Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2001-09-07
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, September 7, 2001
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] OPENING OF THE 66TH TIF-THESSALONIKI EXPLOSIVE
[02] MANSLAUGHTER FOR THE ‘99 QUAKES
[03] SLAVERS BEFORE THE D.A. TOMORROW
[04] THE PRIME MINISTER'S SPEECH IN THESSALONIKI'S 66TH ITF
[05] MORE LOSSES IN THE ASE
[06] REPPAS ON THE PROTESTS IN THESSALONIKI
[07] DRAFT BILL ON THE STRENGTHENING OF BUSINESS ACTIVITY
[08] INFLATION AT 3.8% IN AUGUST
[09] ZAFIROPOULOS MET WITH THE FRENCH AMBASSADOR
[10] THE GREEK-US TRADE BALANCE IS OVER US$2 BILLION
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[11] BAUCHER: THE US POSITION ON THE FYROM NAME ISSUE IS THE SAME
[12] BAUCHER STATEMENTS ON CYPRUS
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] OPENING OF THE 66TH TIF-THESSALONIKI EXPLOSIVE
Clear political content is expected to be found in the speech
the Prime Minister will give tonight at the opening of the 66th
Thessaloniki International Fair. The Prime Minister will refer to
all important issues receiving publicity lately, he will present
the government's policy for the coming period of time and he is
expected to attack New Democracy on its opposition stance.
The Prime Minister's and government staff's visit, coincides
with publication of the first survey which shows a recovery of the
government and a reversal of the negative climate of the previous
period and Kostas Simitis is expected to comment on this
development. At the same time, governmental and party staffs are
working on promoting the political aspect of the Prime Minister's
visit to Thessaloniki and are paying a lot of attention to the
12:30 p.m. meeting at the "Macedonia Pallace" hotel, on Saturday,
with spokespersons of the city's bodies, where all issues will be
discussed.
PRIME MINISTER'S SCHEDULE
Mr. Simitis will arrive at 6 p.m. at the "Makedonia" airport,
where the spokespersons of local authorities, Ministers, MPs,
staff members and PASOK fans will greet him
At 8 p.m. the opening ceremony will take place at the "I.
Vellidis" conference center, and before the Prime Minister's
speech, the President of the TIF, Mr. Vasilis Kourtesis, and the
Minister of Macedonia-Thrace, Giorgos Paschalidis, will also greet
the visitors of the fair. At 10 p.m. the official reception will
take place at the Government House.
At 10:30 a.m. tomorrow morning, he will inaugurate the Center
for Citizen's Service (Aristotelous St. with Ermou St.) and at
11:30 the Euro exhibition.
At 12:30 he will meet with local body spokespersons in
"Macedonia Pallace".
At 14:30 he will have lunch with Party staff members.
At 19:30 he will meet with the EU Commissioner of
Agriculture, Mr. Fischler.
At 21:30 he will present the government's economic policy at
a dinner with the participation of spokespersons of the productive
classes at the "I. Vellidis" conference center.
At 11:30 Sunday morning he will visit the administrative
building of the TIF and will be guided through the Fair.
At 13:30 he will hold a press conference in the "I. Vellidis"
conference center.
The Prime Minister's visit, however, will not only be noticed
by city bodies, party staff members and party fans. About four
protests will take place today, beginning from outside the YMCA,
about 50 yards from the TIF, from Kamara, another 50 yards, to all
the way to the harbor.
The Minister of Macedonia-Thrace informed the members of
"Genoa Initiative 2001", who are expected to lead one of the
protests, that the G8 aren't in Thessaloniki.
The police measures will be extreme from Friday night, until
Sunday, in order to avoid any mishaps caused by protesters during
the opening by the Prime Minister.
At the central police offices of Thessaloniki a long meeting
took place with the participation of many chiefs and commanders of
police services of the city - which lasted about 9 hours - and was
coordinated by the General Inspector of the Greek Police,
Lieutenant General Charalabos Christofareizis. During the meeting,
plans made which will be implemented for the policing of the city,
during the crucial three days, since rallies have been organized
and announced.
[02] MANSLAUGHTER FOR THE ‘99 QUAKES
Charges of manslaughter with possible premeditation were
brought up today, against the people in charge of the BIOKIP
factory, that collapsed in the '99 quake. More specifically, the
indictment mentions that the accused considered that a possible
result of their actions or lack thereof could lead to the death of
others, but proceeded, to create structures which would put even
more pressure and weight on the already strained inner structure
of the building.
