Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2000-10-02
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, October 2, 2000
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
TITLES
[01] "SAMINA" DEATH TOLL RISES AGAIN TO 79
[02] INVESTIGATION UNDER WAY FOR "ZEUS III" SHIPWRECK
[03] TESTIMONIES BY THE "SAMINA" CREW CONTINUE TODAY
[04] STRIKES GO ON AS FUEL CRISIS DEEPENS
[05] US-GREEK RELATIONS CELEBRATED IN ATHENS THIS WEEK
[06] SIMPLE CEREMONY TO WELCOME ATHLETES BACK TOMORROW
[07] KARAMANLIS CONGRATULATES OLYMPIC ATHLETES
[08] MEETING TO BE HELD WEDNESDAY ON CYPRUS ISSUE
[09] 39 OLYMPIC ATHLETES WILL RETURN TO GREECE
[10] EU DEMANDS "SAMINA" DETAILS
[11] 55 PASSENGER SHIPS HAVE BEEN CONFINED TO PORT
[12] PRIME MINISTER SIMITIS IS DETERMINED TO SHED LIGHT ON THE
MERCHANT MARINE ISSUE
[13] THE PRIVATIZATION OF THE STATE-RUN ELECTRICITY COMPANY WILL
TAKE PLACE IN 2001
[14] GAINS OF 0.05% IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
[15] JOINT TEXT ON YUGOSLAVIA BY PAPANDREOU, IVANOV AND VEDRINE
[16] REPPAS ON THE TANK-TRUCK OWNERS' STRIKE
[17] PRESS CONFERENCE BY THE GREEK SAILORS' ASSOCIATION
[18] THE GREEK FISHERMEN ARE ON A STRIKE
[19] REPPAS ON THE "SAMINA" TRAGEDY
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[20] CYPRUS CELEBRATED INDEPENDENCE YESTERDAY
[21] GREECE IS THE BIGGEST FOREIGN INVESTOR IN BULGARIA
[22] PAPOUTSIS ADDRESSED THE COUNCIL OF THE EU MERCHANT MARINE
MINISTERS
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] "SAMINA" DEATH TOLL RISES AGAIN TO 79
Three more bodies, that of two women and a man, were
discovered yesterday by divers still searching the site of the
"Samina" shipwreck, taking the death toll to 79.
Divers taking part in the search said that they have
encountered difficulties in entering the ship's garage. Special
vessels have begun pumping petrol from the reserves on board the
ship to reduce potential sea pollution.
Meanwhile, the captain, his deputy and the seaman on duty
aboard the ship testified in front of a court on the island of
Syros yesterday, against charges of homicide and of causing a
shipwreck, as well as of abandoning a ship in danger. According to
information, the accused have thrown responsibility for the
tragedy on the officer who was on duty at the time of the
accident, accusing him of negligence.
[02] INVESTIGATION UNDER WAY FOR "ZEUS III" SHIPWRECK
A preliminary investigation is under way to establish the
reasons for which the "Zeus III" ship sank a mile and a half away
from the port of Naxos. The ship crashed into a reef that is
marked on sea maps, before sinking a few minutes later.
The island's port authorities have also asked that the
captain of the ship, Ioannis Viliotis, be tested for alcohol
consumption and that the conditions of the ship be examined,
together with its naval documents. A post-mortem will also be
carried out on the body of the unfortunate victim Ide Richard.
[03] TESTIMONIES BY THE "SAMINA" CREW CONTINUE TODAY
The Public Prosecutor of Syros, Dimitris Dadinopoulos has
proceeded with the criminal prosecution of the company who owned
the shipwrecked "Samina", accusing it of placing the ship's
passengers in danger.
According to reports, the former Greek Shipping minister,
Stavros Soumakis and the managing director of the shipping company
in question, Mr Sfinias will be called to testify before
prosecutors.
The ship's captain Vasilis Yiannakis will testify later on
today for a second time, as he did not have time to complete his
plea during yesterday's hearing. It has become apparent that his
testimony differs significantly from that made by his deputy.
The main difference in the two testimonies is in the time the
captain had to react, just before the collision; the deputy claims
that he informed the captain fifteen minutes before tragedy
struck, whereas the captain, the sailor and the trainee captain
maintain that they were informed only 3-5 minutes before the
collision.
[04] STRIKES GO ON AS FUEL CRISIS DEEPENS
The fuel crisis in Greece has deepened as private trucks and
fuel tankers continue with their strikes, leading to significant
shortages not only in fuel but also in products.
