Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2003-02-25

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

SECTIONS

[A] NATIONAL NEWS

[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS TITLES [[01] "CAKE AND PEANUT" SOLUTION

[02] OFFICIALLY HUMAN ERROR

[03] GOVERNMENT DENIES, "ATHENS 2004" CONFIRMS

[04] KOFI ANNAN IN ATHENS TODAY

[05] EUROPEAN EDUCATIONAL FORUM IN ATHENS

[06] ONE VISIBLE CHANCE FOR THE FUTURE

[07] INVESTIGATION OVER, CHARGES FOR BLACKMAILS

[08] ANNAN: THE TIME OF DECISIONS CONCERNING CYPRUS HAS COME

[09] PAPADOPOULOS CONTACTS IN ATHENS COMPLETED

[10] THE JACKAL TO TESTIFY AT N17 TRIAL

[11] A TRIAL WITH EXPENSIVE MEASURES AND NEW WITNESSES

[12] FIGHTING DRUGS IS EVERYONE'S RESPONSIBILITY

[13] BUSH CONGRATULATES SIMITIS ON IRAQ

[14] CONFERENCE ON CULTURE, COPYRIGHT AND INFORMATION SOCIETY

[15] CONFERENCE ON THE EUROPEAN CONSTITUTION

[16] SIMITIS-BUSH TELEPHONE COMMUNICATION

[17] RECONCILING FOR THE FUTURE

[18] LOSSES IN THE ASE

[19] LOVERDOS-SUMARAC TELEPHONE COMMUNICATION

[20] PROTOPAPAS ON THE PRESS COVERAGE OF THE 17N TRIAL

[21] SIMITIS-ANNAN: DISCUSSION ON THE CYPRUS ISSUE

[22] THE GREEK AGRICULTURE MINISTER IN PARIS

[23] VENIOS ANGELOPOULOS ON HIS DETENTION BY THE US AUTHORITIES

[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

[24] PAPANDREOU TO HEAD EU DELEGATION TO US REGARDING IRAQ

[25] A SIMPLE HISTORICAL MATTER... NEWS IN DETAILS

[A] NATIONAL NEWS

[01] "CAKE AND PEANUT" SOLUTION The intense dissatisfaction of Rauf Denktash was caused by the changes Mr. Annan made to the plan to resolve the Cyprus issue, according to RIK, changes he will present in Nicosia, where he will go after completing his visit to Athens today. Mr. Denktash

made mention of a plan that "offers the cake to the Greek Cypriots and peanuts to Turkish Cypriots", while Mr. Erdogan foresees a solution in March. In Athens, Prime Minister C. Simitis characterized the room for a solution before February 28 as almost n on-existent. London has attributed Denktash's intolerance to US guarantees that if Turkey assists them against Iraq, it will be in Denktash's best favor.

[02] OFFICIALLY HUMAN ERROR The police have now officially attributed the tragic KTEL bus on the Aliakmonas river bridge, which left 14 dead and one 3-year-old boy missing, to human error. There was an important testimony of a truck driver proceeding the bus, who did not stop after

the accident.

[03] GOVERNMENT DENIES, "ATHENS 2004" CONFIRMS Prime Minister Kostas Simitis' response to the clarifications by IOC President Jacques Rogge on the delays in the Olympic projects, came in the same form, that of a letter, in which he gave his assurance that the schedules will be observed. "Mr. Rogge's statements were not completely unexpected", commented the President of the Organizing Committee G. Aggelopoulou, who, according to today's press, seems to have come to a confrontation with the Minister of Culture during the Ministerial Committee meeting y esterday.

[04] KOFI ANNAN IN ATHENS TODAY After completing his visit to Ankara, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan is expected to arrive in Athens today, in order to begin discussions with the Greek government.

The newly elected President of the Republic of Cyprus, Tassos Papadopoulos, is also in Athens today. After meeting with the Greek Foreign Minister, Mr. Papadopoulos will have completed his contacts in Athens, and will return to Cyprus.

The UN Secretary General will visit Nicosia, after his stop in Athens. Kofi Annan has left the possibility of a final deadline one week after February 28 open, in order for developments for a solution to the Cyprus issue to begin.

