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Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English, 98-09-24

Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: The Macedonian Press Agency at http://www.mpa.gr and http://www.hri.org/MPA.

BRIEF GREEK NEWS BULLETIN BY THE MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY

Thessaloniki, September 24, 1998


TITLES

  • [01] ROMANIAN NATIONAL TAKES HOSTAGES IN ATHENS BEFORE CAPTURE, 10 DOWN
  • [02] PM TO BE BRIEFED ON MASSACRE, PUBLIC ORDER MINISTER BACK FROM BRUSSELS
  • [03] PROSECUTOR TO PROBE INTO CONDITIONS OF LAST NIGHT’S MASSACRE
  • [04] CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY STAFF TO CONDUCT STRIKE UNTIL SUNDAY
  • [05] NATO CONVENES OVER KOSSOVO
  • [06] YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC RECEIVES GREEK BUSINESS DELEGATION
  • [07] SPARTATHLON ’98 RACE BEGINS TOMORROW, 23 COUNTRIES REPRESENTED
  • [08] RUSSIA’S AMBASSADOR TO GREECE NOW DEPUTY PM. FOR SOCIAL POLICY
  • [09] THESSALONIKI PICKED AS BALKAN ENTRY POINT FOR CHIQUITA BANANAS
  • [10] GREEK FM SALUTES BULGARIAN INITIATIVE FOR BALKAN FMs MEETING
  • [11] US DEFENSE DEPARTMENT PROPOSES SALE OF $245 MISSILE SYSTEMS TO GREECE
  • [12] ALBANIAN GOVERNMENT TO BE RESHUFFLED IN A MATTER OF DAYS
  • [13] US ENVOY HOLBROOKE TO SEPARATELY MEET TODAY WITH CLERIDES AND CEM

  • NEWS IN DETAIL

    [01] ROMANIAN NATIONAL TAKES HOSTAGES IN ATHENS BEFORE CAPTURE, 10 DOWN

    Athens, September 24 (MPA)

    The 25-year-old woman Amalia Ginaki who was probably the most tragic victim in last nights horrific incident is fighting for her life at the intensive care unit of the Red Cross in Athens, where her attacker, the Romanian criminal Matei Sorin, is also hospitalized but whose life is out of danger. The drama started when Sorin, who had escaped from the Greek prisons numerous times, stormed into the apartment housing Ms. Ginaki and her family members and took them hostage under the threat of a hand grenade. The Greek police ambushed the residence after mistakenly assessing that the grenade was a fake one. When confronted, Sorin activated the deadly weapon by pulling the pin from the grenade, which exploded on the young woman and also injured the Police Force’s commander, deputy commander, two SWAT team members and four other police officers.

    [02] PM TO BE BRIEFED ON MASSACRE, PUBLIC ORDER MINISTER BACK FROM BRUSSELS

    Athens, September 24 (MPA)

    Prime Minister Kostas Simitis has requested a through report from the secretary-general of the Public Order Minster Yiannis Papadoyiannakis, on last night’s massacre in Athens where four civilians -who were taken hostage by a Romanian criminal- and eight police officers were injured when police stormed their apartment n order to free them.

    In light of last night’s events, Public Order Minister George Romeos is expediting his return from Brussels today, where he was attending the EU Public Order ministers summit.

    [03] PROSECUTOR TO PROBE INTO CONDITIONS OF LAST NIGHT’S MASSACRE

    Athens, September 24 (MPA)

    The Athens District Attorney Georgios Koliokostas has ordered an emergency preliminary examination into the conditions and causes of last night’s massacre that left at least two persons maimed and about four others fighting for their lives in local hospitals. It started as a standoff between police and the Romanian fugitive Matei Sorin yesterday evening and escalated into a massacre when police stormed the apartment where Sorin had broken into and was holding a family of three as hostages, while threatening to explode the hand grenade. He was demanding from police a get-away car and 500,000 dollars to release the hostages. According to a police spokesman, Sorin, who was reportedly under the influence of heroin, pulled the pin from the grenade and fastened it on the pants of one of the hostages, Amalia Ginaki, 25. When police stormed the apartment, Matei pushed the girl towards the policemen simultaneously exploding the hand grenade. The girl underwent surgery which resulted in the amputation of her leg. Also injured in the explosion were the Commander and deputy commander of the police force, as well as six other police officers, one of whom lost his right leg.

