Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 99-10-21
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, October 21, 1999
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] VIDEOLOTTO BILL SACKED, ELATED OPPOSITION
DECLARES VICTORY
[02] PREMIER VOWS NOT TO ALLOW OPPOSITION POISON
PUBLIC LIFE
[03] PRESIDENT TO BE IN THESSALONIKI FOR PATRON
SAINT HOLIDAY
[04] ECONOMY MINISTER TO MEET WITH BANK OF
GREECE GOVERNOR
[05] OPTIMISM ABOUNDS FOR PARTHENON MARBLES
RETURN TO ATHENS
[06] GREECE RANKS FOURTH IN EU'S INFLATION
REDUCTION COURSE
[07] THESSALONIKI HOSTS SE EUROPE'S FIRST
ELECTRONIC TRADE EVENT
[08] INDEPENDENCE DAY OF CYPRUS TO BE OBSERVED
IN THESSALONIKI
[09] SIMITIS: GREECE SEEKS TO SAFEGUARD ITS
NATIONAL RIGHTS
[10] PAPANTONIOU: THE INTEREST RATE CUT IS SMALL
TO CAUSE ANY DEVELOPMENTS
[11] SMALL DECLINE IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
[12] EARTHQUAKE OF 4.8 ON THE RICHTER SCALE IN
PATRAS
[13] QUESTIONS RAISED OVER THE NUCLEAR WEAPONS
ALLEGEDLY STORED IN GREECE
[14] A GREEK VILLAGE WILL BE BUILT IN AUSTRIA
[15] MITSOTAKIS: THE PRIME MINISTER MUST RAISE
THE ISSUE OF THE DEVELOPMENTS IN YUGOSLAVIA TO
THE US PRESIDENT
[16] THE GREEK-AMERICANS ARE OUTRAGED BY THE
TRAGIC DEATH OF A 6YEAROLD BOY IN THE ISLAND OF
IMVROS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[17] TURKEY: FORMER MINISTER KILLED IN BOMB
ATTACK TODAY
[18] US STORED NUCLEAR WEAPONS ABROAD DURING
COLD WAR
[19] QUAKE OF 4.4 RICHTER RATTLES WESTERN
TURKEY, NO VICTIMS
[20] ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER D'ALEMA TO VISIT
GREECE NEXT WEEK
[21] NATIONAL BANK OF GREECE FOCUSES ON BALKAN
DEVELOPMENT
[22] YUGOSLAVIA BANS COMMERCIAL FLIGHTS FROM
SKOPJE TO PRISTINA
[23] TURKEY'S COURT OF APPEALS BEGINS REVIEW OF
OCALAN CASE
[24] YUGOSLAV OPPOSITION THREATENS TO FORM
PARALLEL PARLIAMENT
[25] APOSTOLAKIS: TURKEY MUST SHOW THAT IT
RESPECTS THE TREATIES ON CYPRUS
[26] TURKEY ATTEMPTS A DIPLOMATIC MANOEUVRE ON
THE ISSUE OF THE CHALKI THEOLOGY SCHOOL
[27] THE HELLENIC PETROLEUM LTD IS INTERESTED IN
PURCHASING A TV STATION IN SKOPJE
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NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] VIDEOLOTTO BILL SACKED, ELATED OPPOSITION
DECLARES VICTORY
After Prime Minister Costas Simitis
announced yesterday evening that the state will
withdraw the "videolotto" bill, a lottery
planned in view of the Athens Olympic Games of
2004, the main opposition party New Democracy
declared what it called its first victory in the
battle against "intrasparency and corruption".
New Democracy leader Costas Karamanlis
stated that his party's opposition to "turning
the country into a nation full of gamblers" has
been vindicated and added that the bill
withdrawal is "an admission of guilt" on behalf
of the government.
Mr. Simitis stated that New Democracy was
"unable to set out a substantial political
argument and lacked contact with the real
problems facing Greek society".
Dismissing charges of underhandedness, Mr.
