|
|
|
Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2001-04-17
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, April 17, 2001
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
TITLES
[Á] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] GREEK WINES EARN TOP BILLING AT WORLD CONTEST
[02] INFORMATICS SOCIETY COMPANY TO BE ESTABLISHED
[03] GREEK FM ON FYROM CRISIS: IT CAN BE RESOLVED
[04] 18 KILLED, 283 MAIMED, IN 191 ROAD CASUALTIES
[05] GREEK FM: GREECE PLAYS KEY ROLE IN S.E. EUROPE
[06] ARSONISTS TARGET CARS OF THAI, ISRAELI EMBASSIES
[07] GREEKS: ALL OTHERS PULLED BY POLLS, EXCEPT THEY
[08] IT'S THEIR TURN, TVX STAFF BLOCK ROAD IN PROTEST
[09] THESSALONIKI'S JEWISH COMMUNITY HONORS VICTIMS
[10] THE BOMB ON AN OLYMPIC AIRWAYS PLANE WAS A HOAX
[11] GAINS IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
[12] A PRESIDENT BUSH ADVISER AND AN OLYMPIC GAMES MEDALLIST FROM
GREECE IN A FITNESS CONFERENCE
[13] FOUR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS DIED FROM THE COLD IN MOUNT BELLES
[14] A THESSALONIKI MUNICIPALITY DELEGATION WILL VISIT PLOVDIV
[15] THE IDENTITY OF THE BUSINESSWOMAN IN GREECE
[16] THE PRIME MINISTER DENIED THE GOVERNMENT RESHUFFLE SCENARIOS
[17] PAPANTONIOU-GIANNITSIS MEETING
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[18] TURKISH FM VISITS OCCUPIED REGION OF CYPRUS
[19] LETTER BY THE FLORIDA ASSOCIATIONS FEDERATION TO PRESIDENT
STEPHANOPOULOS
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] GREEK WINES EARN TOP BILLING AT WORLD CONTEST
Greek wines won two gold and 21 silver medals at a wine
contest, which was held in Brussels last week with the
participation of 29 countries from all over the world.
The contest is the most important wine competition at an
international level, while it is recognized by the European Union
and supervised by the Belgian foreign ministry in cooperation with
the International Wine Bureau and the International Union of Wine
Experts.
Out of a total of 3,006 samples tried by 149 tasters, five of
whom were Greeks, 868 distinguished themselves and judges awarded
24 big gold medals, 186 gold and 658 silver ones.
The gold medals were won by "Amethystos-Kava 1997" (produced
by the Lazaridis estate) and "Cretan Wine-Dry White Country Wine
2000."
[02] INFORMATICS SOCIETY COMPANY TO BE ESTABLISHED
A "Society of Informatics" SA company is to soon be
established in Greece, as part of an operation program of the 3rd
Community Support Framework (CSF) which aims to provide technical
support for the public sector with new informatics technologies.
According to the Minister of the Interior, Public Administration
and Decentralization Vasso Papandreou, the company will implement
projects aimed at the development, prosperity and quality of life
of all citizens.
On completion of the overall program, to be achieved before
2004, the public sector would become effective and friendly to the
citizen, with electronic governance being the ultimate target, Ms.
Papandreou stated.
The company, having financial and administrative
independence, will be undertaking its first projects over the next
two months.
[03] GREEK FM ON FYROM CRISIS: IT CAN BE RESOLVED
Ethnic strife in FYROM, which has led to fighting between
Albanian insurgents and government troops, will not spread, Greek
Foreign Minister George Papandreou opined during an interview with
the Yugoslavian news agency SENSE.
According to Mr. Papandreou, the crisis could be resolved
through joint efforts involving the European Union, the United
States and countries of southeastern Europe.
In respect to the Albanian question in the region, Mr. Papandreou
stated that it should be resolved through the principle of the
sovereignty of law. Moreover, the Greek FM stressed that during
the FYROM crisis the world community demonstrated its ability to
show a unified response and back political solutions.
[04] 18 KILLED, 283 MAIMED, IN 191 ROAD CASUALTIES
Eighteen people were killed and 283 were injured in 191 road
accidents over the Easter holiday exodus that got underway on Holy
Thursday, according to police reports.
Unwillingness on the part of drivers to yield the right of way, as
well as driving under the influence, were the two most frequently
cited causes of accident.
