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Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2003-02-25Macedonian Press Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Macedonian Press Agency at http://www.mpa.gr and http://www.hri.org/MPA.MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY Thessaloniki, February 25, 2003 SECTIONS
made mention of a plan that "offers the cake to the Greek Cypriots and peanuts to Turkish Cypriots", while Mr. Erdogan foresees a solution in March. In Athens, Prime Minister C. Simitis characterized the room for a solution before February 28 as almost n on-existent. London has attributed Denktash's intolerance to US guarantees that if Turkey assists them against Iraq, it will be in Denktash's best favor. the accident. The newly elected President of the Republic of Cyprus, Tassos Papadopoulos, is also in Athens today. After meeting with the Greek Foreign Minister, Mr. Papadopoulos will have completed his contacts in Athens, and will return to Cyprus. The UN Secretary General will visit Nicosia, after his stop in Athens. Kofi Annan has left the possibility of a final deadline one week after February 28 open, in order for developments for a solution to the Cyprus issue to begin. Federation of Private Teachers of Greece (OIELE) and the Departmental Educational Institute for Labor of the General Union of Greek Workers, in Athens. The Forum is one of the supporting activities organized in the framework of the Greek Presidency of the EU, while the European Trade Union for Education, ETUCE, will also be present, while education organizations and unions of 22 EU countries will be rep resented, and there will also be 2 representatives for Turkish education. During the Forum, the European teachers will state their opinions on issues defining to the present and the future of education, in the framework of a united educational policy of an enlarged EU. The results of the discussions will be delivered to the President of EU Ministers of Education Petros Efthymiou, in order to be used in the informal council of Ministers of Education to be held in Athens on March 1 and 2. A rally with the slogan "We want schools, not bombs", is being organized on March 1, in Athens, by the Alliance - Stop the War, in view of the Council of EU Ministers of Education. The rally has been set to take place at the Propylea, at 12 noon. peanuts to the Turkish Cypriots", said Mr. Denktash, while Mr. Erdogan foresaw a solution in March. Prime Minister Kostas Simitis characterized the possibility for a solution by February 28 almost non-existent. Coming from Ankara, Mr. Annan said his discussions with Turkish leadership gave him courage and he explained that in Turkey they understood the urgency of the matter, they wanted a united Cyprus and they would help him in his efforts to find a solution. The UN Secretary General arrived at the airport shortly before 12 noon and was greeted by Foreign Minister Giorgos Papandreou. Addressing the press, he underlined that it is an urgent need to agree on his reviewed plan. And that is because if we want Cyp rus to join the EU as a united country, the reunification must take place by April 16, when the Treaty for the enlargement of the EU will be signed in Athens, with the incorporation of Cyprus and 9 other countries. For Mr. Annan that means that referendum s must be held in both communities of the island by March 30. We may not manage to come to an agreement by February 28, he said, but it must not take much longer, because we will not make the rest of the deadlines. Concerning his insistence on finding a solution now, he explained that if a united Cyprus does not jo in the EU, he does not know when another chance for the reunification of the island will present itself. "There are significant opportunities and we must make every possible effort not to miss those opportunities", he stressed characteristically. Mr. Annan pointed out that he is looking forward to his discussions in Athens with President of the Greek Republic Costis Stefanopoulos and Prime Minister Costas Simitis. "Greece is an important factor, its role increased when it undertook the Presidency of the European Union and we saw it in action", he observed in reference to the extraordinary Summit on Iraq, which he attended after an invitation from Mr. Simitis. In statements he repeated that the Turkish side is the one that holds the progress or lack thereof on the Cyprus issue in its hand. On his side, Mr. Papandreou pointed out that the Foreign Ministry would offer its services to the Cypriot government at th is difficult time. In the document, published in the newspaper, Carlos mentioned that he is willing to attend the trial, "because some truths need to be told, even if they are annoying to some standing Greek politicians, liberals and social-democrats". Carlos also characterized certain Stasi files as "fabrications of the German police", aiming at persecuting "revolutionaries" without there being any evidence, and he indirectly doubts some ELA proclamations, characteristically saying that "I am not an E LA spokesperson, that is why I will not comment on real or hypothetical ELA proclamations that took the responsibility for armed operations in Greece". characterized reactions and views against the functioning of drug rehabilitation centers, as happened recently in Thessaloniki, inexcusable and unacceptable, placing the blame on local government. The relation between the information society and culture, the international dimension of copyright in the digital environment, acquis communautaire and the freedom of expression, and the collective management of copyright in the international environment , are just a few of the questions to be examined by the conference participants. Distinguished jurists and political scientists from Greece and abroad will discuss issues concerning Europe's institutional future with an emphasis to its constitutional construction. Democracy and the fundamental rights in the European Union, the voting of the constitutional treaty and the institutional architecture of the future Europe will be among the issues discussed by the conference participants. The conference will be held under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and it will be opened by Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos. Mr. Bush congratulated Mr. Simitis for the way he handled the issue of Iraq on the occasion of the informal EU Summit meeting convened by Mr. Simitis, who is currently holding the EU rotating presidency. President Bush also pointed out that the US wants good relations with Europe and stressed that he works and will continue to work toward this direction. On the issue of Iraq, Mr. Simitis reiterated the European position according to which, the issue should be handled by the United Nations, while he called on Mr. Bush to persuade Turkey to work for a solution in Cyprus. The first stage of the program was launched on January 20 and provided for the creation of an electronic dialogue platform on the Internet at www.reconcilingforthefuture.org to examine issues concerning the prospects and problems in the Balkans. The dialogue results will be presented in the conference