[05] EUROPEAN EDUCATIONAL FORUM IN ATHENS With educational and social problems and the role of educational organizations in social dialogue as the main topics of discussion, educators from the 25 EU countries will participate today and tomorrow in the European Educational Forum, organized by the

Federation of Private Teachers of Greece (OIELE) and the Departmental Educational Institute for Labor of the General Union of Greek Workers, in Athens.

The Forum is one of the supporting activities organized in the framework of the Greek Presidency of the EU, while the European Trade Union for Education, ETUCE, will also be present, while education organizations and unions of 22 EU countries will be rep resented, and there will also be 2 representatives for Turkish education.

During the Forum, the European teachers will state their opinions on issues defining to the present and the future of education, in the framework of a united educational policy of an enlarged EU.

The results of the discussions will be delivered to the President of EU Ministers of Education Petros Efthymiou, in order to be used in the informal council of Ministers of Education to be held in Athens on March 1 and 2.

A rally with the slogan "We want schools, not bombs", is being organized on March 1, in Athens, by the Alliance - Stop the War, in view of the Council of EU Ministers of Education. The rally has been set to take place at the Propylea, at 12 noon.

[06] ONE VISIBLE CHANCE FOR THE FUTURE His wish for one united Cyprus to be incorporated to the EU on April 16 with a solution of the political problem through referendums, was repeated by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, upon his arrival in Athens. Mr. Annan made it clear that any delay afte r Friday would endanger the possibility to find a solution and he gave his assurance that the proposed changes will be a surprise for neither side, adding that his contacts in Ankara gave him courage. The plan "gives the cake to the Greek Cypriots and the

peanuts to the Turkish Cypriots", said Mr. Denktash, while Mr. Erdogan foresaw a solution in March. Prime Minister Kostas Simitis characterized the possibility for a solution by February 28 almost non-existent.

[07] INVESTIGATION OVER, CHARGES FOR BLACKMAILS Criminal charges against the publisher of the "Eleftheri Ora" newspaper Gr. Michalopoulos for blackmail and fraud will allegedly be proposed by DA Dimitris Papaggelopoulos, who was in charge of the investigation concerning the blackmails in the name of N 17. Mr. Papaggelopoulos, who heard the testimonies of well-known businessmen and members of the clergy, turned in his findings today.

[08] ANNAN: THE TIME OF DECISIONS CONCERNING CYPRUS HAS COME "The time for decisions to be made on the Cyprus issue has come", stated UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, upon arriving at the "Eleftherios Venizelos" airport in Athens.

Coming from Ankara, Mr. Annan said his discussions with Turkish leadership gave him courage and he explained that in Turkey they understood the urgency of the matter, they wanted a united Cyprus and they would help him in his efforts to find a solution.

The UN Secretary General arrived at the airport shortly before 12 noon and was greeted by Foreign Minister Giorgos Papandreou. Addressing the press, he underlined that it is an urgent need to agree on his reviewed plan. And that is because if we want Cyp rus to join the EU as a united country, the reunification must take place by April 16, when the Treaty for the enlargement of the EU will be signed in Athens, with the incorporation of Cyprus and 9 other countries. For Mr. Annan that means that referendum s must be held in both communities of the island by March 30.

We may not manage to come to an agreement by February 28, he said, but it must not take much longer, because we will not make the rest of the deadlines. Concerning his insistence on finding a solution now, he explained that if a united Cyprus does not jo in the EU, he does not know when another chance for the reunification of the island will present itself. "There are significant opportunities and we must make every possible effort not to miss those opportunities", he stressed characteristically.

Mr. Annan pointed out that he is looking forward to his discussions in Athens with President of the Greek Republic Costis Stefanopoulos and Prime Minister Costas Simitis. "Greece is an important factor, its role increased when it undertook the Presidency

of the European Union and we saw it in action", he observed in reference to the extraordinary Summit on Iraq, which he attended after an invitation from Mr. Simitis.

[09] PAPADOPOULOS CONTACTS IN ATHENS COMPLETED The contacts newly elected President of the Cypriot Republic Tassos Papadopoulos with Greek government officials were completed today, with his meeting with Foreign Minister Giorgos Papandreou in Athens. Mr. Papadopoulos appeared satisfied with the coord ination of Greek and Greek Cypriot moves as far as the Cyprus issue is concerned.

