Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 02-04-23

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

CONTENTS

[01] ONE IN EIGHT GREEKS WOULD VOTE FOR A ''LE PEN''

[02] DIAMANTOPOYLOY:A THREAT FOR EUROPE'S SOCIAL MODEL

[03] PRIME MINISTER IN BELGRADE IN MAY

[04] PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES AGAINST A RARE INFECTIOUS DISEASE

[05] PROTOPAPAS: THE TIMETABLE FOR CYPRUS WILL BE OBSERVED

[06] MORE LOSSES IN THE ASE

[07] PAPANDREOU AND CEM WILL VISIT THE MIDDLE EAST TOMORROW

[08] THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT APPROVED MR. PAPADIMOS' CANDIDATURE

[09] THE 14 SPY SUSPECTS ON TRIAL IN KALAMATA

[10] PAPANDREOU AND CEM WILL VISIT ISRAEL TOMORROW

[11] COALITION WOMEN FOR PALESTINIAN PEOPLE

[12] IRAKLIS WINS FIRST VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

[13] ARMENIANS MARCH TO TURKISH CONSULATE

[14] ΠΟΛΙΤΙΚΟ ΣΥΜΒΟΥΛΟ ΠΡΟΣΕΛΑΒΑΝ ΟΙ ΤΟΥΡΚΙΚΕΣ ΕΝΟΠΛΕΣ ΔΥΝΑΜΕΙΣ

[15] SIMON PERES PRAISED THE PAPANDREOU-CEM INITIATIVE

[16] PATRIARCH OF JERUSALEM HELD "HOSTAGE"

[01] ONE IN EIGHT GREEKS WOULD VOTE FOR A ''LE PEN''

The great majority of Greek public opinion, 76.6% of those asked in a Kapa Research survey published in "Vima" newspaper today, appreciates that electoral results in Europe affect the local political atmosphere, while 11.9% of Greek voters stated that if there was a party such as Lepen's in Greece, they would vote for it.

The rise of the far right in France was accepted with satisfaction by 12.8% of those asked, according to the telephone survey that was carried out the day following the elections. However, the vast majority of public opinion expressed it s grief, worry and discontent with the significant rise of Lepen's party, mainly attributing the fact to the ineffective governing of the Socialists.

Minister of Development Akis Tsohatzopoulos characterized the result of the first round as not something unexpected, and attributed it to the multifractured center-left.

Mr. Tsohatzopoulos pointed out that he was doubly saddened, because Lionel Jospin, who had been Prime Minister for the past few years and had done great things for his people and country, lost, and because the review of such important work is not enough to win someone the elections.

"It is the weakness of submitting a proposal, which would unify the overfractured center-left that was presented at the French elections", he stressed.

As far as the extreme right and Chirac's percentages are concerned, Mr Tsohatzopoulos' opinion is that they were not interpreted correctly. "We did not have an increase in the percentage of either party. What we do have however, is the consolidation of a core of far right and right voters around their leadership, which are dynamically contending the application of harsh social policies which at present count directly and decisively for the protection of citizens from foreigners, racist measures with a nationalistic character. That is dangerous", he noted.

"If this atmosphere broadens then we should worry. And that is why the greatest possible broadening of democracy is necessary, the strengthening of freedom and pluralistic speech, which, however, consolidates around one pole which would lead developments in a progressive direction in every country. This multifracturing does not let citizens feel certain that there is someone who can lead things out of this crisis".

In reference to the electoral results of the French Presidential elections' first round, President of the Coalition of the Left Nikos Konstantopoulos mentioned a lasting phenomenon, noting that the large percentage so abstention, the defeat of Jospin, the skyrocketing of Lepen and the crumbling of the powers of the Left, the movements and the ecology, are the multiple views of the French version of a central European political problem.

He was critical of socialdemocrats and center-left European governments stressing that they couldn't resist the appeal of neoliberal globalization, they were assimilated into it and lost their reformatory breath and identity.

