Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2000-07-12
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, July 12, 2000
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] A MINUTE OF SILENCE FOR THE VICTIMS OF TERRORISM
[02] MOBILIZATION OF THE STATE MECHANISM IN VIEW OF THE NEW
HEATWAVE
[03] PAPANDREOU: POLITICAL SOLUTION TO THE GERMAN WAR REPARATIONS
ISSUE
[04] LOSSES OF 0.83% IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
[05] PLACIDO DOMINGO: I AM FILLED WITH AWE BECAUSE I WILL SING
UNDER THE SHADOW OF THE ACROPOLIS
[06] REPPAS ON THE GERMAN PROTEST DEMARCHES
[07] PAPANDREOU MET WITH HIS COUNTERPART FROM LUXEMBOURG
[08] REPPAS ON THE TURKISH ARSONIST
[09] MINISTERIAL COMMITTEE MEETS TO PLAN OLYMPIC PREPARATION
TIMELINE
[10] MEASURES TO BE TAKEN FOR FINANCIAL INVESTMENT IN SAMOS
[11] SWIMMERS ARE ADVISED TO TAKE PRECAUTIONS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[12] GERMANY IS ANNOYED BY THE CONFISCATION OF ITS PROPERTY IN
GREECE
[13] THE SITUATION IN STROVILIA REMAINS UNCHANGED
[14] EFFORTS FOR THE RESTORATION OF THE COPY OF ARCHIMEDES'
MANUSCRIPT
[15] GREECE HAS NOT MISLED IOC ON THE ISSUE OF SECURITY IN THE
OLYMPIC GAMES
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] A MINUTE OF SILENCE FOR THE VICTIMS OF TERRORISM
A minute of silence was held today at noon in all the public
offices in Greece at an initiative undertaken by the Greek
government aimed at sensitizing the public opinion on the serious
issue of terrorism. At the same time, a text under the title "One
minute of silence" was broadcast by all radio and television
stations in which terrorism is characterized as a threat for
modern Greece.
The text has as follows: "Terrorism constitutes an insult for
the Greeks because of the contempt it displays toward the sanctity
of human life, and because it seeks to undermine the social
cohesion and political stability. It is a threat for today's
Greece. It is totally strange toward Greece's philosophy and
logic. It is strange toward all of our traditions. The battle
against terrorism is a priority. A priority not only for the state
but for the Greek people, its political culture. It is a
commitment undertaken by the government and the society's
objective to continue the effort aimed at uprooting terrorism. In
every possible way. We owe it to the victims of the terrorists. We
owe it to Democracy and its human values. We owe it to Greece".
[02] MOBILIZATION OF THE STATE MECHANISM IN VIEW OF THE NEW
HEATWAVE
The mobilization of the state mechanism in view of the new
heatwave tomorrow was decided in yesterday's government meeting
held under prime minister Kostas Simitis. Specifically, patrols
will be made in the areas that were destroyed by the recent fires
in the country, while 300 more soldiers will be sent to the Aegean
island of Samos, where all the fire fronts are under control.
The ecological disaster is now followed by the economic one
as 99% of the Dutch tourists as well as, German tourists are
leaving the island.
Yesterday, Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas
characterized as anti-Greek action the fact that leaflets were
found on the island calling on all the tourists to abandon it.
Meanwhile, minister of interior, Ms. Vaso Papandreou stated
that the massive mobilization plan for the prevention of fires is
in effect, while minister of public order Mr. Michalis
Chrisochoidis made an appeal to all the people in Greece to
mobilize in order to avert another disaster. At the same time, he
expressed strong concern over a likely repeat of extreme weather
conditions starting today.
[03] PAPANDREOU: POLITICAL SOLUTION TO THE GERMAN WAR REPARATIONS
ISSUE
The Greek government is opposed to the decision made by the
relatives of the victims of the massacre committed in Distomo by
the Nazis during WWII to proceed with the confiscation of German
state property in Athens.
Foreign minister Giorgos Papandreou maintained that the issue
must be solved at a political level as the court measures do not
reflect the size of the problem neither the true dimensions of
justice.
[04] LOSSES OF 0.83% IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
Small losses of 0.83% were recorded in the Athens Stock
Exchange today and the general index was at 3.920,57 points.
The volume of transactions was very low at 59.8 billion
drachmas and of the stocks trading today 49 had gains and 283
recorded losses
[05] PLACIDO DOMINGO: I AM FILLED WITH AWE BECAUSE I WILL SING
UNDER THE SHADOW OF THE ACROPOLIS
World famous Spanish tenor Placido Domingo will give a
concert in Athens this evening accompanied by soprano Anna Maria
Martines and Bucharest's "Jorge Enesu" orchestra.
The great artist stated that he is filled with awe and can
not wait to sing for the Greek public under the shadow of the
Acropolis.
He said that Greece is one of the most important countries in
the sectors of literature and the arts and stated that any
proposal to hold in Greece the opera competition "Operalia", that
was established by him in 1993, is welcomed.
