Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 99-04-29
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, April 29, 1999
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] BANK OF GREECE RELEASES ITS ANNUAL REPORT ON ECONOMY
[02] "THUMBS UP" FOR GREEK ECONOMY BY DEUTSCHE BANK-BERENBERG
[03] RAIL ROUTES TO BE LIMITED ON MAYDAY DUE TO PLANNED STRIKES
[04] REPPAS ON THE CONTACTS OF THE GREEK FOREIGN MINISTER IN
MOSCOW
[05] REPPAS: THERE IS NO REASON FOR A TRAVEL ADVISORY BY THE
UNITED STATES
[06] THE "LIBERALS" IS THE NEW POLITICAL PARTY FOUNDED BY
STEPHANOS MANOS
[07] KARAMANLIS ACCUSED THE GOVERNMENT OF LACKING COURAGE
[08] THE ND HONORARY PRESIDENT COMMENTED ON THE CHANIA PREFECT
DECISION CONCERNING NICHOLAS BURNS
[09] THE FIRST CONFERENCE OF MASS MEDIA OF THE GREEKS LIVING
ABROAD WILL BE HELD IN THESSALONIKI ON MAY 2-5
[10] GEORGIEVSKI, MAJKO AND POSSIBLY PRODI WILL ATTEND AN ECONOMIC
FORUM IN THESSALONIKI NEXT MONTH
[11] PAPANDREOU: SIGNIFICANT DIPLOMATIC MOBILITY AIMED AT DEFUSING
THE CRISIS IN YUGOSLAVIA
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[12] NATO RAIDS CONTINUE, MONTENEGRO IN THE EYE OF THE STORM
[13] UN SECRETARY GENERAL IN MOSCOW, TO HOLD TALKS TODAY
[14] GREEK FM MEETS WITH RUSSIAN COUNTERPART IN MOSCOW
[15] DRASCOVIC REMOVED FROM DEPUTY PREMIER'S POST BY BULATOVIC
[16] CHERNOMYRDIN TO MEET WITH MILOSEVIC IN BELGRADE TOMORROW
[17] U.S., EU, TAKE NEW INITIATIVE ON CYPRUS WITH RUSSIA'S INPUT
[18] SPANISH ACADEMIC ISSUES BOOK ON HISTORY OF GREEK LANGUAGE
[19] ALBANIA DOES NOT MENTION GREECE AMONG THE COUNTRIES OFFERING
HUMANITARIAN AID
[20] MORE EXPLOSIONS IN PODGORICA TODAY
[21] CHERNOMIRDIN WILL VISIT BONN, ROME AND BELGRADE
[22] THE "CHERNOBIL VIRUS" HAS HIT THE THERMO-ELECTRIC POWER PLANT
IN BITOLA
[23] REACTIONS IN SOFIA OVER THE NATO MISSILE
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] BANK OF GREECE RELEASES ITS ANNUAL REPORT ON ECONOMY
The Bank of Greece is to release its annual report on the
state's economy today and, reportedly, its governor Lukas
Papademos finds that the economy's sizes have not been burdened by
the armed conflict in Yugoslavia.
Nevertheless, Mr. Papademos warns that if the crisis in the
neighboring country is not soon over, Greece's economy will be
negatively affected, especially the country's macroeconomics
prospects.
[02] "THUMBS UP" FOR GREEK ECONOMY BY DEUTSCHE BANK-BERENBERG
Greece continues its course to the Economic and Monetary
Union unscathed by the Kosovo crisis, according to the latest
report issued by Deutsche Bank, which finds that the country's
accession pace remains in line with the Euro zone's member-states.
However, the report also points out that the war in
Yugoslavia will bear short-term repercussions on the state's
economy, mostly reflected by a decline in this year's rate of
development.
As such, the German financial analysts have re-considered
their assessment on Greece's growth rate, containing the figure to
3.1%, a slight drop from the previous forecasts of 3.3%.
Regardless of the conflict in Yugoslavia, Deutsche Bank also
warns that inflation remains the country's biggest hurdle to
overcome, but adding that any rise in oil prices would not have an
adverse impact on Greece's euro entry.
