Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 00-10-23

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

CONTENTS

[01] GREECE WITHDRAWS FROM DESTINED GLORY

[02] CACOYANNIS LEAVES CULTURAL OLUMPICS CHAIR

[03] TURKISH BUSINESS MISSION IN THESSALONIKI

[04] REPPAS ON THE NATO EXERCISE

[05] THE 2ND GREEK-TURKISH CONFERENCE ON BUSINESS COOPERATION IN ATHENS

[06] 60% OF THE WORKING WOMEN IN GREECE SUFFER SEXUAL HARASSMENT

[07] LOSSES OF 1.86% IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE

[08] THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH VISITED THE EUROPEAN CENTER OF PUBLIC LAW

[09] INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON MARGUERITE YOURCENAR

[10] KENTERIS WILL BE HONORED BY EUROSPORT

[11] HELMETS UNPOPULAR AMONG GREEK MOTORCYCLISTS

[12] MINISTER BEARS TEETH AT SHIPOWNERS WITH WARNING

[13] ΔΗΛΩΣΕΙΣ ΠΕΤΡΙΤΣ ΓΙΑ ΔΙΠΛΩΜΑΤΙΚΕΣ ΣΧΕΣΕΙΣ ΒΕΛΙΓΡΑΔΙΟΥ - ΣΕΡΑΓΕΒΟ

[14] SILVER MEDAL FOR GREECE IN THE WOMEN'S 400M ON WHEELCHAIR IN SYDNEY'S

[15] MIKIS THEODORAKIS' "ZORBA" IN CAIRO

[16] ALTERNATE FM ADDRESSES ASIA-EUROPE SUMMIT

[01] GREECE WITHDRAWS FROM DESTINED GLORY

Greece has withdrawn from the "Destined Glory" NATO exercise conducted in the eastern Aegean, citing a ban imposed by Turkey on Greek warplanes and ships in its territory during the maneuvers.

Greek Defense Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos, presently in Cyprus, stated that "Greece cannot accept the fact that a NATO country has exploited the exercise on its territory to pursue its claims in the Aegean."

Furthermore, Mr. Tsochatzopoulos added that "Turkey tried to move in this direction, indirectly invalidating collective decisions in the NATO framework, so that the original air corridors for Greek aircraft were scrapped. Although the scheme failed, it went ahead illegally with an attempt to intercept Greek aircraft that were taking part in the Nikiforos-Toxotis maneuver (between Greece and Cyprus.

"Ankara then took the unprecedented step of a NATO country closing its airspace to NATO aircraft, claiming to act in order to avoid 'undesirable results'."

A.F.

[02] CACOYANNIS LEAVES CULTURAL OLUMPICS CHAIR

Film director Michalis Cacoyannis has resigned from his position as president of the Cultural Olympics, citing creative differences with the state.

In a letter addressed to the Minister of Culture Theodoros Pangalos, Mr. Cacoyanis stated that he was not told he would be heading an enterprise when he was offered the position.

"Unfortunately, I have realized that I cannot operate creatively within a bureaucratic ringer of a disparate and cumbersome organization," he wrote.

Greece's leading film director, Mr. Cacoyanis is best known for the internationally acclaimed Zorba the Greek (1964), while his work includes the films Windfall in Athens (1953), Stella (1954), A Girl in Black (1955) Electra (1961).

A.F.

[03] TURKISH BUSINESS MISSION IN THESSALONIKI

Sixty eight Turkish businessmen will visit Thessaloniki's Chamber of Trades tomorrow headed by Istanbul Association of Chambers president Suat Yalkin.

The visit takes place after another visit that was made by the directorship of the Thessaloniki Chamber of Trades to Istanbul and it is aimed at strengthening the trade relations between Greece and Turkey.

[04] REPPAS ON THE NATO EXERCISE

When NATO was unable to guarantee the implementation of what was agreed we decided to withdraw our forces, stated Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas, adding that the responsibility for the withdrawal from the exercise "Destined Glory" belongs exclusively to NATO and Turkey.

Mr. Reppas stated that NATO recognized Greece's right to fly over the island of Limnos in north-eastern Aegean but it showed weakness to impose this on Turkey.

On the Greek-Turkish relations, he said that Greece's policy will not change as the step by step approach is the correct policy. The rapprochement is useful for both countries but it is not easy, stated the Greek government spokesman, adding that it will encounter obstacles and fluctuations, while he underlined that the Greek-Turkish relations do not begin or end in one incident.

Referring to Turkey, he said that Greece wants this country to meet its obligations that stem from the EU Helsinki decision, while on NATO he said that it has to deal with the problem that is created when in a NATO exercise two allies participate and one of them questions the other's sovereign rights.

In conclusion, the Greek government spokesman rejected as groundless the allegations that Turkey's behavior is due to the "Nikiforos" exercise, that is underway in Cyprus, stressing that this exercise does not have an aggressive character.