Several prefectures in the country have closed 90% of their
petrol stations and Greek Finance minister Mr Papantoniou is
expected to discuss the issue in a press interview today. In a
meeting he had with Greek Development minister Nikos
Christodoulakis, and private truck owners, he promised that the
government would examine the possibility of reducing circulation
taxes, however he ruled out the possibility of reducing fuel
taxes. He suggested that the price of petrol would be reduced by
ten drachmas a litre from this week on, due to the drop in prices
on an international scale.
[05] US-GREEK RELATIONS CELEBRATED IN ATHENS THIS WEEK
A celebration of US- Greek relations will be held by the US
Embassy in Athens, from Wednesday, October 11th to Friday October
13th.
The events will begin with a rededication ceremony of the
American Philhellenes Obelisk, followed by a reception at Athens
City Hall hosted by the capital's mayor, Mr Avramopoulos. This
little known monument, given to the city of Athens by the American
Legion and erected in 1930, honors the Americans who fought for
Greek independence in the 1820's. The monument and its grounds
fell into disrepair and were recently renovated and re-landscaped
by the Municipality of Athens.
The George C. Marshall statue, created by renowned Greek
sculptor Theodoros Papayiannis and donated by the American
Hellenic Educational and Progressive Association (AHEPA), will be
unveiled on Thursday October 12th, on the chancery's front lawn,
in honour of the strength and endurance of US-Greek relations. The
exhibit of the history of US-Greek relations, portraying a
chronicle of the history of the United States relationship with
Greece, will be inaugurated on the same day.
A conference will be held by the Center for Democracy and the
Western Policy Center, on the Future of the US-Greece
Relationship, at the Divani Caravel Hotel. Representatives of both
the United States and Greek governments will participate in the
conference, as will a number of prominent experts on the bilateral
relationship. The week's activities will end with a reception at
the close of the conference.
[06] SIMPLE CEREMONY TO WELCOME ATHLETES BACK TOMORROW
Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis, together with members of
his government, will welcome the country's athletes back from
Sydney tomorrow morning, in a simple and private ceremony due to
be held at Athens airport.
Citizens and fans of the athletes will not be able to welcome
them back, out of respect for the victims of the Paros shipwreck.
The athletes will also bring the Olympic flag back to Athens,
after 104 years, since the last Olympic Games that were held in
the Greek capital, in 1896. The Prime Minister will address the
athletes and a response on behalf of the athletes will be made by
gold weightlifting champion Pyrros Dimas.
[07] KARAMANLIS CONGRATULATES OLYMPIC ATHLETES
The leader of the Greek New Democracy party, Costas
Karamanlis, warmly congratulated the Olympic champions for their
performance in the Sydney Olympic Games.
"All Greek athletes who took part in the Games deserve to be
congratulated", Mr Karamanlis said. He also expressed the hope
that the country will celebrate even more successes during the
2004 Olympics and underlined the need for combined national
efforts in the organisation of the Games.
"I am sure that Greece will rise to this challenge and will
fulfill the national vision: The return of the Olympic Games to
their birthplace".
[08] MEETING TO BE HELD WEDNESDAY ON CYPRUS ISSUE
The "Political Association for Democracy and Homeland" will
hold a meeting at the Wartime Museum in Athens on Wednesday, in
honour of the anniversary celebrating the independence of Cyprus.
Pasok minister Stelios Papathemelis will open the meeting
with a speech. Also due to speak at the event are Vlasis Agtsides,
Neoklis Sarris, Themos Stoforopoulos, Christodoulos Yiallourides
and Liana Kanelli amongst others.
[09] 39 OLYMPIC ATHLETES WILL RETURN TO GREECE
Greece won 13 medals in the 27th Olympic Games, this year
held in Sydney and several more athletes achieved significant
performances, managing to carve out a place in the top eight
rankings of their race. The country will welcome back 39 Olympic
athletes tomorrow.
Amongst the high achievers this year were sprint cyclists,
Lambros Vasilopoulos, Dimitris Georgalis and Kleanthis Barkas, who
came fourth in their race, as did Kostas Thanou in the 97 kilo
wrestling category.
In fifth place were Stella Tsikouna in discus-throwing, Areti
Athanasopoulou in the Tae Kwon-Do 57k category, Aftandil
Ksanthopoulos in the 97k free wrestling category and Tigran
Ouzlian in the 60k boxing race.
Nikos Kaklamanakis came sixth in windsurfing, in the same
ranking were Valerios Leonides in weightlifting, Heidi
Andikatzides in horse riding, Dimitris Georgalis in cycling and
Kostas Gatsioudes in javelin throwing.
