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Friday, 29 November 2024
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Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 97-11-01Macedonian Press Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Macedonian Press Agency at http://www.mpa.gr and http://www.hri.org/MPA.Last Update: 18:48 GMT+2SECTIONS
NEWS HEADLINES[A] GREECE[B] BALKANS[C] EUROPE[D] WORLDNEWS IN DETAIL[A] GREECE[01] THE INTERBALKAN SUMMIT MEETING WILL BE HELD ON MONDAYWeb Posted: 16:14 GMT+2Athens 1 November (MPA)Greek Prime Minister Kostas Simitis is expected to make proposals for cooperation in the sectors of economy and trade among the Balkan states during the Inter-Balkan Summit meeting that will be held in Crete on Monday.Mr.Simitis will have separate meetings with all the leaders of the Balkan states and with Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz. The Greek government will promote a declaration for good neighborly relations among the Balkan states within the framework of the respect of international law. The Balkan leaders are expected to arrive in Iraklion, Crete tomorrow evening and their meeting will be completed on Tuesday. It is the first time that they will discuss multilateral and bilateral issues aimed at establishing a cooperation that will have a European dimension. [02] THE BATTLE OF THE DRACHMA WILL BE WONWeb Posted: 16:14 GMT+2Athens 1 November (MPA)The new attack of speculators against the drachma in the Athens Stock Exchange was confronted in an effective way. The Bank of Greece increased the interest rates shielding the national currency.The Prime Minister expressed the certainty that the battle of the drachma will be won. Minister of National Economy and Finance Yiannos Papantoniou stated that the parity of the Greek currency with other currencies will be supported in every way. [03] THE DRUGSTORES WILL BE OPEN ON MONDAYWeb Posted: 16:14 GMT+2Athens 1 November (MPA)The pharmacy stores will open on Monday after the decision of the pharmacists to suspend their strike.The Greek government decided to maintain the percentage of profit for the pharmacists to 24% on the retail price of the medicines. [04] THE GREEK MILITARY EXERCISE "PARMENION" BEGAN YESTERDAYWeb Posted: 16:14 GMT+2Athens 1 November (MPA)The Greek military exercise "Parmenion '97" began yesterday and will be completed on November 6. Its main phases will take place in north-eastern Greece and the islands of eastern Aegean.The last part of the exercise will be watched by President Kostis Stephanopoulos, Minister of Defense Akis Tsochatzopoulos and the leadership of the armed forces. [B] BALKANS[05] GLIGOROV: THE SUMMIT OF CRETE IS IMPORTANT FOR THE PROMOTION OF COOPERATIONWeb Posted: 16:14 GMT+2Skopje 1 November (MPA)FYROM President Kiro Gligorov characterized the Summit of Crete as important for the promotion of cooperation and good neighborly relations among the Balkan states.In a press conference, mr.Gligorov maintained that the reason of his participation in the Summit is to support the open dialogue as the only pre- condition for the solution of differences among states and peoples in the Balkans and added that the solution of those differences is important for the accession of the Balkan states into the European Union and NATO. Mr.Gligorov expressed satisfaction because he will have the opportunity to meet with the Greek Prime Minister, the President of Albania, the President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and leaders of other Balkan states. [06] RUGOVA IS DISPLEASED BECAUSE HE WILL NOT TAKE PART IN THE SUMMIT OF CRETEWeb Posted: 16:14 GMT+2Belgrade 1 November (MPA)The leader of the Democratic Union of Kosovo Ibrahim Rugova in a press conference yesterday appeared very displeased because he will not take part in the Inter-Balkan Summit of Crete.Belgrade's B92 radio station reported that mr.Rugova, commenting on the meeting between Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic and Albanian Prime Minister Fatos Nano, scheduled to take place within the framework of the Inter-Balkan Summit, stressed that regardless of its results, decisions on the issue of Kosovo can be made only by its leadership. [07] THE TURKISH MILITARY EXERCISE "TOROS" IS UNDERWAYWeb Posted: 16:14 GMT+2Ankara 1 November (MPA)The Turkish military exercise "Toros", in which participate over 40 war planes and warships, began in the Turkish occupied territories of northern Cyprus today.Its first phase is taking place in the eastern Mediterranean