Read the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (10 December 1982) Read the Convention Relating to the Regime of the Straits (24 July 1923) Read the Convention Relating to the Regime of the Straits (24 July 1923)
HR-Net - Hellenic Resources Network Compact version
Today's Suggestion
Read The "Macedonian Question" (by Maria Nystazopoulou-Pelekidou)
HomeAbout HR-NetNewsWeb SitesDocumentsOnline HelpUsage InformationContact us
Thursday, 28 March 2024
 
News
  Latest News (All)
     From Greece
     From Cyprus
     From Europe
     From Balkans
     From Turkey
     From USA
  Announcements
  World Press
  News Archives
Web Sites
  Hosted
  Mirrored
  Interesting Nodes
Documents
  Special Topics
  Treaties, Conventions
  Constitutions
  U.S. Agencies
  Cyprus Problem
  Other
Services
  Personal NewsPaper
  Greek Fonts
  Tools
  F.A.Q.
 

Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2003-01-16

Macedonian Press Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: The Macedonian Press Agency at http://www.mpa.gr and http://www.hri.org/MPA.


MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY Thessaloniki, January 16, 2003

SECTIONS

  • [A] NATIONAL NEWS
  • [B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

  • NEWS HEADLINES

    [A] NATIONAL NEWS

  • [01] TESTIMONIES IN FULL SECRECY ON N17
  • [02] D.A. INTERVENTION ON M. PSOMIADIS CASE
  • [03] VARDINOGIANNIS TESTIFIED TODAY
  • [04] MEETING OF POLICE OFFICERS FROM SE EUROPE
  • [05] SIMITIS-ROBERTSON DISCUSSED THE EURO-ARMY ISSUE
  • [06] PAPANDREOU CONTACTS WITH WESTON AND MILLER
  • [07] THE GAINS CONTINUE IN THE ASE
  • [08] SIMITIS AND ROBERTSON DISCUSSED THE EURO-ARMY ISSUE
  • [09] THE DISCUSSION ON THE STATUS OF MOUNT ATHOS IS POINTLESS
  • [B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

  • [10] COMMITMENTS WITH CONTRADICTIONS NEWS IN DETAILS

    [A] NATIONAL NEWS

  • [01] TESTIMONIES IN FULL SECRECY ON N17 Businessman Theodoros Aggelopoulos testified before DA Dimitris Papaggelopoulos in full secrecy, concerning the case of businessmen being blackmailed by use of "November 17" as a threat.

    After the completion of his testimony, which lasted more than 3 hours, Mr. Aggelopoulos only told journalists that the truth will be revealed soon.

    According to information, Mr. Aggelopoulos submitted the whole diary of N17 victim Dimitris Aggelopoulos to the DA.

    Within the next few days, Gianna Aggelopoulou, Vardis Vardinogiannis, and Argyris Saliarelis are expected to testify as well. Publisher and journalist Grigoris Michalopoulos, who is named as the blackmailer in the diary, is also expected to testify soon.

  • [02] D.A. INTERVENTION ON M. PSOMIADIS CASE Minister of Culture Evaggelos Venizelos, drawing on the football player Demis Nicolaidis' complaints against the President of PAE AEK Makis Psomiadis who allegedly threatened his life, asked the DA to intervene.

    Mr. Venizelos asked the Supreme Court leadership to intervene and bring the case to justice, supporting that: "It is an ordinary criminal law case, not sports law".

    Deputy Minister of Sports, Giorgos Lianis, condemned the incident. As he mentioned, he communicated with Demis Nicolaidis and was informed on the matter. Nicolaidis will press charges against Makis Psomiadis.

    Nicolaidis is expected to hold a press conference this afternoon at the general police direction. Psomiadis, according to the football player, visited him late at night on Tuesday at his house, accompanied by "goons" and threatened to do him bodily harm.

    Nicolaidis made a complaint to PAE AEK the following day, in which he informed them that he would not continue to practice with the team.

    The issue has caused creaks throughout the sports community, but more specifically in the AEK team. Dusan Bajevic will hold a press conference this afternoon, where it is quite possible that he will resign from his position as coach.

  • [03] VARDINOGIANNIS TESTIFIED TODAY Greek businessman Vardis Vardinogiannis testified today on the case concerning the extortion of businessmen on behalf of terrorist group "17 November". The name of Mr. Vardinogiannis was allegedly on the list with names of businessmen blackmailed by "17 November".

    Another businessman, Theodoros Angelopoulos testified yesterday and handed over to police two tapes given to his family by third parties. Earlier, it had been revealed that Mr. Angelopoulos and his wife Mrs. Yianna Angelopoulou-Daskalakis, the President of the "Athens 2004" Organizing Committee, had handed over to authorities a handwritten note by Dimitris Angelopoulos, who was assassinated by "17 November", involving in the case publisher Grigoris Michalopoulos.

    Mrs. Angelopoulou-Daskalakis is expected to also testify on the case as well as other businessmen who were allegedly victims of blackmail.

  • [04] MEETING OF POLICE OFFICERS FROM SE EUROPE The 2nd meeting of police officers from southeastern Europe will take place in Thessaloniki on January 18-19 to examine ways to combat inter-border crime.

    The participants will discuss ways for more effective and meaningful cooperation on issues concerning organized crime, the exploitation of women and children, drugs and the modern form of violence.

