Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 02-02-19

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] BALKAN RESTRUCTURE PLAN SUBMITTED

[02] VEDRINE AND FISCHER SIGN OLYMPIC TRUCE STATEMENT

[03] THE RESPONSE OF SOCRATES KOKKALIS

[04] THE GREEK FORCE IS DEPLOYED IN AFGHANISTAN FOR HUMANITARIAN REASONS

[05] BIG LOSSES IN THE ASE

[06] THE BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA DEFENSE MINISTERS WATCHED A TRAINING EXERCISE

[07] THE SOUTHEASTERN EUROPEAN CULTURE MINISTERS IN THESSALONIKI

[08] SOCRATES KOKKALIS FACES FOUR COUNTS OF FELONY CHARGES

[09] THE PRIME MINISTER WILL VISIT JAPAN

[10] PROTOPAPAS ON AFGHANISTAN

[11] PRIME MINISTER OF LUXEMBOURG IN ATHENS

[12] MEETING UNDER SIMITIS ON OA

[13] GREEK-BULGARIAN HEALTH COOPERATION PROGRAM

[14] THE PROBLEMS OF THE GREEK FARMERS WERE DISCUSSED IN BRUSSELS

[01] BALKAN RESTRUCTURE PLAN SUBMITTED

The Greek plan for the financial restructuring of the Balkans (ESOAB) was submitted to Parliament last night, undersigned by Minister of Economy and Finances Nikolaos Christodoulakis and Foreign Minister Giorgos Papandreou.

ESOAB foresees that from 2002-2006, among other things, Greece will allocate 500 million euro for the financing of programs in Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, and FYROM.

The plan states that the financing will be provided to the public sector of these countries and to private and public services, public welfare institutions, as well as non governmental organizations active in those countries.

[02] VEDRINE AND FISCHER SIGN OLYMPIC TRUCE STATEMENT

Greek initiative for the Olympic Truce, received the full support of the Foreign Ministers of France, Hubert Védrine, and Germany, Joschka Fischer, yesterday morning in Brussels.

In the margin of the General Affairs Council, Mr. Védrine and Mr. Fischer signed the statement supporting the Olympic Truce, in the presence of Foreign Minister Giorgos Papandreou, a statement that has already been signed by many personalities of the international political and intellectual scene.

The statement celebrates the Olympic Truce, as a means of promoting peace and reconciliation in the fields of conflict, encouraging peaceful resolving of differences and a cease-fire during the Olympic Games.

[03] THE RESPONSE OF SOCRATES KOKKALIS

Businessman Socrates Kokkalis, President of Intracom and Olympiakos football team, with a statement he has issued categorically denied any involvement in criminal acts and stresses that the espionage charge insults him deeply both as a human being and as a Greek citizen.

Mr. Kokkalis is certain that the charges against him will collapse and warns that he will turn against any individual who is responsible for the attempt to tarnish his name and honor and the damage that can be caused on the activities of his pioneer business group.

[04] THE GREEK FORCE IS DEPLOYED IN AFGHANISTAN FOR HUMANITARIAN REASONS

The presence of the Greek force in Afghanistan is of a purely humanitarian nature, stressed Greek government spokesman Christos Protopapas.

Mr. Protopapas stated that Greece has sent a corps of engineers to assist in the creation of infrastructure in the capital of Kabul, while it will also send a mobile hospital unit.

The government spokesman said that Greece shares the concerns of its European partners regarding the spread of the war in Afghanistan and added that terrorism must be combated but at the same time the unarmed civilian population must be respected and protected.

[05] BIG LOSSES IN THE ASE

Big losses were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange today. The general index dropped to -1.74% at 2.418,11 points, while the volume of transactions was at 153 million Euro.

Of the stocks trading today, 305 recorded losses and 31 had gains, while the value of 36 stocks remained unchanged.

[06] THE BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA DEFENSE MINISTERS WATCHED A TRAINING EXERCISE

Greek Undersecretary of Defense Loukas Apostolidis, Croat-Muslim Federation Minister of Defense Mijo Anic and his Bosnia-Herzegovina Serb Republic counterpart Slobodan Bilic watched a multinational military training exercise that was held in the Multinational Training Center for the Support of Peace in Nea Santa, Kilkis in northern Greece.

Mr. Apostolidis stated that Greece participates actively in the peace efforts.

The specific training center is in operation since 1998 under the auspices of NATO, the UN and the European Union. Four more such centers are in operation in Germany, Canada, Turkey and Norway.

