Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 00-03-28

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

CONTENTS

[01] ABOUT 25% OF THE RUSSIANS IN GREECE VOTED IN THE RUSSIAN PRESIDENTIAL

[02] MARGINAL LOSSES IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE

[03] PAPANDREOU-PAPAZOI MEETING WITH THE VISITING BRITISH COMMITTEE MEMBERS

[04] INCREASE IN THE BREAST CANCER CASES

[05] BRITISH MPS MEET WITH GREEK CULTURE MINISTER

[06] LECTURES ON GREECES «FARAWAY» NEIGHBORS

[07] FIRST GREEK WOMAN FIGHTER PILOT NEXT YEAR

[08] PREMIER CONFIDENT OF VICTORY IN ELECTIONS

[09] OECD DELEGATION IN ATHENS FOR REVIEWS

[10] OPPOSITION LEADER LASHES OUT AT PASOK

[11] NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN THE STOPANSKA BANKA ISSUE

[12] TURKISH-CYPRIOTS DONATE BLOOD FOR ANDREAS

[13] "THE ECONOMIST": POSITIVE COMMENTS ON THE GREEK ECONOMY

[14] MORE FRENCH TOURISTS EXPECTED IN GREECE

[15] SAE SCHOLARSHIPS FOR THE BOSTON GREEK COLLEGE

[01] ABOUT 25% OF THE RUSSIANS IN GREECE VOTED IN THE RUSSIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

About 25% of the 10.000 Russian nationals living in Greece permanently or temporarily, namely 2.500, voted in the Russian presidential elections of last Sunday and cast their ballots in the polling stations set up in the Russian embassy in Athens and the consulate in Thessaloniki.

According to statements made to MPA by consul general in Thessaloniki Victor Bojko, elections were held smoothly with a notable participation of the Greek citizens, who kept their Russian nationality, while certain Russians who live and work in Greece temporarily also voted in the elections.

According to official results in Thessaloniki the newly elected Russian president Vladimir Putin got 814 votes, Genady Zuganov 422 and Vladimir Yavlinski 62, while in Athens Putin got 684 votes, Zuganov 184 and Yavlinski 85.

[02] MARGINAL LOSSES IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE

Marginal losses of 0.25% have been recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange and the main index was at 4.664,01, while the transactions were at 188.5 billion drachmas.

For the most part, the session was held in a negative atmosphere and at one point the main index recorded losses of 3%.

The insurance and bank stocks led to the improvement of the climate, while the picture remained very negative for the parallel market.

[03] PAPANDREOU-PAPAZOI MEETING WITH THE VISITING BRITISH COMMITTEE MEMBERS

The Greek ministers of foreign affairs and culture Giorgos Papandreou and Elisavet Papazoi met in Athens with the visiting members of the British parliament culture, mass media and sports committee and conveyed the Greek government positions on the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece as they are presented in a memorandum drawn up recently by the government.

The meeting lasted for about an hour and a half and the Greek ministers pointed out the significance of the return of the Parthenon Marbles to their natural place for Greece and the whole world.

In statements he made afterwards, Mr. Papandreou underlined the excellent relations, as he characterized them, between Greece and Britain in all sectors and referred to the contribution of Britain to the Helsinki decisions for peace in the region and the normalization of the Greek-Turkish relations. He also expressed the belief that the issue of the Parthenon Marbles is an opportunity for the further development of bilateral relations.

Minister of culture Ms. Papazoi stressed that it is the first time that a meaningful dialogue is underway with the British committee for the return of the Parthenon Marbles and characterized it as a good sign.

The committee chairman underlined that the issue will be examined in depth, while he avoided to adopt a clear stance, pointing out that he is still being informed on the matter.

[04] INCREASE IN THE BREAST CANCER CASES

The increase in the number of breast cancer cases in Greece is a cause of alarm as it is the most common type of the disease in females and the main cause of death in the 39-44 age group. The number of annual cases in 1990 were 1.500 and now they have reached 2.000. In the previous 20-year period 1 out of 16 Greek women were hit by breast cancer annually, while now the disease appears in 1 out of 11 women.

The above were stressed by Thessaloniki's Aristotle University surgery professor Konstantinos Katsochis in a press conference on the occasion of the oncology conference that will be held in Thessaloniki on March 30-April 2.

[05] BRITISH MPS MEET WITH GREEK CULTURE MINISTER

A delegation of eight British parliamentarians who are members of the committee responsible for issues of cultural heritage, mass media and sports is to meet with the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Culture, George Papandreou and Elisabeth Papazoi, respectively, in Athens today.

The meeting is widely viewed as the start of a dialogue for the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece from the British Museum, since this is the first time British parliamentarians are officially conducting talks with Greece's Culture Ministry.

