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Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 99-04-07

Macedonian Press Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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


MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, April 7, 1999

SECTIONS

  • [A] NATIONAL NEWS
  • [B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

  • NEWS HEADLINES

    [A] NATIONAL NEWS

  • [01] SIMITIS: UNILATERAL CEASEFIRE OFFER IS "ONLY A FIRST STEP"
  • [02] GREEK FOREIGN MINISTER TRAVELS TO SKOPJE, TIRANA TODAY
  • [03] GREECE'S POLITICAL YOUTH GROUPS TO HOLD TORCHLIGHT MARCHES
  • [04] AEK-PARTIZAN PLAY FRIENDLY BALLGAME IN BELGRADE TODAY
  • [05] ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE ON THE REBOUND, GENERAL INDEX UP
  • [06] NATIONAL BANK OF GREECE SHAREHOLDERS OK IMPRESSIVE CAP RISE
  • [07] GREEK FM: WE WON'T TAKE PART IN A NATO GROUND OPERATION
  • [08] MACEDONIA-THRACE MINISTER IN FYROM WITH HUMANITARIAN AID
  • [09] MR. REPPAS ASKS FOR GUARANTEES ON MILOSEVIC'S CEASE FIRE PROPOSAL
  • [10] REPPAS COMMENTED ON THE TRANSFER OF THE THREE US SOLDIERS FROM BELGRADE
  • [11] VENIZELOS-BURNS MEETING IN ATHENS
  • [12] THE CRISIS IN YUGOSLAVIA WILL NOT AFFECT THE GREEK ECONOMY
  • [B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

  • [13] SERBIA DECLARES UNILATERAL CEASEFIRE, NATO ESCALATES RAIDS
  • [14] THOUSANDS OF REFUGEES IN TENT CITIES, RISK OF EPIDEMIC ABOUNDS
  • [15] ATHENS OFFERS GRD800 MILLION FOR FREE TRADE ZONE WITH SOFIA
  • [16] THE SERB PRESIDENT GAVE A WARM WELCOME TO THE GREEK FOOTBALL TEAM
  • [17] BELGRADE ACCUSES THE CIA OF FALSIFYING INFORMATION
  • [18] SPIROS KIPRIANOU WILL BE IN BELGRADE THIS AFTERNOON FOR THE RELEASE OF THE THREE US SOLDIERS
  • [19] SHOCKING PICTURES IN THE REFUGEE SITES AT THE BORDERS OF FYROM WITH YUGOSLAVIA
  • [20] MILOSEVIC SURRENDERS THE THREE US MARINES
  • [21] NEW EXPLOSIONS ROCKED PRISTINA
  • [22] 270.000 REFUGEES IN ALBANIA
  • [23] THE REFUGEES ARE PEOPLE WHO WANT TO RETURN TO THE HOMES

  • NEWS IN DETAIL

    [A] NATIONAL NEWS

    [01] SIMITIS: UNILATERAL CEASEFIRE OFFER IS "ONLY A FIRST STEP"

    Greece's Prime Minister Kostas Simitis has welcomed Belgrade's initiative to declare a unilateral ceasefire in Kosovo as a "first step", albeit he stressed that it has to be followed with "clarifications and assurances" from the Yugoslav side.

    "Belgrade must now guarantee, among others, the unimpeded return of refugees, the evacuation of the Yugoslav army and peace in Kosovo through the employment of an international peacekeeping force. This proposal must be followed by an effort at political dialogue with Yugoslavia," Mr. Simitis stated.

    [02] GREEK FOREIGN MINISTER TRAVELS TO SKOPJE, TIRANA TODAY

    Foreign Minister George Papandreou is departing for FYROM and Albania today where he will meet with his counterparts in order to discuss the massive refugee influx to the aforementioned countries.

    Mr. Papandreou stated that his talks would focus on coordinating the safe distribution of humanitarian aid and reiterated that Greece had not yet specified how many refugees it would take. He added that the Greek government will decide on the matter depending on the stance adopted by its European Union partners.

    Following his talks in the Balkan capitals, Mr. Papandreou will travel to Luxembourg where European Union foreign ministers will meet to discuss the humanitarian and refugee problems in the Balkans.

    [03] GREECE'S POLITICAL YOUTH GROUPS TO HOLD TORCHLIGHT MARCHES

    Greece's political youth organizations, in cooperation with the Yugoslav Youth of Greece, are to hold torchlight marches throughout the country tonight, in protest to NATO's raids on Yugoslavia.

