The death toll in yesterday's earthquake in western Greece rose to at least 15 people late last night and authorities said they feared it would rise further. Five French tourists were among the dead and authorities said they could still not account for 16 missing, including six French tourists, feared dead or trapped in the rubble after a powerful earthquake struck the western Greek town of Egion, 200 kilometres west of Athens, and nearby villages early yesterday morning. At least 73 people were wounded, three seriously.
The quake caused a seven-storey apartment building and a hotel to collapse and rescue teams were continuing the search for the 16 missing under the debris of fallen concrete. The collapse of the apartment building killed seven, including a 20-year-old Italian woman and three children. Another 12 people thought to be in the building at the time were still listed as missing. Police estimate there were 70 people, most of them families, in the apartment building at the time.
Police and firemen worked into the night digging through the debris of the apartment block and the hotel to extricate the dead and injured, while voices of other people buried under the ruins could be heard calling for help. The Eliki hotel owner told authorities 157 people were staying at the complex. When the first quake struck, 121 people managed to run out.
The quake, measuring 6.1 on the open-ended Richter scale, struck the region at 3:16 am. It was followed by a second measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale and was felt as far as the port city of Patras and Athens. The epicentre of both quakes was 145 kilometres Northwest of Athens, in the Corinth Gulf. Hundreds of aftershocks have been recorded.
The quake was the latest in a series of strong jolts that have rattled Greece in recent months. More than 8,000 people were left homeless last month after an earthquake measuring 6.6 hit the Northwest regions of Kozani and Grevena.
"Everyone was fast asleep one minute and frantically running for their lives the next," Thanassis Babanevas said. "Buildings fell like decks of cards and shrieking voices were heard from all directions. Egion looked like a town under aerial bombardment."
A group of 21 Swiss commandos with specially trained dogs and a group of 15 French commandos and two sniffer dogs arrived in Egion last night to join in the rescue operation. The Greek Armed Forces have been placed on standby and two Chinook helicopters were transporting additional firemen to the scene.
Scores of injuries were reported from another eight villages and towns in the Fokis prefecture including Itea, Delphi, Eratini, Desfina and Amfissa. The quake disrupted telecommunications in most parts of the quake-stricken area and caused electricity cuts. People rushed out of their damaged homes in panic still wearing their night dresses.
Professor of Seismology at the Patras University, Akis Tselentis, called on the residents of the Achaia and Ayialia prefectures to be on alert for the next 45 days. Seismologist Christos Papaioannou said the frequency of strong quakes recently recorded in the country was a rare phenomenon and attributed it to an increased activity of geodynamic forces straining the globe's crust in the Greek region.
"Nine years passed without any sign of increased seismic activity in the region. Now, we are witnessing a flare-up," he said. "Extensional forces are straining the Greek geographic region. All the areas struck by earthquakes were affected by the same stress field," Mr. Papaioannou said.
President of the Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos visited the quake-stricken region yesterday afternoon, while Environment Minister Costas Laliotis, main opposition New Democracy leader Miltiades Evert, Political Spring leader Antonis Samaras and Coalition of Left and Progress leader Nikos Constantopoulos all rushed to the stricken area. A group of state ministers were also meeting in Egion yesterday on the best possible measures to deal with the disaster.
President Stephanopoulos expressed his deepest grief for the victims of the quake and the loss of human lives, describing the devastating quake as a "tragedy".
Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou also expressed his grief for the victims of the earthquake and pledged all his support for the injured. "I express my deepest sympathy to the families of the dead, which include foreign visitors to our country," Mr. Papandreou said. He said he was gratified at the prompt response of state services, adding that every possible effort was being made to confront this natural disaster.
Main opposition New Democracy party leader Miltiades Evert said the situation was "tragic" and expressed the party's deep regret for the victims of the quake. He said that police and the fire brigade had done their duty but "they lack experience in dealing with such situations." Mr. Evert added that his party would support efforts for the rehabilitation of the quake-stricken region.
