Rescue workers gave up hope yesterday of finding any more survivors from underneath the rubble of an apartment complex destroyed by a strong earthquake last Thursday that has claimed at least 23 lives in Egion. Rescue teams are now focusing on pulling out the dead from under the debris, a spokesman for the Greek rescue unit said.
Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou toured the earthquake-stricken northern Peloponnese city Saturday pledging government assistance to reconstruct and redevelop the region. The government's "main goal will be to provide free housing, and for this purpose interest-free loans will be granted for a 15-year period," he told reporters.
The violent early-morning earthquake that killed at least 23 people, among them 10 French tourists, measured 6.1 on the Richter Scale. It devastated a five-storey block of apartments and a nearby hotel, the Eliki, where the French tourists perished. The tremor also damaged thousands of houses in Egion and six surrounding villages, while civil engineers said Saturday that at least 1,000 Egion houses are uninhabitable after an inspection of about half the city's residences.
"The tragedy that hit Egion is the second to strike our country in such a short time," Mr. Papandreou said, after visiting the Greek Arms Industry plant (EVO) in Egion. The factory building suffered cracks but no damage to its equipment, national Defence Minister Gerasimos Arsenis said, adding the unit will start operating again very soon.
Mr. Papandreou referred to a major earthquake that struck the northern Greek towns of Grevena and Kozani a month ago, injuring 25 people and leaving at least 8,000 homeless. He said a restoration programme drafted for those areas will be implemented in Egion, details of which would be announced next week.
"We must bring life back to this region, by concentrating on investments, modernisation and the reconstruction of its productivity," he told reporters covering the disaster. He added: "It is a pity that an earthquake should make us realise the extent of changes that should be made. Consequently, the issue of economic reconstruction is both our short-term and long-term goal."
Mr. Papandreou also expressed his gratitude to Swiss and French rescue teams that rushed to Egion a few hours after the devastating earthquake with sniffing dogs and equipment to assist Greek rescue units. "The (foreign) rescuers told me that they never imagined we could work so quickly," he said referring to rescue operations. He said these operations were "sealed" with the rescue of young Andreas Bogdanos, an eight-year-old boy pulled to safety late Friday night after being buried for almost two days in the rubble of the flattened apartment block.
"The whole of Greece was glued to their television sets last night (Friday) and lived this tragedy, which ended with victory. A boy with immense mental powers that managed to survive after what he had gone through," Mr. Papandreou said.
A similar message of congratulations to the Swiss and French rescue teams and their Greek colleagues was sent by Greece's head of state, President Kostis Stephanopoulos. "I'm sending personal praise and warm congratulations to the rescue teams, and especially the Swiss and French, who came to our country and performed their duty despite the dangers they faced in order to save those trapped in the rubble of the (collapsed) buildings in Egion," Mr. Stephanopoulos said.
Meanwhile, doctors at the hospital in the nearby Rio township where young Andreas is recovering, said the boy's condition was "steadily improving." A hospital official said Andreas "had just begun to realise what he went through, feels helpless and insecure and is constantly asking for his mother." He said the boy will be removed from the intensive care unit today and will be placed under observation of child psychologists "in order to overcome the shock. But he has no other problems, and did not suffer any injuries," the hospital official said.
National Defence Minister Gerasimos Arsenis arrived in Damascus yesterday for a three-day official visit to Syria. Mr. Arsenis immediately after his arrival held lengthy talks with his Syrian counterpart Moustapha Tlass.
Speaking to the press afterwards, Mr. Arsenis said talks focused on "giving a specific content to the framework of co-operation agreed upon by Greek Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou and Syrian President Hafez al-Assad. Our point of views were identical on all issues." Mr. Papandreou paid a three-day official visit to Syria last January and held talks with President Assad.
Concerning defence co-operation between Greece and Syria, the two ministers agreed for a more frequent exchange of information and ideas concerning the greater region and for co-operation between the two nations' defence industries as well as in the defence sector with frequent visits. Mr. Tlass said there was a complete convergence of views at furthering co-operation initiated by talks between Prime Minister Papandreou and President Assad.
