Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2000-05-17
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, May 17, 2000
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] GREEKS WORK MORE HOURS THAN THE EU AVERAGE
[02] ID CARDS: NO RELIGION, JOB, THUMBPRINT, NATIONALITY
[03] PM CHAIRS DEFENSE, FOREIGN POLICY MEETING
[04] LOSSES OF 0.13% IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
[05] REPPAS CONDEMNED THE SILENCING OF MASS MEDIA IN BELGRADE
[06] ASIA FORUM: THE EURO-ASIAN COOPERATION IN THESSALONIKI
[07] PAINTER FROM CRETE MAINTAINS THAT HE OWNS VAN GOGH WORKS
[08] THE PILOTS OF THE FALCON ARE CHARGED WITH MANSLAUGHTER AND
BODILY HARM
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[09] GREEK PRESIDENT TO MEET WITH YASSER ARAFAT
[10] ALBANIAN SOCIALISTS DENOUNCE BERISHA'S REMARKS
[11] RADIOACTIVE ORE IMPOUNDED AT ROMANIAN BORDER
[12] US PENTAGON EVASIVE OVER F-16 LETTERS TO GREECE
[13] THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE DOCUMENT ALLOWING THE REMOVAL OF THE
PARTHENON MARBLES IS IN QUESTION
[14] NONEXISTENT EGGS AGAINST PRESIDENT STEPHANOPOULOS
[15] INFLATION IN THE EURO-ZONE WAS AT 1.9% IN APRIL
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] GREEKS WORK MORE HOURS THAN THE EU AVERAGE
Greek employees work an average of 40.8 hours per week,
compared to a European Union median of 40.4 hours, according to a
European Commission study.
The study, based on 1997 data and released yesterday, noted
that only the British work more hours than the Greeks, reaching a
weekly average of 43.6 hours.
According to the study, only 55.6 per cent of Greeks between
the ages of 15 and 64 were gainfully employed, compared to the
European Union average of 62 per cent.
Of the 10.28 million Greeks, 6.93 million people were between
the ages of 15 and 64.
Moreover, the study showed that 17.8% of the labor force is
employed in the agricultural sector, 23% in industry and 59.2% in
services. European average percentages for the same sectors are
4.5, 29.3 and 66.2, respectively.
The employment rate for the 15-24 age group is also quite low
in Greece where, out of 1,400,000 individuals between the said
ages, only 399,000 are employed - i.e. 28.1 percent.
[02] ID CARDS: NO RELIGION, JOB, THUMBPRINT, NATIONALITY
While the Greek government has yet to receive any decision by
the Authority for the Protection of Personal Data (APPD) ng the
issue of excluding religious affiliation from identification
cards, Prime Minister Costas Simitis is said to have assigned the
divisive matter to the Minister of the Interior Vasso Papandreou
for review.
According to current practice, applicants for police identity
cards are obliged to declare their religion, profession,
nationality and spouse's name, as well as give a thumbprint.
However, the APPD chairman Constantine Dafermos has stated that
this practice is illegal as the aforementioned data are considered
to be sensitive information.
Mr. Dafermos also stated that those who wish to advertise
their faith can always ask the Church of Greece to issue them
identity cards of its own, as trade unions do.
Regarding the thumbprint requirement, Mr. Dafermos stated
that they too should be excluded as they denote criminal activity.
However, he added, the new ID cards should mention their bearers'
blood group.
[03] PM CHAIRS DEFENSE, FOREIGN POLICY MEETING
A defense and foreign policy meeting was chaired by Prime
Minister Costas Simitis today where the issues discussed were the
confidence building measures (CBMs) in the Aegean, as well as the
Parliament's ratification of Greek-Turkish "low policy"
agreements.
Foreign and Defense Ministers, George Papandreou and Akis
Tsochatzopoulos, respectively, were reported to have agreed on
close cooperation, while the two ministries are jointly reviewing
the Greek positions on the CBMs.
According to press reports, these positions are to be
formulated by a joint experts committee and will then be outlined
in a document that is expected to be given to Turkey's Foreign
Minister by Mr. Papandreou at the NATO Foreign Ministers
Conference, to be held next week in Florence.
Moreover, the joint committee is expected to examine which of
the Turkish CMBs could be adopted at a bilateral level, as well as
whether or not the Alliance is in a position to "confirm" at a
technical level the adopted CBMs.
[04] LOSSES OF 0.13% IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
Marginal losses of 0.13% were recorded in the Athens Stock
Exchange today while the general index was at 4.703,61 points.
The volume of transactions was maintained at satisfactory
levels at 185 billion drachmas.
[05] REPPAS CONDEMNED THE SILENCING OF MASS MEDIA IN BELGRADE
The Greek government condemns the closing down of mass media
by the Belgrade regime, stated Greek government spokesman Dimitris
Reppas.
Mr. Reppas stated that such actions hurt democracy and added
that from the start the Greek side was in favor of the freedom of
expression, the unhindered operation of the mass media, and the
right of the people and institutions to disseminate their views.
