Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 99-02-25
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, February 25, 1999
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] PRIME MINISTER SIMITIS IN BONN FOR EU SUMMIT
[02] UN REFUTES ALLEGATIONS OF PKK REBEL TRAINING IN GREECE
[03] FRENCH VESSEL "FOUDRE" IN THESSALONIKI, EN ROUTE TO FYROM
[04] DEFENSE MINISTER: THERE IS RISK OF A "WARM" EPISODE IN AEGEAN
[05] GREEK ALTERNATE FM SALUTES INT'L REACTION ON OCALAN'S TRIAL
[06] THESSALONIKI PREFECT SPEAKS TO MPA ON OCALAN CASE
[07] SOCIAL DIALOGUE ON TAX REFORMS BEGINS TODAY
[08] TUSIAD CHAIRMAN: GREEK-TURKISH TRADE REDUCTION IS TEMPORARY
[09] REPPAS: THE PRIME MINISTER HAS INFORMED THE EUROPEAN LEADERS
ON THE OCALAN AFFAIR
[10] GOVERNMENTAL COMMITTEE MEETING
[11] KARAMANLIS LAUNCHED AN ATTACK AGAINST THE PRIME MINISTER
[12] NATO AIRCRAFT AND A BRITISH WARSHIP HAVE ARRIVED IN
THESSALONIKI
[13] MEETING OF THE STATE RADIOS OF GREECE AND FYROM
REPRESENTATIVES
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[14] OCALAN TESTIFIES: I HAD NO CONTACT WITH GREEK OFFICIALS
[15] TALKS CONTINUE TO BRING OCALAN'S FOUR ASSOCIATES TO GREECE
[16] PRESIDENT OF CYPRUS REBUFFS TURKISH CLAIMS OF PKK CAMPS
[17] DOCUMENTARY SHOWS GREEK EFFORTS TO SAVE JEWS IN WWII
[18] US SECRETARY OF STATE ALBRIGHT STERNLY WARNS MILOSEVIC
[19] BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY SUPPORTS UN RESOLUTIONS ON CYPRUS
[20] JOURNAL OF COMMERCE: GREEK MERCHANT FLEET IS WORLD'S LARGEST
[21] TURKEY'S NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL MEETS IN ANKARA
[22] TURKEY RE-ESTABLISHES THE VISA REQUIREMENT FOR THE GREEKS
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] PRIME MINISTER SIMITIS IN BONN FOR EU SUMMIT
The leaders of the European Union's member-states are to
hold an informal Summit in Bonn today and tomorrow, where they
will discuss the Kurdish issue and the Ocalan affair.
Greece will be represented by Premier Kostas Simitis, Foreign
Minister George Papandreou and other officials.
Mr. Simitis said he would have bilateral talks with his
European Union counterparts at a series of meetings to outline to
them the need to enforce the EU's Ocalan-related statement
issued on February 22, wherein it calls on Turkey to ensure that
the Kurdish leader gets a fair and open trial.
Meanwhile, following eight days of isolated confinement and
having been charged with high treason, Mr. Ocalan was allowed to
confer with his attorneys yesterday.
[02] UN REFUTES ALLEGATIONS OF PKK REBEL TRAINING IN GREECE
The assistant director of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees Mario Koffman has refuted the Turkish
allegations that Kurdish rebels are being trained on Greek ground.
Speaking to an Austrian daily, the UN officials stated that there
is an encampment in the region of Lavrio which is nothing more
than a civilian refugees reception area which is under the
permanent supervision of the Red Cross and the international
agency of social aid.
[03] FRENCH VESSEL "FOUDRE" IN THESSALONIKI, EN ROUTE TO FYROM
The French vessel "Foudre" arrived at the port of
Thessaloniki yesterday afternoon, carrying 180 vehicles and 350
troops who are destined for FYROM, where they will be stationed
until possible NATO orders to move on to Kosovo.
