The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English, 08-08-10

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From: The Hellenic Radio (ERA) <www.ert.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] EU Foreign Ministers Meet on Wednesday

10 ��� 2008 17:30:00 (Last updated: 10 ��� 2008 19:16:34)

By Betty Savourdou

Sources: ���, ��� 105.8, Reuters, ANA-MPA

Georgia said it was ready "to immediately start negotiations" on a ceasefire and an end to hostilities. With a document delivered to the Russian embassy in Tbilisi, Georgia confirmed the ceasefire, announced its intentions to have military actions halted as of 10 August and referred that its troops had withdrawn from the war zone. Earlier, Russia had claimed it took the capital of the breakaway province of South Ossetia under its control and that it would beef up its troops in the wider region. Russian fighter jets bombarded Sunday morning Tbilisis military airport and raided Abkhazia, another breakaway province. At the same time, Russian warships were deployed off the Georgian Black Seas coast to impose a blockade. In the meantime, the human suffering is assuming tragic dimensions, since at least 2,000 people are believed to have been killed, hundreds have been wounded and 30,000 have been reported as refugees. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development said it has been vying to have refugees removed from the region.

Accusing One Another

While Russia and Georgia have been accusing one another of ethnic cleansing in Caucasus, the head of Georgias National Security Council confirmed that Tbilisi withdrew its troops from the Ossetian capital and blasted the Russian warships for blocking Georgias largest port, thus obstructing the food and fuel supply.

The Russian Deputy Foreing Minister denied accusations, adding that Moscow still has the right to conduct checks on ships entering or leaving Georgias Black Sea port.

International Calls for a Ceasefire

The international community keeps calling for a ceasefire. The EU has urged Russia to accept Georgias proposal on the termination of hostilities, while the French Foreign Minister will initiate talks in Tbilisi and Moscow as of Sunday. It was announced that the EU Foreign Minister will hold an emergency sitting in Brussels on Wednesday to discuss the crisis in South Ossetia.

Washington termed Russias moves as disproportionate and dangerous, holding Georgian accountable, as well. Pope Benedict also called for a peaceful solution to the impasse.

In the meantime, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said that access to humanitarian aid and that movement of thousands of refugees should be safeguarded. It also dispatched a panel of experts to the Georgian city of Gori, which was heavily shelled by the Russian troops, to record the needs.

On her part, German Chancellor Angela Merkel requested an immediate and unconditional ceasefire and respect of Georgias territorial integrity.

Polands Foreign Minister Rados&#322;aw Sikorski proposed an EU peacemaking force be deployed in the area.

In Athens, the Greek Crisis Management Centre examined Sunday morning the situation in South Ossetia, and Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis briefed President of the Republic Karolos Papoulias and Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis. Deputy Foreign Minister Theodoros Kassimis, who chaired the meeting of the Crisis Management Centre, assured that the expatriate Greeks living in the area are not threatened and that Greece is ready to dispatch humanitarian aid if asked.

Translated by Areti Christou

Read the story on other sources:

BBC: Georgia 'pulls out of S Ossetia'

BBC: Georgia 'calls Ossetia ceasefire'

Related News:

Towards Defuse of Violence

[02] Incidents against XYTA in Corfu

Young residents of the island of Corfu, who react against to the creation of landfill, clashed with police forces in the town of Lefkimi, on Saturday evening while the set fire to police car. They next walked to the police station and threw stones and home made bombs. At the early morning hours police arrested 2 people- the priest of Kabos region and a university student- who will be brought before the public prosecutor. An investigation, on whether other people are involved in the incidents, is being carried out.

Translated by Chrisanthi Sarantis

[03] Bad Opener in Basketball

By Ampelakis Spyros

Greek men basketball team did not manage to break negative tradition in games with Spain (7th consecutive defeat in official tournaments and 27 in total ) in the Beijing Olympics. Despite determination and endurance of Greek players the World Champion Spain won 81-66 over Greece in their Beijing Olympics Group B opener Sunday.

The scoring gap belied what was a fast-paced and closely matched-game, with the result largely determined by free throws: Greece shot just 11 of 24, while Spain missed onlythree points out of 25. Literally, Greece lost the game to Spain in the third quarter when the Spanish players took full advantage of the Greek players "black out" in both defense and offense scoring 15-2 holding the lead with +19 points (50-31).

Jose Manual Calderon shot 63% from the field to add 13 points, Rudy Fernandez scored 16 points and Pau Gasol added 11, putting an end to dreams for reversal of score. Vasileios Spanoulis led Greece with 15 points, while guard Dimitrios Diamantidis added 14 but they were alone in the offence.

Quarters: 20-16, 35-29, 62-46, 81-66.

