Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 05-12-01

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

CONTENTS

[01] AIDS CASES ON THE RISE

[02] THE US AMBASSADOR TO ATHENS TO VISIT VERGINA

[03] THE PPC S.A. PRESIDENT RESIGNS

[04] FOREIGN MINISTER MOLYVIATIS MET WITH HIS HUNGARIAN COUNTERPART

[05] THE DESCARTES 2005 PRIZE TO THE ARISTOTLE UNIVERSITY PHYSICS DEPARTMENT

[06] THE TRANSPORT MINISTER MET WITH THE HUNGARIAN FOREIGN MINISTER

[07] PAPOULIAS-MOLYVIATIS MEETING

[08] PAPANDREOU: THE TIME HAS COME FOR THE SERBS AND ALBANIANS TO SHAKE

[09] THE CONSTANTINOS KARAMANLIS INSTITUTE FOR DEMOCRACY IN SKOPJE

[10] AUSTRALIA'S POLICY ON CYPRUS IS UNCHANGED

[01] AIDS CASES ON THE RISE

Over 2.3 million people who have tested positive for HIV as well as AIDS patients live in Europe, according to figures provided by the UN program on AIDS made public on the occasion of the World AIDS Day today, December 1.

Based on the available figures, the registered HIV cases in 20 EU countries increased 23% in the past four years.

In Greece, according to Thessaloniki Aristotle University assistant professor of medicine and member of the National Reference Center in North Greece, Ioannis Doutsos the HIV positive cases in Greece increased 10% in 2005 compared to 2004.

[02] THE US AMBASSADOR TO ATHENS TO VISIT VERGINA

US ambassador to Athens Charles Ries will visit the archaeological site of Vergina tomorrow.

Mr. Ries accepted an invitation by Minister of Macedonia-Thrace Nikos Tsiartsionis during an event held recently in Thessaloniki.

Mr. Tsiartsionis will accompany the US ambassador and afterwards he will give a luncheon in his honor.

Earlier, Mr. Ries will be the main speaker in an event at the Joint War College on Transatlantic cooperation through NATO. The US ambassador will speak in the event after an invitation by the college's administration.

[03] THE PPC S.A. PRESIDENT RESIGNS

Public Power Corporation S.A. (PPC S.A.) president Yiannis Paleokrassas resigned today after a brief telephone communication with Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis this afternoon.

Earlier at noon, he had a meeting with Minister of Development Dimitris Sioufas who called on him to hand over to the prosecutor any evidence at his possession by 6 pm this afternoon otherwise submit his resignation, as he finally did.

For the record, in an interview he had given Mr. Paleokrassas had implicated high ranking ministry officials in corruption cases and had even spoke of a unique kind of mafia, while in statements he made yesterday insisted that these allegations referred to the present.

After the meeting with Mr. Sioufas, Mr. Paleokrassas had requested a meeting with the Prime Minister but instead there was a telephone communication between them leading to his resignation to be submitted on paper tomorrow.

[04] FOREIGN MINISTER MOLYVIATIS MET WITH HIS HUNGARIAN COUNTERPART

The excellent relations between Greece and Hungary at a political and economic level were confirmed during the meeting Foreign Minister Petros Molyviatis had today with his Hungarian counterpart Ferenc Somogyi who is on a visit to Athens.

The two Foreign Ministers made a special reference to the situation in the Balkans and particularly Kosovo.

Mr. Somogyi stated that any solution should contribute to stability in the wider region as possible mistakes in the process to be followed could bring consequences to neighboring countries. Mr. Molyviatis stressed that at the end of the process the result should be a multiethnic and multicultural Kosovo where human rights and minorities will be respected. Also, it should be guaranteed that stability in Kosovo will not bring destabilization to the wider region.

The Hungarian Foreign Minister also added that the final status of Kosovo should be based on specific parameters that will allow it to be viable referring specifically to public administration, measures against corruption and smuggling and respect of minority rights.

[05] THE DESCARTES 2005 PRIZE TO THE ARISTOTLE UNIVERSITY PHYSICS DEPARTMENT

The Physics Department Astrophysics, Astronomy and Mechanics Section of Thessaloniki's Aristotle University will receive the European Commission Descartes 2005 Prize for scientific research within the framework of its participation in the European research team studying the neutron stars.

The 1-million-euro prize will be awarded in a special ceremony in London tomorrow to the Pulse project headed by Prof. Andrew Lyne at the University of Manchester, Jodrell Bank Observatory, United Kingdom, for its intense research activity on issues of neutron stars through which extreme conditions in the universe are being examined and the basic laws of physics are being tested.

In the same team also participate universities and research institutions from Germany (Max Planck Institute for Radioastronomy), Holland (Astron), Italy (INAF Astronomical Observatory of Cagliari) and Greece (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki) headed by Physics Department astronomy professor Yiannis Siradakis.