Also, six British C-130 transport planes landed at
Thessaloniki's Macedonia Airport carrying troops and vehicles, as
well as two French Airbuses carrying 10 vehicles and 140 personnel
and an American Tri-Star carrying 225 British troops.
[04] DEFENSE MINISTER: THERE IS RISK OF A "WARM" EPISODE IN AEGEAN
Greece's Defense Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos has stated
that there is a risk of a "warm" episode taking place in the
Aegean, citing Turkey's intention to up the ante in the region and
Cyprus.
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Tsochatzopoulos stated that the
present climate in Greek-Turkish relations is "gloomy".
He also conceded that the outcome of the Ocalan affair served
a heavy blow to Greece's ruling PASOK party and the Greek people,
while he attributed responsibilities to the government for its
handling of the matter and called for a thorough investigation.
Concurrently, the Defense Minister stated that the Ocalan
case should not be turned into a matter of "national stress" and
saluted the subsequent measures drawn by the government, albeit he
stressed that the Premier Kostas Simitis should have kept the
political leaders informed. He reiterated his chagrin at not
having been briefed on the matter.
[05] GREEK ALTERNATE FM SALUTES INT'L REACTION ON OCALAN'S TRIAL
Following the announcement by the European Court of Human
Rights concerning the imminent trial of PKK leader Abdullah
Ocalan, Greece's alternate Foreign Minister Yiannos Kranidiotis
has stated that the globalization of the issue is a
particularly important development.
"The top judicial organ of the Council of Europe, the new
European Court of Human Rights, taking into account the
seriousness of claims by Ocalan's lawyers, has decided to ask
Turkish authorities clarifications related to the arrest and
detention of the Kurdish leader, as well as the speedy provision
of information with regard to the possibility of communication
with his lawyers," Mr. Kranidiotis stated.
He further added that other statements, issued by the EU
Council of Ministers, the external affairs committee of the
European Parliament, and the Special United Nations Rappporteur
Against Torture, have reminded Turkey of the evident principles
for a true democracy which it has to uphold in the specific case,
such as a fair and open trial by an independent court, the right
to chose one's lawyer, attendance of international observers, non-
application of the death penalty, safeguards regarding the
physical and psychological integrity of the Kurdish leader and
respect for his human dignity.
"Greece will promote at an international level the need for
Turkey to respect. Turkey's non-compliance with the requirements
of the European legal order and worldwide recognized rules which
establish the fundamental right of man and constitute non-
negotiable conquests of our modern legal culture, isolates it from
the international community," he said.
[06] THESSALONIKI PREFECT SPEAKS TO MPA ON OCALAN CASE
Thessaloniki's Prefect Kostas Papadopoulos has dismissed as
"unworthy of comment" the allegations made by the Turkish
government that Greece harbors Kurdish rebels and provides them
with training.
Responding to a question posed by the Macedonian Press
Agency, concerning Turkish press reports that there are Kurdish
military camps in Lavrio, Halkida and Lamia, Mr. Papadopoulos
stated that "instead of misleading public opinion, Turkey should
take a serious look into the issue of human rights isolations and,
albeit late, ask for an apology for the genocides it has committed
in the past against the Greeks from Pontus, the Armenians, the
Cypriots and now the Kurds."
The Prefect of Thessaloniki further added that "Turkey's
military regime should look at the true interests of the Turkish
people who deserve to live with dignity in a democratic state."
[07] SOCIAL DIALOGUE ON TAX REFORMS BEGINS TODAY
The government is set to embark on the "social dialogue"
concerning the
planned reforms of the state's taxation system, although the
country's largest union, GSEE will not be participating.
National Economy Minister Yiannos Papantoniou has said the
government will bring forth 20 proposals for changes aimed at
easing the tax burden on low wage earners.
Unions have propose various changes including an inflation-
indexed taxation
scale, an increase in the threshold for non-taxable income to 2.3
million drachmas for wage and pension earners and additional tax
breaks for families with dependents.
