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Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 99-08-04
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, August 4, 1999
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
_____________
[01] DEBATE ON PUBLIC SERVICE TENURE, TRANSFERS, BEGINS IN
HOUSE
[02] MERCHANT MARINE MINISTER DEFENDS GREEK SECURITY
MEASURES
[03] PRINCE CHARLES SPENDS SUMMER HOLIDAY IN GREECE
[04] PASOK SECRETARY: PARTY WILL LAUNCH OFFENSIVE IN THE
FALL
[05] FORD MOTOR HELLAS TO BE STEERED BY GREEK CEO
[06] MAGISTRATE COURT: NO POLICE LIABILITY IN SEPTEMBER's
MASSACRE
[07] EDUCATION MINISTER IS ADAMANT:REFORM TO PROCEED AS
PLANNED
[08] MAIN OPPOSITION DEPUTY DOES NOT FORECAST EARLY
ELECTIONS
[09] OIL TRANSFER FROM THESSALONIKI TO SKOPJE IS PROBLEM-
FREE
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[10] ALTERNATE FM EMBARKS ON OFFICIAL VISIT TO ISRAEL TODAY
[11] NATO NEW SECRETARY-GENERAL TO BE ANNOUNCED TODAY
[12] ROMANIAN ECONOMY TAKES A STEADILY DOWNWARD TURN
[13] BULGARIAN RINGS SMUGGLE ALIENS INTO GREECE
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] DEBATE ON PUBLIC SERVICE TENURE, TRANSFERS, BEGINS IN
HOUSE
The parliamentary debate on proposed legislation
concerning the tenure and transfers of public servants got
underway yesterday, where opposition party deputies argued
that the obligatory transfers are unconstitutional, on the
basis of a parliamentary council's study.
Minister of the Interior Vaso Papandreou and ruling
party deputy Anastasios Peponis counter-argued that,
according to three earlier studies by the same council, the
said transfers are constitutional even if they are against
the employee's will.
[02] MERCHANT MARINE MINISTER DEFENDS GREEK SECURITY
MEASURES
Greece's has the strictest ship security regulations
among European Union member-states, according to the
country's Minster of Merchant Marine Stavros Soumakis.
Responding to a question tabled by minor opposition
deputy Alekos Alavanos (Synaspismos), the Minister stated
that Greece withdraws ships that are 35 years old and over,
in contrast with EU regulations that allow for security
conformations on ships that are even 66 years old.
[03] PRINCE CHARLES SPENDS SUMMER HOLIDAY IN GREECE
Prince Charles is expected to arrive in Greece with his
sons William and Harry, where they will spend a few days of
vacation in the Aegean islands.
The British royals are being hosted by their close
friend Yiannis Latsis, the Greek shipping magnate.
[04] PASOK SECRETARY: PARTY WILL LAUNCH OFFENSIVE IN THE
FALL
The country's ruling PASOK party is preparing an
offensive in the Fall, focusing on societal issues and
becoming actively involved in a series of sectors that are
related to the quality of life and the daily hurdles faced
by the general public, according to the party's Central
Committee secretary Costas Skandalides.
Mr. Skandalides also added that the said offensive does
not include early elections and stressed that the party will
proceed with the resolutions adopted during its Fifth
Congress.
He further added that the party needs renewal at all
levels, stating characteristically that "all those who got
tired can go home and let other come who are willing to
work."
[05] FORD MOTOR HELLAS TO BE STEERED BY GREEK CEO
The Greek subsidiary company of Ford Motors (Ford
Motors Hellas) is to be headed by Dimitris Sakellaropoulos
as of August 17, the first Greek managing director of the
said company.
Mr. Sakellaropoulos has a long history in the
automotive sector, having served as director of development
for "Sfakianakis AEVE".
[06] MAGISTRATE COURT: NO POLICE LIABILITY IN SEPTEMBER's
MASSACRE
The Greek magistrate council has found no police
liability in the outcome of the massacre that took place
last September in Athens when Romanian criminal Sorin Matei
took a Greek family hostage in their apartment under the
threat of a hand grenade which the police had mistakenly
assessed as a fake one and ambushed the residence.
When confronted by the police, Matei activated the
weapon which exploded on a young woman and also injured the
Police Force's commander, deputy commander, two SWAT team
members and four other police officers.