Translated by Chrisanthi Sarantis

[04] Milososki's Interview

Sources: ��� 105.8

FYROM Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki sounded rather provocative in his interview with Greek Sunday paper Kyriakatiki Eleftherotypia, just a few days prior to a new round of talks on the FYROM name dispute in New York on 15 August. Touching on the letter Gruevski sent to Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis, he claimed that recognizing a small ethnic group would not pose any threat to Greece, while on the occasion of the name issue, he noted that the relations with Greece would remain stable.

Milososki said: "We had sooner openly discuss the minority matter, even if we do not agree on everything or even if we fail to reach an agreement. We are convinced that Greece will not be threatened if it recognizes to a small ethnic group of its loyal subjects its tight to freedom of expression and protection of its language, national and cultural identity. Thats why Prime Minister Gruevski sent a letter first to his counterpart Kostas Karamanlis on these matters, which we regard them to be of bilateral nature. Although his answer was rather one-sided, we are satisfied by the fact that he did it and that it was the first time a Greek Prime Minister accepted a dialogue on that matter. In any case, we do not expect that this bilateral affair will upset the UN-sponsored talks."

"The quest for a solution to Greeces objection to the constitutional name of the Republic of Macedonia will not be blocked if the international community gets better information regarding the two countries. Thus, I believe that the letters Prime Minister Gruevski sent to the international bodies will contribute to shaping a more complete picture on the Greek-Macedonian relations," continued Milososki.

The FYROM Foreign Minister also stressed, "The relations between Greece and Macedonia will remain stable. Never have there been military conflicts between us and there will never be in the future. We are civilized neighbours. The relations between our countries will be characterized by excellent trade cooperation, despite the much-discussed about name issue, which is viewed as a little bit peculiar abroad."

Translated by Areti Christou

[05] Hania Deadly Road Accident

Three people were killed and another injured in a road accident 07:30 this morning, on 14 km at Hania-Kisamos national road. According to traffic police, there was a three car collision. The 19 year old driver and 26 y/o passenger of one of the cars were killed on the spot of the scene as well as the 23 y/o driver of the second car. The 33 y/o passenger of the second car, who was seriously injured, was transferred to Hania hospital where his spleen was removed. The driver of the third car involved in the collision was not injured. Hania traffic police are conducting investigation on the cause of the accident.

Translated by Chrisanthi Sarantis

[06] Bietnam: 86 People Killed in Floods

The death toll from floods and landslides in northern Vietnam during this weekend heavy rains rose to 86 while 38 people are still missing, officials said Sunday. Rain triggered by tropical storm Kammuri, which slashed through Vietnam Friday, caused floods and landslides in the mountainous northern provinces. Lao Cai province suffered the most casualties, with 32 people confirmed dead and 31 missing, said Thao A Tua, head of the provinces flood and storm department. "The rains have begun to subside and we are now focusing on searching for the missing and helping those whose houses were washed away," Tua said. "Military and police forces have also been mobilized for rescue work."

Translated by Chrisanthi Sarantis

[07] China:8 People Killed in Bomb Attack

Eight people were killed and 4 people were injured in a series of bomb explosions in Chinas far west region of Xinjiang, in what looks increasingly like a concerted bombing campaign by Muslim separatists to coincide with the Beijing Olympics. Witnesses described how attackers threw home made bombs at a police station and office buildings, injuring police and security guards and destroying two police cars. Five of the attackers were reported to have been killed at the scene. Although police have not attributed responsibility to any organization, Beijing had warned of increased activity by Uighur Muslim "extremists" who would attempt to disrupt Beijing Olympic Games. But foreign analysts had expressed doubts as to whether these were serious terrorist threats, or were exaggerated by the Chinese authorities to justify the intense security measures imposed on the country during the Olympics. It was only last Monday, when 16 policemen were killed in a frenzied knife and bomb attack in the Xinjiang city of Kashgar, that it became clear beyond doubt that the dormant campaign for an independent East Turkistan had been violently revived.

Translated by Chrisanthi Sarantis

[08] Greek Gymnast out of the Final

By Nasos Bratsos

The Greek female gymnast, Stefani Bisbikou failed to advance to the final of the Balance Beam and All-Around at the Beijing Olympic Games. It was two mistakes while performing on the Balance Beam that cost her the ticket to the final. Scoring a total of 56,625 points, the Greek champion earned 39th place.

Translated by Areti Christou

[09] Greek Swimmers Did not Make It

By Dimitris Alexopoulos

Greek swimmers Aris Grigoriades, Andreas Zisimos and Aggeliki Exarhou failed to make it to the semis of their events. Grigoriades landed fifth place in the heat 4 of the Mens 100m backstroke, clocking 54.71, Zisimos finished sixth in heat 5 of the Mens 200m Crawl, Exarhou was also sixth in heat 4 of the Womens 400m breaststroke. Finally, clocking 4:15:78, Elvira Efstathiou finished fourth in heat 3 of the Womens 400m Crawl.