The Descartes Prizes are an initiative by the European Commission General Directorate on Research and are placed within the Science and Society program. It is a supreme distinction awarded by the EU to exceptional scientific and technological achievements coming from European and international joint research in any scientific area.

The competition is organized for a sixth consecutive year and until now tens of scientists have participated while a total of 65 research teams from European countries have received the prize.

This year's winners came from 14 projects selected by the Descartes Jury after examining 85 submissions (three times more than last year). In total participated 76 research teams from 22 European countries, the United States, Japan, Russia, Singapore and South Africa.

[06] THE TRANSPORT MINISTER MET WITH THE HUNGARIAN FOREIGN MINISTER

Issues concerning cooperation between Greece and Hungary in the sectors of railway and combined road transportation were discussed in the meeting of Minister of Transport and Communications Michalis Liapis with Hungarian Foreign Minister Ferenc Somogyi who is on a visit to Greece heading a delegation.

They expressed great interest in the development of the Pan-European Axis 10 road network that begins from Athens and passes through Yugoslavia and Hungary before reaching the center of Europe.

[07] PAPOULIAS-MOLYVIATIS MEETING

Foreign Minister Petros Molyviatis visited Hellenic Republic President Karolos Papoulias to brief him on developments on current foreign policy issues.

Mr. Molyviatis stated after the meeting that the briefing concerned mainly the conclusions reached in the Inter-Balkan Conference in Barcelona and the imminent visit he will make with his counterparts from Romania and Croatia (as the informal troika of the Inter-Balkan Cooperation) to Kosovo next week.

[08] PAPANDREOU: THE TIME HAS COME FOR THE SERBS AND ALBANIANS TO SHAKE HANDS IN KOSOVO

The time has come for the Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo to overcome the pain of the past, shake hands and prove that they are worthy of living as good neighbors in the European Union.

The statement was made by main opposition Socialist Party PASOK President Giorgos Papandreou in a press conference after the Socialist International Work Group on SE Europe meeting held in Sofia today. Mr. Papandreou outlined the essence of the mediation initiative by the Socialist International in support of the international efforts to settle the issue of the status of Kosovo.

Mr. Papandreou also expressed the belief that the Socialist International will deal again with the issue in the next meeting to be held in Athens in January. He added that a future solution in Kosovo should be based on European principles and democratic values, and the respect of human rights regardless of ethnic origin, religion or any other characteristic.

Meanwhile, in a meeting Mr. Papandreou had with Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov they confirmed that bilateral relations are excellent and underlined the importance of the imminent inauguration of the third in a row customs station at the Greek-Bulgarian borders linking the Greek city of Drama with the Bulgarian city of Gotce Delchev.

[09] THE CONSTANTINOS KARAMANLIS INSTITUTE FOR DEMOCRACY IN SKOPJE

The German institute Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the Constantinos Karamanlis Institute for Democracy organized a conference in Skopje aimed at strengthening cooperation among western Balkan countries. The conference takes place with the participation of international specialists and local politicians.

FYROM President Branko Crvenkovski addressing the conference, that opened yesterday and will last three days, stated that there is no room for more mistakes and stagnation in the region. He pointed out that the region and the international community will enter a very significant period as the process for the settlement of a number of open issues in western Balkans gets underway. He mentioned the issue of Kosovo as the most complex and underlined that it should be settled in a way that will contribute to the efforts to strengthen stability and security in the region.

The Karamanlis Institute for Democracy executive director Constantine Arvanitopoulos pointed out that Greece is particularly interested in the region's economic growth and its integration into the European institutions a fact that is proved by the constructive role it plays and its presence in the efforts to strengthen stability in SE Europe.

[10] AUSTRALIA'S POLICY ON CYPRUS IS UNCHANGED

Australian Prime Minister John Howard pointed out that Australia's policy on Cyprus remains unchanged in a response letter to Greek Australian organizations that expressed concern over a likely change in the stance of Canberra toward the Cyprus issue due to the Turkish Prime Minister's visit in the following days.

Australia offers consistent support to the international efforts for a fair, lasting and peaceful solution to the political problem and will continue to seek opportunities that encourage progress, points out Mr. Howard. The Australian government was disappointed because Cyprus did not enter the EU as a united country but respects the democratic procedures that took place in both Communities, said Mr. Howard, adding that all parties involved are called to continue the efforts for a solution.

The stance of the Australian government is widely known and includes the non recognition of the Turkish occupied northern part of Cyprus. Australia's special envoy Jim Short toured the region last June underlining Australia's support to a fair solution that will satisfy the needs of both communities and respect the sovereignty and integrity of Cyprus. A strong symbol of this commitment, concludes the response from the office of the Australian Prime Minister, is the long participation of the Australian Federal Police in the UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected in Melbourne on December 7 for a formal visit heading a large business delegation. He will be accompanied by 130 representatives of the biggest Turkish companies and tens of government ministers, parliament deputies, technocrats, academicians and journalists in an effort to strengthen bilateral relations in all sectors.

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