Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2000-02-25
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, February 25, 2000
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] EUROPEAN COMMISSIONER VITORINO WILL VISIT ATHENS ON MONDAY
[02] ONE IN TEN GREEKS IS A FOREIGN STUDENT
[03] TSOCHATZOPOULOS: STRATEGIC CONVERGENCE WITH ISRAEL
[04] THE RECONSTRUCTION ORGANIZATION OFFICE WILL OPEN IN MARCH
[05] THE EUROPEAN POPULAR PARTY CONFERENCE OPENS IN THESSALONIKI
TODAY
[06] THE FOREIGN MINISTERS OF GREECE, TURKEY AND BULGARIA WILL
MEET ON MARCH 5
[07] LOSSES OF 0.60% IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
[08] GREECE IS CONSIDERING TO SEND 20 POLICE OFFICERS TO KOSOVO
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[09] 140 GREEK BUSINESSMEN ARE VISITING TURKEY
[10] MESSAGE BY THE ROMANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER TO HIS GREEK
COUNTERPART
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] EUROPEAN COMMISSIONER VITORINO WILL VISIT ATHENS ON MONDAY
European Commissioner Antonio Vitorino, responsible for
justice and internal affairs issues, will visit Athens on Monday
within the framework of the informative contacts he will have with
the member-states before the ministers' council meeting that will
take place at the end of March.
The EU Commissioner will meet on Monday with deputy foreign
minister Christos Rokofillos, minister of public order Michalis
Chrisohoidis and justice minister Evangelos Yiannopoulos to
discuss the issues raised in the Tampere European Council meeting
namely, justice, internal affairs, asylum granting, immigration
and crime.
[02] ONE IN TEN GREEKS IS A FOREIGN STUDENT
One in ten Greeks gets his or her higher education outside
Greece in a European university, according to the European
Statistics Agency "Eurostat" which provided data for the year
1997. The European Union average is under 2%.
Based on the same facts, one in five Europeans, who are
studying abroad, is Greek. Most favorite country for the Greek
students is Britain followed by Germany and France.
[03] TSOCHATZOPOULOS: STRATEGIC CONVERGENCE WITH ISRAEL
The relations between Greece and Israel in the recent past
were not the kind they could have been based on the common
interests shared by the two countries, pointed out minister of
defense Akis Tsochatzopoulos speaking through video in the Defense
Analyses Institute one-day conference on Greece and Israel in a
changing regional environment that is being held in Thessaloniki.
He said that a new model for a bilateral or even multilateral
cooperation is needed today and added that within the
international environment there is a strategic convergence of
interests in a number of sectors covering the wider region of the
eastern Mediterranean, the Balkans, Europe and the Black Sea.
Mr. Tsochatzopoulos appeared optimistic that solutions can be
found that will restore the climate of peace, stability and
cooperation in eastern Mediterranean. He said that the new
relation of the European Union with Turkey can create the
framework for the solution of the Cyprus problem and the peaceful
coexistence of the peoples in the region based on the agreement
reached in Helsinki.
Mr. Tsochatzopoulos stated that Greece is in favor of the
peace process among Israel, the Palestinians and the neighboring
Arab countries. He also said that Greece works toward the
expansion of the EU's interest and presence in eastern
Mediterranean, while it has the political will to contribute to
the widening of relations between Israel and the European Union
and the European institutions in general.
Israeli ambassador to Athens Ran Curiel, speaking in the one-
day conference stated that the Greek-Israeli relations have
developed with an unprecedented pace in recent years. He stressed
that Greece can contribute further to the development of
negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, while he also
spoke about the Arab-Israeli talks, the rapprochement between
Greece and Turkey and the efforts made for the solution of the
Cyprus problem.
Thessaloniki's Jewish Community president Andreas Sefiha
referred to the role of the city which links the Greeks with the
Israelis and suggested that it should become a Greek-Israeli
meeting center.
[04] THE RECONSTRUCTION ORGANIZATION OFFICE WILL OPEN IN MARCH
The formal opening of the Reconstruction Organization for SE
Europe office will formally open in Thessaloniki by the end of
March, possibly on March 20, according to reliable press reports.