Charges against the wives of the accused, as well as the
accountant of the factory have been dropped.
The accused are owners Isaac and Joseph Matarazos and the
Civil Engineer, Nikos Tzitzis.
[03] SLAVERS BEFORE THE D.A. TOMORROW
Tomorrow, the Turkish slavers that transported 269 illegal
Kurdish immigrants to Mantoudi on the island of Evia, will be
brought before the District Attorney. The illegal immigrants are
being sheltered at the facilities of the unemployment agency in
Evia.
[04] THE PRIME MINISTER'S SPEECH IN THESSALONIKI'S 66TH ITF
Prime minister Kostas Simitis will present his vision of the
society of tomorrow speaking this evening in the opening of
Thessaloniki's 66th International Trade Fair that opens its gates
today.
Mr. Simitis will outline the goals of the government for a
society of freedom, creation, participation, solidarity and
cohesion. He will underline the achievements and the steps of
progress made by the country by stating that Greece has never
experienced such progress before in the past 50 years.
He will make a special reference to the single EU currency,
the Euro, that will be legal tender in Greece, as in the rest EU
countries starting in January, pointing out that this is one of
the biggest changes in the history of the Greek economy, while he
will also refer to the Athens 2004 Olympic Games.
The prime minister will present the government's policy in
every sector having as a goal a strong Greece, a strong economy, a
strong society and a strong international position for the
country. He will refer to the actions undertaken by the government
for the farmers, pensioners, low wage earners and the sensitive
population groups. In addition he will present a policy that will
secure a continuously improving living standard that will allow
every citizen to be active, enjoy support, depend on the systems
of solidarity and have a minimum social income guaranteed by the
state.
Mr. Simitis will also launch an attack on the right-wing main
opposition party of New Democracy accusing it of undermining the
country's course to progress.
[05] MORE LOSSES IN THE ASE
More losses were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange today.
The general index dropped to -0.83% at 2.647,42 points, while the
volume of transactions was at 121.95 million Euro or 41.554
billion drachmas.
Of the stocks trading today, 87 recorded gains and 242 had
losses, while the value of 47 stocks remained stable.
[06] REPPAS ON THE PROTESTS IN THESSALONIKI
The freedom of expression is a given and the people can
express their convictions and promote their demands unhindered,
reiterated today government spokesman Dimitris Reppas when he was
asked to comment on the mobilizations in Thessaloniki during the
prime minister's visit within the framework of the 66th
International Trade Fair.
The government spokesman pointed out that the acts of
violence are condemned and maintained that the organizers of the
mobilizations are heterogeneous forces with the sole purpose to
oppose the government.
When he was called to comment on the Greek General
Confederation of Labor study on poverty in Greece, he maintained
that the economy is on a good course and it is characterized by
dynamic development, pointing out that the government is very
concerned with the plague of unemployment. Mr. Reppas stated that
in spite of the fact that unemployment has dropped the government
is not satisfied.
[07] DRAFT BILL ON THE STRENGTHENING OF BUSINESS ACTIVITY
The draft bill on the strengthening of business activity that
was given to publicity by minister of national economy Yiannos
Papantoniou includes four main axes.
The specific draft bill provides for tax incentives for the
mergers of companies regardless of whether they trade in the stock
market, while it also includes tax reductions for the real estate
investment companies and overseas shipping, as well as measures to
strengthen companies active in the area of new technology.
The draft bill is expected to be presented in parliament in
the next few days.
[08] INFLATION AT 3.8% IN AUGUST
Inflation in Greece was at 3.8% in the month of August from
3.9% in July.
The harmonized inflation also dropped as it closed at 4% in
August from 4.2% in July.
[09] ZAFIROPOULOS MET WITH THE FRENCH AMBASSADOR
The strengthening of economic cooperation between Greece and
France and the adoption of joint actions together with the
countries in the wider region of southeastern Europe, were among
the issues discussed by undersecretary of national economy Yiannis
Zafiropoulos and French ambassador to Greece Jean-Maurice Ripert
in their meeting in Thessaloniki today.
Mr. Zafiropoulos stated that the meeting was aimed at helping
toward the creation of a joint cooperation framework in the wider
region of southeastern Europe and the development of activities
within the framework of the Euro-Mediterranean cooperation.
The French ambassador expressed satisfaction for the
cooperation he had with Mr. Zafiropoulos and stressed that Greece
is a very important ally for France.
