Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 99-04-22
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, April 22, 1999
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] NATO SUMMIT FOR 50TH ANNIVESARY AND GREECE'S POSITIONS
[02] SWEDEN'S ROYAL COUPLE TO ARRIVE IN GREECE ON MONDAY
[03] PARLIAMENT HOLDS SPECIAL SESSION CONDEMNING '67 COUP
[04] KOSOVO REFUGEES TO BE INOCULATED IN GREECE
[05] GREECE IS READY TO UNDERTAKE AN INITIATIVE FOR THE PEACEFUL
SOLUTION OF THE CRISIS IN KOSOVO
[06] APOSTOLAKIS: GREECE WILL NOT PARTICIPATE IN NATO GROUND
FORCES OPERATIONS
[07] NIKOS ATHANASAKIS: GREECE WILL NOT TAKE PART IN GROUND FORCES
OPERATIONS
[08] ATHANASAKIS ON THE OIL EMBARGO AGAINST YUGOSLAVIA
[09] ATHANASAKIS: THERE IS NO ISSUE OF RESIGNATION FOR THE FOREIGN
MINISTER
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[10] GREEK PREMIER TO MEET WITH US PRESIDENT CLINTON TODAY
[11] NATO AIRCRAFT POUND YUGOSLAVIA ALL NIGHT LONG
[12] GROUND TROOPS DEPLOYMENT IN KOSOVO REMAINS A POSSIBILITY
[13] GREEK PREMIER'S ITINERARY IN THE UNITED STATES
[14] LEFT-WING POLITICAL PARTIES FROM 12 COUNTRIES MEET IN CYPRUS
[15] NATO MISSILES HIT MILOSEVIC RESIDENCE, BUT NO ONE WAS HOME
[16] ALBANIAN PRESIDENT SAYS BELGRADE WANTS BALKAN WAR
[17] MILOSEVIC TELLS U.S. RADIO STATION: THE THREE SOLDIERS ARE
FINE
[18] PRISTINA WAS BOMBED AGAIN TODAY
[19] ALBRIGHT-PAPANDREOU WILL MEET IN WASHINGTON
[20] INTERVENTION BY MR. TRAKATELIS TO STOP THE ECOLOGICAL
DISASTER IN KOSSOVO
[21] GREEK EURO-DEPUTY RAISED THE QUESTION OF THE DESTRUCTION OF
CULTURAL MONUMENTS IN YUGOSLAVIA
[22] MR. FLORAKIS' STATEMENTS IN BELGRADE
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] NATO SUMMIT FOR 50TH ANNIVESARY AND GREECE'S POSITIONS
On the occasion of NATO's fiftieth-year mark, Greece's Prime
Minister Kostas Simitis, Defense Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos and
Foreign Minister George Papandreou are to take part in the
Alliance's Summit in New York, with the following targets in mind:
The promotion of the Greek positions and the commitment of
United States President Bill Clinton that Greece will not be drawn
into military conflict.
The promotion of the Greek initiative for arriving at an
expeditious political solution to the Kosovo crisis.
The handling the humanitarian problems that have resulted
from the crisis.
The stabilization of the Balkans and their embodiment into
the European structure.
The reaffirmation of Greece's role in NATO, taking into
account the country's particular position as the only member of
the Alliance and the European Union in the Balkan peninsula.
Mr. Simitis is to have a vis-a-vis meeting with President
Clinton today and will also meet with the President of FYROM Kiro
Gligorov.
Mr. Tsochatzopoulos will have a meeting with the U.S.
Secretary of Defense William Cohen.
Mr. Papandreou will meet with U.S. assistant Secretary
of State Mark Grossman and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.
[02] SWEDEN'S ROYAL COUPLE TO ARRIVE IN GREECE ON MONDAY
King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Sylvia of Sweden are to embark
on a three-day visit to Greece on Monday, the first-ever official
visit by a Swedish head of state to this country, at the
invitation of the President of the Hellenic Republic Kostis
Stephanopoulos.
The royal couple will be received by Parliament President
Apostolos Kaklamanis on Monday, and will attend a banquet held in
their honor by President Stephanopoulos.
On Tuesday, the King and Queen of Sweden will lay a wreath at
the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and will meet with the Prime
Minister Kostas Simitis, as well as with Athens Mayor Dimitris
Avramopoulos. They will also attend a business seminar at the
Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
On Tuesday night, King Carl Gustaf and Queen Sylvia will hold
a reception.
[03] PARLIAMENT HOLDS SPECIAL SESSION CONDEMNING '67 COUP
The Hellenic Parliament's plenary session convened yesterday
evening in light of the 32nd anniversary since the military coup
of April 21, 1967, which brought a seven-year dictatorship to
Greece.
