Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 99-11-09
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, November 9, 1999
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] ATHENS CHAGRINED OVER UNITED STATES PUBLIC
ANNOUNCEMENT
[02] PRESIDENT OF GREECE TRAVELS TO SLOVENIA
TOMORROW
[03] GREECE'S AIR CARRIER RANKS THIRD WORLD-WIDE
IN SAFETY
[04] IMF CONFIDENT, GREECE WILL ENTER ECONOMIC
MONTERARY UNION
[05] ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE TO CHANGE ITS
OPERATIONS
[06] DEFENSE MINISTER: CLINTON'S VISIT IS A
VITAL POLITICAL MOMENT
[07] THESSALONIKI-SKOPJE OIL PIPELINE
CONSTRUCTION BEGINS TODAY
[08] PUBLIC FORUM TO BE HELD THIS WEEK ON GREEK
IMMIGRANTS
[09] PANMACEDONIAN C/TEE'S NATIONAL AFFAIRS
LEADER SPEAKS TO MPA
[10] REPPAS ON THE CLINTON VISIT AND THE US
CONCERNS
[11] REPPAS: THE US STATE DEPARTMENT ISSUED A
PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT AND NOT A TRAVEL WARNING
[12] KAKLAMANIS: TURKEY CULTIVATES TENSION IN
THE GREEK-TURKISH RELATIONS
[13] THE SCHEDULED MEETING OF THE COALITION OF
THE LEFT LEADER WITH THE US AMBASSADOR HAS BEEN
CANCELED
[14] BAD WEATHER CONTINUES IN GREECE
[15] REPPAS ON THE FALSE DOCUMENTS ALLEGEDLY IN
THE POSSESSION OF RUSSIAN OFFICIALS
[16] GREECE'S APPLICATION TO THE EMU WILL BE
SUBMITTED IN MARCH
[17] KARAMANLIS IS ON A VISIT TO CHANIA, CRETE
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[18] US ISSUE PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT FOR TRAVEL TO
GREECE
[19] CLINTON OUTLINES HIS THREE PRIORITIES IN
EUROPE
[20] US PRESIDENT: GREECE IS A MODEL OF
DEMOCRACY
[21] PM TO MEET WITH FRENCH COUNTERPART IN PARIS
TODAY
[22] PM URGES: DIFFERENTIATE SOCIALISM FROM NEO-
LIBERALISM
[23] BALKAN ENVIRONMENTALISTS TO DISCUSS
INDUSTRIAL POLLUTION
[24] SIMITIS-CHIRAC MEETING IN PARIS
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NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] ATHENS CHAGRINED OVER UNITED STATES PUBLIC
ANNOUNCEMENT
A public announcement issued by the US
State Department, which advises US residents and
travelers to exercise appropriate caution and
avoid areas of planned demonstrations in Greece,
has provoked the chagrin of the Greek
government, as it adds salt to the wounds opened
by the recent "Washington Post" article on
terrorist activities in the country.
In all, the State Department is exerting
pressures on Greece to avert the protest marches
towards the US Embassy during US President Bill
Clinton's visit to Athens, while the Greek
government is determined to let them proceed as
planned, provided that they are held in a
peaceful manner.
Government spokesperson Dimitris Reppas
has stressed that no one can limit the Greek
citizens' fundamental right to assembly
peacefully and their freedom of expression.
[02] PRESIDENT OF GREECE TRAVELS TO SLOVENIA
TOMORROW
The President of the Hellenic Republic
Costis Stephanopoulos will embark on a three-
day, official visit to Slovenia tomorrow, at
the invitation of Slovenian President Milan
Kucan.
Mr. Stephanopoulos will be accompanied by
Deputy Foreign Minister Grigoris Niotis.
President Stephanopoulos was in Munich
yesterday where he officially inaugurated the
exhibition 'Modern Greece - Greeks and
Bavarians in the era of Ludwig I' at the
National Bavarian Museum.