Simitis stressed that there "have never been so
many and such guarantees of transparency in the
form of judicial checks of all procurements and
projects".
[02] PREMIER VOWS NOT TO ALLOW OPPOSITION POISON
PUBLIC LIFE
The government will not allow the main
opposition party of New Democracy to poison
Greece's public life, stated the Prime Minister
Costas Simitis upon announcing that the Olympic
videolotto bill will be withdrawn.
During a heated parliamentary debate last
night, the Minister of National Economy Yiannos
Papantoniou accused New Democracy of being a
mouthpiece of the country's casinos and slot
machines, while N.D. leader Costas Karamanlis
accused Mr. Simitis, who did not attend
yesterday's parliamentary debate, of dodging the
issue.
Minor opposition parties joined the chorus
of discontent, with the Communist Party of
Greece accusing both the ruling PASOK party and
N.D. of engaging in cockfights, the Coalition of
the Left and Progress stressing that there is a
lack of transparency in the management of public
funds and the Democratic and Social Movement
commenting that while the bill's withdrawal may
be a small victory, the problem remains.
[03] PRESIDENT TO BE IN THESSALONIKI FOR PATRON
SAINT HOLIDAY
The President of the Hellenic Republic
Kostis Stephanopoulos will attend next week's
festivities in Thessaloniki held in honor of the
city's patron Saint Demetrius (October 26) and
the anniversary of the city's liberation
(October 28).
The holy icon of St. Demetrius will be
carried in procession on October 25, while in
the evening the President will be formally
greeted by the local authorities. A doxology
will be performed on October 26, at the city's
monumental St. Demetrius Church.
On the 28th of October, the President will
lay a wreath at the 3rd Army Corps and will
attend the military parade.
[04] ECONOMY MINISTER TO MEET WITH BANK OF
GREECE GOVERNOR
The Minister of National Economy Yiannos
Papantoniou will meet with the Governor of the
Bank of Greece Lukas Papademos today in order to
draw the country's monetary policy.
According to reports, the Bank of Greece
will lead the de-escalation race, having already
reduced its money market intervention and
overnight funds rates.
[05] OPTIMISM ABOUNDS FOR PARTHENON MARBLES
RETURN TO ATHENS
Greece's Minister of Culture Elisabeth
Papazoi expressed her optimism that the
Parthenon Marbles will return to Greece,
commenting on the resolution issued by the
United Kingdom's House of Commons to conduct a
parliamentary inquiry concerning the return of
national treasures which have dubiously been
acquired by Britain's museums and galleries.
The marbles were taken from the Parthenon
by Britain's Lord Elgin in 1801 and have been
kept in the British Museum since 1816. The
museum now faces criticism and investigation by
a parliamentary committee, as the official
custodians are under fire for covering up for 50
years the damage done to the treasures through
attempts to clean them by scraping the stone.
[06] GREECE RANKS FOURTH IN EU'S INFLATION
REDUCTION COURSE
Greece ranked fourth among the European
Union's member-states in regards to their
inflation course during the month of September,
when it dropped to 1.5%, according to official
data released by the EU Statistical Agency.
The highest inflation rate was noted in
Ireland, with 2.6%, followed by Spain with 2.5%
and Denmark with 2.4%. The lowest figures were
noted in France and Austria with .6%.
[07] THESSALONIKI HOSTS SE EUROPE'S FIRST
ELECTRONIC TRADE EVENT
Thessaloniki will host the first conference
in southeast Europe on electronic commerce,
business and the digital economy, between
October 22-25.
The conference, to be inaugurated tomorrow
by Development Minister Evangelos Venizelos, is
organized by the Commercial Association of
Thessaloniki with the European Commission's
information society's general directorate.
Expected to attend the conference are
delegates from the private and public sectors
throughout southeastern Europe and experts in
the field from European and US universities.
[08] INDEPENDENCE DAY OF CYPRUS TO BE OBSERVED
IN THESSALONIKI
An event marking the anniversary of Cyprus'
independence will be held this evening at
Thessaloniki's Aristotle University (AUT),
featuring Cypriot Ambassador Christodoulos
Pasiardis as keynote speaker.
The event is jointly organized by the
Minister of Macedonia-Thrace Yiannis Magriotis,
Thessaloniki's prefect Costas Papadopoulos,
Mayor Yiannis Magriotis, AUT rector Michalis
Papadopoulos and the Federation of Greece's
Cypriot Organizations.
Musician Marios Tokas and singer George
Dalaras will perform after the addresses.
[09] SIMITIS: GREECE SEEKS TO SAFEGUARD ITS
NATIONAL RIGHTS
Prime minister Kostas Simitis speaking in
the University of Mitilini referred to the
geographic position of the island of Lesvos,
stressing that it is located at a key area for
the development of the Greek-Turkish relations
as since the ancient times it was a passage from
the Mediterranean to the Black Sea.
The prime minister pointed out that there
is a will for peace and cooperation which is
aimed at solving the issue of the continental
shelf and added that Greece seeks to safeguard
its national rights and consolidate the Aegean
as a region of peace.
[10] PAPANTONIOU: THE INTEREST RATE CUT IS SMALL
TO CAUSE ANY DEVELOPMENTS
Minister of national economy and finance
Yiannos Papantoniou met with Bank of Greece
governor Loukas Papadimos.
After the meeting, Mr. Papantoniou stated
that the interest rate cut announced by the Bank
of Greece is very small to cause any
developments in the commercial banks, while he
stressed that the inflation criterion has not
been met yet maintaining that a very tough
monetary policy is necessary.
Mr. Papadimos stated that the further cut
of the interest rates will depend on the course
of the cost-of-living index.
[11] SMALL DECLINE IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
A small decline was recorded in the Athens
Stock Exchange today. The general index dropped
by 0.59% and closed at 5.670,43, while the
volume of transactions reached 356.7 billion
drachmas.
Today's session was characterized by the
strong fluctuations recorded in the general
index as well as by the nervousness that was
evident throughout the session. In spite of the
half percentage point interest rate cut
announced by the Bank of Greece and the big rise
recorded yesterday on the general index, the
significant gains of up to 2% that were recorded
initially were not maintained today and most of
the session was at negative levels. The majority
of the shares closed upward, as 206 moved
upwards, 98 dropped and 16 remained stable.
[12] EARTHQUAKE OF 4.8 ON THE RICHTER SCALE IN
PATRAS
A strong earthquake shook the city of
Patras in the Peloponese, southern Greece at
11:45pm today causing panic among the people.
According to the seismologists in the University
of Patras Seismology Laboratory, the earthquake
measured 4.8 on the Richter scale and its
epicenter was a few kilometers away from the
city.
Athens Geo-dynamic Institute seismologist
Mr. Drakatos stated that the region is
earthquake active and that a period of at least
48 hours has to pass in order for the phenomenon
to develop fully adding, however, that there is
no cause for concern.
[13] QUESTIONS RAISED OVER THE NUCLEAR WEAPONS
ALLEGEDLY STORED IN GREECE
Pressing questions are raised by the report
issued by the US Scientists Atomic Energy
Association which maintains that during the Cold
War period the United States had turned more
than 18 countries into nuclear arsenals and in
many cases this happened without the knowledge
of their leaders.
Among the countries on the list is Greece
as well and allegedly together with other 6
countries continues to have stored nuclear
weapons. The report was based on a secret
document of the US Pentagon which was given to
publicity and officially the Greek government
has denied the contents of the report.
Greek opposition party of Coalition of the
Left parliament deputy Maria Damanaki in a
question directed to the ministers of defense
and foreign affairs asks to be informed if the
Greek governments were aware of the installation
of the weapons, the capability of the Greek
state to control the US military bases on Greek
territory and the way in which the government
intends to deal with the revelations.
