Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2001-01-23
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, January 23, 2001
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
TITLES
[01] GREEK PRESIDENT VISITS ITALY AND THE VATICAN
[02] GREECE'S EU COMMISSIONER: APPLY GENDER EQUALITY
[03] EU DEEMS GREEK PROPOSALS ON DU AS "IMPORTANT"
[04] SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER RALSTON IN GREECE
[05] NO DU AT GREEK MILITARY INSTALLATIONS IN KOSOVO
[06] INTERIOR MINISTER CALLS FOR GENDER EQUALITY, NOW
[07] FERRY BOAT RAMS TWO FISHING BOATS, NO ONE HURT
[08] THESSALONIKI POLICE BUST STOLEN LUXURY CAR RING
[09] SEAN CONNERY VISITED THE CYCLADIC ART MUSEUM
[10] NEW LOSSES IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
[11] WOMEN OF TURKISH ORIGIN FROM GERMANY WILL ATTEND A SEMINAR IN
ATHENS
[12] GEOGRAPHIKA - THE TURKS REDISCOVER GREECE
[13] CONFERENCE OF THE GREEK COMMUNITIES' FEDERATION IN BELGIUM
[14] ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY GREEK SOLDIERS LEFT FOR KOSOVO
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[15] OMONIA'S GENERAL COUNCIL DISCUSSED THE PROBLEMS OF THE ETHNIC
GREEK MINORITY IN ALBANIA
[16] EXHIBITION ON THE MINOAN CIVILIZATION IN KARLSRUHE
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] GREEK PRESIDENT VISITS ITALY AND THE VATICAN
The President of the Hellenic Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos
is embarking today on an official, four-day visit to Italy, at
the invitation of his Italian counterpart Carlo Ciampi.
In addition to President Ciampi, with whom he will hold talks
this afternoon, President Stephanopoulos will also meet with
Italian Prime Minister Giuliano Amato for talks on bilateral and
international issues, as well as the situation in the Balkans.
The President will be received by Pope John Paul at the
Vatican tomorrow afternoon, the first visit ever to be made to the
Vatican by a Greek president.
During his stay in Italy, President Stephanopoulos will be
visiting Brindisi, Sternatia, Catania, Syracuse and Taormina.
[02] GREECE'S EU COMMISSIONER: APPLY GENDER EQUALITY
Greece's European Commissioner for Employment and Social
Affairs Anna Diamantopoulou stressed the significance of enforcing
gender equality regulations within the European Union,
underlining that the pertinent rules "will remain a dead letter
unless they are properly enforced on the ground."
Addressing yesterday's informal Council of Ministers meeting
in Norrkoping, Sweden, Ms. Diamantopoulou challenged the 15 member-
states to enforce rules on equal pay and conditions for men and
women in Europe or to risk rendering these principles "a dead
letter".
She also called upon governments to provide additional and
improved child care facilities throughout Europe to help lift
obstacles to women's entry or return to the labor market.
Lastly, she appealed to member states that they "gender-comb"
their tax and social security systems in order to break down
disincentives that discourage women from fully participating in
the job market.
[03] EU DEEMS GREEK PROPOSALS ON DU AS "IMPORTANT"
The European Union's General Affairs Council has accepted
Greece's proposals calling for a thorough investigation into the
health and environmental effects borne by NATO's use of depleted
uranium and other toxic substances in the Balkan region.
Presenting Greece's proposals, which the EU's Foreign
Relations Commissioner Chris Patten termed as "important",
Alternate Foreign Minister Elizabeth Papazoi stated that the EU
should not limit the investigation to the use of depleted uranium
but, rather, should also examine the use of other heavy metals and
the consequences thereof on the health of the region's population.
This according to Ms. Papazoi, is necessary in order to
facilitate the promotion of restoration through the EU's financial
protocol for the Western Balkans (CARDS) program or the Stability
Pact.
Specifically, Greece's proposals call for the creation of an
integrated scientific study reviewing the consequences of
hostilities for the environment and health in Kosovo, Serbia and
Bosnia-Herzegovina, as well as for atmospheric studies in those
Balkan regions where war operations were not carried out, since
environmental problems have no borders.
