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Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English, 98-06-05Macedonian 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 THE MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCYThessaloniki, June 5, 1998TITLES
NEWS IN DETAIL[01] PRIME MINISTER PARTICIPATES AT YALTA_S BSEC CONFERENCEAthens, June 5 (MPA)Prime Minister Kostas Simitis is currently in Yalta where he represents Greece at a conference of the heads of state and government of the 11 Black Sea Economic Cooperation Pact (BSEC) member-states. Today, the participants will sign the charter of a new international regional organization which will upgrade the BSEC. It is envisaged that the Black Sea Commerce and Development Bank, based in Thessaloniki, and the International Center for Black Sea Studies, based in Athens, will undertake an active role in the development of various activities, mainly economic.[02] CONFIDENCE BUILDING MEASURES BETWEEN GREECE AND TURKEYAthens, June 5 (MPA)Greek diplomatic sources have stated that the Athens- Ankara agreement to apply the Papoulias-Yilmaz 1988 memorandum is a step in the right direction, within the framework of the confidence-building measures announced yesterday by the secretary-general of NATO Javier Solana. Greece_s Minister of National Defense Akis Tsochatzopoulos stated that the application of the said memorandum is not related to matters of national sovereignty and, as such, these matters remain unchanged.[03] CONTACT GROUP TO CONVENE NEXT WEEK OVER KOSSOVOLondon, June 5 (MPA)British Foreign Minister Robin Cook, whose country currently holds the European Union_s rotating presidency, has announced that the contact Group is to convene next week in order to discuss the worsening conflict occurring in Kossovo. The meeting is taking place after an appeal issued by Albania whose government has reported the influx of thousands of refugees from Kossovo.[04] NATO SECRETARY-GENERAL ANNOUNCES CBMS BETWEEN GREECE, TURKEYAthens, June 5 (MPA)NATO_s Secretary General Javier Solana has announced that Greece and Turkey agree to implement the Papoulias-Yilmaz accord signed in 1988 concerning rules of conduct related to military activities in the Aegean. "The Secretary General of NATO, Dr. Javier Solana, is pleased to be able to announce that in the course of his continuing talks with the Permanent Representatives of Greece and Turkey on Confidence-Building Measures both sides have informed him of their intention to implement fully the agreements reached in 1988 between the then Foreign Ministers Papoulias and Yilmaz (the Memorandum of Understanding signed on 27 May 1988 in Athens and the Guidelines for the Prevention of Accidents and Incidents on the High Seas and International Airspace, signed on 8 September 1988 in Istanbul)," the issued statement said. "The two sides have also declared their willingness to continue their talks with the Secretary General in order to clarify where necessary and to strengthen and complement where possible the set of confidence- building measures which the 1988 agreements provide for and which constitute a framework of agreed rules of behaviour regarding national military activities in the high seas and the international airspace aimed at re ducing tension and avoiding dangerous incidents. In this context the Secretary General and the two countries intend to explore the opportunities for greater mutual information and coordination offered by the emerging NATO air command and control system (A CCS)."In the 1988 Memorandum of Understanding both countries have recognised the obligation to respect the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of each other and their rights to use the high seas and international airspace of the Aegean. Today's statement is a manifestation of the political will of the two governments to continue to respect these principles and to carry out in good faith the range of confidence building measures that have been agreed as well as those that may further be agreed in the talks between the Secretary General and the two countries, and as such it constitutes an important interim result of these talks." [05] GREEK PREMIER MEETS WITH COUNTERPARTS AT BSEC CONFERENCEYalta, June 5 (MPA)Greece_s Prime Minister Kostas Simitis, currently in Yalta for the Black Sea Economic Cooperation pact (BSEC) summit, met yesterday with Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, as well as with the Romanian prime minister, the presidents of Georgia and Azerbaijan, and the prime minister of Moldova. Mr. Simitis is expected to meet new Russian Prime Minister Sergei Kiriyenko today. After the first day of sessions, Foreign Undersecretary Yiannos Kranidiotis stated that "Greece has an interest in the area. Firstly, because it has historical ties and traditional friendships with the peoples of the region. Secondly, because there is a strong economic and trade interest in this region of Europe - a region with tremendous prospects for development, especially in the energy sector." The 11-nation group is comprised of Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, Greece, Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Moldova.[06] INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENT DAY CELEBRATED TODAYAthens, June 5 (MPA)On the occassion of today's International Environment Day, the President of the Hellenic Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos stated that "the planet earth is seriously threatened by the overturn of the ecological balance." President Stephanopoulos also added that those nations with better developed infrastructures must realise the dangers which are threatening us. In its announcement, the ruling PASOK party states that it remains "faithful to the idea of self-sustained development and the goal of quality of life and the environment." Main opposition New Democracy party Deputy Vangelis Meimarakis said "ecological problems are aggravated to such a degree that any further neglect or indifference will render them crucial for the course of life on the planet, while extremely unfavorable repercussions exist both in the economic development and the quality of life of modern societies."