Following these athletes in seventh place wre Morfoula Dona
in synchronised gymnastics, Christos Spyrou in weightlifting, Popi
Ouzouni in shot put, Olga Vasdeki in athletics and Ioannis
Melisanides in gymnastics.
Finally, Olympic champions are those who go through to the
finals of their categories and managed to reach eighth place, thus
including Kosmatopoulos and Trigoni in windsurfing and Polimerou
and Milioti in rowing.
[10] EU DEMANDS "SAMINA" DETAILS
The European Union has asked that certain details concerning
the Samina tragedy be clarified. Furthermore, it has demanded that
the Greek government provide the naval documents that the ship
should have had, the results of its most recent control check and
the exact list of passengers.
[11] 55 PASSENGER SHIPS HAVE BEEN CONFINED TO PORT
Fifty five passenger ships have been confined to port after a
decision by the Greek ministry of merchant marine as they did not
observe the necessary safety standards.
According to the announcement by the ministry of merchant
marine, the ships that have complied with the fire safety
standards are "Dionisios Solomos", "Ionis", "Kefalonia",
"Protephs" and "Express Skopelitis".
As it was made known in the island of Crete, the Minoan Lines
and ANEK Lines each will put on a ship that will make two runs
daily in order to replace the ships that have been withdrawn after
the merchant marine ministry decision.
[12] PRIME MINISTER SIMITIS IS DETERMINED TO SHED LIGHT ON THE
MERCHANT MARINE ISSUE
Prime minister Kostas Simitis is determined to clear up the
situation in the merchant marine issue by reaching a number of
decisions in Thursday's cabinet meeting.
Mr. Simitis' associates stated that he will clear up the
situation during the week and he will contradict all those who
believe that the governing socialist party of PASOK had a
preferential status relation with the shipping company to which
the doomed "Samina" belonged.
According to Mr. Simitis' statements to his associates, light
must be shed on the issue and those responsible must pay
regardless of who they are.
[13] THE PRIVATIZATION OF THE STATE-RUN ELECTRICITY COMPANY WILL
TAKE PLACE IN 2001
The turbulence observed in the fuel prices and the negative
situation in the domestic fuel market resulted to the shrinking of
the state-run Electricity Company profits causing the postponement
of its privatization until 2001.
The increased energy production cost for the company's oil
dependent plants is expected to put a burden of 50-55 billion
drachmas on the company's economic figures.
From their side, the company employees react strongly to the
likelihood for the company to lose its state-run character in case
the state participation is under 51%.
[14] GAINS OF 0.05% IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
Gains of 0.05% were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange
today and the general index was at 4.180,91 points, while the
volume of transactions was small at 68.1 billion drachmas.
Of the stocks trading today 199 recorded loses, 136 had gains
and just 37 remained unchanged.
[15] JOINT TEXT ON YUGOSLAVIA BY PAPANDREOU, IVANOV AND VEDRINE
Greece, Russia and France are expected to adopt a joint text
on Yugoslavia which will mention that the three countries are
ready to send observers to verify the results of the first round
of voting in the Yugoslav presidential elections.
The three foreign ministers, Greece's Giorgos Papandreou,
Russia's Igor Ivanov and France's Hybert Vedrine are in constant
telephone communication in order to agree on a draft text after a
request made by opposition presidential candidate Kostunica who
calls for specialists to verify the evidence at the disposal of
the two sides.
The three countries consider all possible ways for the
adoption of the text and state willing to send observers under the
precondition that the Belgrade government will give its approval.
It should be noted that until now there has been no formal
response by the Yugoslav government on the opposition demand.
[16] REPPAS ON THE TANK-TRUCK OWNERS' STRIKE
Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas left open the
likelihood to requisition the services of the tank-truck owners
and drivers to put an end to their strike. Mr. Reppas stated that
the government will take all the necessary initiatives for the
smooth operation of the market.
The Greek government spokesman characterized as unjustified
the strike decided by the tank-truck owners and stated that many
of their demands have already been met by the government.
[17] PRESS CONFERENCE BY THE GREEK SAILORS' ASSOCIATION
Greek Sailors' Association president Giorgos Dalakogiorgos in
a press conference he gave in Athens today stated that all those
directly or indirectly responsible for the "Samina" shipwreck must
be brought to justice.
He accused merchant marine ministry officials of illegal
transactions with the shipping company Minoan Flying Dolphins
regarding the inspections made on the tragic ship to determine if
it meets the necessary safety standards and stated that they
should also be brought to justice apart from the ship's captain,
the ship's mate and the sailors. He also spoke of a Minoan Flying
Dolphins monopoly which in the past two years became a giant under
the government's protection.
