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Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English, 99-04-01Macedonian 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, April 1, 1999TITLES
NEWS IN DETAIL[01] NATO RAIDS CONTINUE, DANUBE RIVER BRIDGE REPORTEDLY BOMBEDBelgrade, April 1 (MPA)NATO continued to raid Yugoslavia throughout the night, while, as the Yugoslav news agency Tanjug reported, a bridge on the Danube River was also bombarded. Tomahawk missiles struck the city of Uzice, southeast of Belgrade, and Prishtina.Meanwhile, both the United States and the Alliance have rejected appeals for a truce during Easter. Ibrahim Rugova, the leader of Kosovo's ethnic Albanians, has asked that NATO cease its raids against Yugoslavia and that the Serbs stop the cleansing operations in Kosovo. A.F. [02] YUGOSLAVIA: ATHENS PROPOSES TRUCE ON EASTER, BONN REJECTS ITBelgrade, April 1 (MPA)The Greek government's proposal for the suspension of NATO raids against Yugoslavia on the Catholic and Orthodox Easter Sundays (April 4 and 11) has been downright rejected by the German government.German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer stated that Greece's proposal, presented by Foreign Minister George Papandreou, would be tantamount to granting permission to Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic to continue ethnic cleansing operations in Kosovo at Easter "and this would be inconceivable". A.F. [03] YUGOSLAVIA DOWNS ANOTHER NATO WARPLANEMoscow, April 1 (MPA)Yugoslav armed forces have downed another NATO warplane over the past 24 hours, according to Russian Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev.The Russian Minister stated that six spies who were installing radio beacons in Yugoslavia were detained. A.F. [04] THREE US SOLDIERS CAPTURED BY SERBS, NATO CONFIRMSBelgrade, April 1 (MPA)Three United States Army soldiers who were missing on the Yugoslavia-FYROM border have been captured by the Serb forces, as shown by footage on Yugoslav television and confirmed by NATO.The footage shows the three, two sergeants and a specialist, seated at a table with microphones before them, apparently responding to questions. The bruised soldiers were named as James Stone, Andrew Ramirez and Steven Gonzales. The Serb broadcast reported that the men sustained injuries when they resisted arrest. According to the Yugoslav press, the three were captured on the Yugoslav side of the border by the Serb Army Corps. The U.S. army troops were part of what used to be a U.N. peacekeeping mission charged with monitoring the border between FYROM and Yugoslavia. When that mission ended in February, the troops remained as part of a NATO border force. A.F. [05] GREEK PREMIER ADDRESSES PARLIAMENTARY SESSION ON KOSOVOAthens, April 1 (MPA)Greece's Prime Minister Kostas Simitis addressed the Parliament yesterday evening, in a special session held for the discussion of the crisis in Yugoslavia.In his address, the Premier reiterated the need for diplomatic initiatives and a political resolution to crisis, advising cool-headedness, alertness and decisiveness, all elements of a "responsible and developed country of the European system. He stressed Greece's respect for the principles of human and minority rights, respect for the territorial integrity of countries, the inviolability of borders and the peaceful resolution of differences on the basis of the United Nations charter. "Referring to those principles is not rhetorical for Greece, which lives under Turkey's aggressive behavior in the Aegean and the continuing international crime of the Turkish occupation of a major part of Cyprus," he added. A.F. [06] PRESIDENT OF PANAMA ON OFFICIAL VISIT TO GREECEAthens, April 1 (MPA)The President of Panama Ernesto Perez Balladares, presently on a three-day official visit to Greece, was received by his Greek counterpart, President Kostis Stephanopoulos yesterday with whom he discussed bilateral and international issues, focusing on the situation in the Balkan region.Also yesterday, Alternate Foreign Minister Yiannos Kranidiotis and Panamanian Foreign Minister Jorge Eduardo Ritter signed an economic and technological cooperation agreement. President Balladares said the sizeable Greek community in Panama and Greece's merchant fleet serve as bridges of friendship between the two countries. A.F. [07] PRESIDENT OF CHINA'S PEOPLE'S NATIONAL CONGRESS IN ATHENSAthens, April 1 (MPA)The President of the Chinese People's National Congress Li Peng, presently on an official visit to Athens, met with Greek President Kostis Stephanopoulos and Prime Minister Costas Simitis yesterday, heading a 120-member delegation of Chinese political leaders.The delegation, which is to visit the island of Crete today and tomorrow, is headed by Mr. Peng and includes the National Assembly's Deputy President, Hi Luli, Deputy FM Ji Peiding and the presidents of National Assembly committees. A.F. [08] ALTERNATE FM IN FYROM, DEFENSE MINISTER ON TOUR OF BALKANSAthens, April 1 (MPA)Greece's alternate Foreign Minister