The organization's charter of operation was approved by the
EU Council of Ministers last December. Its board of directors was
formed last January and in its first meeting in Thessaloniki it
elected Mr. Migareli to the post of the general director.
[05] THE EUROPEAN POPULAR PARTY CONFERENCE OPENS IN THESSALONIKI
TODAY
The Balkan policy of the Greek right-wing main opposition
party of New Democracy will be presented by its leader Kostas
Karamanlis, who is also the European Popular Party vice-president,
within the framework of the European Popular Party conference on
Democracy-Stability-Cooperation in south-eastern Europe that opens
in Thessaloniki today.
The procedures of the conference, that is being held at the
initiative of New Democracy in cooperation with the European
Popular Party and the European Democratic Union with the
participation of representatives of about 45 Balkan and European
political parties, will open with the speeches of European Popular
Party president Wilfrid Martens and European Popular Party
parliamentary group leader in the Euro-parliament Hans Gert
Pittering.
The conference will focus on processing proposals and making
decisions on practical measures through which the European Popular
Party will be able to help the Balkan political parties and
contribute to the political stability and peace in the Balkan
region.
It is the third meeting organized by the European Popular
Party with the participation of Balkan parties. The first meeting
was held in Thessaloniki and the second in Banja Luka.
[06] THE FOREIGN MINISTERS OF GREECE, TURKEY AND BULGARIA WILL
MEET ON MARCH 5
The tripartite meeting of the foreign ministers of Greece,
Bulgaria and Turkey will take place on March 5.
The meeting will be held in the three cities of Burgas,
Andrianoupolis and Orestiada and the foreign ministers will sign a
joint statement that will include the principles on good
neighborly relations and cooperation.
Meanwhile, the foreign ministers of Greece, Albania and FYROM
will meet in Korce and Ohrid on March 8 and 9 within the framework
of the tripartite cooperation.
[07] LOSSES OF 0.60% IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
The Athens Stock Exchange session closed today with losses of
0.60% at 5.203 points. In spite of the losses recorded, the volume
of transactions was 188.9 billion drachmas.
The losses were recorded in the second half of the session
and as a result all the secondary indexes, with the exception of
the insurance companies stocks, followed a downward course and
closed with significant losses.
[08] GREECE IS CONSIDERING TO SEND 20 POLICE OFFICERS TO KOSOVO
Greece is considering to send 20 police officers to Kosovo
within the framework of the reinforcement of the International
Police Force deployed in the region.
NATO secretary general George Robertson stressed during his
visit to Athens yesterday that there is no reason to increase the
number of KFOR soldiers but he pointed out that the demand of the
UN representative for the reinforcement of the International
Police Force in Kosovo must materialize soon in order for the KFOR
to be able to fulfill its mission.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[09] 140 GREEK BUSINESSMEN ARE VISITING TURKEY
The 140-member Greek business delegation left for Istanbul,
Turkey today for a visit that will last until February 27 seeking
to lift the obstacles in bilateral economic relations and hoping
that they will open new ways for business cooperation.
In the delegation participate representatives of construction
and textile companies, cement and paper industries, tourist and
shipping institutes as well as, business executives from the area
of insurance and computers firms, health organizations and money
and credit institutions.
Within the framework of the contacts the Greek businessmen
will have in Istanbul will be discussed the settlement of issues
such as, tax reductions, the increase of exports subsidies and
double taxation.
They will also seek the establishment of joint ventures for
the successful activation of Greek and Turkish businessmen in the
Black Sea countries and the south-eastern European markets. Also,
it is expected that the decision reached by the business councils
of both countries for the creation of an Athens based Greek-
Turkish Chamber of Commerce will be ratified.
[10] MESSAGE BY THE ROMANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER TO HIS GREEK
COUNTERPART
Romanian government vice-president and foreign minister Petre
Roman sent a message to his counterpart Greek foreign minister
Giorgos Papandreou on the occasion of the 120th anniversary of the
restoration of diplomatic relations at ambassadors' level between
Greece and Romania.
In the message is underlined Romania's political will to
cooperate with Greece both at a regional and a European level to
build a better, happier and more prosperous future.
Also, the Romanian foreign minister looks forward to his
country's undertaking of initiatives in cooperation with the
Greece in 2000.
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