[04] SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER RALSTON IN GREECE
The Supreme Allied Commander of Europe and US forces Joseph
W. Ralston is embarking on a two-day visit to Greece today.
According to an announcement by the National Defense General
Staff, Ralston will have courtesy meetings with the National
Defense Ministry's civil leadership and National Defense General
Staff Chief general Manousos Paragioudakis.
[05] NO DU AT GREEK MILITARY INSTALLATIONS IN KOSOVO
The five military installations in Kosovo housing Greek
peacekeeping troops are free of radioactivity and other toxic
materials, according to the results of recent samples taken by a
delegation of officials from the Greek Atomic Energy Commission.
Also, vegetables and other produce from Balkan countries were
found to be safe for consumption, after checks conducted by
Greece's Atomic Energy Research Institute "Democritos".
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, produce imported to
Greece from Yugoslavia, Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria and FYROM are
being checked for traces of uranium 238 and other radioactive
elements since the beginning of the year.
At the same time, 70 members of the Greek peacekeeping forces
in Kosovo returned to Greece yesterday, following their expressed
request to depart the region, and more are expected to follow.
[06] INTERIOR MINISTER CALLS FOR GENDER EQUALITY, NOW
Immediate steps should be taken to advance European Union
policies on matters concerning gender equality and social security
issues, according to Minister of the Interior, Public
Administration and Decentralization Vasso Papandreou.
Ms. Papandreou, addressing her EU colleagues during
yesterday's informal Council of Ministers meeting in Norrkoping,
stressed the need to adapt the educational system and career
orientation in order to enable women to seek jobs requiring high
professional specialization.
She also proposed a revision of social security systems to
take into account the fragmentation of women's mmployment (due to
maternity, motherhood, etc.), and measures to help women increase
their time on the job market.
Stressing the need for men to become involved in raising a
couple's children, Ms. Papandreou also proposed an increase in
social benefits as well as mandatory use of parental leave by both
parents.
About 40 EU ministers for gender equality and social security
attended the informal meeting, which was also the first to which
all the EU candidate countries were invited.
The meeting was also attended by Greece's deputy labor
minister Christos Protopappas and Greece's European Commissioner
for employment and social affairs Anna Diamantopoulou.
[07] FERRY BOAT RAMS TWO FISHING BOATS, NO ONE HURT
A car/passenger ferry rammed and sank two fishing boats
anchored at the port of Kalymnos, this morning, as it was trying
to set sail for the island of Kos.
All 132 passengers of the "Rhodos" ferry are safe and no
damage was caused to the vehicles on board. There were no crew
aboard the fishing boats at the time of the accident.
After undergoing inspection, the ferry set sail for its
itinerary.
[08] THESSALONIKI POLICE BUST STOLEN LUXURY CAR RING
Thessaloniki police have busted an international stolen
luxury car ring, whose members included Greeks, Bulgarians and
Arabs.
The police's crimes against ownership squad arrested 49-year-
old Harissis Dirmikis after spotting him on the Thessaloniki-
Athens national highway driving a Jeep stolen a month and a half
ago in Italy.
His cohort, 52-year-old Thessaloniki resident Andreas
Hatziioannou, was arrested shortly afterwards as he was driving a
stolen BMW, while 39-year-old Evros resident Bashar Medhi-Alttai
was arrested later and charged with receiving the "hot" cars and
reselling them in Bulgaria.
All three are believed to have conspired with other
individuals in the Middle East and sold a number of cars in
Syria.
The suspects were taken before a public prosecutor and were
released under restrictive terms.
[09] SEAN CONNERY VISITED THE CYCLADIC ART MUSEUM
Famous actor Sean Connery, who is in Athens for the opening
of his wife's painting exhibition, visited the Cycladic Art Museum
this morning. The exhibition will take place at a gallery in
Votanikos and will open this evening.
Yesterday, he visited the City Hall and was received by
Athens mayor Dimitris Avramopoulos. Speaking to reporters, Sean
Connery said that he came to Greece to support his wife's painting
exhibition and expressed the wish to return soon for another
visit. He also referred to his new movie in which he has the
leading role and plays Socrates, the ancient Greek philosopher.
Mr. Connery and his wife will stay in Athens until Thursday.
[10] NEW LOSSES IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
New losses were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange today.
The general index was down by 0.61% at 3.063,14 points, while the
volume of transactions was small at 127.1 million Euro or 43.3
billion drachmas.
