Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 05-05-17

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

CONTENTS

[01] TENSION IN THE THRONE CHAMBER

[02] THE PAN-MACEDONIAN ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA WITH UN ENVOY NIMETZ

[03] CHARLES RIES: GREECE CAN PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE BALKANS

[04] THREE GREEK LANGUAGE SCHOOLS WILL CLOSE IN BAVARIA

[05] RESTRICTIONS ON CHINESE IMPORTS

[06] SYNOD OF THE HEADS OF ALL ORTHODOX CHURCHES ON MONDAY

[01] TENSION IN THE THRONE CHAMBER

Patriarch Irenaeus of Jerusalem has allegedly asked for the assistance of the Israeli police to be able to enter the throne chamber.

The representatives of the hierarchs who overthrew Mr. Irenaeus are also in negotiations with police, while in Istanbul the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate is in session to study the report prepared by the three-member committee that visited Jerusalem. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is expected to ask for the removal of Irenaeus from the Orthodox churches' diptychs as well as the election of a vicar in Jerusalem.

Yesterday, Mr. Bartholomew and Patriarch Theodoros of Alexandria met in the Fener with the representative of Mr. Irenaeus, Metropolitan Bishop Kyriakos of Nazareth, and asked for the resignation of Mr. Irenaeus.

Archimandrite Irenaeus, who was also a representative of Patriarch Irenaeus, was not allowed to attend the meeting during which Mr. Kyriakos maintained that Patriarch Irenaeus should be given one more chance.

[02] THE PAN-MACEDONIAN ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA WITH UN ENVOY NIMETZ

The leadership of the Pan-Macedonian Association of America met with UN mediator on the issue of FYROM, Mathew Nimetz, and discussed the latest developments after the recent proposal for the settlement on the name issue.

The leadership of the Pan-Macedonian Association of America pointed out to Mr. Nimetz that a final solution to the name issue must be based on fairness, historical truth and international law to cement peace in the Balkans. In any other case, the solution will not be a lasting one and instead of contributing to peace it will contribute to the destabilization of the wider region.

[03] CHARLES RIES: GREECE CAN PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE BALKANS

Greece can play a very important role in the Balkans and this is to a great degree part of our strategic cooperation. Significant progress has already been made in the past 6 months in the Greek-US relations. Cooperation exists on a wider spectrum of issues compared to the past and according to the US Secretary of State, Washington does not have a better friend than Greece in the Balkans, stated US ambassador to Athens Charles Ries in an interview with the Athens daily Eleftheros Typos.

Mr. Ries also referred to the likelihood of Kosovo's independence underlining the role of Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis in the effort for the solution of the problem. He said that the Prime Minister has already made a very important trip to the Balkans during which he urged the involved countries to cooperate with The Hague Court and seek a solution to the Kosovo problem, especially the Serb side. His efforts were well received, said Mr. Ries, adding that independence is a likelihood but nothing has been agreed.

On the issue of the FYROM name, the US ambassador maintained that a solution to the problem is feasible and stressed that in a different case FYROM's course to becoming part of the Euro-Atlantic structures will be hard.

Mr. Ries clarified that for Washington the solution of the Cyprus issue depends on the stance of the Cypriot President while he called on Athens and Ankara to settle their differences in the Aegean and announced US investments in Greece if the structural changes in the economy continue.

[04] THREE GREEK LANGUAGE SCHOOLS WILL CLOSE IN BAVARIA

The immediate activation of the Ministry of Education to prevent the three bilingual day-schools in Bavaria, Germany from closing will request the members of the Greek Parliament's Special Permanent Committee for the Greeks Abroad.

According to main opposition Socialist Party of PASOK Parliament deputy Grigoris Niotis, the three bilingual schools in the regions of Augsburg, Furth and Schweinfurt in Bavaria, with an estimated 350 Greek students, are at risk of closing after the Bavarian authorities decision not to renew the work contracts of the teachers and professors working in the schools in question.

Mr. Niotis stated that the goal of the Bavarian government is to close the schools in which the Greek and the German language are equally taught because it has rejected the proposal made by the Greek Ministry of Education to fully cover their operational costs and staff them with teachers and professors from Greece.

All Parliament deputies agreed that the teaching of the Greek language in the afternoons is not a solution and decided to propose the founding of new bilingual schools to cover the needs of the Greeks who want their children to learn the Greek language.

[05] RESTRICTIONS ON CHINESE IMPORTS

The European Commission imposed quantitative restrictions on imports of textile fibers and T-shirts from China.

According to the responsible European Commissioner, the European Commission bodies study the likelihood to curb the import of other 7 products from China in the following months.

Based on the decision reached, the 2005 imports of the specific products will not exceed the 2004 quantities.

The Greek textile industry was among the EU textile industries greatly affected by the huge imports of Chinese products.

[06] SYNOD OF THE HEADS OF ALL ORTHODOX CHURCHES ON MONDAY

The Ecumenical Patriarchate Holy Synod decided to call a grant synod of the heads of all Christian Orthodox Churches on Monday, May 23 to solve the crisis in the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, while at the same time, Patriarch Irenaeus of Jerusalem has requested the assistance of the Israeli police to enter the throne chamber in the Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

According to unconfirmed information, Mr. Irenaeus has called a meeting of the Patriarchate's synod with the participation of the hierarchs who are still backing him.

Yesterday, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Patriarch Theodoros of Alexandria met in the Ecumenical Patriarchate with the representative of Mr. Irenaeus, Metropolitan Bishop Kyriakos of Nazareth, and asked for the resignation of Mr. Irenaeus.

Archimandrite Irenaeus, who was also a representative of Patriarch Irenaeus, was not allowed to attend the meeting during which Mr. Kyriakos maintained that Patriarch Irenaeus should be given one more chance.

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