    The marches will be held in Athens, Thessaloniki, Patra, Ioannina, Irakleio, Komotini, Alexandroupoli, Larisa, Kalamata, Rhodes and outside the NATO base of Aktio in Preveza.

    The youth organizations have stated their solidarity to the Yugoslav people who are fighting for survival, defending their country's integrity.

    [04] AEK-PARTIZAN PLAY FRIENDLY BALLGAME IN BELGRADE TODAY

    Athens' AEK Athens football team and Belgrade's Partizan are to play a friendly game in the Yugoslav capital this afternoon, sending a clearly anti-war message to NATO.

    Members of the AEK delegation, which departed yesterday for Belgrade via Hungary, stated that it is "a visit of peace" and the game will be "a historic match.".

    AEK President Dimitris Melissanidis stated that "sports and soccer are over and above politics. And this match is over and above any political expediency."

    [05] ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE ON THE REBOUND, GENERAL INDEX UP

    The general index at the Athens Stock Exchange marked an impressive increase, even during the first trading hour, with the general price index showing profits of 5.62% and the trading volume having reached 38 billion drachmas.

    [06] NATIONAL BANK OF GREECE SHAREHOLDERS OK IMPRESSIVE CAP RISE

    National Bank of Greece's shareholders unanimously approved an impressive share capital increase of 170.6 billion drachmas, during their general meeting held yesterday.

    The plan envisages the issue of 14,843,024 new shares at a nominal value of 1,450 drachmas each to be offered to existing shareholders, at 11,500 drachmas each.

    Following the increase, which will begin on April 26 and last until May 28, the National Bank's share capital will total 226 billion drachmas, or 156,450,000 shares at a nominal value of 1,450 drachmas each.

    [07] GREEK FM: WE WON'T TAKE PART IN A NATO GROUND OPERATION

    Greece will not participate in a ground operation in Yugoslavia, if one should take place, but, instead, will press on with its efforts to contribute diplomatically towards the end of the war, according to Foreign Minster George Papandreou.

    Speaking to an Athens radio station, Mr. Papandreou also referred to the (unilateral) ceasefire proposal made by Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic and said that it constitutes a first step that could serve as the starting point for reaching a political solution.

    Moreover, Mr. Papandreou stated that Greece has fulfilled its standard obligations towards the Alliance, by participating with troops in FYROM. He pointed out that the sole role of the Greek forces' presence in FYROM is to contribute to the enforcement of a peacekeeping agreement, should one ensue, and to assist in setting up of refugee camps.

    Concerning the refugee issue, and the refusal of European countries to host them, Mr. Papandreou stated that Greece, too, believes that the refugees should remain near their homes, i.e. Albania and FYROM.

    He stated that Greece intends to assist these countries in every way possible, so that the refugees can stay on their grounds, either through financial aid, or through camps set up by the Greek military.

    Those refugees who arrive in Greece will be hosted in controlled camps and will return to their homelands after the end of the war.

    [08] MACEDONIA-THRACE MINISTER IN FYROM WITH HUMANITARIAN AID

    The Minister of Macedonia-Thrace Yiannis Magriotis departed for Skopje today, heading a humanitarian aid mission for the refugees.

    Shortly before his departure, Mr. Magriotis stated that the residents and authorities of Thessaloniki "displayed their solidarity to other peoples, regardless of religions, nationalities and other differences."

    The mission comprises 12 tons of pharmaceutical and medical supplies that has been amassed from hospital and private donations.

    He will meet with FYROM's Minister of the Interior and Public Order Pavle Trianov, City Planning Dusko Kadievski and the European Commission's representative to Skopje Pinto Tehera.

    Later today, Mr. Magriotis will visit a refugee camp where humanitarian aid will be distributed with the cooperation of the non-governmental organization "European Perspective".

    Moreover, a train transporting humanitarian aid from Thessaloniki, the second route so far, is to arrive at the Skopje train station this evening.

    [09] MR. REPPAS ASKS FOR GUARANTEES ON MILOSEVIC'S CEASE FIRE PROPOSAL

    Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas called for guarantees on the cease fire proposal submitted by Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic and added that for the time being there is still hope for a peaceful solution to the problem in Kossovo.

    Mr. Reppas clarified that in order to give credibility to his proposal Mr. Milosevic should offer guarantees for the unhindered return of the refugees to their homes, the withdrawal of the Serb forces and the deployment of an international force in Kosovo.

    However, Mr. Reppas stated that the international factor should not see in a negative way the cease fire proposal made by the Yugoslav leader.

    Also, Mr. Reppas confirmed that prime minister Kostas Simitis had telephone communication with his counterparts D'Alema from Italy and Lionel Jospen from France as well as with German chancellor Gerhard Schroder.

