Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English, 98-10-05

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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 THE MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY

Thessaloniki, October 5, 1998

TITLES

[01] INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND CONVENES TODAY OVER GLOBAL CRISIS

[02] HELLENIC PARLIAMENT'S PLENARY SESSION BEGINS TODAY

[03] INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY MOUNTS PRESSURE ON F.R. YUGOSLAVIA

[04] PEACEKEEPING MISSIONS CONFERENCE STARTS IN ATHENS TODAY

[05] HOLBROOKE ARRIVES IN BRUSSELS TODAY TO MEET WITH NATO OFFICIALS

[06] PRIME MINISTER: LOCAL ELECTIONS WILL NOT AFFECT STATE'S ECONOMIC POLICY

[07] GREEK DEFENSE MINISTER URGES TALKS TO AVERT NATO STRIKE IN KOSSOVO

[08] GREECE, BULGARIA, ROMANIA URGE CEASE-FIRE IN KOSSOVO AT DELPHI SUMMIT

[09] MAIN OPPOSITION LEADER DIDN'T MINCE HIS WORDS IN THESSALONIKI

[10] GREEK ALTERNATE FM IN VIENNA FOR EUROPEAN SOCIALIST PARTY MEETING

[11] EUROPEAN COUNCIL TO DISCUSS CYPRUS'S ACCESSION TO EU

[12] EUROPEAN COUNTRIES CALL ON THEIR CITIZENS NOT TO VISIT YUGOSLAVIA

[13] US-CANADA PANMACEDONIAN UNION RECEIVES $10,000 PRIVATE DONATION

[14] BERISHA TO APPEAR BEFORE TIRANA PROSECUTOR IN OCTOBER

NEWS IN DETAIL

[01] INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND CONVENES TODAY OVER GLOBAL CRISIS

New York, October 5 (MPA)

The Finance Ministers of the Group of Seven nations met in Washington and expressed interest in US President Clinton's plan to provide emergency funding for countries affected by the global turmoil in the hopes of forestalling a global recession.

[02] HELLENIC PARLIAMENT'S PLENARY SESSION BEGINS TODAY

Athens, October 5 (MPA)

Tomorrow, the Finance Ministry's legislation concerning the operation of the stock market will be tabled for discussion.

[03] INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY MOUNTS PRESSURE ON F.R. YUGOSLAVIA

Belgrade, October 5 (MPA)

F.R.Y.'s highest defense council, which is led by president Slobodan Milosevic, stressed that the country will defend itself with every means.

Meanwhile, Moscow has reiterated its opposition to a potential military intervention in Kossovo.

[04] PEACEKEEPING MISSIONS CONFERENCE STARTS IN ATHENS TODAY

Athens, October 5 (MPA)

The Euro-Atlantic Cooperation Council provides a forum for NATO members and members of NATO's Partnership for Peace program to discuss and fine-tune programs on a wide range of security issues.

About 60 representatives from NATO and Partnership for Peace countries are expected to attend the conference which will be opened by NATO Assistant Secretary-General for political affairs Klaus-Peter Klaiber.

[05] HOLBROOKE ARRIVES IN BRUSSELS TODAY TO MEET WITH NATO OFFICIALS

Brussels, October 5 (MPA)

According to Reuters, Mr. Holbrooke will try to use his influence to convince Mr. Milosevic to comply with United Nations orders to cease the violence in Kossovo. His trip coincides with the release of a report by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan that could give the green light for NATO air strikes over the crisis in Kossovo.

Mr. Holbrooke will meet with NATO Secretary-General Javier Solana and other senior NATO officials before flying on to Belgrade later in the day.

Mr. Solana stated yesterday that Yugoslavia should take the threat of allied air action seriously, because time was running out for political alternatives.

State department spokesperson James Rubin stated that ''the purpose of Ambassador Holbrooke's meeting with President Milosevic is to underscore the clear requirements of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1199 and to emphasize the need for prompt and full compliance.''

[06] PRIME MINISTER: LOCAL ELECTIONS WILL NOT AFFECT STATE'S ECONOMIC POLICY

Athens, October 5 (MPA)

Mr. Simitis stated yesterday that the cornerstone of the state's economic policy remained attaining entry into the European Union's economic and monetary union by the target date of January 1, 2001. Replying to reporters' questions in Delphi on the sidelines of talks he held there during the weekend with the presidents of Bulgaria and Romania, Mr. Simitis rejected allegations that economic policy was a hostage to election politics as Greece still had leeway of one year to meet the five economic criteria needed for EMU entry.

"The priority of EMU entry is decisive in any decisions taken," he stressed said.

[07] GREEK DEFENSE MINISTER URGES TALKS TO AVERT NATO STRIKE IN KOSSOVO

Thessaloniki, October 5 (MPA)

In Thessaloniki yesterday, Mr. Tsochatzopoulos stated that Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic and Kossovo's Albanian leader Ibrahim Rugova "should proceed immediately with the start of dialogue to allow broad autonomy in Kossovo within the framework of Yugoslavia's existing borders."

"I am optimistic that the logic of dialogue will prevail and that there will be a political solution," he added.

[08] GREECE, BULGARIA, ROMANIA URGE CEASE-FIRE IN KOSSOVO AT DELPHI SUMMIT

Athens, October 5 (MPA)

"The (countries') three leaders make an urgent and dramatic appeal to all sides involved, and in particular the Yugoslav authorities, to work for a negotiated settlement of the conflict in Kossovo...namely a cease-fire should be put immediately into effect," a joint statement by the three countries said.

