Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2000-10-17
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, October 17, 2000
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
TITLES
[01] ONASSION FOUNDATION SUBSIDIARY TO OPEN IN NY
[02] ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH IN ATHENS TOMORROW
[03] GERMAN AMBASSADOR IN PAROS TO OFFER THANKS
[04] NATO EXERCISE'S GREEK WARPLANES STILL GROUNDED
[05] GREEKS ARE AMONG WORLD'S MOST ARDENT LOVERS
[06] SHELLFISH STATION TO OPEN ON SUNDAY IN KAVALA
[07] GREEKS' LIVING CONDITIONS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED
[08] FEW GREEK FIRMS ON MIGA POLITICAL RISK INSURANCE
[09] ONE IN TEN GREEKS LIVES IN POVERTY, GROUP REPORTS
[10] INFLATION IN THE EURO-ZONE IS AT 2.8%
[11] TOURISM HAS DROPPED IN GREECE
[12] LOSSES OF 1.76% IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
[13] REPPAS COMMENTED ON GREECE'S PARTICIPATION IN THE NATO
EXERCISE IN TURKEY
[14] THE 2004 OLYMPIC GAMES ARE A NATIONAL AFFAIR
[15] COMMENTS BY REPPAS ON THE EUROSTAT REPORT
[16] REPPAS: THE HELSINKI DECISIONS MUST BE INCLUDED IN THE EU-
TURKEY RELATION TEXT
[17] THE OSCE CERTIFIES ELECTION VIOLATIONS IN HIMARA
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[18] ALBANIA: PERSISTENT CHARGES OF VIOLATIONS IN VOTE
[19] THE FOREIGN OBSERVERS CALL FOR AN INVESTIGATION ON THE
ELECTION IRREGULARITIES IN HIMARA
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] ONASSION FOUNDATION SUBSIDIARY TO OPEN IN NY
The Onassion Foundation will open a subsidiary center at
the Olympic Tower in Manhattan, New York, on October 24, whose
operation will be inaugurated with an exhibition of the Parthenon
sculptures' molds.
An exhibition of paintings by 20th century Greek artists
will also be hosted on the Foundation's premises and will be
carried out in cooperation with the National Gallery.
The executive director of the Onassion Foundation in New York
is Ambassador Loukas Tsilas.
[02] ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH IN ATHENS TOMORROW
Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos is to embark on a seven-day
private visit to Athens on October 18, where he will arrive by
private plane from Istanbul.
On Thursday, the Patriarch will inaugurate a patriarchal
representation office in Kolonaki, while in the evening of the
same day he will give a speech at Athens University's school of
theology.
During his stay, Mr. Vartholomeos will also visit the Athens
suburbs of Peristeri and Nea Smyrni, the cities of Patras and
Thebes, the town of Megara and the island of Salamis.
The Ecumenical Patriarch is arriving in Greece at a time when
the Church of Greece is locked in a dispute with the government
over whether religion should be mentioned on the state-issued
identity cards.
[03] GERMAN AMBASSADOR IN PAROS TO OFFER THANKS
German Ambassador Karl Heinz Kuhna is to visit the island of
Paros today, to personally thank the islanders and local
authorities for their efforts to save the 19 German tourists on
the Express Samina.
German firms are donating over eight million drachmas to the
island, to be spent mostly on medical equipment for the local
medical center.
[04] NATO EXERCISE'S GREEK WARPLANES STILL GROUNDED
Six Greek jet fighters F-16 participating in NATO's military
exercise "Destined Glory 2000" remain grounded due to the Turkish
demand not to include the airspace over the Aegean islands of
Limnos and Ikaria Consultations continue in Eski Sehir, Turkey.
Defense Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos has stated that the
Alliance must abide with what has been agreed upon, otherwise the
planes will remain grounded.
Greece temporarily ordered the six warplanes to withdraw from
the exercise last week after Ankara requested changes in pre-
determined flight corridors and the exclusion of two passing over
strategically placed Greek islands.
