 |
Compact version |
|
 |
        |
|
 |
||
|
Friday, 29 November 2024
|
||
 |
 |
|
|
|
Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 99-10-03Macedonian 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] EUROPENEWS IN DETAIL[A] GREECE[01] GREEK-SERB FRIENDSHIP SOCIETY HOSTS SERB CHILDREN IN KAVALAWeb Posted: 13:27 GMT+2Kavala, 03/10/1999 (MPA) A group of Serb children, mostly orphans between the ages of 8 and 12, will be cared for by families in Kavala over the next nine months.As the Athens News reported, this initiative was organised by the Yugoslav branch of the Red Cross and the. The children will be accompanied by their Serbian teachers so that they will be able to keep up with their studies. The mayor of Kavala, Stathis Efifillidis, expressed his sympathy towards the children and said that "all the residents of the city have shown their love for the children", especially those who will be caring for them during this academic year. A.F. [02] US SOLDIER SERVING IN KFOR ARRESTED FOR DUI IN THESSALONIKIWeb Posted: 13:27 GMT+2Thessaloniki, 03/10/1999 (MPA) A United States soldier serving in the KFOR unit was arrested on drunk-driving charges in the wee hours of Saturday morning in downtown Thessaloniki.According to the police report, 36-year-old Major Nils Ericsson was arrested while driving off-duty after being stopped for a random breathalyser test. He was found to be three times over the legal blood-alcohol limit. A.F. [03] WEB SITE REFERS TO LISTING FOR NATIONAL LAND REGISTERWeb Posted: 13:27 GMT+2Athens, 03/10/1999 (MPA) The Panhellenic Federation of Real Estate Owners (POMIDA) has established a web site to provide land owners with information about when and how to declare their property with the National Land Register.The web site provides the full texts of the declarations and statements which must be made by the interested parties. It is also expected to be widely used by owners of land who reside abroad. POMIDA's home page can be found at http: //www.pomida.gr About two million property owners in 275 municipalities around the country have until October 5 to file their declarations. Around 500,000 owners of real estate have registered their properties for a national land register being created in Greece for the first time. The register is expected to start initial operations in 2004. A.F. [04] JAPANESE BUSINESS DELEGATION TO VISIT THRACE TOMORROWWeb Posted: 13:27 GMT+2Alexandroupolis, 03/10/1999 (MPA) A delegation of Japanese businessmen is to visit Thrace, in Northern Greece, next month, in order to look into the opportunities for economic and trade liaisons with local ventures.The Japanese guests, comprising officials from the embassy of Japan and their country's Foreign Trade Organization, are to visit Thrace on October 4-5 upon the invitation of the Rodopi-Evros local administration, the Bureaus of Industrial Change and the European Information Center. During their two-day stay, the visitors will become acquainted with the region's economic profile and the investment opportunities. The event will also feature the participation of officials from the Northern Greece Industries Association and the "Hermes" European program for strengthening ties between the European Union and Japan. A.F. [05] GREECE IN A LENGTHY PRE-ELECTION PERIOD, FIRST POLLS EMERGEWeb Posted: 13:27 GMT+2Athens, 03/10/1999 (MPA) As the first opinion polls have began to emerge, the ruling PASOK party has gained on opposition New Democracy's lead, according to press reports.Specifically, the poll conducted on behalf of V-PRC and published in Ta Nea daily, showed Premier Costas Simitis as being considered more suitable for the job of prime minister than ND leader Costas Karamanlis, 41% to 31.8%. Mr. Simitis also beat out Karamanlis in the popularity stakes, 56.9% to 52%. According the press reports, Mr. Simitis had, unsurprisingly, the support of 83.1% of PASOK voters, but 30% of opposition New Democracy supporters also found him appealing. A.F. [06] GREECE TROUBLED OVER TURKEY'S STANCE ON CYPRUS, G/T ISSUESWeb Posted: 13:27 GMT+2Athens, 03/10/1999 (MPA) The Greek government is reportedly troubled over Turkey's stance on the Cyprus issue and Greek-Turkish relations. Following a meeting with the Prime Minister of Finland Paavo Lipponen in Athens yesterday, Premier Costas Simitis stated that Turkey had not taken steps to improve relations with Greece despite the climate of goodwill created after devastating earthquakes struck both countries."Greek-Turkish relations have recently experienced an unprecedented good climate," the premier stated, adding "but this good climate must be translated into action by Turkey... action in this direction has not been seen." Cypriot Foreign Minster Yiannakis Kasoulides stated that the recently-held talks between US President Bill Clinton and Turkish Premier Bulent Ecevit were a "failure". A.F. [B] BALKANS[07] NIKIFOROS MILITARY EXERCISE CONTINUES IN CYPRUSWeb Posted: 13:27 GMT+2Nicosia, 03/10/1999 (MPA) The annual military exercise Nikiforos is presently underway in Cyprus, where Greece's Defense Minster Akis Tsochatzopoulos attended