    [10] REPPAS COMMENTED ON THE TRANSFER OF THE THREE US SOLDIERS FROM BELGRADE

    Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas confirmed today that Greece will send an aircraft to Belgrade to take the three US soldiers to Cyprus.

    The Greek government is in consultations aimed at offering its assistance by securing the means of transportation providing the aircraft, said Mr. Reppas, who also added that the Greek government will do what it should in order to deal with the issue in the best possible way.

    [11] VENIZELOS-BURNS MEETING IN ATHENS

    There was no travel advisory issued by the United States against Greece and there will not be in the future, according to an assurance that was given by US ambassador to Athens Nicholas Burns to minister of development Evangelos Venizelos during their meeting in Athens today.

    Mr. Venizelos stated that there is close cooperation with factors of the tourist market to examine the precautionary measures that should be taken aimed mainly at stopping the circulation of such rumors that can become harmful.

    Earlier, Mr. Venizelos had a meeting with representatives of hotel and tourist businesses.

    [12] THE CRISIS IN YUGOSLAVIA WILL NOT AFFECT THE GREEK ECONOMY

    The crisis in Yugoslavia will not affect the Greek economy stated minister of national economy and finance Yiannos Papantoniou after his meeting with prime minister Kostas Simitis and Bank of Greece governor Loukas Papadimos.

    The minister of national economy and finance confirmed that inflation closed at 3,4% at the end of March and predicted that in June or July will drop to 2%.

    [B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

    [13] SERBIA DECLARES UNILATERAL CEASEFIRE, NATO ESCALATES RAIDS

    Although Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic declared a unilateral ceasefire in honor of the orthodox Easter this weekend, NATO intensified the air raids against Yugoslavia killing a score of civilians.

    According to reports, the allied aircraft also struck a military air base near Belgrade., while other infrastructure facilities in Prishtina were destroyed.

    According to the Alliance's secretary-general Javier Solana, before any talks of ceasefire is made, President Milosevic must accept the terms set forth by the international community.

    [14] THOUSANDS OF REFUGEES IN TENT CITIES, RISK OF EPIDEMIC ABOUNDS

    As tens of thousands refugees are being crammed into makeshift tent cities propped up at the Kosovo-FYROM border, the risk of epidemic illnesses abounds as the people are forced to live in unsanitary conditions for days on end.

    Approximately 5,500 refugees have been transported to other countries, in spite of their distress at the unknown destination and at being separated from their families.

    So far, FYROM is hosting more than 70,000 refugees, while over 200,000 are in Albania.

    [15] ATHENS OFFERS GRD800 MILLION FOR FREE TRADE ZONE WITH SOFIA

    The Greek government will provide GRD800 million for the creation of a free-trade zone with Bulgaria, near the city of Svilengraad, following an agreement reached between the prefectures of Bulgaria's Haskovo and Greece's Alexandroupolis.

    The zone in expected to result in 1,200 new jobs, while the businesses included in the zone will be Greek, staffed by Bulgarians who live near the border regions.

    [16] THE SERB PRESIDENT GAVE A WARM WELCOME TO THE GREEK FOOTBALL TEAM

    Serb president Milan Miludinovic gave a warm welcome to the players of the Greek football team AEK upon their arrival in Belgrade for a football match with Belgrade's Partisan. Mr. Miludinovic received the team at the presidential building and thanked the Greek people for the solidarity toward the Yugoslavs in those difficult times for Serbia and Yugoslavia.

    Before the opening of the match a moment of silence was observed and AEK vice-president Makis Angelopoulos stated that the presence of his team in Belgrade is symbolic, adding that it is one of the most glorious moments in its 75yearold history.

    [17] BELGRADE ACCUSES THE CIA OF FALSIFYING INFORMATION

    The Serb ministry of information accused the CIA of counterfeiting its page on the Internet and channeling falsified information on the events in Yugoslavia.

    In statements he made to Serbian state television, Serb minister of information Aleksandar Vutsic stressed that this is a crime on information as the "American information criminals" have made a page on the Internet with the address www.serbiainfo.com using almost an identical address with that of the formal page of the Serb ministry of information namely, www.serbia-info.com.

    The Serb minister pointed out that in spite of the efforts made to falsify events in Yugoslavia the truth will shine through.

    [18] SPIROS KIPRIANOU WILL BE IN BELGRADE THIS AFTERNOON FOR THE RELEASE OF THE THREE US SOLDIERS

    Cypriot parliament president and former president of the Cypriot Republic Spiros Kiprianou will be in Belgrade this afternoon to meet with Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic and discuss the issue of the release of the three US soldiers.