He also pointed out that the three points which condense the failure are the following: they failed to promote the political unification of Europe at such a degree that would make it powerful enough to stand up to the US, they identified with the US in great choices that overturned the international relations system and accepted basic ideas of neoliberalism in the name of modernization.

[02] DIAMANTOPOYLOY:A THREAT FOR EUROPE'S SOCIAL MODEL

In an interview to "Ethnos" newspaper on the results of the first round of the French Presidential elections, Greek EU Commissioner Anna Diamantopoulou warned that if this turn to the right in Europe is completed, the social model decided on in Lisbon will be endangered.

"If the political scenery changes, then the Greek Presidency will have very different challenges, even in upholding the Lisbon agenda", stressed Mrs. Diamantopoulou, while she underlined that both parties in France had definite "leaks".

At the same time she criticized the pre-electoral confrontations taking place in the US, depending on personal charm, mentioning the example of Germany, where there was conflict on whether or not the Chancellor dyes his hair.

As far as partition lines are concerned, Mrs. Diamantopoulou took a position that will be discussed: "I do not believe that our main concern is to point out partition lines. Our great wager is that the policies we suggest, the solutions we make visible for citizens will be convincing".

[03] PRIME MINISTER IN BELGRADE IN MAY

Prime Minister Kostas Simitis will make a two-day visit to Belgrade on May 9 and 10. Mr. Simitis will have contacts with the President of Yugoslavia, Voislav Kostunica and the Serbian leadership.

[04] PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES AGAINST A RARE INFECTIOUS DISEASE

Universities, schools and nursery homes will be closed in Greece until April 26 within the framework of precautionary measures announced today by the government in order to deal with the increased number of virus-caused myocarditis cases. The adoption of the measures was suggested by the Center against Special Infections and it was adopted by the Ministry of Health as already there are 32 recorded cases across Greece, 13 of which were recorded in Athens today.

The first cases were recorded in Crete on April 18. Three patients have died, 2 in the island of Crete in southern Greece and 1 in Ioannina, in the northwest part of the country.

Minister of Health Alekos Papadopoulos explained that children are not threatened more by the virus and the decision to close the schools was made because the virus is released in the air through excrements and children usually do not observe the hygiene rules strictly. Also, the virus is likely to spread through handshake.

The symptoms are acute chest-pain, high fever, fatigue and muscle pain. The responsible agencies warn that the hygiene rules must be observed strictly and crowded places must be avoided.

[05] PROTOPAPAS: THE TIMETABLE FOR CYPRUS WILL BE OBSERVED

The course followed regarding the Cyprus problem is specific and has a specific timetable which will be observed, stated Greek government spokesman Christos Protopapas responding to a relevant question. He also added that the Cypriot Republic government has the will to find a solution to the Cyprus problem within the framework of the UN decisions.

However, the Greek government spokesman pointed out that the Turkish Cypriot side should assume its responsibilities and reiterated that the solution of the Cyprus problem is not linked with Cyprus' EU accession course.

[06] MORE LOSSES IN THE ASE

More losses were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange today. The general index dropped to 0.19% at 2.200,18 points, while the volume of transactions was at 76 million Euro or 25.9 billion drachmas.

Of the stocks trading today, 178 recorded gains and 111 had losses, while the value of 88 stocks remained unchanged.

[07] PAPANDREOU AND CEM WILL VISIT THE MIDDLE EAST TOMORROW

Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Papandreou and his Turkish counterpart Ismail Cem will visit the Middle East tomorrow.

Greek government spokesman Christos Protopapas stated that it is a very important initiative as two countries that have experienced many and difficult stages of hostility try to find a common ground to deal with their differences.

Mr. Protopapas said that a joint initiative is undertaken aimed at the materialization of the UN decisions. He said that Mr. Papandreou will visit the region as the Foreign Minister of Greece but he will also express the European Union views and initiatives.

[08] THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT APPROVED MR. PAPADIMOS' CANDIDATURE

The European Parliament Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee gave the green light to the candidature of Bank of Greece Governor Mr. Loukas Papadimos for the post of the European Central Bank Vice-President.

