Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 00-08-10

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

CONTENTS

[01] GREECE WILL REENACT RAMMING INCIDENT TO TYRKEY

[02] FYROM PM VACATIONS IN CORFU, COMMENTS ON NAME

[03] PROSECUTOR INVESTIGATES DOPING SCANDAL

[04] ISLANDERS IRKED BY ANTI-FRAUD SQUADS PRESENCE

[05] GUNS TAKEN FROM ARMORY, N17 ARE USUAL SUSPECTS

[06] CHRISTODOULOS FINDS NEW FOE IN CATHOLIC FATHER

[07] RISING FUEL PRICES EXERT INFLATIONARY PRESSURES

[08] ARGENTINE PRESS: MARBLES SHOULD BE IN ATHENS

[09] GREEK ATHLETES APPEAR IN THE BUFF, CAUSE UPROAR

[10] COAST GUARD SEARCH UNDERWAY FOR U.S. TOURIST

[11] GREEK-AMERICANS URGE CLINTON TO PRESS ON CYPRUS

[01] GREECE WILL REENACT RAMMING INCIDENT TO TYRKEY

Greece's Ministry of Merchant Marine is to provide the Turkish Merchant Marine Ministry with a reenactment of yesterday's incident where a Greek fishing boat carrying ten passengers was rammed by a Turkish storeship sailing in Greek territorial waters near the island of Lesvos.

The Turkish storeship reportedly failed to abide by the directions given by the Greek Coast Guard picketboat and returned to the Turkish territorial waters without its navigation lights on.

The Greek fishing boat was towed to shore, while none of its passengers were harmed. The incident took place 4.5 nautical miles south of Lesvos' Agrilia cape.

A.F.

[02] FYROM PM VACATIONS IN CORFU, COMMENTS ON NAME

The premier of FYROM Ljubco Georgievski met with Greece's Foreign Minister George Papandreou at the island of Corfu yesterday, where the former is presently vacationing.

Mr. Georgievski expressed his optimism that the name issue pending between the two countries will be resolved by the end of the year. Mr. Papandreou seconded Mr. Georgievski's optimism and stressed that the present dynamics in Greek-FYROM relations will bring a positive outcome to the issue.

A.F.

[03] PROSECUTOR INVESTIGATES DOPING SCANDAL

An Athens prosecutor is to investigate the doping findings in Greece's team, after two athletes, one from track and field and another from cycling, twice tested positive for steroids.

Cycling champion George Chimonetos and race walking champion Alexandra Tziouti were dropped from the Olympic squad headed for Sydney after being found to have twice failed a doping test. Both athletes face a two-year suspension penalty. They also face a one-year prison sentence for use of illegal substances, while the suppliers of the drugs could be sentenced to up to five years in jail.

A.F.

[04] ISLANDERS IRKED BY ANTI-FRAUD SQUADS PRESENCE

It was unusually quiet at the Dodekanese island of Kalymnos yesterday, when 200 local business owners shut down their stores in protest to the arrival of the Finance Ministry's fraud squad sent to conduct surprise checks on tourist operations.

In spite of facing one closed door after another, the Fraud Squad's officers managed to review 20 businesses, locating two offenses.

The finance ministry's fraud-busting operation, code-named Sea Eagle, was launched in mid-July with the aim of clamping down on tax-evasion practices.

A.F.

[05] GUNS TAKEN FROM ARMORY, N17 ARE USUAL SUSPECTS

Five .45 caliber pistols were stolen last Friday from the Papanikolaou military camp at Attica's Glika Nera region, police reported today.

The guns are the same model and make employed in attacks by the notorious November 17 terrorist group, prompting the involvement of the anti-terrorist squad into the investigation.

According to early reports, the police have found no evidence of a break-in, leading them to believe that the culprits were familiar with the surroundings.

A.F.

[06] CHRISTODOULOS FINDS NEW FOE IN CATHOLIC FATHER

A mere one day after he issued a call for calmness among the clergy, Archbishop of Athens and All of Greece Christodoulos found a new foe in the Catholic archbishop of Naxos, Tinos, Andros and Mykonos Nicolaos with whom he exchanged a series of heated letters concerning the government's decision to remove mention of religious faith from ID cards.

