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Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 99-09-17

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, September 17, 1999

SECTIONS

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

  • NEWS HEADLINES

    [A] NATIONAL NEWS

  • [01] URGENT INQUIRY ORDERED ON FALCON'S TECHNICAL PROBLEMS
  • [02] AFTERSHOCKS RATTLE ATHENS, BUT EXPERTS SAY IT'S NORMAL
  • [03] FUNERAL OF MR. KRANIDIOTIS TO BE HELD IN ATHENS TODAY
  • [04] MPA COLLECTS FUNDS ON ITS INTERNET SITE FOR QUAKE VICTIMS
  • [05] PM MEETS WITH TRANSPORTATION MINISTER TO DISCUSS FALCON
  • [06] CONDOLENCES STILL POURING IN OVER DEATH OF KRANIDIOTIS
  • [07] THE ILL-FATED FALCON HAD PRESENTED PROBLEMS IN THE PAST
  • [08] TRANSPORTATION MINISTER GIVES FALCON REPORT TO PREMIER
  • [09] THE LAST GOODBYE TO YIANNOS KRANIDIOTIS
  • [10] MR. SIMITIS WAS BRIEFED ON THE FALCON FILE
  • [11] ALL THOSE WHO WIILL SUPPLY WITH SPOILT FOOD THE EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS WILL BE BROUGHT BEFORE THE PROSECUTOR
  • [12] MEMORANDUM ON THE TRANSBALKAN PIPELINE
  • [13] NEW RECORD HIGH IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
  • [14] THE PRESIDENT OF THE GREEK SHIPOWNERS DIED TODAY
  • [15] THE ECONOMIC UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS WILL HONOR DISTINGUISHED PERSONALITIES
  • [B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

  • [16] TURKISH PREMIER INSISTS ON INTRANSIGENT STANCE OVER CYPRUS
  • [17] THE NEW ARCHBISHOP OF AMERICA TO BE ENTHRONED TOMORROW
  • [18] SECOND ROUND OF GREEK-TURKISH DIALOGUE CONCLUDES
  • [19] TURKEY, ITALY RESTORE TIES AFTER MONTHS OF TENSION
  • [20] FOUR PERSONS KILLED IN SAINT PETERSBURG BLAST YESTERDAY
  • [21] FOUR TONS OF EXPLOSIVES FOUND IN A MOSCOW DISTRICT
  • [22] TURKEY: HUNDREDS OF QUAKE SURVIVORS PROTEST LACK OF AID
  • [23] BELGRADE MUNICIPALITY OFFERS AID TO ATHENS QUAKE SURVIVORS
  • [24] ATHENS-SKOPJE TWICE A WEEK WITH OLYMPIC AIRWAYS FLIGHT
  • [25] AUSTRALIA ARCHBISHOPRY GETS TENTS FOR ATHENS QUAKE VICTIMS
  • [26] ALBANIAN PM ANNOUNCES CANDIDACY AS SOCIALIST PARTY LEADER
  • [27] PAPANDREOU WILL MEET WITH ALBRIGHT AND CEM IN NEW YORK
  • [28] THE MAYOR OF ISTANBUL WILL BE IN ATHENS TOMORROW
  • [29] NEW INVESTMENT BY MITILINEOS IN FYROM
  • [30] THE BODIES OF 20 SERBS WERE FOUND IN A WELL IN NORTH- WESTERN KOSOVO

  • NEWS IN DETAIL

    [A] NATIONAL NEWS

    [01] URGENT INQUIRY ORDERED ON FALCON'S TECHNICAL PROBLEMS

    The Athens chief public prosecutor has ordered an urgent preliminary inquiry into the circumstances of the plunge of the Falcon aircraft hat caused the death of Greece's alternate foreign minster Yiannos Kranidiotis and five other passengers.

    Prosecutor George Koliokostas ordered the questioning of witnesses and the inclusion of the aircraft's documents on inspections, maintenance and repairs to be attached to the case file. He also ordered an expert's report to ascertain the condition of the plane and whether a malfunction had occurred during the flight.

    The state, meanwhile, insists that Transportation Minister Tasos Mantelis bears no responsibility over the tragedy, although the opposition parties has demanded his resignation.

    [02] AFTERSHOCKS RATTLE ATHENS, BUT EXPERTS SAY IT'S NORMAL

    An aftershock measuring 4 on the Richter scale rattled Athenians at 2 a.m. today, with its epicenter located at the same area as September 7's devastating earthquake. National seismologists are insisting that the series of aftershocks following a strong quake is a normal phenomenon.

