Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 00-09-24

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.

CONTENTS

[01] PYRROS PYRRHIC VICTORY HAS EVERYONE CHEERING

[02] TANK TRUCK OWNERS GO ON STRIKE OVER OIL PRICES

[03] GREEK WEIGHTLIFTER KAKIASVILIS TAKES THIRD GOLD

[04] GREEK-CANADIAN CONGRESS TO MEET NEXT MONTH

[05] HELLENIC ARMS INDUSTRY WINS 2-BILLION ITALIAN BID

[06] PRINCE SADRUDDIN AGA KHAN HON. CITIZEN OF PATMOS

[07] MPA PUBLISHES MUST-HAVE GUIDE ON BALKAN REGION

[08] GREEK FORMER FM IN BELGRADE AS OBSERVER

[09] THESSALONIKI HOSTS S.E. EUROPES DEFENSE MINISTERS

[10] INT/L CONFERENCE ON DEFENSE TO BE HELD IN ATHENS

[11] CYPRUS: 4TH ROUND OF TALKS EXTENDED TO MID-WEEK

[12] GREECE, RUSSIA DISCUSS NATURAL GAS PIPELINE

[01] PYRROS PYRRHIC VICTORY HAS EVERYONE CHEERING

Greece's weightlifting champion Pyrros Dimas has entered the pantheon of three-time Olympic gold-winners, after winning the gold medal in the 85-kilogram (187 1-4 pounds) division.

Dimas lifted 215 kg (473 3-4 pounds) in the clean and jerk to take the lead.

Dimas, silver medalist Marc Huster of Germany and George Asanidze of Georgia all had total lifts of 390 kg (859 3-4 pounds), but Dimas won because of lowest body weight.

He weighed 84.06 kg (185 pounds) to Huster's 84.22 (185 1-2) and Asanidze's 84.70 (186 1-2).

A.F.

[02] TANK TRUCK OWNERS GO ON STRIKE OVER OIL PRICES

Joining Europe's wave of strike action sparked by high oil prices, Greece's public utility vehicle drivers and fuel truck owners have called the first of a series of strikes as of tomorrow, claiming that government taxes and high international oil prices are putting them out of business.

The strike could seriously disrupt transport and other services in scenes resembling protests in northern Europe earlier this month.

At the same time, the surging international price of oil in conjunction with the increasing exchange parity of the U.S. dollar against the drachma, are expected to cause the prices of numerous products to rise.

Predicting that the fuel crisis will continue, Development Minister Nikos Christodoulakis unveiled a series of measures ahead of an energy conservation campaign, Friday.

Meanwhile, the government is examining the possibility of implementing measures to support lower income groups, if the dollar and fuel prices continue to soar. If given the green light, the measures will be taken within the context of the new state budget for next year.

Prime Minister Costas Simitis has repeatedly warned that harsh penalties will be imposed on anyone found to be exploiting the current situation by profiteering.

A.F.

[03] GREEK WEIGHTLIFTER KAKIASVILIS TAKES THIRD GOLD

Greece again reaped gold Sunday, when Akakios Kakiasvilis won the men's Weightlifting 94 kilogram division after lifting a total of 405 kg, thereby winning his third successive Olympic Games Gold medal.

Kakiasvilis, who lifted 180 kg in the snatch and 220 kg in the clean and jerk, joined the ranks of fellow Greek legend Pyrros Dimas and Turkish weightlifting champion Naim Suleimanoglou KAKIASVILIS, both three-time gold medal winners. The collection now includes medals from 2000 Sydney, 1996 Atlanta and 1992 Barcelona.

Silver medalist Poland's Kolecki was close behind, with 405 kg, but he weighed 1.52 kg more than Kakiasvilis.

Russian Alexei Petrov won the bronze, with a total of 402.5 kg. Previously ranked 6th in the world, the 26-year-old lifted 180 kg in the snatch and 222.5 kg in the clean and jerk.

A.F.

[04] GREEK-CANADIAN CONGRESS TO MEET NEXT MONTH

The Greek-Canadian Congress will meet in Halifax on October 14, in order to discuss developments and decide on policies regarding Greek national issues, in relation to the Canadian politics.

The congress will take place at the museum and conference center of the Halifax port Pier 21, being Canada's point of entry for millions of immigrants until after WWII, a common point of entry for many Greeks.

Greek community representatives and Greek-Canadian organizations representatives will attend the congress.

A.F.

[05] HELLENIC ARMS INDUSTRY WINS 2-BILLION ITALIAN BID

Hellenic Arms Industry (EBO) has won a 2.0 billion-drachma contract to build naval towers for Oto Breda of Italy, according to a company press release.

The Greek state-owned firm is undertaking a new product with a naval application that will equip fast attack craft belonging to the Greek navy.

Under the terms of the recently-signed contract, six naval towers will be built with an option to extend the deal. Delivery time for the first batch of towers is 18 months, the statement said.

A.F.