The committee members visited the royal tombs and the archeological sites of Vergina yesterday, accompanied by the British Ambassador and the director of the British School of Athens, while, in a visit to Thessaloniki, the British delegates met with the curator of the city's Archeological Museum and discussed the combat of illegal trade of antiquities.

A.F.

[06] LECTURES ON GREECES «FARAWAY» NEIGHBORS

The University of Macedonia's department of Balkan, Slavic and Eastern Studies is to hold a series of lectures entitled "Our 'Faraway' Neighbors: Economic, Social and Cutural Aproaches"

The lectures are to span themes pertaining to the cultures, societies, economies and political systems of the Balkan peoples, and of Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union and the Near East.

Among the featured speakers will be University of Belgrade Professor Radmila Popovic who will speak this evening on "Language and national stereotypes: the case of Serbian".

A.F.

[07] FIRST GREEK WOMAN FIGHTER PILOT NEXT YEAR

The Greek Air Force is to have a woman join its fighter pilot ranks as of next year, according to the Minister of National Defense Akis Tsochatzopoulos who addressed a Thessaloniki-held conference entitled "Youth, Defense and Remote Greece".

In his address, Mr. Tsochatzopoulos also reiterated that by boosting the country's professional army to 15,000-strong in a course of three years, the mandatory military service term (presently 18 months) will be gradually reduced.

Beginning with this year, mandatory service will be reduced two months per annum, reaching 12 months in three years.

A.F.

[08] PREMIER CONFIDENT OF VICTORY IN ELECTIONS

Incumbent Prime Minister and ruling party leader Costas Simitis expressed his confidence that PASOK will emerge victorious in April 9's parliamentary elections, during a lengthy interview with the Athens radio station "Flash".

"We shaped Greece up," Mr. Simitis stated, " we rendered it strong and I am optimistic that the Greek people will once again give us the fresh mandate to continue with this course in order to forge ahead with the social state.

"Just as we achieved that stabilization of the economy, we will also achieve progress in the social state during the following four years," he stressed.

Referring to pre-election surveys and Gallup polls, Mr. Simitis stated that they are a good point of reference for information purposes and stressed that the citizens should not remain indifferent, urging them to vote, aware of what's at stake.

Asked if he plans to reshuffle the cabinet in the event PASOK wins the elections, Mr. Simitis responded that there is a need for renewal, adding that new faces are needed in the cabinet along with the older, more experienced ones.

The Premier stressed that the following four years will be marked by a turn towards the social state which will focus on increasing jobs and curbing unemployment and its related menaces of social exclusion and poverty.

He specifically stated that there is a national plan calling for the creation of 300,000 job positions and just as many job-training opportunities.

As for the stock exchange, Mr. Simitis lashed out against his arch-rival, main opposition party leader Kostas Karamanlis, accusing him of attempting to negatively affect the bourse's course for political gain.

Furthermore, he stated that the market's falling rates are not an indicator of the economy's course.

"The economy is doing well,' he stated and added that when the economy is doing well the stock market will also benefit both short- and long-term.

Referring to the government's work, Mr. Simitis stated that the state was resolute on proceeding with planned reforms, for example the merging of communities and municipalities whcih was met with fierce opposition in some regions. He accused Mr. Karamanlis of "cuddling" the voters by vowing to hold local referendums, a move which would force the country to take a step back from Europe.

In regards to the country's health sector, the Premier said that the services provided are satisfactory and urged the citizens to opt for public hospitals, as he did when he underwent a minor operation.

Mr. Simitis referred to the existence of "blacklist" in Turkey which bars a number of prominent Europeans and Greeks from entering the country.

Acknowledging that it is an old list, Mr. Simitis stated that he believes Turkey will rescind it without much ado.

As for Greek-Turkish relations, the Premier reminded that the Turkish government's mentality should not be expected to change immediately, stressing that the neighboring country is indeed obliged to adjust to European norms, but this is a slow process that requires patience.

Criticizing the main opposition party, Mr. Simitis said that New Democracy's leadership is offering worthless pre-election promises.

A.F.

[09] OECD DELEGATION IN ATHENS FOR REVIEWS

A delegation of officials from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is presently in Athens in order to examine the framework of market regulations.

The reviews are pertaining to the sectors of capital markets, tele-communications and energy, as well as the conditions of competitiveness in the Greek economy.

A.F.

[10] OPPOSITION LEADER LASHES OUT AT PASOK

In a campaign tour through central Greece yesterday, the leader of the main opposition party New Democracy Costas Karamanlis lashed out against the ruling PASOk party, accusing the government of having distorted his party's positions in an effort to "create an atmosphere of manufactured tension, polarization and fanaticism."