Of the stocks trading today, 177 had gains and 146 recorded
losses, while the value of 52 stocks remained unchanged.
[11] WOMEN OF TURKISH ORIGIN FROM GERMANY WILL ATTEND A SEMINAR IN
ATHENS
Nineteen women of Turkish origin, representatives of the
union "Association for a modern life" from the region of
Bielefelt, Germany will be in Athens on Saturday accompanied by
journalist Oral Calislar to attend a seminar that will take place
on January 29 organized by the Andreas Papandreou Institute and
the Friedrich Ebert Institute in cooperation with German Euro-
deputy Mechtild Rothe.
The seminar will be held in Zappion Megaron Building and will
be made up of two entities the first one on the contribution of
women to peace and the rapprochement of the peoples and the second
one, on social rights-women-immigrants.
[12] GEOGRAPHIKA - THE TURKS REDISCOVER GREECE
A book under the title "Geographika - A Greece that is being
rediscovered" was published in Turkey recently and according to
its author Mehmet Ali Giokatsti, the goal is to learn about Greece
and promote it with an emphasis on its history, geography and
people.
He stressed that an attempt is being made to approach Greece
in a new way and under a different perspective aimed at dispersing
the prejudices the Turks had toward the country.
The book is made up of three entities and each one of them
develops around the axis of religion.
[13] CONFERENCE OF THE GREEK COMMUNITIES' FEDERATION IN BELGIUM
Sixty representatives of seven Greek communities in Belgium
took part in the 7th Conference of the Greek Communities'
Federation that was held in Brussels on January 20-21.
The conference dealt with education issues, voting through
the mail for the Greeks living abroad, the improvement of the
Greek state television channel NET satellite program etc.
They also discussed the issue of unemployment and the
problems faced by the Greek women immigrants and the elderly who
need more care.
[14] ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY GREEK SOLDIERS LEFT FOR KOSOVO
One hundred and twenty Greek soldiers departed for Kosovo
from Thessaloniki today. Most of them were in Greece on leave and
now they return to complete their term in the Greek peacekeeping
force deployed in the region.
Meanwhile, 80 Greek soldiers returned yesterday to the
Karatasos Army Camp in Thessaloniki after serving several months
in Kosovo.
Meanwhile, according to the early radiation counts conducted
by the Greek Atomic Energy Committee, radiation in Kosovo is
within the acceptable levels. The final results concerning the
total of samples taken will be made known in two or three weeks.
Also, the results of the initial radiation counts conducted on
vegetables and fruits as well as, other products from the regions
of the former Yugoslavia, are not alarming.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[15] OMONIA'S GENERAL COUNCIL DISCUSSED THE PROBLEMS OF THE ETHNIC
GREEK MINORITY IN ALBANIA
The problems faced by the ethnic Greek minority in Albania
were discussed in the general council meeting of the ethnic Greek
minority organization "Omonia" that was held in Tirana last
Saturday.
As it was stressed in the general council meeting, the
minority organization in the next three months will have to face
the challenge of the general population census in Albania.
Hypothetically, this will be the first population census that will
take place under conditions that allow for the free expression of
the people's ethnic identity and a special care must be displayed
as the government refuses to include a question on ethnic identity
in the questionnaire that will be presented.
The general council of "Omonia" also discussed the proposal
for the redistribution of the electoral districts in June's
parliamentary elections.
[16] EXHIBITION ON THE MINOAN CIVILIZATION IN KARLSRUHE
An exhibition titled Minoa's Labyrinth and dedicated to the
Minoan Civilization in ancient Crete will be hosted at the
National Museum of Karlsruhe, Germany on January 27-April 29.
Within the framework of the exhibition will be presented 400
Minoan civilization archaeological findings.
The German magazine Der Spiegel mentions that according to
archaeologists, the labyrinth where the Minotaur lived exists in
reality and it is the Knossos Palace, the center of Minoan
Civilization.
The labyrinth was brought to light by British archaeologist
Arthur Evans in 1900 and the visitors of the exhibition, that
covers a space of 1.500 square meters, will have the opportunity
to admire a model of part of the ancient palace. The model was
created with the assistance of the National Museum of the federal
state of Baden-Wuerttemberg.
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