Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 01-04-01

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

CONTENTS

[01] GREEK PM: 20TH YEAR IN EU A MILESTONE FOR GREECE

[02] "HISTORY OF GREEK JEWS" GREEK EDITION IS NOW OUT

[03] PRODI: MILOSEVIC SHOULD BE TRIED IN THE HAGUE

[04] COMMISSION PRESIDENT VOWS TO SUPPORT SE EUROPE

[05] OA APOLOGIZES TO PASSENGERS FOR CANCELLATIONS

[06] GREEK DM MEETS WITH ALBANIAN COUNTERPART

[07] GREECE TAKES PART IN "CORNERSTONE 2001"

[08] WORLD LEADERS AT "ECONOMIST" EVENT IN ATHENS

[09] GREEK, YUGOSLAV PMs TO ADDRESS BALKAN FORUM

[10] MILOSEVIC GIVES HIMSELF UP, TAKEN TO PRISON

[01] GREEK PM: 20TH YEAR IN EU A MILESTONE FOR GREECE

Greece's 20th anniversary since its accession to the

European Union constitutes a milestone for the country, Prime Minister Costas Simitis stated in Thessaloniki last night, during commemorative events held in honor of the occasion.

The Premier underlined that Greece has remained firmly focused on the aims of its accession, as the ideal form of participation in a common course towards the values and principles that constitute the premise of today's Europe.

In an address entitled "Greece and Europe-20 years of participation 50 years of European Fulfillment, the Premier saluted the late founder of the main opposition party of New Democracy Costas Karamanlis as the statesman who led the country into the European Community, as well as the late-leader of the ruling PASOK party Andreas Papandreou as the one who cemented Greece's participation in the EU.

The Premier provided his audience with a retrospective of Greece course within the EU, noting that, although it entered as a country with limited capabilities and prestige, it has emerged as an equal member of the European Union.

Stressing that the European Union has to perform a stabilizing role in the international arena, Mr. Simitis stated that the 15 should contribute to the emergence of a more balanced international system.

In regards to Greece's development in the past 20-year period, the Premier stated that the country has always viewed itself as a part of the overall European area and its political developments, through a course of enlightenment, liberty, Democracy, respect for the individual.

The ideas of Rigas Fereos, the views of Kapodistrias, Eleftherios Venizelos and Alexandra's Papanastasiou during the 1920s, all aimed at promoting the ideal of European and regional cooperation, as a founding stone for peace, democracy and prosperity for the region's peoples, he stated.

Greece's participation in the European Union enabled us to promote our identity, our culture and our ideas. We facilitated the formation of a Union that allows for cooperation among countries of various degrees of development, one where different societies meet creatively, one where each country contributes to a multicultural and multinational unit, free of animosities.

Moreover, the Premier stated, we emerged as a factor of stability, peace and cooperation, promoting and insisting on the need to respect international law, especially in the volatile region of Southeastern Europe.

Greece, as a member of the Eurozone, is now faced with new challenges, as well as new opportunities. We have a vision for the country: to fulfil all necessary structural changes in order to achieve convergence with the EU's other developed members in all sectors, the Premier stated, closing with the pledge that we will continue to work for Greece's future, as well as for the EU's. The past twenty years have shown that we share a common fate.

A.F.

[02] "HISTORY OF GREEK JEWS" GREEK EDITION IS NOW OUT

The Foreign Ministry has issued a Greek-language compilation of documents from its archives concerning the history of Greece's Jewish community, which was presented in Thessaloniki this weekend.

The book, entitled "The Greek Jews: Facts of Their History Through Diplomatic and Historic Documents of the Foreign Ministry," contains 164 personal and official letters, which were published in an earlier English-language edition entitled Documents on the History of the Greek Jews.

The book is the result of cooperation between the director of services of the Historical Archive of the Foreign Ministry, Fotini Constantopoulou, Athens University Professor Thanos Veremis and the Kastaniotis publishing house.

The two books are an effort by the Greek State to provide researchers, historians and the general public with an official source of documentation on the historic role of Jews in Greece.

It took an eight-month systematic research project looking into a vast number of files covering the period 190-1950, which was later narrowed down to a unit of seven files and 50 subfiles containing a total of 1,500 documents, a tenth of which are included in the book along with some rare photographs.

The compilation of all these documents is the result of the first serious effort to retrieve and collect official information on the historical presence of Jews in Greece.

An estimated 60,000 Greek Jews were killed during WWII, 50,000 of whom were living in Thessaloniki. Those who did survive the Holocaust found themselves lacking any official documents of their existence.

A.F.

[03] PRODI: MILOSEVIC SHOULD BE TRIED IN THE HAGUE

European Commission President Romano Prodi, in Thessaloniki to attend commemorative events on the 20th anniversary of Greece's accession to the European Union, stated yesterday that he wanted former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic to be tried at the U.N war crimes tribunal, albeit adding that it is Belgrade which must take that decision.