[14] A GREEK VILLAGE WILL BE BUILT IN AUSTRIA
The tourists visiting the region of
Scharnstein in Austria will have the opportunity
to stay in typical Greek houses which were built
based on the traditional architecture and have
characteristic furniture and interior
decoration.
The Greek houses with a total of 50 beds
will make up a small settlement within the
framework of a European village that will be
created in the Almtal valley by the Tourismus
Team Austria organization.
The tourists that are expected to visit the
"Eureka Village" will be those who want to meet
the different European cultures and the habits
of the European people displayed in a
micrography.
[15] MITSOTAKIS: THE PRIME MINISTER MUST RAISE
THE ISSUE OF THE DEVELOPMENTS IN YUGOSLAVIA TO
THE US PRESIDENT
Right-wing main opposition party of New
Democracy honorary president Konstantinos
Mitsotakis called on the prime minister to raise
the issue of the developments in Yugoslavia to
US president Bill Clinton during his visit to
Greece.
Mr. Mitsotakis points out that the ethnic
cleansing against the Serbs in Kosovo has been
essentially completed and adds that the crimes
against them were committed virtually in front
of the eyes of the members of the multinational
peace-keeping force.
It should be noted that the latest
developments in the region hurt significant
Greek economic interests.
[16] THE GREEK-AMERICANS ARE OUTRAGED BY THE
TRAGIC DEATH OF A 6YEAROLD BOY IN THE ISLAND OF
IMVROS
Archbishop Iakovos with letters addressed
to US president adviser on National Security
issues Sandy Berger, UN secretary-general Kofi
Annan and European parliament deputies as well
as with a strong written statement to the New
York based Greek-American newspaper "Proini"
protests against the horrible murder of a
6yearold Greek boy in the island of Imvros in
north-eastern Aegean who was burned alive when
Turks set his family house alight.
The Greeks from Istanbul living in New York
also reacted strongly to the news and with a
statement to the newspaper "Proini" in New York
they pointed out that similar actions had forced
them themselves to abandon their ancestral
homes.
It should be noted that yesterday the
Turkish authorities had announced the arrest of
two suspects on the case, while the Turkish
prefect tried to explain that the motives of the
attack were not nationalist.
Responding to a question on the horrible
crime, Greek government spokesman Dimitris
Reppas maintained low tones and stated that the
Greek authorities are in contact and cooperation
with the Turkish authorities on the issue and
added that it is positive the fact that the
majority of the Turkish mass media characterized
the incident as a criminal and inhuman act.
In a letter addressed to Mr. Sandy Berger,
Archbishop Iakovos called on the US government
to conduct its own investigation and protest to
the Turkish embassy in Washington against the
violation of article 14 of the Treaty of
Lauzanne which has resulted to the arrival of
Turkish settlers on the island of Imvros where
only 360 Greeks continue to live under
unacceptable conditions.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[17] TURKEY: FORMER MINISTER KILLED IN BOMB
ATTACK TODAY
Ahmet Taner Kislali, a former government
minister, author, newspaper columnist and
academic, was killed in a bomb attack in Ankara
this morning, according to Turkey's Anadolu news
agency.
Mr. Kislali, 60, a moderate leftist, was
getting into his car outside his home in the
western suburbs of Ankara at 9:40 a.m. when a
bomb apparently placed in the vehicle went off,
the agency reported.
He had served as minister of culture as a
member of the Republican People's Party in 1978
and 1979.
A French-educated academic who taught at
the school of political sciences at Ankara
University, Mr. Kislali was a columnist for the
liberal daily Cumhuriyet.
Hikmet Cetinkaya, the chief editor of
Cumhuriyet, told the NTV news channel that
Kislali was "writing under the threat of death -
like all our columnists."
Another Cumhuriyet writer, investigative
journalist and columnist Ugur Mumcu, was killed
in a similar car bomb attack in 1993. The
perpetrators were never identified or caught.
