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Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English, 98-07-14Macedonian 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, July 14, 1998TITLES
NEWS IN DETAIL[01] DECLARATION FOR IONIAN BANK IS OUT, 51% OF SHARES TO BE BOUGHT IN CASHAthens, July 14 (MPA)The purchase of 51% of Ionian bank’s shares must be made in cash, according to the declaration, issued by the Commercial Bank, concerning the bank’s sale. The final deadline for submitting tenders to the Athens Stock Exchange’s board of directors has been set at August 24. The prospective buyer will have to be ready to honor al the existing labor and insurance terms currently in force at the bank.[02] SKIES TO BE CLEAR THIS WEEKEND, PERHAPS TOO CLEAR, O.A CANCELS FLIGHTSAthens, July 14 (MPA)The lengthy delays and flight cancellations are in the forecast throughout the weekends to come as, according to the chairman of the Federation of Civil Aviation Associations (OSPA) Michalis Perros, the air traffic is to be increased.Mr. Perros also stressed that a labor regulation should have already be signed and asked that the district attorney intervene in the matter. [03] OLYMPIC AIRWAYS PILOTS TO MEET WITH AIRLINE’S ADMINISTRATORS TODAYAthens, July 14 (MPA)In an effort to defuse the fermenting crisis, see flight delays, cancellations and mergers, the pilots of the state-owned Olympic Airways are to meet again with the airline’s administrators today and they might proceed to schedule changes aimed at better serving the public. Moreover, only a limited number of trains ran yesterday, after the 24-hour strike declared by the railway workers throughout the country.[04] GREEK EQUITIES CLOSE AT RECORD HIGH ON BLUE CHIP BUYINGAthens, July 14 (MPA)Greek shares chalked up another record close on Monday as buyers outstripped profit-takers in blue chip industrials and banks on a positive short- and long-term outlook for the economy, Reuters reported. The Athens stock exchange's general index finished up 0.70 percent or 18.55 points at 2,685.65 from Friday's 2,667.10 close, improving a previous highest close of 2,674.28, set last Thursday. Industrials and banks firmed 1.36 and 0.95 percent respectively, but construction under-performed with a 0.60 percent fall. Morgan Stanley, a US-based investment bank, said in a report it expected Greek inflation to hit the government's end-1999 target of 2.0 percent as early as May next year, aided by a strong drachma and low petrol prices. It forecast three-month money rates to be at 11 percent at end- 1998 from a current 12.7-13.2 percent, implying rate cuts of 1.5- 2.0 points by the central bank. Greece announced the tender for the Bank of Central Greece over the weekend. The tender for Ionian Bank was announced today, with both sales set for completion by end-August.[05] FINANCE, TRANSPORTATION MINISTERS REVIEW STATE RAILWAYS BUSINESS PLANAthens, July 14 (MPA)The Ministers of National Economy and Transportation, Yiannos Papantoniou and Tasos Mantelis are to review the business plan for the state-owned railway organization (OSE).The two ministers are to decide if two companies will be created through OSE, one for the infrastructure and the other for the train use. [06] STATE RAILWAY EMPLOYEES DECLARE 24-HOUR STRIKE TODAYThessaloniki, July 14 (MPA)Only those trains serving social needs are to run on the Athens- Thessaloniki railway route, after the 24-hour strike declared by the state-owned railway organization (OSE) workers.Today’s strike, declared by the railway employees federation, is one among a series of regional strikes started last week. On July 23, coinciding with the state-wide strike declared by the General Confederation of Greek Laborers, no trains will run throughout the country. [07] GREEK PM TO INAUGURATE THESSALONIKI INTERNATIONAL TRADE FAIR SEPT 4Thessaloniki, July 14 (MPA)Prime Minister Kostas Simitis is to be in Thessaloniki between September 4-6, in order to inaugurate the 63rd International Trade Fair of Thessaloniki.The Premier will be accompanied by a large government delegation, party representatives and other officials from Greece and abroad. During his stay in Thessaloniki, Mr. Simitis will unfold the state’s economic policy for 1999. [08] CYPRUS WILL NOT PUT OFF DELIVERIES OF RUSSIAN S-300 SYSTEMS.Moscow, July 14 (MPA)Cyprus has not refused to receive the Russian-made S-300 air defense systems and the terms of the deliveries have not been revised or put off, Cypriot President Glafkos Clerides told a press conference in Moscow today. According to Itar-Tass, President Clerides stressed at the same time that the deliveries of the S-300 systems will not be made fully at once, but will be phased out in steps. The president of Cyprus declined to specify the date of the beginning of the deliveries. Sources in the Russian administration told Itar-Tass today that the deliveries of S-300 systems will begin in August in keeping with the terms of the Russian-Cypriot contract.