A certain amount of increased activity is expected following the Easter Holiday as government and opposition parties plan their strategy on a number of outstanding parliamentary and internal issues. Constitutional revision will figure prominently on the political scene as parties tabled their proposals, while interest is now focused on parliamentary procedures. Parliament's Institutions Committee, which is expected to submit its proposals until No v. 30, will begin deliberations in the next few days. Another pending issue is a mass media draft bill which aspires to establish order in this sector following the explosive growth of private radio and television stations in recent years. Press and Mass Media Minister Evangelos Venizelos has denied rumour s the legislation will be shelved or that there are disagreements among PASOK's leadership. Mr. Venizelos confirmed that the bill will be tabled shortly.
Activity is expected to be especially brisk within the ruling PASOK party, in view of an upcoming organisational conference next month considered important for the ruling party's future. The conference is also viewed as capable of negatively or positively affecting overall governmental functions. A general background to developments inside PASOK is provided by a recent dampening of internal dissention and Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou's reassertion of authority through his speech at a joint session of PASOK's central committee and its parlia mentary group. The main opposition New Democracy party is expected to focus attention on tactics designed to bring it back to power. The prevailing view within ND is that the present government will not be able to exhaust its four-year term due to accumulated problems on the external front and in the economy, both of which hold the potential of igniting social explosions. ND's parliamentrary group will meet in the next few days, possibly in the northwestern city of Florina, to debate developments. Party leader Miltiades Evert has prepared an extensive tour of the provinces to publicise ND's programme. He is expected to a dopt a hard line toward the government and the Political Spring party. Despite reports about disagreements regarding Mr. Evert's tactics, the ND leader seems to enjoy the confidence of the party's collective organs. His standing is likely to be affected t o some degree by the attitude of former premier Constantine Mitsotakis, who occasionally engages in 'guerilla' tactics against him. Political Spring (Pol.An) party leader Antonis Samaras is also expected to continue touring the country, as his main concern is focused on convincing larger numbers of voters that Pol.An constitutes a credible alternative to the two major camps. The two main left-wing parties continue to be in a phase of re-determining their social and political influence. The Communist Party of Greece (KKE) appears content with the influence it exercised during recent mobilisations of farmers and pensioners, and intends to place particular weight on the effects it says government and European Union policies have on work ing people. The prospect of a return to parliament for the Coalition of the Left (Synaspismos) dominates that party's outlook. Whether left wing veteran politician Leonidas Kyrkos' proposal for a federation with PASOK will have a lasting effect on this outlook is expected to show during preparations for the party's conference in a few months.
The President of the Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos celebrated Easter Sunday with the officers, non-commissioned personnel and airmen of the Dekelia Airforce Base in Tatoi. The Dekelia base, north of Athens, was also visited by Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou, Parliament President Apostolos Kaklamanis, National Defence Minister Gerasimos Arsenis, Undersecretaries of Defence Nikos Kouris and Manolis Beteniotis along with the top echelon of Greece's armed forces. Main opposition New Democracy party leader Miltiades Evert and Political Spring party leader Antonis Samaras celebrated Easter Sunday at military camps in Corinth and Nafplion respectively. President Stephanopoulos spoke of the importance of Easter and said the Resurrection of Christ symobilizes peace on earth. Premier Papandreou in his address spoke of the "difficult changes" currently transpiring in the Balkans and Greece's important role for the establishment of peace in the region. Mr. Papandreou emphasized that "able, modern and devoted armed forces are necessary to ensure peace and safeguard the nation's territorial integrity." He also indirectly addressed the issue of officers' wagescale, saying, "the state has not been fair to the officers of the armed forces." The new military wagescale is in the process of being revised. Mr. Kaklamanis expressed a hope that "this happy day is a good sign for the future of the nation and its problems."
A total of 16 people died and 221 were injured in 173 road accidents reported until yesterday afternoon throughout Greece since Thursday, police announced. Traffic police have taken special measures to facilitate the return to Athens and Thessaloniki of thousands of residents who spent the Easter Holiday in their provincial home towns and villages.
In his Easter message, Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos describes the phenomenon of war as an outcome and proof of human insanity, "from which man wishes to be liberated in order to turn to the values of life." The upcoming 50th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations Organisation ought to provide the opportunity for a re-immersion in the eternal values of life, peace, justice and respect for humankind, he states. The Archbishop of Athens and all Greece Serapheim in his Easter message says the Resurrection of Christ is the real beginning of mankind's history and the beginning of a new life. Evidence of this is provided by St. John the Evangelist in the apocalypti c Book of Revelations, the 1900th anniversary of which will be celebrated this year, he adds. Archbishop of Tirana and All Albania Anastasios said that no matter how painful and irrational events around us may be, there is still meaning in human life. "Justice and God's love acquired their most triumphant expression through the Resurrection of Christ, establishing Him above all other authorities, which, no matter how harsh and overwhelming may seem at times, in the end, they are fragile and ephemeral," he said. Archbishop of North and South America Iacovos, in his message calls for a new spiritual beginning, free of any past impediments, which water the dry rivers of materialist thoughts and the voids of our uncertain knowledge. Archbishop of Cyprus Chrysostomos calls for an unrelenting fight for the liberation of the Turkish-occupied northern part of the island republic, an obligation to ancestors and coming generations, he said in his Easter message.
Turkish President Suleyman Demirel yesterday underlined the need for improvement of Greek-Turkish relations in addressing the new Greek Ambassador to Ankara Dimitris Nezeritis. Speaking during the presentation of Mr. Nezeritis' credentials, Mr. Demiral reiterated his belief that even if the "key issues" which separate the two countries cannot be faced, dialogue and cooperation should begin on lesser issues. Meanwhile, according to another ANA dispatch from Istanbul, former Komotini parliament deputy Ahmed Sadik yesterday characterised a gesture by Rahmi Koc, a well-known Turkish businessman, to the Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos during an Easter Sunday mass as a "blasphemy toward the Turkish Muslim people." Islamic and nationalist-leaning newspapers in Turkey published the news yesterday that Mr. Koc attended the mass along with the Consul Generals of Russia, the United States, France and Greece, bowed before the Patriarch and kissed his hand.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) has approved an additional Ecu105 million as financial support for the new Athens subway lines. Total EIB support for the project now stands at Ecu315 million.
Events commemorating the 80th anniversary of the slaughter of approximately 1,500,000 Armenians by the Ottoman Turks in 1915 culminated in Athens and Thessaloniki yesterday. Hundreds of Armenians held a demonstration rally outside the Turkish embassy in Athens, while demonstrators also marched through Thessaloniki and stopped outside the Turkish Consulate. Outside the consulate demonstrators shouted "Turkey is guilty of genocide" and "Turks out of Armenia" in addition to posting a protest resolution at the entrance to the building after the Turkish Consul refused to receive a delegation from the Armenian National Committee of Greece. The resolution, also posted in Athens, stated that although 80 years have passed since the Armenian holocaust, Turkey refuses to recognise and condemn the genocide it perpetrated against the Armenian people. It also calls on Ankara to return Ar menian lands to their rightful owners, cease providing arms to Azerbaijan and lift a blockade of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.