[08] TUSIAD CHAIRMAN: GREEK-TURKISH TRADE REDUCTION IS TEMPORARY
The chairman of the Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's
Association (TUSIAD) Erkut Yucaoglu characterizes the reduction of
trade between Greece and Turkey as temporary and has stated that
the decision drawn by the Turkish-Hellenic Business Council to
sever its trade ties with Greece reflects the sentiment of the
Turkish people, not the Turkish state.
In an exclusive interview with the Macedonian Press Agency,
Mr. Yucaoglu stressed that businessmen from both countries have
been trying for years to establish a positive climate in the Greek-
Turkish relations.
"Unfortunately, these efforts were not recognized," he
stated, attributing the
lack of success to two reasons: first, the fact that Greek
businessmen were not able to convey to the Greek government the
message given by their Turkish counterparts and, second, that the
apprehension of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan revealed the support
and protection granted to PKK by Greece.
The TUSIAD chairman further assessed that Greek businessmen
did not want publicity granted to their meetings with their
Turkish counterparts, which is why, he said, the talks led to
nowhere.
[09] REPPAS: THE PRIME MINISTER HAS INFORMED THE EUROPEAN LEADERS
ON THE OCALAN AFFAIR
Prime minister Kostas Simitis has sent a letter to the
European leaders with the Greek positions on the Ocalan case.
Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas stated that the letter
will be given to publicity in the next few hours and that in it
are presented the facts and the Greek involvement, while it is
pointed out what actions the EU has to take.
Commenting on Turkey's stance, Mr. Reppas stressed that it
persistently refuses to comply with international law and that the
EU should exert pressures toward this direction. Mr. Reppas stated
that the Greek government hopes that there will be a positive
response.
On the accusations against the government that it handed over
Ocalan to Turkey, he said that such allegations are sordid and
added that Greece had a "national accident" which should not be
turned into a national disaster.
On the procedures for the return of Ocalan's three women
associates and the Greek National Information Service agent major
Kaelnteridis who are still in Kenya, Mr. Reppas said that they are
in progress and expressed the hope that they will be completed
successfully.
Responding to the question on the meeting of foreign minister
Giorgos Papandreou with US ambassador to Athens Nicholas Burns,
Mr. Reppas stated that it was ceremonial. The US ambassador
delivered to Mr. Papandreou a congratulatory letter by US
Secretary of State Madeleine Albright on the occasion of his new
duties as a foreign minister.
Regarding the likelihood of a US assistance in the operation
for the safe return of the four people who are cut off in Kenya,
Mr. Reppas pointed out that the position of the United States over
the Kurdish fighters is known, as they are regarded as
"terrorists".
[10] GOVERNMENTAL COMMITTEE MEETING
The governmental committee meeting that was held today under
the presidency of prime minister Kostas Simitis focused on the
"Agenda 2000" that will be discussed in the informal EU summit
meeting in Bonn.
However, among the issues discussed was the operation in
progress for the safe transfer of Ocalan's three women associates
and Greek National Information Service agent major Savvas
Kalenteridis, who are still in Kenya.
In statements made after the meeting, undersecretary of
foreign affairs Yiannos Kranidiotis stressed that there are no
problems and everything goes well.
He pointed out that the contacts of foreign ministry general
secretary Mr. Apostolidis with the Kenyan authorities are in
progress in Nairobi and expressed the hope that the four, who
remain in the Greek embassy in the Kenyan capital, will soon be in
Athens. He also stated that foreign minister Giorgos Papandreou is
in continuous contact with Mr. Apostolidis and the EU partners.
[11] KARAMANLIS LAUNCHED AN ATTACK AGAINST THE PRIME MINISTER
Right-wing main opposition party of New Democracy leader
Kostas Karamanlis launched a personal attack against prime
minister Kostas Simitis in the speech he delivered in the central
committee meeting of his party.
Mr. Karamanlis characterized as unacceptable the prime
minister's persistence to continue to hold on to his post in spite
of the fact that the opposition as a whole has called for his
resignation over his handling of the Ocalan affair. Mr. Karamanlis
stated that Mr. Simitis instead of assuming his responsibilities
is looking for scapegoats, observing that everybody else have
responsibilities over the issue except the prime minister.
