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Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2001-03-09
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, March 9, 2001
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
TITLES
[Á] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] THE US AMBASSADOR WILL VISIT NORTHEASTERN GREECE
[02] KONSTANTOPOULOS' VISIT TO SKOPJE
[03] INFLATION WAS 3.5% IN FEBRUARY
[04] HALF OF THE GIRLS IN GREECE WANT TO BE A STAR
[05] LOSSES IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
[06] THE GREEK PRESIDENT IS ON THE LIST OF DONORS OF HUMAN ORGANS
[07] THE BID FOR THE 3G MOBILE PHONE PERMITS WILL BE COMPLETED IN
THE SUMMER
[08] BALKAN OFFICIALS IN THE KOKKALIS INSTITUTE SEMINAR
[09] GREEK ASSISTANCE TO FYROM
[10] DISCUSSION IN THE GREEK PARLIAMENT ON THE CRISIS IN FYROM AND
THE GREEK-TURKISH RELATIONS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[11] FOREIGN MINISTER PAPANDREOU WILL BE IN CYPRUS ON SUNDAY
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] THE US AMBASSADOR WILL VISIT NORTHEASTERN GREECE
US ambassador Nicholas Burns will visit northeastern Greece
on March 13 at the invitation of the Association of Industries in
the prefecture of Rodopi to discuss the likelihood of investments
in the region by US businessmen.
According to information, Mr. Burns will meet with local
officials and visit Alan Kuyu, the gypsy neighborhood and the
bazaar, the open air-market, in the city of Komotini.
Mr. Burns had expressed the wish to visit the region in the
past but he had to postpone it because of the events in the Middle
East.
[02] KONSTANTOPOULOS' VISIT TO SKOPJE
Leader of the opposition party Coalition of the Left Nikos
Konstantopoulos will meet with FYROM president Boris Trajkovski,
prime minister Ljupcko Georgievski, parliament president Stojan
Antov and political party leaders to discuss the problems that
have been created by the armed clashes at the borders of the
country with Kosovo threatening the stability in the wider region.
Mr. Konstantopoulos will visit Skopje heading a Coalition of
the Left delegation on March 13 and will return to Athens on the
next day.
[03] INFLATION WAS 3.5% IN FEBRUARY
Inflation in Greece in the month of February was 3.5%
compared to 3.4% in January.
The announcement was made today by the National Statistics
Agency and the inflation increase is attributed to the fuel price
hikes.
[04] HALF OF THE GIRLS IN GREECE WANT TO BE A STAR
The professions that are being promoted most on television
are those preferred by one in two girls aged 15-25, while the boys
in the same age group want to work in night clubs as barmen or
bouncers. These are the results of a research conducted by the
Greek Consumer Organization (EKATO) held on a sample of 1.230
youngsters in the cities of Athens, Thessaloniki, Patras, Kilkis,
Florina and Grevena and published today on the Thessaloniki
newspaper "Angelioforos".
Most of the girls, 48%, expressed the wish to become models ,
TV presenters, singers or actresses, while 56% of the boys stated
that they would prefer a job at a night club.
Regarding the criteria on which the selection of their
profession is based, 65% take under consideration the promotion
offered by a job, while 40% are influenced by their families and
only 30% by their economic situation.
Also, 73% of them do not want a manual job as they regard
that kind of work as inferior and more tiresome, while 36% want a
job in which they will not have to think much and only 7%
expressed a desire to work in scientific research.
[05] LOSSES IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
Small losses were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange
today. The general index dropped to 0.20% at 3.269,75 points,
while the volume of transactions was 270.04 million Euro or 92.01
billion drachmas.
Of the stocks trading today, 210 recorded gains and 137 had
losses, while the value of 23 stocks remained stable.
[06] THE GREEK PRESIDENT IS ON THE LIST OF DONORS OF HUMAN ORGANS
The name of Greek president Kostis Stephanopoulos is on the
list of the people who want to donate parts of their body after
they die for the treatment of someone else.
