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Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English, 98-09-04
BRIEF GREEK NEWS BULLETIN BY THE MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY
Thessaloniki, September 4, 1998
TITLES
[01] EIGHT GREEKS WERE AMONG THE PASSENGERS OF SWISSAIR’S FLIGHT
SR111
[02] THESSALONIKI’S 63RD TRADE FAIR TO BE INAUGURATED TONIGHT BY
PREMIER
[03] SCORE OF OFFICIALS TO ATTEND INAUGURATION OF 63RD TIF
[04] ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH VARTHOLOMEOS SENDS WISHES TO TIF
[05] PRESIDENT OF HELLENIC REPUBLIC TO VISIT FLORINA PREFECTURE
THIS WEEKEND
[06] GREECE AND TUNISIA SIGN DEFENSE AGREEMENT
[07] GREECE OPENS CONSULATE IN YUGOSLAV CITY OF NIS, FIRST COUNTRY
TO DO SO
[08] UN SECRETARY-GENERAL INSISTS ON BI-COMMUNAL TALKS IN CYPRUS
[09] RUSSIA’S DUMA TO CONVENE TODAY OVER CERNOMYRDIN’S
APPOINTMENT
NEWS IN DETAIL
[01] EIGHT GREEKS WERE AMONG THE PASSENGERS OF SWISSAIR’S FLIGHT
SR111
Athens, September 4 (MPA)
Eight Greeks, six of whom were traveling on foreign
passports, were among the 229 passengers of the Swissair flight
SR111 that crashed off the coast of Canada yesterday, killing all
abroad.
The victims’ relatives left for Halifax yesterday in order to
identify the remains of their loved ones. Swissair launched an
emergency plan yesterday and offered to the families of the
victims a round-trip flight to Canada and $20,000 in immediate aid
for each passenger killed.
A Swissair spokesperson in Athens said that nineteen of the 215
passengers on the flight were booked on connecting flights to the
Greek capital.
The MD-11 airliner was en route from New York to Geneva when the
pilot saw smoke in the cockpit. He warned the passengers and the
14 crew members that they would be making an emergency landing in
Halifax. Instead, it crashed off the coast of Nova Scotia.
The plane, a three-engine McDonnell Douglas aircraft, went down in
the Atlantic at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday (0130 GMT Thursday), an hour
and 40 minutes after takeoff from New York's Kennedy Airport.
Yesterday's crash was the first suffered by Swissair since 1979,
when a DC-8 overshot the runway in Athens. Fourteen people died
when that plane burst into flames.
[02] THESSALONIKI’S 63RD TRADE FAIR TO BE INAUGURATED TONIGHT BY
PREMIER
Thessaloniki, September 4 (MPA)
Thessaloniki is to be the city at the heart of Europe for a course
of ten days, thanks to the 63rd International Trade Fair that is
to be inaugurated this evening by the Prime Minister Kostas
Simitis.
The Premier will be accompanied by a large delegation of
government officials.
Government spokesperson Dimitris Reppas stated that, in his
speech, Mr. Simitis will insist on the adherence to the present
fiscal policy and will grant emphasis on the promotion of reforms
that are expected to propel the country into the Economic and
Monetary Union.
[03] SCORE OF OFFICIALS TO ATTEND INAUGURATION OF 63RD TIF
Thessaloniki, September 4 (MPA)
A score of officials are to attend this evening’s inauguration
ceremony of Thessaloniki’s 63rd International Trade Fair.
The inauguration will take place at 8 p.m. with an address given
by the Prime Minister Kostas Simitis, who is expected to arrive in
the city at 6:15 p.m.
The ceremony, held at the Fair’s "Ioannis Vellidis" convention
center, will be attended by US Assistant Secretary of Commerce
Mary Fran Kirchner, the Commerce, Industry and Tourism Minister of
Cyprus, the Ukrainian Public Order Minister, the Ukrainian
International Economic Relations and Agriculture Undersecretaries
and the Polish Finance Undersecretary.
The Premier will unveil the government’s economic policy for
the next 12 months during tomorrow evening’s speech, to be given
at 9 p. m.
At noon on Sunday, Mr. Simitis will give a press conference
spanning all issues.
This year's TIF is to the participation of the People's Republic
of China, whose pavilion is one of the biggest and covers 500
square meters.
[04] ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH VARTHOLOMEOS SENDS WISHES TO TIF
Fanar, September 4 (MPA)
The Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos has forwarded a message to
the International Trade Fair of Thessaloniki, wishing for its
success.