In statements he repeated that the Turkish side is the one that holds the progress or lack thereof on the Cyprus issue in its hand. On his side, Mr. Papandreou pointed out that the Foreign Ministry would offer its services to the Cypriot government at th is difficult time.

[10] THE JACKAL TO TESTIFY AT N17 TRIAL Internationally infamous terrorist Ilic Ramirez Sanchez, better known as Carlos the Jackal, is prepared to come to Athens and testify at the trial of the "November 17" terrorist organization suspect members, the "Greek revolutionary fighters" as he calle d them in a three-page handwritten letter he addressed to "Ta Nea" newspaper, from the Saint Maur high security prison where he is held.

In the document, published in the newspaper, Carlos mentioned that he is willing to attend the trial, "because some truths need to be told, even if they are annoying to some standing Greek politicians, liberals and social-democrats".

Carlos also characterized certain Stasi files as "fabrications of the German police", aiming at persecuting "revolutionaries" without there being any evidence, and he indirectly doubts some ELA proclamations, characteristically saying that "I am not an E LA spokesperson, that is why I will not comment on real or hypothetical ELA proclamations that took the responsibility for armed operations in Greece".

[11] A TRIAL WITH EXPENSIVE MEASURES AND NEW WITNESSES The cost of the requirements for a steady trial for "November 17", which is scheduled to begin this Monday, has been estimated at approximately 2 million euro, by Minister of National Defense Ph. Petsalnikos, who inspected the related facilities at the C orydallos Penitentiary. The list of willing witnesses include international terrorist Carlos the Jackal, who is being held in a French prison, and Professor V. Aggelopoulos, who, in an interview, made a complaint of his 5 hour questioning by the FBI in Ne w York.

[12] FIGHTING DRUGS IS EVERYONE'S RESPONSIBILITY A legislature initiative of decreasing the highest sentence for drug use to one year and the removal of the conviction from criminal records, was announced by Prime Minister Costas Simitis, after the meeting on the fight against drugs. The Prime Minister

characterized reactions and views against the functioning of drug rehabilitation centers, as happened recently in Thessaloniki, inexcusable and unacceptable, placing the blame on local government.

[13] BUSH CONGRATULATES SIMITIS ON IRAQ His congratulations to Costas Simitis on the way he handled the Iraq crisis as President of the European Union at the Summit Meeting of the "15", were given by US President George Bush, during a telephone communication he had with the Greek Prime Ministe r. On his side, Mr. Simitis repeated the position adopted by the "15" on the need to resolve the issue in the framework of the UN.

[14] CONFERENCE ON CULTURE, COPYRIGHT AND INFORMATION SOCIETY A European Conference on "Culture, Copyright and Information Society" takes place in Athens on April 7-8, in the context of the events organised by the Greek Ministry of Culture on the occasion of the Greek EU Presidency.

The relation between the information society and culture, the international dimension of copyright in the digital environment, acquis communautaire and the freedom of expression, and the collective management of copyright in the international environment , are just a few of the questions to be examined by the conference participants.

[15] CONFERENCE ON THE EUROPEAN CONSTITUTION An international conference on the Prospect of a European Constitution will take place in Thessaloniki's Aristotle University on February 28 and March 1 on the occasion of the Greek EU Presidency, the European Convention on the Future of Europe and the 2 004 Inter-governmental Conference.

Distinguished jurists and political scientists from Greece and abroad will discuss issues concerning Europe's institutional future with an emphasis to its constitutional construction.

Democracy and the fundamental rights in the European Union, the voting of the constitutional treaty and the institutional architecture of the future Europe will be among the issues discussed by the conference participants.

The conference will be held under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and it will be opened by Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos.

[16] SIMITIS-BUSH TELEPHONE COMMUNICATION US President George Bush had a telephone communication today with Greek Prime Minister and European Council President Kostas Simitis.

Mr. Bush congratulated Mr. Simitis for the way he handled the issue of Iraq on the occasion of the informal EU Summit meeting convened by Mr. Simitis, who is currently holding the EU rotating presidency. President Bush also pointed out that the US wants good relations with Europe and stressed that he works and will continue to work toward this direction.

On the issue of Iraq, Mr. Simitis reiterated the European position according to which, the issue should be handled by the United Nations, while he called on Mr. Bush to persuade Turkey to work for a solution in Cyprus.