Already, about 4.000 Greek as well as, foreign army officers from 29 countries have been trained in the past four years to participate in peacekeeping missions in different countries. In the following days, a total of 86 male and female officers from Bosnia-Herzegovina will complete their training in the Kilkis training camp to be deployed in Eritrea together with other peacekeeping forces.

[07] THE SOUTHEASTERN EUROPEAN CULTURE MINISTERS IN THESSALONIKI

The meeting of the southeastern European Culture Ministers will open in Thessaloniki on Friday organized at the initiative of Greek Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos.

The participants will visit the city of Veria for the inauguration of the new Byzantine Museum and on Saturday, they will give a joint press conference.

[08] SOCRATES KOKKALIS FACES FOUR COUNTS OF FELONY CHARGES

Businessman and Olympiakos football team president Socrates Kokkalis faces four counts of felony charges for espionage, money laundering, fraud and embezzlement. He is also accused of committing active and passive bribery.

Right-wing main opposition party of New Democracy parliament deputy Panagiotis Kammenos submitted documents to the prosecutor based on which, Mr. Kokkalis was a Stazi spy who came to Greece to take the western technology to the Eastern Block countries. The accusations concerning money laundering, fraud and embezzlement have to do with the Russian lotto case.

[09] THE PRIME MINISTER WILL VISIT JAPAN

Greek Prime Minister Kostas Simitis will visit Japan on March 2-8.

He will be accompanied by the representatives of 15 business companies from different sectors in which the Japanese market has expressed interest.

[10] PROTOPAPAS ON AFGHANISTAN

The Greek government shares the concern of its European partners regarding the spread of the war in Afghanistan, stated government spokesman Christos Protopapas, adding that Greece supports the efforts against terrorism. He also underlined that the civilian population should not become the victim of the campaign against terrorism.

Mr. Protopapas stated that Greece will send a corps of engineers and a mobile hospital unit to Afghanistan within the framework of the international peace force.

[11] PRIME MINISTER OF LUXEMBOURG IN ATHENS

The Prime Minister of Luxembourg, Jean Claude Juncker, is making an official visit to Athens today.

Mr. Juncker will meet with the President of the Republic, Mr. Kostis Stefanopoulos, and Prime Minister Kostas Simitis this afternoon, while he will make a speech at an event on: Europe Our natural space, at the old Parliament.

This evening, Mr. Simitis will hold a dinner in honor of the Luxembourg Prime Minister.

[12] MEETING UNDER SIMITIS ON OA

A crucial meeting on the future of Olympic Airways has been scheduled for today by Prime Minister Kostas Simitis, at the Maximos Mansion.

The participants of the meeting are the Ministers of Finances, Nikos Christodoulakis, and Transports, Christos Verelis, in order for the final decisions to be made.

Apart from finding the funds necessary to save the national airliner, the government is expected to find itself confronted with its employees, since there will be changes in working status.

[13] GREEK-BULGARIAN HEALTH COOPERATION PROGRAM

The program of cooperation signed in Sofia, Bulgaria today by the Greek and Bulgarian Health Ministers is characterized as a significant new step in the course of the dynamic development of the Greek-Bulgarian relations in general.

The program of cooperation text includes a wide spectrum of activities for the further strengthening of the already very close bilateral cooperation in the sector of health.

Greece and Bulgaria will exchange doctors, materialize joint programs of cross-border cooperation in the sectors of public health, undertake joint efforts against infectious diseases and cooperate in the area of transfusions and blood byproducts. The two countries will also cooperate on issues concerning the efforts to limit the problem of drug addiction and the treatment of drug addicts.

Greek Health Minister Alekos Papadopoulos characterized the exchange of views and experience as very useful for the solution of the problems faced by the two countries within the framework of the reforms in the public health systems.

Bulgarian Health Minister Bozidar Finkov expressed satisfaction for the expansion of the Greek-Bulgarian cooperation in the area of public health which is a significant element in the dynamic development of bilateral relations.

Mr. Papadopoulos has completed his two-day visit to Sofia and returns to Athens later this afternoon.

[14] THE PROBLEMS OF THE GREEK FARMERS WERE DISCUSSED IN BRUSSELS

The problems faced by the Greek farmers were discussed in Brussels today by the Greek Minister of Agriculture Giorgos Dris and European Commissioner Frantz Fischler.

In statements he made after the meeting, Mr. Dris stated that they discussed the issue of the compensation to be paid to the farmers who were mostly hit by the wave of bad weather last December and January.

They also discussed the problems that are the result of the implementation in Greece of the new decisions on cotton and clarified issues concerning the quantities that will be subsidized.

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