The two ministers also discussed developments in the Balkans. Mr. Tlass said he shared Greek concerns over the present situation in Bosnia, adding that his government appreciated Greek initiatives to bring peace in the war-torn former Yugoslav republic.
"But we think that your country has even more possibilities. The Greeks have the means to influence and vocabulary that can be heard," Mr. Tlass added. Mr. Arsenis will meet today with Syrian Prime Minister Mahmoud al-Zohbi.
A strong earthquake registering 4.7 on the Richter scale was felt in the Cretan city of Iraklion at 10:05 a.m. yesterday without causing any panic. The tremor's epicentre was in a sea region south of Crete in the Libyan Sea. No victims or damage were reported.
Another quake registering 4.2 points on the Richter Scale shook Iraklion and the southern region of the Iraklion Prefecture at 7:20 p.m. Saturday. Again, the epicentre was in the Libyan Sea. No panic or damages were reported.
Greek political leaders vigorously reacted over the weekend to recent Turkish threats that Ankara would take "all necessary steps, including military," against Greece if the latter extended territorial waters from six to 12 nautical miles. The first rebuff came from President of the Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos in addressing a dinner Saturday evening in the north-western Greek city of Ioannina.
"Times are difficult," Mr. Stephanopoulos said, and in an obvious reference to Turkey, added: "Our country is receiving threats from a country which does not respect international rules, from a country which wishes to join Europe, but ignores the principles on which Europe is founded.
"If necessary, not only Ioannina but the whole of Greece will show its lead in arms. But let us hope that such an eventuality will not arise for this to be proved," Mr. Stephanopoulos warned.
Another warning came from main opposition New Democracy party leader Miltiades Evert, as he visited the eastern Aegean island of Chios, which faces the Turkish coast. Replying to press questions, Mr. Evert said the "weaknesses of the Turkish leadership to cope with major domestic problems such as the Kurdish issue, the economy, and the expansion of Islamic fundamentalism leads it, both political and military (leaderships), to make provocative statements which continuously increase.
"But the Turks must realise that Greece is not joking," Mr. Evert said, adding that the "Greek armed forces, the entire people of Chios and all the Greek people united, are determined to defend their fatherland.
"The answer," Mr. Evert continued, "will be effective and immediate to any real provocation. It is Greece's inalienable right to extend its territorial waters whenever it decides and will not take into account any danger." Turkey's National Assembly recently voted a resolution authorising the Turkish government to take "all necessary measures, including military steps," to obstruct any extension of Greece's territorial waters.
The Turkish resolution followed the Greek Parliament's ratification of the Law of the Sea Convention under which Greece can legally extend its territorial waters from six to 12 nautical miles. The Greek government has stated it does not intend to make use of this sovereign right at present, but retained that right for a more appropriate time. Speaking on the Aegean island of Psara yesterday, Mr. Evert said the great danger is "Turkish expansionism which has a specific strategy and a long-term nature," adding it should be confronted with "realism, calm and resolution."
"Our country will not accept any concession," he noted. Mr. Evert criticised the government for its position on Turkish threats, saying "the more subdued reactions are, the more Turkish provocativeness will increase. We must stop them here, and our neighbours and allies should realise that we are not prepare d to play. Greece wants peace, it wants good relations with Turkey but it will not back down an inch on its inalienable sovereign rights."
Mr. Evert again expressed support for a federal Europe, saying it should be ensured that the European Union will assume the defence of Greece's borders. "If we do not secure this, then in no case can Greece cede any national right, either defensive or i n foreign policy."
Bulgarian Prime Minister Jean Videnov arrives in Athens today on a two-day official visit for talks with Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou and Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias. He will also be received by President Kostis Stephanopoulos.
Talks will focus on further strengthening good relations between Greece and Bulgaria, a proposed Russian oil pipeline and Bulgaria's relations with the European Union, the West European Union (WEU) and NATO.
In an interview with the Athens daily "Kathimerini," Mr. Videnov said construction of the proposed Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline would contribute to consolidating stability in the region. Mr. Videnov will brief Mr. Papandreou on his recent talks o n the issue in Moscow with Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin.
