Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 00-05-11

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

CONTENTS

[01] DEBATE ON CHURCH-STATE SEPARATION LINGERS ON

[02] THE TURKISH PROPOSAL ON THE CONFIDENCE BUILDING MEASURES IS BEING

[03] 40 MILLION PEOPLE WORLDWIDE HAVE THE AIDS VIRUS-HASHISH IS THREE TIMES

[04] THE GREEK GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN ON THE "DYNAMIC MIX" EXERCISE

[05] SAMARANCH PRAISED THE GREEK GOVERMENT

[06] THE CORONARY DISEASE IS ON THE RISE

[07] THE GOVERNOR OF AUSTRALIA IS IN GREECE

[08] THE BULGARIAN UNDERSECRETARY OF DEFENSE IS VISITING ATHENS

[09] GAINS OF 0.61% IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE

[10] BSTDB APPROVED A US$10 MILLION LOAN TO AVIN

[11] THIRTY THOUSAND NEW CANCER PATIENTS EVERY YEAR IN GREECE

[12] TURKEY FOR DIALOGUE WITH ATHENS, PER AGENDA 2000

[13] EUROPEAN UNION SAYS: OUZO IS ONLY GREEK

[14] CYPRUS FORMER PRESIDENT IS WELL AFTER OPERATION

[15] A SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED VIRUS CAUSES CANCER OF THE LARYNX

[01] DEBATE ON CHURCH-STATE SEPARATION LINGERS ON

A mere few days after the justice minister stoked coals on the issue of Church and state separation, the country's academic and legal communities have now joined the debate over whether or not the obligatory mentioning of religious belief on identification cards contravenes extant legislation.

According to 1997 law, the mentioning of religious beliefs is considered sensitive information, which can be made public after the approval of the person immediately concerned, or the authority for the protection of personal data.

However, the Church of Greece has countered this view by stating that "no law is enforceable if it runs contrary to holy laws."

The Piraeus Metropolite and Holy Synod spokesperson Kallinikos stated that "based on the existing law, the listing of religious belief or affiliation on one's personal identification card, is mandatory, unless another law is enacted."

However, the chairman of the Authority for the Protection of Personal Data stated that Mr. Kallinikos referred to a law that is no longer being enforced.

"The new law 24721/specifically and implicitly abolishes the previous law and considers religion to be sensitive information", the chairman said.

A.F.

[02] THE TURKISH PROPOSAL ON THE CONFIDENCE BUILDING MEASURES IS BEING EXAMINED

The Greek side is in the process of drawing up a text concerning the confidence building measures, in response to the proposals made by Turkish foreign minister Ismail Cem that were submitted to his Greek counterpart in Ankara last January.

The two responsible ministries of foreign affairs and defense cooperate closely to determine Greece's stance on the confidence building measures.

According to information, the position of the Greek government is that the confidence building measures must be within the NATO framework and under the auspices of the western alliance's general-secretary but this does not rule out a discussion at a bilateral level on issues of technical nature such as, the cooperation of coastal regions.

[03] 40 MILLION PEOPLE WORLDWIDE HAVE THE AIDS VIRUS-HASHISH IS THREE TIMES MORE CANCER CAUSING THAN TOBACCO CIGARETTES

Forty million people worldwide have been infected with the AIDS virus, while 40-70% of them develop eye damages as a result, according to a research that will be presented in the 6th Scientific Conference of Greek Medical School Students that opens in Thessaloniki tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the drop in the age of first time drug users in the two year period of 1998-1999 and the low education level of the drug addicts were among the conclusions reached by the research conducted by Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Forensic-Toxicology Laboratory that will also be presented in the conference. The overwhelming majority starts with the so-called soft drugs and almost all systematic drug users later turn to hard drugs.

The same research showed that hashish does to appear to cause physical addiction but it causes psychological addiction depending on the way and the conditions under which the drug is used.

Compared to tobacco cigarettes the cannabis includes three times more cancer causing tar, while on the other hand, it has been established that nicotine causes physical addiction.

[04] THE GREEK GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN ON THE "DYNAMIC MIX" EXERCISE

There is not an issue of an exclusion of the northern Aegean island of Limnos from the NATO exercise "Dynamic Mix" which will take place from May 20 to early June in southern Aegean and the Ionian Sea, stressed today Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas.

Mr. Reppas clarified that the exercise will develop in a geographic area in which the island of Limnos does not belong.

The Greek government spokesman responding to a question by a reporter on whether there is an exchange of letters between Athens and Ankara on the confidence building measures, he said that the confidence building measures must be handled by the representatives of the two countries within the framework of NATO. The issue is being followed by the NATO secretary-general and the 1988 memorandum signed by the then foreign ministers Papoulias and Yilmaz constitutes for Greece the basis for a progress in any discussion.

[05] SAMARANCH PRAISED THE GREEK GOVERMENT

International Olympic Committee, IOC, president Juan Antonio Samaranch praised the Greek government for the changes it has made in the structure of the organizing committee for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.

The IOC president, who expressed satisfaction over the appointment of Ms. Yianna Angelopoulou-Daskalaki to the organizing committee presidency, asked culture minister Theodoros Pangalos to convey to prime minister Kostas Simitis his congratulations for the speedy adoption of the specific measures by the government.

At the same time, he thanked the outgoing organizing committee president Mr. Thomopoulos for his high quality work, stressing that he understands fully the reasons that led him to focus his interest on the Bank of Greece.