Political Spring party leader Antonis Samaras, who visited the region at the head a group of experts, expressed his deepest regrets to the families of the victims and his unrestricted support for the injured. He said that despite the huge mobilisation to save those still trapped, "things look pretty bad". "The priority, at this moment, is to save those trapped," he said. "The major issue is the prevention of similar situations."
The Communist Party of Greece (KKE) stressed the "pressing necessity" for Greece to take measures to efficiently deal with such situations. The party also called for the constant briefing of the public on seismic activity in their regions and ways to deal with such a phenomenon. The KKE also called upon the government to enforce existing legislation for new buildings, legislate special measures for the town planning and the building of new regions and draft a special plan to deal with earthquakes. The party also suggested the establishment of a special reaction mechanism, complete with trained commandos and special equipment, to deal with earthquakes.
Coalition of the Left and Progress party leader Nikos Constantopoulos also expressed his deep grief "at the tragedy that hit the Achaia region," adding that "at this time all competent services shall be mobilised to save the missing."
Archbishop Serapheim of Athens and all Greece also expressed his condolences for the quake victims, adding that the Church would support the needy.
Abroad, support and condolences were quick to come in. In Nicosia, the Cyprus government offered 100,000 Cypriot pounds for the immediate relief needs of the victims of the earthquake. The donation was announced by President Glafcos Clerides, who also sent a message to Mr. Papandreou, conveying the sympathy of the people of Cyprus. Cyprus House Speaker Alexis Galanos also sent a letter to his Greek counterpart Apostolos Kaklamanis conveying the sympathy of the Cypriot people.
EU Commission President Jacques Santer sent a telegram to Mr. Papandreou expressing his deep regret at the "new (wave of) tragic earthquakes." Turkish Foreign Minister Erdal Inonu sent his counterpart Karolos Papoulias a message of condolences late last night.
Meanwhile, European Parliament Socialist leader Pauline Green yesterday called for the immediate use of EU disaster relief funds to help the victims of the Egion earthquake. "We must act quickly in this tragedy and ensure that there is no bureaucratic obstacle to aiding the victims," said Ms Green at the opening of parliamentary business in Strasbourg yesterday.
In Brussels, Greek EU Commissioner Christos Papoutsis sent a letter to Commission president Santer briefing him on the situation and requesting "more substantial and efficient aid, beyond the symbolic, humanitarian aid in the framework of Community solidarity."
According to an ANA correspondent in Brussels, one of the scenarios under consideration examined the possibilities of using funds from the Delors Package II, allocated for the construction of major works in Greece, in the rehabilitation process. The issue was put forward to Commissioner in charge of Regional Policy, Monica Wulf Mathies, who accepted the reallocation of funds for this purpose. A group of four Greek Eurodeputies also called for the immediate allocation of EU relief funds, and other necessary aid, to confront the situation.
An AFP dispatch reported that European Commissioner Martin Bangemann told the European Parliament that the possibility of providing aid to the region was being studied. Some of the money made available in May to victims of the Kozani-Grevena quake might be diverted, he said.
In New York, the ANA reported that Orthodox Archbishop of North and South America Iakovos has sent a symbolic contribution of US $10,000 towards meeting the needs of the earthquake victims. He has also addressed an appeal for contributions to Greek community organisations in the United States.
In Athens, National Economy Minister Yiannos Papantoniou said the Economic Policy Committee considered the humanitarian and economic dimension of the issue at its meeting yesterday. He said the prime minister would endorse a series of measures to deal with the consequences at a forthcoming cabinet meeting.
A spokesman for the French Embassy earlier yesterday said a total of 159 French tourists had been staying at the Eliki hotel. In Paris, the Touristra travel agency said it had booked all 200 to 300 rooms at the Eliki Hotel. "All the tourists who were not injured were transferred to another hotel where they have access to telephones to call their families," Agence France Presse quoted a Touristra official as saying.