[06] REPPAS ON THE GERMAN PROTEST DEMARCHES
Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas confirmed that the
German government made protest demarches in response to the
confiscation of German property procedure that is underway in
Athens for the compensation of the relatives of the victims of the
Distomo massacre that was committed by the Nazis in WWII.
Mr. Reppas stated that two protest demarches have been made,
both of them verbally, which however, do not constitute an action
against Greece but they make a reference to the issue in question.
One protest demarche was delivered to the Greek foreign
ministry by the German ambassador to Athens and the second one was
delivered to the Greek ambassador to Berlin.
Mr. Reppas reiterated that the issue of the German war
reparations is a sensitive one and that such issues are being
dealt with taking under consideration the national interest
without ignoring the interests of the people based on the decision
reached by the Greek court.
He also repeated that the approval of the justice minister is
needed in order to proceed with the confiscation of a foreign
state property.
[07] PAPANDREOU MET WITH HIS COUNTERPART FROM LUXEMBOURG
The foreign ministers of Greece and Luxembourg expressed the
hope that by September, when the new phase of the third round of
talks on Cyprus will be underway, the situation in Strovilia,
Famagusta in Cyprus will be different.
At the same time, they pointed out that there must be
constructive efforts on behalf of Turkey in order to proceed with
the necessary reforms that will contribute to its European course.
Luxembourg's government vice-president and foreign minister,
who is on a visit to Greece, stated that the level of bilateral
relations is very good and thanked Greece for its cooperation on
European issues.
On Cyprus and the Greek-Turkish relations, she said that the
two countries share almost the same views, while she stressed that
she appreciates the efforts made by Greece and its positive stance
on the EU-Turkey relations.
Commenting on the issue created by the Turkish occupation
forces in Strovilia, Famagusta in Cyprus, she expressed her deep
regret saying that it was "the wrong move at the wrong time".
[08] REPPAS ON THE TURKISH ARSONIST
Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas characterized as a
provocative action the incident with the Turkish arsonist that
happened last Sunday on Cyprus' "green line".
Mr. Reppas stated that this action creates an additional
tension and referred again to Turkey's intransigence.
The government spokesman also added that foreign minister
Giorgos Papandreou has briefed his counterparts in the general
affairs council on the provocative Turkish actions.
[09] MINISTERIAL COMMITTEE MEETS TO PLAN OLYMPIC PREPARATION
TIMELINE
The Olympic Ministerial Committee met today to discuss the
time-plan for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games preparations. The
meeting was chaired by Greek Prime Minister Kostas Simitis, who
asked that preparations be speeded up, emphasizing that they
should not be a question of routine, especially during the summer
season.
Before the meeting got into full swing, the Prime Minister
made a few general remarks, stating that the committee's work is
positive and that the situation is slowly getting underway.
At the same time, he warned of the danger of falling into a
routine, which could lead to stagnation within the committee. In
respect to this, Mr Simitis went on to say that every member
should be aware of their specific responsibility and that a great
effort should be relentlessly made by all ministries concerned and
by the Olympic Games Committee, not even allowing a summer break
in the preparations for the event.
"Preparation for the Olympic Games is in a state of
emergency. The fact that Greece's international image could be
affected by the final result makes it a top priority for our
country and renders it necessary that we succeed entirely".
The Prime Minister also referred to the manner of cooperation
which should exist, noting that the Olympic Committee acts as a
means of communication between Greek ministries and the
International Olympic Committee, therefore highlighting the
importance of communication between the first two aforementioned
bodies.
He further asked that a cooperation plan be drawn up by Mr
Florides, Mr Kartalis and by Athens 2004 officials, in order to
provide a permanent operation plan for all those involved to
follow.
Mr Simitis then informed those present at the meeting that he
would be arriving in Athens on the 24th and 25th of August
together with members of the International Olympic Games
Committee, who will visit the capital with the intention of
checking preparation progress.
The Prime Minister added that all relevant ministries should
provide memorandums clearly stating the tasks that they have
undertaken, which will then be made into official agreements in
November.
At this point, Mr Simitis referred to an international circle
which has presented a negative view on the Olympic Games through
news articles due to be published in foreign newspapers, adding
however that "it is natural for such problems to exist and we are
bound to come across them."
Finally, Mr Simitis informed his audience that a delegation from
the Olympics 2004 Committee will visit Lausanne to make a speech
concerning the preparations for the Races, something which has not
been done previously. A group of representatives from Greece will
arrive in Sydney on September 15th for the starting of the Olympic
Games, after giving a press interview including a presentation of
the country's preparations so far on September 7th.
Telemachus Chytiris, Press undersecretary, announced that the
next Olympic Ministerial Committee meeting would be held on July
26th.
[10] MEASURES TO BE TAKEN FOR FINANCIAL INVESTMENT IN SAMOS
Nikos Christodoulakis, Development minister, assured the
citizens of Samos that full measures would be taken to deal with
the recent blow to the tourist market dealt by the raging fires
that swept across the island destroying a large percentage of its
forest land, adding that social tourism programs have been
hammered out to increase tourist attraction.
