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Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English, 97-03-31Macedonian 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 31, 1997TITLES
NEWS IN DETAIL[01] GREEK DEFENSE MINISTER: OUR ARMED FORCES CAN FACE ANY CHALLENGEThessaloniki, March 31 (MPA)In a speech given during his stay in Thessaloniki, Greece's Defense Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos stated that the country's armed forces are ready to face any whatsoever challenge.Mr. Tsochatzopoulos pointed out that the country's military outfitting program must continue and be completed as planned, so that readiness can be secured from all of its sectors. Referring to the assignment of a Greek batallion to the multi- national force in Albania, Mr. Tsochatzopoulos said that the officers who will participate will be appointed by the General Army Staff. Regarding Greece's participation to the multi-national force and the various criticisms that have been voiced, Mr. Tsochatzopoulos said that the government has chosen to express its solidarity to Albania, "as neighbors, as Balkan people, and, of course, as a people who have Greeks living in Albania as a minority. To what degree this mission will be easy or difficult, that is another issue. We are going there to support the secure transport of humanitarian aid and to ensure the security of the European Uion's missions which are to support the restructuring projects." Referring to the fact that Italy holds primacy in the mission to Albania, Mr. Tsochatzopoulos stated this does not pose a problem for Greece. "There are seven or eight countries that will participate, there isn't a primacy under this spectrum. We all decide together and discuss all aspects in order to assign responsibilities so that we know how we will function," the Greek Defense Minister said. The Metropolite of Thessaloniki Penteleeimon the B' bestowed upon the Greek Defense Minister the gold medal of St. Gregory of Palama and gave him a check for seven million GRD for the Armed Forces. A.F. [02] BRINDIZI'S PROSECUTOR TO FILE CHARGES AGAINST ITALIAN CAPTAINTirana, March 31 (MPA)Albania is in national mourning, after Friday night's tragedy in the Adriatic Sea that claimed the lives of Albanian refugees when an Italian corvette collided with a small Albanian boat, trying to prevent it from entering Italy's territorial waters.The Italian local court of Brindezi holds the captain of the Italian corvette responsible for the tragedy. The Italian authorities are defending their captain and arrested the Albanian ship's captain instead, in spite of the intense protests issued from the Albanian government. Four Albanian refugees drowned while 34 survivors were rescued. According to the survivors, the boat was carrying 120 people. The press in Tirana reports that the Albanian captain had raised a white flag, signaling that he was transporting reFugees, in addition to having brought all the children on the deck as a sure sign of who his passengers were. The Vatican has also issued an announcement regarding the tragedy, wherein it indirectly holds the Italian capitan responsible. A.F. [03] ALBANIAN PREMIER TO BE IN ATHENS ON WEDNESDAYAthens, March 31 (MPA)Albanian Prime Minister Baskim Fino will be in Athens on Wednesday where he will meet with Greece's Premier Kostas Simitis.Mr. Fino has welcomed the UN Security Council's decision to approve the deployment of a multi-national military force in Albania. In a press conference, Mr. Fino added that the request for a military intervention had been expressed by the political parties in Albania, was co-signed by the President and the Prime Minister and later was presented to Parliament for a formal approval, which it gained. Meanwhile, a military delegation comprising officials from those countries due to participate in the multi-national force assigned to Albania will meet in Rome today. Greece will assign one batallion. A.F. [04] CYPRIOT PRESIDENT AND PARLIAMENT CHIEF DISCUSS ISSUE OF MISSING PERSONSNicosia, March 31 (MPA)The President of the Republic of Cyprus Glafkos Clerides and the President of the Cypriot Parliament Spyros Kyprianou discussed the issue of the missing persons and the further procedures to be taken on the matter.Following the meeting, Mr. Kyprianou stated that the issue is being intensely analyzed and added that he himself is involved in negotiations with the relevant parliamentary committee and the committees of the relatives of the missing persons. A.F. [05] US PRESIDENTIAL FOUNDATION OF RESEARCH HAS SECRET REPORT ON TURKISH PMAnkara, March 31 (MPA)A classified report which was submitted to United States President Bill Clinton and was published by the US Research Foundation unveils a not-so-favorable view of Turkish Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan.The 90-page report briefs the US President on the current situation in the Middle East, while it characterized Mr. Erbakan as "intransigent" and accuses him of holding an "unfriendly stance". The Turkish daily "Yeni Yuzil" published the report in an article titled "US report against Erbakan". According to the artile, the report states that the Turkish Premier holds an anti-West and anti-American stance, in spite of his claims to the contrary, and adds that he is also reacting to NATO and the defense accord Turkey signed with the United States. Moreover, the report mentions that Turkey's Welfare Party has subjected the country to a withdrawal from the secular status quo which, the report states, "was working perfectly for 70 years". Also, the report hails the Turkish armed forces and characterizes them as a "guard of the Turkish Republic's secular character." A.F. [06] FYROM PRESIDENT IN "LE MONDE": SATISFIED WITH OUR RELATIONS WITH GREECEParis, March 31 (MPA)FYROM's President Kiro Gligorov has expressed his satisfaction with the course of his country's relations with Greece, during a recently-published interview with France's "Le Monde".Mr. Gligorov stated that the trade and economic relations between Greece-FYROM have been upgraded, emphasizing that "Greeks have already invested DM 20 million which illustrates their interest in our government's privatization programs. Also, Mr. Gligorov expressed his optimism at the further development of relations witrh Greece, giving extensive emphasis to the Greek Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos' recent visit to Skopje. Referring to the Albanian minority, Mr. Gligorov spoke of the restructuring processes that are currently into effect, especially in the sector of education. The President of FYROM differentiated between his country's Albanian population and the Albanians from Kossovo and Sadjak whom he characterized as more intransigent, having in mind the creation of a greater Albania, as he stated. A.F. [07] FYROM: MINISTERS RESIGN IN THE MIDST OF BANKING SCANDAL INVESTIGATIONSkopje, March 31 (MPA)The scandal that erupted in FYROM from the uncovering of the illicit banking practices of the finance institution "TAT" has taken a new turn, as a number of ministers have submitted their resignation in the midst of the investigation that looks into the involvement of government officials in the matter.According to reports, FYROM's Health Minister is expected to resign today, following rumors that he is involved in a scandal concerning imported medicines that were close to expiring and were sold at price hike up of about 20%. 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 |
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