Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 01-10-23

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

CONTENTS

[01] MITSOTAKIS LAWSUIT AGAINST LALIOTIS

[02] 82000 FOREIGN STUDENTS IN GREEK SCHOOLS

[03] SUSPICIOUS LETTER WITH WHITE POWDER AT AN ATHENS POST OFFICE

[04] GREECE AT THE CENTER OF DEVELOPMENTS IN TELECOMMUNICATIONS

[05] NEW HELLENIC AID MISSION TO THE IRANIAN-AFGHAN BORDERS

[06] FORUM OF BALKAN CENTRAL BANKS' GOVERNORS

[07] THE ASE REACTED POSITIVELY TO THE GOVERNMENT RESHUFFLE

[08] TWO MINISTERS ARE LEFT OUT - 19 NEW FACES IN THE GOVERNMENT

[09] THE NEW GREEK GOVERNMENT

[10] HOLY SYNOD MEETING CONTINUES

[11] MEETING ON TERRORISM

[12] PAPANDREOU'S STATEMENTS ON THE ISSUE OF THE FYROM NAME

[13] GREEK DEAN IN AUSTRALIAN UNIVERSITY

[01] MITSOTAKIS LAWSUIT AGAINST LALIOTIS

A lawsuit against Kostas Laliotis was filed by Konstantinos Mitsotakis, after what the Minister of the Environment, Planning and Public Works accused him and his family of, concerning the handling of public funds.

In statements to the press Mr. Mitsotakis spoke against Mr. Laliotis and noted: The fact that Mr. Laliotis connects the pre-electoral fundraising of 1989, with the contract of the Spata airport we did not sign in 1993, and remembers it in 2001, is not just a smear-campaign; it borders on paranoia. The issue is now in the hands of Greek Justice. Have no doubt, that light will fall on the issue, and that the sycophant will get what he deserves. Mr. Mitsotakis added that he will volunteer as a witness in the Spata airport case. Mr. Mitsotakis also pointed out that neither he, nor his family have anything to do with the bank account Mr. Laliotis mentioned.

[02] 82000 FOREIGN STUDENTS IN GREEK SCHOOLS

More than 82000 students, 6% of the entire student body, in Greek elementary and high schools today, are foreigners. This was stressed by Deputy Minister Philippos Petsalnikos, speaking at a seminar on the Incorporation of immigrants, organized by the Ministries of Education, the Interior and the Dutch Embassy.

Referring to the incorporation of foreign students into the educational system, Mr. Petsalnikos mentioned 24 inter-cultural schools, which were founded in 1996, the formation 500 welcoming classes and 700 cramming-study sections for foreign students, as well as the appointment of 150 teachers in large school units.

[03] SUSPICIOUS LETTER WITH WHITE POWDER AT AN ATHENS POST OFFICE

A suspicious letter with white powder in it was found at the Halandri Post Office in Athens this morning. The letter was traced by a postal worker and it was removed immediately by firefighters who sent it to a laboratory to be tested for anthrax.

A Napoli based Italian company was allegedly the sender and the letter was addressed to an elderly woman. However, the postage stamps and seal used were Greek.

[04] GREECE AT THE CENTER OF DEVELOPMENTS IN TELECOMMUNICATIONS

The 2nd Telecoms Forum organized by Strategic International SA had a strong international character as many delegates from European and eastern Mediterranean countries attended its proceedings.

The international two-day meeting on telecommunications in Greece, south Europe and eastern Mediterranean was completed today in Athens and offered Greece the opportunity to become the center of developments in telecommunications in the wider region.

The main conclusion reached in the conference was that there is a need to reorient telecommunications strategies .

In the forum participated delegates from Greece, Turkey, Germany, Israel, Britain, Italy, Belgium, Cyprus and France, showing that Greece's international telecommunications role is favored by its geographic position and its participation in the EMU.

