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Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English, 97-03-28Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Macedonian Press Agency at http://www.mpa.gr and http://www.hri.org/MPA.BRIEF GREEK NEWS BULLETIN BY MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCYThessaloniki, March 28, 1997TITLES
NEWS IN DETAIL[01] GREEK PREMIER AND GREECE'S EU COMMISSIONER DISCUSS ALBANIAN CRISISAthens, March 28 (MPA)Greece's Prime Minister Kostas Simitis met with Greece's European Union Commissioner Christos Papoutsis in Athens today where the two men discussed the Albanian crisis and the EU's stance on the issue.Mr. Papoutsis briefed the Premier on the EU's concern regarding the developments in the neighboring country, as well as the Community's efforts to arrive at an optimal solution and to allow for the delivery of humanitarian aid where it is needed the most. Moreover, the two men discussed the EU's enlargement and Mr. Papoutsis stated that Cyprus will be among the first countries to gain accession. A.F. [02] GREEK DEFENSE MINISTER AKIS TSOCHATZOPOULOS IN ROMANIABucharest, March 28 (MPA)Greece's Defense Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos is to complete his two-day official visit to Bucharest today, after having met with Romanian President Emil Constantinescu and Prime Minister Victor Corbea.Mr. Tsochatzopoulos met with his Romanian counterpart Victor Babiuk and the two are expected to sign a "Memorandum of Understanding" which will regard co-operation in the sectors of military outfitting and technology, as well as a "Security Accord" concerning the exchange of classified national military information. The Greek Defense Minister stressed to Mr. Babiuk that Greece is supportive of Romania's request to enter the Euro-Atlantic organizations and also emphasized the need for NATO's eastward expansion and the European Union's enlargement. A.F. [03] GREEK CONSULATE IN GJIROKASTER CLOSES AFTER EPISODES ERUPTGjirocaster, March 28 (MPA)The Greek Consulate in Gjirocaster, Albania, remains closed today after yesterday's episodes where angry Albanians demanded that the office grant them the necessary visa to enter Greece.Meanwhile, the Hospital of Ioannina, in Greece, has reached its capacity in providing health care to Albanian patients, given the lack of beds and shortage of blood supply. During the past three days alone, this hospital received 120 wounded Albanians. A.F. [04] OSCE WAITS FOR UN'S APPROVAL BEFORE ASSIGNING FORCE TO ALBANIATirana, March 28 (MPA)The Organization for Peace and Security in Europe has stated that it will need the United Nations' approval prior to assigning a multinational peace-keeping force to Albania.Once this force is assigned, its first task will be to maintain security at the Tirana airport and to enable the safe transport of humanitarian aid from the Durres port to Tirana. According to the BBC, this force will initially be made up of 2,500 troops, which could expand to numbering 5,000. This force is to remain in Albania until elections are held in June. Portugal, Spain, France and Italy have expressed their willingness to participate in this force. A.F. [05] ALBANIAN DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHIEF: GREEK MINORITY IS THE LINK OF FRIENDSHIPTirana, March 28 (MPA)The President of Albania's Democratic Party Tritan Sehu has categorically ruled out all scenaria that bring the Greek government and its people as being involved in the riots that erupted in southern Albania, stating instead that the crisis his country is undergoing is actually due to the efforts of some anti- Albanian circles, he said, to destabilize the country.Speaking to the BBC, Mr. Sehu stated that "I once again emphasize that the Greek government has stood by our side during the difficult times we are going through", adding that "the Greek minority constitutes a factor of friendhsip between the two countries." A.F. [06] CYPRIOT GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSON COMMENTS ON KARADAYI'S STATEMENTSNicosia, March 28 (MPA)The Cypriot government has called on Turkey's Chief of the Armed Forces Ismael Karadayi to make similar gestures towards Cyprus, as the ones he made towards Greece, specifically by ordering the withdrawal of the occupation forces from the island.Cypriot government spokesperson Yiannakis Kasoulides stated that Mr. Karadayi's statements do bear a positive direction, but he did add that it still too soon to tell if this gesture is simply for public relations purposes. Mr. Kasoulides also stated that Gen. Karadayi must be aware of how important it would be for Cyprus if he orders the removal of the occupation troops. A.F. [07] STATE GIVES EXTENSION TO TAX RETURN DEADLINE UNTIL MONDAY NIGHTAthens, March 28 (MPA)The deadline to file tax returns with the state's revenue services has been extended to Monday night, given that at least one million of Greek taxpayers have yet to file their income taxes.As such, Greece's post offices will work overtime and are to remain open throughout the weekend in order to process the last- minute returns. A.F. [08] EUROPEAN UNION SETS CLOCKS ONE HOUR AHEAD ON SUNDAYAthens, March 28 (MPA)All of the European Union's member-states will set their clocks one hour ahead on Sunday, a mandatory adjustment enforced by the Community.Specifically, the clocks will be set one hour ahead on Sunday, March 30, at 3 a.m. The time change will be into effect until October 26. A.F. 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/Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |