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Tuesday, 26 November 2024
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Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 99-04-24Macedonian 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: 23:27 GMT+2SECTIONS
NEWS HEADLINES[A] GREECE[B] BALKANS[C] WORLDNEWS IN DETAIL[A] GREECE[01] GREEK MILITARY OFFICERS LEFT FOR TIRANA FROM MACEDONIA AIRPORTWeb Posted: 15:27 GMT+2Thessaloniki, 24/04/1999 (MPA) Greek military officers left for Tirana from Thessaloniki's Macedonia Airport to join the Greek force which is deployed in Albania for the past few years.A spokesman of the National Defense General Staff in Thessaloniki stated to MPA that the mission of the officers is placed within the framework of the replacement of the Greek forces already in Albania and is not associated with the NATO military operations in the region. [02] THESSALONIKI'S MACEDONIA AIRPORT IS READY FOR THE TRANSFER OF KOSOVO REFUGEES TO THE UNITED STATESWeb Posted: 15:27 GMT+2Thessaloniki, 24/04/1999 (MPA) Thessaloniki's Macedonia Airport is ready for the transfer of Kossovo refugees to the United States and European countries, according to minister of Macedonia-Thrace Yiannis Magriotis.Mr. Magriotis clarified that only a limited number of refugees will be transferred through Macedonia Airport and their stay at the airport will be only a few hours long. The minister announced that patients and injured people from Balkan states are in Thessaloniki's hospitals and clinics but their number has not increased after the war compared to the situation before the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. [B] BALKANS[03] THE TRIAL OF OCALAN WILL START AT THE END OF MAYWeb Posted: 15:27 GMT+2Ankara, 24/04/1999 (MPA) The trial of Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan is expected to start at the end of May after the construction of a special court house in the Imrali prison-island in the Sea of Marmara in Turkey where he is being held.The Ankara prosecutor presented the charges against him last week. Among others, he is accused of treason, crimes against the state, incitement to commit murder and participation in drug-trafficking. If found guilty of the changes Ocalan could be sentenced to death. [04] THE ASSOCIATION OF BULGARIAN JOURNALISTS CONDEMNS THE NATO ATTACKSWeb Posted: 15:27 GMT+2Sofia, 24/04/1999 (MPA) The Association of Bulgarian Journalists with a letter addressed to NATO secretary-general Javier Solana protested against the violation of the professional and human rights of their colleagues in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia."Stop this madness", stressed the Association of Bulgarian Journalists and expressed its support to the appeal of the International Federation of Journalists issued to NATO, calling the alliance to stop using the journalists as targets in its air strikes, put an end to violence and open peace negotiations. [05] NEW NATO BOMBINGS OF YUGOSLAVIAWeb Posted: 15:27 GMT+2Belgrade, 24/04/1999 (MPA) New NATO bombings rocked many cities in Yugoslavia last night. The allied aircraft bombed industry plants and fuel storage cites in the cities of Novi Sad and Nis.According to information, another bridge was completely destroyed in Nis. Meanwhile, the world is still shocked after the bombing of the Serb state television building in Belgrade. [C] WORLD[06] NATO WILL INTENSIFY THE BOMBING OF YUGOSLAVIAWeb Posted: 15:27 GMT+2Washington, 24/04/1999 (MPA) The NATO summit meeting for the 50th anniversary of the alliance continues in Washington. In a statement issued by the leaders of the 19 member-states it is stressed that NATO is determined to triumph, while the proposal made by the Yugoslav president is characterized as inadequate and it is stressed that no concession will be made to NATO's five demands to Belgrade.US president Clinton characterized Slobodan Milosevic as the last European dictator of the century adding, however, that he is open to a diplomatic solution if the terms set by the alliance are met. [07] PRESIDENT CLINTON PRAISED THE ROLE OF GREECEWeb Posted: 15:27 GMT+2Washington, 24/04/1999 (MPA) Most of the NATO countries want the air strikes against Yugoslavia to intensify, stated prime minister Kostas Simitis in a press conference he gave in Washington yesterday. Mr. Simitis stressed that the atmosphere was especially friendly toward Greece adding that the allies realize the special problems stemming from the double identity of the country, being a NATO member and a Balkan state.Mr. Simitis pointed out that the United Nations need to play a more active role in the Kossovo crisis, while a peace-keeping force must be deployed that will not be a NATO force but a UN force or a force under the United Nations. He also said that a role can be played by the UN Security Council as well. He said that he stressed to the allies that there are certain consequences as a result of the intervention in Yugoslavia that need to be taken under consideration such as, the economic destabilization of Albania and FYROM, the risk of political destabilization as a result of the large number of refugees, the fact that the military operations were not able, at least until now, to avert the ethnic cleansing policy creating instead hundreds of thousands of refugees and finally, the fact that Milosevic does not appear to have lost his prestige or his appeal to the Yugoslav public but on the contrary, he appears to have gained more support by his people. Mr. Simitis also referred to the joined declaration that was issued by the 19 leaders which took the Greek positions under consideration namely, the role of the UN Security Council and the need for a more creative cooperation with Russia. He said that Greece had stressed the need to pay special attention to the problem of the borders as well as the drawing up of a plan for the reconstruction of the region. Mr. Simitis also stated that Greece is the only country that has sent humanitarian aid to Kossovo for the Serbs and the Kosovars and stressed that there should be greater coordination in this effort. Mr. Simitis also stated that he expressed the view that the air strikes can not lead to a political solution. He said that the intensification of the bombings can be a means of exerting pressure on Yugoslavia but they can not lead to Belgrade's acceptance of all the pre-conditions set by NATO, adding that this can only be the result of political consultations. Earlier, the prime minister had a meeting with the US president to discuss the developments in Kossovo, the Cyprus problem and Greek-Turkish relations. Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas stated that president Clinton appreciates the role of Greece and praised its contribution to the distribution of humanitarian aid as well as the way in which it deals with the issue. 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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