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Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2000-10-17

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, October 17, 2000

SECTIONS

  • [A] NATIONAL NEWS
  • [B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS TITLES
  • [01] ONASSION FOUNDATION SUBSIDIARY TO OPEN IN NY
  • [02] ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH IN ATHENS TOMORROW
  • [03] GERMAN AMBASSADOR IN PAROS TO OFFER THANKS
  • [04] NATO EXERCISE'S GREEK WARPLANES STILL GROUNDED
  • [05] GREEKS ARE AMONG WORLD'S MOST ARDENT LOVERS
  • [06] SHELLFISH STATION TO OPEN ON SUNDAY IN KAVALA
  • [07] GREEKS' LIVING CONDITIONS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED
  • [08] FEW GREEK FIRMS ON MIGA POLITICAL RISK INSURANCE
  • [09] ONE IN TEN GREEKS LIVES IN POVERTY, GROUP REPORTS
  • [10] INFLATION IN THE EURO-ZONE IS AT 2.8%
  • [11] TOURISM HAS DROPPED IN GREECE
  • [12] LOSSES OF 1.76% IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
  • [13] REPPAS COMMENTED ON GREECE'S PARTICIPATION IN THE NATO EXERCISE IN TURKEY
  • [14] THE 2004 OLYMPIC GAMES ARE A NATIONAL AFFAIR
  • [15] COMMENTS BY REPPAS ON THE EUROSTAT REPORT
  • [16] REPPAS: THE HELSINKI DECISIONS MUST BE INCLUDED IN THE EU- TURKEY RELATION TEXT
  • [17] THE OSCE CERTIFIES ELECTION VIOLATIONS IN HIMARA
  • [B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
  • [18] ALBANIA: PERSISTENT CHARGES OF VIOLATIONS IN VOTE
  • [19] THE FOREIGN OBSERVERS CALL FOR AN INVESTIGATION ON THE ELECTION IRREGULARITIES IN HIMARA

  • NEWS IN DETAIL

    [A] NATIONAL NEWS

    [01] ONASSION FOUNDATION SUBSIDIARY TO OPEN IN NY

    The Onassion Foundation will open a subsidiary center at the Olympic Tower in Manhattan, New York, on October 24, whose operation will be inaugurated with an exhibition of the Parthenon sculptures' molds.

    An exhibition of paintings by 20th century Greek artists will also be hosted on the Foundation's premises and will be carried out in cooperation with the National Gallery.

    The executive director of the Onassion Foundation in New York is Ambassador Loukas Tsilas.

    [02] ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH IN ATHENS TOMORROW

    Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos is to embark on a seven-day private visit to Athens on October 18, where he will arrive by private plane from Istanbul.

    On Thursday, the Patriarch will inaugurate a patriarchal representation office in Kolonaki, while in the evening of the same day he will give a speech at Athens University's school of theology.

    During his stay, Mr. Vartholomeos will also visit the Athens suburbs of Peristeri and Nea Smyrni, the cities of Patras and Thebes, the town of Megara and the island of Salamis.

    The Ecumenical Patriarch is arriving in Greece at a time when the Church of Greece is locked in a dispute with the government over whether religion should be mentioned on the state-issued identity cards.

    [03] GERMAN AMBASSADOR IN PAROS TO OFFER THANKS

    German Ambassador Karl Heinz Kuhna is to visit the island of Paros today, to personally thank the islanders and local authorities for their efforts to save the 19 German tourists on the Express Samina.

    German firms are donating over eight million drachmas to the island, to be spent mostly on medical equipment for the local medical center.

    [04] NATO EXERCISE'S GREEK WARPLANES STILL GROUNDED

    Six Greek jet fighters F-16 participating in NATO's military exercise "Destined Glory 2000" remain grounded due to the Turkish demand not to include the airspace over the Aegean islands of Limnos and Ikaria Consultations continue in Eski Sehir, Turkey.