"Parties should come to the negotiating table without preconditions, aiming at achieving a peaceful solution for a large autonomy for Kossovo within the internationally recognized borders of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and respecting the rights and freedoms of all the inhabitants of Kossovo, so that another course of action be avoided," said the statement.

"Bulgaria, Romania and Greece, immediate neighbors of Yugoslavia, are deeply concerned that the escalation of the conflict in Kossovo has reached a crucial point; further negative developments could have serious consequences for the three countries and the region as a whole," the declaration said.

In regards to Albania, the three leaders called on the country's government and political parties to use political dialogue and create a state of law, enabling democratic institutions to operate.

Moreover, the leaders welcomed the start of the enlargement process for the European Union, in which Bulgaria and Romania are candidate countries and Greece, as an EU member-state, has worked on behalf of their applications for accession.

Mgrs. Simitis, Stoyanov and Constantinescu also praised NATO's "open door policy:, hoping that an upcoming summit in Washington would result in concrete steps being taken to enhance the Alliance's decisive role in consolidating peace and stability in southeastern Europe and the continent as a whole.

They also stated that they supported an agreement signed recently to establish a multinational peace force in southeastern Europe. "The three leaders, whose countries share a common European destiny, reaffirmed their commitment to principles of international law, on peace, security and good-neighborly relations, respect for sovereignty, integrity and inviolability of external borders, as well as the recourse to the International Court of Justice to settle territorial differences, which are enunciated in the European Union Presidency Conclusions of the Luxembourg Council of December 1997 and in the 'Agenda 2000'," the statement also read.

Lastly, the three leaders agreed to step up their trilateral cooperation, which was launched in the Greek city of Ioannina in 1995.

They "further agreed that their Ministers of Interior/Public Order and Justice should convene on a regular basis in joint meetings.

They expressed support for the establishment in Bucharest of the SECI Regional Center for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption and the initiative of Bulgaria to host the Regional Coordinating Center for Combating Illicit Drug Trafficking," the statement said.

The three countries agreed to hold regular summits, with the next session due in Bulgaria in 1999.

[09] MAIN OPPOSITION LEADER DIDN'T MINCE HIS WORDS IN THESSALONIKI

Thessaloniki, October 5 (MPA)

Mr. Karamanlis criticized the government's policies on health, education, the economy, investments and tourism, to name a few. According to the opposition leader, the state has deprived the country's youth of the means to achieve a competitive future.

Earlier, in the city of Komotini, Mr. Karamanlis addressed a rally organized by the 'Kalimera Thraki" coalition, running for the prefecture of Thrace, and referred to the problems faced by the region's farmers, pledging that as a prime minister he would personally undertake the responsibility "to negotiate on agricultural products with the European Union."

Further, he accused the government for delays in the completion of major infrastructure projects, describing a new law on development as "unacceptable", as it abolished investment incentives for the specific region.

Mr. Karamanlis also visited predominantly Muslim villages in Thrace where he was greeted by drums and bagpipes.

[10] GREEK ALTERNATE FM IN VIENNA FOR EUROPEAN SOCIALIST PARTY MEETING

Vienna, October 5 (MPA)

The meeting to be chaired by ESP President Rudolf Sharping, will examine "Europe's future", with emphasis granted on employment, benefits, and security policies. It takes place in preparation of an EU summit organized at the initiative of Austria's current EU presidency, to be held on October 25.

Tomorrow, Mr. Papandreou will participate at the EU's general affairs council, which will review issues related to the European Summit.

[11] EUROPEAN COUNCIL TO DISCUSS CYPRUS'S ACCESSION TO EU

Luxembourg, October 5 (MPA)

Among the issues to be discussed is the accession course of the Republic of Cyprus. According to the BBC, France and Italy are expected to reiterate the positions developed by their permanent representatives during the recently-held committee session, wherein they associated the island's accession with the improvement of Turkish-EU relations and the resolution of the Cyprus issue.

The representatives stated that a framework and specific prerequisites need to be drawn prior to negotiations for Cyprus' accession and further demanded that a written agreement follow which would bind all the EU member-states.

Greece's permanent representative Ambassador Lukas Tsilas strongly protested to these proposals.

According to the BBC, the proposals of the French and Italian Foreign Ministers are expected to be met by Greece's categorically opposed position to be developed by Mr. Pangalos.

[12] EUROPEAN COUNTRIES CALL ON THEIR CITIZENS NOT TO VISIT YUGOSLAVIA

Belgrade, October 5 ( MPA)

Yesterday. Austria's foreign ministry issued such advisory, while Germany had already done so on Saturday. Its foreign ministry stated in an announcement that "the situation in Kossovo and the unforeseeable developments that may follow endanger the safety of foreign nationals currently in Yugoslavia."

On Friday, both Ireland and the Netherlands also issued a travel advisory. Dutch Foreign Minister Hans Van Mirlo added that his government is looking into the possibility of removing the Dutch embassy's staff from Belgrade.

[13] US-CANADA PANMACEDONIAN UNION RECEIVES $10,000 PRIVATE DONATION

New York, October 5 (MPA)

Mr. Xenopoulos also undertook the task of forming a committee which will serve as a liaison between the Union and Macedonia- origin, or other, businessmen, in order to acquire additional funds for the Union.

[14] BERISHA TO APPEAR BEFORE TIRANA PROSECUTOR IN OCTOBER

Tirana, October 5 (MPA)

Mr. Berisha, whose parliamentary immunity was lifted, is accused of instigating the attempted coup d'etat last month.

The Tirana prosecutor's office has also filed charges against five other deputies of the Democratic Party, but their parliamentary immunity has not been lifted.

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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