[03] GREECE'S AIR CARRIER RANKS THIRD WORLD-WIDE
IN SAFETY
Greece's air carrier Olympic Airways is
rated third among the safest airlines world-wide
according to the results of an international
conference on flight safety held in Athens
recently, which also found that flight control
and services at Greek airports are impeccable.
The high ratings for state-owned O.A. and
the Greek airports were also confirmed after an
inspection recently conducted by US Federal
Aviation Authority officials.
[04] IMF CONFIDENT, GREECE WILL ENTER ECONOMIC
MONTERARY UNION
In a recently published report, the
International Monetary Fund is confident that
Greece will accede to the Economic and Monetary
Union, by pointing out that the country is
presently undergoing a favorable economic cycle
and its achievements are noteworthy.
Moreover, the IMF report states that Greece
has combined high rates of development with
improved fiscal sizes and a significant drop in
inflation. Nevertheless, it adds, the main
challenge ahead concerns the securing of
contained inflationary pressures and the
creation of new jobs.
[05] ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE TO CHANGE ITS
OPERATIONS
Two significant measures regarding the
operation of the Athens Stock Exchange are to be
introduced by the Minister of National Economy
and Finance Yiannos Papantoniou today.
The first concerns the extension of trading
by two hours, while the second concerns the
expansion of the fluctuation rate from -+ eight
percent to -+ 12 percent.
These measures are expected to be enforced
at the start of next year.
[06] DEFENSE MINISTER: CLINTON'S VISIT IS A
VITAL POLITICAL MOMENT
Defense Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos has
stated that US president Bill Clinton's visit
to Athens represents an important political
moment for Greece.
Mr. Tsochatzopoulos stated that what is
important to emerge from the visit is that
which strategically promotes Greece's interest.
Moreover, the Defense Minister noted that
Greece's strategic interests called for a
"substantive, mature and wholesome dialogue"
with Washington.
[07] THESSALONIKI-SKOPJE OIL PIPELINE
CONSTRUCTION BEGINS TODAY
Construction of the Thessaloniki-Skopje oil
pipeline got underway today, a project which
will connect Skopje's OKTA oil refinery with
Greece's Hellenic Petroleum (ELPE).
ELPE, which is OKTA's strategic partner in
FYROM's largest ever investment, is constructing
the 90-million-dollar pipeline, which will have
an annual capacity of 2.5 million tons and a
length of 230 kilometers.
[08] PUBLIC FORUM TO BE HELD THIS WEEK ON GREEK
IMMIGRANTS
A public forum titled "Greek immigrants of
various generations as a component of the
hosting societies" will be held in Athens this
Saturday, November 13, organized by Greek Radio
and featuring the participation of various
government officials.
The participants will tackle a series of
issues related to the social aspect of
immigration, such as assimilation, motherland
ties, discrimination and acceptance.
Among those present will be the
Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs ( who is also
responsible for matters concerning Greeks living
abroad) Grigoris Niotis, the Secretary-General
of Greeks Abroad Dimitris Dolis, as well as the
members of the relevant parliamentary committee.
[09] PANMACEDONIAN C/TEE'S NATIONAL AFFAIRS
LEADER SPEAKS TO MPA
United States President Bill Clinton's
forthcoming visit to Greece is to primarily
promote trade issues in the Balkans and,
secondarily, to address the overall political
situation in the region, according to the
President of the National Affairs of the US-
Canada Pan-Macedonian Union Antonis Ikonomou.
Speaking to the Macedonian Press Agency,
Mr. Ikonomou opined that the United States are
interested in Kosovo's independence and the
overthrow of the Milosevic regime.
" I assume that the basis of these intents
is Mr. Milosevic's refusal to cede certain trade
and other benefits to the Us and the EU," Mr.
Ikonomou said.
Commenting on the protest rallies held in
light of Mr. Clinton's visit, Mr., Ikonomou
stated that any act worsening Greece's image
abroad "will hinder our efforts to promote
Greece's just causes. Everyone should know that
the United States, as the present superpower,
promotes its own interests first."