However, the repercussions of the fires on the island's
economic situation are clearly visible, particularly in the
tourist sector, where several groups consisting of mainly Danish
tourists swiftly left the island. Tourist agents are talking of "a
difficult new beginning", as attraction to the island has dropped
rapidly.
Meanwhile, local members of the island are meeting up with
production representatives in order to estimate the gravity of the
situation and to prepare a list of causes of the fires and issues
currently at hand, which is to be presented to the government.
Panayiotis Fourlas, leader of the Fire Brigade, maintained
that a rekindling of the fire is to be expected due to high
temperatures, a factor which concerns the firefighters
considerably. Back up supplies are constantly being brought to the
island and attempts are being made to extinguish any small fires
which may re-start.
[11] SWIMMERS ARE ADVISED TO TAKE PRECAUTIONS
The ministry of Commercial Shipping is taking emergency
measures for the protection of swimmers as the summer season gets
into full swing.
According to valid sources, the number of drowning victims is
significant and the ministry of Commercial Shipping is appealing
to all relevant sectors, such as port authorities, local
government and the Greek National Tourist Organization (EOT), to
hire life-guards for all organized beaches. Swimmers are also
being advised to follow instructions offered by port authorities
relating to the use of jet skis and other forms of rapid sea
transport.
An appeal is being made by the ministry of Commercial
Shipping to parents and the media, since many of the drowning
victims every year are children: of the 129 people that have
drowned in Greek shores since the start of the year, 5 have been
children.
According to statistics provided by the ministry of
Commercial Shipping, 73% of drowning victims are old age people
who go for a swim directly after having eaten, whilst many
children swim without a life jacket or float.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[12] GERMANY IS ANNOYED BY THE CONFISCATION OF ITS PROPERTY IN
GREECE
The German government appears annoyed by the Greek court
decision to start the procedure for the confiscation of Goethe
Institute property in Athens.
Already, the German ambassador to Athens delivered a protest
demarche to the Greek foreign ministry. The newspaper "Financial
Times" point out that the war reparations' sum that is demanded by
the relatives of the Distomo massacre committed by the Nazis
during WWII is not a very large one, but it could provoke a chain
reaction in other eastern and southern European countries that
could launch similar procedures against the German state.
A representative of the German foreign ministry in Berlin
stressed to BBC's Greek radio service that for Germany the issue
has ended and stated that based on international law the Livadia
court decision is invalid and illegal. Also, the German foreign
ministry representative mentioned that the Livadia court decision
can not be implemented without previous approval by the Greek
justice ministry and given the fact that no such approval has been
issued the confiscation procedure can not start.
Berlin also mentions that Germany's federal government
recognizes its moral responsibility for the plight of the Greek
people during the Nazi occupation and for this reason Germany
signed an agreement with Greece in 1960 and paid war reparations
of DM 115 million. The then Greek government undertook to
distribute the money to the relatives of the Nazi victims and
therefore, the issue ended for Germany.
[13] THE SITUATION IN STROVILIA REMAINS UNCHANGED
The situation in Strovilia, near Famagusta in Cyprus remains
unchanged, stated Cypriot minister of defense Sokratis Hasikos
avoiding to make other comments, while parliamentary committee on
defense president Takis Hatzidimitriou stated that the situation
as it has been formed is an "expansion of occupation".
In statements he made after the committee meeting, Mr.
Hatzidimitriou stated that the Turkish action in Strovilia had a
huge effect domestically and abroad.
[14] EFFORTS FOR THE RESTORATION OF THE COPY OF ARCHIMEDES'
MANUSCRIPT
Scientists in the Rochester Institute of Technology in the
United States have begun the restoration of a copy of a manuscript
by ancient Greek mathematician Archimedes dated back to the 10th
century AD.
The manuscript which is the only known copy of Archimedes'
code was damaged by a monk in the 12th century AD, 200 years after
it was written and in 1998 it was bought by an anonymous buyer for
US$ 2 million in an auction in the United States.
Using digital cameras and film development techniques as well
as ultraviolet and infra-red filters the scientists have captured
images of Archimedes' authentic words and drawings which were
erased and then covered by a new text by the monk who caused the
damage.
[15] GREECE HAS NOT MISLED IOC ON THE ISSUE OF SECURITY IN THE
OLYMPIC GAMES
It is categorically denied that Greece misled the
International Olympic Committee, IOC, on the issue of security in
the Olympic Games as it was alleged in an article by A. Graig
Copeta published on the newspaper "Wall Street Journal".
The newspaper published letters on the issue by Greek embassy
to London charge d'affaires Mr. Bitsios and former parliament
deputy Mr. Andrianopoulos in response to Mr. Copeta's article
published on the July 4, 2000 issue.
Mr. Bitsios stresses that the Greek authorities will take all
necessary measures for the safety of the athletes, visitors,
tourists and spectators, while he denies the allegations included
in the article according to which, Greece misled the IOC on the
Olympic Games security issue.
Mr. Adrianopoulos in his letter to the newspaper
characterizes as exaggerated the fears expressed by the journalist
on the safety of the Olympic Games that will be held in Athens in
2004.
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