The Federation of Civil Aviation Unions (OSYPA) yesterday called off strikes scheduled for tomorrow and next week. OSYPA President Vassilis Alevizopoulos said the decision was taken in order to meet increased needs as a result of the Egion earthquake. Another three-hour stoppage by runway staff scheduled for today has also been called off.
Greece reiterated yesterday that it reserved its sovereign right to extend its territorial waters to 12 nautical miles from the present six whenever it deemed it expedient to do so. "Our country is in constant diplomatic mobilisation on the issue," Foreign Ministry spokesman Costas Bikas said in reply to press questions on when the country would extend its territorial waters and what other actions it would take over Turkish threats on the issue.
Mr. Bikas referred to a letter conveyed by Greece's permanent representative at the United Nations Christos Zacharakis to UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, saying that "Greece acts within the framework of the international system and international law, on which it founds its positions".
The Turkish threats, he said, "indicate Ankara's difficulty in acting as a country that respects international law". Referring to a recent Turkish National Assembly decision empowering the Ankara government to take all necessary measures, including military steps, against Greece if the latter extended its territorial waters, a prerogative given to Greece under the international Law of the Sea Convention recently ratified by the Greek Parliament, Mr. Bikas said: "When a country is threatened by another country with war in the event it exercises its legal rights, it is difficult for one to comprehend how that other country wishes to approach Europe and its institutions."
Government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said the Greek government's reaction each time Turkish officials hurled threats at Hellenism was "intense and absolute." Mr. Venizelos was replying to a questioner yesterday on a statement by the Turkish UN representative claiming his country had rights of control over Cyprus' airspace. Mr. Venizelos declined any further comment, stressing that a series of Greek government demarches were on the way.
Turkish Defence Minister Mehmet Golhan has rejected the mediation of Supreme Allied Commander Europe General George Joulwan on the issue of the activation of NATO regional HQ in Greece, on the grounds of his exhibiting a "pro-Greek" stand.
"We are categorically opposed to the assignment of mediation tasks to General Joulwan, and we have made our position known to the interested parties... They want to make a mediator of someone who continuously supports the Greeks. We cannot accept this," the daily Sabah quoted him as saying.
Experts from Greece, Bulgaria and Russia discussed the issue of the Burgas (Bulgaria) - Alexandroupolis oil pipeline yesterday. The three sides confirmed their decision to proceed with the construction of the 275 km pipeline whose cost has been estimated in the region of 700 million dollars.
A memorandum was signed establishing a company to build the pipeline under the name "Trans-balkan Pipeline Company" and including companies from Greece, Bulgaria and Russia. The memorandum terms the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline a "basic element" in the oil transport system in the region.
The memorandum was signed on the part of Greece by the president of the Public Petroleum Corporation (DEP) and the representatives of the Latsis and Kopelouzos groups and by Russia's Alternate Fuel and Energy Minister, Bulgaria's Construction Ministry's General Director in the presence of the Greek and Bulgarian ambassadors to Moscow.
Greece must seek to resolve its differences in the Balkans at a multilateral, rather than a bilateral level which entangle it in minority or religious issues, New Democracy party leader Miltiades Evert told a one-day conference on foreign policy organised by the Institute of International Relations of the Panteion University yesterday. For this reason, he added, his party assigned priority to the signing of pact for the recognition of existing borders, which Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia had already accepted and Serbia was also very likely to endorse.
Mr. Evert described the recent Papoulias-Arsenis mediation for the release of captive UN peacekeepers in Bosnia as a "positive move", and emphasised that Greece, leaving any hesitations aside, must assist Bulgaria, Albania, and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) in every way to become members of the European Union some time in the future.
