Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2000-10-03
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, October 3, 2000
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] "SAMINA" CAPTAIN FINISHES TESTIFYING
[02] REVEALING VIDEO OF SHIPWRECK TAKEN BY DIVERS
[03] EC FINES GREECE FOR EXCEEDING MILK PRODUCTION QUOTA
[04] GREEK AND TURKISH DEFENSE MINISTERS MEET TODAY
[05] ARAB AMBASSADORS WANT GREEK INTERVENTION IN M. EAST
[06] GREECE WELCOMES ITS OLYMPIC ATHLETES HOME
[07] GREEK ATHLETES DEDICATE MEDALS TO SHIPWRECK VICTIMS
[08] FLORIDES: OUR RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE 2004 OLYMPICS IS GREAT
[09] SIMITIS TO OLYMPIC MEDALLISTS: YOU HAVE MADE GREECE PROUD
[10] 170 BILLION DRACHMAS TO GREECE BY THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION FOR
CULTURAL PROJECTS
[11] CONFLICTING TESTIMONIES BY THE "SAMINA" CAPTAIN AND SHIP'S
MATE
[12] APOSTOLAKIS: DEFENSE CREATES NEW SECTORS OF INVESTMENT
[13] THERE WAS NO TELEPHONE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SIMITIS AND
CLINTON
[14] REPPAS ON THE CYPRUS ISSUE
[15] LOSSES OF 2.42% IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
[16] THE MERCHANT MARINE CAPTAINS' ASSOCIATION CALLS FOR A
THOROUGH INVESTIGATION
[17] 2004 MUST BE DECLARED YEAR OF SPORTS FOR EUROPE
[18] TSOCHATZOPOULOS AND CAKMAKOGLU DISCUSSED GREEK-TURKISH ISSUES
[19] SIMITIS-PAPANDREOU MEETING ON THE MIDDLE EAST AND YUGOSLAVIA
[20] THE "SAMINA" CAPTAIN AND SHIP'S MATE WERE DETAINED AWAITING
TRIAL
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] "SAMINA" CAPTAIN FINISHES TESTIFYING
The captain of the shipwrecked "Express Samina" has finished
testifying before a court in Syros and the testimony of ship
deputy, Tasos Psychogios began yesterday evening.
The ship deputy's testimony is expected to be lengthy, as he
was on the "Samina" deck at the time of the collision. The cadet
and the sailor are also due to testify today.
The law states that all testimonies must be completed by
midnight on Thursday, in order for authorities to decide whether
or not the accused should be held temporarily.
[02] REVEALING VIDEO OF SHIPWRECK TAKEN BY DIVERS
A video taken in the shipwrecked "Express Samina" by divers,
with the aim of helping specialists determine what caused the
tragedy, has provided valuable information concerning the state of
the ship.
The diver's video is said to provide key information to
shedding light on the incident, as it will facilitate the
investigation of various elements of the ship's structure and
emergency life-saving measures.
Meanwhile, the president of the Piraeus Steel Syndicate,
Iordanis Pountides, revealed that the work carried out on the
vessel, at a cost of 1.4 billion drachmas, was mainly in
refurbishing and equipping the cabins and other passenger
comforts, whereas "only maintenance and repair works were carried
out on the machinery".
According to reports, only 4-5% of the aforementioned cost
was spent on safety systems and the ship's machinery, whereas 70%
of the money was used to refurbish the accomodation and passenger
services offered on board the ship.
[03] EC FINES GREECE FOR EXCEEDING MILK PRODUCTION QUOTA
The European Commission has imposed fine on 12 country-
members, including Greece, for exceeding their national milk
production quota in 1999-2000.
The fine imposed on Greece by the EC reaches 4.44 billion
drachmas. Germany has received the largest fine of 21 billion
drachmas, with Italy following behind (16.5 billion drachmas).
[04] GREEK AND TURKISH DEFENSE MINISTERS MEET TODAY
Greek minister of Defense Akis Tsochatsopoulos will meet
today with his Turkish counterpart Sabachdin Tsakmakoglou, on the
sidelines of the defense exhibition Defendory 2000.