    The chairman of the committee set up to evaluate the risk of earthquakes said that it could not make any sort of ruling on a prediction by a controversial Greek early warning system (VAN) because the team had failed to present any evidence. He said that VAN had in the past erroneously predicted earthquakes.

    [03] FUNERAL OF MR. KRANIDIOTIS TO BE HELD IN ATHENS TODAY

    The funeral of Greece's alternate Foreign Minister Yiannos Kranidiotis will be held in Athens this afternoon at the city's First Cemetery, while the service will be held at 1pm at the church of St. Dionisios Areaopagitis in Kolonaki. He will lie in state until the service.

    Mr. Kranidiotis and five more individuals, including his only son Nicholas, were killed on Tuesday night when their Falcon jet en route to Bucharest encountered severe air turbulence and plunged from 23,000 to 5,000 feet (7,300 to 1,500 meters).

    The other victims are Nikos Assimakopoulos, a police lieutenant; Dimitris Pantazopoulos, a journalist for the state-run ERT network; Nina Assimakopoulou, a journalist for the state-run radio broadcaster (ERA), and flight engineer Michael Papadopoulos. Their funerals were held yesterday.

    [04] MPA COLLECTS FUNDS ON ITS INTERNET SITE FOR QUAKE VICTIMS

    The Macedonian Press Agency's effort to collect funds for Athens' earthquake victims is being met with success, as its home page on its Internet server, created solely for this purpose has been accessed by contributors throughout the world.

    The MPA, wishing to contribute to the offered assistance, established the home page, which can be found at www.mpa.gr, in order to facilitate those who wish to provide economic aid by using their credit cards.

    A bank account has been set up at Egnatia Bank and the collected sum will be sent to the appropriate state authorities who in turn will distribute the funds as needed.

    Those wishing to provide economic relief to the earthquake's victims can contact MPA's site on the Internet and then transfer to the relevant homepage.

    [05] PM MEETS WITH TRANSPORTATION MINISTER TO DISCUSS FALCON

    Prime Minister Costas Simitis is to meet with Transportation Minister Tasos Mantelis today, in order to be briefed on the course of the investigation over the Falcon in-flight tragedy that cost the lives of six people, among them the country's alternate Foreign Minister Yiannos Kranidiotis.

    Their meeting was scheduled for yesterday and its postponement led to speculation over Mr. Mantelis' future in the Cabinet.

    Government spokesperson Dimitris Reppas stated unequivocally that Mr. Mantelis will remain at his post, while he also stressed that responsibilities will be handed out, if there are any, over the causes of the in-flight tragedy.

    [06] CONDOLENCES STILL POURING IN OVER DEATH OF KRANIDIOTIS

    The Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues to receive a flood of condolences from leaders around the world, expressing their grief over the untimely death of the country's alternate foreign misnter Yiannos Kranidiotis.

    French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin sent letters of condolences to his Greek counterpart Costas Simitis as well as to FM George Papandreou, expressing his deep regret and saying Greece had lost one of its most "remarkable diplomats".

    France's Minister Delegate for European Affairs, Pierre Moscovici, also expressed his shock at the death of Mr. Kranidiotis, his son and four other persons.

    A statement issued by the South African Department of Foreign Affairs extended its "heartfelt sympathy and condolences" to the Greek government, Kranidiotis' family, and the families of the other five victims.

    Israeli and Palestinian participants of the "Athens Dialogue", which was hosted by the Greek foreign ministry, yesterday expressed their condolences . Mr. Kranidiotis spearheaded the effort to bring together Israeli and Palestinian politicians, opinion makers and academics closer together in parallel efforts to the Mideast peace negotiations.

    [07] THE ILL-FATED FALCON HAD PRESENTED PROBLEMS IN THE PAST

    A report on the ill-fated Falcon jet, aboard which six persons were killed Tuesday night -among them Greece's alternate Foreign Minister Yiannos Kranidiotis - when it encountered severe air turbulence, was issued by Transportation Minister Tasos Mantelis shortly before midnight last night.

    According to the report, the Greek government's Falcon jet had been given the seal of approval from airplane mechanics prior to the fateful flight to Bucharest, although it had presented a series of problems as early as 1997.

    The plane, frequently consigned to the hangar for repairs, underwent serious malfunction in August 1998, when it was forced to land in Kazakhstan on a return trip from China. Problems usually surfaced in the auto-pilot and the landing gear systems.