the opening ceremony during his visit to island.The main stages of the Nikiforos 99 manoeuvres will be on Tuesday and Wednesday, with the participation of Greek parachutists, aircraft and warships. The five-day exercise aims to test the Cypriot military's preparedness and to train soldiers under realistic conditions. All branches of the armed forces, both active and reserve, are involved in the day and night-time manoeuvres. The operation ends on Thursday with parades in Larnaca and Paphos. A.F. [08] GREEK, DUTCH COMPANIES TO ACQUIRE BULGARIAN TELECOMSWeb Posted: 13:27 GMT+2Sofia, 03/10/1999 (MPA) The Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation (OTE) and KPN of The Netherlands are to acquire a controlling stake in BTK, Bulgaria's state telecommunications company , within two weeks, Greece's Deputy Transport and Communications Minister Nikos Salayannis and Bulgarian Deputy Premier Evgeni Bakartziev announced yesterday.Mr. Bakartziev told reporters that the sale of the majority stake in Bulgarian Telecommunications Organisation was the country's largest privatisation to date. The two officials agreed that outstanding technical points in the sale arrangement would be resolved by October 15. A.F. [09] GREEK FOREIGN MINISTER TO BE KEYNOTE SPEAKER AT ISTANBUL U.Web Posted: 13:27 GMT+2Istanbul, 03/10/1999 (MPA) Greece's Foreign Minister George Papandreou will visit Istanbul on October 5 to deliver a speech to university students and attend a panel conference at the invitation of the "Taxim" Intellectuals' Club.The panel, which meets at regular intervals, will discuss current affairs, such as the new international environment in the region and Greek-Turkish relations. In his address at Istanbul University, Mr. Papandreou will speak on the role of the society of citizens and of the two peoples in shaping the climate in Greek-Turkish relations. He will later attend a dinner given in his honor by the university's dean. His Turkish counterpart Ismail Cem has also been invited. A.F. [10] CALLS FOR RESIGNATION OF MILOSEVIC ESCALATE IN YUGOSLAVIAWeb Posted: 13:27 GMT+2Belgrade, 03/10/1999 (MPA) More than 50,000 people took to the streets in towns throughout Serbia yesterday in escalating calls for the resignation of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.According to press reports, riot police prevented anti-regime protesters from marching along Belgrade streets, pushing them back but using no force, unlike on previous occasions, as the opposition leaders vowed to keep up the pressure on President Milosevic. Some 10,000 people, led by leaders of the opposition coalition Alliance for Change, had intended to march to the main Belgrade hospital to show support for opposition activists injured in protest violence over the past few days. A.F. [C] EUROPE[11] GERMAN CHANCELLOR SCHROEDER TO CONDUCT VISIT TO ATHENSWeb Posted: 13:27 GMT+2Bonn, 03/10/1999 (MPA) German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder will conduct a working visit to Athens on October 4 and 5, where he will meet with the President of the Hellenic Repuiblic Kostis Stephanopoulos and other officials.Mr. Schroeder will have talks with Prime Minister Costas Simitis on a wide range of European issues while in the evening of the same day the two leaders will attend an event celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Greek- German Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Simitis told a German daily that Mr. Schroeder's visit "confirms once more the close cooperation Greece and Germany have on all levels and seals the friendly sentiments between the people of the two countries. "The two countries are united above all by the attempt to build a united European home. They are united by the attempt to respond to the great challenges facing Europe, at the most decisive point in developments, on the threshold of 2000," he said. He added that solidarity should provide the basis for the seeking of effective answers to issues of vital importance and that joint positions and joint action should provide the answer for the European Union on critical matters such as foreign policy. He said he was optimistic that a new Europe of peace, democracy, freedom, prosperity and social justice was being born. "Greece and Germany have and will continue to have a definitive contribution to winning this wager with the future," Mr. Simitis said. Mr. Schroeder's visit will focus primarily on three axes: Firstly, European policy issues including, according to reports, promotion of institutional reforms in the European Union - where Greece and Germany have diverging views - and the prospect of Greece's participation in the euro zone as of Jan. 1, 2001. Secondly, stabilisation in the Balkans after the Kosovo crisis through the Stability Pact and the European prospects of countries in the region. Finally, Greek-Turkish relations and the Cyprus issue, given the German chancellor's commitment for Turkey to be granted candidate status for EU accession at the Helsinki summit in December. A.F. 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 |
|
 |
|
 |
 |
|
All Rights Reserved.