[10] THE GREEK-US TRADE BALANCE IS OVER US$2 BILLION
The Greek-US trade balance exceeded the US$2 billion mark in
2000, which is unprecedented, while bilateral relations increased
by 20% compared to 1999, proving that the Greek-US business
cooperation has become stronger. However, the developments in the
Balkans are a negative factor for many US businessmen.
The above were stated in a press conference organized by the
Greek-US Chamber of Commerce and held within the framework of
Thessaloniki's 66th International Trade Fair which opens today.
US embassy commercial attache Walter Hage expressed the
belief that the Greek market is attractive for the US businessmen,
adding that there is room for further development. The US official
stated that the simplification of bureaucracy can help toward this
direction.
Greek-US Chamber of Commerce president Mr. Kouidis referred
to Greece's contribution to the development of the US business
activity in the Balkans through the Balkan Fora it has organized
and the business missions to Balkan countries.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[11] BAUCHER: THE US POSITION ON THE FYROM NAME ISSUE IS THE SAME
There is no change in the US position on the issue of the
FYROM name, stated US State Department spokesman Richard Baucher
yesterday responding to a question by reporters.
Called to comment on the recent report by the US newspaper
"Washington Post" according to which, US president Bush assured
FYROM president Boris Trajkovski that his country will be
recognized under the name "Republic of Macedonia", Mr. Baucher
responded that he has nothing new to say on the issue as he is not
aware of any change.
For the United States, the official name of this country is
Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, stressed Mr. Baucher adding
that the issue of the name is under discussion.
[12] BAUCHER STATEMENTS ON CYPRUS
All parties should do their maximum to back the UN in its
efforts to solve the Cyprus problem, stressed US State Department
spokesman Richard Baucher commenting on the statements made by UN
special envoy Alvaro de Soto on the resumption of the Cyprus talks
on September 12 under the auspices of the UN, which were rejected
by Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash.
Mr. Baucher reiterated that the United States continue to
back the UN secretary-general efforts and the UN special envoy to
Cyprus Alvaro de Soto.
Responding to the question if the US position has changed
concerning a two-zone, two-community federation in Cyprus, the US
State Department spokesman stressed that Washington supports the
UN efforts toward this direction.
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, September 7, 2001
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
TITLES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] OPENING OF THE 66TH TIF-THESSALONIKI EXPLOSIVE
[02] MANSLAUGHTER FOR THE ‘99 QUAKES
[03] SLAVERS BEFORE THE D.A. TOMORROW
[04] THE PRIME MINISTER'S SPEECH IN THESSALONIKI'S 66TH ITF
[05] MORE LOSSES IN THE ASE
[06] REPPAS ON THE PROTESTS IN THESSALONIKI
[07] DRAFT BILL ON THE STRENGTHENING OF BUSINESS ACTIVITY
[08] INFLATION AT 3.8% IN AUGUST
[09] ZAFIROPOULOS MET WITH THE FRENCH AMBASSADOR
[10] THE GREEK-US TRADE BALANCE IS OVER US$2 BILLION
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[11] BAUCHER: THE US POSITION ON THE FYROM NAME ISSUE IS THE SAME
[12] BAUCHER STATEMENTS ON CYPRUS
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] OPENING OF THE 66TH TIF-THESSALONIKI EXPLOSIVE
Clear political content is expected to be found in the speech
the Prime Minister will give tonight at the opening of the 66th
Thessaloniki International Fair. The Prime Minister will refer to
all important issues receiving publicity lately, he will present
the government's policy for the coming period of time and he is
expected to attack New Democracy on its opposition stance.
The Prime Minister's and government staff's visit, coincides
with publication of the first survey which shows a recovery of the
government and a reversal of the negative climate of the previous
period and Kostas Simitis is expected to comment on this
development. At the same time, governmental and party staffs are
working on promoting the political aspect of the Prime Minister's
visit to Thessaloniki and are paying a lot of attention to the
12:30 p.m. meeting at the "Macedonia Pallace" hotel, on Saturday,
with spokespersons of the city's bodies, where all issues will be
discussed.
PRIME MINISTER'S SCHEDULE
Mr. Simitis will arrive at 6 p.m. at the "Makedonia" airport,
where the spokespersons of local authorities, Ministers, MPs,
staff members and PASOK fans will greet him
At 8 p.m. the opening ceremony will take place at the "I.