    Defense Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos has stated that the Alliance must abide with what has been agreed upon, otherwise the planes will remain grounded.

    Greece temporarily ordered the six warplanes to withdraw from the exercise last week after Ankara requested changes in pre- determined flight corridors and the exclusion of two passing over strategically placed Greek islands.

    According to the Greek general staff, the flight corridors in which NATO fighters were to operate during the exercise, had been agreed upon during the planning stages of the exercise without any objection.

    [05] GREEKS ARE AMONG WORLD'S MOST ARDENT LOVERS

    Greeks are apparently among the world's most active lovers, having sexual contact once every three days on average, according to a worldwide survey on sexual behavior.

    Ranking fourth in terms of sexual contact frequency, Greeks were topped only by the Americans, Russians and the French.

    Moreover, at a time when the world average in sexual partners is eight persons, Greeks boast a mean of 15 lovers, while only the French can "up the ante" with an average of 16.

    In regards to contraception, a whooping 90 percent of sexually active Greeks claim to use some form of birth control, with 64 of them preferring condoms.

    [06] SHELLFISH STATION TO OPEN ON SUNDAY IN KAVALA

    A shellfish station will be inaugurated on October 22, the first of its kind in Greece, at the facilities of the Fishing Research Institute in Kavala.

    The station will be used for the scientific, technical and research needs of the shellfish farming sector.

    Currently, shellfish production is one of the most dynamic fish farming sectors in Greece. Mussel-farming is one of northern Greece's most important and rapidly developing activities of the sector. The said station is expected to contribute to scientific research related to shellfish farming and to provide assistance and advice to shellfish farmers.

    [07] GREEKS' LIVING CONDITIONS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED

    Living conditions in Greece have improved significantly during the past five years, with the monthly consumer expenses having risen by 22 percent, and the rate of homeownership continuing to be the highest among the European Union's member - states - reaching the 97 percent mark in agrarian regions and 79.6% in rural areas.

    According to a Europe-wide survey, one out of three Greeks has a cell phone and one out of every two owns a car, albeit only one out of twenty uses a parking garage. Only one out of every eight Greeks has a personal computer. Moreover, while 97.6 percent of households feature a color TV and 42.9% have a VCR, only 24.4 of them are equipped with a dishwasher.

    Greeks continue to spend a large portion of their income on food items and at restaurants, according to a survey conducted by Family Budget Research between November 1998-October ‘99.

    [08] FEW GREEK FIRMS ON MIGA POLITICAL RISK INSURANCE

    A scant number of Greek firms have taken advantage of the technical assistance in the form of political risk insurance, as provided by the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) concerning high-risk investments in the developing markets of the Balkan and Black Sea regions.

    More specifically, in the regions of Europe and Central Asia MIGA acquired a mere three contracts from Greek firms, according to the fiscal year report of June 30, 2000. MIGA has issued two guarantees amounting to $2.7 million each in coverage to the Commercial Bank of Greece for its equity investment in the establishment of subsidiary branches in Armenia and Moldova.

    Greece's TITAN cement company has also benefited from MIGA's services in order to safeguard its investment in FYROM, where it is involved in a joint venture with Cyprus's Balkcem, and Switzerland's Holderbank.

    [09] ONE IN TEN GREEKS LIVES IN POVERTY, GROUP REPORTS

    One million Greeks, approximately ten percent of the country's total population, live in persistent poverty, unable to enjoy a minimum standard of living, according to the special- interest group Greek Anti-Poverty Network.

    According to the Network, which gave a press conference yesterday in light of today's International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, homeless people and street beggars have become a common sight in large Greek cities.

    Rising unemployment levels, particularly among women and youth, was cited as the chief reason for people falling below the poverty line. They said that women, youth and the elderly are most vulnerable to poverty.

    The Greek Anti-Poverty Network called on the government to ensure that all its citizens have access to basic physical needs such as food, housing and clothing. The solution, it said, does not merely involve job creation but also protecting workers from exploitation.