[18] US STORED NUCLEAR WEAPONS ABROAD DURING
COLD WAR
Press reports abound that during the course
of the Cold War the United States stored
thousands of nuclear weapons in foreign
countries, sometimes without their governments'
knowledge.
According to the British daily "the Times",
the list of 18 countries used as storage sites
includes Greece and Turkey, both of which -the
article claims- still store nuclear material on
their soil.
The article bases its claims on a report
issued by a group of American nuclear scientists
who are quoting a secret Pentagon document which
set out America's network of nuclear weapons
stores around the world. The report, written by
nuclear scientists Robert Norris, William Arkin
and William Burr, was published yesterday in
the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
The scientists asked for the document,
titled ``History of the Custody and Deployment
of Nuclear Weapons'' and published in February
1978 as a top secret document, to be
declassified in 1983 but the Pentagon only
agreed to release it this year, albeit with the
names of many of the countries listed therein
having been blacked out.
Mr. Norris said he and his two co-authors
used publicly available documentation to
determine the names of 17 of the 18 censored
locations.
The 17 were Canada, Greenland, Iceland,
Japan, Kwajalein Island, Morocco, Okinawa, the
Philippines, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan,
Belgium, France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands
and Turkey.
According to the report, the Pentagon
usually removed the plutonium and uranium from
the bombs so that the governments could maintain
the technicality of a nuclear-free zone.
However, there were cases were the US did not
tell the host government what was going on.
France was allegedly not informed that nuclear
weapons were being stored in Morocco in the
1950s, when Morocco was still a French colony.
The Pentagon has refused to confirm or deny
the report, although it is believed that today
only Britain and a few other European countries
and possibly Turkey are regularly used as bases
for American bombs.
[19] QUAKE OF 4.4 RICHTER RATTLES WESTERN
TURKEY, NO VICTIMS
An earthquake measuring 4.4 on the Richter
scale occurred during the early morning hours
today in western Turkey, causing panic among the
people who sought refuge outdoors.
According to Turkish officials, there were
no victims or extensive material damages.
The quake's epicenter was located in the
sea region of Marmara.
[20] ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER D'ALEMA TO VISIT
GREECE NEXT WEEK
Italian Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema is
expected to conduct an official visit to Greece
on October 26, where he will hold talks with
his Greek counterpart Costas Simitis.
According to statements made recently by
Greece's Foreign Minister George Papandreou, the
two premiers will work on a joint initiative on
protecting the Adriatic and Ionian seas from
illegal immigration and organized crime.
Mr. Papandreou said this initiative will
be brought to the Helsinki EU summit at the end
of the year.
[21] NATIONAL BANK OF GREECE FOCUSES ON BALKAN
DEVELOPMENT
The National Bank of Greece grants
significant weight to the eco0noic development
of the Balkan region, offering the full gamut of
financial and consulting services to both the
Greek enterprises active in Southeast Europe and
the Balkan companies that are expanding abroad,
as the Bank's vice-governor Andreas Vranas
stated during the Southeast Europe Economic
Forum, held in Sofia yesterday.
The forum reviewed the region's economic
developments in light of the Balkan
reconstruction and the local economies' efforts
to align themselves with the free market.
The event was attended by Bulgaria's
President Petar Stoyanov and the Premiers of
Bulgaria and Montenegro, Ivan Kostov and Milo
Juganovic respectively.
[22] YUGOSLAVIA BANS COMMERCIAL FLIGHTS FROM
SKOPJE TO PRISTINA
Yugoslav authorities have banned commercial
flights conducted from Skopje to Prishtina,
sparking intense reactions from the KFOR which,
based on the military and technical accord it
has signed with Belgrade, exercises sole control
of Kosovo's air space.
The ban does not apply to flights
transporting humanitarian aid to the provinces,
or to NATO's military aircraft and other flights
not originating from FYROM.
Yugoslavia is perturbed over the UN
peacekeeping mission's decision to restore
flights of international air carriers to and
from Prishtina, as they view this move as a
violation of the country's sovereignty and its
legal right to control its air space.