Our country, he said, has every reason not to constitute the European frontier, and besides, this would be of advantage in a possible confrontation with Turkey. He asked that Greece avoid being exclusively tied to the "European chariot", as this would provoke negative reflexes on the part of the US. Mr. Evert's basic position was that Greece could not afford to exercise a foreign policy without planning and strategic prospects. ANA
Defence Minister Gerasimos Arsenis will represent Greece at the Western European Union session in Paris on June 21.
Portuguese Foreign Affairs Minister Jose Manuel Durao Barroso, who arrived on an official visit yesterday, will have a round of official contacts this morning, meeting successively with Parliament President Apostolos Kaklamanis, President Kostis Stephanopoulos, and Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias.
The meeting of the two foreign ministers and their delegations will be followed by a joint press conference. Yesterday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Costas Bikas said the visit was especially significant, given that Greece and Portugal are medium-size countries in the European Union, have common concerns and common views on issues of structure in the Union. Discussions will include issues of Mediterranean policy and co-operation, as well as enlargement of the European Union to the South, he added.
Greece's permanent representative at the UN Christos Zacharakis had a 45-minute meeting with UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali yesterday morning focusing exclusively on the Greek demarche concerning the Turkish National Assembly's recent resolution.
"Following the letter I addressed to the Secretary-General, I visited him today to also set out the government's views verbally on the issue of the known recent decision by the Turkish National Assembly, concerning the issue of the Law of the Sea convention and the issue of the extension of territorial waters," Mr. Zacharakis told reporters afterwards.
"I set out our views to him and stressed our scepticism concerning the attitudes and intentions reflected by this decision. They are contrary to the commitments Turkey has assumed as a UN, OSCE and Council of Europe member, but they are also contrary to the commitments Turkey maintains it is prepared to assume to strengthen its ties with the European Union. I think the Turkish National Assembly's decision constitutes an obvious threat against peace and security," he added.
An international congress on "Hellenism-Judaism: mutual influence, tradition and renewal," opens at the European Cultural Centre in Ancient Delphi on Monday June 18, it was announced yesterday. The Congress, organised by the Tel-Aviv University, will be attended by more than one hundred scholars from Israel, Greece, Europe and the United States.
Organisers said the congress will "cover a void in understanding the two civilisations which formed the foundation of Western civilisation." "Despite the constant competition (between the two nations), historic and ideological ties were formed between Hellenism and Judaism from antiquity to the present era," they added. The Congress will also discuss the Hellenistic, Roman, mediaeval, Ottoman and contemporary periods. The Congress will last until June 24.
US presidential envoy on the issue of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) Matthew Nimetz was expected yesterday in Greece for a private visit. Foreign Ministry spokesman Costas Bikas said there was no scheduled meeting between Mr. Nimetz and Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias.
Thirty-one communist parties and organisations from all over the world will meet tomorrow and Sunday in Athens to discuss the reasons for the collapse of the communist regimes in eastern Europe. The meeting is being held at the initiative of the Communist Party of Greece.
Labour Minister Ioannis Skoularikis' speech at the 82nd Session of the International Labour Organisation yesterday centred on a number of proposals aiming to combat unemployment and social exclusion.
After providing an historical outline of the course of employment in the 20th century, he concluded that "the new world division is between those who have a job and those who do not, increasingly depending on practices of charity, social provision and solidarity". He stressed that "the new positions of employment that will be created until the year 2000 will not exceed about one-quarter of the positions needed the world over."
His first proposal concerns the creation of an International Fund to combat poverty and unemployment around the globe. This proposal, discussed during the summit meeting in Copenhagen, could, if implemented, "assign the responsibility for development to the world community, and reduce the speculative character of the various particular development policies."
The second proposal, put forward by the Greek Labour Ministry, envisages early retirement for unemployed individuals. Today, it seems to be winning the support of the French Presidency of the European Union, and Greek trade unionists estimate it will potentially affect tens of thousands of workers in sectors which are in the process of restructuring.