In a two-day conference organized by the Greek Association of
Kidney Patients in the Association of Athens Daily Newspaper
Editors offices in Athens, many well-known Greek citizens,
following the example of Mr. Stephanopoulos, signed a statement
yesterday expressing their wish to become organ and tissue donors.
The list includes the names of government ministers,
parliament deputies local administration officials, athletes,
journalists, artists and many others.
[07] THE BID FOR THE 3G MOBILE PHONE PERMITS WILL BE COMPLETED IN
THE SUMMER
The bid for the 3rd generation mobile phone operator permits
will be completed by this summer, stated minister of national
economy Yiannos Papantoniou in a one-day conference on economic
growth organized by the governing socialist party of PASOK in
Athens.
Mr. Papantoniou pointed out that the freeing of the
telecommunications and energy markets will lead to investments,
more job positions and speedy economic growth.
He also reiterated that he expects a growth rate of 5% in the
next five-year period and made a special reference to the 3rd
Community Framework of Support 17.5 trillion drachmas "package",
which will increase the investment percentage from 20% to 25% of
the GDP.
[08] BALKAN OFFICIALS IN THE KOKKALIS INSTITUTE SEMINAR
The proceedings of the educational meeting of Balkan
officials on the political and economic cooperation and
development opened in Harvard University in the United States
yesterday organized by the Kokkalis Institute.
Among the 25 Balkan officials taking part in the seminar is
FYROM's government spokesman, ministers of the Serb and the
Turkish governments, members of the Romanian Senate, Bulgarian
president advisers as well as, advisers of the prime ministers of
Albania and Greece. Also, present will be many distinguished
personalities that occupy important positions in the political and
economic life of their countries.
[09] GREEK ASSISTANCE TO FYROM
Greek assistance to FYROM, made up of military equipment and
medicines, is expected to leave the port of Thessaloniki today and
its transport will be completed within the next week, according to
Thessaloniki newspaper "Macedonia".
According to the same newspaper report, Greek National
Defense General Staff press office director major Tottas confirmed
the presence of FYROM army officers in Thessaloniki since last
Tuesday, who undertook to inspect the military and medical
assistance material kept in the storehouses at Thessaloniki's port
and in army depots.
Greece will send to FYROM telecommunication material,
ambulances, bulletproof vests, general use trucks and medicines.
According to military sources, the assistance is placed
within the framework of the bilateral agreement that was signed
last December by the defense ministers of Greece and FYROM.
[10] DISCUSSION IN THE GREEK PARLIAMENT ON THE CRISIS IN FYROM AND
THE GREEK-TURKISH RELATIONS
The view that the aspirations of a small group of Albanians
to create the so-called Greater Albania will not end, was
expressed by foreign minister Giorgos Papandreou speaking in
parliament today.
Mr. Papandreou stated that this is a problem that will appear
in front of us in spite of the fact that tension could ease off as
a result of the moves made by KFOR and the reduction of the
security zone, adding that it is imperative to back the moderate
forces.
He also expressed the belief that both the Greek-Turkish
relations and the Cyprus issue will find their way as the Helsinki
decisions are binding for Turkey in view of its European course.
On the issue of the Greek-Turkish dialogue, he was
categorical pointing out that a dialogue in which Greek sovereign
rights will be under negotiation is inconceivable.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[11] FOREIGN MINISTER PAPANDREOU WILL BE IN CYPRUS ON SUNDAY
Greek foreign minister Giorgos Papandreou will arrive in
Cyprus on Sunday morning for a three-day visit accompanied by
Greek Olympic Medalists and other officials.
During his visit, Mr. Papandreou will meet with Cypriot
Republic president Glafkos Clerides, while he will also have
meetings with parliament president Spiros Kiprianou and political
party leaders. Mr. Papandreou will also have talks with his
Cypriot counterpart Yiannakis Kasoulides.
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