"I was well but not fast. My kick-start was moderate, while my body could not respond in the water. I dont know what happened," commented Aris Grigoriades.

"My time was not bad, although I wanted to swim closer or even beyond the Greek record. I cant say Im disappointed, though. Competition was huge. To be more precise, things have gone out wild. In Athens, a time near 1:49 could earn you a place in the semis. Here, one needs to clock below 1:48 to claim ones place in the 16," said Andreas Zisimos.

"What I failed to do today, I will do so in the 200m Breaststroke. I believe that clocking a time near my record can bring me to the semis, which is my goal. If it comes along with a new Greek record, then I would be extra happy," claimed Aggeliki Exarhou.

"It was my first participation in the Games. I had no goals for the 400m race, but I wanted to see how things are and at the same time to have a good training. I think I did very well, because I was freed of my stress. The truth is that I did swim as well as I could. I didnt feel that energetic. Now Ill shift my focus in the womens 800m race which is my goal, while Ill run at the 200-metre Butterfly," said Elvira Efstathiou.

Translated by Areti Christou

[10] FINN: Papathanasiou 15th

By Nasos Bratsos

After conclusion of first 4 races, Aimilios Papathanasiou ranked 15th in FINN sailing boat class. Cypriot contestant Haris Papadipoulos came 17th place.

Greek women Yingling crew, Sophia Bekatorou, Sophia Papadopoulou and Birginia Krabarioti came 11 th place after conclusion of four first races.

Translated by Chrisanthi Sarantis

[11] Men Water Polo Defeat

By Ampelakis Spyros

With a weak defense and many mistakes of offensive players only a miracle could bring victory for Greek Men Water Polo team in the opening round. The miracle did not happen and the Australian team beat the Greek national team 12-8, easily holding the lead in the two last periods.

Translated by Chrisanthi Sarantis

[12] Phelps Breaks World Record

Michael Phelps broke his own record in 400m men individual medley on the second day of Beijing Olympics to win gold medal. The American athlete was 1.44 seconds faster than his rivals with a new record of 4.05.25. His previous record was 4.03.84. Hungarian Lazlo Czech received silver medal and American Ryan Lahti bronze medal.

Translated by Chrisanthi Sarantis

[13] Georgian Troops Withdrawing

10 ��� 2008 11:48:00

By Athina Saloustrou

Sources: ��� 105.8

In a move to defuse tension in the Caucasus region, Georgia Foreign Ministry announced that Georgia has withdrawn all its troops from South Ossetia, where it launched a military operation against Russia to take control of the region. Earlier, the Georgian President said that he was ready for negotiations if Russia stopped raids. Russia belied withdrawal of Georgian troops which was the term set for the end of clashes. Russia moved military operations to Georgian territory and also extended to Abkhazia. Russian military aircrafts raided Tbilisi airport but there are no reports of victims. Georgian officials maintained that Russia dispatched 10.000 troops to its territory and is preparing attack. In the meantime, developments indicate escalation of tension in a second front as the Russian air-force has launched raid against Georgias separatist province of Abkhazia and also sent warships. In parallel, Abkhazia separatists launched military operation against Georgian troops.

International Initiatives

Russias navy also entered the conflict, deploying a group of ships off Georgias Black Sea coast to prevent weapons and military equipment reaching Georgia by sea. Russia has accused the West and the Ukraine of supplying weapons to Georgian troops who are fighting against Russians in South Ossetia.

The international community has appealed for cease fire while the UN Security Council failed to issue a resolution during its informal meeting yesterday. The EU called on Russia to agree with Georgias proposal for cease of military operations and announced that EU Foreign Ministers will hold an extraordinary meeting at the beginning of next week. On its part, Washington blamed Russia for dispatching disproportionate troops while it also attributed responsibility to Georgia.

In Greece, the Crisis Operational Center was activated on 24-hour basis, following Foreign Minister, Dora Bakoyianni instruction, mainly regarding Greek origin residents in the Caucasus region. After a meeting this morning to discuss the situation in South Ossetia, Foreign undersecretary, Thodoros Kassimis said that there is no problem regarding the omogeneia while he underlined that Greece is ready to deliver humanitarian aid if asked. In the meantime, the UK issued a warning today calling its citizens to flee from Georgia as soon as possible and to remain only if there is serious reason. The Foreign Office issued a travel advisory saying that trips to South Ossetia and Abkhasia should be avoided.

Translated by Chrisanthi Sarantis

Related News:

Out of Control

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