Parliament President Apostolos Kaklamanis stated that that
the military coup d'etat abolished parliamentary principles and
the Greek people's freedom, leading the country to isolation. He
further spoke of the largest disaster to strike the country, after
the catastrophe in Minor Asia, the invasion of Cyprus by Turkey.
"The drama of Cypriot Hellenism is perpetuated with the
initial and continuing responsibility of our NATO allies, mainly
the US, who are concerned over the Kosovo refugees but are not
touched by 20 0,000 Greek Cypriot refugees or the continuing
occupation of northern Cyprus," he pointed out.
[04] KOSOVO REFUGEES TO BE INOCULATED IN GREECE
Approximately 2,000 refugees from Kosovo are to
receive inoculations from the Greece's Center of Preventive
Medicine of the Social Services Foundation (IKA) of
Alexandroupolis, which is cooperating with Turkey's Medical School
of Edirne and related Bulgarian centers.
In addition to the hepatitis shots, the refugees will also be
randomly tested for sexually-transmitted diseases.
The mission's cost, which amounts to 20 million drachmas,
will be picked up by Greece's Ministry of Economy.
[05] GREECE IS READY TO UNDERTAKE AN INITIATIVE FOR THE PEACEFUL
SOLUTION OF THE CRISIS IN KOSOVO
Greece is ready to undertake a diplomatic initiative together
with the rest Balkan and European Union states for a peaceful
solution of the crisis in Kosovo, stated prime minister Kostas
Simitis.
Mr. Simitis, who will participate in the NATO summit meeting
in Washington that will be held on April 23-25, will meet with US
president Bill Clinton as well as with many other state leaders.
[06] APOSTOLAKIS: GREECE WILL NOT PARTICIPATE IN NATO GROUND
FORCES OPERATIONS
Greece has made it clear that it will not participate in NATO
ground forces operations in Yugoslavia, stated undersecretary of
defense Dimitris Apostolakis responding to a question by Communist
Party parliament deputy Nikos Gatzis.
However, he clarified that Greece is a NATO member-state and
must meet its obligations toward the alliance.
[07] NIKOS ATHANASAKIS: GREECE WILL NOT TAKE PART IN GROUND FORCES
OPERATIONS
Greece will not participate in NATO ground forces operations
in Yugoslavia, stressed acting Greek government spokesman Nikos
Athanasakis. He said that a special army unit can take part as a
peace-keeping force if a peace agreement is reached.
At this moment, there is no issue of ground forces
operations. There are no troop movements toward this end and all
the forces that have passed through Thessaloniki will be used in
the NATO peace-keeping force in FYROM. The Greek officers are
being briefed on the results of the NATO operations after they are
completed. Only those who plan the operations have in advance
briefing. Greece does not participate in the operations, stated
Mr. Athanasakis.
[08] ATHANASAKIS ON THE OIL EMBARGO AGAINST YUGOSLAVIA
Clarifications on the stance of the Greek government that
lifted its reservations on the imposition of an oil embargo on
Yugoslavia, were given by acting Greek government spokesman Nikos
Athanasakis.
He said that together with Italy we backed the option to
impose an oil embargo after the end of the bombings. Italy changed
its stance and we were forced to agree with the drawing up of the
regulation with a footnote allowing the distribution of oil for
humanitarian reasons.
[09] ATHANASAKIS: THERE IS NO ISSUE OF RESIGNATION FOR THE FOREIGN
MINISTER
There is no issue of resignation for foreign minister Giorgos
Papandreou, stated acting Greek government spokesman Nikos
Athanasakis commenting on a newspaper report that was published
today.
The foreign minister exercises his duties successfully and
any reference to an alleged resignation creates problems, added
Mr. Athanasakis.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[10] GREEK PREMIER TO MEET WITH US PRESIDENT CLINTON TODAY
Greece's Prime Minister Kostas Simitis is to meet with the
President of the United States Bill Clinton in Washington today,
to whom he will present Greece's peacemaking plan for Kosovo.
Mr. Simitis is presently in the US to participate in NATO's
50th anniversary.
Greece's Foreign and Defense Ministers, George Papandreou and Akis
Tsochatzopoulos respectively, are also in Washington, where they
will have a series of meetings on the sidelines of the NATO
Summit.
Today, Mr. Papandreou will meet with U.S. assistant Secretary
of State Mark Grossman and, later in the afternoon, will be
received by the Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. The Greek
FM will also conduct an official visit to Moscow next week, April
28, on the invitation of his Russian counterpart Igor Ivanov.
Mr. Tsochatzopoulos will meet with his US counterpart William
Cohen.