Another German bank also grants, albeit indirectly, kudos to
the state's economy, noting its "resiliency" to the crisis.
In a recently-published report, Berenberg, once again
promotes Greek stocks and bonds, noting that Greece holds the
largest share among the EU's mid-sized states in the bank's
international portfolio.
[03] RAIL ROUTES TO BE LIMITED ON MAYDAY DUE TO PLANNED STRIKES
The Greek Railway Organization (OSE) will limit its routes to
a bare minimum on Saturday, due to the rail workers' planned
strike on Saturday, May 1.
The Athens-Thessaloniki-Athens route will be run by train
500/50, while other regions will also be served by a single route
as well.
Those wishing to travel on Saturday, should contact the OSE
offices in Athens at (01) 529-7777 for itinerary information.
[04] REPPAS ON THE CONTACTS OF THE GREEK FOREIGN MINISTER IN
MOSCOW
Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas stressed that UN
secretary-general Kofi Annan and Greek foreign minister Giorgos
Papandreou exchanged views for a solution in Kossovo through
peaceful means, the more active intervention of UN Security
Council and the humanitarian aid for the refugees.
Mr. Reppas added that later in the afternoon there will be a
four-party meeting both for the better coordination of the efforts
and the undertaking of initiatives aimed at reaching a political
solution. On the issue of the humanitarian aid, he said that
Russia, Greece and Switzerland will undertake an initiative and
will coordinate their efforts in order to reach every part of
Yugoslavia.
[05] REPPAS: THERE IS NO REASON FOR A TRAVEL ADVISORY BY THE
UNITED STATES
Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas confirmed that US
ambassador Nicholas Burns visited the foreign ministry yesterday
afternoon and expressed the concern of the US government over the
terrorist attack on the US Fullbright institution office in
Thessaloniki, pointing out that the US government has an
obligation to inform the US citizens over the events taking place
in Greece.
On the likelihood of a travel advisory to be issued by the US
government against Greece, Mr. Reppas said that such a move could
create many problems to tourism and make the atmosphere heavier,
adding that therefore, it would be best to be avoided, stressing
that there is no reason for the United States to make such a move.
[06] THE "LIBERALS" IS THE NEW POLITICAL PARTY FOUNDED BY
STEPHANOS MANOS
Former New Democracy leading member Mr. Stephanos Manos
announced the creation of a new political party at noon today. The
new party is called the "Liberals" and its emblem is the bull,
while its colour is red. Its founding members are 300 and Mr.
Manos stated that they want to stay away from the political party
establishment. The founder of the "Liberals" stated that the
emblem of his party symbolises power, endurance and boldness.
He said that the basic principle of the new party is that
people come first and added that everything that can be decided by
the citizens at an individual level or within the family structure
is his or her right and responsibility. Mr. Manos stated that in
case of collective decisions the institutions closer to the
citizen have a priority namely, the local community and the
municipality followed by the regional authorities, the state
authority and the international organizations such as the European
Union.
[07] KARAMANLIS ACCUSED THE GOVERNMENT OF LACKING COURAGE
Right-wing main opposition party of New Democracy Kostas
Karamanlis in a press conference accused the government of lacking
courage and boldness in the issue of Kosovo.
The leader of the main opposition party pointed out that
Greece appeared inadequate to deal with the situation effectively
because it did not express its position in a dynamic and clear way
within the framework of the north Atlantic alliance. He also
stated that the government should have called a meeting of the
Council of Political Party Leaders under the chairmanship of the
president of the Republic.
[08] THE ND HONORARY PRESIDENT COMMENTED ON THE CHANIA PREFECT
DECISION CONCERNING NICHOLAS BURNS
Right-wing main opposition party of New Democracy honorary
president Konstantinos Mitsotakis referred today to the decision
by the Chania prefect in Crete to characterize US ambassador
Nicholas Burns as a "persona non grata". Mr. Mitsotakis stated
that this action is unacceptable and added that it does represent
the people of Crete.
The people of Crete are against the bombings, stated the
former prime minister, adding that there is a long way from this
stance to the threats launched by the prefect. Mr. Mitsotakis
concluded that the foreign policy needs a sense of responsibility
and self-restraint.
[09] THE FIRST CONFERENCE OF MASS MEDIA OF THE GREEKS LIVING
ABROAD WILL BE HELD IN THESSALONIKI ON MAY 2-5
The Federation of the Mass Media of the Greeks abroad have
chosen Thessaloniki to hold its conference on the mass media of
the Greeks abroad as a network of communication between hellenism
and the international community.
The conference will open on May 2 and will be completed on
May 5 with the participation of Greek politicians, academics,
journalists and other observers. It will be held under the
auspices of the ministry of press, the foreign ministry and the
World Council for Hellenes Abroad (SAE), while it has the support
of ministry of Macedonia-Thrace and the prefecture of
Thessaloniki.
[10] GEORGIEVSKI, MAJKO AND POSSIBLY PRODI WILL ATTEND AN ECONOMIC
FORUM IN THESSALONIKI NEXT MONTH
The prime ministers of FYROM and Albania Ljupco Georgievski
and Panteli Majko will be in Thessaloniki next month to attend the
6th Forum of the Greek Industries in northern Greece Association.
The forum will also be attended by prime minister Kostas Simitis
and right-wing main opposition party of New Democracy leader
Kostas Karamanlis.
The announcement was made today by association president
Vasilis Takas, who stated that the forum that will be held on May
10 and 11, adding that it is possible to be attended by new
European Commission president Romano Prodi.
Mr. Georgievski will be accompanied by a government
delegation made up of the ministers of finance, development,
defense and foreign affairs.
Meanwhile, Vasili Topurkovski head of FYROM's Organization
for Reconstruction and Development and president of the Democratic
Alternative party will also be in Thessaloniki on the occasion of
the forum.
[11] PAPANDREOU: SIGNIFICANT DIPLOMATIC MOBILITY AIMED AT DEFUSING
THE CRISIS IN YUGOSLAVIA
Greek foreign minister Giorgos Papandreou in an interview
with the Athens radio station "Flash" expressed the hope that the
diplomatic mobility which is in progress will bring results and
will lead to the defusing of the crisis in Kossovo.
Mr. Papandreou, who is currently on a visit to Moscow, stated
that the diplomatic mobility is at front stage compared to the
military operations in spite of the fact that they are still
underway.
Mr. Papandreou stated that UN secretary-general Kofi Annan is
preparing the ground for a decision by the UN Security Council
which effectively will be the framework for a final solution. He
said that there will be negotiations with the Yugoslav side on
behalf of Russia and Greece will contribute to the effort in its
own way.
He also said that the main problem is the identity of the
multi-national force that will be deployed to oversee peace in the
region after a decision by the UN Security Council.
Mr. Papandreou characterized the diplomatic mobility as
significant and pointed out that there are mutual efforts for
compromise, adding that the Russian side continues the diplomatic
efforts.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[12] NATO RAIDS CONTINUE, MONTENEGRO IN THE EYE OF THE STORM
A nightly occurrence for over a month now, NATO air forces
pounded Yugoslavia last night, targeting Belgrade's suburbs and
Montenegro's capital city Podgorica. According to the Yugoslav
news agency Tanjung, yesterday's raids marked the most severe
attack against Montenegro since the start of "Operation Allied
Force".
Allied forces also struck a fuel depot south of Belgrade, a
Sava River bridge west of the Yugoslav capital and an oil refinery
in Novi Sad.
[13] UN SECRETARY GENERAL IN MOSCOW, TO HOLD TALKS TODAY
The United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan is to have a
series of meetings with Russian leaders in Moscow today, in an
effort to reach a diplomatic solution to the Kosovo crisis.
Reportedly, the Russian leaders are viewing Mr. Annan's visit
as an opportunity to promote a peacemaking initiative for Kosovo.
During his stay in Moscow, Mr. Annan is to meet with
Greece's and Canada's Foreign Ministers, George Papandreou and
Lloyd Axworthy respectively.