    The Olympic Airways Falcon 900 jet, manufactured by the French Dassault, was given to the Ministry of National Defense in 1992 by France as an offset for the former's purchase of the Mirage 2000 fighter.

    In turn, the National Defense Ministry turned the Falcon over to Olympic Airways which, following minor modifications, used it as a VIP and liaison aircraft.

    [08] TRANSPORTATION MINISTER GIVES FALCON REPORT TO PREMIER

    Transportation Minster Tasos Mantelis dismissed speculation over his resignation, following his meeting today with Prime Minster Costas Simitis to whom he turned over the report containing all data relevant to the ill- fated Falcon 900 jet.

    According to the report, the VIP aircraft, where Greece's alternate Foreign Minister Yiannos Kranidiotis and five other persons were killed in flight, did not have safety problems.

    Mr. Mantelis reiterated that the Premier has ordered a thorough inquiry into the causes of the tragedy, until the very last detail.

    [09] THE LAST GOODBYE TO YIANNOS KRANIDIOTIS

    The epilogue of the Falcon air tragedy was written at Athens' A' cemetery this afternoon where Yiannos Kranidiotis and his son Nicholas were buried.

    A memorial service was held at the church of St. Dionisios Areopagitis today at noon attended by president of the republic Kostis Stephanopoulos, prime minister Kostas Simitis, parliament president Apostolos Kaklamanis, political party leaders, relatives and friends.

    The prime minister in his funeral oration praised the personality of Yiannos Kranidiotis stressing that he was the architect of Cyprus' EU accession course, while he said that we mourn for the death of Yiannos, which is a loss for Greece and Cyprus. Prime minister Simitis also said that Yiannos Kranidiotis had dedicated his life to Greece and Cyprus and that he was a man of morals to whom we owe a lot, adding that the government and our country will always remember his smile.

    On behalf of the Greek parliament, its president Apostolos Kaklamanis referred to the contribution of Yiannos Kranidiotis to the national issues of Greece and Cyprus and stressed that the Greek parliament honors him as a politician, as a man and as a fighter.

    Right-wing main opposition party of New Democracy leader Kostas Karamanlis stated that this is a day of mourning and stressed the contribution of Yiannos Kranidiotis saying that he was a politician and technocrat who served the Greek national interests with hard work.

    Funeral orations were also read by Spiros Halvatzis on behalf of the Greek Communist Party, by the Coalition of the Left leader Nikos Konstantopoulos, by Democratic Social Movement parliament deputy Yiannis Dimaras.

    Cypriot parliament president Spiros Kiprianou stated that injustice is the only word that fits to describe the tragedy and stressed that the inquiry underway will show if the air tragedy is the result of human error or a crime committed by nature.

    Cypriot foreign minister Yiannakis Kasoulides stated that Cyprus was always in the mind of Yiannos Kranidiotis but this fact never clouded his thought.

    Cypriot socialist EDEK party leader Vasos Lissaridis stated that the nation mourns and that he still can not realize that he came to Athens to say the last goodbye to Yiannos Kranidiotis

    Greek foreign minister Giorgos Papandreou spoke about his close friend and associate and stated that for about 20 years he was the tireless soul of hellenism's foreign policy, while he underlined his contribution to the efforts for the settlement of the Cyprus problem, the Greek-Turkish relations and the European issues.

    [10] MR. SIMITIS WAS BRIEFED ON THE FALCON FILE

    Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas, responding to the question on whether there is an issue of resignation for the minister of transportation, stated that now more than ever Mr. Mantelis is in the position to meet to the fullest the prime minister's mandate for an in depth inquiry over the circumstances and the causes of the air tragedy.

    Prime minister Kostas Simitis was briefed in detail on the Falcon file in the meeting he had with Mr. Mantelis and the cabinet secretary Socratis Kosmidis. The "black box" of the ill-fated Falcon will be taken to Germany today and Mr. Reppas stated that the timetable for the completion of the inquiry can not be determined yet.

    [11] ALL THOSE WHO WIILL SUPPLY WITH SPOILT FOOD THE EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS WILL BE BROUGHT BEFORE THE PROSECUTOR

    All those who will supply the tent cities of the earthquake homeless with spoilt food will be brought before the prosecutor. The order for strict inspections was given by minister of interior Vaso Papandreou during her visit to the earthquake victims camp in Peristeri.

    The statement was made after the food poisoning cases reported among the homeless living in camps believed to have been caused by spoilt food offered by a number of catering companies. Ms. Papandreou stated that we will not play with the public's health and underlined that all those responsible will be punished.