"The best solution is to have new elections but this can not
be imposed by us", stated Mr. Karamanlis, characterizing the prime
minister as irresponsible, while he also spoke of a fiasco in the
Ocalan affair which is the symptom of a wider crisis in the
country. The worst has not come yet, stated Mr. Karamanlis,
predicting an escalation of Turkish provocation, while he also
said that there will be more pressures exerted on Greece by the
European Union.
[12] NATO AIRCRAFT AND A BRITISH WARSHIP HAVE ARRIVED IN
THESSALONIKI
Four hundred armoured vehicles and tanks have arrived at the
Port of Thessaloniki on board a British warship in order to
reinforce the military forces that will oversee the implementation
of the peace agreements in Kosovo.
Already, 1.000 NATO troops (French, British and Italians)
have passed through Thessaloniki, while it is estimated that by
March 6 their number will be 6.000 and by the end of April 26.000.
Meanwhile, C-130 aircraft with NATO officers have landed at
Macedonia Airport.
[13] MEETING OF THE STATE RADIOS OF GREECE AND FYROM
REPRESENTATIVES
The first bilateral contacts and discussions between the
Greek State Radio and FYROM's Public Radio will be held in Skopje
on Sunday, according to the Greek State-run Radio, ERA.
The foundations for the cooperation between them were laid
with the minutes signed by the state radio and television
organizations of the Balkan countries in the inter-Balkan meeting
that was held in Chalkidiki, northern Greece last June, organized
by the Greek state-run radio and television, ERT.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[14] OCALAN TESTIFIES: I HAD NO CONTACT WITH GREEK OFFICIALS
PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, presently held in a high-
security, island-prison in Turkey, has reportedly testified before
Ankara's state security magistrates that he had no contact with
any officials from the Greek government.
According to Ankara's daily "Milliyet", which publishes an
article titled "Apo: They used me", Mr. Ocalan testified that the
Greek secret services provided him with a significant degree of
assistance and that there are two PKK camps in Greece on one of
which the rebels are being trained on bombing techniques.
In his 36-page affidavit, the PKK leader is said to have
undertaken responsibility for PKK's armed activity, by stating
that he directed the organization, without showing remorse for his
actions.
According to "Milliyet", Mr. Ocalan stated that the PKK
received financial assistance from Syria, Greece, Iran and
Germany.
"This assistance was not (given) at a governmental level,
neither in cash, but rather it enabled us to gather money and
create organizations on the grounds of these countries," he is
said to have stated.
Furthermore, Mr. Ocalan is reported by the Turkish daily as
having testified that "games are played on Turkey's back" and that
he "was used".
Regarding the issue of drug trafficking, Mr. Ocalan denied
that the PKK is involved in such practices, only admitting to
receiving exaction amounts from the drug traffickers.
[15] TALKS CONTINUE TO BRING OCALAN'S FOUR ASSOCIATES TO GREECE
The Greek government is continuing its negotiations with the
Kenyan government in order to safely transport Greek Maj. Savvas
Kalenterides, who is an officer with the Greek Intelligence
Agency, and the three female colleagues of PKK leader Abdullah
Ocalan -who have barricaded themselves at the Greek embassy in
Nairobi- to Greece.
The Foreign Ministry�s secretary-general is presently in
Nairobi and, according to reports, the Belgian government has also
gotten involved in the return operation, as one of the three PKK
members has a Belgian passport.
[16] PRESIDENT OF CYPRUS REBUFFS TURKISH CLAIMS OF PKK CAMPS
The President of Cyprus Glafkos Clerides stated that the
island is not a breeding ground for Kurdish guerillas, denying
Ankara's accusations as "totally unfounded."
President Clerides added that there is a United Nations
peacekeeping force in Cyprus which has freedom of movement.
