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Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 99-12-27
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, December 27, 1999
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] GOVERNMENT PLANS TO REPAIR DAMAGED IMAGE OF
ATHENS BOURSE
[02] 15 KILLED, 226 INJURED IN 156 ACCIDENTS
DURING HOLIDAY TRAVEL
[03] S. KOREAN EMBASSY CAR TORCHED IN ATHENS AT
RANDOM ATTACK
[04] DEFENSE MINISTRY: NO JOINT EXERCISES
PROPOSED BY ANKARA
[05] FOREIGN PLANES TOLD TO LAND IN GREECE IN
CASE OF Y2K PROBLEMS
[06] GIFTS OF THE MAGI ON DISPLAY AT ATHENS
CHURCH
[07] FOREIGN UNDERSECRETARY UNVEILS DRAFT BILL
FOR REPATRIATES
[08] HAND GRENADE THROWN INSIDE VIDEO GAMES
ARCADE
[09] MAJORITY OF GREEKS FEAR BLACK-OUT ON NEW
YEAR'S EVE
[10] DECEMBER 31 A HOLIDAY THROUGHOUT ENTIRE
FINANCIAL SECTOR
[11] THESSALONIKI CONCERT HALL TO BE INAUGURATED
ON JANUARY 2
[12] CULTURE MINISTRY DEDICATES YEAR 2000 TO
GREEK POET SEFERIS
[13] OPTIMISM REGAINED AT ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
[14] PREMIER EXAMINES VARIOUS SCENARIA OF
ELECTIONS
[15] OECD OFFICIALS EXPECTED IN ATHENS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[16] EUROPE: DOZENS KILLED, HUNDREDS INJURED BY
FIERCE STORMS
[17] CYPRIOT PRESIDENT: TURKISH-CYPRIOTS WON'T
BE IGNORED IN EU
[18] ALBANIAN PRESS: SPARTAK POCI ISN'T ONLY
ONE WITH STOLEN CAR
[19] FYROM: PREMIER ANNOUNCES NEW COALITION
GOVERNMENT
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NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] GOVERNMENT PLANS TO REPAIR DAMAGED IMAGE OF
ATHENS BOURSE
The government's economy and finance
ministry intends to enforce an action plan aimed
at repairing the damaged image of the Athens
Stock Exchange, starting off with reducing
interest rates by .75%.
Moreover, government officials are
deliberating with the country's leading
businessmen so that they may support the reform
plans.
A ceiling has been enforced on share
capital increases which draw significant amounts
of cash flow from the system.
[02] 15 KILLED, 226 INJURED IN 156 ACCIDENTS
DURING HOLIDAY TRAVEL
Fifteen people died and 226 were injured in
156 traffic accidents which occurred on the
roads of Greece since Friday. As the snow which
fell on Christmas Eve is still on the ground,
the roads have turned to slippery frost making
anti-skid chains required on all automobiles
traveling on the national highway.
According to the National Weather Service,
temperatures will rise by New Year's Eve.
[03] S. KOREAN EMBASSY CAR TORCHED IN ATHENS AT
RANDOM ATTACK
A South Korean embassy car was torched in
Athens last night, apparently at random, by
individuals who claimed to be members of a never-
heard-of-before anarchist group.
According to police reports, two men poured
petrol over the vehicle and set it alight,
completely destroying it. The car had been
parked in the Ilyssia district, near the center
of the capital.
A man rang a private radio station claiming
the attack in the name of the "anarchist faction
for subversion", stating that the attack had
been carried out to call for the release of two
Greek militant anarchists imprisoned in Athens.
[04] DEFENSE MINISTRY: NO JOINT EXERCISES
PROPOSED BY ANKARA
In response to statements recently by the
Turkish chief of staff, General Hussein
Kivrikoglou, the Greek National Defense Ministry
announced yesterday that no proposals have been
received from Ankara to conduct joint military
exercises.
In his statement, General Kivrikoglou also
claimed that Turkish military aircraft are now
flying over the Aegean without ammunition, as
an act of goodwill.
However, Greek military sources have
replied that this is not the case, and that the
point is for Turkish aircraft to enter the
Aegean area legally, observing international
air regulations.
[05] FOREIGN PLANES TOLD TO LAND IN GREECE IN
CASE OF Y2K PROBLEMS
Greece is prepared to deal with the Y2K
computer virus, Transport Minister Tasos
Mandelis said yesterday, while experts are
making efforts to deal with the 2000 computer
bug, mainly in the sectors of transport,
telecommunications, power and water supply.