[05] THE 2ND GREEK-TURKISH CONFERENCE ON BUSINESS COOPERATION IN ATHENS

The 2nd Greek-Turkish Conference on Business Cooperation will be held in Athens on November 2-3 organized by the Greek-Turkish Business Council board of directors.

The conference on the prospects of economic and business cooperation will be held under the auspices of the Greek foreign ministry and it is expected to be attended by many Greek and Turkish businessmen as well as distinguished political personalities from both countries.

[06] 60% OF THE WORKING WOMEN IN GREECE SUFFER SEXUAL HARASSMENT

Sixty percent of the working women in Greece suffer sexual harassment, while similarly high percentages are observed in other European states as well with Spain at the top of the list with 84%.

Based on European Union figures that were presented in a one-day conference on "Women and Employment" that was held in Thessaloniki, sexual harassment in Germany is 59%, in Holland 58%, in Britain 51% and in Italy 47.8%.

Sexual harassment is a serious problem for millions of working women in Europe as it is a very common phenomenon both in the private and the public sector. The groups targeted most are the divorced women, the young women who enter the work market for the first time, the immigrants and those who are unemployed for a long time.

The research conducted so far has shown that the problem is serious with negative effects on the health and work efficiency of the victims, while it has adverse consequences for the employers as well.

[07] LOSSES OF 1.86% IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE

The week opened for the Athens Stock Exchange with significant losses of 1.86% and the general index dropped to 3.717,05 points.

The volume of transactions was very disappointing at 49 billion drachmas, proving that there is absolute lack of purchasing interest by the investors. Of the stocks trading today 34 recorded gains, 319 had losses and 28 remained unchanged.

Analysts point out that the market is waiting for good news such as, interest rate cuts, materialization of the privatization of state-owned companies scheduled to take place this year and implementation of structural changes, in order to stabilize and then follow an upward course.

[08] THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH VISITED THE EUROPEAN CENTER OF PUBLIC LAW

Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos visited the European Center of Public Law in Athens this morning where he was received by justice minister Michalis Stathopoulos and the center's president Spiros Flogaitis.

The Ecumenical Patriarch in his speech referred to the need for the unification of the European states' public law and stressed that public law safeguards the ideals for which everybody work for.

From his side, the center's president stressed that a European Center of Public Law will open soon in Turkey and offered the center's emblem to the Ecumenical Patriarch. Minister of justice Mr. Stathopoulos referred to the personality of the Ecumenical Patriarch and pointed out that he can contribute to the de-escalation of crises. He also said that the Ecumenical Patriarch respects those who express different views.

Later this afternoon, Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos will visit the city of Theva.

[09] INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON MARGUERITE YOURCENAR

An International Symposium dedicated to Marguerite Yourcenar will be held in Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Department of Philosophy on November 2-5 with the participation of 50 internationally distinguished scientists from 21 countries. The symposium under the title "Marguerite Yourcenar, an author of the 19th century?" is organized by the Aristotle University Department of Literature comparative philology laboratory in cooperation with the International Society of Studies on Yourcenar's work.

The work of Yourcenar (1903-1987) is interwoven with the Greek and humanistic viewpoint. She was the first woman to become a member of the French Academy and lived for a long period of time in Greece. She later returned to Greece many times and met many authors and distinguished Greek researchers like, Empirikos and Dimaras. Yourcenar was among the first to translate Kavafis into French, while she also translated many ancient Greek classics and wrote novels and short stories placed in modern Greece.

[10] KENTERIS WILL BE HONORED BY EUROSPORT

Kostas Kenteris left everybody speechless with his exceptional performance in the men's 200m race in the Sydney Olympics. His success was made known around the world bringing attention to him as an athlete and to Greece.

Eurosport, the biggest European sports television channel, decided to honor Kostas Kenteris and his coach Christos Tzekos next Friday. The event will take place in Monte Carlo where other Sydney Olympic Games gold medallists will also be honored.

[11] HELMETS UNPOPULAR AMONG GREEK MOTORCYCLISTS

Greece holds a leading position among other European countries in traffic-related fatalities, with more than 2,500 people dying in or from car accidents each year and with a fourth of the victims being motorcyclists.

A study conducted by the Athens University Medical School's Laboratory of Health and Epidemiology, in cooperation with the Center for Prevention of Childhood Accidents, found that one out of every four car accident victims in 1999 were motorcyclists, an average annual increase of 8.8% during the past two decades.

Greeks obviously continue to disregard the value of helmets, as only 20 percent of the country's motorcyclists wear them, even though laws mandating the motorcyclist's use of a helmet are in effect.

According to the study, the reasons the majority of motorcyclists avoid wearing protective head gear are diverse.

Two out of ten believe that the helmet is not necessary as their motorcycle "does not have a powerful engine", while 19% believe that wearing a helmet limits the driver's peripheral vision and increases the risk of an accident.

Others avoid the use of a helmet because they are forced to make frequent job-related stops, while some also cited costs and/or fear of losing it.

A.F.