[11] NATO AIRCRAFT POUND YUGOSLAVIA ALL NIGHT LONG
Allied aircraft continued to pound Yugoslavia throughout the
night, targeting the outskirts of Belgrade and other Serb cities.
Meanwhile, Russian President Boris Yeltsin's envoy Viktor
Cernomyrdin is to visit the Yugoslav capital today where he will
have talks with President Slobodan Milosevic.
At the same time, the European Union will proceed to imposing
a fuel embargo on Yugoslavia.
Mr. Milosevic, speaking to a U.S. television network, stated
that the conflict could easily be resolved if NATO's ceased the
attacks. Moreover, he added that the Kosovo crisis can only be
solved through direct talks between the government and the ethnic
Albanians.
[12] GROUND TROOPS DEPLOYMENT IN KOSOVO REMAINS A POSSIBILITY
NATO military chiefs are examining the possibility of
deploying ground troops in Kosovo, while the same subject was
discussed yesterday in Washington between U.S. President Bill
Clinton and British Premier Toni Blair.
White House press secretary John Lockhart stated that the
Clinton Administration will support NATO's military command if it
requests a shift in its present strategy. The Alliance has so far
ruled out the possibility of a ground operation.
[13] GREEK PREMIER'S ITINERARY IN THE UNITED STATES
Greek Prime Minister Kostas Simitis, presently in New York
for NATO's 50th anniversary, addressed a lunch held in his honor
yesterday by the Council on Foreign Relations. The Premier's
address concerned foreign policy issues, including the Kosovo
crisis, Greek-Turkish relations and the Cyprus issue.
Today, the Premier will attend a lunch held in his honor by
the board of directors of the Woodrow Wilson Research Institute on
foreign, economic and social policy issues.
On Saturday, the 19 NATO leaders will attend a formal dinner
held in their honor and hosted by US president Bill Clinton at the
White House.
Mr. Simitis will depart for Greece on Sunday, April 25 after
the close of the NATO summit.
[14] LEFT-WING POLITICAL PARTIES FROM 12 COUNTRIES MEET IN CYPRUS
The leader of Greece's Coalition of the Left and Progress
(Synaspismos) party Nikos Konstantopoulos participated in the left
parties conference held in Cyprus, where left-wing political
parties from 12 countries, including five EU member states,
discussed the Kosovo issue.
The conference, organized by Cyprus' communist party AKEL,
also featured the participation of Russian Communist Party leader
Gennady Zyuganov who strongly criticized the NATO attacks on
Yugoslavia.
Both he and Mr. Konstantopoulos met earlier in the day with
President Glafcos Clerides.
According to the Cyprus News Agency, Mr. Konstantopoulos said
the war had had consequences not only for Yugoslavia and Albania,
but also several former Eastern Bloc countries, such as Romania,
Bulgaria and Hungary, whose tourism, imports and exports
industries had been devastated by the bombing campaign.
He stated that there was no legal basis for the air strikes.
"The US is trying hard to create a new world order with it as
the only superpower," he said. "It is using the Balkans as a
trampoline into Europe".
Mr. Zyuganov stated that there could be no solution to the
crisis in the Balkans without Russia and accused both the United
States and the Alliance of using Kosovo as a pretext to gain a
foothold in a united Europe, which he said America saw as a threat
to its dominance as the only world superpower.
He said Belgrade had been ready to sign a deal on Kosovo,
which was acceptable to the European Union, "but not to (U.S.
Secretary of State) Albright".
[15] NATO MISSILES HIT MILOSEVIC RESIDENCE, BUT NO ONE WAS HOME
NATO missiles struck the residence of Yugoslav President
Slobodan Milosevic early this morning, but no victims were
reported as the house was vacant.
According to the Yugoslav news agency Tanjug, the
presidential residence, located in an aristocratic suburb of
Belgrade, was completely destroyed.
[16] ALBANIAN PRESIDENT SAYS BELGRADE WANTS BALKAN WAR
Albanian President Rejep Meidani is of the opinion that
Yugoslavia wants to drag Tirana into the war over Kosovo,
according to an interview published today in France's daily Le
Figaro.
According to the French news agency AFP, Mr. Meidani stated
that "Belgrade wants to push us into the war to change the nature
of the conflict, transforming it into a confrontation between two
states.
"We do not want to play that game, but if there is a major
intrusion into its territory, Albania will react vigorously," he
warned.
The Albanian President also stated that ground operations by
NATO were necessary in Kosovo to ensure a peaceful outcome to the
conflict.
However, he ruled out the partition of the Serb province
between Serbs and ethnic Albanians, saying that it as up to the
Kosovars to decide on independence.
[17] MILOSEVIC TELLS U.S. RADIO STATION: THE THREE SOLDIERS ARE
FINE
Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic told KHOU radio station
of Houston that the Geneva conventions have been fully observed in
regards to the three US troops taken prisoner by the Serb forces.