and among those invited to watch the exercise is the Greek military attache to Ankara. [C] EUROPE[08] GREECE TAKES OVER THE VICE-PRESIDENCY OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPEWeb Posted: 16:14 GMT+2Strasbourg 1 November (MPA)Greece will take over the vice-Presidency of the Council of Europe on November 6, during the European Ministers' Meeting in Strasbourg which will be attended by Foreign Ministers from 40 European countries, including Russia.The Greek government will be represented in the meeting by alternate Foreign Minister Giorgos Papandreou. [D] WORLD[09] 17.000 JEWISH BANK ACCOUNTS WERE BLOCKED BY SWISS BANKSWeb Posted: 16:14 GMT+2Thessaloniki 1 November (MPA)The issue of the Jewish bank accounts that were blocked by Swiss banks has taken up a new dimension with the publication of a list with 17.000 names of Jews or their representatives with bank accounts in Switzerland.The list was published two days ago by the Swiss Bank Association and according to European Council of Jewish Communities General Director mr.Michael May, the issue of the Jewish accounts will be among those that will be discussed in the Council's General Assembly meeting that opens in Thessaloniki today. According to the American Jewish Congress, the Jewish bank accounts that were blocked by the Swiss banks are estimated to be 3-7 billion US dollars. President of the Jewish Community in Thessaloniki and member of the Board of Directors of the European Council of Jewish Communities mr.Andreas Sefiha stated that it is estimated that about 300.000 Jews have survived the holocaust, many of whom live in eastern European countries under tough economic conditions. According to mr.Sefiha, the 3-7 billion US dollars of the blocked accounts in the Swiss banks should be used for the establishment of a relief fund, in case no beneficiaries are found. Mr.May reminded that a list with 1.700 names was published three months ago but later it was found out that it included the names of many high-ranking Nazis. After its publication, 30.000 Jews made new applications requesting information on their bank accounts and as a result, 20.000 more bank accounts were revealed that had shown no movement in the period 1930- 1945. Mr.May stated that "we are moving closer to a solution" and stressed that the issue is not an economic one but an issue of vindication. He went on to accuse Switzerland that during the WWII was not as neutral as it wanted to appear and characterized it as the "Banker of the Nazis". He also criticized the stance of the Swiss banks in the period 1950-1960 toward the heirs of Jews with bank accounts, saying that the banks requested death certificates that were impossible to be found. [10] US REPORT ON THE JEWISH GOLDWeb Posted: 16:14 GMT+2New York 1 November (MPA)A preliminary report, based on documents from the archives of the United States and their allies regarding the return of the gold and other property assets that came to the possession of third countries as a result of their relations with Nazi Germany, was hammered out by the Department of History of the US State Department.The report concerns the biggest theft ever committed by a government. The confiscation made by the Nazis is estimated at 580 million dollars in gold and its value is estimated today to be 5,6 billion dollars. Among the main conclusions of the report is that the mass and systematic theft of gold and priceless objects by the Nazis was committed for the funding of Germany's war machine, adding that during WWII neutrality clashed with morality and often neutrality was used as a pretence for those who wanted to avoid moral scruples. It is also mentioned that of all the neutral states, Switzerland had the most important economic relation with the Nazis. Part of the report refers to the post-war negotiations of the allies with Turkey for the return of gold and other property assets that came to Ankara's possession as a result of its relations with the Nazi Germany. The allies maintain that the last Ambassador of the Nazis to Ankara Frans von Papen had hidden gold, priceless objects and documents in Turkey and that the Turkish government has followed an obstruction tactic, adding that the stolen gold was never returned. Complete archives of the Macedonian Press Agency bulletins are available on the MPA Home Page at http://www.mpa.gr/ and on the U.S. mirror at http://www.hri.org/MPA/Macedonian Press Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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