The Turkish Defense minister arrived in Athens yesterday and
visited the Acropolis, accompanied by the Turkish ambassador to
Athens.
[05] ARAB AMBASSADORS WANT GREEK INTERVENTION IN M. EAST
Arab ambassadors in Athens have asked the Greek government to
intervene in the new crisis to recently break out in the Middle
East. A committee of the Arab Ambassadors Council will meet with
Greek Foreign minister George Papandreou today, to inform him of
the situation and to ask for Greek intervention, as a member of
the European Union.
[06] GREECE WELCOMES ITS OLYMPIC ATHLETES HOME
Greece welcomed back its 39 Olympic athletes in a simple
ceremony at Athens airport today. The athletes, who have made the
country proud, brought 13 medals back from Sydney, a record number
for Greece, since the first Olympic Games of Athens in 1896.
The Olympic Airways aircraft landed in Athens at 10.20am and
Kostas Kenderis, Pyrros Dimas, Kakis Kakiasvilis and Michalis
Mouroutsos led the way, carrying the Olympic flag.
They were met by the applause of the crowd that gathered at the
airport and the Greek national anthem. The athletes were
officially welcomed by the Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis,
who shook hands with all the Olympic champions and with the
unlucky Tae Kwon Do athlete Alexandros Nikolaides, who broke his
leg during the Games.
In a message to the Olympic athletes, Mr Simitis declared
that Greece aims to hold the best Olympic Games in 2004 and
congratulated the athletes for their success in Sydney, whilst
also stressing that the country has not stopped grieving for the
victims of last week's tragic shipwreck.
[07] GREEK ATHLETES DEDICATE MEDALS TO SHIPWRECK VICTIMS
"We carried the sun and sky of our country in our hearts and
proved the true ability of our nation's athletes in Sydney", said
gold weightlifting Olympic champion Pyrros Dimas, upon arriving
home with fellow athletes, after a 22 hour plane journey from
Sydney. Dimas spoke on behalf of all Greek athletes and mentioned
that the 13 Olympic champions have dedicated the medals they won
in Sydney to the memory of the victims so tragically lost in last
week's shipwreck.
"I am honoured to represent my fellow athletes and I would
like to assure you on their behalf that we all gave our best
during these Olympics. We believed in our abilities, we kept
Greece close to our hearts and fought for something good and true.
With your help, we promise to be better and stronger in the Athens
2004 Games. We will now start training for the best Olympic Games
in modern history", Dimas said.
He also went on to say that "we have lived the tragedy of the
shipwreck and have felt the pain of our people. I would like to
dedicate the 13 Olympic medals, on behalf of all the Greek
athletes, to the victims of the tragedy".
[08] FLORIDES: OUR RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE 2004 OLYMPICS IS GREAT
The trip to Sydney made by Greek Sports undersecretary George
Florides was crowned with success as the 13 medals gained by Greek
athletes in the 27th Olympic Games proved to be a satisfactory
reward for the great effort made by the athletic leadership of the
country.
"We won 13 medals and this is the best thing that Greece
could bring back from the Olympic Games. Our country has many
successful athletes and I would like to congratulate those who
gave their best", Mr Florides said, adding that " all our athletes
worked hard and got the results they wanted. We must succeed in
2004 as the responsibility for the next Olympic Games is great. We
will support our athletes in their attempts to climb even higher
in the next Games".
The Sports undersecretary also commented on the presence of
the Greek team in Sydney. "Our presence in Sydney was exemplary
and the moments we had there were unique. My first experience of
the Olympic Games was excellent. Greek athletes have learned how
to win and we are all very satisfied with this".
[09] SIMITIS TO OLYMPIC MEDALLISTS: YOU HAVE MADE GREECE PROUD
Prime minister Kostas Simitis welcomed the Greek Olympic
medallists at the Athens Airport and in his speech stressed that
with their successes in Sydney they have made Greece proud at a
very difficult time for the country after the sea tragedy that
cost tens of lives. Mr. Simitis also promised that the Olympic
Games in Athens will promote friendship, brotherhood, free
communication and humanism.
