Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English, 99-06-01

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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

TITLES

[01] CHERNOMIRDIN-AHTISAARI-TALBOTT TO MEET AGAIN

[02] 10 PEOPLE DIED DURING LAST NIGHT’S NATO’S ATTACK ON YUGOSLAVIA

[03] OCALAN TRIAL RESUMES

[04] TODAY’S SCHEDULE OF GREEK POLITICAL LEADERS

[05] RUSSIAN CABINET APPROVES NEW ECONOMIC MEASURES

[06] HUNGARY-BASED US AIRCRAFTS HAVE BEGAN RAIDS AGAINST YUGOSLAVIA

[07] MINSK: STAMPEDE KILLS 53 PEOPLE

[08] 10,4 MILLION UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE IN RUSSIA

[09] NEW "TRANSBALKAN" TRAIN LINKS THESSALONIKI TO BALKAN CITIES

[10] BELGRADE CLAIMS TO HAVE SHOT DOWN 190 NATO PLANES

[11] ARMENIA: COALITION FOR UNITY WINS 52% IN ELECTIONS

[12] KOSOVAR REFUGEES FLY FROM THESSALONIKI TO AUSTRALIA

[13] ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH IN THESSALONIKI

[14] SERBIA’S ELECTRICITY NETWORK SUFFERED SEVERE DAMAGE

[15] SOCIALIST YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS OF BALKANS CALL FOR COOPERATION

NEWS IN DETAIL

[01] CHERNOMIRDIN-AHTISAARI-TALBOTT TO MEET AGAIN

Intense diplomatic efforts will resume today in search of a solution to the crisis in Yugoslavia. The Russian mediator Victor Chernomirdin will hold a meeting in Bonn with President of Finland Marti Ahtissari and the US Deputy Secretary of State, Strobe Talbott.

Tomorrow Chernomirdin and Ahtissari will fly to Belgrade in order to hold talks with Yugoslav President, Slobodan Milosevic. We should note that Belgrade has announced that it accepts the principles of the plan drafted by G-8 Foreign Ministers.

[02] 10 PEOPLE DIED DURING LAST NIGHT’S NATO’S ATTACK ON YUGOSLAVIA

NATO continued the heavy bombing of Yugoslavia during the night. Serb media report new victims while the major part of the country plunged once again in darkness. NATO planes hit telecommunication, industrial and military facilities throughout Serbia.

According to the serb media ten people were killed while more than 20 were injured when missiles hit a building in the city of Novi-Pazar. A post office was bombed in the same area, as well as a printing-office and a local television station.

[03] OCALAN TRIAL RESUMES

Abdullah Ocalan’s trial proceeds today in Imrali island of Turkey. The Kurd leader told the court yesterday that he is ready to cooperate with the turkish authorities on the surrender of the Kurd rebels in Southeastern Turkey.

He stressed that if he is not sentenced to death he will be able to persuade the rebels to quit the mountain war, in three months time. Ocalan also noted that he has not been tortured and apologized for the victims of war.

[04] TODAY’S SCHEDULE OF GREEK POLITICAL LEADERS

The leaders of the greek political parties continue their pre-electoral appearances, only two weeks before the European elections are held.

Prime minister Kostas Simitis will give an interview which will be broadcasted by state channel “NET” at 9.00 p.m..

President of the main opposition party “New Democracy”, Kostas Karamanlis will hold a press conference at “Zappeion”, open to all media.

Leader of “Political Spring”, Antonis Samaras will also hold a press conference at “Zappeion” at 3.pm, where he intends to talk about every subject concerning internal and foreign political affairs of Greece.

[05] RUSSIAN CABINET APPROVES NEW ECONOMIC MEASURES

The Russian cabinet approved, at a meeting called by prime minister Sergei Stepashin, the policy plans regarding the reforming of the Central Bank’s structure as well as the country’s relations with international financial institutions.

The cabinet discussed proposals for meeting World Bank terms, in order to secure a new loan for Russia. Most of the proposals aimed at the restructuring of the country’s economy.

Representatives of the State Duma took part in the meeting, headed by Duma Budget Committee chairman, Aleksander Zhukov.