Vellidis" conference center, and before the Prime Minister's
speech, the President of the TIF, Mr. Vasilis Kourtesis, and the
Minister of Macedonia-Thrace, Giorgos Paschalidis, will also greet
the visitors of the fair. At 10 p.m. the official reception will
take place at the Government House.
At 10:30 a.m. tomorrow morning, he will inaugurate the Center
for Citizen's Service (Aristotelous St. with Ermou St.) and at
11:30 the Euro exhibition.
At 12:30 he will meet with local body spokespersons in
"Macedonia Pallace".
At 14:30 he will have lunch with Party staff members.
At 19:30 he will meet with the EU Commissioner of
Agriculture, Mr. Fischler.
At 21:30 he will present the government's economic policy at
a dinner with the participation of spokespersons of the productive
classes at the "I. Vellidis" conference center.
At 11:30 Sunday morning he will visit the administrative
building of the TIF and will be guided through the Fair.
At 13:30 he will hold a press conference in the "I. Vellidis"
conference center.
The Prime Minister's visit, however, will not only be noticed
by city bodies, party staff members and party fans. About four
protests will take place today, beginning from outside the YMCA,
about 50 yards from the TIF, from Kamara, another 50 yards, to all
the way to the harbor.
The Minister of Macedonia-Thrace informed the members of
"Genoa Initiative 2001", who are expected to lead one of the
protests, that the G8 aren't in Thessaloniki.
The police measures will be extreme from Friday night, until
Sunday, in order to avoid any mishaps caused by protesters during
the opening by the Prime Minister.
At the central police offices of Thessaloniki a long meeting
took place with the participation of many chiefs and commanders of
police services of the city - which lasted about 9 hours - and was
coordinated by the General Inspector of the Greek Police,
Lieutenant General Charalabos Christofareizis. During the meeting,
plans made which will be implemented for the policing of the city,
during the crucial three days, since rallies have been organized
and announced.
[02] MANSLAUGHTER FOR THE ‘99 QUAKES
Charges of manslaughter with possible premeditation were
brought up today, against the people in charge of the BIOKIP
factory, that collapsed in the '99 quake. More specifically, the
indictment mentions that the accused considered that a possible
result of their actions or lack thereof could lead to the death of
others, but proceeded, to create structures which would put even
more pressure and weight on the already strained inner structure
of the building.
Charges against the wives of the accused, as well as the
accountant of the factory have been dropped.
The accused are owners Isaac and Joseph Matarazos and the
Civil Engineer, Nikos Tzitzis.
[03] SLAVERS BEFORE THE D.A. TOMORROW
Tomorrow, the Turkish slavers that transported 269 illegal
Kurdish immigrants to Mantoudi on the island of Evia, will be
brought before the District Attorney. The illegal immigrants are
being sheltered at the facilities of the unemployment agency in
Evia.
[04] THE PRIME MINISTER'S SPEECH IN THESSALONIKI'S 66TH ITF
Prime minister Kostas Simitis will present his vision of the
society of tomorrow speaking this evening in the opening of
Thessaloniki's 66th International Trade Fair that opens its gates
today.
Mr. Simitis will outline the goals of the government for a
society of freedom, creation, participation, solidarity and
cohesion. He will underline the achievements and the steps of
progress made by the country by stating that Greece has never
experienced such progress before in the past 50 years.
He will make a special reference to the single EU currency,
the Euro, that will be legal tender in Greece, as in the rest EU
countries starting in January, pointing out that this is one of
the biggest changes in the history of the Greek economy, while he
will also refer to the Athens 2004 Olympic Games.
The prime minister will present the government's policy in
every sector having as a goal a strong Greece, a strong economy, a
strong society and a strong international position for the
country. He will refer to the actions undertaken by the government
for the farmers, pensioners, low wage earners and the sensitive
population groups. In addition he will present a policy that will
secure a continuously improving living standard that will allow
every citizen to be active, enjoy support, depend on the systems
of solidarity and have a minimum social income guaranteed by the
state.
Mr. Simitis will also launch an attack on the right-wing main
opposition party of New Democracy accusing it of undermining the
country's course to progress.
[05] MORE LOSSES IN THE ASE
More losses were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange today.
The general index dropped to -0.83% at 2.647,42 points, while the
volume of transactions was at 121.95 million Euro or 41.554
billion drachmas.
Of the stocks trading today, 87 recorded gains and 242 had
losses, while the value of 47 stocks remained stable.