organized by the Center for Democracy and Reconciliation in Southeastern Europe to take place in Thessaloniki on April 3-6 with the participation of distinguished figures from the Balkans and the E U. Among the conference participants will be representatives of international organizations, non governmental organizations and youth organizations. The program also aspires to promote the basic principles of a reconciliation framework based on dialogue as a means to settle differences. Also, it provides for the creation of a data base that will include every organization dealing with southeastern Eu rope aimed at improving cooperation between them and making their funding easier. The losses were the result of the pressures applied on the banking sector and the plunge recorded in the European stock markers. Of the stocks trading today, 312 recorded losses and only 21 had gains, while the value of 46 stocks remained unchanged. Both expressed satisfaction regarding the proposals submitted within the framework of the plan which include eight projects, setting as a priority the reconstruction of Road Axis 10. inside the courtroom. The government spokesman reminded the law that was passed recently in Parliament which does not allow the television coverage of the trial except in the case of a court decision that rules differently and in agreement with all parties involved in the tri al. He said that the law bans the video-taping or the radio broadcast of the trial. In any case, stated Mr. Protopapas, the need of the Greek people to be informed is a great consideration, stressing that nobody has anything to hide. Mr. Protopapas reiterated that the negotiations have not moved ahead because of the stance adopted by Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots. He pointed out that in spite of the Erdogan statements, referring to a solution of the issue during next month, the Tur kish Cypriot side remains intransigent Regarding the Greek stance, he reiterated the will of Greece and the Cypriot Republic for the continuation of the dialogue. Mr. Protopapas also stressed that the solution of the political problem in Cyprus is not associated with Cyprus' EU accession. The statement was made in response to an earlier statement made by Mr. Annan according to which, it would be good if a united Cyprus became a member of the EU. Mr. Dris will visit the French capital on the occasion of the annual International Agriculture Exhibition accompanied by Undersecretaries of Agriculture Vangelis Argiris and Fotis Hatzimichalis. At the initiative of the French Minister of Agriculture, tomorrow will be dedicated to the EU enlargement. Invited to visit the exhibition are the Ministers of Agriculture of the EU and their counterparts from the 10 acceding countries as well as the Min isters of Agriculture of Bulgaria and Romania. The 55yearold professor characterized as illegal his detention and informal questioning by the FBI at the New York airport as no charges were filed against him and was given no legal or diplomatic assistance. Present in the press conference were Metsovion National Polytechnic Dean Themistoklis Xanthopoulos and Faculty Association President Yiannis Maistos, who expressed their support to Mr. Angelopoulos and the indignation of the Greek university professors f or the gross violation of every meaning of legal culture, international relations and human rights. Mr. Angelopoulos said that his personal data, fingerprints, picture and signature sample, were sent for comparison to the US authorities' archives. He said that the questioning focused on his acquaintance with Giotopoulos, one of the leading members of t errorist group 17N, and other people who knew Giotopoulos. He said that indirectly he was offered money to refresh his memory, while a special emphasis was given to the fact that he knew the attorney representing Giotopoulos. Based on the above, Mr. Angelopoulos wondered whether the goal of the interrogation was to intimidate him in order to keep him from testifying as a defense witness in the trial of Giotopoulos whom he knew since he was a university student. have meetings with US Secretary of State Collin Powell and the US President's Security Consultant Condoleezza Rice, regarding the Iraq crisis. In a press conference following the General Affairs Council meeting in Brussels, Mr. Papandreou underlined that the UN Security Council will decide the next moves. He mentioned that the 15 Foreign Ministers did not discuss a second resolution regarding I raq, nor did they specify the criteria for the evaluation of Saddam Hussein's cooperation, because all related decisions will be taken into account by the Security Council. Mr. Papandreou reconfirmed the common position of the "15" on the Iraq issue and stressed that the EU has no hidden agenda, what it is discussing and the only thing it is taking a position on is resolution 1441 concerning Iraq's disarmament, thus distanc ing himself from British statements, that stress that among their goals is the change of the Saddam Hussein regime. Thus, he made it clear that the European opinion was surmised during the recent Summit Meeting, and aims at disarmament, not changing the Saddam Hussein regime, considering the use of violence a last resort, after all other means are exhausted and the UN inspectors have completed their work. "We are on a path for common foreign policy and our wish is for this course to continue and develop into a united policy", he stressed. "Iraq is neither the beginning nor the end of the EU's history. We want to defend the unity and ideals of Europe". Ira q will be the reason to reinforce the course of deepening what we have begun", he pointed out. At the Council's Working Lunch, participants also included the Secretary General of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, and the present League President, Lebanese Foreign Minister Mahmud Hammud, with whom there was, according to Mr. Papandreou, constructive dia logues both on Iraq as well as on continuing the peacekeeping procedure in the Middle East. "The issue is for historians to study. What is clear according to the Constitution, is that the US foreign policy is dictated by the federal government", read a State Department announcement published in the "Dnevnik" newspaper. In the note of protest to the US, the FYROM government had stressed: "The government considers the issue an insult to the Macedonian people, all people of Slavic origin, and all those living in northern Greece who consider themselves Macedonians". Regarding further FYROM worries as regards to the how the resolutions would affect the stance of the US on the name issue of FYROM, the State Department pointed out that "taking into consideration the present relations between FYROM and Greece, we are sa tisfied with the excellent level of bilateral cooperation that they have achieved. We will continue to support the negotiations being carried out under the auspices of the United Nations, in order for the differences on the name issue to be solved in a wa y that is acceptable to both sides". Macedonian Press Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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