The committee will send its recommendation to the European Parliament where a vote will take place on May 14.

In the final stage of the procedure, the Euro-Parliament's approval and the European Central Bank recommendation will be sent to the EU leaders for ratification.

[09] THE 14 SPY SUSPECTS ON TRIAL IN KALAMATA

Fourteen spy suspects, 12 British and two Dutch nationals, will be tried by a Kalamata court tomorrow. They were arrested on November 8 accused of espionage.

The 14 foreigners are accused of spying because they were arrested while taking pictures of a Greek military airfield. When questioned by the Greek authorities they maintained that plane spotting is their hobby.

[10] PAPANDREOU AND CEM WILL VISIT ISRAEL TOMORROW

Foreign Ministers of Greece and Turkey, Giorgos Papandreou and Ismail Cem, will visit Israel tomorrow within the framework of the joint initiative for the promotion of the Middle East peace process, stated Greek Foreign Ministry spokesman Panos Beglitis.

The two Foreign Ministers, said Mr. Beglitis, will meet on Thursday in Ramallah with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and afterwards they will have a meeting in Tel Aviv with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Foreign Minister Simon Peres.

[11] COALITION WOMEN FOR PALESTINIAN PEOPLE

A collection of funds for the procurement of hospital equipment for to replace that in Palestinian hospitals, that was damaged in the Israeli attacks, began women members of the Coalition of the Left in Thessaloniki, with the initiative of MP Asimina Xyrotiri. In an announcement they made, they appealed to Thessaloniki citizens to support the effort.

[12] IRAKLIS WINS FIRST VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

A glorious welcome of 2000 fans was waiting at Macedonia airport for the Iraklis' players to return with the volleyball championship title. Iraklis managed to bring back what the team's fans had been dreaming of for years, the double. The Cup and the Championship both came to the White Tower upon the return of the team. Iraklis won 3-2 sets in the 5th final, the tie breaker, against Olympiakos.

[13] ARMENIANS MARCH TO TURKISH CONSULATE

A protest march drawing on the 87th anniversary of the Armenian genocide by the Turks will take place tomorrow afternoon, after the initiative of the Armenian Youth T. Tehrilian.

The events in memory of the genocide victims, which started last Sunday, will continue tomorrow with blood donation (09:30-13:00) in the Armenian Cultural Center, a memorial service in memory of the martyrs at the Church of the Holy Mother at 12:30 and a protest march towards the Turkish Consulate and the submitting of a resolution at 13:00. The events will be completed with a concert of the Thessaloniki Symphonic Orchestra, with soloist Marina Krilovic and Cyros Patsalidis, conducted by Vyronas Fidetzi, which will take place at 9pm at the Thessaloniki Megaron Music Hall.

[14] ΠΟΛΙΤΙΚΟ ΣΥΜΒΟΥΛΟ ΠΡΟΣΕΛΑΒΑΝ ΟΙ ΤΟΥΡΚΙΚΕΣ ΕΝΟΠΛΕΣ ΔΥΝΑΜΕΙΣ

Μια νέα πρακτική υιοθέτησαν οι τουρκικές ένοπλες δυνάμεις οι οποίες, σύμφωνα με την εφημερίδα "Ραντικάλ" προσέλαβαν επίσημο πολιτικό σύμβουλο.

Πρόκειται για την Ελίφ Ουλγκέν, Τμηματάρχη του τουρκικού υπουργείου Εξωτερικών στην Κωνσταντινούπολη, η οποία εδώ και ένα διάστημα είναι και πολιτικός σύμβουλος του 3ου Σώματος Στρατού, παρίσταται στις στρατιωτικές ασκήσεις και εξασφαλίζει την επικοινωνία ανάμεσα στο Στράτευμα και το υπουργείο Εξωτερικών.

