Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English, 98-09-21

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From: The Macedonian Press Agency at http://www.mpa.gr and http://www.hri.org/MPA.

BRIEF GREEK NEWS BULLETIN BY THE MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY

Thessaloniki, September 21, 1998

TITLES

[01] GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSON ON THESSALONIKI'S ROLE

[02] 2 OUT OF 10 GREEK STUDENTS HAVE EXPERIMENTED WITH HASHISH, SAYS REPORT

[03] GREECE'S MURDER RATE HAS SHARPLY RISEN OVER PAST 7 YEARS

[04] AN ALBANIAN NATIONAL WAS MURDERED IN BROAD DAYLIGHT IN THESSALONIKI

[05] PM TO SPEAK AT PASOK RALLY MARKING 2ND ANNIVERSARY OF PARTY VICTORY

[06] SALI BERISHA CUTS OFF ALL CONTACT WITH THE GOVERNMENT

[07] CYPRIOT PRESIDENT CLERIDES IN NEW YORK, TO MEET WITH HOLBROOKE

[08] CLINTON'S VIDEOTAPED TESTIMONY ON LEWINSKY TO BE AIRED THIS EVENING

[09] ALTERNATE FM CALLS FOR SUPPORT OF OLYMPIC TRUCE

[10] "ARTISTS WITHOUT BORDERS" TO EMBARK ON 3-MONTH TRAIN TOUR OF BALKANS

[11] "GREECE IN PRINT", LARGEST EXHIBITION OF GREEK BOOKS IN NEW YORK, BOSTON

NEWS IN DETAIL

[01] GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSON ON THESSALONIKI'S ROLE

Athens, September 21 (MPA)

"As long as (the city of ) Thessaloniki, itself, limits its ambitions within the Greek borders it will asphyxiate," Mr. Reppas said.

He stated that following the developments in the recent years, Thessaloniki should not rest on the fact that it is the country's second largest center.

"It should become the first center of the Balkans. It should seek its future in qualitative terms, not quantitative," Mr. Reppas said, adding that the city's human resources should be more daring, emerge into the social limelight and contribute to the city's emancipation.

[02] 2 OUT OF 10 GREEK STUDENTS HAVE EXPERIMENTED WITH HASHISH, SAYS REPORT

Thessaloniki, September 21 (MPA)

Specifically, in a poll involving 317 juniors and seniors from three different high schools in Thessaloniki, 17.9% of them have tried hashish, while 62.46% have consumed alcohol.

According to the researchers, there isn't sufficient information provided to the students on which substances are addictive, while their study also reveals that the factors leading the young persons to drug use are peer pressure, curiosity and fad following.

[03] GREECE'S MURDER RATE HAS SHARPLY RISEN OVER PAST 7 YEARS

Thessaloniki, September 21 (MPA)

The figures were presented at the First National Conference of Forensic Scientists and Toxicologists, which began Friday in Thessaloniki.

According to research conducted for the Athens forensic service, there were 406 murders in the 12- year period 1978-1990, of which 55 involved foreigners; in the seven-year period 1991-1997, there were 499 murders, of which 153 involved foreigners - 69 Albanians and 25 of undetermined origin.

1996 was a bleakest year for homicide, with 83 murders recorded in Athens alone. Of that number, 63 of the victims were foreign nationals. By comparison, in 1978, Athens recorded 21 murders, with only two foreigners as victims. The conference is being held with the participation of more than 150 Greek and foreign experts.

[04] AN ALBANIAN NATIONAL WAS MURDERED IN BROAD DAYLIGHT IN THESSALONIKI

Thessaloniki, September 21 (MPA)

According to police reports, the two men, whose names are unknown, were likely the victims of their compatriots, many of whom have set up camp at the university's campus.

The injured man underwent surgery yesterday at the city's Ippocration hospital.

Yesterday's murder sparked off the question of whether or not the campus should enjoy asylum status and, if so, to what degree does it serve the university community or the illicit activities that take place on its grounds.

