Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English, 96-12-12

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

BRIEF GREEK NEWS BULLETIN BY MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY

Thessaloniki, December 12, 1996

TITLES

[01] GREEK FARMERS SHOW HINT OF COMPROMISE, SOME STAY, BUT SOME LEAVE

[02] PREMIER IN THE HAGUE TODAY, WILL MEET WITH DUTCH COUNTERPART VIM KOK

[03] ATHENS 2004 OLYMPIC GAMES BID COMMITTEE PRESIDENT TO TRAVEL TO SIDNEY

[04] BRITAIN WILL NOT RECOGNIZE DENKTASH'S PSEUDOSTATE, SAYS RIFKIND TO BBC

[05] ROMANIA'S NEW CABINET SWORN IN TODAY

NEWS IN DETAIL

[01] GREEK FARMERS SHOW HINT OF COMPROMISE, SOME STAY, BUT SOME LEAVE

Thessaloniki, December 12 (MPA)

Meanwhile, the Association of Northern Greece's Exporters (SEVE) intends to file suits for damages by tomorrow, according to SEVE's president Apostolos Yenitsaris, who estimated the economic losses suffered so far by the area's exporters to more than ten billion drachmas.

The Minister of Press and Media Dimitris Reppas issued another appeal to the farmers to open the roads and proceed to a dialogue with the Government. He also criticised the main opposition's leader (New Democracy's Miltiades Evert) for visiting the roadblocks, and stated that he is attempting to take advantage of the farmers' protests for the sake of party gains.

The Minister of Agriculture Stephanos Tzoumakas is currently chairing a parliamentary agriculture committee meeting in order to assess the situation.

Aleka Paparega, Secretary-General of the Communist Party of Greece, will tour Thessaly tomorrow and will visit roadblocks in Larissa.

[02] PREMIER IN THE HAGUE TODAY, WILL MEET WITH DUTCH COUNTERPART VIM KOK

The Hague, December 12 (MPA)

The Netherlands will hold the EU's rotating Presidency beginning January 1, 1997. This evening, Mr. Simitis will travel to Dublin, Ireland, (EU's current President) to attend the European Union's Summit meeting to be held tomorrow and Saturday.

In his visits to The Hague and Dublin, Mr. Simitis is accompanied by Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos, and the Ministers of National Economy and Finance Yiannos Papantoniou, Press and Mass Media Dimitris Reppas, alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou and PASOK eurodeputy Yiannos Kranidiotis.

[03] ATHENS 2004 OLYMPIC GAMES BID COMMITTEE PRESIDENT TO TRAVEL TO SIDNEY

Melbourne, December 12 (MPA)

Ms. Aggelopoulou-Daskalaki stated that Australia's Greek community can play an important role in Athens' bid for the Games, by influencing the local communities to support Greece.

The President of Melbourne's Greek Community George Fountas said that, without a doubt, Australia's Greek community stands by Athens' side.

[04] BRITAIN WILL NOT RECOGNIZE DENKTASH'S PSEUDOSTATE, SAYS RIFKIND TO BBC

London, December 12 (MPA)

Mr. Rifkind's forthcoming meeting with Rauf Denktash, the leader of the occupying regime in northern Cyprus, has created a flurry of reactions within the Greek-Cypriot community and has prompted the Democratic Party (DIKO) to discuss the possibility of breaking up its governmental coalition with the Democratic Rally party (DISY).

The Foreign Office diplomat clarified that he will meet Mr. Denktash as "the leader of the Turkish-Cypriot community."

He added that "there is no shift in our positions, we do not recognized the so-called 'Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.' No country recognizes it." However, he went on to say that dialogue is crucial for achieving progress in the resolution of the Cyprus problem.

Albeit foreseeing that the path to such resolution will be a long one, Mr. Rifkind supported that in order to reach a fair and viable solution, the island's two communities must conduct talks.

Moreover, Mr. Rifkind fully adopted the positions expressed by Greece's Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos who has stated that Greece will not accept any whatsoever interrelation between the Cypriot issue and Cyprus's accession to the European Union.

"Mr. Pangalos is absolutely right," Mr. Rifkind said. "These are two separate issues, each of which must be dealt with separately. Of course, if Cyprus is united again, the negotiation for its accession to the EU will be easier, but one issue cannot be dependent upon the other."

[05] ROMANIA'S NEW CABINET SWORN IN TODAY

Romania's new Cabinet will be sworn in today, in a ceremony officiated by President Emil Constantinescu.

Romanian Premier Victor Ciorbea received the Parliament's confidence vote yesterday, with a majority vote.

The new Cabinet, elected in November, comprises 27 ministers and undersecretaries and features the participation of all the parties in the "Democratic Alliance" coalition.

The Democratic Convention of Romania (CDR) led by Constantinescu, is the main party in both chambers of the country's Parliament, with approximately 30 per cent, while the Party of Social Democracy in Romania PDSR, a stronghold in Parliament ever since the overthrow of the communist regime in December 1989, holds 23.1 per cent in the Senate and 21.6 in the House of Representatives.

Complete archives of the Macedonian Press Agency bulletins are available on the MPA Home Page at http://www.mpa.gr/ and on the U.S. mirror at http://www.hri.org/MPA/

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