Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2000-07-21
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, July 21, 2000
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] THE EXTENT OF THE DESTRUCTION BECAUSE OF THE FIRES IS
HORRIFYING
[02] EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES FOR THE BIG SUMMER EXODUS
[03] PAPANDREOU-DRASKOVIC MEETING ON TUESDAY
[04] ABOUT 5 MILLION GREEKS USE MOBILE PHONES
[05] A RUSSIAN ARRESTED IN ATHENS IS A NOTORIOUS CRIMINAL
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[06] ANGELOPOULOU: THE 2004 OLYMPIC GAMES WILL BE THE BEST IN THE
HISTORY OF THE EVENTS
[07] THE SALE OF THE UNITED BULGARIAN BANK TO THE NATIONAL BANK OF
GREECE HAS BEEN FINALIZED
[08] MATERNITY CLINIC IN TIRANA WITH GREEK MONEY
[09] LETTER BY ZAKHEOS TO ANNAN ON THE AIRSPACE VIOLATIONS BY
TURKISH AIRCRAFT
[10] ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE INVASION OF CYPRUS, SAE'S PRESIDENT
URGES PRESIDENT CLINTON TO AID NEGOTIATIONS PERSONALLY
[11] SAE WORLD PRESIDENT ANDREW A. ATHENS LAUNCHES HIGH LEVEL
MEETINGS IN ATHENS, THESSALONIKI
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] THE EXTENT OF THE DESTRUCTION BECAUSE OF THE FIRES IS
HORRIFYING
Thousands of hectars of forest and farm land have been
destroyed in Greece since the start of the year. According to
figures provided yesterday by minister of agriculture Mr.
Anomeritis, about seventy two thousand hectars of forest land and
twenty eight thousand hectars of farm land have been destroyed by
the freak fires that raged in the country in the past weeks.
It should be noted that in 1998, which was regarded as the
worst year for Greece in terms of fires had been destroyed about
79 thousand hectars of forest land and 16 thousand hectars of farm
land.
The fires killed 3.540 sheep and 1.360 pigs, while 169.920
meters of irrigation pipes have also been destroyed as well as,
436 warehouses and stockyards.
[02] EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES FOR THE BIG SUMMER EXODUS
The big exodus of summer vacationers is expected in Greece
today and the responsible authorities have taken all necessary
measures for the smooth movement of the holiday-makers.
It is estimated that over 100.000 people will use the port of
Piraeus to leave for the islands of the Aegean Sea and Crete
during the weekend, while extra measures are in effect on the
national road network.
[03] PAPANDREOU-DRASKOVIC MEETING ON TUESDAY
Serb opposition leader Vuk Draskovic, who is in Greece on
vacation, will meet with Greek foreign minister Giorgos Papandreou
on Tuesday. The news has been confirmed by both sides.
An official of the Serb Renewal Movement headed by Draskovic
stated to the news agency SRNA that the Serb politician came to
Greece for vacation because after the assassination attempt
against him suffered a strong shock and has psychological
problems.
Mr. Draskovic does not want to run in the next elections in
Yugoslavia and with the Greek foreign minister he will discuss
issues concerning the situation in the Balkans and the course of
democratization in his country.
[04] ABOUT 5 MILLION GREEKS USE MOBILE PHONES
Even the mobile phone companies are surprised by the number
of mobile phone users in Greece, as according to figures provided
by the companies themselves their number in the second trimester
of the current year reached 4.9 million and is expected to be over
the 5 million mark very soon.
Those figures overturn predictions according to which, the
mobile phone users in Greece would be close to 5 million at the
end of 2001 or in early 2002.
It should be noted that with the speedy development of the
mobile phone market in Greece very soon its customers will be more
than those of the conventional phone service which has 5.600.000
users after 100 years of operation.
The biggest increase in the number of users was recorded in
the second trimester of 2000 in Cosmote with 295.063 new customers
and the company occupied the second place in the mobile phone
market.
Panafon continues to occupy the first place and it was
announced that recently had an increase of 36.2% in the number of
its new customers.