[12] MINISTER BEARS TEETH AT SHIPOWNERS WITH WARNING

"We are not in joint government with the shipowners," the Minister of Merchant Marine Christos Papoutsis stressed in an interview with the Athens daily "Ta Nea", where he unleashed his ire over the shipping sector's threat to immobilize its vessels during this week's long holiday.

Mr. Papoutsis stressed that the state will not allow the shipowners to anchor their ships in protest and vowed that the ships will sail on October 27.

Moreover, the Merchant Marine Minister announced that a series of vast changes are to be enforced in the shipping sector, which had been planned prior to the catastrophic sinking of the Samina Express.

According to the Minister, these changes concern safety, rendering the sector a competitive and modern one.

"The safety of passenger ships remains the primary aim of the Merchant Marine Ministry. Our country has an obligation to adapt all passenger ships to the demands of international conventions and European directives and our government sticks to this strictly and conscientiously."

Meanwhile, the Ministry has ordered emergency scheduling of fewer vessels and has also opened up routes to greater competition, as a great number of ships will not be allowed to sail as they have failed to meet the October 1 deadline of a European Union directive pertaining to safety and operation.

A.F.

[13] ΔΗΛΩΣΕΙΣ ΠΕΤΡΙΤΣ ΓΙΑ ΔΙΠΛΩΜΑΤΙΚΕΣ ΣΧΕΣΕΙΣ ΒΕΛΙΓΡΑΔΙΟΥ - ΣΕΡΑΓΕΒΟ

Αισιοδοξία για το ενδεχόμενο να αναπτυχθούν διπλωματικές σχέσεις μεταξύ του Βελιγραδίου και του Σεράγεβο εξέφρασε ο ύπατος αντιπρόσωπος της διεθνούς κοινότητας στη Βοσνία Βόλφγκανγκ Πέτριτς, μετά από την επίσκεψη του Γιουγκοσλάβου πρόεδρου Βόισλαβ Κοστούνιτσα στο Σεράγεβο.

Οπως δήλωσε ο κ. έτριτς, οι επαφές για την ενίσχυση των σχέσεων μεταξύ των δυο πλευρών ξεκίνησαν χθες όταν ο κ. Κοστούνιτσα συναντήθηκε με τον Βόσνιο υπουργό Εξωτερικών Γαντράνκο Πρλιτς, εκτιμόντας ότι το Σεράγεβο θα έχει διπλωματικές επαφές με το Βελιγράδι, αφού σχηματιστεί η νέα γιουγκοσλαβική κυβέρνηση.

Ο Πέτριτς δεν διευκρίνισε εάν το καθεστώς του Κοστούνιτσα θα δεχτεί την απόλυτη εδραίωση των σχέσεων με το Σεράγεβο, ωστόσο τόνισε ότι θα πρέπει να εδραιωθούν χωρίς να υπάρχουν προϋποθέσεις από τις δυο πλευρές.

[14] SILVER MEDAL FOR GREECE IN THE WOMEN'S 400M ON WHEELCHAIR IN SYDNEY'S PARALYMPIC GAMES

A big success for Greece in Sydney's Paralympic Games. Greek champion Eleni Samaritaki won the silver medal in the women's 400m on a wheelchair with 1:20:68.

British Caroline Innes won the gold with 1:16:65, which is a new world record. The bronze medal was won by Chun Lai Yu from Hong Kong with 1:20:96.

The silver won by Eleni Samaritaki is the first Greek medal in Sydney's Paralympic Games.

[15] MIKIS THEODORAKIS' "ZORBA" IN CAIRO

The Greek National Opera Ballet presents Mikis Theodorakis' "Zorba" in the Cairo Opera House, starting yesterday until tomorrow. The choreography is by Lorca Masin.

The "Zorba" is a symphony ballet that was written in 1987 on behalf of the Verona Opera House. The source of inspiration for the composer was Nikos Kazantzakis' famous work "The Life and Adventures of Alexis Zorba".

[16] ALTERNATE FM ADDRESSES ASIA-EUROPE SUMMIT

Greece's Alternate Foreign Minister Elizabeth Papazoi is presently in Seoul, South Korea, representing Greece at the Asia-Europe summit (ASEM III) titled "Cooperation for permanent stability and the prevention of relapses in economic crises".

Addressing representatives from all the European Union's 15 member-states and from ten Asian countries, Ms. Papazoi stressed the importance of European and Asian leaders meeting for the third time in four years, adding that normalization is being restored in relations between Europe and Asia.

Furthermore, Ms. Papazoi proposed the activation of open dialogue at the World Trade Organization and expressed satisfaction over China's impending accession to the WTO.

The summit will review ways to strengthen Eurasian cooperation, both in the economic and political sectors, as well as in issues pertaining to the United Nations, the restriction of regional conflicts, the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and human rights protection.

The ten Asian countries attending the summit are China, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei and South Korea.

The European Commission is being represented at the meeting by its President Romano Prodi and Foreign Economic Relations Commissioner Paten.

A.F.

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