    Mr. Kiprianou expressed the hope that everything will go well and he will return to Cyprus with the US soldiers. He set as basic pre-condition the respect of some kind of cease fire and asked for a 24hour break in the NATO air strikes.

    Mr. Kiprianou stated that this is a humanitarian gesture and has no relation whatsoever to negotiations, while he also added that the US government will be briefed on the developments. The aircraft for the transportation of the three US soldiers will be provided by the Greek government.

    [19] SHOCKING PICTURES IN THE REFUGEE SITES AT THE BORDERS OF FYROM WITH YUGOSLAVIA

    Makeshift shelters, mountains of rubbish, abandoned articles of clothing, photographs of small children scattered around, are what is left behind at the border outpost of Blace at the borders of FYROM with Yugoslavia, 25 kilometers from the city of Skopje, to remind of the thousands of destitute people who fled the war in Yugoslavia.

    The Kosovo refugees, who were in FYROM, were moved during the night and in the early morning hours today and were taken to two new refugee camps that were created 10 kilometers away, while at the same time, thousands of people who were on the other side of the borders were also moved in a mysterious way. In the past few days it is estimated that on the Yugoslav side of the borders had gathered 50-70.000 people and were waiting to cross over to FYROM.

    The Skopjan government officials can not explain the reason for the massive removal of the refugees, who were waiting patiently for 10 days to cross over to Skopjan territory.

    The government of FYROM in spite of the efforts it makes can not deal with such large number of refugees and there is great concern regarding the likelihood of epidemics as in many cases even the basic sanitary conditions are lacking. This is the main reason that led the Skopjan authorities to stop hundreds of foreign journalists from getting close to the refugee camps as there have been reports of dysentery, meningitis, typhoid fever and cholera.

    According to official sources, about 10 deaths were reported daily among the refugees on the Yugoslav side of the borders, while formal figures of deaths and injuries in FYROM will be given to publicity by the FYROM government later today.

    Minister of information Redjep Zlatku, speaking to MPA, stated that over 130.000 refugees are in FYROM and 70.000 of them have entered the country from the border crossings, while other 50.000 entered FYROM from other passages. The government of FYROM expressed concern that the number of refugees could exceed the 200.000 mark by the end of the week.

    [20] MILOSEVIC SURRENDERS THE THREE US MARINES

    In a significant development at the initiative of the Greek government Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic will surrender in a good will gesture the three US soldiers who were arrested a few days ago by Serb soldiers.

    According to information, former Cypriot president Spiros Kiprianou is on his way to Belgrade to get the three US marines and deliver them to US ambassador to Cyprus Kenneth Brill. From there the three US soldiers will be able to go back to their country. The Greek government will also send a airplane if necessary for the transportation of the US soldiers to Cyprus.

    [21] NEW EXPLOSIONS ROCKED PRISTINA

    Two new strong explosions rocked Pristina at 11:30am this morning. The Serb television reported that people were killed.

    Meanwhile, NATO rejected the proposal of Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic for a unilateral cease fire. General secretary of NATO Javier Solana will meet today in Brussels with US secretary of defense William Kohen.

    [22] 270.000 REFUGEES IN ALBANIA

    The influx of refugees from Kosovo to Albania continues and the Albanian president stated that he will allow all the refugees gathered at the borders of Kosovo with Skopje to enter the country as well. Albania is opposed to flying refugees out of the region maintaining that this would benefit Milosevic as it will contribute to the policy of ethnic cleansing in Kosovo.

    According to the ministry of information, the refugees are 270.000 and most of them, 120.000, are in the city of Kukes with a population of 20.000. In Tirana there are 26.000, in Durres 13.000, in Fieri 12.000 and in Elbasan 10.000 refugees.

    [23] THE REFUGEES ARE PEOPLE WHO WANT TO RETURN TO THE HOMES

    FYROM's minister of information Redjep Zlatku in an interview with MPA stated that the government of his country even before the start of the war had estimated that FYROM would be able to take about 20.000 refugees from Kosovo. However, their number is now 130.000 and in spite of the fact that they are 6 1/2 times more than expected the borders of FYROM were not closed.

    Mr. Zlatku said that the situation is very difficult because the country has to deal with hard economic problems. He said that there is no fear of political consequences that could be caused by the refugees, stressing that there are reporters who dramatize the situation maintaining that the refugees will change the demographic map of FYROM and added that he does not believe this because the refugees are people who want desperately to return to the homes.


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