In his message, to be read during this evening inaugural ceremony,
the Patriarch also expresses his regret that he will be unable to
attend the event, to which he is invited every year, due to
previously undertaken commitments.
[05] PRESIDENT OF HELLENIC REPUBLIC TO VISIT FLORINA PREFECTURE
THIS WEEKEND
Athens, September 4 (MPA)
The President of the Hellenic Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos
is to conduct a two-day visit to the prefecture of Florina this
weekend.
According to the announcement issued by the President’s office,
Mr. Stephanopoulos will visit the cities of Amynteo, Florina, the
guardhouses of Niki, Koula and Agia Paraskevi, as well as the
Prespes lake.
[06] GREECE AND TUNISIA SIGN DEFENSE AGREEMENT
Tunis, September 4 (MPA)
Greece’s Defense Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos, winding up an
official visit to Tunisia yesterday, signed a defense agreement
with his Tunisian counterpart Ben Yahia providing for cooperation
in the defense and military sectors.
Mr. Tsochatzopoulos said that the countries of the Mediterranean
region could contribute decisively to the maintenance of stability
and security in the region, overcoming the problems arising at a
localized level.
Mr. Yahia said that the agreement aims at "not only defense but
at peace in the region of the Mediterranean."
While in Tunis, Mr. Tsochatzopoulos held talks with a number of
Tunisian government officials on bilateral, regional and
international issues, including the Cypriot problem and the need
to respect United Nations Security Council resolutions.
In his meeting with Tunisian President Ben Ali, he asked for
Tunis's support for Greece's bid to sit on the Security Council as
a non-permanent member.
[07] GREECE OPENS CONSULATE IN YUGOSLAV CITY OF NIS, FIRST COUNTRY
TO DO SO
Belgrade, September 4 (MPA)
Greece is to inaugurate its consulate in the city of Nis today,
being the first country covering the region of southern Serbia as
well as Kossovo.
Aiming at the facilitation of Yugoslav tourists and businessmen
wishing to obtain visas for Greece, the consulate will also serve
the city’s big Greek community, comprising primarily students and
businessmen, and will contribute towards the development of
economic and cultural relations between Serbia and Greece.
The inauguration will be conducted by the Foreign Ministry's
Administration and Organization Secretary General Konstantinos
Zoras in the presence of the Mayor of Nis Zoran Zivkovic and other
Serb officials.
[08] UN SECRETARY-GENERAL INSISTS ON BI-COMMUNAL TALKS IN CYPRUS
Durban, September 4 (MPA)
Following a brief meeting with Cypriot President Glafkos Clerides
in Durban yesterday, United Nations Secretary-general Kofi Annan
reiterated that the UN’s Security Council would not waiver from
its insistence that Cyprus peace talks be held on a bi-communal
basis.
Commenting on the Turkish Cypriot confederation plan, which aims
to initiate peace talks between "two equal states", Mr. Annan said
that "I think this issue has been already raised and brought to
the attention of the UN Security Council, which has already given
its response.”
Mgrs. Clerides and Annan met on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned
Movement (NAM) Summit held in South Africa in order to discuss the
situation in Cyprus and UN efforts to reduce tension.
Mr. Clerides said he was satisfied with the brief meeting and
suggested there were prospects for a new UN initiative to start
the peace process.
The Cypriot President repeated his condemnation of the
confederation proposal and stressed that demilitarization is the
only way to secure a peaceful solution.
He described Turk-Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash's confederation
proposal as "totally unacceptable", saying it aimed at "destroying
Cyprus as a sovereign and independent state and becoming a Turkish
protectorate."
[09] RUSSIA’S DUMA TO CONVENE TODAY OVER CERNOMYRDIN’S
APPOINTMENT
Moscow, September 4 (MPA)
Russia's lower house of parliament (Duma) is to vote today on
prime minister-designate Victor Cernomyrdin in the second of three
possible votes, although it has made clear its overwhelming
rejection of President Yeltsin's choice of premier.
If Mr. Cernomyrdin is rejected by the Duma three times, President
Yeltsin will have to dissolve the House and call an early
parliamentary election. Mr. Chernomyrdin won the support of only
94 of the Duma's 450 members last Monday. In order to be elected,
he needs at least 226 votes.
Complete archives of the Macedonian Press Agency bulletins are available
on the MPA Home Page at http://www.mpa.gr/ and on the U.S. mirror at
http://www.hri.org/MPA/
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