We wish that Mr. Milosevic could be judged by the international tribunal (in the Hague),' Mr. Prodi told reporters, adding that to give authority to the Hague tribunal was always the position of the European Union. But we have to do it by giving confidence to the Serbian democracy,'' he said. ``I think they must take this decision.''

A.F.

[04] COMMISSION PRESIDENT VOWS TO SUPPORT SE EUROPE

European Commission President Romano Prodi, in Thessaloniki to attend commemorative events on the 20th anniversary of Greece's accession to the European Union, vowed that the Commission will increase its economic and political commitment to the region of SE Europe.

Warning that the European Union should not be viewed as a Red Cross, Mr. Prodi stressed the Commission's intent was increasingly greater participation in Balkan activities, although he declined to give a figure on the economic aid slated for the countries of the region.

The Commission's commitment will increase on the basis of a very clear-cut political message, he stated, adding that we must embrace the region, the states which I hope will soon become members of the European Union, on the condition of their prior democratization and economic growth.

During his visit to the facilities of the European Organization for the Reconstruction of Southeastern Europe, and the Stability Pact, Mr. Prodi stated that the organization's work so far was "speedy and efficient".

During his visit to the European Center for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP), the Commission President underlined the target set out at the EU summit in Lisbon to turn Europe into a knowledge-based competitive economy by 2010. 

Moreover, Mr. Prodi said that Europe is going through a difficult period, marked by a distorted distribution of income and expressed his confidence that CEDEFOP serves as a fundamental tool in the Commission's efforts for a fairer and more just Europe where the distribution of the citizens' per capital income will be more equal.

Agencies such as CEDEFOP can produce better trained manpower so that we can tackle the distorted distribution of the per capita income in the EU," Prodi said, noting that by the year 2003 the EU would have a deficit of 1.5 million jobs in the sector of new technology.

Addressing the 8th conference of the Permanent Conference on Audio-Visual Means in the Mediterranean (COPEAM) in Thessaloniki last night, Mr. Prodi stated that the Mediterranean is the center of the world.

Stressing that the Mediterranean had regained the place it had in the past, Mr. Prodi also warned that if some form of stability and cooperation were not established, it will risk losing its importance.

Moreover, the Commission President underlined the necessity of applying "strong policies" at a regional level and of boosting cross-regional cooperation.

According to Mr. Prodi, the goal is the development of economic activity among the countries of the southern Mediterranean, which, despite the fact that they are neighbors, do not have commercial relations among themselves.

Mr. Prodi was proclaimed an honorary citizen of Thessaloniki, during an extraordinary municipal council meeting where the Mayor of Thessaloniki Vassilis Papageorgopoulos awarded him the city's Gold Medal of Honor.

This was the first time the municipal council will be proclaiming a European Commission president an honorary citizen. 

A.F.

[05] OA APOLOGIZES TO PASSENGERS FOR CANCELLATIONS

National air carrier Olympic Airways has apologized for the inconvenience caused to its passengers for the cancellation of several flights, resulting from technical problems at Athens' new Eleftherios Venizelos international airport.

According to Olympic Airways, the flight cancellations were due to purely operational reasons related to adaptation to the new systems at Eleftherios Venizelos, which was inaugurated Tuesday and began normal operations on Thursday.

OA officials said the problems in the electronic seat reservation systems were being restored after the state telecom OTE provided additional lines, and the problems in the intercom system were also being restored after OA acquired new machinery compatible with the airport's systems.

A.F.

[06] GREEK DM MEETS WITH ALBANIAN COUNTERPART

Greek Defense Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos and his Albanian counterpart Ismael Lleshi met in Kastoria yesterday, where they discussed the security situation in the region, with the main focus on the crisis in FYROM.

The talks took place in advance of an April 5 meeting of the defense ministers of the countries taking part in the SE Europe multinational brigade in the FYROM capital of Skopje.

Mr. Tsohatzopoulos denounced the use of violence as a means for advancing human rights, and supported the course of political dialogue for a resolution to the FYROM crisis.

In turn, Mr. Lleshi backed his Greek counterpart's positions, adding that Albania is interested in FYROM's territorial integrity and deplores all forms of violence as a means for the pursuit of civil rights.

Messrs. Tsochatzopoulos and Lleshi also discussed expansion of the defense cooperation between their countries, while the Greek DM reiterated Greece's support of Albania's prospective accession to NATO.

A.F.

[07] GREECE TAKES PART IN "CORNERSTONE 2001"

The engineers corps exercise code-named "Cornerstone 2001" will take place on the Milot river, in northern Albania, from April 6 to July 31 and is part of the multinational force of southeastern Europe's activities.