[14] GREEK FM MEETS WITH RUSSIAN COUNTERPART IN MOSCOW
The foreign ministers of Greece and Russia, George Papandreou
and Igor Ivanov respectively, have called on the United Nations to
contribute more vigorously to the peaceful settlement of the
Balkan crisis.
Following their talks in Moscow yesterday, Mr. Papandreou
called for an end
to hostilities in Yugoslavia and a speedy resolution of the Kosovo
issue. He stressed the important role carried out by Russia in
this process.
Mr. Papandreou further pointed out that the Balkan war has
created
serious economic and political problems for Greece, Yugoslavia's
largest investor.
According to the Russian news agency Itar-Tass, Mr. Ivanov
noted that he and Mr. Papandreou had a detailed discussion of the
situation in the Balkans, which is matter of "serious concern"
further stressing that "the U.N. should play an active role in the
political settlement."
In addition to the Kosovo issue, the ministers also discussed
"stability and security in the Balkans after the war" while Mr.
Papandreou said Russia will play a decisive role in achieving this
target.
Messrs. Ivanov and Papandreou expressed satisfaction over the
state of bilateral relations and called for the development of
cooperation between the two countries in all areas.
[15] DRASCOVIC REMOVED FROM DEPUTY PREMIER'S POST BY BULATOVIC
Vuk Draskovic was removed from his post as Yugoslav deputy
prime minister yesterday, reportedly for having voiced his
opposition to the government's position on NATO demands over
Kosovo, according to the Yugoslav news agency Tanjung.
"The president of the federal government, Momir Bulatovic,
has dismissed
Vuk Draskovic from his functions as a member of the government by
reason of his public statements against government positions, and
for damaging the government's prestige," the information ministry
said in a statement quoted by Tanjung.
Mr. Drascovic, leader of the Serbia Renewal Movement (SPO)
had called on Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic to cooperate
with the international community in order to put an end to NATO's
raids.
He criticized "those who lead the country... the so-called
patriots," telling them to "stop lying to the people and finally
tell the truth."
The truth, Mr. Drascovic said, is that "we are alone... NATO
is not facing collapse, Russia will not militarily help Yugoslavia
and international opinion is
against us."
[16] CHERNOMYRDIN TO MEET WITH MILOSEVIC IN BELGRADE TOMORROW
Russia's special Balkan envoy Viktor Chernomyrdin will visit
Belgrade tomorrow where he will meet with Yugoslav President
Slobodan Milosevic.
According to the Russian news agency Itar-Tass, Mr.
Chernomyrdin is expected to brief Mr. Milosevic on the position of
NATO leaders with whom he will have met before his trip to
Belgrade.
Mr. Chernomyrdin reportedly hopes that the Yugoslav leader
will also announce some steps to stop the bombings in Yugoslavia
and settle the conflict.
Today, he embarked on a two-day diplomatic shuttle of
European and Balkan capitals saying he had "concrete proposals" on
resolving the five-week Yugoslav crisis.
[17] U.S., EU, TAKE NEW INITIATIVE ON CYPRUS WITH RUSSIA'S INPUT
The British envoy for the Cyprus issue sir David Hannay has
confirmed that there is a new initiative taken by the United
States and the European Union regarding the resolution of the
Cypriot issue.
Speaking to the BBC radio program, Sir David stressed that
the imminent initiative will be revealed as soon as a cabinet is
formed in Turkey, while he added that the US and the EU are
working closely with Russia, given the common ground held in the
views.
Furthermore, the British envoy did not out the possibility of
a new round of direct talks between the President of the Republic
of Cyprus Glafcos Clerides and the Turkish-Cypriot leader Rauf
Denktash.
[18] SPANISH ACADEMIC ISSUES BOOK ON HISTORY OF GREEK LANGUAGE
Greek is the world's first language, according to the Spanish
academic Francisco Rodrigues Adrados, who recently published his
new book "The History of the Greek Language".
Mr. Adrados, who has dedicated his 50-year academic career to
the study of Hellenism, stressed the significance of Greek and
emphasized the influence it has borne on all other languages.