[05] NEW HELLENIC AID MISSION TO THE IRANIAN-AFGHAN BORDERS

The Greek non governmental organization Hellenic Aid, based at the northeastern Greek city of Alexandroupolis, prepares its second mission to the Iranian-Afghan borders.

The above mentioned organization has agreed in cooperation with the Iranian Red Crescent to adopt a refugee camp for five months. Members of the organization visited Iran's borders with Afghanistan in early October to assess the situation and plan their actions.

[06] FORUM OF BALKAN CENTRAL BANKS' GOVERNORS

The effects of the international economic situation on the economies of their countries and the wider region, were discussed in the meeting of the Balkan, Black Sea and Central Asia Central Banks' governors that was held in the southeastern Aegean island of Rhodes.

The governors of 12 central banks (among others, from Russia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Albania, Armenia and Georgia) attended the meeting that was presided over by Bank of Greece governor Loukas Papadimos.

The Forum of Governors was founded on May 1, 1998 in Istanbul and numbers 16 members. It meets twice a year and the Bank of Greece has taken over its presidency and secretariat for the 2001-2002 period. The Forum's target is the improvement of communication and cooperation among central banks.

[07] THE ASE REACTED POSITIVELY TO THE GOVERNMENT RESHUFFLE

Investors reacted positively to the composition of the new government announced today.

The general index recorded gains of +0.91% and rose to 2.405,22 points, while the volume of transactions was notably improved at 172.6 million Euro or 58.8 billion drachmas.

Of the stocks trading today, 206 recorded gains and 131 had losses, while the value of 40 stocks remained unchanged.

[08] TWO MINISTERS ARE LEFT OUT - 19 NEW FACES IN THE GOVERNMENT

Minister of Justice Michalis Stathopoulos and Minister of Merchant Marine Christos Papoutsis are not included in the new government that was announced today. Minister of Environment, Public Works and Land Planning Kostas Laliotis was elected PASOK party Central Committee secretary and does not participate in the government.

The government has 19 new faces namely, Minister of Interior Kostas Skandalidis and Minister of State Stefanos Manikas and undersecretaries Loukas Apostolidis, Lazaros Lotidis, Stavros Benos, Lambros Papadimas, Yiannis Magriotis, Dimitris Georgakopoulos, Christos Theodorou, Rodoula Zisi, Yiannis Tsaklidis, Vangelis Malesios, Elpida Tsouri, Rovertos Spiropoulos, Lefteris Tziolas, Nikos Gesoulis, Eleni Kourkoula, Yiannis Kourakis and Spiros Vougias.

Undersecretaries Filippos Petsalnikos, Giorgos Dris and Christos Protopappas were upgraded to ministerial posts.

[09] THE NEW GREEK GOVERNMENT

Government spokesman Dimitris Reppas announced today the composition of the new Greek government after the reshuffle made by prime minister Kostas Simitis. The new ministers will swear in tomorrow morning.

Minister of National Economy and Finance is Nikos Christodoulakis, with undersecretaries Christos Pachtas, Apostolos Fotiadis and Giorgos Floridis.

Foreign Minister is Giorgos Papandreou, with deputy foreign minister Tasos Yiannitsis and undersecretaries Yiannis Zafiropoulos, responsible for issues of development assistance and international economic transactions, and Yiannis Magriotis.

Minister of Defense is Yiannos Papantoniou with undersecretaries Loukas Apostolidis and Lazaros Lotidis.

Minister of Interior, Public Administration and Decentralization Kostas Skandalidis with undersecretaries Lambros Papadimas and Stavros Benos.

Minister of Development is Akis Tsochatzopoulos with undersecretaries Dimitrios Georgakopoulos, Alekos Kalafatis and Christos Theodorou.

Minister of Environment, Public Works and Land Planning Vaso Papandreou with undersecretaries Rodoula Zisi and Yiannis Tsaklidis.