    [12] MEMORANDUM ON THE TRANSBALKAN PIPELINE

    The Trans-Balkan Pipeline joint venture that will undertake the construction and management of the Burgas- Alexandroupolis oil pipeline materializes gradually. One more step toward the drawing-up of its founding charter was made in Moscow yesterday with the signing of a new memorandum by Greece, Russia and Bulgaria.

    According to Greek minister of development Evangelos Venizelos, during the tripartite meeting, the Russian side presented for the first time the companies that will participate from its part in the Trans-Balkan Pipeline joint venture. A similar move is expected by Bulgaria as soon as privatizations in the energy sector are being completed in the country.

    Greece was represented in the meeting by energy general secretary Antonis Papathanasopoulos, while the atmosphere in the talks was described as positive. The construction cost of the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline is estimated at 500 million dollars and it will be 280-300 kilometers long.

    [13] NEW RECORD HIGH IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE

    The intense fluctuations were the main characteristic of today's session in the Athens Stock Exchange. With the opening of transactions the general index reached 6.500 but the pressures exerted especially on the sector of constructions limited the profits and closed at 6355.04, which is a new record high improved by 0.53%, while the volume of transactions reached 545 billion drachmas.

    In the banking sector the National Bank of Greece share closed at 27.490 GDR, the Commercial Bank share at 30.500 GDR and the Credit Bank share at 27.860 GDR.

    In the industrial sector, the state Telecommunications Company, OTE, share closed at 7.500 GDR, Intracom's ordinary share at 29.500GDR, AGET IRAKLIS at 14.000 GDR, the ordinary share of the cement company TITAN at 41.000 GDR, the ΔΟΛ share at 28.750 GDR, Inform Λύκος at 14.750 GDR. ΕΛ.ΠΕ AT 6.004 GDR, Τηλέτυπος at 10.000 GDR, "Τεγόπουλος" at 15.960 GDR, KAE at 13.830 GDR, METKA at 10.650 GDR and "Μυτιληναίος" at 11.950 GDR.

    [14] THE PRESIDENT OF THE GREEK SHIPOWNERS DIED TODAY

    Yiannis Hatzipateras, president of the Greek Ship- owners, died in London at dawn today at the age of 73.

    His funeral will be held in London.

    [15] THE ECONOMIC UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS WILL HONOR DISTINGUISHED PERSONALITIES

    Four distinguished foreign personalities British actor and author Peter Ustinof, founder of the Doctors Without Borders organization Bernard Kuschner from France, French film director Jules Dassin and Italian film director Bernardo Bertolucci will be honored today by the Economic University of Athens for their contribution to the literary and scientific world.

    The prizes will be awarded by Greek president Kostis Stephanopoulos.

    [B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

    [16] TURKISH PREMIER INSISTS ON INTRANSIGENT STANCE OVER CYPRUS

    Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit has reiterated his intransigent stance over the Cyprus issue, by stating that Ankara will make no concession on this matter, claiming that it is a national matter that concerns Turkey.

    Greece's Foreign Minister George Papandreou is departing for the United States today where he will attend the United Nations General Assembly.

    During his stay in the U.S., Mr. Papandreou will meet with his counterparts from Turkey and Russia, as well as with Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

    The FM met with Prime Minister Costas Simitis yesterday with whom he reviewed the development of relations between Greece, the European Union and Turkey.

    [17] THE NEW ARCHBISHOP OF AMERICA TO BE ENTHRONED TOMORROW

    The enthronement ceremony of the new Archbishop of America Demetrios will be held tomorrow, September 18 at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New York, and will be officiated by the former Archbishop of North and South America Iakovos.

    The ceremony will be broadcast live on cable and on the Internet, as well as through Antenna Satellite Radio and Television.

    A taped version will be shown on the national Greek television ERT (Sept.18 at 3pm), Channel 25 (Sept.19 at 9:30am), Odyssey Channel (Sept. 19 at 1pm Eastern Time) and Hellenic Heartbeat (Sept. 19 at 3pm Central Time).

    Archbishop Demetrios,71, was born at Thessaloniki in 1928. An honors graduate of the University of Athens School of Theology (1946-1950), he also received his Doctorate of Theology from the University of Athens in 1977.

    He traveled to the United States in 1965 and enrolled at Harvard University where he was awarded a Ph.D (with distinction) in 1972.

    In June of 1993 he left the United States where he had spent over 20 years, and returned to Greece to pursue full- time scholarly research and writing and assumed responsibilities at the Archdiocese of Athens.