According to the Greek general staff, the flight corridors in
which NATO fighters were to operate during the exercise, had been
agreed upon during the planning stages of the exercise without any
objection.
[05] GREEKS ARE AMONG WORLD'S MOST ARDENT LOVERS
Greeks are apparently among the world's most active lovers,
having sexual contact once every three days on average, according
to a worldwide survey on sexual behavior.
Ranking fourth in terms of sexual contact frequency, Greeks
were topped only by the Americans, Russians and the French.
Moreover, at a time when the world average in sexual partners
is eight persons, Greeks boast a mean of 15 lovers, while only
the French can "up the ante" with an average of 16.
In regards to contraception, a whooping 90 percent of
sexually active Greeks claim to use some form of birth control,
with 64 of them preferring condoms.
[06] SHELLFISH STATION TO OPEN ON SUNDAY IN KAVALA
A shellfish station will be inaugurated on October 22, the
first of its kind in Greece, at the facilities of the Fishing
Research Institute in Kavala.
The station will be used for the scientific, technical and
research needs of the shellfish farming sector.
Currently, shellfish production is one of the most dynamic
fish farming sectors in Greece. Mussel-farming is one of northern
Greece's most important and rapidly developing activities of the
sector. The said station is expected to contribute to scientific
research related to shellfish farming and to provide assistance
and advice to shellfish farmers.
[07] GREEKS' LIVING CONDITIONS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED
Living conditions in Greece have improved significantly
during the past five years, with the monthly consumer expenses
having risen by 22 percent, and the rate of homeownership
continuing to be the highest among the European Union's member -
states - reaching the 97 percent mark in agrarian regions and
79.6% in rural areas.
According to a Europe-wide survey, one out of three Greeks
has a cell phone and one out of every two owns a car, albeit only
one out of twenty uses a parking garage. Only one out of every
eight Greeks has a personal computer. Moreover, while 97.6 percent
of households feature a color TV and 42.9% have a VCR, only 24.4
of them are equipped with a dishwasher.
Greeks continue to spend a large portion of their income on
food items and at restaurants, according to a survey conducted by
Family Budget Research between November 1998-October ‘99.
[08] FEW GREEK FIRMS ON MIGA POLITICAL RISK INSURANCE
A scant number of Greek firms have taken advantage of the
technical assistance in the form of political risk insurance, as
provided by the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)
concerning high-risk investments in the developing markets of the
Balkan and Black Sea regions.
More specifically, in the regions of Europe and Central Asia
MIGA acquired a mere three contracts from Greek firms, according
to the fiscal year report of June 30, 2000. MIGA has issued two
guarantees amounting to $2.7 million each in coverage to the
Commercial Bank of Greece for its equity investment in the
establishment of subsidiary branches in Armenia and Moldova.
Greece's TITAN cement company has also benefited from MIGA's
services in order to safeguard its investment in FYROM, where it
is involved in a joint venture with Cyprus's Balkcem, and
Switzerland's Holderbank.
[09] ONE IN TEN GREEKS LIVES IN POVERTY, GROUP REPORTS
One million Greeks, approximately ten percent of the
country's total population, live in persistent poverty, unable to
enjoy a minimum standard of living, according to the special-
interest group Greek Anti-Poverty Network.
According to the Network, which gave a press conference
yesterday in light of today's International Day for the
Eradication of Poverty, homeless people and street beggars have
become a common sight in large Greek cities.
Rising unemployment levels, particularly among women and
youth, was cited as the chief reason for people falling below the
poverty line. They said that women, youth and the elderly are most
vulnerable to poverty.
The Greek Anti-Poverty Network called on the government to
ensure that all its citizens have access to basic physical needs
such as food, housing and clothing. The solution, it said, does
not merely involve job creation but also protecting workers from
exploitation.
[10] INFLATION IN THE EURO-ZONE IS AT 2.8%
The sharp increase in the fuel prices led inflation to 2.8%
in the Euro-zone in the month of September, compared to 2.3% in
the previous month., according to a statement issued by the
European Union Statistics Agency, Eurostat.