The court ruled that the operation was conducted under
the unison opinion of police officers present and officials
from the Public Order Ministry, adding that had the raid not
been conducted, then the outcome would have been far more
tragic.
Matei also died from severe injuries a few days after
the raid.
[07] EDUCATION MINISTER IS ADAMANT:REFORM TO PROCEED AS
PLANNED
Minister of Education Gerasimos Arsenis is adamant the
planned reforms in the sectors are to proceed as planned, in
spite of warnings signaled by teachers unions who say that
they will go on strike in September.
Mr. Arsenis said that the demands expressed by students
and teachers alike, who ask for a second chance to be given
to high school grades are not to be met and added that the
protests are actually shielding economic interests.
[08] MAIN OPPOSITION DEPUTY DOES NOT FORECAST EARLY
ELECTIONS
Main opposition deputy Dora Bakoyanni opined today that
the government will not proceed to early elections, while
also forecasting that a "warm" Fall is ahead.
Ms.Bakoyanni was critical of Foreign Minster George
Papandreou over the latter's statements concerning the
Muslim minority in Thrace, implying that perhaps the
Minister is aware of something over which the opposition
party is not.
[09] OIL TRANSFER FROM THESSALONIKI TO SKOPJE IS PROBLEM-
FREE
The transport of oil from Thessaloniki to Skopje's OKTA
refinery is being conducted without problems, according to
FYROM authorities who said that 100 tons of crude oil were
transported from Thessaloniki's port over the weekend.
The transport is expected to continue.
Hellenic Petroleum recently acquired control of Skopje's
OKTA oil refinery and, within its plans to tap into energy
sector investment opportunities in SE Europe, has decided on
the construction of a Thessaloniki-Skopje oil pipeline.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[10] ALTERNATE FM EMBARKS ON OFFICIAL VISIT TO ISRAEL TODAY
Greece's alternate Foreign Minister Yiannos Kranidiotis
has embarked on an official visit to Israel, the first
conducted by a Greek government official
since the new Israeli government assumed power.
Mr. Kranidiotis is scheduled to meet with Israeli
Foreign Minister David Levy and the minister to the
premier's office, Chaim Ramon, for talks on bilateral
relations, conditions in the region and an upcoming Israeli-
Palestinian meeting in Athens.
The Greek minister will also meet with Jerusalem
Patriarch Diodoros for discussions on issues related to the
Patriarchate. Mr. Kranidiotis is expected to also meet with
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
[11] NATO NEW SECRETARY-GENERAL TO BE ANNOUNCED TODAY
The official who will succeed Javier Solana as NATO's
secretary general will be announced today by the Alliance's
permanent representatives who will convene in Brussels.
According to persistent reports, Mr. Solana is to be
succeeded by the British Defense Secretary George Robertson.
Meanwhile, KFOR arrested seven Albanians yesterday,
suspected for the murder of a Serb man and woman.
[12] ROMANIAN ECONOMY TAKES A STEADILY DOWNWARD TURN
Romania's state of economy is on a steadily downward
course, according to data released by the National
Statistics Committee.
Specifically, inflation rose during by 5.1% during June
in comparison to last year and by 30.8% in comparison to
last December. At the same time, industrial output was
limited by 10.4%, with exports having dropped by 8.6% and
imports by 12.6%, both in comparison to last year's data.
[13] BULGARIAN RINGS SMUGGLE ALIENS INTO GREECE
Organized rings who smuggle aliens from Bulgaria to
Greece are operating unabated and fearlessly, as the border
posts between the two countries resemble "Swiss cheese",
according to the Sofia daily "24 Hours".
The article features a point-by-point map showing the
points where illegal immigrants trail into the country
looking for jobs. According to the report, at least 100
persons every month enter Greece illegally, violating the
Schengen Accord, from a point near the village of Godesevo
whose inhabitants, mostly farmers, admit that they often
enter Greece looking for work since they know the sections
of the borders that don't have electricity.
Mostly tobacco field workers, their monthly income at
home amounts to DM70, whereas in Greece they are offered
more than DM800, as a local farmer said.
The "professional" smugglers are active in the city of
Goce Delcev, the "headquarters" of illegal alien smuggling
activity. The going price for a "ticket" to Greece is
DM1,000.00.
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