    For eleven years he served as Distinguished Professor of Biblical Studies and Christian Origins at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, MA. He also taught at Harvard Divinity School as Visiting Professor of New Testament. He has published extensively, including three major books:

    Authority and Passion (1987), The Transcendent God of Eugnostos (1991), and Christ, the Pre-existing God (1992).

    The newly elected Archbishop was ordained a deacon in 1960 and priest in 1964. He was elected titular Bishop of Vresthenis in 1967 as auxiliary bishop to the Archbishop of Athens with primary responsibility for the programs and theological education of the clergy.

    In 1968, he was elected Metropolitan of Attika and Megaridos, not accepting the election because a military junta was ruling Greece at that time.

    Archbishop Demetrios speaks Coptic, English, French, Greek, German, Hebrew and Latin. His brother, Antonis Trakatellis, a biochemistry professor and former Rector of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, is currently serving a second term as a Greek member of the European Parliament.

    [18] SECOND ROUND OF GREEK-TURKISH DIALOGUE CONCLUDES

    Greek and Turkish diplomatic delegations concluded the second round of talks in Ankara yesterday, on a senior foreign ministry officials' level, with the discussion focusing on cultural and multilateral cooperation.

    According to a joint announcement issued after the talks, meetings between the high-level missions from the foreign ministries of both countries will resume in October.

    During yesterday's talks, the two delegations exchanged views on issues concerning smuggling, the combating of organized crime and terrorism.

    The Greek delegation was headed by ambassadors Constantinos Gerokostopoulos and Anastasios Skopelitis, while the Turkish side was headed by ambassador Faruk Logoglu.

    [19] TURKEY, ITALY RESTORE TIES AFTER MONTHS OF TENSION

    Turkey announced yesterday that it had made up with NATO ally Italy after months of tension and a war of words over Rome's stance on Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan.

    "In our recent past, we had some problems, but we have overcome them," Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem told a press conference after meeting with his Italian counterpart Lamberto Dini.

    "We will now pursue our relations on to new horizons," he added.

    In turn, Mr. Dini stated that "it is our common intention to open up our relations, especially in the political field," Dini agreed.

    According to the French news agency AFP, the two countries decided to set up political, economic and cultural working committees to improve strained ties.

    [20] FOUR PERSONS KILLED IN SAINT PETERSBURG BLAST YESTERDAY

    Four people were killed and at least three others were injured in a blast that occurred in an eight-storey apartment building in Saint Petersburg yesterday, according to the Russian news agency Itar-Tass.

    Police were quoted as saying that the blast was caused by a bomb, with the strength of 4-5 kilograms (10 to 12 pounds) of TNT which exploded just before midnight on the sixth-floor of the building.

    The explosion was reported as being much smaller than other recent bomb blasts in Russia, when the equivalent of up to 300 kilos of TNT has been used.

    [21] FOUR TONS OF EXPLOSIVES FOUND IN A MOSCOW DISTRICT

    Four tons of explosives packaged in 76 bales for sugar were discovered today in Moscow's Kapotnya district, according to the Russian news agency Itar-Tass.

    The chief of the Moscow interior agency's press service said that the explosives made of a mixture of ammonium nitrate, hexogen and TNT were discovered in a section of a garage.

    The explosives supposedly came from the Northern Caucasus.

    [22] TURKEY: HUNDREDS OF QUAKE SURVIVORS PROTEST LACK OF AID

    Several hundred angry earthquake survivors in the Turkish province of Sakarya marched on the provincial governor's headquarters yesterday, demanding his resignation.

    According to the local NTV news channel, the marchers were irate over the fact that they had still not been issued with tents, a month after the killer earthquake destroyed their houses on August 17.

    The protesters attempted to stage a sit-in outside the governor's offices, but security forces moved in to disperse them. Scuffles broke out, and at least one man was detained by police.

    It was the second such protest in the earthquake- stricken region, after residents of a tent city in Izmit took to the streets on Tuesday to demonstrate for better living conditions.

    [23] BELGRADE MUNICIPALITY OFFERS AID TO ATHENS QUAKE SURVIVORS

    The Mayor of Belgrade Voislav Michailovic arrived in Athens this morning, accompanying a city council delegation, in order to offer humanitarian aid for the survivors of the earthquake that devastated the Greek capital on September 7.