In all EU member-states, consumer prices were increased by
2.5% in September, compared to the same month last year, while in
the month of August they were at 2%.
The energy sector was the one that ignited the inflation rise
in September compared to the previous year, while it must be noted
that if the specific sector could be excluded inflation in the
Euro-zone would have been at 1.6%.
[11] TOURISM HAS DROPPED IN GREECE
Tourism in Greece in 2000 was essentially at the same levels
with last year contradicting the scenarios on an increase of 8-
10%, according to data provided by the National Statistics Agency.
Specifically, the overnight stops in the month of August were
2.776.346 compared to 2.823.419 in the same period last year,
presenting a drop of 1.67% which means that tourism in Greece did
not stabilize but on the contrary it declined.
Also, the National Statistics Agency announced that the
tourist arrivals on chartered flights recorded in the country's
main airports in the month of August were 1.004.304, compared to
1.000.465 in the same month last year.
The figures on the overnight stops come from a sample
research conducted in 291 hotels across the country.
[12] LOSSES OF 1.76% IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
Losses of 1.76% were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange
today. The general index was at 3.724,26 points, while the volume
of transactions was small at 46,5 billion drachmas.
Of the stocks trading today the overwhelming majority of them
namely, 295 had losses, 57 recorded gains and 26 remained
unchanged.
[13] REPPAS COMMENTED ON GREECE'S PARTICIPATION IN THE NATO
EXERCISE IN TURKEY
Greece uses every way of consultation within the framework of
NATO aimed at promoting the Greek positions, stated Greek
government spokesman Dimitris Reppas, referring to the issue of
the participation of the Greek fighter jets in the NATO exercise
in Turkey.
Mr. Reppas pointed out that the withdrawal from an exercise
of that kind could create fait accompli that in the future could
take the form of problems.
[14] THE 2004 OLYMPIC GAMES ARE A NATIONAL AFFAIR
Greek prime minister Kostas Simitis, speaking in the
ministerial committee meeting in Athens today, stated that the
2004 Olympic Games are a national affair. Mr. Simitis stressed
that a new period has been launched after the Sydney Olympiad as
now the Games belong to Greece. He also pointed out that the
Olympic Games concern every Greek and they are beyond political
parties.
"Athens 2004" Organization president Ms. Yianna Angelopoulou
referred to the experience of the Greek delegation in Sydney.
Undersecretary of press Tilemachos Hitiris briefing the
reporters stated that no changes are needed in the way "Athens
2004" is organized, at least for the time being. Regarding the
village, where the journalists covering the Athens Olympics will
be staying, he said that there are some new proposals on the
exploitation of certain state-owned spaces and announced that the
issue will be closed in November.
The responsible ministers participating in the meeting also
referred to the course of the projects they have undertaken.
Minister of environment, land planning and public works Kostas
Laliotis stated that before the end of November he will announce
the dates on which the five Olympic projects undertaken by his
ministry will be ready and appeared certain that those projects
will be ready long before 2004.
[15] COMMENTS BY REPPAS ON THE EUROSTAT REPORT
The government makes great efforts in the sector of
unemployment, stated Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas.
Responding to a question by reporters on the Eurostat report based
on which, 2.150.000 Greeks live below the poverty line, Mr. Reppas
stressed that the efforts will continue aimed at improving the
standard of living for the Greeks.
Mr. Reppas pointed out that there are still problems, adding
however, that there is a clear improvement of the standard of
living and stated that measures supporting the financially weaker
part of the population have been adopted since September 1999.
[16] REPPAS: THE HELSINKI DECISIONS MUST BE INCLUDED IN THE EU-
TURKEY RELATION TEXT
The Helsinki decisions must be included in the European Union-
Turkey partnership relation text, stated Greek government
spokesman Dimitris Reppas.
He underlined that the text must also include the Copenhagen
criteria that concern the Greek-Turkish relations and the way of
co-existence for neighboring states based on the international law
principles and the implementation of the international treaties.