Mr. Karamanlis stated that PASOK has had to resort to mudslinging and propaganda since "it realizes that it gambled and lost."

The secretary general of the Communist Party of Greece Aleka Paparega told a press conference yesterday that the recent EU Summit held in Lisbon was a "starting point of troubles" for workers.

The President of the Coalition of the Left and Progress Nikos Constantopoulos, visiting the Central Union of Municipalities and Communities of Greece, stated yesterday that a constitutional clause has to be adopted which will ensure the country's autonomous regional development.

The leader of the Democratic and Social Movement Dimitris Tsovolas, on a tour through Evros yesterday, called on his supporters to end the self-rule arrogance of both PASOK and New Democracy.

A.F.

[11] NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN THE STOPANSKA BANKA ISSUE

The responsible reform agency in FYROM is expected to purchase 85% of the Stopanska Banka stocks through the Skopje Stock Exchange today or on Thursday at the latest. Then a package of stocks with a total value of DM93.96 million will be transferred to the National Bank of Greece, the EBRD and the IFC namely, the buyers of the largest bank in FYROM.

The above were mentioned in today's issue of FYROM's "Vetser" newspaper according to which, the buyout of the package of stocks by the responsible FYROM agency and its transfer to the three investors is a purely procedural issue. It should be reminded that the formal part of the agreement for the purchase of 65% of the Stopanska Banka will be completed by early April.

[12] TURKISH-CYPRIOTS DONATE BLOOD FOR ANDREAS

More than 300 Turkish-Cypriots, among them their leader's son Sertar Denktash and the head of Turkey's Republican Party Mehmet Ali Talat, gathered at the island's green line in order to assist in the efforts to save a young Greek-Cypriot boy suffering from leukemia.

Six-year-old Andreas Vasilioy is in need of suitable bone marrow and doctors have said that he will die within three months if a transplant is not carried out.

Mr. Denktash stated that he is donating blood in order to held a young child, while Mr. Talat said that the event is a "humanitarian one", adding that "we are always in support of peace and good relations between the two communities."

Cypriot government spokesman Michalis Papapetrou stated that the response of Turkish Cypriots indicates that a new dynamic is being created among citizens, promoting solidarity, which is considered to be very positive for improving the climate on the island.

A.F.

[13] "THE ECONOMIST": POSITIVE COMMENTS ON THE GREEK ECONOMY

The economic review "The Economist" made positive comments on the course of Greece toward the EMU. In a comparative study of the magazine between Greece and other three countries namely, Sweden, Denmark and Norway, which are considering to join the EMU, Greece is ahead and it is believed that it will be the first from a group of countries that will enter the Euro-zone, while the Greek government's asset, according to "The Economist", is the backing it enjoys from the wider population as over 2/3 of the Greeks want their country to join the EMU and they are determined to work toward this purpose.

Based on the economic magazine's report, parts of which have been broadcast by the BBC radio, problems are being observed in the three countries namely, Sweden, Denmark and Norway which have expressed their wish to join the EMU.

On Greece, "The Economist" mentions that significant steps have been made in the past few years to approach its EU partners, tax collection has been made more effective, the stock market enters a mature stage and the spending toward the GDP is stable resulting to impressive cuts in inflation, public debt and the budget deficits. It also added that the economic indexes are at good levels for Europe and overall the prospects for the Greek economy are optimistic.

According to "The Economist", the sectors that need to be improved are energy, shipping and telecommunications.

[14] MORE FRENCH TOURISTS EXPECTED IN GREECE

A ten percent increase of French tourists visiting Greece is expected this year, according to the Hellenic Tourism Organization bureau in Paris, a boost attributed to an upgraded advertising campaign.

According to the Paris-bureau's director Anna Iliokratidou, more than 530,000 French are expected in Greece this summer, the majority destined for resorts in the Cyclades, Crete, Attica and the Peloponnese.

One of the factors rendering Greece a top choice among holidayers is the low prices, rivaled only by Tunisia, but which is not an EU member.

A.F.

[15] SAE SCHOLARSHIPS FOR THE BOSTON GREEK COLLEGE

The World Council of Hellenes Abroad, SAE, offers scholarships for the Boston Greek College in an effort to promote the university education of the Greek-American students.

The scholarships are being offered to students who meet the necessary preconditions and cover all tuition expenses except from food and board expenses. The college offers 4year studies and a Bachelor of Arts diploma in Classical Studies, Elementary Education, Human Development and Religious Studies.

The Boston Greek College diplomas are equal to all the rest universities and are recognized by the education authorities of the United States and Greece.

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