    During his meeting with the Mayor of Athens Dimitris Avramopoulos, Mr. Michailovic stressed that, during these difficult times, the residents of Belgrade feel the need to express their solidarity to the Greek people and, in spite of their limited resources, reciprocate a part of what the Greeks offered to Serbia and Belgrade.

    In turn, Mr. Avramopoulos thanked his counterpart from Belgrade for their heartfelt and expedient reaction and stressed that the Athenians know how to appreciate gestures of solidarity.

    [24] ATHENS-SKOPJE TWICE A WEEK WITH OLYMPIC AIRWAYS FLIGHT

    Olympic Airways will embark on regular flights from Athens to Skopje twice a week, as of September 21.

    The flights will become more frequent as of October 31, three times a week, while O.A. officials will provide Greek visas to its passengers, as the state-run Skopje radio reported.

    [25] AUSTRALIA ARCHBISHOPRY GETS TENTS FOR ATHENS QUAKE VICTIMS

    The youth committee of Australia's Archbishopry has issued an appeal for te collection of tents to be sent to Athens's earthquake survivors.

    The response so far has been satisfactory, with 120 canvass tents having been forwarded in one day and which are now en route to Athens on an Olympic Airways flight, provided by the national air carrier free of charge.

    [26] ALBANIAN PM ANNOUNCES CANDIDACY AS SOCIALIST PARTY LEADER

    Albania's Premier and Socialist Party general secretary Pandeli Majko has announced his candidacy for the party's presidency, appearing confident that he will win the top post.

    Commenting on the candidacy of Fatos Nano, Mr. Majko stated that "the delegates will be called to decide among two choices. My choices and priorities are the country's security and stability."

    While he stressed his government's determination to quash crime and corruption, Mr. Majko conceded that crime and politics are often intertwined.

    "It's no secret," he said, "crime is neither of blue color (Democratic Party) nor pink (Socialist Party), it has one color", and reiterated that combating crime constitutes his government's priority, since "only a country that provides security can attract investors."

    Rebuffing accusations hurled by a number of Socialist party members that he is attempting a rapprochement with Democratic party leader Sali Berisha, Mr. Majko said that a new line of thinking needs to be established at the base of a democratic society and its principles.

    "We need to have common points of view in regards to the relations between the government and the opposition," he stated.

    "We are not the ones to decide who will lead the Democratic Party. Our relations are not with individuals, they are with parties," he stated.

    [27] PAPANDREOU WILL MEET WITH ALBRIGHT AND CEM IN NEW YORK

    Greek foreign minister Giorgos Papandreou, who will depart for the United States this afternoon, will have meetings with his counterparts from the United States and Turkey Madeleine Albright and Ismail Cem on the sidelines of the UN general assembly meeting that will be held in New York next week.

    Mr. Papandreou will also attend the enthronement of new Archbishop of America Dimitrios tomorrow.

    [28] THE MAYOR OF ISTANBUL WILL BE IN ATHENS TOMORROW

    The mayor of Istanbul will be in Athens tomorrow to convey in person his condolences to the mayor of the Greek capital for the victims of the devastating earthquake which killed 141 people, according to a statement issued by the mayor's office in Istanbul.

    Athens' mayor Dimitris Avramopoulos had visited Istanbul on August 25 to assist in the efforts for the relief of the victims of the August 17 earthquake in Turkey.

    Mr. Avramopoulos together with five parliament deputies visited Istanbul and delivered humanitarian aid collected by the five largest municipalities in Greece within the framework of a solidarity campaign.

    [29] NEW INVESTMENT BY MITILINEOS IN FYROM

    Greek businessmen Evangelos Mitilineos announced in a press conference in Skopje yesterday his intention to buy 51% of the shares of the "Zletovo Foundry" industrial unit in the town of Veles.

    Mr. Mitilineos pointed out that he also intends to make investments in the region known for the environmental problems it faces and stressed that his investments will help limit pollution considerably both in the town itself and Axios River.

    He also expressed his interest for investments in FYROM's energy sector stating that in cooperation with "Siemens" and the cement industry "Titan" is willing to build an electricity production power plant that will operate using natural gas.

    [30] THE BODIES OF 20 SERBS WERE FOUND IN A WELL IN NORTH- WESTERN KOSOVO

    The bodies of 20 Serbs were found in a well in the region of the town of Istok in north-western Kosovo.

    According to the Peace and Tolerance Center of the Kosovo Serbs, 5 of the 20 dead were Istok prison inmates and were killed by ethnic Albanians after being tortured.

    According to information, among the dead is father superior Stefan Puric, whose disappearance had been reported on July 19.


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