[23] TURKEY'S COURT OF APPEALS BEGINS REVIEW OF
OCALAN CASE
Turkey's High Court of Appeals began today
the review of the death sentence handed down
against Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan on
a treason conviction.
Although the hearing was to be conducted in
the absence of the leader of the Kurdistan
Workers' Party (PKK), security was tight outside
the court building in Ankara, where several
dozens of protesters gathered to denounce the
defendant, the French news agency AFP reported.
The five-member panel of judges was to hear
defense pleas and examine case files before
setting a date to announce its verdict.
The hearing was originally scheduled for
October 7, but postponed at the request of
Ocalan's lawyers who declared themselves
inadequately prepared and unable to attend.
Six defense lawyers were to attend today's
session to appeal for Ocalan's death sentence to
be converted to life in prison.
[24] YUGOSLAV OPPOSITION THREATENS TO FORM
PARALLEL PARLIAMENT
The Yugoslav opposition will form a
parallel parliament if the government has not
set a date for early elections by October 28, a
leading member of the Democratic Party stated
yesterday.
According to the French news agency AFP,
Aleksandar Krstic made the promise while
addressing 2,000 people gathered in the center
of the southern Serbian town of Nis at a meeting
called by the Alliance for Change, of which the
Democratic Party is the dominant force.
At the same time in Belgrade, 1,500 anti-
government demonstrators gathered to mark the
first anniversary of media laws that have shut
down a number of independent newspapers.
Mr. Krstic said deputies from town
councils would gather in Belgrade on October 28
where the Serbian parliament sits.
"If early elections are not called on that
day, the opposition will form a parallel
parliament that will elect a government of
transition with Dragoslav Avramovic at its
head," he added. Mr. Avramovic, 82, is a
former governor of the Yugoslav central bank.
[25] APOSTOLAKIS: TURKEY MUST SHOW THAT IT
RESPECTS THE TREATIES ON CYPRUS
Turkey must show that it respects the
treaties on Cyprus signed in 1960 which has
violated with the military invasion and
occupation of the island, stated Greek
undersecretary of defense Dimitris Apostolakis,
responding to the provocative intervention made
by a Turkish representative who disputed Cyprus'
right to become a member of the European Union
speaking in the Atlantic Treaty International
Association conference.
Mr. Apostolakis stated that Turkey can not
invoke today the treaties that it has violated
years ago and continues to do so, adding that it
should start withdrawing its forces from the
occupied part of Cyprus.
[26] TURKEY ATTEMPTS A DIPLOMATIC MANOEUVRE ON
THE ISSUE OF THE CHALKI THEOLOGY SCHOOL
Turkey attempts to make a diplomatic
manoeuvre to overcome the issue of the reopening
of the Chalki Theology School at a time when the
pressures by the international public opinion
intensify.
According to Turkish newspapers, the
Turkish government considers as a solution to
create a World Religions Culture Department in
the University of Istanbul in order to appease
the western societies and avoid the pressures on
the issue coming even from the United States.
This formula was revealed by University of
Istanbul dean Ilter Turan in an interview with
the newspaper "Milliyet" in which he maintained
that based on the legal framework in effect the
Chalki Theology School can not reopen as an
independent higher education institution but
only as a university department.
[27] THE HELLENIC PETROLEUM LTD IS INTERESTED IN
PURCHASING A TV STATION IN SKOPJE
The Hellenic Petroleum Ltd attempts an
investment opening toward the mass media sector,
according to a report published by the newspaper
"Utrinski Vesnik".
Based on the report, the Hellenic Petroleum
Ltd has expressed interest in purchasing a
significant number of shares of the Skopje
private television station "Sitel". The
newspaper mentioned that a Hellenic Petroleum
representative had talks with television station
executives to consider the investment.
The total value of the shares is 10.4
million DM and according to "Utrinski Vesnik",
the intention of the "Sitel" television station
is to keep 51% of the shares.
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