Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2001-03-08
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, March 8, 2001
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
TITLES
[Á] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] THE GREEK PARLIAMENT REJECTED THE LIFTING OF PARLIAMENTARY
IMMUNITY FOR DEPUTY GALIP GALIP
[02] THE COOPERATION OF BALKAN WATER SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE COMPANIES
IS ON THE RIGHT PATH
[03] IMPRESSIVE GAINS IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
[04] NIKOS KONSTANTOPOULOS WILL VISIT SKOPJE
[05] PAPANDREOU: THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY IS DETERMINED NOT TO
ALLOW THE DESTABILIZATION OF THE BALKAN REGION
[06] MEETING OF THE FOREIGN MINISTERS OF GREECE, IRAN AND ARMENIA
[07] SIMITIS-KOSTOV AGREEMENT AGAINST THE DEPLOYMENT OF TROOPS IN
FYROM
[08] THE BALKAN YOUTH FESTIVAL SUPPORTS THE CHILDREN OF YUGOSLAVIA
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[09] THE US AMBASSADOR TO THE UN IS OF GREEK ORIGIN
[10] THE NEW YORK GOVERNOR DESCRIBED AS GENOCIDE THE PERSECUTION
OF THE GREEKS FROM PONTOS
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] THE GREEK PARLIAMENT REJECTED THE LIFTING OF PARLIAMENTARY
IMMUNITY FOR DEPUTY GALIP GALIP
The responsible parliament committee rejected the request
concerning the lifting of the parliamentary immunity enjoyed by
governing socialist party of PASOK deputy Galip Galip with 31
votes against, 6 in favor and 4 blank votes. In the summer of
1999, Mr. Galip Galip, who is elected in the northeastern
prefecture of Rodopi, had signed the visitors book in the Kemal
Ataturk Mausoleum and his statements, according to the request for
the lifting of his parliamentary immunity, unveiled a wish for the
borders to be changed.
Mr. Galip maintained that everything he had written in the
visitors' book had been misinterpreted, while the newspaper on
which they were published had removed words altering this way the
meaning of the text.
[02] THE COOPERATION OF BALKAN WATER SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE COMPANIES
IS ON THE RIGHT PATH
The ambition of the Thessaloniki Water Supply and Sewerage
Company to assist the Balkan states through resources coming from
the European Union and the Greek government in order to achieve
joint development and reach common solutions to the ecological
problems, was expressed in a press conference by company president
Christos Tsogas.
He stated that a second meeting was held in Thessaloniki
today with the representatives of the founding members of the
Balkan Water Supply and Sewerage Companies Association.
Specifically, a meeting was held with managing director of
Belgrade's company Vladimir Tausanovic and Skopje company
representative Giorgi Gatsev.
Mr. Tsogas also stated that they signed the founding charter,
while they approved the enlargement of the association with the
participation of other Balkan cities.
[03] IMPRESSIVE GAINS IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
Gains were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange today. The
general index rose to 3.21% at 3.276,25 points, while the volume
of transactions was 307.38 million Euro or 104.739 billion
drachmas.
Of the stocks trading today, 350 recorded gains and 7 had
losses, while the value of 13 stocks remained stable.
[04] NIKOS KONSTANTOPOULOS WILL VISIT SKOPJE
Coalition of the Left president Nikos Konstantopoulos will
visit Skopje on March 13-14 within the framework of his tour of
the Balkans on the occasion of the new crisis that erupted because
of the armed clashes at the borders of FYROM with Kosovo.
In Skopje, Mr. Konstantopoulos will have meetings with the
FYROM president, the prime minister, the foreign minister and the
political party leaders.
[05] PAPANDREOU: THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY IS DETERMINED NOT TO
ALLOW THE DESTABILIZATION OF THE BALKAN REGION
Greek foreign minister Giorgos Papandreou stated that he is
satisfied with the results of the contacts he had in FYROM, the
EU, NATO and the Albanian government on the crisis that erupted in
FYROM.
Mr. Papandreou expressed the belief that there is political
will from all interested sides namely, the EU, OECD, NATO and the
southeastern European states for the protection of the borders and
the territorial integrity of FYROM.