[05] GREEK FM: GREECE PLAYS KEY ROLE IN S.E. EUROPE
Greece's aim is to seek permanent stability in the Balkan
region, Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou stated in an
interview with the Yugoslavian news agency SENSE, adding that the
country itself will have a lot to gain.
"We have nothing to gain if we remain geographically cut off,
with strife, instability and a neighboring region that shows no
growth on our backs," he said.
Furthermore, the Foreign Minister said that "we want to see
growth in the region and see Greece linked by road to Europe, so
that it can sell its products in this market, a market that should
respect European standards." Mr. Papandreou also stressed that
Greece is in a position to help other Balkan countries in the
region to undertake reform and switch to EU-oriented legislation.
In respect to the Albanian question in the region, Mr.
Papandreou stated that it should be resolved through the principle
of the sovereignty of law.
"In the future, the issue of borders among states will
acquire less importance when the rights of minorities are strictly
upheld," he said.
Prime Minister Costas Simitis also referred to Greece's role
in the region, in statement he made from Corfu.
"Greece has been the main player in a drive towards
cooperation, stability and peace in the Balkans with the European
Union and the United States also seeking the same objective," he
said.
[06] ARSONISTS TARGET CARS OF THAI, ISRAELI EMBASSIES
Two cars belonging to the Thai and Israeli Embassies in
Athens were torched during the early morning hours today, as they
were parked in the Abelokipi suburb.
A group calling itself "Revolutionary Violence Units" has
claimed responsibility for the attacks by phoning to an Athens
radio station.
The culprits poured a flammable fluid on the vehicles and
then set them alight, causing extensive material damages.
[07] GREEKS: ALL OTHERS PULLED BY POLLS, EXCEPT THEY
If polls are snapshots of election time, then ones conducted
in Greece are more like abstract paintings, if judging by the
results of a latest survey.
For starters, while one in two Greeks trusts the validity of
polls, the overwhelming majority believe that such indicators bear
no influence on their own vote, but they do, unfortunately, affect
the vote of all others.
According to a recent survey conducted by V-PRC on behalf of
the Athens daily "Imerisia", 88.3% of the respondents answered
that opinion polls do not affect their vote, while 60.7% responded
that all others are indeed influenced. A mere 23.5% responded that
polls bear no influence on intended votes, while 15.8% were
undecided.
At the same time, 10.3 percent admit that polls do influence
their vote (11.1% of whom are registered PASOK party voters and
7.7% are with the main opposition party of New Democracy).
Another peculiarity that is "just fine" with Greeks is the
bipolar phenomenon of ND prevailing in an array of recent polls
gauging party popularity, with Prime Minister and ruling party
leader Costas Simitis concurrently being voted as the most
suitable person for the premiership. Specifically, 50.9 percent of
those polled see nothing strange with the conflicting response
(i.e. main opposition leading, with ruling party leader voted as
best person for premier's post), although 36.1% see this result as
"strange" and 13% have yet to form an opinion.
Party followers are divided on this: 65 percent of PASOK
supporters comprehend as "natural" the bipolar response, while
26.7% have trouble understanding the mechanics of the equation "ND
ruling party with Simitis as PM".
On the other hand, the majority of ND followers (51.3%) do
deem it a strange leadership duo, while 39.5% of them are
apparently nodding their heads in understanding and complete
agreement.
In spite of the dizzying results, the vast majority of Greeks
(70.3%) agree that polls are a great tool for facilitating
democracy, even though 37.8% of the respondents do not trust
surveys in general.
[08] IT'S THEIR TURN, TVX STAFF BLOCK ROAD IN PROTEST
Workers at a TVX Hellas SA gold mine and mill in Halkidiki
blocked a provincial road this morning in protest to a recent
decision by the Council of State to halt the commencement of the
plant's operation.
With 20 votes to 7, the Council ruled in favor of local
residents who are opposed to the gold mine project, which has yet
to embark on its operation. Specifically, the Council voted to
overturn all acts of government, inter alia presidential decrees
establishing the mining unit, approving environmental
specifications and selecting a site for the project.
Moreover, the Council of State found that the mill's use of
cyanide and arsenic for processing gold ore would endanger the
environment and the health of residents. Specifically, the court
found that the state had not taken sufficiently into account the
impact that the processing method would have on the environment.
The court's ruling, which is to be published in May, could
have a significant effect on the project, which has been held up
since 1996.
