Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2000-05-22
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, May 22, 2000
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] PAPANTONIOU: THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE WILL BE UPGRADED AT
THE END OF THE YEAR
[02] MEETING OF GREEK AND TURKISH JOURNALISTS IN RHODES
[03] PRIVATIZATION IS THE GOVERNMENT'S IMMEDIATE PRIORITY
[04] TWO IMPORTANT ECONOMIC EVENTS WILL TAKE PLACE IN THESSALONIKI
[05] THE INTERNET USERS IN GREECE ARE ABOUT 500.000
[06] HOPES FOR A 20% DROP IN THE CANCER CASES IN THE NEXT 20 YEARS
[07] LOSSES OF 2.30% IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
[08] THE "DYNAMIC MIX" NATO EXERCISE IS IN PROGRESS
[09] REPPAS COMMENTED ON THE PROPOSAL FOR THE WITHDRAWAL OF THE
TURKISH AEGEAN ARMY
[10] SERIOUS MISTAKES WERE COMMITTED BY THE UNITED STATES IN THE
BALKANS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[11] PAPANDREOU: THE CYPRUS ISSUE WILL AFFECT THE GREEK-TURKISH
RELATIONS
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] PAPANTONIOU: THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE WILL BE UPGRADED AT
THE END OF THE YEAR
Minister of national economy Yiannos Papantoniou in an
interview with the Athens radio station "Sky" left all
possibilities open for the future of the Greek Telecommunications
Organization, OTE, and the national airline Olympic Airways.
On Olympic Airways, he said that the sale of a big
percentage, up to 49%, will be promoted during the summer without
ruling out anything in the future, while during the same period
OTE will look for a strategic partner. Mr. Papantoniou stated
regarding OTE that an international adviser will be appointed to
draw up a report on the international market within the next 2-3
months.
Referring to the Athens Stock Exchange, he said that it has
entered a period of calm and normality and predicted that its
upgrading will take place at the end of the year.
Mr. Papantoniou announced that the Athens Stock Exchange will
be placed at the London-Frankfurt axis and underlined that the
goal is to become part of the united European stock market before
the end of the year.
[02] MEETING OF GREEK AND TURKISH JOURNALISTS IN RHODES
The first meeting of Greek and Turkish journalists in the
south-eastern Aegean island of Rhodes will take place on May 26-
28.
The topic of the meeting is the mass media and local
communities as mechanisms for the improvement of relations between
the people of Greece and Turkey.
[03] PRIVATIZATION IS THE GOVERNMENT'S IMMEDIATE PRIORITY
The Greek government's immediate priority is the speeding-up
of structural changes and privatization. Prime minister Kostas
Simitis met today with the presiding board of the governing
socialist party of PASOK parliamentary group, while tomorrow he
will meet with national economy minister Yiannos Papantoniou.
Next week, Mr. Simitis will visit the ministry of interior as
the state bureaucracy slows down the materialization of the
government plans and then he will visit the ministry of labor
within the framework of the efforts to counter unemployment.
[04] TWO IMPORTANT ECONOMIC EVENTS WILL TAKE PLACE IN THESSALONIKI
Thessaloniki will be at the center of international attention
this week as two important economic and business events namely,
ASIA FORUM 2000 and the 1st International Economic Conference,
will be held in the city.
Specifically, ASIA FORUM opens today and will last until May
28 with the participation of delegations from tens of states and
the heart of the Euro-Asian cooperation will beat in Thessaloniki.
The goal of the forum is the mutual exchange of information, the
promotion of multi-lateral business cooperation and investments
and the strengthening of the tourist sector through cooperation
and the development of new strategies.
Meanwhile, tens of academicians and scientists will present
proposals for the smooth transition of the Balkan states to the
market economy within the framework of the 1st International
Economic Conference that will be held on May 27-28 organized by
the Association of Economic Universities in south-eastern Europe
in cooperation with the University of Macedonia in Thessaloniki.
The conference will be held under the auspices of the Greek
president with the participation of representatives from 40
universities from south-eastern Europe, distinguished scientists
from the sector of education, economic science and finance and
representatives from research centers of the central banks of
Turkey and Hungary.
[05] THE INTERNET USERS IN GREECE ARE ABOUT 500.000
The number of Internet users in Greece shows an explosive
increase as according to data provided by the companies offering
Internet access, a 40% rise is being recorded bringing them to
about 500.000 compared to 320.000 at the end of 1999.
Based on a research conducted by the OTEnet, that controls
45% of the market, it is estimated that by next year the Internet
users will be about 650.000, while it is possible that they could
be over 700.000.
According to the same figures, the increase in the number of
Internet users in Greece exceeds the European average, which is
estimated at 70% this year, as the increase rate in Greece is
almost certain that will be over 100%.
An impressive increase is recorded in the number of
subscribers to the companies that provide access to the Internet
estimated at 200.000. In Greece, about 15% of the population uses
a computer often (at home, work, the university, school, or at an
Internet cafe), while a third of them surfs on the Internet.