While the result will become evident after
midnight on New Year's Eve, experts have given
assurances that Greece is ready to deal with the
problem and international organizations have
notified airline companies to land at Greek
airports if their aircraft have problems with
landing procedures in neighboring countries.
[06] GIFTS OF THE MAGI ON DISPLAY AT ATHENS
CHURCH
The two-thousandth anniversary since the
birth of Christ was celebrated yesterday morning
at the holy cathedral of Aghios Pandeleimonos in
Athens, where thousands are paying a pilgrimage
to honor the gifts of gold, frankincense and
myrrh, which were given to Jesus Christ at his
birth, by the Three Wise Men.
The three gold bars and several pellets of
frankincense mixed with myrrh, are being
displayed in a silver and glass case, on loan
from the Monastery of St. Paul on Mount Athos.
They will remain on display only until the end
of the month.
According to some church historians, the
gifts of the Magi were presented to the
monastery in 1453 by the mother of Sultan
Mehmet, who conquered Constantinople that year.
[07] FOREIGN UNDERSECRETARY UNVEILS DRAFT BILL
FOR REPATRIATES
The Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs
Grigoris Niotis unveiled the government's draft
bill on the legalization process of the Greeks
repatriated from the countries of the former
Soviet bloc, during his visit to the northern
city of Alexandroupolis.
The bill, which is to be voted in
Parliament on January 11, includes the donation
of land for building homes for repatriated
Greeks in eastern Thrace, the Aegean islands and
Macedonia, as well as the extension of the
Greek nationality to those of Greek descent but
residents elsewhere.
According to Mr. Chrysochoides, wherever
the formal extension of nationality is not
possible, Athens will bestow a special identity
card for those of Greek descent, which will
allow them residence and work privileges in the
country.
[08] HAND GRENADE THROWN INSIDE VIDEO GAMES
ARCADE
A hand grenade was hurled by an unknown
individual inside a video games arcade in
Thessaloniki this morning, causing extensive
material damages.
According to the police report, the
culprit, a man between 25-30 years of age,
entered the arcade, threw the grenade in an area
empty of customers and fled the scene running.
[09] MAJORITY OF GREEKS FEAR BLACK-OUT ON NEW
YEAR'S EVE
Seven out of ten Greeks fear that there
will be a black-out on New Year's Eve, brought
on by the Y2K computer virus, according to a
latest poll.
Specifically, the study shows that 73% of
those polled fear that not only will the public
sector paralyze, but also believe that there
will be phone, water and electricity shortages.
Moreover, the poll reveals that 36% are
afraid to travel by plane, train or ship on New
Year's, while another 12% plans to withdraw all
its cash from bank deposits prior to January 1.
[10] DECEMBER 31 A HOLIDAY THROUGHOUT ENTIRE
FINANCIAL SECTOR
December 31, 1999 will be a bank
holiday for the Bank of Greece, the Athens Stock
Exchange, the Central Values Repository, the
Derivatives Bourse, the Transactions Settlement
Co., as well as the credit institutions and
branch offices of foreign banks, businesses
providing investment services, inancing S.A.
companies and mutual funds S.A. companies.
The above decision will be
regulated through a relevant amendment which has
been tabled in Parliament to handle possible
problems which could be created in Greece and
abroad in electronic systems due to the so-
called "millennium bug."
[11] THESSALONIKI CONCERT HALL TO BE INAUGURATED
ON JANUARY 2
The Thessaloniki Concert Hall will be
inaugurated on January 2 by Prime Minister
Costas Simitis in the presence of Ecumenical
Patriarch Vartholomeos.
The Patriarch accepted an invitation to
attend the event and will travel to Thessaloniki
for this purpose.
The facility has a seating capacity of
1,476 spectators and can be used as an opera,
theater and convention center. Its construction
will cost 14 billion drachmas.
The concert hall will discontinue its
operation for three months after the two-day
inauguration ceremony to enable finishing
touches on the building before beginning
operation in May.
Attending the inauguration ceremony will be
the minister of culture Elisabeth Papazoi and
almost all her Balkan counterparts as well as
representatives of the Greek political scene.
[12] CULTURE MINISTRY DEDICATES YEAR 2000 TO
GREEK POET SEFERIS
The Culture Ministry will dedicate the year
2000 to Greece's renowned poet Giorgios Seferis,
1963 Nobel Laureate in Literature, marking the
centennial anniversary since his birth in
Smyrna. A series of events will be held
throughout the year, starting with Cyprus
which will host a seminar on Seferis.
A vast selection of photographs,
manuscripts and personal items will be on
display in Athens in an exhibition that will
travel throughout the cities associated with the
life of the man who is regarded by many as the
greatest Greek poet of the 20th century.