The book's presentation was performed by the former chairman
of the Athens Academy Agapetos Tsobanakis, Spanish Academic
Gregorio Salvador Kaja and professor of Greek literature Juan Jose
Morajelos.
Greece's ambassador to Madrid Petros Aggelakis, saluting the
event, expressed his admiration for the work of Mr. Adrados, whom
he characterized as "the patriarch of Hellenists in Spain."
[19] ALBANIA DOES NOT MENTION GREECE AMONG THE COUNTRIES OFFERING
HUMANITARIAN AID
The international community has sent to Albania humanitarian
aid of 34.926 tons with an estimated value of 49.901.912 US
dollars in order to help the country deal with the unprecedented
influx of refugees because of the war in Yugoslavia, according to
statistical data that were published by the Albanian ministry of
information.
However, there was big surprise by the fact that Greece is
absent from the official list of countries that have offered
humanitarian aid for the Kossovo refugees. The list issued by the
Albanian government does not include Greece in spite of the fact
that it comes second after Germany based on the thousands of tons
of food and pharmaceuticals sent for the Kossovo refugees.
[20] MORE EXPLOSIONS IN PODGORICA TODAY
More explosions were heard near the capital of Montenegro,
Podgorica today. Last night, the city was hit with the heaviest
bombing since the start of the NATO air campaign against
Yugoslavia. Meanwhile, a woman was killed and 3 people were
injured last night during the attack against the Podgorica
airport. They are the first victims among unarmed civilians in
Montenegro.
A NATO missile struck Sofia's suburb of Gora Banja in
Bulgaria and destroyed a house.
According to Bulgarian foreign minister Nadetza Michailova
the missile was one of those used by NATO and requested
explanations from the alliance over the aircraft that was seen
flying in the region at the time of the attack, according to the
French news agency AFP.
Interior minister Bogomil Bonev mentioned that the aircraft
was not Serb because it entered the Bulgarian airspace from Kosovo
and then turned to FYROM.
NATO has not confirmed yet its involvement in the events.
[21] CHERNOMIRDIN WILL VISIT BONN, ROME AND BELGRADE
Russian special mediator for Yugoslavia, Victor Chernomirdin
will bring specific proposals to Bonn, Rome and Belgrade for the
solution of the crisis in Yugoslavia, according to the news agency
Interfax.
Upon his departure for the German capital, Mr. Chernomirdin
stated that his talks will focus on the composition of the
international presence in Yugoslavia. The former Russian prime
minister met earlier this morning with the UN secretary-general.
Also, in Moscow are Greek foreign minister Giorgos Papandreou
and his Canadian counterpart, who are scheduled to meet with Kofi
Annan.
[22] THE "CHERNOBIL VIRUS" HAS HIT THE THERMO-ELECTRIC POWER PLANT
IN BITOLA
The computers of the thermo-electric power plant and the
lignite mine in Bitola, FYROM have been hit by the so-called
"Chernobil virus" causing serious problems to their operation,
according to the newspaper "Dnevnik".
Also, serious problems were caused by the virus to the
computer systems of big private businesses as well.
The virus was named after the Chernobil nuclear plant that
exploded on April 26, 1986 as a result of a data loss from its
hard disc and because the computer was unable to start. The virus
was discovered in June of 1998 and initially had spread from the
CD-ROM. It affects the computers using the Windows 95 and Windows
98 systems.
[23] REACTIONS IN SOFIA OVER THE NATO MISSILE
Bulgarian interior minister Bogomil Bonev spoke of an
unprecedented "violation" of the Bulgarian airspace, referring to
last night's "landing" of a NATO missile at Sofia's Gorna Banja
suburb. Based on the investigation conducted by specialists it was
a Harm missile.
In a telephone communication with German defense minister
Rudolf Scharping, Bulgarian foreign minister Nadezda Michailova
demanded an investigation to determine to which NATO country
belongs the missile and who was the pilot who made the launch, in
order to claim compensation through the courts for the material
damage caused and the shock suffered by the Bulgarian family that
saw its house reduced to rubble.
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