[05] PM TO SPEAK AT PASOK RALLY MARKING 2ND ANNIVERSARY OF PARTY VICTORY

Athens, September 21 (MPA)

Mr. Simitis is expected to outline the government's progress to date and stress its commitment to achieving inclusion in Economic and Monetary Union.

[06] SALI BERISHA CUTS OFF ALL CONTACT WITH THE GOVERNMENT

Tirana, September 21 (MPA)

"The Democratic Party will only hold a dialogue with the people," it said in an announcement. The party's national council also approved Mr. Berisha's proposal for the formation of a "national front of resistance" whose aim is to overthrow the "dictatorial government of Fatos Nano." Speaking to the Macedonian Press Agency, the DP's secretary-general Ritvan Bonte, stressed that his party is "determined to continue our struggle until the final victory."

Meanwhile, socialist party officials have confirmed that a cabinet reshuffle is imminent.

Moreover, the government has placed a 200,000-dollar bounty on Azem Hajdari's assassins.

[07] CYPRIOT PRESIDENT CLERIDES IN NEW YORK, TO MEET WITH HOLBROOKE

New York, September 21 (MPA)

At his meeting with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Friday, President Clerides said that overcoming the intransigence displayed by the Turkish side in efforts to solve the Cyprus problem, does not only depend on Ankara but also on other factors that can affect Turkey.

President Clerides refrained from expressing optimism for the resumption of negotiations between the two sides in October adding that this depends on how the situation will develop.

Referring to the US role in the Cyprus peace efforts, President Clerides underlined that despite any problems President Clinton and Holbrooke may face, the US administration continues to deal "not only with the Cyprus question but also with many other serious problems".

[08] CLINTON'S VIDEOTAPED TESTIMONY ON LEWINSKY TO BE AIRED THIS EVENING

Washington, September 21 (MPA)

Also, the public will have a chance to hear the telephone conversations held between the US President and Ms. Lewinsky during their steamy dalliance.

[09] ALTERNATE FM CALLS FOR SUPPORT OF OLYMPIC TRUCE

Athens, September 21 (MPA)

Speaking on the first day of the international conference of Olympic medal winners at the International Olympic Academy in Olympia, yesterday, Mr. Papandreou said the support of past Olympic Games medalists was "exceptionally important" as they could inspire and guide the young, and particularly those coming from strife-torn regions, to help in consolidating peace.

Organized by the Association of Greek Olympics medal winners, SEO, the conference has drawn the participation of 35 Greek and 120 foreign athletes who have won a total of 300 Olympic medals.

[10] "ARTISTS WITHOUT BORDERS" TO EMBARK ON 3-MONTH TRAIN TOUR OF BALKANS

Thessaloniki, September 21 (MPA)

The train consists of six white wagons representing various stages of Western culture: democracy, theater, commerce and industry, technology, the Olympic idea and human rights. The train will spend at least two days in each city and hold theatrical shows with local groups. It is funded by the Greek culture ministry and parliament.

The train will first visit Sofia, Bulgaria, on September 23, and then travel to Bucharest, Romania; Leipzig, Germany; Brussels, Belgium; Strasbourg, France; Milan, Italy; Ljubljana, Slovenia; Zagreb, Croatia; Banja Luka and Sarajevo, Bosnia; Belgrade, Yugoslavia and end in Skopje, capital of FYROM.

[11] "GREECE IN PRINT", LARGEST EXHIBITION OF GREEK BOOKS IN NEW YORK, BOSTON

New York, September 21(MPA)

The exhibition is to be accompanied by a series of event centered around Greek literature and culture and will feature the participation of 40 academicians and authors throughout the world, among them the Russian poet and human rights crusader Yevgeni Yevtushenko and author of "The Elgin Marbles" and "Hostage to History", Christopher Hitchens.

Mr. Hitchens will also speak on Greek-Turkish relations, the Aegean and Cyprus.

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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