Telestet, the third mobile phone company in Greece had also
an impressive increase of 52.5% in its number of customers in the
second trimester of 2000 compared to the same period last year.
[05] A RUSSIAN ARRESTED IN ATHENS IS A NOTORIOUS CRIMINAL
Thirty year old Igor Rintin, who was arrested in Athens, is a
leading member of the Russian Mafia. According to police, on July
12 he had reported that was the victim of a robbery committed by 4
Greeks of Armenian origin, who had taken from him the sum of US$
90.000. He said to the police that his name was Andrei Semenov and
that he came to Greece permanently on July 2.
Police believed that he was a suspect because he could not
explain where he had found such a large sum of money. They
contacted the Russian police and it was found out that his
traveling papers were false and belonged to an individual who had
been killed in St. Petersburg under unclear conditions.
The Russian police believes that he had participated in a
bloody robbery in 1998 when the security guards accompanying an
armored car carrying a large sum of money were killed and the
robbers got away with US$ 300.000.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[06] ANGELOPOULOU: THE 2004 OLYMPIC GAMES WILL BE THE BEST IN THE
HISTORY OF THE EVENTS
The certainty that the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens will be
the best in the history of the institution not just for being
successful but because they will be the best organized Olympic
Games ever, was expressed by "Athens 2004" Organizing Committee
president Ms. Yianna Angelopoulou after the meeting she had
yesterday with International Olympic Committee president Juan
Antonio Samaranch in Lausanne.
Ms. Angelopoulou stressed characteristically that the 2004
Olympic Games were given to Greece, denying that there was a
discussion at any IOC level on the likelihood to change the host
country of the games.
Meanwhile, International Olympic Committee (IOC) member and
head of the coordinating committee for the Olympic Games in Sydney
and Athens, Mr. Rong in an interview with the BBC expressed his
satisfaction over the efforts made by the Greek government and
prime minister Kostas Simitis in the preparations for the 2004
Olympic Games.
The specific IOC member stated that the statements made by
IOC president Mr. Samaranch against the Greek Olympic Committee
did not constitute an attack but on the contrary, offered service
to the Greek side. He stated to the BBC that now things have
changed because the Greek prime minister is using his leverage and
the government has proceeded with the restructuring of the Olympic
Games' Committee, while the relevant legislation has changed which
is very positive.
Responding to the question on whether the change of faces in
the "Athens 2004" Organization were toward the right direction, he
said that there have been satisfactory changes but the decisive
factor for the IOC is that the prime minister is now the one who
controls the situation, adding that it remains to be seen how
these changes will operate in practice.
Regarding the issue of the security in the Olympic Games, he
said that the IOC sees as high priority the issue of the safety of
the athletes and the visitors and categorically denied that there
was any thought to take away the Olympic Games from Athens. He
said that Mr. Samaranch never implied that Greece could lose the
games and instead he had warned that the country was at the so-
called "yellow phase", which is the phase just before the
appearance of very serious problems regarding the organization of
the Olympic Games. He said that Mr. Samaranch never hinted or
stated that the Olympic Games will be taken away from Greece,
stressing that it was a classic case of misinterpretation, while
he also added that the games will be held in Greece in spite of
the objections of certain circles which are against that.
[07] THE SALE OF THE UNITED BULGARIAN BANK TO THE NATIONAL BANK OF
GREECE HAS BEEN FINALIZED
The National Bank of Greece bought 89.9% of the United
Bulgarian Bank for US$ 207 million.
According to the deal that was signed, the European Bank of
Development and Reconstruction will sell the rest 10% of the
United Bulgarian Bank to the National Bank of Greece in the next
two years for US$ 23 million.
National Bank of Greece governor, Mr. Karatzas stated that he
does not intent to make changes in the bank's personnel except
from certain changes in its board of directors. He stated
characteristically that the United Bulgarian Bank will maintain
its Bulgarian character and will continue to back the economic
reforms in the country.