The $248-million project aims to develop 254,000 ounces of
gold on an annual basis, along with 2.3 million ounces of silver,
21,500 tons of zinc and 22,500 tons of lead over the first five
years of production.
[09] THESSALONIKI'S JEWISH COMMUNITY HONORS VICTIMS
The Jewish community of Thessaloniki is to hold a memorial
service on Sunday, April 22, in honor of the 50,000 local Jews who
perished in Nazi concentration camps during World War II.
An estimated 60,000 Greek Jews were killed during WWII,
50,000 of whom were living in Thessaloniki. Even after the
repatriation of Greek Jews who survived the concentration camps in
Poland and those who sought refuge in neutral countries, 96
percent of Thessaloniki's Jewish community had been annihilated.
Thessaloniki had been a home to Jews since 1378, when
Ashkenazi refugees from Hungary settled here.
The population expanded in 1492, when the first Sephardim
arrived from Spain. Expelled by the Catholic Church, thousands of
Spanish-speaking Jews chose the religious haven of the Ottoman
Empire, where all creeds were tolerated as long as they paid their
taxes. Over the centuries their language developed, absorbing
elements of Turkish, Greek, and other local tongues.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Jews made up half of
Thessaloniki's population, making it the capital of Judeoespanol
(or Ladino) culture.
In its announcement of next Sunday's memorial, the Jewish
Community of Thessaloniki stated that "now that the nightmare of
Nazism appears to be re-emerging, we hope that our innocent
brothers will be the last victims of racial hate and wish that
love and brotherhood will always reign in people's hearts."
[10] THE BOMB ON AN OLYMPIC AIRWAYS PLANE WAS A HOAX
The telephone call warning that there was an explosive
mechanism on an Olympic Airways plane forced its pilot to fly it
back to the Istanbul Airport from where it had taken off earlier
this morning destined for Athens.
The Boeing 737, flight 322, with 90 passengers aboard had
left Istanbul this morning and returned to the city airport after
a telephone call by an unidentified man. The plane was thoroughly
searched for two hours and it was established that it was all a
hoax.
A few hours later the Boeing 737 left Istanbul for Athens.
[11] GAINS IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
Gains were recorded today in the first Athens Stock Exchange
session after the Easter Holidays.
The general index rose to +0.82% at 3.185,50 points, while
the volume of transactions was small at 131.70 million Euro or 45
billion drachmas.
Of the stocks trading today, 97 recorded gains and 218 had
losses, while the value of 58 stocks remained stable.
[12] A PRESIDENT BUSH ADVISER AND AN OLYMPIC GAMES MEDALLIST FROM
GREECE IN A FITNESS CONFERENCE
US president George Bush adviser Doug Wead and Sydney Olympic
Games gold medallist Kostas Kenteris will be the guests in an
event held by the "Dynamic Life" company associates that will take
place within the framework of the three-day Fitness & Aerobic
Conference scheduled to be held in Thessaloniki on April 20-22.
In the 7th Aerobic, Fitness & Personal Training Conference
the biggest names in the area of fitness will offer their
experience in physical exercise and theory.
[13] FOUR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS DIED FROM THE COLD IN MOUNT BELLES
Four illegal immigrants died on Easter Day from the low
temperatures and the snow, while attempting to cross the Greek-
Bulgarian borders through mount Belles.
According to the available information, the four illegal
immigrants, three Georgians and a Pakistani, attempted to enter
Greece coming from Bulgaria but the bad weather conditions of the
past few days cost them their lives.
The tragedy came to light when border guards in the
prefecture of Serres, northern Greece, arrested eight illegal
immigrants, who had lost their way and were wandering outside the
village of Mandraki at a small distance from the Greek-Bulgarian
borders. The illegal immigrants were in a bad state because of the
cold and the lack of food. They told police that four other
people, who were with them, had been trapped in rough paths and
were unable to follow them.
The Greek police searched the region and a few hours later
they found a Pakistani man and three Georgians, two women and a
man, who were lying dead in the snow at an altitude of 1.500m.
[14] A THESSALONIKI MUNICIPALITY DELEGATION WILL VISIT PLOVDIV
A Thessaloniki municipality delegation, headed by city mayor
Vasilis Papageorgopoulos, will visit the Bulgarian city of Plovdiv
next Thursday.