The Greek government spokesman also said that such actions
constitute a return to regimes and views that have been condemned
by the whole modern world.
[06] ASIA FORUM: THE EURO-ASIAN COOPERATION IN THESSALONIKI
The heart of the Euro-Asian cooperation will beat in
Thessaloniki on May 23-28 as in those seven days the Asia Forum
will be held in the city with the participation of delegations
from tens of countries.
The forum's goal is the mutual exchange of information, the
promotion of multi-lateral business cooperation and investments as
well as, the strengthening of the tourist sector through
cooperation and the development of new strategies.
The business forum is a follow-up of the first Asia Forum
2000 event under the title "Political and Economic Leaders Summit"
that was held in Thessaloniki on February 1-8 with the
participation of 17 government ministers and undersecretaries.
[07] PAINTER FROM CRETE MAINTAINS THAT HE OWNS VAN GOGH WORKS
A painter from the island of Crete in southern Aegean
maintains that he has in his possession two authentic works of Van
Gogh, which are signed with the name Vincent.
The Athens newspaper "Eleftherotipia" mentions that they are
two small works (20x35cm) which are painted on plain paper.
Specifically, the first of the works depicts a fish drawn with
Indian ink and the second one shows a mill next to a waterfall.
The colors used in the second painting are Van Gogh's favorite.
The owner, who wants to maintain his anonymity, said that he
bought them from an antique shop in Monastiraki, Athens in 1978
but he never paid them much attention. Just a few months ago he
noticed that at their back side they had a seal that wrote in
German "Goering, Paris, 1943". This made him think that he had in
his hands authentic works stolen by German army officer Goering
during WWII.
According to the newspaper, the painting depicting a mill has
been examined using a laser method that can verify the
authenticity of a work of art.
Now, the painter from Crete is making efforts to sell the two
works and his wish is to sell them either to the Greek state or to
Greek art collectors.
[08] THE PILOTS OF THE FALCON ARE CHARGED WITH MANSLAUGHTER AND
BODILY HARM
The two pilots of the government Falcon, involved in a freak
accident several months ago, were charged by the Athens
prosecutor with manslaughter and bodily harm based on the findings
of the team of specialists who concluded that there was human
error and not mechanical failure that caused the accident killing
7 people among them, deputy foreign minister Yiannos Kranidiotis.
The accident happened on a flight from Athens to Bucharest.
Specifically, based on the findings, the pilots are accused
of maintaining an excessive speed, wrong handling at the controls
of the airplane that blocked the automatic pilot system and not
warning the passengers to fasten their seat belts in time.
Also, it was decided that an inquiry will be underway to
determine the responsibilities if any of the technicians in charge
of the airplane's maintenance.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[09] GREEK PRESIDENT TO MEET WITH YASSER ARAFAT
The President of the Hellenic Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos
concluded his official visit to Israel yesterday and will arrive
in Bethlehem today for talks with Palestinian President Yasser
Arafat.
At a luncheon given in his honor by Israel's Foreign Policy
Institute yesterday, the President stated that "Greece and Israel
belong to a unified, in its wider form, geopolitical and geo-
strategic area since southeastern Europe and the Middle East are
showing common security problems, are experiencing similar
strategic threats and are showing quite a few common economic and
social infrastructure problems."
Furthermore, the President stressed the need for
strengthening cooperation between the two countries and expressed
the hope that his visit to Israel will contribute decisively to
the further development, improvement and enrichment of Tel Aviv's
relations with Athens.
President Stephanopoulos is accompanied by Alternate Foreign
Minister Elizabeth Papazoi, Deputy National Economy Minister
Yiannis Zafiropoulos and a delegation of Greek businessmen.
[10] ALBANIAN SOCIALISTS DENOUNCE BERISHA'S REMARKS
The presidium of Albania's Socialist Party has denounced the
inflammatory remarks made recently by the Democratic Party's
President Sali Berisha against Greece, disavowing the statements
as irresponsible, provocative and harmful for Albania's interests.
At a Democratic Party conference held late last month, Mr.
Berisha unleashed a long string of allegations against Greek
political leaders, accusing them of having turned Albania into a
"Mafia protectorate".
The Socialist Party also announced that Mr. Berisha's
statements were detrimental for the country's embodiment in Euro-
Atlantic structures.
It further called on the Democratic Party's members to
distance themselves from the man who, for the sake of his own
interests, is seeking to create tension and conflict in Albania's
excellent ties with the United States, its neighbors, NATO, and
EU member-states.
[11] RADIOACTIVE ORE IMPOUNDED AT ROMANIAN BORDER
Romanian customs officials have impounded 40 tons of iron ore
at the border after discovering it had a high level of
radioactivity.
Two trucks that were transporting over 20 tons of ore each
from Greece have been detained since Saturday at the Danube port
of Giurgiu, which recently installed radioactivity detectors,
according to Romanian customs officials.
