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Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English, 98-01-02Macedonian 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 THE MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCYThessaloniki, January 2, 1998TITLES
NEWS IN DETAIL[01] TURKEY EMBARKS ON MILITARY EXERCISE IN THE AEGEAN SEA TODAYAthens, January 2 (MPA)Turkey is embarking on a vast sea and air exercise in the Aegean Sea today, to be held until January 25.Greece’s Minister of National Defense Akis Tsochatzopoulos and under-secretary of Defense Dimitris Apostolakis issued a stern warning towards Ankara. They stated that the Greek armed forces are ready to meet any challenge. In the recent days, the Turkish political leadership has attempted to heighten the tension between the two countries by trying to “bind eight regions in the Aegean Sea as part of its military exercise, For three of these regions, the Greek civil aviation authority has intensely reacted. According to reports, the Greek government is planning to document the Turkish moves and will present the relevant file to the European Union’s Council of General Affairs during January. The Defense Minister of Cyprus George Charalampides expressed his certainty that there is no danger of a warm incident taking place in Cyprus and added that t he National Guard is ready to face any possibility. A.F. [02] PRESIDENT OF GREECE WILL EMBARK ON OFFICIAL VISIT TO INDIA JANUARY 12Thessaloniki, January 2 (MPA)The President of the Hellenic Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos is to embark on an official visit to India on January 12, aiming at promoting trade and cultural ties between the he two countries.During his week-long visit, the President will be accompanied by foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos and a ten-member business delegation. While there, he will meet with his Indian counterpart, the premier and other political figures of India and he will also present talks before leading businessmen in New Delhi, Bombay and Calcutta. Mr .Stephanopoulos is also scheduled to visit the Taj Mahal. According to the French News Agency AFP, which quotes Greek diplomatic circles, during the course of Mr. Stephanopoulos’ stay in India two agreements will be signed concerning cooperation in the sectors of agriculture and tourism. It should be noted that during the course of 1995-96, Greek Indian trade amounted to 120 million dollars. A.F. [03] MEMORIAL SERVICE HELD FOR FIVE OFFICERS OF FALLEN C-130Athens, January 2 (MPA)A memorial service for the five officers who were killed when their C-130 aircraft crashed on the Pastra Mountain in the Attiki region was held today at the Elefsina air force base.Among those attending the service were the Minister of National Defense Akis Tsochatzopoulos and military leaders. The five officers aboard the ill-fated aircraft were en route to search for the Ukrainian Yakovlev-42 passenger plane whose wreckage was discovered mere hours later. A.F. [04] SEARCH CONTINUES FOR 3 MISSING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN EVROS REGIONThessaloniki, January 2 (MPA)Searches continue for a second day in the region of Orestiada at the Greek-Turkish borders, where three Iraqi illegal immigrants are missing since New Year’s Eve.The tragic incident occurred when the small plastic boat transporting a couple and their two children, along with a 35-year- old woman, capsized in the cold waters of the Evros River. In their effort to come to Greece, the three adults and the two small children travelled to Turkey where they came in contact with smugglers who boarded them on the small dinghy. The 35-year-old Ekrem Barzedje, along with his four-year old son Brva, managed to swim to the Greek shore from where they were transported by Greek military guardsmen to the hospital of Didimoticho. They are currently being treated for hypothermia. Barzedje’s 31-year-old wife Kacsas and they two-year-old son Rva Ekrem, as well as their 35-year-old friend Nuria Juma are still missing. A.F. [05] PRICE HIKES ON CIGARETTES, TELECOMMUNICATION AND MOBILE PHONESAthens, January 2 (MPA)Effective today, prices on cigarettes, rates of the Organisation of Greek Telephone (OTE) and mobile phones will be increased.The phone rate is to rise by 13 drachmas per unit, while the monthly fee is hiked at 2,050. In mobile phone rates, the monthly dues are to be hiked in accordance to use, ranging from 500 to 2,000 drachmas, while cigarette prices are to be increased by 50 drachmas per pack. Also, interest rate taxes are to be increased on state bonds and treasures. Taxes on real estate sales, family benefits, donations and inheritance are to be increased up to 100%, hikes fuelled by the new objective criteria. A.F. [06] ELEVEN PERSONS KILLED, 145 INJURED , DURING NEW YEAR’S EXODUSAthens, January 2 (MPA)Eleven persons were killed and 145 injured in car accidents that occurred during the New Year’s