The Thessaloniki municipality delegation will meet with
Plovdiv mayor Ivan Tsomakov and will attend a special city council
session. It will also meet with the governor of the region of
Plovdiv, the managing director of the city fair and with members
of the Commerce and Industry Chamber of Plovdiv, while it will
also visit the monastery of Batskovo. The delegation will return
to Thessaloniki on Saturday.
[15] THE IDENTITY OF THE BUSINESSWOMAN IN GREECE
The basic characteristics of the businesswoman in Greece are
presented in a study conducted by the municipality of Sikies in
Thessaloniki. The results of the study, that was conducted in
Italy, Slovakia, Estonia and Bulgaria as well by other institutes,
within the framework of the European program for inter-regional
cooperation, AWAKE, are very important.
Based on them, most of the businesswomen use their own
capital, work long hours, have no free time, face marital problems
and do not use modern technology.
Also, according to the available data provided by the study
that was conducted on 300 businesses that belong to women, they
are active mainly in the sector of services, trade and
manufacturing. Most of them are private and not family businesses.
About 70% of the businesses are new ones and the
businesswomen use their own capital without resorting to loans.
The profit is below average but the women are generally satisfied
with their course and progress.
Their age is between 25 and 45 and 58% of them are university
or college graduates. Of them, 68% are married and 59% had no
family influence that led them to be involved in business. About
48% of them work 40-60 hours a week and the rest of them longer.
Negative relations with their husbands and children have 73%
of the women. They have no free time to be involved in public life
and face health problems. The 3/4s of these women fear competition
and technology is almost unknown to the overwhelming majority of
them, while those who use it are in a better position.
The results of the study are almost the same in Italy,
Slovakia, Estonia and Bulgaria and the basic problem is the
absence of coordinated actions and the lack of funds to support
the new businesswomen.
[16] THE PRIME MINISTER DENIED THE GOVERNMENT RESHUFFLE SCENARIOS
Prime minister Kostas Simitis denied the government reshuffle
scenarios in statements he made in the island of Corfu today where
he spent the Easter Holidays.
The prime minister stated characteristically that government
reshuffle scenarios circulate almost every two weeks and they are
nothing more than groundless rumors aimed at raising obstacles to
the work of the government.
Meanwhile, undersecretary of press Tilemachos Hitiris stated
on the occasion of the opening of the social dialogue on the
reform of the social security system, that the government faces
the issue within the framework of its policy on stability and
development. He said that there is no cause for alarm, stressing
that there would have been problems after a few years if the
government hadn't dealt now with the social security system. He
said that the goal is for every Greek to have a pension in the
next 50 years.
[17] PAPANTONIOU-GIANNITSIS MEETING
The main goal of the government is to promote social justice
through the changes that will be adopted in the social security
system, underlined national economy minister Yiannos Papantoniou
after the meeting he had today with labor minister Tasos
Giannitsis.
The head of the government's economic staff pointed out that
during the meeting he had with Mr. Giannitsis they exchanged views
on the issue of the social security system, adding that all the
existing proposals will be discussed in the responsible government
bodies.
From his side, Mr. Giannitsis stated that the measures that
will be taken will not hurt the citizens' trust in the social
security.
Meanwhile, a meeting on the national action plan on
employment will take place in the national economy ministry
building tomorrow.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[18] TURKISH FM VISITS OCCUPIED REGION OF CYPRUS
Turkey's Foreign Minister Ismael Cem is presently on a three-
day visit to Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus, the first such
visit in a year since Turkish-Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash quit
the UN-led peace talks on Cyprus, demanding a change in the basis
of conducting them, a claim officially endorsed by Ankara.
Mr. Cem will meet with Turkish-Cypriot officials and Mr.
Denktash with whom he will discuss the Cyprus issue, as well as
the dire financial situation of the occupied region.
[19] LETTER BY THE FLORIDA ASSOCIATIONS FEDERATION TO PRESIDENT
STEPHANOPOULOS
The Florida Associations Federation in a letter to Greek
president Kostis Stephanopoulos expressed concern regarding the
Greek government intention to remove the term genocide from the
presidential decree that recognizes September 14 as Asia Minor
Hellenism Genocide Memorial Day.
The Federation underlines, among others, that this is
unacceptable at a time when other states, regardless of Turkey's
historical course, recognize genocides. It is stressed that the
Greeks, victims of genocides themselves, are trying to replace the
word genocide with another expression that will suit Turkey.
|
