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

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

CONTENTS

[01] MUTUAL EFFORTS FOR RESTORATION

[02] GREECE BECOMES NATURAL GAS CENTER

[03] CANCER TREATMENT WITHOUT DRUGS AND SIDE-EFFECTS IS PROMISED BY GREEK

[04] ACHILLEAS KARAMANLIS RESIGNS

[05] INCREASE OF 13% IN THE NUMBER OF TOURISTS VISITING GREECE

[06] THE ROMANIAN PRIME MINISTER VISITED THE GREEK PAVILION IN INDAGRA 2005

[01] MUTUAL EFFORTS FOR RESTORATION

The Foreign Ministry reiterated through its spokesman Giorgos Koumoutsakos that Greece is committed to the improvement of the Greek-Albanian relations. Mr. Koumoutsakos stated that the issue created by the incident in Albania that led to the cancellation of the meeting of Hellenic Republic President Karolos Papoulias with his Albanian counterpart Alfred Moisiu is regarded by Greece as closed.

Bilateral relations cannot be dictated by extreme elements, stressed Mr. Koumoutsakos adding that the Greek side believes that this is the will of the Albanian side as well particularly at a time when the country is looking forward to intensifying its relations with the EU.

The belief that the incident will not affect the very good Greek-Albanian relations was expressed one more time by Albanian Foreign Minister Besnik Mustafaj.

[02] GREECE BECOMES NATURAL GAS CENTER

The agreement between the governments of Greece and Italy for the construction of the Greek-Italian natural gas pipeline linking the natural gas networks of the two countries is being signed in Lecce, Italy today.

On behalf of Greece, the agreement will be signed by Minister of Development Dimitris Sioufas.

The materialization of the project turns Greece into a center through which huge quantities of natural gas from the region of the Caspian Sea and Central Asia will reach the energy-devouring western European markets.

The biggest newspaper of the Italian industrialists IL SOLE 24 ORE comments that there is a change of scenario and prospect regarding energy and it seems as if the map is turned up side down with the North at the bottom and the South at the top.

[03] CANCER TREATMENT WITHOUT DRUGS AND SIDE-EFFECTS IS PROMISED BY GREEK AMERICAN SCIENTIST

Hope to millions of cancer patients around the world is being offered by a new diagnostic method and effective cancer treatment without drugs or side-effects and with 90% success expected to be used in the United States in at least two years.

The method based on which cancer cells are being destroyed by nanoparticles was developed by Greek American professor Anastasios Tousimis president of the medical research company Tousimis Research Corporation and US National Cancer Institute adviser and is the result of a long research. Mr. Tousimis' method presented today in the 3rd International Conference on Nuclear Medicine held in Thessaloniki will be submitted to the US Patent Office tomorrow.

Mr. Tousimis stated to ANA-MPA that his method is based on the use of nanoparticles that include micro-metallic substances and antibodies in injectable form. The nanoparticles function as a biological magnet and attach to the cancer cells making them easy to trace because they start to glow. After that they can be destroyed with infrared radiation. The nanoparticles were named Edessa particles after the city of Edessa in Greece, Mr. Tousimis' city of origin.

Mr. Tousimis pointed out that the patient does not have to be given an anesthetic and the Edessa particles method traces any type of cancer at any stage, has no side-effects, the patient does not have to be on medication treatment afterwards and cost is low.

The Greek American professor stated that his method focuses on the destruction of the cell membrane of the cancer cells while the methods used by other scientists for the treatment of cancer aim at the destruction of DNA.

[04] ACHILLEAS KARAMANLIS RESIGNS

Ruling New Democracy party deputy elected in Serres, north Greece and former government minister Achilleas Karamanlis left his seat in Parliament submitting his resignation in writing to the Parliament's presiding board.

Mr. Karamanlis appears displeased because he maintains that he had no support from his party when he claimed the Parliament seat in court and as a result he was the victim of slander by the opposition, according to his resignation letter.

Mr. Karamanlis, brother of the late Hellenic Republic President Konstantinos Karamanlis and the prime minister's uncle, was born in 1923 and is elected deputy in Serres since 1963.

[05] INCREASE OF 13% IN THE NUMBER OF TOURISTS VISITING GREECE

The number of tourists who visited Greece in 2005 increased 13% compared to 2004 according to figures provided by the Bank of Greece while at the same time a 3.9% increase of tourist revenues is being recorded, stated Minister of Tourist Development Dimitris Avramopoulos in the inauguration of the 21st Philoxenia Exhibition in Thessaloniki yesterday.

We have exceeded all expectations even the most positive ones like the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) prediction for an 11.6% increase in the number of tourists visiting Greece, pointed out the Minister, adding that we do not exult over these results and efforts will continue.

Mr. Avramopoulos stressed that the next steps will be hard and deep institutional reforms are necessary as well as quality changes on the basis of a new strategy to be implemented over the next 10 years.

Referring to the moves made to further strengthen tourism in Greece he stressed that the ministry and the Greek National Tourism Organization, GNTO, in cooperation with the newspapers Herald Tribune and New York Times will organize a number of fora for tourist investments in Greece held in major world capitals on the occasion of international tourist exhibitions. (London, November 15 - New Delhi, December 5 - Dubai, December 7 - New York, February 25, 2006 - Berlin, March 9, 2006 - Paris, March 16, 2006 - Moscow, March 23, 2006 - Beijing, April 21, 2006 - Cairo, September 5-7, 2006).

He added that special incentives are being given for the promotion of alternative tourism and pointed out that the Ministry of Tourism has prepared the 2006 tourist campaign and already Greek tourism is being promoted in major capitals all over the world through its new image.

[06] THE ROMANIAN PRIME MINISTER VISITED THE GREEK PAVILION IN INDAGRA 2005

Romanian Prime Minister Calin-Popescu Tariceanu underlined the upward course followed during the past few years by the Greek-Romanian trade transactions during his visit to the Greek pavilion in the Indagra 2005 international food and drink exhibition held in Bucharest.

In an event held by the Thessaloniki International Trade Fair, ITF, on the first day of the exhibition in honor of the Greek exhibitors-businessmen and the Romanian authorities, the Romanian Prime Minister had the opportunity to exchange views with the members of the Greek delegation. On the sidelines of the event, he revealed his Greek roots from his mother's side, pointing out that this is one more fact that makes him feel closer to Greece.

Greece participates in Indagra with 21 firms under the organizational responsibility of ITF. Indagra is one of the most popular exhibitions in the industry of food, agriculture and stockbreeding and will be open until November 6.

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