[07] PAPANTONIOU AT ECOFIN COUNCIL MEETING TODAYBrussels June 5 (MPA)The National Economy and Finance Ministers of the European Union_s member-states are to meet in Luxembourg today in order to prepare an agenda of discussions on the Economic and Monetary EMU at the forthcoming Cardiff summit. Greece will be represented by National Economy and Finance Minister Yiannos Papantoniou. According to Greek diplomatic sources, the text on the basic orientations which ministers will discuss contains positive references to the Greek economy, and an updated convergence program for Greece will be among the first to be submitted to the Commission, before the end of the month.[08] THOUSANDS FLEE KOSSOVO, UN REFUGEE AGENCY REPORTSUnited Nations, June 5 (MPA)More refugees from Kossovo in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia continued to arrive in Albania yesterday, according to the United Nations refugee agency. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported from Albania that more than 6,500 arrivals have been registered as of Thursday. UNHCR said that between 8,000 and 10,000 refugees are now estimated to be in Albania.The United Nations agency said that the high number of refugees from Kossovo has stretched to the limits the food, accommodation and transportation resources in the Tropoja area which is the point of entry into Albania. UNHCR field staff said that they witnessed large numbers of refugees continuing to stream down the mountain and that several of them collapsed once they reached the plateau which is a four to six hour walk from Tropoja. Some of the refugees, including a number of women and children, have suffered shrapnel wounds, the agency said. Reported deaths included two elderly people who died of exhaustion and a two year old boy who died attempting to pass a mountain crossing with his mother. The United Nations refugee agency said that local authorities are providing as much transportation as possible to bring the refugees down the mountain and that additional resources have been rushed to the area. [09] ALBANIAN FM IN YALTA, FEARS THE WORST FOR KOSSOVOYalta, June 5 (MPA)Albanian Foreign Minister Paskal Milo the participants at the Yalta-held BSEC conference that one can no longer speak of an incipient conflict in Kossovo but of war. ``The situation created in Kossovo requires urgent intervention to stop the genocide there which is now being expressed in all its force,: Mr. Milo said. ``If this conflict explodes like it is exploding, it will in the near future create scenes that would be worse and much more painful than Bosnia.'' He called on the United Nations, OSCE and NATO to intervene in order to prevent escalation into a full blown war at Kossovo.[10] TOP EU OFFICIAL SAYS: VARIED TIMELINE FOR EACH COUNTRY UP FOR ACCESSIONNicosia, June 5 (MPA)The Director General of the European Commission's Task Force for accession negotiations, Nicolaus Van Der Pas, who arrived in Cyprus yesterday to hold talks on the island's preparation for EU accession, stated that the screening process for all the countries hoping for accession will be held in accordance with that country_s convergence rate. Mr. Van Der Pas said that Cyprus' accession process had so far been smooth and fast, having already moved through eight of the 31 negotiating chapters. During his stay, Van Der Pas, who is accompanied by the Task Force's negotiator on Cyprus, Leopold Maurer, will meet President Glafcos Clerides, House President Spyros Kyprianou, Foreign Minister Yiannakis Cassoulides, Finance Minister Christodoulos Christodoulou and Cyprus' Chief EU negotiator George Vassiliou. They will also hold contacts with the permanent secretaries of all the ministries and with officials from the Attorney- general's office.[11] UN SECRETARY GENERAL WANTS UNPREDEP_S STAY IN FYROM EXTENDEDUnited Nations, June 5 (MPA)United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has recommended that a U.N. force in FYROM should be renewed for six months, instead of being withdrawn by the end of August as originally planned. Mr. Annan cited as a reason the current crisis in the neighbouring Serbian province of Kossovo. He also offered, in a report to the Security Council, to submit proposals by July 15 for strengthening the 800-member U.N. contingent. The U.N. Preventive Deployment Force (UNPREDEP) has been in FYROM since 1995 to prevent conflicts in other parts of the former Yugoslavia from spilling over. Referring to the unrest in Kossovo, Mr. Annan said it ``would seem to be premature to proceed with a decision to withdraw UNPREDEP after August 31,'' as called for by the Security Council last December. There are fears that an escalation of the unrest in Kossovo could also involve FYROM, whose population of about two million includes nearly half a million ethnic Albanians. Mr. Annan noted discussions were still under way in NATO and elsewhere on the possible need for an expanded international military presence in the region because of the situation in Kossovo. He said consultations were also continuing on arrangements for monitoring an arms embargo that the Security Council imposed on Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) on March 31 to try to force a peaceful settlement in Kossovo.[12] IRANIAN WITH HEROIN-FILLED PLASTIC EGGS IN STOMACH ARRESTED IN GREECESerres, June 5 (MPA)An Iranian male who had swallowed 18 heroin-filled plastic eggs was arrested at the Promahonas station near the Greek- Bulgarian borders for attempting to enter Greece with a fake passport. According to the police report, 28-year-old Naser Mohamed, a passenger on the Sofia-Thessaloniki railway route, said that he acquired the fake passport in Bulgaria for two thousand dollars . The heroin-filled eggs were discovered in his stomach when he was frisked by the police.[13] PREPARATIONS UNDERWAY FOR UEFA COMPETITORSThessaloniki, June 5 (MPA)PAOK and AEK are to compete for the UEFA Cup in August, entering at the second preliminary phase, although it won_t be known whom they_ll be playing against until July 6.AEK_s new coach, Dragoslav Stepanovic left for Frankfurt today where he will sit through all of AEK_s videotaped games. The team is eyeing Lakis, Fratzeskos, Kala and Kiassos. As for Aris, it will be decided next week if the team will be managed by England_s Mike MacDonald. The transfer targets in PAOK are still the same, namely Frousos and Katsiabis, while, as far as foreign players are concerned, Aris will take its pick after the World Cup_s close. For Panionios, it_s now official, 38-year-old Irishman Roni Whilan, who played for Liverpool in the past, will be the new coach. He will sign a one-year contract with Greece_s Cup holder on June 22. 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 |
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