[17] RECONCILING FOR THE FUTURE The launch of the program Reconciling for the Future was announced by the Center for Democracy and Reconciliation in Southeastern Europe. The program is under the auspices of the Greek EU Presidency and is co-organized with the Stability Pact on Southeas tern Europe with the support of the Foreign Ministries of Greece, Norway and Sweden.

The first stage of the program was launched on January 20 and provided for the creation of an electronic dialogue platform on the Internet at www.reconcilingforthefuture.org to examine issues concerning the prospects and problems in the Balkans.

The dialogue results will be presented in the conference organized by the Center for Democracy and Reconciliation in Southeastern Europe to take place in Thessaloniki on April 3-6 with the participation of distinguished figures from the Balkans and the E U. Among the conference participants will be representatives of international organizations, non governmental organizations and youth organizations.

The program also aspires to promote the basic principles of a reconciliation framework based on dialogue as a means to settle differences. Also, it provides for the creation of a data base that will include every organization dealing with southeastern Eu rope aimed at improving cooperation between them and making their funding easier.

[18] LOSSES IN THE ASE Big losses were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange today. The general index dropped to -2.42% at 1.623,34 points, while the volume of transactions was at 94.9 million euros.

The losses were the result of the pressures applied on the banking sector and the plunge recorded in the European stock markers.

Of the stocks trading today, 312 recorded losses and only 21 had gains, while the value of 46 stocks remained unchanged.

[19] LOVERDOS-SUMARAC TELEPHONE COMMUNICATION Greek Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs Andreas Loverdos, who is in Beirut, had a telephone communication today with Serb Republic Minister of Public Works Dragoslav Sumarac. The two discussed the implementation course of the Greek Plan for the Economic Reconstruction of the Balkans.

Both expressed satisfaction regarding the proposals submitted within the framework of the plan which include eight projects, setting as a priority the reconstruction of Road Axis 10.

[20] PROTOPAPAS ON THE PRESS COVERAGE OF THE 17N TRIAL Greek government spokesman Christos Protopapas commented on the issue of the press coverage of the court trial of the terrorist group "17 November" members. Earlier, the Justice Minister had left open the issue of the use of tape recorders by journalists

inside the courtroom.

The government spokesman reminded the law that was passed recently in Parliament which does not allow the television coverage of the trial except in the case of a court decision that rules differently and in agreement with all parties involved in the tri al. He said that the law bans the video-taping or the radio broadcast of the trial.

In any case, stated Mr. Protopapas, the need of the Greek people to be informed is a great consideration, stressing that nobody has anything to hide.

[21] SIMITIS-ANNAN: DISCUSSION ON THE CYPRUS ISSUE The issue of the guarantee and security system in Cyprus will be discussed in the afternoon meeting of Greek Prime Minister Kostas Simitis with UN secretary general Kofi Annan in Athens. The statement was made by Greek government spokesman Christos Proto papas, who pointed out that Mr. Annan will raise the issue of the procedure for the new memorandum on the Cyprus issue and the continuation of the relevant talks.

Mr. Protopapas reiterated that the negotiations have not moved ahead because of the stance adopted by Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots. He pointed out that in spite of the Erdogan statements, referring to a solution of the issue during next month, the Tur kish Cypriot side remains intransigent

Regarding the Greek stance, he reiterated the will of Greece and the Cypriot Republic for the continuation of the dialogue. Mr. Protopapas also stressed that the solution of the political problem in Cyprus is not associated with Cyprus' EU accession. The

statement was made in response to an earlier statement made by Mr. Annan according to which, it would be good if a united Cyprus became a member of the EU.

[22] THE GREEK AGRICULTURE MINISTER IN PARIS Greek Minister of Agriculture Giorgos Dris will be in Paris tomorrow at the invitation of his French counterpart.

Mr. Dris will visit the French capital on the occasion of the annual International Agriculture Exhibition accompanied by Undersecretaries of Agriculture Vangelis Argiris and Fotis Hatzimichalis.

At the initiative of the French Minister of Agriculture, tomorrow will be dedicated to the EU enlargement. Invited to visit the exhibition are the Ministers of Agriculture of the EU and their counterparts from the 10 acceding countries as well as the Min isters of Agriculture of Bulgaria and Romania.