In Thessaloniki, millennium celebrations
will include music, dancing, theatrical shows
and other events in the foyer and surrounding
areas of the restored Royal Theater in the
northern port city.
The port itself will play host to a 6,500m2
exhibition and design space geared toward the
younger generation, while a design and cinema
museum will be housed there as well.
[13] OPTIMISM REGAINED AT ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
Optimism was regained at the Athens Stock
Exchange today where the General Price Index
closed at 5,040.95 points, marking a significant
increase of 4.98%.
Total transactions volume reached GRD 348.4
billion. The shift in investors psychology
contributed to the turnaround of the negative
trend noted in the bourse's course last week.
[14] PREMIER EXAMINES VARIOUS SCENARIA OF
ELECTIONS
Prime Minster Costas Simitis is preparing
for a possible snap election, according to
reports, although ballots are not officially
scheduled prior to March of 2000.
The Premier held a series of meetings with
leading officials from the ruling PASOK party,
in order to review the political scene as it
stands. Naturally, PASOK is expected to try to
ensure the optimum conditions for a potential
election.
[15] OECD OFFICIALS EXPECTED IN ATHENS
A task force of officials from the
Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development is expected to arrive in Athens this
week in order to review the country's economic
course, concerning the country's imminent
accession to the Economic and Monetary Union.
The OECD representatives, who will hold
talks with Greek economy and finance ministry
officials, are expected to propose additional
and expedited privatizations.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[16] EUROPE: DOZENS KILLED, HUNDREDS INJURED BY
FIERCE STORMS
At least 60 persons were killed and
hundreds have been injured by the torrential
rains and fierce storms that ripped through
central Europe over the weekend.
In France, where 31 were killed and 200
others were injured, gales of 180 kilometers an
hour, paralyzed the country's railways. The
hurricane has also cut off electricity supplies
and disrupted transportation in Germany,
Switzerland and Austria.
[17] CYPRIOT PRESIDENT: TURKISH-CYPRIOTS WON'T
BE IGNORED IN EU
The concerns of the Turkish-Cypriots will
be dealt with within the European Union
framework, following Cyprus' accession, Cypriot
President Glafcos Clerides assured the Turks
yesterday, while Foreign Minister Yiannakis
Kassoulides called on both communities to plan
their common future.
In an interview with the Turkish television
channel, NTV, President Clerides stressed the
need for political will to ensure a resolution
of the Cyprus dispute. He also said that the
Turkish-Cypriots' concerns will not be
overlooked, when Cyprus enters the European
Union.
Moreover, in an interview with the same
news agency, Mr. Kasoulides referred to the
proximity talks held in New York, which he said
began at a slow pace and with low expectations.
He also said that the fact that they are
continuing will prove just how much both sides
have the required political will in order to
ensure that positive results are achieved.
[18] ALBANIAN PRESS: SPARTAK POCI ISN'T ONLY
ONE WITH STOLEN CAR
The revelation that the vehicle of Albanian
Public Order Minister Spartak Poci was a stolen
Mercedes from Italy is not a surprise to the
Albanian press which widely reported that at
least five of the country's top officials have
found themselves behind the wheel of a "hot"
car.
Greek police confiscated Mr. Poci's car on
December 20 while he was en route to an official
visit to Athens to discuss cross-border crime,
after they discovered the vehicle had been
stolen.
According to police reports, serial numbers
on the confiscated car matched those of a
vehicle reported stolen in Italy earlier this
year, police said.
After his vehicle was confiscated, Mr.
Poci, who was highly surprised and raised no
objections, was transported to Athens in a Greek
government vehicle, and returned to Albania by
plane the following day.
Tirana's daily "Rilidia Democratike",
reported that this marked the fifth time one of
the government's ministers has been found to
possess a stolen car.
[19] FYROM: PREMIER ANNOUNCES NEW COALITION
GOVERNMENT
FYROM's Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski
yesterday announced his new coalition
government, in which the ruling party
strengthened its hold on power.
The VMRO-DPMNE took over the interior
ministry from Pavle Trajanov, considered close
to the Democratic Alternative (DA).
The DA also lost the justice portfolio to
the Democratic Party for Albanians (DPA).
The outgoing justice and interior ministers
had been fiercely criticized both within the
coalition government and by the social democrat
opposition for numerous irregularities in the
December 10 presidential elections.
The elections saw Boris Trajkovski -- also
of VMRO-DPMNE -- into office.
The new government should be approved by
parliament today With the election of the new
president, Georgievski and his government had
resigned Thursday as a matter of course.
Georgievski said in a brief statement that
the new government would take account of public
criticism of the outgoing government during the
presidential election campaign.
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