    [04] CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY STAFF TO CONDUCT STRIKE UNTIL SUNDAY

    Athens, September 24 (MPA)

    The skies are to be clear, perhaps too clear, after civil aviation employees declared 24-hour rolling strikes until Sunday. According to Greece’s Civil Aviation Authority, only forty percent of domestic and foreign flights are to be conducted, while no charter flight will take off. The protesters are opposed to civil Aviation Authority’s transformation into a private company.

    [05] NATO CONVENES OVER KOSSOVO

    Lisbon, September 24 (MPA)

    The Defense ministers of NATO’s member-states are to meet in Portugal today in order to discuss the situation in Kossovo and the overall Balkan region. The Alliance will reportedly examine ways to intensify the pressure exerted on Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, in order to stop the Serb attacks against Kossovo’s Albanian community.

    [06] YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC RECEIVES GREEK BUSINESS DELEGATION

    Belgrade, September 24 (MPA)

    Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic met yesterday with a delegation of the newly established Yugoslav-Greek Business Council, which consists of distinguished business people from both countries. The Greek and Yugoslav business people briefed Mr. Milosevic on their plans in the sectors of energy, industry, agriculture, trade, transport and telecommunications as well as on the potential for capital investment in projects. Mr. Milosevic welcomed the establishment of the council and said that its proper functioning would contribute to both countries' economies. The Greek side was represented, among others, by the chairman of the Greek section of the council, Mr. Mytilineos, and officials from the dairy company DELTA, the Hellenic Telecommunications Organization (OTE) and the Titan Cement Co.

    [07] SPARTATHLON ’98 RACE BEGINS TOMORROW, 23 COUNTRIES REPRESENTED

    Athens, September 24 (MPA)

    Over 190 athletes representing 23 countries will be in Athens tomorrow to take part in what is considered to be one of the most grueling races in the world, the international ultra-distance endurance race "Spartathlon '98". The race, held for the 16th consecutive year, will begin on Friday at the foot of the Acropolis. The athletes will have 36 hours to run the 246-kilometer distance to the city of Sparta, in southeastern Peloponnese. They will be tracing the steps of the ancient Athenian courier Pheidippides, and will run 1,200 meters up Mount Parthenio in the dead of night. According to the ancient Greek historian Herodotus' account of the Battle of Marathon, Pheidippides was sent to Sparta to ask for help when the Persians landed at Marathon. Herodotus says Pheidippides arrived in Sparta "the next day". The Spartathlon was originated by John Foden, a British Royal Air Force wing commander who ran the course in 1982 with four RAF colleagues. The 1st International Spartathlon was organized in 1983 with the participation of 45 runners from 11 countries as well as Greece.

    [08] RUSSIA’S AMBASSADOR TO GREECE NOW DEPUTY PM. FOR SOCIAL POLICY

    Moscow, September 24 (MPA)

    Russia's Ambassador to Greece Valentina Matviyenko has accepted her nomination as a Deputy Premier in charge of social policy in Prime Minister Yevgeni Primakov's new cabinet. The 49-year-old Ukrainian-born envoy is expected to meet President Boris Yeltsin later today to "formalize her appointment". Although the new cabinet has not yet been announced, Mrs. Matviyenko would become the first woman deputy prime minister in post-Soviet Russia.