Greece's Mechano Chemica company was exporting the ore to the
Romanian iron and steel works Sidex Galati through the Romanian
intermediary Metal Export-Import of Bucharest. The ore had a
radioactive radiation five times permissible levels.
[12] US PENTAGON EVASIVE OVER F-16 LETTERS TO GREECE
United States Pentagon spokesperson Kenneth Bacon declined
comment on the content of letters exchanged between Greece's
Defense Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos and the US Secretary of
State William Cohen regarding the F-16 aircraft parts ordered by
Athens and delivered via Turkey.
Mr. Bacon stated that "the good news is that these parts were
finally delivered to Greece. The bad news is that they were
unexpectedly delivered through Turkey."
The Pentagon official also declined comment on reports that
the US violated the April 30, 1999, agreement since the State
Department refused to deliver the AGM 142 anti-aircraft missiles,
the BU-87 bombs and aircraft engines.
[13] THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE DOCUMENT ALLOWING THE REMOVAL OF THE
PARTHENON MARBLES IS IN QUESTION
Serious questions on the adequacy of the historical and legal
arguments used by the British side in order to back its rejection
of the demands for the return of the Parthenon Marbles are
expressed by David Rudenstine, a professor in the Benzamin Cardozo
Law School.
In an article he has written, that will be published in the
May 29, 2000 issue of the "Nation" magazine, Mr. Rudenstine
questions the authenticity and the reliability of the English
document that is presented as a translation of the Ottoman
document dated in July 1801 based on which, Elgin got the right to
remove the Marbles from the Parthenon. Until now no researcher was
able to locate that Ottoman document and Mr. Rundestine himself
stated that he looked for it when he visited Istanbul but he was
unable to trace the document or any reference to it.
Mr. Rundestine stated that even if the authenticity of the
document is accepted the removal of the marbles from the Parthenon
does not become legal as Elgin himself did not believe that he had
got a permission for their removal from the Parthenon walls.
The only certain fact, said Mr. Rundestine, is that one of
Elgin's men bribed the Ottoman officials to secure that the
marbles will be sent to London. According to Mr. Rundestine, this
action alone overturns every argument used for the legalization of
the actions of Elgin's men.
[14] NONEXISTENT EGGS AGAINST PRESIDENT STEPHANOPOULOS
Both Greek and Palestinian circles categorically deny today's
news reports by the news agencies Reuters and AFP according to
which, Palestinians threw eggs against Greek president Kostis
Stephanopoulos during his visit to Jerusalem. The groundless "news
reports" have been denied by the Greek and foreign journalists
covering the visit of Mr. Stephanopoulos in Palestine, while it
must be pointed out that the talks of president Stephanopoulos
with Palestinian president Yasser Arafat in Bethlehem today were
held in a good climate.
The Reuters news agency reported that young Palestinians
allegedly threw eggs against president Stephanopoulos "in a show
of anger for Mr. Stephanopoulos' refusal to meet with Palestinian
leaders during his visit to Israel". The news was reported when
president Stephanopoulos was meeting with Palestinian president
Arafat.
The French news agency AFP in a report has mentioned that
Stephanopoulos and Arafat had a formal meeting, adding that the
Greek president allegedly was not well-received by tens of young
Palestinians who, according to eye-witnesses, threw eggs against
president Stephanopoulos and his entourage during his private
visit to the old city of Jerusalem. The same news report mentions
that it was not clear if the eggs hit Mr. Stephanopoulos.
Greek presidency sources when asked by MPA characterized the
report on the alleged attack against Stephanopoulos as absolutely
groundless, while the same were reported by Israeli foreign
ministry officials responsible for the formal visit of the Greek
president to Israel.
The Greek journalists covering the trip stated that they were
always next to the president during his visit to the old city of
Jerusalem and they did not see any eggs thrown against him and his
entourage stressing that on the contrary, president Stephanopoulos
was warmly and enthusiastically received.
Deputy foreign minister Elisavet Papazoi stated that the
misunderstanding has been resolved and president Stephanopoulos
has expressed the discontent of the Greek side regarding the
diplomatic protest move. Ms. Papazoi added that president
Stephanopoulos in his meeting with Arafat reiterated the Greek
positions on the Palestinians and Jerusalem while Mr. Arafat
briefed him on the Middle East peace negotiations.
[15] INFLATION IN THE EURO-ZONE WAS AT 1.9% IN APRIL
Inflation in the Euro-zone was at 1.9% in April compared to
2.15% in March, according to the European Union statistics agency
Eurostat.
The harmonized consumer prices index in the Euro-zone
increased by 0.1% in April compared to March, while the same trend
was observed in all the European Union member states.
The highest annual inflation rate in April was recorded in
Ireland 5%, followed by Luxembourg 3.2%, Spain 3% and Denmark
2.9%.
Compared to April 1999 the biggest inflation rate increases
were recorded in Austria and Sweden while the biggest decline was
observed in Britain and Portugal.
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