[06] THE CORONARY DISEASE IS ON THE RISE

Thirty to forty thousand people in a population of 1 million suffer from coronary disease and 2-3% of them die each year, while an equal percentage suffers a heart attack. In Greece, the number of coronary disease cases remains stable, while at the same time in the rest developed countries they are on the decline.

The figures were presented on the occasion of the 2nd Cardiology Conference in northern Greece that will be held in Thessaloniki on May 18-20. The biggest mortality rate is recorded among women in spite of the fact that they develop the coronary disease 10 years later compared to men. This is due mainly to two factors namely, women tend to develop the disease at an older age and their coronary vessels are thinner.

[07] THE GOVERNOR OF AUSTRALIA IS IN GREECE

Governor of Australia Sir William Patrick Deene, who is on a formal visit to Greece, was received today by president Kostis Stephanopoulos. The Australian official later met with prime minister Kostas Simitis and parliament president Apostolos Kaklamanis while he laid a wreath at the Monument of the Unknown Soldier.

During the contacts of the Australian official, it was pointed out that the Greek community in Australia is a bridge that links the two countries. He will also meet with political party leaders and later he will attend a formal dinner that will be given in his honor by the president of the republic.

[08] THE BULGARIAN UNDERSECRETARY OF DEFENSE IS VISITING ATHENS

Bulgarian undersecretary of defense Plamen Georgiev Radonov is on a visit to Athens and is scheduled to meet with his Greek counterpart Dimitris Apostolakis.

The talks of the two undersecretaries will focus on the sectors of bilateral cooperation with a special emphasis on the defense industry and the security situation in the Balkans.

[09] GAINS OF 0.61% IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE

Gains of 0.61% were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange today and the general index was at 4.528,93 points, while the volume of transactions was over 195 billion drachmas.

Of the stocks trading 256 recorded gains, while just 47 had losses.

[10] BSTDB APPROVED A US$10 MILLION LOAN TO AVIN

The Black Sea Trade and Development Bank, BSTDB, Board of Directors approved a US$ 10 million loan to Vardinoyiannis-AVIN Group (Greece) for the construction of an oil/product tanker in the Ukraine. The tanker will be part of the AVIN INTERNATIONAL fleet, while the sum approved for its construction will be a great relief for the Ukrainian shipbuilding yard.

By undertaking the construction of the ship the Nikolaev shipyards will be able to activate their huge potential which remains unexploited to a great degree. At the same time, it will improve its operational standards as a result of the close cooperation that will be developed with the Greek group.

According to the bank's board of directors, the investment program will have a positive effect on the creation of more job positions in a region which traditionally faces high unemployment in the specialized personnel category.

[11] THIRTY THOUSAND NEW CANCER PATIENTS EVERY YEAR IN GREECE

Thirty thousand new cancer patients are being recorded every year in Greece, while in the last stages of the disease 60-90% of them suffer from strong pains. The above were mentioned in the 15th Medical Conference in northern Greece and it was stressed that the easing of the pain suffered by cancer patients is still a challenge for the doctors.

In a round table discussion, it was pointed out that the prostate cancer cases diagnosed each year in the United States are 334.500 and 41.800 of those patients die. It is estimated that 1 million men over the age of 50 that are alive today will die from this disease. The mortality rate in the prostate cancer patients increases with the age of the patient. This fact in relation with the rise in the average age of the population leads to the conclusion that the prostate cancer deaths will rise sharply in the next few years as opposed to the deaths from other diseases such as cardiovascular diseases which are on the decline.

[12] TURKEY FOR DIALOGUE WITH ATHENS, PER AGENDA 2000

Ankara is said to be willing to embark on a dialogue with Athens within the framework allocated by international law and "Agenda 2000".

According to the BBC radio service, Mr. Cem relayed his country's aforementioned wish to his Greek counterpart George Papandreou during their recent meeting in New York.

A.F.

[13] EUROPEAN UNION SAYS: OUZO IS ONLY GREEK

The term "ouzo" will not be used for any whatsoever alcoholic beverage produced in South Africa, according to the agreement between the European Union and South Africa, to be signed on June 1.

As the European Council responded to a relevant question tabled by Greek eurodeputy Yiannis Souladakis (PASOK), the only products bearing the name "ouzo" available in South Africa will have originated exclusively from Greece.

A.F.

[14] CYPRUS FORMER PRESIDENT IS WELL AFTER OPERATION

Everything went well during yesterday's operation to remove a benign brain tumor from Cyprus' former President George Vasiliou, according to the doctors, who express absolute satisfaction with the outcome of the surgery.

According to the Cyprus News Agency, the doctors pointed out that Mr. Vasiliou will be closely monitored in the intensive care unit and is expected to remain in the hospital for about ten days.

A.F.

[15] A SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED VIRUS CAUSES CANCER OF THE LARYNX

A sexually transmitted virus, called papillomavirus, can cause certain types of cancer of the larynx, warn researchers in a article published on the journal issued by the US National Institute on Cancer.

The researchers, after examining 253 patients aged between 17 and 91 years old, traced the virus in 25% of the tumors. The above results show that the specific virus was the cause of those cancers that hit the tonsil and the larynx area.

In the United States, about 31.000 are diagnosed each year with cancer of the mouth and the pharynx, while this specific virus is also related with the cancer of the genital organs.

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