[09] ISRAELIS DENY TRAINING TURKS ON S-300 RAIDSTel Aviv, July 14 (MPA)The Israeli foreign ministry yesterday dismissed as "baseless" press reports that Turkish F-16s had carried out assault exercises on mock S-300 missile sites on Israeli territory. The report, which appeared in yesterday's Turkish daily Hurriyet, claimed six fighters had practiced radar evasion electronic jamming and bombing runs. There was no comment from Turkish military officials. According to the BBC, denial also came from the Israeli embassy in Nicosia. In a statement, the embassy described the reports as "complete untruths", adding that it also denied reports that a base for Israeli fighters was to be built in eastern Turkey.[10] EU: KOSSOVO’S ALBANIANS SHOULD BE REPRESENTED BY UNIFIED GROUPBrussels, July 14 (MPA)The European Union’s Foreign Ministers have requested that talks concerning Kossovo’s future begin right away and have added that the region’s Albanians should be represented by a united group. In a statement released yesterday, the EU’s “15” also demand that all support given to the Kossovo Liberation Army be halted.[11] BRITAIN GIVES HISTORIC MARBLES BACK TO TURKEY, THE INDEPENDENT REPORTSLondon, July 14 (MPA)In a clear case of double standards, Britain is to hand back to Turkey ancient sculptures taken more than a century ago.According to the London daily “The Independent”, the Castor Marbles will be handed back at a special ceremony at the Turkish embassy tomorrow, with British and Turkish officials in attendance as well as archaeologists and academics. The article also reports that the word "marbles" and the claim for ownership suggests parallels with the Parthenon Marbles at the British Museum, which the British government refuses to return to Greece. The story goes back to July 1894, “The Independent” reports, when the SS Castor, a Dutch vessel, set off from the Turkish port of Izmir for Amsterdam. On board were two crates of Roman marble sculptures which had been loaded at Izmir by Alfred van Lennep, the Dutch vice-consul in the town, an amateur archaeologist and illicit trader in antiquities. Van Lennep was proposing to sell them to a museum in Holland. But the boat collided with a German vessel and sank in dense fog in the English Channel. Passengers and crew were saved, but the cargo was lost, remaining on the sea-bed for more than 100 years. Three years ago, seven of the 14 marble antiquities were recovered by British divers. They include a figure of Venus and a bust of Emperor Marcus Aurelius as a young man before his accession. After their recovery, the sculptures were put on display at Folkestone Museum in Kent until their ownership could be established. Ownership was asserted by the Turkish government, whose claim has now been upheld by the Receiver of Wrecks at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. [12] EU ENFORCES VISA BAN ON BELARUS OFFICIALS, US FOLLOWS SUITWashington, July 14 (MPA)The United States will join the European Union in imposing punitive measures on Belarussian officials for evicting ambassadors from their residences in the capital, Minsk, last month. The European Union has introduced a visa ban for Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko and 130 members of his government. The EU says the Belarussians' behavior was "unlawful and unacceptable" and their action is being supported by 10 other countries. In a letter sent to President Lukashenko during the weekend the Austrian Foreign Minister, Wolfgang Schuessel, who currently holds the presidency of the EU, said it was an “intolerable violation” of the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations. In his reply, President Lukashenko objected to Mr. Schuessel's choice of language, saying: "I would like to remind you that you are addressing a Head of State." Mr. Lukashenko and his foreign minister are barred from traveling to most European countries as a result of the ban. The official reason for locking the ambassadors out of their homes was the need to repair the plumbing at the diplomatic compound in Minsk. But President Lukashenko, whose presidential palace is nearby, later said he did not want foreign diplomats as his neighbors.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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