Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English, 97-01-29

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From: The Macedonian Press Agency at http://www.mpa.gr and http://www.hri.org/MPA.

BRIEF GREEK NEWS BULLETIN BY MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY

Thessaloniki, January 29, 1997

TITLES

[01] FARMERS TO REMOUNT PROTESTS IN THESSALONIKI AND CENTRAL GREECE

[02] CYPRIOT DEMOCRATIC PARTY DEPUTY MISSING FOR TWO DAYS HAS BEEN FOUND

[03] TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER TANSU CILLER IN ROME TODAY

[04] BULGARIA'S LABORERS ORGANIZE MASS STRIKE TO PROTEST ECONOMIC POLICIES

NEWS IN DETAIL

[01] FARMERS TO REMOUNT PROTESTS IN THESSALONIKI AND CENTRAL GREECE

Thessaloniki, January 29 (MPA)

Today, Macedonian farmers will symbolically block the entrance of Thessaloniki's current Exhibit of HELEXPO "Agrotica '97", thus obstructing the arrival of Agriculture Minister Stephanos Tzoumakas. Farmers in Larisa will block central Greece's toll gates, while allowing the unobstructed pasage of traffic. But, they have warned that if the government does not meet their demands by February 4, they will not hesitate to block the national highways, as they had done just before Christmas.

Meanwhile, the government has warned that it intends to deal with any potential roadblocks in a "dynamic way." Specifically, the state will insist on three points: enforcement of the law, application of the government's policy and talks with the farmers. A.F.

[02] CYPRIOT DEMOCRATIC PARTY DEPUTY MISSING FOR TWO DAYS HAS BEEN FOUND

Nicosia, January 29 (MPA)

Matsakis participated in an environmentalists rally that tried to block a british military exercise in Cyprus' peninsula Akama. He appeared yesterday evening, garbed in a camouflage outfit, and, according to BBC, said that his party now is Akama.

Fifteen persons, in all, had camped out at the shooting grounds, protesting the soldiers' use of real ammunition which, as they said, was damaging to the local natural habitat, considered to be one the island's most beauteous. A.F.

[03] TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER TANSU CILLER IN ROME TODAY

Rome, January 29 (MPA)

The meeting will aim at developing Turkey's ties with Europe, in order to be included in the list of countries that are in line for full accession to the European Union.

According to British daily "The Guardian", the foreign ministers will discuss France's proposal to hold a European conference with the participation of EU member-states, as well as associate members, such as Turkey.

According to a BBC broadcast, British Foreign Minister Malcolm Rifkind is expected to mount the pressures towards Turkey for a resolvement of the Cyprus issue.

Yesterday, Mme. Ciller addressed the Italian Institute of International Studies where she stated that her country does not wish for a special relationship with the EU.

"Either Turkey will be a full member of the EU, or it will not remain as a second-category member," she said, adding that if her country's does not gain accession to the EU, "it would be one of the greatest mistakes in history."

Moreover, the Turkish Foreign Minister reiterated her country's threats of exercising its veto power over NATO's expansion, should the turkish-EU relations remain stagnant.

"How do you suppose that NATO will be expanded without Turkey's permission?" she asked, adding that the expansion cannot take place independently and emphasizing that the EU's and the Alliance's expansion are directly linked. A.F.

[04] BULGARIA'S LABORERS ORGANIZE MASS STRIKE TO PROTEST ECONOMIC POLICIES

Sofia, January 29 (MPA)

Meanwhile, Bulgarian President Petar Stoyanov is currently on a two-day visit in Brussels, his first as head of state, where he is to meet with European Union and NATO officials, among them European Commission President Jacques Santer and the Alliance's Secretary-General Xavier Solana. 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/

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