holiday in Greece.During Christmas, 16 persons were killed and another 21 injured in 180 car accidents that occurred throughout the country. A.F. [07] UNDOCUMENTED WORKERS TO GAIN LEGAL STATUS, PROCESS STARTS TODAYThessaloniki, January 2 (MPA)The first phase of the process to legalize undocumented immigrants in Greece is to start today, with the issuance of a temporary stay permit which the interested parties can acquire from the offices of Organization of Employment of Workers (OAED) until May.This permit is to be valid until December 31, 1998, regardless of date of issue. The second card, thus the program’s second phase, will be good for one-to-three years. Under-secretary of Labor Christos Protopappas spoke to an Athens radio station and stated that the Greek government proceeded to this program in an effort to restore order in a chaotic situation. The process of legalizing the illegal immigrants, which are currently estimated at numbering 300,000, is expected to clamp down on their exploitation by employers and to ease the unfair competition the Greek workers are facing by the low wages offered to undocumented and illegal workers. A.F. [08] TURKEY PLANNED CYPRUS’S PARTITION SINCE 1967Nicosia, January 2 (MPA)`Turkey has been planning the partition of Cyprus since 1967, according to documents from the archives of the British government.According to these files, which have now been released since the British government’s statute of limitations has run out, Greece’s then-king Constantine scheduled a meeting with Britain’s then-premier Harold Wilson in order to convince him to intervene in achieving Turkey’s agreement over Cyprus’s unification with Greece, ceding to Turkey the British army base at Dekelia. According to the documents, the late Archbishop Makarios, then president of Cyprus, accepted this solution only under the condition that the base would be under the administration of NATO. Turkey did not accept this offer, insisting that it be granted sovereign rights on this military base. The President of Cyprus’ Glafkos Clerides has affirmed the existence of these files and added that the man who served as mediator for this matter was the last governor of Cyprus, Sir Hugh Foote. A.F. [09] PRESIDENT OF CYPRUS: 1998 WILL BE A DIFFICULT YEAR FOR CYPRIOT ISSUENicosia, January 2 (MPA)The President of the Republic of Cyprus Glafkos Clerides has stated that 1998 is to be a difficult year for the developments in the Cyprus issue, noting that the over all issue should be handled very carefully.During an address he gave at Pallouriotissa, President Clerides stated that he is to ruin again for President in order to secure the continuance of the same policy, as he stated. A.F. [10] ROMANIA HOLDS EUROPE’S INFANT MORTALITY RECORDBucharest, January 2 (MPA)According to data presented by Romanian President Emil Constantinescu, Romania holds Europe’s highest rate of infant mortality, with 27 infant deaths per 1,000 births.This high rate is attributed to insufficient care, as 70% of the deaths occur within 28 days after birth. Moreover, the rate of AIDS transmission is also alarming , with 2,605 Romanian children having been diagnosed as carriers of the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. A.F. [11] ALBANIA CONDEMNS CLASHES IN KOSSOVOTirana, January 2 (MPA)The Albanian government has condemned the Serbian police’s suppression of a protest held by the Albanian college students in Kossovo, where 15 persons were hurt, according to opposition sources.“The violence, the ill-treatment and the arrest of the students and professors of Kossovo are counter to the desire to Europeanise the Balkans, a desire supported by Belgrade during the Balkan Summit in Crete”, the Albanian foreign minister stated. The opening of a dialogue between the government and Kossovo’s majority Albanian population, as well as the implementation of an agreement on opening Albanian schools, which was signed in September of 1996, are the most effective ways of easing tension, Albanian government officials said. A.F. [12] KOSSOVO: ELECTIONS TO BE HELD IN MARCHPristina, January 2 (MPA)The leader of Kossovo’s Albanian-speaking residents Ibrahim Rugova announced that parliamentary and presidential elections are to be held in Kossovo on March 22.According o Mr. Rugova, the decision to hold elections was drawn after negotiations with “foreign friends of Kossovo”, emphasizing that the international position of the Kossovars has been strengthened in the international arena since 1992 when the last elections were held. The Albanians maintain that the Serbs hold the right to representation in only 14 out of the Parliament’s 144 seats, since they represent 10% of the total population. Mr. Rugova called on the Serbs to take part in the elections, however the Serb authorities consider this “shadow government” and its actions as “illegal”. 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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