In the press conference were present low ranking "Samina"
crew members who gave their own testimony of the tragic accident
and stated that they have not been called yet to give a formal
deposition.
[18] THE GREEK FISHERMEN ARE ON A STRIKE
The Greek fishermen launched a strike today protesting
against the oil price increases. According to a decision reached
by their union, the fishing boats will be immobilized and the
fishermen will block the country's fish-piers indefinitely.
The protesters demand fuel subsidies and tax reductions in
order to cut the production cost.
[19] REPPAS ON THE "SAMINA" TRAGEDY
Some people underestimate the intelligence of the Greek
people and speculate on a tragedy taking advantage of it beyond
any political ideology, stated Greek government spokesman Dimitris
Reppas commenting on the "Samina" shipwreck and reiterated that
the Greek government wants to shed light on the tragedy and bring
those responsible to justice as soon as possible.
Responding to the question if merchant marine minister
Christos Papoutsis will resign he said that he had no involvement
in the tragedy. Also, called to comment on the statement made by
culture minister Theodoros Pangalos that the ministry of merchant
marine must be abolished he said that the specific ministry is
very important for Greece.
On the press publications on alleged corruption scandal in
which former merchant marine minister Mr. Soumakis and the
shipping company Minoan Flying Dolphins are involved, the Greek
government spokesman characterized them as unacceptable and
inconceivable speaking of ulterior motives.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[20] CYPRUS CELEBRATED INDEPENDENCE YESTERDAY
The Russian TOR M1 weapon given to Cyprus by Greece was
presented yesterday as part of a military parade held in Nicosia
to celebrate the 40th anniversary of independence in Cyprus.
Greek Development minister Nikos Christodoulakis and the Defense
undersecretary D. Apostolakis represented the Greek government at
the ceremony.
Also present were Greek opposition leader and head of the New
Democracy party Costas Karamanlis, who also had meetings with
Cypriot leader Glafkos Clerides, during which he said that Cyprus
should not sacrifice itself for Greek-Turkish friendship. By
making this statement, Mr Karamanlis supported concerns voiced
over recent developments in the Cyprus issue, following the fourth
round of negotiations.
Mr Clerides avoided making comments on the statements made by
the ND leader. In a message directed at the Cypriot nation, he
expressed warm thanks to the Greek government for its help,
stressing that Greece is his country's main strategic ally.
[21] GREECE IS THE BIGGEST FOREIGN INVESTOR IN BULGARIA
The direct investments in Bulgaria were US$ 348 million until
July 31, 2000, according to data provided by the country's Central
Bank.
Compared to the same period last year there has been an
increase of US$ 40.9 million or 13.3%.
Greece topped the list of foreign investors in the first half
of the year, as its investments correspond to 24% of the overall
foreign investments in the country, especially after the buyout of
90% of the United Bulgarian Bank by the National Bank of Greece.
The second place in the foreign investors' list is occupied by
Italy with 9% of the foreign investments in Bulgaria.
[22] PAPOUTSIS ADDRESSED THE COUNCIL OF THE EU MERCHANT MARINE
MINISTERS
Greek merchant marine minister Christos Papoutsis, addressing
the council of EU merchant marine ministers taking pace in
Luxembourg, referred to the safety of the Greek passenger ships
and the implementation of the EU directives in the merchant marine
sector. Mr. Papoutsis gave a specific response to the letter
addressed to the Greek government by European Commission general
director on transportation, Mr. Lamouret who had pointed out
significant problems in the observance of safety regulations by
the Greek ships.
The Greek minister referred to the tragic shipwreck of
"Samina" expressing the government's will to shed light on the
causes of the tragedy. In his reply letter Mr. Papoutsis
underlined the safety of the Greek passenger ships and to what
degree the community legislation is being implemented. He also
pointed out that "Samina" had a safety certificate issued on July
20, 2000 in compliance with the 9818 EU directive, adding that
this certificate was issued after inspections made by the
responsible ministry agency.
Addressing his counterparts he suggested that the age limit
of all European ships must be under the 35year limit, like in
Greece, and called for the enactment of stricter preconditions for
the withdrawal of ships. He reiterated that the Greek shipping
sector will quickly proceed with its liberalization namely, two
years earlier than scheduled, while the age limit for the ships
will remain at 35 years.
In a letter sent to European Commissioner Loyola Del Palacio,
responsible for energy and transportation characterized as
unacceptable the tone, the context and the procedure used by the
European Commission general director of transportation to inform
the Greek government of his views regarding the safety standards
on the Greek ships. Ms. Del Palacio apologized and responded that
she will also express her position to the Greek government in
writing.
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