[06] HUNGARY-BASED US AIRCRAFTS HAVE BEGAN RAIDS AGAINST YUGOSLAVIA

Twenty four US F-18 jet-fighers that were deployed inside Hungary, have began raids against Yugoslavia since last week, according to sources from Taszar air base in southern Hungary.

Meanwhile, on May 28th, the hungarian government announced that it will allow the deployment of 18 A-10 aircrafts, which are designed to attack tanks, at the same base.

According to the ministry of Defense of Hungary, three A-10 aircrafts have arrived by today at Taszar base and the rest are due to arrive over the next days. Sixteen KC-135 mid-air refueling planes are already stationed at the airport of Budapest

[07] MINSK: STAMPEDE KILLS 53 PEOPLE

At least 53 people were killed last night in the Bellorussian capital and some 100 people were injured as a result of the stampede of 2000 persons who attended a beer festival.

The crowd rushed into a subway to find shelter from the sudden shower and people, seized in panic, were stamped to death.

According to Mikhail Mysnikovich, head of the presidential administration, 78 people have been hospitalized, while seven remain in critical condition.

Bellorussian President, Alexander Lukashenko called the stampede “monstrous” and asked the relatives of the victims “not to blame or judge anybody”.

[08] 10,4 MILLION UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE IN RUSSIA

The number of unemployed people in Russia rose by 2,3 million after the economic crisis that torments the country since August 1998, and according to the State Statistical Committee about 10,4 million people remained out of work at the end of April.

Meanwhile the central bank of Russia announced a growth of 2,85% of the state’s deposits of gold, which account to 11,6 billion dollars. However, gold deposits have decreased by 5% compared to their amount at the beginning of the year.

[09] NEW "TRANSBALKAN" TRAIN LINKS THESSALONIKI TO BALKAN CITIES

The Greek Railway Organization (OSE) will run the international train “TRANSBALKAN” from today and until November 2nd, in order to facilitate passenger transport outside Greece, that has been hampered because of the Kosovo crisis.

The international train 460/461, will link Thessaloniki to Sofia, Bucharest and Budapest, and will replace the 334/335 train which is withdrawn from circulation due to the situation in Yugoslavia.

[10] BELGRADE CLAIMS TO HAVE SHOT DOWN 190 NATO PLANES

The Deputy Secretary of Information of the Serb government, Radmila Visic, claimed that Yugoslavia has shot down more that 190 NATO aircrafts since March 24, when the Alliance launched air raids against the country, in her interview at the Macedonian Press Agency.

Mrs Visic accused NATO of concealing the actual number of its losses during the two-month war in Yugoslavia and reassured that when the hostilities are over, the Alliance will be forced to inform first of all the mothers of the dead pilots, who still don’t know the truth.

“Of course Americans and the rest of the NATO allies do not admit that they lost 190 aircrafts and they will not admit it in any of their briefings. However, even in the Internet, in NATO web-site there are data that confirm this number and verify the claims of the Yugoslav army”, said Mrs. Visic. “I am certain that when this is all over, then the international public opinion and especially the American one will face the Vietnam syndrome and then the mothers of the pilots of the shot down planes will be informed that their sons where killed in the raids against Yugoslavia”, she stressed. When asked about why the Yugoslav authorities do not present photos or videos that confirm their allegations of having downed 190 planes, the Serb minister noted that even NATO itself has admitted that Yugoslavia has a remarkable strategy.

“It is part of are tactics, not to show the. I, like a good soldier, will not give more information on this. However, the fact that NATO has announced that it will bring another 1.200 planes against a country with small air force, doesn’t that mean anything to you?”.

Mrs Visic also pointed out the ecological side- effects of the war against her country and stressed that “he ecological disaster cannot be refrained inside the borders of Yugoslavia and that right now NATO attacks all the countries around the river Danube”.

She also expressed her regret for all the Greek students that attended Yugoslav universities and were forced to disrupt their studies and return to Greece because of the war.

She accused NATO of wanting to occupy Yugoslavia and shut off every free source of information while noting that the work of Greek journalists in her country is an objective source of information transmitted all over the world showing exactly what is happening there. “NATO is defeated in the war of information” she stressed. Mrs Visic accused the Alliance of causing the massive exodus of the refugees and said that the Albanians are free to chose where they want to go; they are free to go to Skopje, Albania or Greece or even return to Kosovo.