    [10] INFLATION IN THE EURO-ZONE IS AT 2.8%

    The sharp increase in the fuel prices led inflation to 2.8% in the Euro-zone in the month of September, compared to 2.3% in the previous month., according to a statement issued by the European Union Statistics Agency, Eurostat.

    In all EU member-states, consumer prices were increased by 2.5% in September, compared to the same month last year, while in the month of August they were at 2%.

    The energy sector was the one that ignited the inflation rise in September compared to the previous year, while it must be noted that if the specific sector could be excluded inflation in the Euro-zone would have been at 1.6%.

    [11] TOURISM HAS DROPPED IN GREECE

    Tourism in Greece in 2000 was essentially at the same levels with last year contradicting the scenarios on an increase of 8- 10%, according to data provided by the National Statistics Agency.

    Specifically, the overnight stops in the month of August were 2.776.346 compared to 2.823.419 in the same period last year, presenting a drop of 1.67% which means that tourism in Greece did not stabilize but on the contrary it declined.

    Also, the National Statistics Agency announced that the tourist arrivals on chartered flights recorded in the country's main airports in the month of August were 1.004.304, compared to 1.000.465 in the same month last year.

    The figures on the overnight stops come from a sample research conducted in 291 hotels across the country.

    [12] LOSSES OF 1.76% IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE

    Losses of 1.76% were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange today. The general index was at 3.724,26 points, while the volume of transactions was small at 46,5 billion drachmas.

    Of the stocks trading today the overwhelming majority of them namely, 295 had losses, 57 recorded gains and 26 remained unchanged.

    [13] REPPAS COMMENTED ON GREECE'S PARTICIPATION IN THE NATO EXERCISE IN TURKEY

    Greece uses every way of consultation within the framework of NATO aimed at promoting the Greek positions, stated Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas, referring to the issue of the participation of the Greek fighter jets in the NATO exercise in Turkey.

    Mr. Reppas pointed out that the withdrawal from an exercise of that kind could create fait accompli that in the future could take the form of problems.

    [14] THE 2004 OLYMPIC GAMES ARE A NATIONAL AFFAIR

    Greek prime minister Kostas Simitis, speaking in the ministerial committee meeting in Athens today, stated that the 2004 Olympic Games are a national affair. Mr. Simitis stressed that a new period has been launched after the Sydney Olympiad as now the Games belong to Greece. He also pointed out that the Olympic Games concern every Greek and they are beyond political parties.

    "Athens 2004" Organization president Ms. Yianna Angelopoulou referred to the experience of the Greek delegation in Sydney.

    Undersecretary of press Tilemachos Hitiris briefing the reporters stated that no changes are needed in the way "Athens 2004" is organized, at least for the time being. Regarding the village, where the journalists covering the Athens Olympics will be staying, he said that there are some new proposals on the exploitation of certain state-owned spaces and announced that the issue will be closed in November.

    The responsible ministers participating in the meeting also referred to the course of the projects they have undertaken. Minister of environment, land planning and public works Kostas Laliotis stated that before the end of November he will announce the dates on which the five Olympic projects undertaken by his ministry will be ready and appeared certain that those projects will be ready long before 2004.

    [15] COMMENTS BY REPPAS ON THE EUROSTAT REPORT

    The government makes great efforts in the sector of unemployment, stated Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas. Responding to a question by reporters on the Eurostat report based on which, 2.150.000 Greeks live below the poverty line, Mr. Reppas stressed that the efforts will continue aimed at improving the standard of living for the Greeks.

    Mr. Reppas pointed out that there are still problems, adding however, that there is a clear improvement of the standard of living and stated that measures supporting the financially weaker part of the population have been adopted since September 1999.

    [16] REPPAS: THE HELSINKI DECISIONS MUST BE INCLUDED IN THE EU- TURKEY RELATION TEXT

    The Helsinki decisions must be included in the European Union- Turkey partnership relation text, stated Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas.

