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Friday, 19 April 2024
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Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English, 98-05-18Macedonian 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 THE MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCYThessaloniki, May 18, 1998TITLES
NEWS IN DETAIL[01] PRESIDENT, PM TO OPEN GREEK INDUSTRIES ASSOCIATION ASSEMBLYAthens, May 18 (MPA)Prime Minister Kostas Simitis is to salute the open session of the annual assembly of the Greek Industries Association (SEV) which will be held on Wednesday and will also be attended by the President of the Hellenic Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos.The Minister of Finance and National Economy Yiannos Papantoniou will be among the speakers at the event, along with SEV’s Chairman Jason Stratos and the chairman of the German Industries Association Hans-Olaf Henkel. [02] BANK EMPLOYEES TO EMBARK ON ROTATION STRIKESAthens, May 18 (MPA)In protest to the state’s privatization plans for the Ionian Bank, employees at the Agricultural Bank of Greece are to strike today, while their colleagues at Commercial and Attica banks will strike tomorrow. The employees at Ionian Bank have been on an indefinite strike for a week, while rolling strikes by bank staff are scheduled to continue until June 12 when the shareholders of Commercial Bank vote on whether they will approve the sale of subsidiary Ionian.On Wednesday, employees at the state-owned enterprises (DEKOS) and banks will hold a four-hour work stoppage, a decision issued by the General Confederation of Greek Laborers (GSEE). [03] NEW TAX BRACKETS IN ’99, MORE FAVORABLE TO TAXPAYERSAthens, May 18 (MPA)The Ministry of Finance and National Economy is working on a series of new tax brackets that will be more favorable to the taxpayers as of 1999.The draft plan is to be submitted in Parliament in the Fall and will be part of the next year’s budget. [04] GREECE’S DEFENSE MINISTER ON TWO-DAY VISIT TO SWEDENAthens, May 18 (MPA)Greece’s Defense Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos embarked on a two-day official visit to Sweden yesterday evening.During his stay, Mr. Tsochatzopoulos will meet with his Swedish counterpart Bjorn von Sydow and foreign minister Lena Hjelm-Wallen. He will also take part in an open gathering organized by the Federation of Hellenic Associations and communities in Sweden. [05] WEU PARLIAMENTARY GROUP MEETS IN PARISParis, May 18 (MPA)The 44th conference of the Western European Union’s parliamentary group began this morning in Paris. Greece, which held the WEU’s presidency in past six months, is to be represented by Defense Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos, alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou and an 11- member parliamentary delegation headed by Konstantinos Vretos.The three-day conference features the participation of the WEU’s 11 member-countries, the three associate members (among them Turkey), the five countries that have observer status and the 11 allies. They will discuss issues related to security and the WEU’s police force. WEU officials stated that the outcomes of the Greece- held presidency of the WEU can be characterized as positive. “A small country like Greece can develop more flexibly than a large country,” the same officials said, who also noted that progress was made on issues concurring defense and foreign policy. [06] HOLBROOKE TO VISIT CYPRUS AFTER CARDIFF SUMMITNicosia, May 18 (MPA)Cypriot President Glafcos Clerides has said that US Presidential Envoy for Cyprus, Richard Holbrooke, will return to the island in June in order to discuss procedural issues relating to the resumption of peace talks to settle the Cyprus problem. President Clerides stated that Mr. Holbrooke is expected to visit Cyprus after the European Union summit to be held in Cardiff, Wales, in June. "His visit will focus on procedural issues and not the essence of the Cyprus problem," he said. Mr. Holbrooke, who was appointed last year, was in Cyprus at the beginning of this month in a bid to resume negotiations between the island’s two communities. His efforts stumbled on preconditions set by Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash, for the recognition of his illegal entity in the Turkish-occupied areas of Cyprus and the withdrawal of Cyprus' application to join the European Union. The Cardiff summit is expected to tackle EU relations with Turkey, after strong reaction by Ankara following December's Luxembourg summit which set preconditions for the improvement of relations with Turkey. The EU had said Turkey should improve relations with Greece, back efforts to settle the Cyprus problem, solve the Kurdish question and improve its human rights record and its economy.[07] PASOK DELEGATES ATTEND SOCIALIST INTERNATIONAL COUNCILOslo, May 18 (MPA)A delegation of PASOK eurodeputies is currently in Norway in order to attend the two-day Socialist International Council, hosted by the Norwegian Labor Party (DNA), which starts today. The council is to address the issue of "World Solidarity", examining ways to strengthen democracy, protect human rights, extend humanitarian action, promote initiatives on peace, combat poverty and invest in human potential. PASOK is being represented by Eurodeputy Paraskevas Avgerinos, Foreign Undersecretary Yiannos Kranidiotis and Eurodeputy Anna Karamanou, among others.[08] THESSALONIKI TO HOST FAYUM PORTRAITS EXHIBITION IN AUGUSTThessaloniki, May 18 (MPA)Thessaloniki is to host an exhibition of 46 ancient Fayum portraits between August 1-31, a loan from the British Museum. These unique portraits on coffins combine Hellenic and Egyptian Styles and date from the 1st to 4th century AD, found in the Al Fayum region of Egypt. Prior to the exhibition’s arrival in Thessaloniki, the portraits will be on display on May 20 at the Agios Markos Church in Irakleio, Crete, while from June 24 to July 26 they will be hosted at the Benaki Museum in Athens.[09] EUROPEAN UNION GRANTS ECU3 MILLION TO SUPPORT MONTENEGROBrussels, May 18 (MPA)A financing agreement will be signed today in Brussels, between the European Commission and Dr. Miomir Mugosa, Minister for Labor and Social Welfare of the Government of Montenegro. The Agreement, which consists of a contribution of ECU 3 million from the European Union (EU) towards outstanding social welfare costs, is the implementation of the political decision of EU Foreign Ministers, which was adopted on 30 April 1998, in the framework of the Common Foreign and Security Policy. The contribution underpins EU support for the political and economic reforms presently being undertaken by the Government of Montenegro. The EU's ECU 3 million contribution will be used to pay outstanding social welfare benefits, such as child support and family benefit, maternity leave and allowances, benefits for veterans and disabled persons, health insurance contributions and other such benefits.[10] ALBANIAN STUDENTS RETURN TO PRISHTINA’S UNIVERSITY TODAYPrishtina, May 18 (MPA)For the first time in seven years, the Albanian- speaking college students of Kossovo are to freely enter the premises of three departments at the Polytechnic University of Prishtina.The students’ return, part of an education-related agreement signed between Prishtina and Belgrade, was allowed after the group of protesting Serb students withdrew yesterday from the school’s premises where they had camped for the past nine days, asking the authorities not to allow the entrance of the Albanian students. 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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