[10] REPPAS ON THE CLINTON VISIT AND THE US
CONCERNS
The schedule of US president Bill Clinton's
visit to Athens has not been drawn up yet,
stated Greek government spokesman Dimitris
Reppas and responding to the question if there
is a likelihood for the visit to be canceled or
altered he stressed that the Greek government
cooperates with the US government for the visit
to take place smoothly as agreed.
Responding to the question on whether US
ambassador to Athens Nicholas Burns has
requested that the protest marches to the US
embassy be banned, Mr. Reppas said that Mr.
Burns would like the US president's visit to
pass off well, adding that there is concern over
the protests that could create problems and hurt
the US-Greek relations.
[11] REPPAS: THE US STATE DEPARTMENT ISSUED A
PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT AND NOT A TRAVEL WARNING
Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas
commented on the warning issued by the US state
department directed to the US nationals in
Greece or to those Americans who are visiting
Greece this period of time.
Mr. Reppas stated that the US government
has issued a public announcement and not a
travel warning which refers to the protests
commemorating the anniversary of the student
uprising in the Athens School of Polytechnic. He
said that it was issued as an obligation to the
US citizens for their safe movement, adding that
it would have been an omission if this
announcement was not made.
[12] KAKLAMANIS: TURKEY CULTIVATES TENSION IN
THE GREEK-TURKISH RELATIONS
Greek parliament president Apostolos
Kaklamanis met today with the delegations of the
Dutch parliament Lasting Justice Committee and
the European Affairs Committee.
Mr. Kaklamanis pointed out that Greece
wants the consolidation of security, peace and
stability and referring to the Greek-Turkish
relations, he accused Turkey of cultivating the
tension by presenting unfounded claims on
Greece's territorial integrity. He also observed
that a climate of solidarity has been created
between the Greek and the Turkish people and
this proves that there is no hatred between
them.
[13] THE SCHEDULED MEETING OF THE COALITION OF
THE LEFT LEADER WITH THE US AMBASSADOR HAS BEEN
CANCELED
The meeting of Coalition of the Left
president Nikos Konstantopoulos with US
ambassador to Athens Nicholas Burns which was
scheduled for today has been canceled.
The meeting had been requested by the US
ambassador who sought to have contacts with all
the political party leaders in Greece to discuss
with them the climate that has been created in
the country in view of US president Bill
Clinton's visit.
Coalition of the Left is in favor of the
protest march to the US embassy building
organized by the youth organizations of the
Greek political parties to take place on
Saturday.
[14] BAD WEATHER CONTINUES IN GREECE
Bad weather sweeps a big part of Greece,
characterized by strong winds and heavy rains
that have caused extensive floods.
An 80yearold woman was found dead after she
was swept along by the current on the community
of Chrisafa in Lakonia in the Peloponese of
southern Greece. In Piraeus, a sailor was killed
by a ferry-boat cable that broke because of the
strong winds. Yesterday, an 85yearold woman was
found drowned in her flooded home, while a
45yearold economic refugee from Poland suffered
a heart attack and died on a bridge when he saw
the waters rising dangerously.
Extensive floods are being reported in most
of the Peloponese in southern Greece, while the
situation is equally bad in regions near Athens,
as well as in the city of Volos and in the
region of the prefecture of Pieria in northern
Greece.
[15] REPPAS ON THE FALSE DOCUMENTS ALLEGEDLY IN
THE POSSESSION OF RUSSIAN OFFICIALS
They are false and no Greek agency has
issued such documents, stated Greek government
spokesman Dimitris Reppas, responding to a
question made by reporters on a relevant article
published today by the Athens newspaper "Ethnos"
according to which, Russian politicians appear
to have in their possession Greek travel
documents.
Minister of interior Vaso Papandreou gave
an order for an immediate inquiry to be
completed as soon as possible.
[16] GREECE'S APPLICATION TO THE EMU WILL BE
SUBMITTED IN MARCH
Minister of national economy and finance
Yiannos Papantoniou announced the new rules of
operation for the Athens Stock Exchange.