The Bulgarian PM said both countries should register joint companies operating in their respective territories and promote co-operation in the banking sector, adding there are Bulgarian banks wishing to operate in Greece. He also spoke of a keen interest of Bulgarians to visit Greece and called for an agreement with Greece allowing Bulgarian workers to find seasonal employment in Greece.
The Saint Demetrios Cathedral was inaugurated in Zurich by Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos yesterday morning in the presence of church officials and Greek government and political opposition leaders. Archbishop of North and South America Iakovos told reporters afterwards: "we are celebrating the inauguration of our souls here today."
Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou's wife Dimitra received a gold medal in memory of the inauguration ceremony. "Orthodoxy is the long walls of Hellenism. It is proceeding on its course and is sending messages of love, hope and coexistence to all peoples," she said.
Also present were former conservative prime minister and main opposition New Democracy party Honorary President Constantine Mitsotakis, ND Deputy Dora Bakoyianni, Political Spring party leader Antonis Samaras, Public Order Minister Sifis Valyrakis, Justice Minister Anastasios Peponis, government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos, Athens Mayor Dimitris Avramopoulos and Thessaloniki Mayor Dinos Kosmopoulos.
The cathedral was built with funds by Greek expatriates and the family of Panayiotis Angelopoulos, a benefactor of the Ecumenical Throne, in memory of his brother Demetrios.
The administration of the Panhellenic Confederation of Agricultural Co-operatives (GESASE) expressed its satisfaction Saturday over results of the first Inter-Balkan Agricultural Organisations' two-day meeting in Thessaloniki.
Addressing a press conference afterwards, GESASE President Marinos Yiannakidis said the primary conclusion was of a common desire for resumption of similar meetings, and that such an effort should have been held years ago.
The creation of an informal co-ordinating agency headquartered in Thessaloniki was decided as well as convening at least four meetings a year with the General Confederation of Agricultural Associations organising seminars in every country participating in the meeting.
The meeting was attended by representatives of agricultural organisations from Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, New Yugoslavia and the region of Serbia, Romania, Slovenia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).
Mr. Yiannakidis said the meeting was not attended by Turkey, which lacks agricultural organisations, while Croatia showed interest in participating in future meetings.
Thirty-one Communist parties and organisations from around the world concluded a two-day conference in Athens yesterday on the reasons behind the Communist regimes' collapse in Eastern Europe.
The conference was held on the initiative of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE). Speaking at the end of the meeting, KKE politburo member Makis Mailis said discussions "have not ended. They will be continued in new meetings of Communist parties with the participation of Marxist experts." The need for further discussion, he said, resulted from the fact that different points of view did not allow a clear identity of positions.
Most participants, Mr. Mailis added, employed the term "collapse" and not "overthrow" of the Communist regimes, noting the "tremendous errors, but also the corruption that developed within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, which precipitated the collapse of Communism."
Finance Minister Alekos Papadopoulos, visiting Washington to participate in the Panepirotic Federation of America and Canada's conference, held talks late last week with top Clinton administration economic officials.
On Friday, Mr. Papadopoulos met his US counterpart, Director of the Budget Bureau Alice Rivlin, Finance Under-Secretary Jeffrey Shaffer, President Clinton's senior adviser George Stephanopoulos, Federal Reserve Bank Vice President Mr. Blyter and Sen. Paul Sarbanes.
Speaking to Greek reporters, Mr. Papadopoulos said he had an interesting exchange of views with US officials. "I briefed my contacts on economic developments in Greece and our country's position as a geo-economic location. I explained to them the importance of our nation, provided the Greek economy is strengthened, because we have fiscal problems and are making a great effort," Mr. Papadopoulos said.
"This is of interest to Americans because Greece can play a role in the Balkans, the Black Sea regions and the Middle East with the traditionally good relations it has in the region," he added.
Mr. Papadopoulos expressed optimism over the course of the Greek economy but added "there should be no respite." "Progress has been achieved but what is necessary is care and seriousness to stay on this course," he said. He concluded his discussions Saturday by meeting with Greek officials of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.