Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 04-05-11

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

CONTENTS

[01] INVESTIGATION ON CHILDREN'S ORGANS TRADE

[02] KARAMANLIS-VOULGARAKIS MEETING

[03] SPILIOTOPOULOS: WE SHOULD BE WORTHY OF THE TRUST OF THE GREEK PEOPLE

[04] GAINS IN THE ASE

[05] ANTONIS SAMARAS A LIKELY CANDIDATE IN THE EURO-PARLIAMENT

[06] KARAMANLIS-CHRISTOFIAS MEETING

[01] INVESTIGATION ON CHILDREN'S ORGANS TRADE

A network trading organs coming from Albanian children has been unveiled based on a report by the Greek embassy in Tirana published today by the Athens newspaper TA NEA.

According to the report, the organs came from children, who were murdered in Albania, and were brought to Greece and Italy.

According to the newspaper report, the illegal network began its activities in 1994 and selected children with special needs mainly from Albania. Their organs were removed with the permission of their families or the directors of orphanages and institutions where they were hospitalized.

The transplant operations took place at hospitals in Italy and the mastermind of the network is allegedly an Italian professor. Regarding Greece, investigations focus on a gynecologist who works in a clinic at a city in central Macedonia, northern Greece.

Four Albanian doctors are also involved in the network as well as other five Albanians who acted as mediators.

[02] KARAMANLIS-VOULGARAKIS MEETING

Minister of Public Order Giorgos Voulgarakis briefed Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis on the talks he had during his visit to the United States.

Mr. Voulgarakis stated that the United States acknowledge that Greece made all necessary steps to host safe Olympic Games and preparations proceed in a very satisfactory manner.

Responding to the question if the US suffers from tromophobia, Mr. Voulgarakis underlined that the American public opinion is very sensitized, adding that each country has its own experiences and operates based on its own reality while it has its own plans.

Mr. Voulgarakis stated that Greece is concerned with the safety of the Olympic Games and many talks were held on this issue, stressing that all necessary steps have been made to ensure safety.

Responding to a question concerning the explosions outside the police station in Kalithea, Athens he said that it was an event that obviously brought difficulties to the talks.

[03] SPILIOTOPOULOS: WE SHOULD BE WORTHY OF THE TRUST OF THE GREEK PEOPLE

The political and military leadership should be proven worthy of the trust displayed by the Greek people to the armed forces institution and defend the interests of the country's defense and security, stressed Minister of Defense Spilios Spiliotopoulos in the ceremony for the change of the Hellenic Army General Staff leadership.

Mr. Spiliotopoulos wished success to new Hellenic Army General Staff Chief Nikolaos Douvas, while he thanked honorary Chief of the Hellenic Army General Staff Panagiotis Harvalas for his valuable contribution to the armed forces for a total of 39 years.

[04] GAINS IN THE ASE

Gains were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange today. The general index rose to +1.19% at 2450.81 points, while the volume of transactions was at 154.6 million euros.

Of the stocks trading today, 215 had gains and 80 had losses, while the value of 88 stocks remained unchanged.

[05] ANTONIS SAMARAS A LIKELY CANDIDATE IN THE EURO-PARLIAMENT

Antonis Samaras is a likely Euro-Parliament candidate with the governing party of New Democracy after the statement made by Athens mayor Dora Bakoyiannis that her stance on the issue of the return of Antonis Samaras to New Democracy has not changed. However, she said, after so many years the party has the right to make a choice because Antonis Samaras has supported New Democracy in certain battles it has given.

A meeting of Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis with Mr. Samaras to discuss the issue is not ruled out in the following days.

[06] KARAMANLIS-CHRISTOFIAS MEETING

The priorities of the Cypriot side are to deal with the pressures exerted on Cyprus by the United States and the European Union and further explain the no of the Greek Cypriots in the referendum on the Annan Plan, according to Cypriot Parliament President Dimitris Christofias in statements he made after his meeting in Athens with Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis.

Mr. Christofias stressed that the no does not mean rejection of a solution in Cyprus and reiterated the goal for a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation based on the Annan Plan. He said characteristically that it is our house that was burnt down and we must rebuilt it and speculated that the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots could agree on some changes on certain issues on the Annan Plan.

On the handling of the Cyprus issue, he said that the moves made by former Cyprus President Glafkos Clerides were not the best in order to have a better plan on the table.

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