[23] VENIOS ANGELOPOULOS ON HIS DETENTION BY THE US AUTHORITIES Metsovion National Polytechnic professor Venios Angelopoulos called for the destruction of his personal data that are currently in the hands of the US authorities. He made the statement in a press conference he gave in Athens today in which he described the conditions under which he was detained and interrogated by the US authorities for five-and-a-half hours.

The 55yearold professor characterized as illegal his detention and informal questioning by the FBI at the New York airport as no charges were filed against him and was given no legal or diplomatic assistance.

Present in the press conference were Metsovion National Polytechnic Dean Themistoklis Xanthopoulos and Faculty Association President Yiannis Maistos, who expressed their support to Mr. Angelopoulos and the indignation of the Greek university professors f or the gross violation of every meaning of legal culture, international relations and human rights.

Mr. Angelopoulos said that his personal data, fingerprints, picture and signature sample, were sent for comparison to the US authorities' archives. He said that the questioning focused on his acquaintance with Giotopoulos, one of the leading members of t errorist group 17N, and other people who knew Giotopoulos. He said that indirectly he was offered money to refresh his memory, while a special emphasis was given to the fact that he knew the attorney representing Giotopoulos.

Based on the above, Mr. Angelopoulos wondered whether the goal of the interrogation was to intimidate him in order to keep him from testifying as a defense witness in the trial of Giotopoulos whom he knew since he was a university student.

[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

[24] PAPANDREOU TO HEAD EU DELEGATION TO US REGARDING IRAQ Foreign Minister and President of the EU Minister's Council Giorgos Papandreou, High Representative of Common Foreign and Defense Policy Xavier Solana, and Commissioner on Foreign Relations Chris Patten, will travel to the US on Thursday, where they will

have meetings with US Secretary of State Collin Powell and the US President's Security Consultant Condoleezza Rice, regarding the Iraq crisis.

In a press conference following the General Affairs Council meeting in Brussels, Mr. Papandreou underlined that the UN Security Council will decide the next moves. He mentioned that the 15 Foreign Ministers did not discuss a second resolution regarding I raq, nor did they specify the criteria for the evaluation of Saddam Hussein's cooperation, because all related decisions will be taken into account by the Security Council.

Mr. Papandreou reconfirmed the common position of the "15" on the Iraq issue and stressed that the EU has no hidden agenda, what it is discussing and the only thing it is taking a position on is resolution 1441 concerning Iraq's disarmament, thus distanc ing himself from British statements, that stress that among their goals is the change of the Saddam Hussein regime.

Thus, he made it clear that the European opinion was surmised during the recent Summit Meeting, and aims at disarmament, not changing the Saddam Hussein regime, considering the use of violence a last resort, after all other means are exhausted and the UN

inspectors have completed their work.

"We are on a path for common foreign policy and our wish is for this course to continue and develop into a united policy", he stressed. "Iraq is neither the beginning nor the end of the EU's history. We want to defend the unity and ideals of Europe". Ira q will be the reason to reinforce the course of deepening what we have begun", he pointed out.

At the Council's Working Lunch, participants also included the Secretary General of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, and the present League President, Lebanese Foreign Minister Mahmud Hammud, with whom there was, according to Mr. Papandreou, constructive dia logues both on Iraq as well as on continuing the peacekeeping procedure in the Middle East.

[25] A SIMPLE HISTORICAL MATTER... The issue is for historians to study, answered the US to a FYROM note in which they expressed their dissatisfaction with recent resolutions of the US-Canada Panmacedonian Association, adopted by certain American States, which recognizes the Hellenic orig in of the ancient Macedonians.

"The issue is for historians to study. What is clear according to the Constitution, is that the US foreign policy is dictated by the federal government", read a State Department announcement published in the "Dnevnik" newspaper.

In the note of protest to the US, the FYROM government had stressed: "The government considers the issue an insult to the Macedonian people, all people of Slavic origin, and all those living in northern Greece who consider themselves Macedonians".

Regarding further FYROM worries as regards to the how the resolutions would affect the stance of the US on the name issue of FYROM, the State Department pointed out that "taking into consideration the present relations between FYROM and Greece, we are sa tisfied with the excellent level of bilateral cooperation that they have achieved. We will continue to support the negotiations being carried out under the auspices of the United Nations, in order for the differences on the name issue to be solved in a wa y that is acceptable to both sides".

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