[11] ARMENIA: COALITION FOR UNITY WINS 52% IN ELECTIONS

The Coalition for Unity has won 52% of the votes in the elections held in Armenia yesterday, according to preliminary results issued by the Armenian Xentral Electoral Commission.

The coalition is formed by the Defence minister’s Vazgen Sarkissian’s Republican Party of Armenia and the People’s Party of Armenia, lead by Karen Dermichian.

The Communist Party of Armenia received 16.33% of the votes, the Armenian Revolutionary Federations received 9.25% and the Right Coalition Block received another 5.4%.

The premier’s Vazgen Manoukian, National Democratic Union failed to surmount the 5% minimum required for representation in the parliament, while voter turnout was 55.7 percent.

[12] KOSOVAR REFUGEES FLY FROM THESSALONIKI TO AUSTRALIA

Another 432 refugees from Kosovo have arrived this morning in Thessaloniki and are due to depart by airplane to Australia. The refugees arrived from FYROM at “Macedonia” airport by buses at 10.00 am and where transferred to special facilities created for them inside the airport.

According to the representatives of the regional authorities of central Macedonia, who coordinate the operation of transporting the refugees, none of the 432 Kosovars has health problems.

Employees of the “Macedonia” airport received the refugees offering the refreshments, cigarettes and toys for the children. Around 12.00 the Kosovars went aboard the “Quantas” airplane to Australia.

During the last two weeks 1234 refugees have been transferred from to Australia via Thessaloniki. On June 17th another group of refugees will depart from Thessaloniki to Australia.

[13] ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH IN THESSALONIKI

Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos continues today his tour in the prefecture of Thessaloniki, visiting the municipality of Neapoli.

Afterwards he will visit the “Georgios Papanikolaou” hospital and mount Chortiatis.

Mayor of Neapoli, Grigoris Hatzisavas will host a luncheon in his honor.

[14] SERBIA’S ELECTRICITY NETWORK SUFFERED SEVERE DAMAGE

The Yugoslav authorities encounter great difficulties in their efforts to restore the damages in the electricity network of Serbia, caused by NATO missiles.

The state electricity company of Serbia announced that in the last 24 hours the electricity network has suffered the worst blow since the beginning of the Alliance’s raids against Yugoslavia.

NATO missiles have bombed the power distribution stations at Nice, Obrenovac and Novi Sad as well as the two largest power distribution stations of Serbia located outside Belgrade, while aircrafts attacked power towers between Obrenovac and Belgrade.

Late last night the authorities managed to restore the electricity supply of areas in the center of Belgrade while the largest part of Voivodina and the suburbs of the yugoslavian capital remain without power.

[15] SOCIALIST YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS OF BALKANS CALL FOR COOPERATION

The Balkan Socialist Youths have issued a joint resolution stressing the need of cooperation among the youth organisations of the Balkans and the creation of National Youth Councils’ Forum, during their meeting at Chalkidiki held by the Youth of PASOK.

The representatives of the Youths failed to issue a unanimous declaration on the war in Yugoslavia because of the differences between the Yugoslav and the Albanian representatives regarding the causes of the conflict that the responsibilities of each side.

The secretary of Public Relations of the Youth of PASOK, Agamemnon Tatsis, stressed that the meeting itself was a very important event because it was the first time that representatives of young socialist organisations of every Balkan country have gathered around the same table, especially during war time.

The vice president of the Union of the Socialist Youths of Europe, George Tsakos, also described the meeting as a positive step which will be followed by similar meetings to be held in Italy and Thessaloniki.

The representatives of Yugoslavia presented data according to which some 1000 civilians were killed during the NATO bombings and another 5000 were wounded. The Alliance has lauched some 10.000 bombs against Yugoslavia and 3000 missiles destroying 300 schools and two universities at Nice and Novi Sad, where 500.000 citizens are left without water. According to the same data 500.000 people have been lost their jobs because of the war.

The Albanian representatives noted that 250.000 Kosovars have been reported missing and spoke of accusations made by refugees regarding the atrocities of serb paramilitary forces against Albanians in Kosovo.

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