Mr. Papantoniou announced the widening of
the shares fluctuation limit from +-8% to +-12%
and the expansion of trading time by 2 hours.
Those measures will be in effect in January
2000. The minister also referred to the briefing
he made during the ECOFIN conference. Mr.
Papantoniou stated that Greece's application for
EMU membership will be submitted on March 5-12,
2000, while the evaluation reports by the
European Commission and the European Central
Bank will be made in May.
If everything goes well, the decision on
Greece's participation in the EMU will be made
in the Lisbon Summit on June 19.
[17] KARAMANLIS IS ON A VISIT TO CHANIA, CRETE
Right-wing main opposition party of New
Democracy leader Kostas Karamanlis speaking in
the Chania Chamber expressed the determination
of his party to continue its fight for clarity
in public life. Mr. Karamanlis also referred to
the pensioners and called for the benefit of
social solidarity to be extended to the farmers
who are on pension.
Earlier in the morning, the leader of the
main opposition party had meetings with local
administration and production sector
representatives.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[18] US ISSUE PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT FOR TRAVEL TO
GREECE
American residents and travelers should
exercise appropriate caution and avoid areas of
planned demonstrations in Greece, according to a
public announcement issued by the US State
Department yesterday and which will be enforced
until December 1, 1999.
"Mid-November is typically a time of
demonstrations in Greece, commemorating the 1973
student uprising against the military
dictatorship," the announcement reads, adding
that "demonstrations are planned against
President Clinton's upcoming visit to Greece. We
have no information regarding specific threats
to American citizens in Greece. However, there
have been several late-night terrorist bombings
and other attacks that have resulted in property
damage to American-affiliated businesses, and to
interests perceived to be American, in recent
weeks."
According to the State Department, Public
Announcements are a means to disseminate
information about terrorist threats and other
relatively short-term and/or trans-national
conditions posing significant risks to the
security of American travelers.
They are made any time there is a
perceived threat and usually have Americans as a
particular target group. In the past, Public
Announcements have been issued to deal with
short-term coups, bomb threats to airlines,
violence by terrorists and anniversary dates of
specific terrorist events.
A Public Announcement differs from a Travel
Warning, which is more severe and is issued when
the State Department decides, based on all
relevant information, to recommend that
Americans avoid travel to a certain country.
In a press briefing session yesterday,
State Department spokesperson James Rubin
condemned the recent, albeit minor, attacks in
Athens.
"Let me start by saying we deplore and
condemn these acts of violence," he stated,
adding "we are obviously working very, very
closely with the Greek authorities, as we do in
all visits of this kind by the President. I
can't get into the details of any decisions with
respect to security that the President and the
Greek Government may make, but I can say that we
are continuing to work with the Greek
Government. Obviously security is a major issue
and if we have any adjustments or changes that
are in the expected Presidential schedule, I
expect the White House will make those known
when appropriate."
[19] CLINTON OUTLINES HIS THREE PRIORITIES IN
EUROPE
Achieving true reconciliation between
Greece and Turkey, transforming Russia and
bringing stability to the Balkans are the three
pressing priorities held by the United States in
Europe, according to US President Bill Clinton.
In an address given at Georgetown
University yesterday, Mr. Clinton stated that a
true reconciliation between Greece and Turkey
is one of the greatest challenges facing the
world's leading democracies.
"This is a problem that can be solved," he
said, adding that the US and its allies have
three pressing priorities, i.e. helping Russia
maintain its democracy, and preventing the
rise of dictators in the Balkans to reduce the
threat of future wars.
"A third challenge is perhaps the oldest of
them all, and in some ways, perhaps the hardest
... to achieve a true reconciliation between
Greece and Turkey," he stated.
"This is a problem that can be solved.
Eventually, it will be solved. I intend to see
that the United States does everything we
possibly can to be of help."
Referring to his imminent 11-day European
trip that includes visits to Greece and
Turkey, Mr. Clinton stated that he would urge
both Athens and Ankara to make progress in
overcoming their differences, particularly
over Cyprus, so that they can serve as unifying
forces in Europe.