Greece will participate with an engineers company for peace missions, which will depart for Albania on April 2.

The purpose of the exercise is to develop cooperation between the engineers corps of participating countries, as well as the building of a road two kilometers long.

A.F.

[08] WORLD LEADERS AT "ECONOMIST" EVENT IN ATHENS

An international conference to be held by the magazine The Economist in Athens on April 3-4, will be attended by Prime Minister Costas Simitis and other leaders, among them the former president of the United States George Bush.

The international event will focus on the theme Leadership Strategy at the Dawn of the 21st Century.

Other leaders expected to attend are former president of the former Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev, Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, former Israeli prime minister Shimon Peres, former Russian prime minister Yevgeny Primakov, Yugoslav President Vojslav Kostunica and FYROM Premier Ljubco Georgievski, Albanian Premier Ilir Meta, Secretary General of the Council of the European Union and High Representative for Common Foreign Policy and Security Policy (CFCP), Brussels, Javier Solana, and others.

Among the participants representing Greece will be Foreign Minister George Papandreou, National Defense Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos, National Economy Minister Yiannos Papantoniou, leader of the main opposition party of New Democracy Costas Karamanlis and the party's honorary president Constantine Mitsotakis and Bank of Greece Governor Loukas Papademos.

A.F.

[09] GREEK, YUGOSLAV PMs TO ADDRESS BALKAN FORUM

Prime Minister Costas Simitis and his Yugoslav counterpart Zoran Zizic are to be among the speakers at a Balkan forum to be held in Thessaloniki on April 2-3, organized by the Association of Industries of Northern Greece and the Hellenic American Chamber of Commerce.

The foreign ministers of three Balkan countries will also speak at the meeting, namely Albanian's Paskal Milo, FYROM's Srgjan Kerim and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia's Goran Svilanovic, who will discuss the topic Southeastern Europe: Political Stability as a Prerequisite for European Cohesion.

National Economy Minister Yiannos Papantoniou will also be joined by four of his counterparts, namely from F.R.Y., Cyprus, Albania and FYROM, who will review the latest developments in their countries' economies, under the scope of Greece's Balkan Reconstruction Plan.

Other speakers include Bodo Hombach, the Balkan stability pact coordinator, and senior U.S. State Department official James Swiggart, director of the Office of South Central European Affairs.

According to the organizers, the event aims at serving as the platform for peace in the Balkans and an exchange of ideas on social and economic development in the region.

A.F.

[10] MILOSEVIC GIVES HIMSELF UP, TAKEN TO PRISON

Former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic was been arrested and taken to prison early this morning, ending a nearly 36-hour stand-off, Serbia's Ministry of the Interior announced.

According to a senior official from the ex-leader's Socialist Party, Vladimir Ivkovic, Milosevic had decided to give himself up of his own free will.

According to the ministry, the five single shots and a burst of automatic fire which were heard at the Milosevic home had been fired by his daughter Maria.

Mr Milosevic had vowed earlier that he would not go to jail alive.

The ex-leader is wanted by the United Nations war crimes tribunal in The Hague for crimes allegedly committed in Kosovo, but the Belgrade authorities are committed to trying the former president for "criminal deeds committed here in Serbia" rather than handing him over.

According to Serb Justice Minister Vladan Batic, Mr. Milosevic had not yet been formally charged, but would face questioning by an investigating judge on charges of abuse of power and financial corruption.

Under Yugoslav law, a judge must decide within 72 hours whether Mr. Milosevic will remain in custody. Initially, suspects can be detained for one month, which can later be extended to six months.

The arrest coincides with the expiration of a US deadline for the Yugoslav Government to detain the former president or risk losing substantial American economic aid and loans from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

While the White House has said nothing publicly about the situation, US officials had indicated that the arrest would be regarded as an important first step but Washington still wants to see him brought before the war crimes tribunal in The Hague.

A decision on whether to release some $50 million of aid is expected tomorrow; but despite the fact that President Kostunica shows no signs of preparing to extradite Mr Milosevic, US officials say the Bush administration is expected to recommend that the funds be released.

The UK has welcomed the arrest in the name of people seeking peace and justice in the Balkans.

"It is another important step towards bringing Milosevic and his cronies to book for their crimes against humanity," British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook said.

"This is very welcome news to all those who have struggled so long to bring peace and justice to the Balkans," he said in a statement, adding that it is another important step towards bringing Milosevic and his cronies to book for their crimes against humanity."

A spokeswoman for French President Jacques Chirac said that the president of the republic is overjoyed by the arrest of Slobodan Milosevic that took place early this morning in Belgrade, and is also overjoyed that the Yugoslav authorities have confirmed their faith in the path of democracy and law.

A.F.

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