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Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English, 97-05-19Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Macedonian Press Agency at http://www.mpa.gr and http://www.hri.org/MPA.BRIEF GREEK NEWS BULLETIN BY MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCYThessaloniki, May 19, 1997TITLES
NEWS IN DETAIL[01] GREEK PARLIAMENT TO EXAMINE COURSE OF STATE'S ECONOMYAthens, May 19 (MPA)The Greek Parliament will examine the course of the state's economy and the current year's first results during its session today, where the first debate will be held between government and main opposition leaders.Prime Minister Kostas Simitis is expected to illustrate the economy's positive trend, especially the drop in inflation and reduction of the public deficit, in essense two of the most critical points that will determine Greece's entrance into the Eonomic Monetary Union. Meanwhile, recently-conducted polls show that the governing party PASOK is the citizen's first choice when it comes to handling national matters, while Premier Simitis enjoys the favorable opinion of the majority. A.F. [02] GREEK FOREIGN MINISTER TO MEET WITH YASSER ARAFAT TODAYJerusalem, May 19 (MPA)Greece's Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos is to be received by Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat at the Gaza strip today, a meeting held within the framework of his two-day visit to Israel and Gaza.According to the visit's outline, tomorrow Mr. Pangalos will be received by Israeli President Ezer Weizman, Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu and his Israeli counterpart David Levy. A.F. [03] GREEK PREMIER RECEIVES IMF'S REPORT ON STATE'S ECONOMYAthens, May 19 (MPA)Greece's Prime Minister Kostas Simitis was given today the report compiled by the International Monetary Fund's experts on the Greek state's economy.The report, which is to be published today or tomorrow, includes overall assessments on the course of the country's economy. The findings over Greece's basic economic course are said to be positive, although the IMF experts do point out the national economy's hurdles in the public sector. Also, the report points out the difficulty faced by the Greek banking institutions in adapting to the competitive European market and suggests that they instead extend into the Balkan and Black Sea regions. A.F. [04] EU FISHERY COMMITTEE VISITS GREEK ISLANDS OF KOS AND KALYMNOSKalymnos, May 19 (MPA)The European Parliament's eight-member Fishery Committee is currently at the Greek islands of Kos and Kalymnos where they will examine issues concerning small and inshore fishing, fish farming and the Greek tradition of sponge-diving.The delegation, which is headed by the Committee's vice- chairman Mr. Kindermann, (European Socialist Party - Germany) has been invited by the Greek Euro-deputy Yiannis Roubatis (PASOK) and will also meet with the local authorities from Greece's Ministries of Agriculture and Merchant Marine, local administrators and representatives of fishermen's organizations. A.F. [05] ROUVAS-KUT POP CONCERT TONIGHT UNDER DRACONEAN SECURITY MEASURESNicosia, May 19 (MPA)The United Nations peacekeeping forces have drawn draconean security measures in light of tonight's concert to be given jointly by Greek pop singer Sakis Rouvas and his Turkish counterpart Burak Kut at Cyprus' green line which separates the island's Greek and Turkish communities.Four hundred troops from UNFICYP will guard the concert, while equally tight security measures will be enforced on the roads that lead to the event. This is the first such concert to be given at the demarcation line and it will be held at the "Taxim" ("Partition") field. While the Cypriot government has given its go-ahead for the concert, opposition parties are against it and similar dissent has been voiced by the Turkish-Cypriot side. The concert's date coincides with the 70th commemoration of the Genocide of Greeks from Pontus and various committees representing refugees have voiced their disapproval of the concert. Also, one hour prior to the event, the Federation of Motorcyclists from Cyprus will conduct an anti-occupation rally one kilometer away from the concert's premises. A.F. [06] GREY WOLVES ARE OPPOSED TO POP CONCERT ON GREEN LINENicosia, May 19 (MPA)The Turkish extremist organization "Grey Wolves" has reiterated its opposition to tonight's concert that will be jointly given on Cyprus' green line by the Greek pop idol Sakis Rouvas and his colleague Burak Kut.According to Turkish-Cypriot press reports, the leader of the Grey Wolves has characterized the concert as a "byzantine ploy". Meanwhile, upon his arrival in Cyprus, the Turkish singer Mr. Kut said that the concert with his Greek colleague aims at establishing friendship between the Greek-Cypriot and Turkish- Cypriot youths. Britain's High Commissioner in Cyprus David Madden, who will attend the concert, has expressed his full support for this idea and has congratulated the United Nations for organizing the event, as well as the two singers who, he said, "through their volunteer effort want to show that the two communities can come closer to one another." According to the Turkish-Cypriot press, about five thousand people are expected to attend the concert which will be broadcast live on Turkish television. A.F. [07] BRITISH ENVOY SIR DAVID HANNAY TO BE IN CYPRUS IN EARLY JUNENicosia, May 19 (MPA)Prior to the opening of direct negotiations between Cypriot President Glafkos Clerides and Turkish-Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash, Britain's special envoy for the Cypriot issue Sir David Hannay is to visit the island in the beginning of June.Also, according to Britain's High Commissioner in Cyprus David Madden, a meeting is to soon be scheduled between Cyprus' Foreign Minister Yiannakis Kasoulides and his British counterpart Robin Cook. Mr. Madden emphasized that his country will support the efforts undertaken by the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan so that the talks between President Clerides and Mr. Denktash will be fruitful. A.F. [08] GERMAN COURT CLOSES "MYKONOS" CASEBonn, May 19 (MPA)Just when the noise began subsiding, the German court has suddenly closed the "Mykonos" case, citing -unrevealed- reasons of public interest.This complete turnaround ocurred right before the German court was to issue sentences against high-ranking Iranian leaders, among them religious leader Khomeini and President Rafsadjani, who were implicated in the 1992 murder that took place at a Greek restaurant in Bonn. Germany's Federal Prosecutor had pressed charges against Tehran's "Committee for Special Cases", whose members are thought to have given the go-ahead to Iranian secret service agents in the killing of Kurdish subversives. A.F. [09] ALBANIA: OPPOSITION PARTIES CONTINUE TO THREATEN BOYCOTT OF ELECTIONSTirana, May 19 (MPA)Albania's opposition parties continue to react to the new election law recently voted in their country's parliament, which is overwhelmingly in favor of President Sali Berisha's Democratic Party.The opposition threatens to boycott the elections scheduled for June 29 if the President insists on his stated positions. The Albanian President has already embarked on his pre-election campaign. At the same time, Greek humanitarian aid totalling 3,700 packages arrived yesterday in Korytsa and Moschopolis. A.F. [10] GREECE'S NATIONAL VOLLEY TEAM TO FACE OFF WITH ROMANIA TOMORROWThessaloniki, May 19 (MPA)Greece's national men's volleyball team is to play Romania tomorrow in Orestiada, a critical face off as it will advance the winner forward into the preliminaries of the European Cup to be held in Holland in September.Greece is currently first in the line-up, having earned nine points in five meets, followed by Romania with seven points in four meets, while Belgium and FYROM follow behind in the fourth and fifth positons, with six points in four meets and five points in five meets respectively. 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: Brief News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |