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Friday, 19 April 2024
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The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English, 99-04-23The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Hellenic Radio (ERA) <ert.ntua.gr/>CONTENTS[01] NATO missiles strike Serbian state TV building in BelgradeNATO missiles struck the building housing the Serbian state television service during the night, causing an immediate blackout of all channels. There were many people working in the multi-storey block at the time of the attack. The building burst into flames and latest reports say it suffered considerable damage. The head of Belgrade's civil defence said there were at least 15 people dead and many injured, and that rescue teams had launched an operation to remove people trapped under the rubble. Civilians were evacuated from the area around the building after an unexploded shell was discovered in the debris.The Yugoslav press minister described the raid as an attack by barbarians and said those who gave the order for it were animals. The official Yugoslav news agency Tanjug said that targets in central Serbia were also struck by NATO planes around midnight, while NATO fire hit a number of targets in the Kosovar capital, Pristina. [02] NATO planes bomb Yugoslav president's residenceNATO warplanes yesterday bombed and destroyed Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic's private residence. NATO officials were quoted by the American television channel CNN as saying that the villa was part of the Yugoslav army headquarters. Belgrade has described the attack as an assassination attempt.[03] Hope of settlement in wake of Russian envoy's visitSome hope for a settlement of the crisis in Kosovo has emerged from a meeting between the Yugoslav president and the Russian envoy, Viktor Chernomyrdin.As the Itar-Tass news agency reported, the Russian envoy said he agreed with President Milosevic on a joint text providing for the presence of a multinational force in Kosovo under the auspices of the UN and with the participation of Russia. The announcement also says that Yugoslavia and Russia are determined to make joint efforts aimed at a peaceful resolution of the Kosovo crisis. The American president, Bill Clinton, reacted positively but with reservation to news of the agreement. After a meeting in the White House yesterday with the NATO secretary general, Javier Solana, President Clinton said he believed the move represented a step forward. He said that if there was an offer for a genuine security force in Kosovo, then it was the first time such a move had been made by the Yugoslav president. Mr Clinton said he did not know the details of the plan, adding that if it were true then it was the first time President Milosevic had recognised the need for a security force in Kosovo. Bonn also expressed reservations until the report was confirmed, while UN secretary general Kofi Annan said it was an encouraging move. Earlier, however, Washington and western leaders reiterated that the NATO raids on Yugoslavia would be stepped up. With regard to ground operations in the region, the White House announced that President Clinton and the British prime minister, Tony Blair, had approved the Alliance's decision to reconsider its plans. American secretary of state Madeleine Albright and British foreign secretary Robin Cook said they were opposed to the deployment of ground forces in Kosovo. Meanwhile, under the shadow of the continuing NATO air strikes on Yugoslavia, the leaders of the member states of the Atlantic Alliance are today celebrating in Washington the 50th anniversary of the organisation's establishment. [04] Greek premier in favor of broad autonomy for KosovoSpeaking from the United States, the Greek prime minister, Kostas Simitis, said he was in favour of a broad autonomy for Kosovo and against the policy of ethnic cleansing. He reiterated that Greece would not take part in a ground offensive in Yugoslavia. Washington meanwhile has asked Greece to provide further facilities for the NATO operations, according to a statement made by the foreign minister, Giorgos Papandreou, after his meeting with Ms Albright yesterday.Also in Washington is the Greek national defence minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos, who underlined that he was in favour of a diplomatic solution to the Kosovo crisis. Slovenia has announced that it will allow NATO forces to cross its territory if the Alliance decides to send ground troops to Yugoslavia, while the Rumanian parliament yesterday ratified the use of the country's national air space by NATO aircraft. [05] More refugees keep arriving in Albania and FYROMApproximately 3,000 more refugees arrived in Albania and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia from Kosovo yesterday.UNICEF's general director, Carol Bellamy, has accused the world of selective sensitivity to the international problem of refugees, of whom there are now 22 million. [06] Fighting in Yugoslavia not affecting Greek economy muchThe fighting in Yugoslavia is costing NATO roughly 19.2 billion drachmas per day. However, the governor of the Bank of Greece, Loukas Papadimas, has said the effects of the conflict on the Greek economy are negligible.[07] Greek parties oppose war in YugoslaviaOpposition New Democracy party leader Kostas Karamanlis said in a speech in Athens that the war in Yugoslavia was wrong and threatened to lead to dangerous situations.Ruling PASOK party secretary Kostas Skandalidis said that PASOK was opposed to any attempt to change the current borders in the Balkans, as well as to ground operations against Yugoslavia. Meanwhile 7 of the 70 people arrested during last night's anti-war march to the American embassy in Athens are to appear before the public prosecutor. There were also incidents late last night outside the police headquarters on Alexandras Avenue and near the Athens Polytechnic University. [08] Church leaders discuss war in YugoslaviaThe war in Yugoslavia was the main topic of discussion during a meeting yesterday between the spiritual leaders of Greece and Syria, in Damascus, as Archbishop of Athens and all Greece Christodoulos is currently on a official visit to the Antiochia Patriarchate. The head of Greece's church together with Patriarch Ignatios of Antiochia met yesterday with the Moslem mufti of Syria and discussed the war in Yugoslavia.Archbishop Christodoulos said that the Christian Church was irreversibly positioned against violence and war. He added that was the reason why Greece's Church had asked all churches in the world to voice their opposition to the war and help achieve a political settlement of the Kosovo crisis. Archbishop Christodoulos also said the Church of Greece was sending relief aid to Christians and Moslems alike. [09] US to make substantial effort for Cyprus solutionAmerican ambassador in Nicosia Kenneth Brill expressed the clear commitment of the US to make a substantial effort within the current year for a solution to the Cyprus dispute in cooperation with the UN and the EU.Mr Brill, who had a meeting yesterday with the Cypriot president Glafkos Kliridis, said that the effort was firm and that it was neither affected by developments Kosovo nor the Cypriot stand on the issue. [10] Greek transport companies suffer losses because of warThe secretary of the Greek transport ministry, Giorgos Maniatis, said during a press conference yesterday that losses incurred by Greek transport companies as a result of the war in neighbouring Yugoslavia are estimated to amount to five billion drachmas.He said that the Greek economy will have to spend an additional 360 million drachmas to transport Greek exports to central Europe via Austria. The Greek Railways Organisation estimates its losses to amount to 250 million drachmas in relation to passenger transportation and 2.1 billion drachmas for cargo. [11] Greek tourism to profit from 2004 Olympic Games in AthensGreece is to have additional gains amounting to 360 billion drachmas in the sector of tourism in the period 2003-2009, while in the same period over 52 thousand new jobs will be made available. This was announced by the Association of Greek Tourist Enterprises during the presentation of a study on the 2004 Olympic Games to he held in Athens. The study originated with the Economic and Industrial Research Foundation.The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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