    He underlined that the text must also include the Copenhagen criteria that concern the Greek-Turkish relations and the way of co-existence for neighboring states based on the international law principles and the implementation of the international treaties. Finally, he stressed that the Cyprus issue must be mentioned as well as the solution of the political problem in Cyprus.

    [17] THE OSCE CERTIFIES ELECTION VIOLATIONS IN HIMARA

    Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas referred today to the violations recorded in the second round of the municipal elections in Albania, stating that in the OSCE report on the municipal elections in the country, it is certified that the electoral process was violated in the town of Himara.

    The government spokesman stated that Albania's expectations from the European Union (funding, European orientation) can not be satisfied under such circumstances, adding that the issue of the violations will be raised in the EU foreign ministers council.

    He also stated that the report, submitted by the international observers, speaks of a Greek-speaking minority, while responding to a question on the state of war that existed between the two countries, he said that the Greek side has lifted the state of war with a cabinet decision that was reached when Andreas Papandreou was in government and this decision is still respected.

    Finally, when asked to comment on the statements over "cries of patriotism" made yesterday by Greek foreign ministry spokesman Panagiotis Beglitis, he said that the statements made by Mr. Beglitis were clear and it is obvious that we should not go back to past times, as the policy followed then had offered negative services to Greece.

    [B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

    [18] ALBANIA: PERSISTENT CHARGES OF VIOLATIONS IN VOTE

    In the midst of widespread charges of violence, ballot- tampering and other irregularities, the Albanian government has adopted an inconsistent stance over Sunday's second round of municipal elections, where numerous reports claim that the election of Greek minority mayors in southern Albania's municipalities was obstructed.

    The leader of the ruling Socialist Party Fatos Nano, who made a nationalist appearance during the pre-election campaign in Himara, refused to comment on Europe's persistent criticism.

    During a press conference last night, the Albanian government spokesperson thanked the Organization for Security and Cooperation, as well as the Bureau for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, over their contribution to the smooth elections process, albeit avoiding comment on resounding criticism over the serious violations in the elections at Himara.

    Nevertheless, he did state that the government will press on with its task to establish a democratic elections process and to improve the "few" irregularities noted in this round.

    However, the Socialist Party's public affairs secretary was more severe in regards to Himara.

    "I find strange the statement of the Bureau for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights regarding the existence of a Greek minority in Himara. I have nothing else to say, except that this point of view is the reflection of some tale fed to the European observers by those who violated the voting procedures," he stated, implicating the Greek deputies who observed the elections.

    "I think that the Europeans are under the pressure of Greek deputies and that such a statement is a provocation," he added.

    The Greek government said yesterday that it will table the issue of human rights violations against the Greek minority of Albania at the next meeting of EU foreign ministers.

    Government spokesman Dimitris Reppas stated that "the Greek government states once again that it will ensure the rights of the Greek minority in our neighboring country. There are no discounts on this issue.

    "Our message is that we desire the further improvement of our bilateral relations, but this is not a one-way street."

    [19] THE FOREIGN OBSERVERS CALL FOR AN INVESTIGATION ON THE ELECTION IRREGULARITIES IN HIMARA

    The head of foreign observers in the second round of the municipal elections in Albania that were held last Sunday issued an appeal to the Albanian authorities to open an investigation on the irregularities witnessed in the region of Himara.

    Speaking on the BBC radio, Ms. Hena Ferley pointed out that the most serious irregularities in the election process were recorded in Himara, stressing that there were cases of intimidation targeting returning board members, while in one case a ballot box was destroyed and in at least 3 polling stations there were established cases of election fraud.

    Ms. Ferley also stated that contrary to what the Albanian government officials and mass media say the presence of Greek parliament members in Himara did not affect the climate. She said that the deputies did not come to Albania illegally, adding that even though they were not official election observers there is no information that they had entered polling stations and caused problems to the election process, as according to information, they were outside the polling stations throughout the election process.


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