
one color", and reiterated that combating crime constitutes
his government's priority, since "only a country that
provides security can attract investors."
Rebuffing accusations hurled by a number of Socialist
party members that he is attempting a rapprochement with
Democratic party leader Sali Berisha, Mr. Majko said that a
new line of thinking needs to be established at the base of
a democratic society and its principles.
"We need to have common points of view in regards to
the relations between the government and the opposition," he
stated.
"We are not the ones to decide who will lead the
Democratic Party. Our relations are not with individuals,
they are with parties," he stated.
[27] PAPANDREOU WILL MEET WITH ALBRIGHT AND CEM IN NEW YORK
Greek foreign minister Giorgos Papandreou, who will
depart for the United States this afternoon, will have
meetings with his counterparts from the United States and
Turkey Madeleine Albright and Ismail Cem on the sidelines of
the UN general assembly meeting that will be held in New
York next week.
Mr. Papandreou will also attend the enthronement of new
Archbishop of America Dimitrios tomorrow.
[28] THE MAYOR OF ISTANBUL WILL BE IN ATHENS TOMORROW
The mayor of Istanbul will be in Athens tomorrow to
convey in person his condolences to the mayor of the Greek
capital for the victims of the devastating earthquake which
killed 141 people, according to a statement issued by the
mayor's office in Istanbul.
Athens' mayor Dimitris Avramopoulos had visited
Istanbul on August 25 to assist in the efforts for the
relief of the victims of the August 17 earthquake in Turkey.
Mr. Avramopoulos together with five parliament deputies
visited Istanbul and delivered humanitarian aid collected by
the five largest municipalities in Greece within the
framework of a solidarity campaign.
[29] NEW INVESTMENT BY MITILINEOS IN FYROM
Greek businessmen Evangelos Mitilineos announced in a
press conference in Skopje yesterday his intention to buy
51% of the shares of the "Zletovo Foundry" industrial unit
in the town of Veles.
Mr. Mitilineos pointed out that he also intends to make
investments in the region known for the environmental
problems it faces and stressed that his investments will
help limit pollution considerably both in the town itself
and Axios River.
He also expressed his interest for investments in
FYROM's energy sector stating that in cooperation with
"Siemens" and the cement industry "Titan" is willing to
build an electricity production power plant that will
operate using natural gas.
[30] THE BODIES OF 20 SERBS WERE FOUND IN A WELL IN NORTH-
WESTERN KOSOVO
The bodies of 20 Serbs were found in a well in the
region of the town of Istok in north-western Kosovo.
According to the Peace and Tolerance Center of the
Kosovo Serbs, 5 of the 20 dead were Istok prison inmates and
were killed by ethnic Albanians after being tortured.
According to information, among the dead is father
superior Stefan Puric, whose disappearance had been reported
on July 19.
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