"If such camps existed they would not have escaped UNFICYP's
notice," he said, adding that diplomats on the island would easily
have discovered the whereabouts of such camps if the allegations
were true.
"If European countries wish to send representatives to travel
freely throughout Cyprus, they too will establish that the
accusations that Turkey has leveled against Cyprus are totally
unfounded," he added.
[17] DOCUMENTARY SHOWS GREEK EFFORTS TO SAVE JEWS IN WWII
The Greek embassy in Washington organized an event for the
screening of a documentary titled "It was nothing, It was
everything", which recounts the heroic efforts of Greeks to save
Greek Jews from the Nazis during WWII.
The event, jointly organized with the American Jewish
Committee (AJC), also featured an address given by Greek
ambassador Alexandros Filon, who referred to
Greece's struggle and sacrifices during WWII.
The screening was attended, among others, by special US State
Department coordinator for Cyprus Thomas Miller, and the House of
Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ben Gilman.
[18] US SECRETARY OF STATE ALBRIGHT STERNLY WARNS MILOSEVIC
United States Secretary of State Madleine Albright yesterday
warned Yugoslavia that it would be making a big mistake if it
conducts strikes against Kosovo's ethnic Albanians.
NATO has also stated that it is ready to launch air strikes
against Serbia if the need arises.
Ms. Albright referred to evidence held by the US government,
according to which, Milosevic is preparing to order the Serb
forces on conducting new operations in Kosovo during the spring.
[19] BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY SUPPORTS UN RESOLUTIONS ON CYPRUS
Britain is working closely with the United Nations, the EU
and the United States for a reduction of tension in Cyprus,
British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook has stated in a letter to the
President of the Federation of UK Cypriots, Haris Sophoclides.
Mr. Cook also said that Britain was working diligently for
the implementation of UN Security Council resolution 1,218, which
calls for tension on the island to be reduced and for an overall
Cyprus settlement.
He added that London strongly endorsed resolution 1,218 and
was "working closely with the UN, our EU partners and the US to
achieve the full implementation of this resolution."
The Foreign Secretary also said that the government's
decision not to deploy the S-300 missiles had been "a significant
contribution to international efforts, in which Britain plays a
prominent part, to reduce tension in the region."
[20] JOURNAL OF COMMERCE: GREEK MERCHANT FLEET IS WORLD'S LARGEST
Greece held the world's largest shipping power during 1998
with a transport capacity of 123.8 million tons, according to the
Journal of Commerce's report from Geneva.
The report, published yesterday, also stated that Greece also
holds a 17.6 per cent stake of the international total.
[21] TURKEY'S NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL MEETS IN ANKARA
Turkey's National Security Council holds its monthly meeting
in Ankara behind closed doors and according Turkish political
analysts, it deals with the Ocalan case.
Meanwhile, two of the Kurdish leader's lawyers await to get
permission to see him. Based on a report published by the Turkish
newspaper "Hurriyet", one of Ocalan's interrogators stated that
they have got from him all the information they wanted and now the
procedures are underway in order to bring him to trial.
According to the news agency "Anadolu", two Turkish lawyers
have left this morning for the Imrali prison-island to meet with
Ocalan.
Lawyers Ahmet Okuoglu and Hatis Korkut were taken to Imrali
island from Mudania in north-western Turkey by boat after they
received permission by the State Security Court.
[22] TURKEY RE-ESTABLISHES THE VISA REQUIREMENT FOR THE GREEKS
The Turkish foreign ministry brings back the visa requirement
for the Greek citizens who want to visit Turkey. The re-
establishment of the visa requirement that had been abolished 14
years ago by the then prime minister Turgut Ozal is included among
the measures the Turkish foreign ministry intends to take against
Greece as counter-measures in response to the Ocalan affair.
According to a front page article published by the newspaper
"Hurriyet", the procedures for the return of the visa requirement
have been completed and a cabinet decision on the issue is
expected. A relevant discussion was held in a meeting that was
held in the ministry of foreign affairs yesterday.
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