He said that in the 15 days of the Olympic Games in Sydney
Greece's heart was beating in Australia and every Greek was
experiencing the athletes' efforts and the elation of their
successes.
The prime minister said that they promoted the new Greece,
the one that is characterized by optimism and self-confidence. He
said that now Greece is called to prepare and host the 2004
Olympic Games in Athens and an emphasis will be given to the sense
of moderation and good taste showing that we are not interested in
the human machine athletes. He said that the Athens Olympic Games
will promote man, values and ideals. He said that in 2004 Greece
can show that a small country is in a position to organize a big
event successfully.
[10] 170 BILLION DRACHMAS TO GREECE BY THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION FOR
CULTURAL PROJECTS
Greece will receive about 170 billion drachmas by the
European Commission for the construction of cultural projects in
the period 2000-2006 according to European Commissioner Viviane
Reding responsible for issues of education and culture.
The European Commissioner stressed yesterday that there will
be no Museum of Europe that will not take under consideration
Greece's contribution in the European culture, while at the same
time, she clarified that the European Commission has nothing to do
with its creation. The statements were made during the screening
of Giorgos Zervas' film "I like hearts like yours-Markos
Vamvakaris" in the Megaron Music Hall in Athens yesterday.
[11] CONFLICTING TESTIMONIES BY THE "SAMINA" CAPTAIN AND SHIP'S
MATE
"Samina" ship's mate Tasos Psychogios completed his testimony
today and according to information, it was different from the
testimony of captain Vasilis Yiannakis regarding the time at which
the captain was informed of the imminent collision.
The ship's mate maintains that he informed the captain 3
miles before reaching the rocky islet, while captain Yiannakis
maintains that this took place just a mile away from the scene of
the tragedy.
Psychogios maintains that he was among the last to abandon
the ship and helped in the rescue of passengers, while rumors say
that the captain had left the ship much earlier.
[12] APOSTOLAKIS: DEFENSE CREATES NEW SECTORS OF INVESTMENT
Undersecretary of defense Dimitris Apostolakis, speaking in
the 2nd International Conference of the Greek War Material
Manufacturers' Association, referred to the development nature of
the defense industry which can promote new production fields.
Specifically, the undersecretary of defense referred to the
gains from the 1996-2000 armaments programs and pointed out that
136 armaments programs' contracts, estimated at 840 billion
drachmas, were signed in the specific period of time.
The specific contracts concern construction projects,
transfer of know-how, technical support and personnel training as
well as, armaments supplies and services to the armed forces.
[13] THERE WAS NO TELEPHONE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SIMITIS AND
CLINTON
Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas stated that there
was no telephone communication between US president Bill Clinton
and Greek prime minister Kostas Simitis, while Greek foreign
minister Giorgos Papandreou had a number of telephone contacts
with US secretary of state Madeleine Albright.
Referring to the initiative undertaken by Mr. Papandreou and
his Russian counterpart Igor Ivanov aimed at reaching a solution
on Yugoslavia, he stated that it is positive and can offer a way
out of the situation.
[14] REPPAS ON THE CYPRUS ISSUE
The European Union Summit meeting decisions in Helsinki are
in effect and the solution of the Cyprus problem is not a
precondition for Cyprus' accession into the European Union, stated
Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas.
At the same time, he underlined that development minister
Nikos Christodoulakis made no such correlation during his visit to
Cyprus on the occasion of its independence anniversary.
[15] LOSSES OF 2.42% IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
Significant losses of 2.42% were recorded in the Athens Stock
Exchange today and the general index was at 4.079,77 points, while
the volume of transactions was disappointing at 58.8 billion
drachmas.
Market circles attribute today's losses to the bad
psychological state of the investors and the absence of foreign
investors.
Of the stocks trading today, just 24 recorded gains, compared
to 330 that had losses and 18 which remained unchanged.