The third proposal concerns the institutionalisation of a social clause in international trade. First put forward by France, it aims at the exercise of pressure on those (mainly Third World) countries violating fundamental labour rights. It would push f or the abolition of forced and child labour, the defence of trade union freedoms and the right to collective bargaining. Countries which would not observe the social clause would face tariff barriers in the exportation of their goods in the world market.
President of the Thessaloniki International Trade Fair (Helexpo), Vassilis Kourtesis yesterday appeared reserved on press reports alleging a planned partial privatisation of the organisation. He said all he knew about an alleged plan to sell 25 percent of Helexpo shares was what he had read in the press, adding that management would make its position on the matter known in a few days' time.
He noted that Helexpo profits were not large enough to secure a high price in a possible floating of shares, and one could not, therefore, expect too much from a privatisation programme. Profits amounted to 350 million drachmas in 1993, 95 million last year, rising to about 218 million in the first quarter this year.
The first exhibition of Greek high-technology products and services will operate this year at the initiative of the Greek Research and Technology Secretariat as part of this year's 9th Infosystem-HiTech organised by Helexpo in Thessaloniki October 4-8. Research and Technology Secretary-General Nikos Christodoulakis and the Organisation's President Vassilis Kourtesis addressed a press conference at Helexpo's offices yesterday, outlining the exhibition's targets.
National Bank of Greece Governor George Mirkos yesterday announced a reduction in interest rates on the bank's deposit accounts and loans to valued clients. Addressing the bank's general assembly, he said rates for deposit accounts would be reduced to 14 per cent from the current 15 per cent and loan interest rates would go down by two percentage units to 17.
Mr. Mirkos said net profits amounted to 50.2 billion drachmas compared to 23.3 billion drachmas in 1993, while dividends will total 14.3 billion or 900 drachmas per share as against 6.8 billion drachmas in 1993 or 430 drachmas.
The bank's gross profits increased by 32.6 per cent to 205.7 billion drachmas while its operational costs only increased 12.9 per cent. Consequently, net profits before tax and provisions increased by 96.4 per cent. The indicator own capital assets reached 3.10 per cent as against 2.65 per cent.
Mr. Mirkos said the group's unified balance sheet had more than double the profits gained in 1993, amounting to 56.3 billion dr. compared to 25.7 billion dr. in 1993. He said the bank's administration had begun paying its employees half the amount due in retroactive bonuses to prevent resignations and said the bank's policy was to maintain strategic units it possessed at present. In this context, it had again assumed the management of the Astir Vouliagmeni hotel, while other problems concerning subsidiaries sold had been overcome.
He spoke of difficulties created for the bank by commitments regarding deposits, adding that problems created by discrepancies in the credit and banking market were being tackled. Among them, he said, was managing state titles, part of which were liquefied in the second-stage market to facilitate the replacement of capital obtained at a high cost by the Bank of Greece and the market.
On the question of the bank's modernisation, Mr. Mirkos said the rendering of new fiscal products had already started and its computerisation had proceeded. He further said it participated in development policy, referring as an example to its co-operation with a private company on the building of a luxury hotel while at the same time utilising spas at Pomakohoria along the border with Bulgaria.
Regarding the bank's expansion into Balkan countries, Mr. Mirkos said the bank was already established in Sofia, Bulgaria, had obtained a licence for Bucharest and was examining its expansion to Belgrade. The Albanian authorities had promised to give a licence for a branch office in Tirana. In parallel, procedures were being promoted for export credits to be provided for Ukraine, Romania and Armenia.
The government has decided to restructure and sell the Bank of Crete after the issue was examined by the Economic Policy Committee yesterday, National Economy Minister Yiannos Papantoniou said. The Committee agreed to the bank's restructuring with state funding and its auction.
A relevant settlement constituting a proposal by the Bank of Greece will be promoted with a legislative bill in the next few days. Mr. Papantoniou said the Committee also agreed to the creation of a Farmers' Register based on a draft law proposed by the Agriculture Ministry.