    [09] THESSALONIKI PICKED AS BALKAN ENTRY POINT FOR CHIQUITA BANANAS

    Thessaloniki, September 24 (MPA)

    A recently signed agreement between Greece's Fruita and the well- know multinational Chiquita is expected to turn Thessaloniki's port into a major transit center for the import of large quantities of bananas towards the Balkans. The first shipment of some 40,000 cartons of bananas is expected to arrive in Thessaloniki tomorrow. Fruita has made arrangements for storage in the port's warehouses.

    [10] GREEK FM SALUTES BULGARIAN INITIATIVE FOR BALKAN FMs MEETING

    New York. September 24 (MPA)

    Greece’s Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos has saluted the initiative taken by his Bulgarian counterpart Nadezda Mihailova for a Balkan FM’s meeting held yesterday at the offices of Bulgaria's permanent representation offices in New York. The Foreign Ministers discussed the resolution plan adopted yesterday by the European Union for Kossovo. Also attending the session were the foreign ministers of the signatory countries of a joint statement on Kossovo, namely Albania, Romania, Turkey, Slovenia and FYROM. "I believe that we all share the view that efforts should be made to achieve a peaceful solution to the Kossovo issue, to avoid military threats and military intervention...and begin a negotiation process to establish a regime of greater autonomy", Mr. Pangalos stated after the end of the meeting. Regarding a UN draft resolution, which was to be discussed by the Security Council yesterday, Mr. Pangalos said the EU had long ago agreed on the draft resolution and only the US remained to approve of it. He further added that Russia's agreement on the UN draft resolution had been achieved during a meeting on Monday with new Russian FM Igor Ivanov. Mr. Pangalos said he was optimistic that the draft resolution would be approved by the Security Council. "The draft resolution is a strong but balanced warning to all sides involved (in the Kossovo issue), and this especially pleases us, as this is the spirit of Greece's approach," Mr. Pangalos said.

    [11] US DEFENSE DEPARTMENT PROPOSES SALE OF $245 MISSILE SYSTEMS TO GREECE

    Washington, September 24 (MPA)

    The United States Department of Defense has announced the proposed sale to Greece of $245 million of missile systems and rocket launcher systems. The sale includes 18 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS), 146 extended range rocket pods, 81 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) guided missiles and launching assemblies, 11 command post carriers, 162 Ì26 rockets and other related equipment. The Prime contractor for the arms deal would be Lockheed Martin Vought Systems, a unit of Lockheed Martin Corp. In a statement announcing the sale, the Pentagon said it would provide the Greek army with an area fire system for use against hostile artillery, air defense and maneuver elements. The Pentagon also announced that the arms deal would not adversely affect the military balance in the region.

    [12] ALBANIAN GOVERNMENT TO BE RESHUFFLED IN A MATTER OF DAYS

    Tirana, September 24 (MPA)

    The general council of Albania’s ruling Socialist Party is to convene today in order to discuss changes proposed by Premier Fatos Nano hereby marking an imminent cabinet reshuffle. Mr. Nano has refused all demands of his resignation made by the main opposition party and stated that he will form a new cabinet composed of technocrats, will strengthen the public and justice sectors and will improve ways of combating corruption and illegal trade.

    “There will be changes in the government, not of the government,” Mr. Nano said. Reportedly, the Ministers of Public Order and Justice are likely to be replaced.

    [13] US ENVOY HOLBROOKE TO SEPARATELY MEET TODAY WITH CLERIDES AND CEM

    New York, September 24 (MPA)

    The United States presidential envoy to Cyprus Richard Holbrooke is to hold separate meetings with the President of Cyprus Glafkos Clerides and the Turkish Foreign Minister Ismael Cem in New York today.

    During his contacts with Mgrs. Cem and Clerides, Mr. Holbroke will be accompanied by State Department coordinator Thomas Miller. According to the Cyprus News Agency, the United States are promoting direct contact negotiations between the two sides concerning issues of security and demilitarization. Later today, President Clerides is to present a speech before the national committee for foreign policy on “The Cyprus issue - opportunities for resolution”.


    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/


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