Yiannos Kranidiotis is presently in Skopje, escorting a humanitarian aid mission to FYROM which is swamped with a massive influx of refugees from Kosovo.Concurrently, Defense Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos is presently on a visit to Bucharest, Sofia and Skopje. Albania's Premier Pandeli Majko, who met with Greece's FM George Papandreou in Tirana yesterday, pledged that the property belonging to the Greek minority in southern Albania will not be harmed. A.F. [09] ELUSIVE "17 NOVEMBER" STRIKES AGAIN, FIRES ROCKET AT PASOKAthens, April 1 (MPA)The "17 November" terrorist organization, which has eluded authorities for a great number of years, is believed to be behind last night's rocket thrown at the ruling PASOK party's central offices in Athens.There were no victims in the attack as the rocket did not detonate before ending up in an open-air garage nearby. PASOK Central Committee secretary Kostas Skandalides stated that these acts undermine democracy itself. A.F. [10] PASOK GIVES STATEMENT ON TERRORIST ATTACK AGAINST ITS OFFICEAthens, April 1 (MPA)Greece's ruling PASSOK party has expressed its abhorrence over last night's terrorist attack at its central offices in Athens which were -unsuccessfully- targeted by a rocket launched by the "17 November"."It is fortunate that we did not mourn innocent lives. The terrorist attack of'17 November' constitutes another blow to democracy. It is a suspect operation at a critical time in our nation's course. Our Movement is founded on the Greek people. PASOK is not intimidated by the '17 November' rockets since the matter of the country's democratic movement is a matter of ideas, struggles and political views, not buildings or offices." A.F. [11] MPA IS RIGHT ON TARGET WITH ITS TWO NEW BOOKS ON THE BALKANSThessaloniki, April 1 (MPA)When the flames of war subside in Yugoslavia and Kosovo, then the urgency of inter-Balkan cooperation in eradicating hatred, animosity and nationalism will be illustrated.This is precisely what the Macedonian Press Agency's publication "Rigas Velestinlis: Inter-Balkan Cooperation Today" professes, through a compilation of views expressed by fifty political leaders, academicians and journalists from throughout the Balkan region, including Greece's President Kostis Stephanopoulos, Prime Minster Kostas Simitis, the leader of the main opposition party, New Democracy, Kostas Karamanlis, and others. The book's presentation will take place today at the Journalists Union premises in Athens and will be attended by Greece's Minister of the Press and Media Dimitris Reppas, Albania's Foreign Minister Paskal Milo, New Democracy's spokesperson Aris Spiliotopoulos and the Chairman of the MPA's Board of Directors, Prof. Pavlos Petrides. Also, the MPA will present its "1999 Guide for the Balkans and the Black Sea Countries", published with the collaboration of "Ianos" Publishing House, which contains a wealth of information for each Balkan and Black Sea country, subdivided in the sectors of economy, defense, policy, biographies, etc. A.F. [12] IVANOV EXPLAINS TO ALBRIGHT RUSSIAN WARSHIP MISSIONMoscow, April 1 (MPA)Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov explained to his US counterpart Madeleine Albright that the Russian warship, which is departing today for Yugoslavia, will collect reconnaissance information and thus "ensure the security of Russia."According to the Russian news agency Itar-Tass, Mr. Ivanov said that Ms. Albright had contacted him upon learning the news about the voyage of Russian Black Sea fleet warships to the conflict zone. The said mission has reportedly caused concern in the UDS administration. Mr. Ivanov stated that the warship is leaving because of the "escalation in the conflict" in Yugoslavia. It will provide "objective information on the developments to Moscow," Mr. Ivanov said. A.F. [13] RUSSIA MAY UNDERTAKE NEW INITIATIVES ON YUGOSLAVIAMoscow, April 1 (MPA)Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov has stated that Russia may in the near future undertake new initiatives on settling the Yugoslav crisis."It is necessary to substitute the logic of war with the logic of political settlement," Mr. Ivanov stated. A.F. [14] GREEKS, SERBS IN MANHATTAN HOLD MASSIVE RALLY AGAINST NATONew York, April 1 (MPA)More than 3,000 protesters, many of them of Greek and Serb origins, rallied yesterday evening in Manhattan in order to voice their opposition to NATO's raids against Yugoslavia.The massive crowd, which was colored by Serb, Greek, Cypriot and Byzantine flags, conducted a march to the New York Times building. The rally featured the participation of Greek- American leaders, representatives from the Federation of Greek Associations, students from the "Hellenic Front", and officials from the Holy Archbishopry of America. Adorned with the distinct "target" sign, the protesters chanted "Kosovo is Vietnam", "Quo Vadis USA?", and "You want peace? Don't start war". A.F. Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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