According to the Russian news agency Itar-Tass, Mr. Milosevic
stated that Red Cross representatives may visit the prisoners,
although not on a daily basis.
The Yugoslav President further assured the radio station that
the three soldiers are "in good health and treated well."
[18] PRISTINA WAS BOMBED AGAIN TODAY
The Yugoslav news agency Tanjug reported that NATO aircraft
hit a populated area of Pristina just after 11am this morning.
Also, the NATO aircraft bombed Milosevic's residence early this
morning which was completely destroyed. At the time of the attack,
Milosevic and his family were not in the presidential residence.
Diplomatic sources mention that Russian president Boris
Yeltsin, through his envoy Victor Chernomirdin, made an appeal to
the Yugoslav president for a more conciliatory stance. The Russian
special envoy stated soon after his arrival in Belgrade that he
brought with him specific proposals for an end to the Yugoslav
tragedy.
[19] ALBRIGHT-PAPANDREOU WILL MEET IN WASHINGTON
Greek foreign minister Giorgos Papandreou will meet with US
Secretary of State Madeleine Albright in Washington today. Mr.
Papandreou will also visit Moscow for contacts with his Russian
counterpart Igor Ivanov.
Greek minister of defense Akis Tsochatzopoulos will have a
meeting in the US capital with his US counterpart William Cohen.
[20] INTERVENTION BY MR. TRAKATELIS TO STOP THE ECOLOGICAL
DISASTER IN KOSSOVO
Right-wing main opposition party of New Democracy Euro-deputy
Antonis Trakatelis sent a letter addressed to European Parliament
Environmental Committee chairman Mr. Collins asking for an open
discussion on the ecological disaster in Kossovo as a result of
the NATO bombings.
Also, with a question submitted to the EU Council of
Ministers that will be discussed in the next plenary session in
Strasbourg on May 3-7, Mr. Trakatelis asked for an end to the
thoughtless destruction of targets that are a threat for the
public health and the environment as well as for the banning of
the use of ammunition in Kossovo that includes uranium.
[21] GREEK EURO-DEPUTY RAISED THE QUESTION OF THE DESTRUCTION OF
CULTURAL MONUMENTS IN YUGOSLAVIA
Greek governing socialist party of PASOK Euro-deputy Nikos
Papakiriazis raised the issue of the destruction of the European
cultural heritage as a result of the war in Yugoslavia in a
question directed to the EU Council of Ministers. Mr. Papakiriazis
requested to be informed by the European Council on whether it is
aware of the accusations and information that are being presented
in the international mass media according to which, the war in
Yugoslavia has caused extensive destruction or irreparable damage
to European cultural heritage monuments among them Christian
Orthodox monasteries and churches.
Mr. Papakiriazis wants to know what the European Council
intends to do to stop the destruction in case those accusations
are proved to be true, while in the case of destroyed monuments he
asks the European Council what intends to do in order to restore
them.
Mr. Papakiriazis spoke of a "cultural war crime" that takes
place in a European country as well as an "ecological war crime".
He mentioned that the so-called "humanitarian war", which is a
term of unprecedented hypocricy, has caused big losses among
civilians and has made worse the plight of the refugees. He also
added that this is the main reason that makes imperative the
immediate end of the bombings and the adoption of a political
solution.
[22] MR. FLORAKIS' STATEMENTS IN BELGRADE
Greek Communist party honorary president Harilaos Florakis
will meet in Belgrade tomorrow with Yugoslav president Slobodan
Milosevic.
In statements he made upon his arrival in the Yugoslav
capital, Mr. Florakis expressed his admiration to the courage and
strong resistance displayed by the Serb people. He criticized the
Greek government because it agreed with the imposition of the oil
embargo on Yugoslavia and because it has not made a clear
condemnation of the bombings.
Mr. Florakis said that the new fact in the Greek political
scene is that the young members of all political parties in Greece
are protesting jointly against the NATO attack on Yugoslavia and
stressed that this is a proof of the determination to defend
Greece's national sovereignty and rights.
Commenting on the NATO air strike against the residence of
Slobodan Milosevic, he said that the NATO forces are ruthless and
they take absolutely nothing under consideration, adding that this
is an unprecedented action.
Mr. Florakis also expressed fear over a possible involvement
of Greece in the war scenarios that are being promoted by the
alliance. He added that Greece already has a problem with Thrace
and mentioned that any change of borders is made after a war. Mr.
Florakis stated characteristically that the Greek borders were
defined after the Balkan Wars, adding that anything which is
defined through a war can change again only through a war. Mr.
Florakis stressed that there is no example of a change of borders
through a peaceful settlement.
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