Minister of Education is Petros Efthimiou with undersecretaries Nikos Gesoulis and Eleni Kourkoula responsible for issues concerning youth, volunteerism and Olympic preparations.

Minister of Labor and Social Security is Dimitris Reppas with undersecretaries Rovertos Spiropoulos, responsible for social security issues and Lefteris Tziolas, responsible for Labor issues.

Minister of Health is Alekos Papadopoulos with undersecretaries Ektoras Nasiokas, Dimitrios Thanos and Elpida Tsouri.

Minister of Agriculture is Georgios Dris with undersecretaries Vangelis Argiris and Fotis Hatzimichalis.

Minister of Justice is Filippos Petsalnikos.

Minister of Culture is Evangelos Venizelos with undersecretaries Nasos Alevras, responsible for Olympic Games issues and Yiannis Kourakis.

Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications is Christos Verelis with undersecretary Spiros Vougias.

Minister of Public Order is Michalis Chrisochoidis with undersecretary Vangelis Malesios.

Minister of Merchant Marine is Giorgos Anomeritis.

Minister of Press and Mass Media is Christos Protopappas with undersecretary Tilemachos Hitiris, responsible for coordination and communication issues in the 2004 Olympics.

Minister of Macedonia-Thrace is Giorgos Paschalidis.

Minister of Aegean, Nikos Sifounakis.

Minister of State, Stefanos Manikas.

[10] HOLY SYNOD MEETING CONTINUES

The meeting of the Holy Synod of the Hierarchy continues today, presided over by the Archbishop of Athens, Christodoulos, in order to discuss various issues concerning the church.

As it was made known in yesterday's session, during the beginning of November, specifically from November 2 to 9, the Archbishop of Tirana and the whole of Albania, Anastasios, will visit the Church of Greece.

Also, the Church of Greece persists in holding an inter-religious meeting on terrorism. Representatives of various religions and Christian dogmas of Greece will be invited to the participate.

[11] MEETING ON TERRORISM

International developments after the September 11 terrorist strike on the US, is the topic of the meeting organized by the 'Konstantinos Karamanlis Democracy Institute, scheduled for October 25, at 7pm, at the Intercontinental hotel. The coordinator of the meeting will be journalist Alekos Papahelas, a greeting speech will be addressed to the participants by the President of the Institute, Ioannis Varvitsiotis, and speakers include Thomas Miller (US Ambassador), Theodoros Pagalos, Andreas Adrianopoulos, Phyllis Oakley (former US assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs), and Konstatinos Arvanitopoulos (general director of the Democracy Institute).

[12] PAPANDREOU'S STATEMENTS ON THE ISSUE OF THE FYROM NAME

Greece's position that a mutually acceptable solution must be found to the problem of FYROM's name, was reiterated by Foreign Minister Giorgos Papandreou, who underlined that the FYROM government proposal for a double name is not acceptable by the Greek side.

According to the Skopie newspaper Utrinski Vesnik, the statements were made by Mr. Papandreou to reporters from FYROM during their visit to Athens.

Mr. Papandreou stressed that the issue of the name is not just a technical problem because it is directly related to the national conscience of the two societies and for this reason, a mutually acceptable solution is imperative.

According to the newspaper, the Greek foreign minister stated that the two countries came close to a mutually acceptable solution before the crisis in FYROM had erupted and all that was left to do then was to explain it to the people and the two state parliaments. However, said Mr. Papandreou, the crisis interrupted these moves. Mr. Papandreou pointed out that a name should be found that will differentiate FYROM from the Greek region bearing the same name.

[13] GREEK DEAN IN AUSTRALIAN UNIVERSITY

Kenneth Komninos Michael, is the first Dean of an Australian University of Greek descent.

According to the Neo Kosmo newspaper, Kenneth Komninos Michael, who was recently appointed Dean of the University of Western Australia, is one of the most distinguished civil engineers. He was born in Perth. His parents are from Castelorizo and settled in Australia before WWII.

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