Κατά τον αρθρογράφο, ο λόγος για τον οποίο το Γενικό Επιτελείο αισθάνθηκε την ανάγκη συντονισμού των σχέσεων πολιτικών στρατιωτικών είναι ότι η Τουρκία διαδραματίζει ενεργό ρόλο στο σχέδιο αναδιάρθρωσης του ΝΑΤΟ οι αρχές του οποίου ανάγονται, γράφει, στις πολιτικές της Βορειοτλαντικής Συμμαχίας που μεταβλήθηκαν από τη σύνοδο κορυφής του 1990, με τη διάλυση της Σοβιετικής Ενωσης.

[15] SIMON PERES PRAISED THE PAPANDREOU-CEM INITIATIVE

The initiative of Foreign Ministers of Greece and Turkey, Giorgos Papandreou and Ismail Cem, to visit the Middle East in an effort to promote the procedures for the end of violence in the region, was praised by Israeli Foreign Minister Simon Peres addressing the 5th Euro-Mediterranean Conference in Valencia, Spain.

Mr. Peres characterized as very interesting the fact that two traditionally rival countries materialize an initiative of that kind, while he also said that the Papandreou-Cem cooperation is very interesting. Mr. Peres said that it is an example of mutual understanding but he did not make any predictions on the outcome of the Greek-Turkish initiative.

Mr. Papandreou and Mr. Cem will visit Israel and the Palestinian territories tomorrow. In a meeting they had yesterday, the two Foreign Ministers discussed issues concerning the preparation of their visit, while they also had separate meetings with European officials and representatives of the Palestinian Authority and Israel.

[16] PATRIARCH OF JERUSALEM HELD "HOSTAGE"

The Patriarch of Jerusalem, Irineos, is being held hostage under peculiar circumstances by the Israelis, as the Israeli government froze his recognition, despite its previous decision to promote the issue and the interest of Greece and the US. After the decision made by the Israeli Cabinet yesterday, Patriarch Irineos continues to be in an unprecedented position, a victim of the Middle Eastern conflict, a story with a lot of backstage action.

As the electronic edition of Express newspaper mentions in an interesting analysis, the decision of the Isreali government to delay the recognition of Irineos' enthronement as the Patriarch of Jerusalem, was made after the incitements of a group of ministers lead by nationalist minister without a portfolio, Yitzhak Levi, of the National Religious Party of Israel. According to Haarej newspaper, Irineos was accused of being philopalestinian.

In Athens, the news of the Israeli decision froze the previous smiles and the government spokesperson who announced it made no other comments, while other government sources mentioned that he should not have announced it. Since last week, when a special ministerial committee chaired by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had decided to recognize the enthronement, when Athens had announced its satisfaction, a lot of deliberation has taken place behind the scenes, and many press publications have changed the atmosphere in Israel.

Nationalist newspapers accuse Irineos and the Patriarchy of cooperating with Palestinian companies funding extremists. The position of the Orthodox Patriarch is considered the most powerful Christian position in the Middle East, both because of the size of his flock (a large percentage of Palestinians are Orthodox) as well as because of the size of the property, which includes vast areas and real estate in Israel, Palestine, Jordan and other neighboring countries.

According to Haarej, some members of the Israeli government support that through Irineos, Arafat could gain control of real estate in Israel.

In any case, throughout the attack of the Israelis on Palestinian territories, Irineos held a neutral position, speaking only through the Patriarchy's spokesperson, and only about the need for peace. In fact, the Patriarch's appeals often followed those of the Vatican or were made in cooperation with other religious leaders of the region.

The situation in the area, especially the 20-day siege of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, the humanitarian aid to the Palestinians and the destruction of Church properties greatly concern the Patriarchy which is in a peculiar form of being held hostage, since Irineos' recognition is being delayed. The Patriarch's neutrality has been recognized by Israel's security service, Sin Bet, which says that since his enthronement, Irineos has never acted against Israel.

On the other hand, appeals have even been made by Israeli businessmen, always according to Haarej, who are linked to the Patriarchy. Also, Greeks living in the United States are communicating with the US government and the Jewish lobby to promote the issue. Despite all efforts however, the events favor Israel's nationalists who support Sharon's coalition government.

It should be noted that Irineos' enthronement took place on September 15, in a ceremnoy that the Israei government boycotted.

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