In his letter to Nicholaos, Christodoulos launched a thinly veiled attack against Prime Minister Costas Simitis by writing that "do you not see that Mr. Simitis plans to transform Greece into an etat laic [secular state], such as France and that this must please you since you think that you will have equal or more rights than the Orthodox?

"Do you not feel that the 'dechristianization' of the state will lead to the shrinkage of your church's task?"

In his part, Nicholaos responded that he has no problem with whether or not one's religion is listed on the new identification cards, while he also added that in no way will he fight to maintain the present status quo (i.e. listing religion), since this leads to discrimination.

A.F.

[07] RISING FUEL PRICES EXERT INFLATIONARY PRESSURES

Rising fuel prices are prompting officials at the Ministry of National Economy and Finance to further contain the state's fiscal policy and, concurrently boost market competition.

The Development Ministry announced yesterday that the price of leaded (super) gasoline was to rise by 6.8 drachmas per liter as of midnight last night and 6.9 drachmas per liter for unleaded fuel. Diesel is to rise by 1.8 drachmas per liter.

New suggested prices for unleaded gasoline range from 248.40 to 258.30 drachmas per liter, while those for super gasoline range from 265 to 274.90 drachmas per liter.

The rises are due to appreciation of the dollar relative to the drachma.

A.F.

[08] ARGENTINE PRESS: MARBLES SHOULD BE IN ATHENS

Two of Argentine's largest circulation dailies, "La Nacion" and the "Buenos Aires Herald", have taken a stance favoring the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece by the year 2004, when the Olympic Games will be held in Athens.

Similarly, Belgium's "La Libre Belgique" notes that there presently is an overall climate calling for the return of the Sculptures to their place of origin, albeit it adds that "the Marbles would have been destroyed by the Turks, had Lord Elgin not saved them."

Meanwhile, Australia's Labor Party has passed a resolution calling on the British government to return the Marbles to Greece.

A.F.

[09] GREEK ATHLETES APPEAR IN THE BUFF, CAUSE UPROAR

The decision of some of Greece's top athletes to bare all in a recent photo shoot for a magazine has been met with the ire of the country's sports federation.

In an apparent effort to raise cash and their public profile so that corporate sponsors will assist them in next year's Sydney Olympic Games, a number of Greece's Olympic team athletes have posed for nude and semi-nude portraits, following an international trend among Olympic athletes to bear all.

The sudden willingness among athletes to pose in the buff has not been warmly embraced by all, as critics fear that topless ping-pong could be the trend to follow.

A.F.

[10] COAST GUARD SEARCH UNDERWAY FOR U.S. TOURIST

The Greek Coast Guard is presently conducting a search for U.S. tourist Marianne Alex who went missing yesterday evening in the sea region between the islands of Naxos and Koufonisi.

According to reports, the 45-year-old woman left an anchored yacht on a jet ski which was found later by the yacht's captain, one mile off the shore.

The search is being conducted by two coast guard patrol boats, four private boats and one C-130.

A.F.

[11] GREEK-AMERICANS URGE CLINTON TO PRESS ON CYPRUS

In letters addressed to US President Bill Clinton and the country's Ambassador to the UN Richard Holbrooke, leading members of the Greek-American community are urging that the pressure is maintained for a settlement of the Cyprus issue.

The letter, dated August 8, was signed by Chairman of the United Hellenic American Congress and President of the World Council of Hellenes Abroad (SAE) Andrew Athens, President of the National Coordinated Effort of Hellenes Andrew Manatos, and President of the Pancyprian Association of America and President of International Coordinating Committee - Justice for Cyprus Philip Christopher.

"Please don't leave office without fully utilizing the major new pressures you created for a Cyprus settlement", the Greek- American leaders say in the letter, noting that "your getting Cyprus on the short list of countries next to accede to the EU and getting Turkey in position for possible EU accession brought a profound new dynamic to the Cyprus problem."

Furthermore, they stress that a solution built on European Union proposals and in accordance with UN resolutions will dramatically improve the future for Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, Greeks and Turks, and promote the security interests of all Americans.

A.F.

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