[08] MATERNITY CLINIC IN TIRANA WITH GREEK MONEY
Albania's ministers of health and economy Leonard Solis and
Anastas Angeli signed a decision according to which, a US$ 4.2
million Greek loan will be used for the purchase of equipment for
the new Maternity Clinic in Tirana.
The Maternity Clinic building has 8 floors and a capacity of
200 beds. The construction works began in 1989 and ended in 1999.
[09] LETTER BY ZAKHEOS TO ANNAN ON THE AIRSPACE VIOLATIONS BY
TURKISH AIRCRAFT
Cyprus' permanent representative in the United Nations, Sotos
Zakheos protested against the recent violations of the Cypriot
airspace by Turkish jets with a letter addressed to UN secretary-
general Kofi Annan.
In his letter, Mr. Zakheos stresses that several provocative
actions have been made on behalf of the Turkish side in spite of
the July 12 appeal made by the UN to both sides to lower the tones
during the talks on Cyprus.
[10] ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE INVASION OF CYPRUS, SAE'S PRESIDENT
URGES PRESIDENT CLINTON TO AID NEGOTIATIONS PERSONALLY
Andrew A. Athens, World President of the Council of Hellenes
Abroad (SAE) today dispatched a message to President Clinton
reminding him that we have reached the 26th anniversary of the
invasion of Cyprus by Turkey and of the urgent need for
substantive, productive negotiations that will lead to a speedy
and just settlement of the conflict caused by the continuing
occupation of the island nation.
"The grim anniversary of the invasion and occupation of
Cyprus by the armed forces of Turkey will soon dawn, again, for
the 26th time," Mr. Athens wrote referring to the anniversary,
July 20.
"Despite worldwide condemnation of Turkey and unanimous
international rejection of the pseudo-state supported by Turkish
arms on the occupied part of the island, the aggressor refuses to
hold substantive negotiations.
"Mr. President, as you have repeatedly stated, as recently as
two months ago, the end result of the negotiations determining the
future of the island nation, must be a bi-communal, united Cyprus.
SAE and the entire Hellenic American community -- indeed, Hellenes
everywhere -- urge you to personally become involved in the
negotiations on Cyprus and use the benefit of your experience and
the full weight of your office to guide the talks to a just
settlement in line with your stated commitment.
"We applaud you for your decisive involvement in the Israeli-
Palestinian negotiations. If a long-lasting peace is achieved in
that part of the world, it would certainly happen because of your
patient involvement in the process.
"It is the hope of all Americans of Hellenic heritage that you
will personally step into the negotiations on the conflict that
has lasted a quarter of a century and bring about an end to human
suffering, to human rights violations and to the deprivations
caused by the Turkish occupation.
"We recognize that it will not be easy. But as we all know,
history is made by the great men who struggle against great odds.
We will always remember those who wage war, but we will remember
with gratitude those who make peace possible."
[11] SAE WORLD PRESIDENT ANDREW A. ATHENS LAUNCHES HIGH LEVEL
MEETINGS IN ATHENS, THESSALONIKI
Council of Hellenes Abroad World President Andrew A. Athens
will meet with local government officials and officials of the
Greek government during a two-week visit beginning July 24 in
order to review progress of SAE's projects in the first six months
of the year.
Mr. Athens will kick off his visit Monday, July 24, with the
inauguration ceremonies for the Olympic Games "Ekheheria"
organization sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in
Athens. He will then hold meetings with the Mayor of Thessaloniki,
the Prefect of Thessaloniki, and the Minister of Macedonia Thrace,
and will also visit the new headquarters of SAE in Thessaloniki.
Finally, he will meet in Athens with various ministers, government
officials and members of the Parliament involved in SAE's work.
"My visit has two purposes," Mr. Athens said. "First, I will
update all the interested ministries and agencies about the very
active six months completed by SAE, and I will also seek continued
cooperation for SAE's programs in Hellenic communities around the
world.
"Our activities have focused on ethnic issues, such as
meetings with American officials at the very highest level on
Cyprus talks and the report on terrorism, and on the philanthropic
work of the Medical Care Initiative in the republics of the former
Soviet Union and Albania."
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