[06] REPPAS ON THE PROTESTS IN THESSALONIKI
The freedom of expression is a given and the people can
express their convictions and promote their demands unhindered,
reiterated today government spokesman Dimitris Reppas when he was
asked to comment on the mobilizations in Thessaloniki during the
prime minister's visit within the framework of the 66th
International Trade Fair.
The government spokesman pointed out that the acts of
violence are condemned and maintained that the organizers of the
mobilizations are heterogeneous forces with the sole purpose to
oppose the government.
When he was called to comment on the Greek General
Confederation of Labor study on poverty in Greece, he maintained
that the economy is on a good course and it is characterized by
dynamic development, pointing out that the government is very
concerned with the plague of unemployment. Mr. Reppas stated that
in spite of the fact that unemployment has dropped the government
is not satisfied.
[07] DRAFT BILL ON THE STRENGTHENING OF BUSINESS ACTIVITY
The draft bill on the strengthening of business activity that
was given to publicity by minister of national economy Yiannos
Papantoniou includes four main axes.
The specific draft bill provides for tax incentives for the
mergers of companies regardless of whether they trade in the stock
market, while it also includes tax reductions for the real estate
investment companies and overseas shipping, as well as measures to
strengthen companies active in the area of new technology.
The draft bill is expected to be presented in parliament in
the next few days.
[08] INFLATION AT 3.8% IN AUGUST
Inflation in Greece was at 3.8% in the month of August from
3.9% in July.
The harmonized inflation also dropped as it closed at 4% in
August from 4.2% in July.
[09] ZAFIROPOULOS MET WITH THE FRENCH AMBASSADOR
The strengthening of economic cooperation between Greece and
France and the adoption of joint actions together with the
countries in the wider region of southeastern Europe, were among
the issues discussed by undersecretary of national economy Yiannis
Zafiropoulos and French ambassador to Greece Jean-Maurice Ripert
in their meeting in Thessaloniki today.
Mr. Zafiropoulos stated that the meeting was aimed at helping
toward the creation of a joint cooperation framework in the wider
region of southeastern Europe and the development of activities
within the framework of the Euro-Mediterranean cooperation.
The French ambassador expressed satisfaction for the
cooperation he had with Mr. Zafiropoulos and stressed that Greece
is a very important ally for France.
[10] THE GREEK-US TRADE BALANCE IS OVER US$2 BILLION
The Greek-US trade balance exceeded the US$2 billion mark in
2000, which is unprecedented, while bilateral relations increased
by 20% compared to 1999, proving that the Greek-US business
cooperation has become stronger. However, the developments in the
Balkans are a negative factor for many US businessmen.
The above were stated in a press conference organized by the
Greek-US Chamber of Commerce and held within the framework of
Thessaloniki's 66th International Trade Fair which opens today.
US embassy commercial attache Walter Hage expressed the
belief that the Greek market is attractive for the US businessmen,
adding that there is room for further development. The US official
stated that the simplification of bureaucracy can help toward this
direction.
Greek-US Chamber of Commerce president Mr. Kouidis referred
to Greece's contribution to the development of the US business
activity in the Balkans through the Balkan Fora it has organized
and the business missions to Balkan countries.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[11] BAUCHER: THE US POSITION ON THE FYROM NAME ISSUE IS THE SAME
There is no change in the US position on the issue of the
FYROM name, stated US State Department spokesman Richard Baucher
yesterday responding to a question by reporters.
Called to comment on the recent report by the US newspaper
"Washington Post" according to which, US president Bush assured
FYROM president Boris Trajkovski that his country will be
recognized under the name "Republic of Macedonia", Mr. Baucher
responded that he has nothing new to say on the issue as he is not
aware of any change.
For the United States, the official name of this country is
Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, stressed Mr. Baucher adding
that the issue of the name is under discussion.
[12] BAUCHER STATEMENTS ON CYPRUS
All parties should do their maximum to back the UN in its
efforts to solve the Cyprus problem, stressed US State Department
spokesman Richard Baucher commenting on the statements made by UN
special envoy Alvaro de Soto on the resumption of the Cyprus talks
on September 12 under the auspices of the UN, which were rejected
by Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash.
Mr. Baucher reiterated that the United States continue to
back the UN secretary-general efforts and the UN special envoy to
Cyprus Alvaro de Soto.
Responding to the question if the US position has changed
concerning a two-zone, two-community federation in Cyprus, the US
State Department spokesman stressed that Washington supports the
UN efforts toward this direction.
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