    In the meeting will participate delegates from Greece, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, FRY, FYROM, Bulgaria, Romania, Russia, Cyprus and Turkey as well as the SECI office in Romania.

  • [05] SIMITIS-ROBERTSON DISCUSSED THE EURO-ARMY ISSUE The issue of the European rapid intervention force, the so-called Euro-army, dominated in the meeting of NATO General Secretary Lord Robertson with Greek Prime Minister and EU President Kostas Simitis in Athens. In the meeting were present Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Papandreou and Minister of Defense Yiannos Papantoniou.

    They examined the EU-NATO relations, the replacement of the NATO troops deployed in Skopje by European forces and the planned US military intervention in Iraq.

  • [06] PAPANDREOU CONTACTS WITH WESTON AND MILLER The Cyprus issue, the planned US armed intervention in Iraq and the issue of security in Greece, dominated in the contacts Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Papandreou had today with US State Department special coordinator in Cyprus Thomas Weston and US amb assador to Athens Thomas Miller.

    In the Papandreou-Weston meeting were discussed the developments in the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan efforts for the solution of the Cyprus problem, while Mr. Weston made positive comments on the protest rallies taking place in the occupied territorie s demanding a solution to the problem based on the Annan Plan. He said that the protests of the democratic majority have the support of the US as they coincide with the US government demand for the solution of the Cyprus problem.

    The Papandreou-Miller meeting focused on bilateral issues and the planned US attack on Iraq. When asked on the issue, the US ambassador pointed out that discussions are underway with a number of state governments and stressed that he will not refer to de tails. He reiterated the US government position that it is not necessary to find smoking guns in Iraq for an intervention to take place. He also cited UN Security Council resolution 1441 on the biological, nuclear and ballistic weapons construction progra ms in Iraq.

    The Greek Foreign Minister raised to the US ambassador the issue of the US State Department web page on the Internet in which it is mentioned that there is still a risk of a terrorist attack in Greece in spite of the arrest of the "17 November" terrorist

    group members. Mr. Miller clarified that it is an informative document for the US tourists and not a travel advisory. However, he said that it is not an important issue and he will investigate it.

    Greek Foreign Ministry spokesman Panos Beglitis also referred to the issue, pointing out that Greece is a safe country for its visitors and the 2004 Olympic Games.

  • [07] THE GAINS CONTINUE IN THE ASE The gains continued in the Athens Stock Exchange today. The general index rose to +0.35% at 1.726,76 points, while the volume of transactions was at 74.4 million euros.

    Of the stocks trading today, 174 recorded gains and 119 had losses, while the value of 87 stocks remained unchanged.

  • [08] SIMITIS AND ROBERTSON DISCUSSED THE EURO-ARMY ISSUE NATO Secretary General Lord George Robertson backed the closer cooperation between the European Union and NATO to complete the procedure concerning the Euro-army in order to be in operation on June 1, 2003. Lord Robertson met in Athens today with Prime M inister and EU President Kostas Simitis. In the meeting were present Foreign Minister Giorgos Papandreou and Defense Minister Yiannos Papantoniou.

    On the situation in Iraq, Prime Minister Kostas Simitis stressed that it is feasible to avoid the war, pointing out that this will happen only if Iraq is disarmed from biochemical and nuclear weapons. He said that Greece has undertaken an initiative for the General Affairs Council to meet on January 27 to adopt a common EU stance and strategy on Iraq.

    Lord Robertson agreed that a military intervention in Iraq is not necessary stressing, however, that Saddam Hussein should comply to the letter with the UN resolutions. The crisis resulted from the Iraqi leader's defiance of 11 UN Security Council resolu tions, stated the NATO head.

  • [09] THE DISCUSSION ON THE STATUS OF MOUNT ATHOS IS POINTLESS The status of the monastic community of Mount Athos has been consolidated in Greece's EU accession treaty, it has been regulated since 1979 and was ratified in 1981, stated Greek government spokesman Christos Protopapas. The statement was made in respons e to the European Parliament decision which adopted a non binding resolution lifting the existing status of Mount Athos, a monastic community in northern Greece which is off limits for women.

    Mr. Protopapas stated that the issue has been regulated through the existing treaties and therefore, any discussion is pointless. He said that the EU resolution is of no significance and the Mount Athos status cannot be overturned through resolutions.

    Mr. Protopapas stressed that this is a special situation. It is a monastic community that has kept the Christian Orthodox tradition in its entirety and therefore, it is absolutely wrong for someone to try to impose a solution from the outside. Both from a legal and a spiritual point of view such situations that have been consolidated through the centuries should be respected, stated Mr. Protopapas.

  • [B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

  • [10] COMMITMENTS WITH CONTRADICTIONS A new meeting has been scheduled for tomorrow in Nicosia, between President Cleridis and Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash, as special UN Envoy Alvaro De Soto obtained their commitment to try and solve the problem by February 28. After the meeting how ever, Rauf Denktash repeated his well-known objections concerning the time and content of the Annan plan. Mr. De Soto and US Delegate to Cyprus, Thomas Weston, are in Athens today.
    Macedonian Press Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article
  • Back to Top
    Copyright © 1995-2023 HR-Net (Hellenic Resources Network). An HRI Project.
    All Rights Reserved.

    HTML by the HR-Net Group / Hellenic Resources Institute, Inc.
    mpegr2html v1.01a run on Thursday, 16 January 2003 - 21:05:59 UTC