[16] THE MERCHANT MARINE CAPTAINS' ASSOCIATION CALLS FOR A
THOROUGH INVESTIGATION
The representatives of the Merchant Marine Captains'
Association in a press conference they gave in Athens today called
for a thorough investigation on the causes of the "Samina" tragedy
stressing that the ship's crew members should not become
scapegoats.
Association president Evangelos Kouzilos stated that the
Greek captains do not deny their responsibilities, whenever they
exist, but he hinted that the shipping company and the ministry of
merchant marine as well as other state agencies also have their
share of responsibilities. He said that the Greek captains have
faith in the Greek justice and added that it should be left
undistracted to complete its investigation away from economic and
political interests.
He also pointed out that the Greek captains face very adverse
weather conditions while carrying people to non existent ports.
It should be noted that all the Greek captains have submitted
their resignations and authorized the Merchant Marine Captains'
Association to make all necessary moves if no change is made in
the safety standards on behalf of the shipping companies as well
as in terms of services offered on behalf of the merchant marine
ministry.
[17] 2004 MUST BE DECLARED YEAR OF SPORTS FOR EUROPE
European Commissioner Viviane Reding, responsible for
education and culture issues suggested that the year 2004 must be
declared year of sports for Europe. The proposal was made in a
meeting she had yesterday with Greek culture minister Theodoros
Pangalos.
Mr. Pangalos stated that the proposal honors Greece underlining
that this fact will give a special significance to the 2004
Olympic Games.
Ms. Reding also expressed the idea to give a European character to
the Olympic torch-race stressing that the Olympic Flame could pass
through every European country allowing every European citizen to
feel that they are part of a united Europe.
[18] TSOCHATZOPOULOS AND CAKMAKOGLU DISCUSSED GREEK-TURKISH ISSUES
Greek minister of defense Akis Tsochatzopoulos met in Athens
at noon today with his Turkish counterpart Sabahadin Cakmakoglu
within the framework of the defense materials exhibition
"Defendory 2000". The meeting of the two ministers focused on the
Greek-Turkish relations and examined ways to ease the tension
between the two countries within the framework of the confidence-
building-measures.
Mr. Tsochatzopoulos underlined that a fair solution in
Cyprus, in accordance with the international law, is a basic
precondition for security in bilateral relations. He also said
that part of the armaments credits in Greece and Turkey can be
allocated at this time to cover other needs of the two peoples.
The Turkish minister of defense expressed his condolences for
the victims of the sea tragedy near the island of Paros and
stressed that the good climate in the Greek-Turkish relations must
be used for the solution of the differences between the two
countries.
[19] SIMITIS-PAPANDREOU MEETING ON THE MIDDLE EAST AND YUGOSLAVIA
The meeting prime minister Kostas Simitis had in Athens today
with foreign minister Giorgos Papandreou focused on the
developments in Yugoslavia and the Middle East.
It should be noted that the Arab ambassadors to Athens have
requested the Greek government's intervention for the easing of
the tension in the Middle East.
In statements he made after the meeting, foreign minister
Papandreou stressed that the Greek government follows the
situation closely and added that Greece has played a significant
role in the efforts for democratic developments in Yugoslavia. He
said that "we want to see Yugoslavia in the European family, we
want to see it cooperate within the Balkan framework and we do
everything possible to have democratic developments in
Yugoslavia", stressed Mr. Papandreou.
[20] THE "SAMINA" CAPTAIN AND SHIP'S MATE WERE DETAINED AWAITING
TRIAL
"Samina" captain Vasilis Yiannakis and ship's mate Tasos
Psychogios were detained awaiting trial at the joint decision of
the examining magistrate and prosecutor on the island of Siros who
have jurisdiction over the island of Paros where the tragic
accident took place. Earlier, Yiannakis and Psychogios had
completed their testimonies before the responsible authorities.
The two will remain at the Siros Port Authority facilities
for a few days and as soon as the pre-trial investigation
procedure is completed they will be transferred to the prisons on
the island of Chios.
Next in line to give an account of what happened on the night
of the tragic accident was helmsman Kasdaglis followed by trainee
captain Patilas.
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