[06] HOPES FOR A 20% DROP IN THE CANCER CASES IN THE NEXT 20 YEARS
The new methods used create hopes for a 15-20% drop in the
cancer cases in the next 20 years. According to the predictions
made by Italian professor Garatini, by the year 2015 most cancer
cases will be curable through a combination of treatments that
will include vaccinations, therapies involving the immune system
and chemotherapy.
The above were mentioned in a press conference in
Thessaloniki that was given on the occasion of the European
Society for the Research against Cancer Conference that will he
held in Kallithea, Chalkidiki in northern Greece on May 30-June 3.
In the conference will be presented scientific announcements
concerning the production of vaccines against cancer among them
the announcement by British professor Taylor-Papadimitriou
regarding the breast cancer vaccine.
[07] LOSSES OF 2.30% IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
Losses of 2.30% were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange
today and the general index was at 4.691,93 points, while the
volume of transactions was very satisfactory reaching 265 billion
drachmas.
Of the stocks trading today 47 recorded gains, 293 had losses
and 30 remained stable.
Economic circles focused their attention on the long-term
course of the stock market underlining that the momentum gained by
the Greek stock market becomes evident through the massive return
of investors.
[08] THE "DYNAMIC MIX" NATO EXERCISE IS IN PROGRESS
The deployment of the land forces participating in the NATO
exercise "Dynamic Mix" is in progress. Soldiers from 8 countries
have arrived in Greece, while the deployment of the NATO air
forces in Greek airports and the navy forces at the ports of Souda
in the island of Crete, in southern Aegean and Izmir at the Asia
Minor coasts in Turkey, has been completed.
Parts of the exercise that predicts the handling of
instability conditions in the south-eastern wing of NATO will be
held in Greece, Italy and Turkey.
The air, land and sea forces are getting familiar with the
terrain, while the first air operation in the Aegean will take
place tomorrow signaling the formal opening of the exercise that
will be completed on June 10. The land operations will be launched
on June 1 with a landing at the region of Kiparissia.
The Greek chiefs of staff expect with great interest to see
if Ankara will submit flight plans for its fighter jets that will
fly over the Aegean. Greek minister of defense Akis
Tsochatzopoulos has stated that the aircraft flying without a
flight plan will be intercepted by the Greek jets.
[09] REPPAS COMMENTED ON THE PROPOSAL FOR THE WITHDRAWAL OF THE
TURKISH AEGEAN ARMY
"We have no reason to comment on articles or views expressed
by different officials", stated Greek government spokesman
Dimitris Reppas responding to a question on the occasion of an
article by the Turkish newspaper "Sabah" according to which, prime
minister Bulent Ecevit's adviser, former member of the military,
Guven Erkaya has suggested the withdrawal of the Aegean Army.
Mr. Reppas stated that what is of interest is the foreign
policy exercised by Turkey in practice, the improvement of the
Greek-Turkish relations and the establishment of a new cooperation
relation between the two sides.
[10] SERIOUS MISTAKES WERE COMMITTED BY THE UNITED STATES IN THE
BALKANS
The view that the United States committed serious mistakes in
the Balkans because of ignorance and Greece should not follow a
policy that will have only negative effects on the Greek foreign
policy, was expressed by Greek former foreign minister Karolos
Papoulias, chairman of the parliament's lasting committee on
foreign affairs and defense in an interview with the Athens radio
station "Flash".
Mr. Papoulias pointed out that the most important problems in
the Balkans are pending and are still in a high-risk phase, adding
that very significant things are happening in our neighborhood,
referring to the domestic situation in Yugoslavia.
Mr. Papoulias also stated that the traditional interest in
the region displayed in the past by European powers like France,
Britain and Germany does not exist anymore, adding that they have
left the upper hand to the United States and now the goal is the
disappearance of Milosevic, both political and physical, stressing
that this is a major issue as they do not plan his smooth
succession but his violent overthrow.
Responding to the question on whether he agrees with the
optimistic statements made by Turkish foreign minister Ismail Cem
regarding the Greek-Turkish relations, he said that Mr. Cem with
the openings he makes he tries to win the approval of the
reformists in Turkey but the Turkish military establishment
continues to have the views it always had. He added that the
change of the president of the Turkish republic created the
illusion to many, among them many Europeans, that a more
democratic wind is blowing in Turkey. However, said Mr. Papoulias,
he still has reservations because he sees both the targets set by
the Turkish foreign policy and those set by the military
establishment to be unchanged.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[11] PAPANDREOU: THE CYPRUS ISSUE WILL AFFECT THE GREEK-TURKISH
RELATIONS
The lack of progress in the Cyprus issue will affect the
Greek-Turkish relations, stated Greek foreign minister Giorgos
Papandreou in an interview with the Nicosia newspaper "Haravgi".
However, the expressed the belief that the new climate in the
Greek-Turkish relations that has been created after the Helsinki
EU summit will have positive effects on bilateral relations in the
future and especially on the Cyprus issue.
Mr. Papandreou stated that Cyprus' EU accession course has
been secured and referring to the United States' stance he
stressed that there are important reasons for the US to want a
right solution to the problem.
Responding to a question on the third round of the proximity
talks, the foreign minister stated that the issue is if the
Turkish Cypriot side will enter the talks with views that will
allow for meaningful negotiations.
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