[06] PRINCE SADRUDDIN AGA KHAN HON. CITIZEN OF PATMOS

The municipality of Patmos has declared Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan and his Greek wife Katerina honorary residents of the island for the prince's services to the international community and because he has kept a home on the island, for which he has shown a "special love," for over 30 years.

According to the Associated Press, Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan was the UN High Commissioner for Refugees from 1965 to 1977 and is special adviser and charges d'affaires of the UN General Secretariat. He is the uncle of the Aga Khan, the hereditary spiritual leader of the Ismaili Muslim community.

A.F.

[07] MPA PUBLISHES MUST-HAVE GUIDE ON BALKAN REGION

A new and useful guide for lesser-known Balkan, Black Sea and Eastern European countries has been published by the Macedonian Press Agency (MPA), a book expected to become a sort of Cliff's Notes for the wider region's economy, defense and political sectors.

The 2000 guide, titled The Balkans, Black Sea Countries, Eastern Europe will be unveiled by the Minister of Macedonia-Thrace George Paschalides on September 26 in Thessaloniki, at the city's Ianos bookstore, along with Aristotle University of Thessaloniki law professor Pavlos Petrides, MPA's general director Spyros Kouzinopoulos and publisher Nikos Karatzas.

The condensed, yet thorough, guide is divided into national sections, containing economic data, useful telephone numbers for entrepreneurs, a brief description of the various political systems, names of diplomats, information on the defense sector, historical background and international developments.

Prefaced by Prof. Petrides and Messrs. Paschalides and Kouzinopoulos, the guide was compiled and edited by historian Vlasis Vlasides, while its defense sectors were written by journalist Nikos Hatzis.

A.F.

[08] GREEK FORMER FM IN BELGRADE AS OBSERVER

Former Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias is presently at the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to observe the imminent presidential elections, according to the Greek government spokesperson Dimitris Reppas.

As Mr. Reppas stressed, Mr. Papoulias was personally invited by the neighboring country.

A.F.

[09] THESSALONIKI HOSTS S.E. EUROPES DEFENSE MINISTERS

Defense ministers from countries of the southeastern European region are to hold their fourth annual meeting in Thessaloniki on October 9, in a conference to be presided by Greece's Defense Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos.

Preparations are presently underway for the conference which will tackle issues pertaining to the operational readiness of the multinational brigade of southeastern Europe and its imminent exercises, such as Bulgaria's Seven Star 2000 and Albania's Cornerstone 2001.

The countries participating in this multinational force are Albania, Bulgaria, FYROM, Greece, Italy, Romania and Turkey, while Slovenia and the United States hold observer status.

A.F.

[10] INT/L CONFERENCE ON DEFENSE TO BE HELD IN ATHENS

The second international conference of the Greek association of Defense Material Constructors (SEKPY) will be held in Athens on October 2, featuring the attendance of the defense ministers from Greece, Cyprus and Great Britain, Akis Tsochatzopoulos, Socrates Hasikos and Geoff Hoon, respectively.

The conference, titled Armaments-Cooperation-Economy will also be saluted by Foreign Minister George Papandreou and will feature the participation of Greece's Development Minister Nikos Christodoulakis and the American and French defense undersecretaries, as well as leaders of Greek opposition parties.

In all, the event will be attended by delegations representing 60 countries, all of which will be participating in the armaments exposition Defendory 2000.

The conference will also provide an analysis of Greece's defense industry and the sector's small-to-middle size firms, as well as reviews of the state's economy and ways to contain unemployment.

A.F.

[11] CYPRUS: 4TH ROUND OF TALKS EXTENDED TO MID-WEEK

In an effort to achieve greater convergence, the on-going fourth round of UN-led proximity talks on Cyprus is extended till the middle of next week according to the United Nations secretary general's special envoy for Cyprus, Alvaro de Soto.

Meanwhile, leaders of Greek Cypriot political parties have expressed disappointment with developments in the talks, with the two coalition partners advocating consistency and seriousness in future negotiations to achieve the set objectives and the three opposition parties talking about digression from the agreed framework solution and suggesting this could lead to the dissolution of the Republic of Cyprus.

However, all five party leaders stressed that the Greek Cypriot side should pull itself together and argue its case at the negotiating table with consistency, making sure all interested sides know the limits of a compromise solution the Greek Cypriot side can accept, which is a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with human rights and fundamental freedoms respected.

A.F.

[12] GREECE, RUSSIA DISCUSS NATURAL GAS PIPELINE

A trilateral task force, comprising Greek, Russian and Bulgarian officials met in Moscow in order to review the Burgas-Alexandroupolis pipeline project, which will bring Caspian Sea oil to Greece.

The participants reviewed the project's advisability study and examine which companies are interested in participating in the Transbalkan Pipeline corporation, presently in the works.

U.S. firms have expressed an interest in the project, while Bulgaria's share is presently under negotiation.

The Burgas-Alexandroupolis pipeline, measuring 275 kilometers, has an annual capacity of transporting 35 million tons of oil from Russia and Central Asia to the Mediterranean region.

A.F.

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