The international community will not allow the
destabilization of the region by terrorist extremist groups and
violent acts and this answer is being given on the ground as well
by the KFOR actions, stated characteristically Mr. Papandreou.
Meanwhile, the NATO permanent representatives council that
met in Brussels today decided the partial deployment of the
Yugoslav army at the Kosovo-FYROM borders. NATO general secretary
George Robertson announced that the UN peacekeeping force (KFOR)
was authorized to allow the controlled return of the Yugoslav
military forces initially to a small sector at the borders of
Kosovo with FYROM.
Mr. Robertson pointed out that this is a first step in a
gradual and conditional reduction of the security zone. The NATO
permanent representatives council will decide on a later date in
what other sectors the Yugoslav forces will return always under
the control of KFOR.
[06] MEETING OF THE FOREIGN MINISTERS OF GREECE, IRAN AND ARMENIA
Greek foreign minister Giorgos Papandreou met in Athens today
with his counterparts from Armenia, Mr. Oskanian and Iran Mr.
Kharratsi.
Mr. Papandreou stressed the need to isolate the extremist
groups that want the destabilization of southeastern Europe. He
also expressed optimism that the message sent by the international
community as a whole against the terrorist actions by extremist
groups will have results.
The three foreign ministers signed a memorandum of tripartite
cooperation in the sectors of economy, energy, technology and
culture.
The foreign ministers of Armenia and Iran were also received
by president Kostis Stephanopoulos.
[07] SIMITIS-KOSTOV AGREEMENT AGAINST THE DEPLOYMENT OF TROOPS IN
FYROM
Greek prime minister Kostas Simitis and his Bulgarian
counterpart Ivan Kostov reached an agreement according to which,
there should be no deployment of troops to FYROM coming from
neighboring countries.
Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas announced that the
two prime ministers had a telephone communication and discussed
the crisis in south Serbia and the way in which it can be faced.
Specifically, it was agreed that the crisis can be faced
exclusively through diplomatic and political means and not through
the deployment of troops from neighboring countries. It was also
agreed that the undertaking of any initiatives aimed at dealing
with the crisis in the region must be based on the UN decisions.
[08] THE BALKAN YOUTH FESTIVAL SUPPORTS THE CHILDREN OF YUGOSLAVIA
The Balkan Youth Festival expresses its solidarity to the
people of Yugoslavia with a Greek rock music concert that will be
held in the city of Katerini tomorrow and a tele-marathon on the
state television channel ET-3 on March 13. The money that will be
collected will be offered for the purchase of medicine that will
be sent to children hospitals in the neighboring country.
In the solidarity tele-marathon for the children of
Yugoslavia that will last about 12 hours will take part famous
Greek actors and singers. The money that will be collected will be
sent to two children hospitals, one in Belgrade and one in the
Albanian-speaking Kosovo.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[09] THE US AMBASSADOR TO THE UN IS OF GREEK ORIGIN
The White House announced formally its intention to appoint
as US ambassador to the UN former US diplomat John Negreponte, who
is of Greek origin.
According to the newspaper Washington Post, Richard
Halbrooke, who served with Mr. Negreponte in the US embassy in
Saigon in the 70s, stated that even though Mr. Negreponte will not
participate in the cabinet his appointment will benefit the US and
the United Nations.
[10] THE NEW YORK GOVERNOR DESCRIBED AS GENOCIDE THE PERSECUTION
OF THE GREEKS FROM PONTOS
New York governor George Pataki spoke of a genocide that was
suffered by the Greeks from Pontos in a statement he issued on the
occasion of the "Award of Excellence" that will be received by
90yearold Sano (Themia) Halo who, as a 10yearold girl, lived the
horror of the persecution by the Turks. Other five women will be
honored with the same award in a ceremony that will be held today.
According to the New York based Greek-American newspaper
"Ethnikos Kirix", Mr. Pataki stressed that the Turks, who were
responsible for the genocide in Asia Minor, were extremely brutal
when they implemented the displacement campaign on the Greeks,
Armenians and Assyrians forcing them to abandon the land of their
forefathers.
In the same statement it is mentioned that behind the
persecutions was the Turkish government which is a necessary pre-
condition in order to establish that a genocide was committed.
|