Finally, he stressed that the Cyprus issue must be mentioned as
well as the solution of the political problem in Cyprus.
[17] THE OSCE CERTIFIES ELECTION VIOLATIONS IN HIMARA
Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas referred today to
the violations recorded in the second round of the municipal
elections in Albania, stating that in the OSCE report on the
municipal elections in the country, it is certified that the
electoral process was violated in the town of Himara.
The government spokesman stated that Albania's expectations
from the European Union (funding, European orientation) can not be
satisfied under such circumstances, adding that the issue of the
violations will be raised in the EU foreign ministers council.
He also stated that the report, submitted by the
international observers, speaks of a Greek-speaking minority,
while responding to a question on the state of war that existed
between the two countries, he said that the Greek side has lifted
the state of war with a cabinet decision that was reached when
Andreas Papandreou was in government and this decision is still
respected.
Finally, when asked to comment on the statements over "cries
of patriotism" made yesterday by Greek foreign ministry spokesman
Panagiotis Beglitis, he said that the statements made by Mr.
Beglitis were clear and it is obvious that we should not go back
to past times, as the policy followed then had offered negative
services to Greece.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[18] ALBANIA: PERSISTENT CHARGES OF VIOLATIONS IN VOTE
In the midst of widespread charges of violence, ballot-
tampering and other irregularities, the Albanian government has
adopted an inconsistent stance over Sunday's second round of
municipal elections, where numerous reports claim that the
election of Greek minority mayors in southern Albania's
municipalities was obstructed.
The leader of the ruling Socialist Party Fatos Nano, who made
a nationalist appearance during the pre-election campaign in
Himara, refused to comment on Europe's persistent criticism.
During a press conference last night, the Albanian government
spokesperson thanked the Organization for Security and
Cooperation, as well as the Bureau for Democratic Institutions and
Human Rights, over their contribution to the smooth elections
process, albeit avoiding comment on resounding criticism over the
serious violations in the elections at Himara.
Nevertheless, he did state that the government will press on
with its task to establish a democratic elections process and to
improve the "few" irregularities noted in this round.
However, the Socialist Party's public affairs secretary was
more severe in regards to Himara.
"I find strange the statement of the Bureau for Democratic
Institutions and Human Rights regarding the existence of a Greek
minority in Himara. I have nothing else to say, except that this
point of view is the reflection of some tale fed to the European
observers by those who violated the voting procedures," he stated,
implicating the Greek deputies who observed the elections.
"I think that the Europeans are under the pressure of Greek
deputies and that such a statement is a provocation," he added.
The Greek government said yesterday that it will table the
issue of human rights violations against the Greek minority of
Albania at the next meeting of EU foreign ministers.
Government spokesman Dimitris Reppas stated that "the Greek
government states once again that it will ensure the rights of the
Greek minority in our neighboring country. There are no discounts
on this issue.
"Our message is that we desire the further improvement of our
bilateral relations, but this is not a one-way street."
[19] THE FOREIGN OBSERVERS CALL FOR AN INVESTIGATION ON THE
ELECTION IRREGULARITIES IN HIMARA
The head of foreign observers in the second round of the
municipal elections in Albania that were held last Sunday issued
an appeal to the Albanian authorities to open an investigation on
the irregularities witnessed in the region of Himara.
Speaking on the BBC radio, Ms. Hena Ferley pointed out that
the most serious irregularities in the election process were
recorded in Himara, stressing that there were cases of
intimidation targeting returning board members, while in one case
a ballot box was destroyed and in at least 3 polling stations
there were established cases of election fraud.
Ms. Ferley also stated that contrary to what the Albanian
government officials and mass media say the presence of Greek
parliament members in Himara did not affect the climate. She said
that the deputies did not come to Albania illegally, adding that
even though they were not official election observers there is no
information that they had entered polling stations and caused
problems to the election process, as according to information,
they were outside the polling stations throughout the election
process.
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