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Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English, 97-08-18Macedonian 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, August 18, 1997TITLES
NEWS IN DETAIL[01] ANKARA AND THE TURKISH-CYPRIOT LEADERSHIP ARE BLAMED FOR THE FAILURE OF THE CLERIDES-DENKTASH DIRECT TALKSAthens 18 August (MPA)In an interview to the Athens newspaper "TA NEA", Greek Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs Yiannos Kranidiotis blamed Ankara and the Turkish-Cypriot leadership for the failure of the direct talks between Cypriot President Glafkos Clerides and Turkish-Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash in Montreaux, Switzerland.Mr.Kranidiotis pointed out that Ankara is trying to blackmail the EU in order to secure its accession into it and isolate the Greek side from any negotiation. He stated that he denounces Bulent Etsevit and Rauf Denktash as the advocates of pan-Turkish nationalism, who are interested in promoting the unification of the Turkish occupied territories in Cyprus with Turkey and not in finding a fair solution to the Cyprus problem. Referring to the issue of the Russian S-300 missiles, the Greek Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs stated that the right of self-defence is the indefeasible right of every country and is recognized by International Law and the UN Charter. Meanwhile, the UN is expected to make new efforts for the continuation of the Clerides-Denktash talks. [02] THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH WISHED FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE GREEK-TURKISH RELATIONSChios 18 August (MPA)Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos wished for the continuous improvement of the Greek-Turkish relations during his visit to the Aegean island of Chios, where he was warmly received by the local residents.The Ecumenical Patriarch's schedule today includes a visit to Psara. [03] CYPRIOT PRESIDENT CLERIDES WILL VISIT ATHENSAthens 18 August (MPA)Cypriot President Glafkos Clerides will visit Athens soon to discuss with the Greek government the policy that will be followed after the deadlock in his direct talks with Turkish-Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash in Montreaux, Switzerland.Meanwhile, in statements made by British special envoy to Cyprus Sir David Hanney it was stressed that Turkey will not dictate to the European Union what to do, while it was also clarified that Cyprus' accession course will continue as planned. [04] THE ALBANIAN GOVERNMENT CALLS FOR THE HANDING OVER OF THE WEAPONS SEIZEDTirana 18 August (MPA)The Albanian government, in an effort to restore order and put an end to the armed clashes among different gungs, set a deadline for the country's citizens until September 30th in order to hand over the weapons they illegally seized during the popular uprising earlier this year.All those who will not comply could face prison terms of up to 8 years. [05] MUTINY OF FOREIGN SAILORS ON BOARD A GREEK FISHING-BOATAthens 18 August (MPA)The Greek fishing-boat "Agios Georgios", on board which there was a mutiny by its 20 foreign sailors, is on its way to Dakar. The fishing-boat is expected to arrive in the capital of Senegal this afternoon and already the Greek consulate in Dakar has been informed regarding the incident.The three Greek sailors on board the fishing-boat are in no danger and have no health problems. The mutiny was the result of the shipowner company's order to the crew to continue the trip in spite of the fact that the boat was making water off the coasts of Liberia. [06] PROTESTS BY THE RESIDENTS OF A TURKISH OCCUPIED TOWN IN CYPRUSNicosia 18 August (MPA)The residents of the Turkish occupied town of Morfu in Cyprus held their annual protest against the Turkish occupation with the slogan "We don't forget".This morning, the town's residents were scheduled to deliver a petition to the Embassies of the five permanent members in the UN Security Council, while later in the evening a prayer will be held in the chapel of Agia Paraskevi in Nicosia for the return of the refugees to their homes. [07] A LLOYDS BANK REPORT SEES A BLEAK ECONOMIC FUTURE FOR THE EUROPEANSLondon 18 August (MPA)Hard times are ahead for the Europeans during the first half of the next century, according to a Lloyds Bank report on the long- term prospects of the European economy.The main conclusion of the report is that in the next few years the citizens of the European countries will have to drastically cut their consumption expenses in order to be able to deal financially with the increased demands of the times. The main cause of the "hardships" that are ahead for the Europeans appears to be the pension cuts that will make the European population to save up for old age. This move is expected to have a negative effect on the development of the european economies and will increase the already high unemployment rates. [08] A STRONG EARTHQUAKE IS EXPECTED IN SOUTHERN GREECE IN THE NEXT DECADEThessaloniki 18 August (MPA)Seismology professor Vasilis Papazachos, in statements he made on the occasion of the 29th General Assembly of the International Association of Seismology and Physics of the Earth's Interior that opens in Thessaloniki today, reminded that there is a strong likelihood of a devastating earthquake, measuring 6,5 on the Richter scale, to hit southern Greece in the next decade.Mr.Papazachos suggested that there should be better earthquake protection in Greece through measures leading to the improved information of people regarding the likelihood of a strong earthquake. The conference aims at the recording of the latest developments in the scientific knowledge in the sector of seismology and the conveyance of this knowledge to the wider public. Over 1.700 scientific announcements are expected to be made in the conference that is coorganized by 8 countries. [09] THE FORCES THAT SEIZED THE POLICE HEADQUARTERS IN BANJA LUKA HAVE WITHDRAWNBelgrade 18 August (MPA)The special forces close to Bosnian Serb Republic President Biljana Plavsic have abandoned the police heaquarters in Banja Luka that they had seized earlier.Before leaving the building, negotiations had been held between the representatives of the special forces and Foreign Ministry officials from Pale. The mediation for the holding of negotiations was made by NATO's SFOR forces in Bosnia and IPTF international police force representatives. According to the Yugoslav mass media, the building has been surrounded by armoured SFOR vehicles and any access to it was impossible. 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 |