" I'm going to speak about the vital role
Greece is playing and can play in Europe," he
stated, adding, "the one thing standing
between Greece and its true potential is the
tension in its relationship with Turkey."
Mr. Clinton noted that both Greece and
Turkey have demonstrated, through peacekeeping
in the Balkans and recovery from devastating
earthquakes earlier this year, that they can
work with each other.
He said Greece, as the world's oldest
democracy, can help stabilize emerging Balkan
nations, while Turkey, "a country at the cross-
roads of Europe, the Middle East and Central
Asia," could be a valuable bridge between
Europe and Islamic countries.
In regards to Russia, Mr. Clinton called
for building "the right kind of partnership"
with Moscow.
"Russia's transformation has just begun. It
is incomplete, it is awkward. Sometimes it is
not pretty," he said, adding "years from now, I
don't think we will be criticized, any of us,
for doing too much to help. But we can
certainly be criticized if we do too little."
Clinton also appealed for bringing
stability to the Balkans so that "bitter
ethnic problems can no longer be exploited by
dictators and Americans do not have to cross the
Atlantic again to fight in another war."
Referring to Serb President Slobodan
Milosevic, Mr. Clinton stated that he is "the
last living relic of the age of European
dictators of the communist era."
[20] US PRESIDENT: GREECE IS A MODEL OF
DEMOCRACY
Greece is a model of democracy, stated the
United States President Bill Clinton during his
address at Georgetown University yesterday who
also added that his forthcoming visit to Athens
will highlight the viable role that can be
carried out by Athens in the Balkan region.
Mr. Clinton added that the tension between
Greek-Turkish relations remains to be resolved,
an issue that constitutes one of the US's three
priorities in Europe.
[21] PM TO MEET WITH FRENCH COUNTERPART IN PARIS
TODAY
Prime Minister Costas Simitis, presently in
Paris for the 21St session of the Socialist
International, is to meet with his French
counterpart Jacques Chirac today with whom he
will discuss matters pertaining to the European
Union's enlargement.
Yesterday, Mr. Simitis met with his
counterparts from France and Italy, Messrs.
Lionel Jospin and Massimo D'Alema respectively,
while today he may also meet with German
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.
[22] PM URGES: DIFFERENTIATE SOCIALISM FROM NEO-
LIBERALISM
Addressing the XXI Socialist International
Conference in Paris, Prime Minister Costas
Simitis stressed the need to establish clear
boundaries between Socialism and Neo-liberalism,
while he also expressed his reservations over
the ability of international organizations to
intervene in a region for humanitarian reasons.
Mr. Simitis supported that an amendment
should be incorporated in the relevant provision
according to which any intervention should be in
compliance
with international law and United Nations
resolutions.
After similar reservations were voiced by
the Swedish Socialist Party, a reference was
added to the Socialist Manifesto according to
which "interventions undertaken for humanitarian
reason" should be within the context of
international law.
[23] BALKAN ENVIRONMENTALISTS TO DISCUSS
INDUSTRIAL POLLUTION
The Balkan Environmental Association
(BENA), whose headquarters are in Thessaloniki,
is to discuss industrial pollution during its
second conference to be held on November 19-21
at the Sciences Academy of Bulgaria, in Sofia.
The over 300 Balkan delegates are to
examine the domestic and regional effects of
industrial pollution and relevant legislation,
while various proposals on environmental
protection are to also be tabled.
[24] SIMITIS-CHIRAC MEETING IN PARIS
Greek prime minister Kostas Simitis will
meet in Paris this afternoon with French
president Jacques Chirac within the framework of
the 21st conference of the Socialist
International. In the agenda of the discussions
are included the European Union enlargement, the
Helsinki summit meeting, Turkey's EU candidature
and the Cyprus issue.
Meanwhile, the socialist leaders are
expected to sign a joint statement on the right
of intervention internationally. The Greek prime
minister suggested that such interventions
should be in accordance with international law
and the United Nations resolutions.
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