The European Union's general affairs council meets in Brussels today to focus on the Bosnia crisis, in the wake of the threatened capture of a second United Nations-decla-red "safe haven area" within the past week by Bosnian Serbs.
Bosnian Serb forces were reportedly poised to take the Moslem enclave of Zepa yesterday evening. During the EU meeting Greece will be represented by Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias and his alternate Georgios Alexandros Mangakis.
Before departing yesterday, Mr. Papoulias reiterated Greece's strong support for a diplomatic solution, saying he would propose a 'Geneva III' conference to discuss cessation of hostilities and a peace plan put forward by the Contact Group (United States, Great Britain, Russia, Germany and France) of powers.
"It's a situation causing only anxiety. Tomorrow's general affairs council of European Union foreign ministers will have a decisive significance. The Greek stand is very clear: We are against any military operation, even so-called 'surgical operations,' because experience to date has shown they do not help in anything. On the contrary, they've created impasses in the search for a diplomatic and political solution. We insist on a diplomatic, political solution. Our proposal is this: A Geneva III where all intermediary parties will discuss cessation of hostilities, and then, a peace process plan as put forward by the Contact Group," Mr. Papoulias said.
Asked if Greece will underake any new initiative, he added: "we are in contact with both Pale and Belgrade. I received a visit from a representative of Mr. (Bosnian Serb leader Radovan) Karadjic, while we're in contact with (Serbian) President (Slobodan) Milosevic. President Milosevic is a basic and important factor in resolving the crisis. The European Union must understand this and finally proceed to a lifting of sanctions. Because what we have given to President Milosevic so far is very little in relation to w hat he's doing and what we are asking him to do."
A British citizen, 29-year-old Ritch-Dorothey Stanistreet of Liverpool, was arrested early today near the border town of Dydimoteichon in northeastern Greece for illegally entering the country and for possession of half a kilogram of pure heroin. The susp ect claimed the heroin was for personal use.
The founder and leader of the Political Spring (Pol.An) political party, Antonis Samaras, heads a Pol.An delegation to Belgrade today for talks with Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic. The crisis in Bosnia will dominate discussions between the two men. According to reports, Mr. Samaras' goal is to contribute to the restoration of the recently strained climate of friendship and trust between the two nations (Greece and Serbia).
Greece's Council of State has ruled (Decision 3943/95, Sec. E) that all government departments and public organs are obliged to provide citizens with copies of documents in a written, audiovisual or computerised form, even if individuals requesting information do not have a direct legal interest.
In interpreting Article 16 of Law 1599/86 and the relevant European Union Directive 90/313, Greece's highest administrative court ruled against the Industry Ministry's refusal to provide ecological organisations with statistical data on rivers and hydrological projects in central Greece.
Information by the groups was requested in 1993 in order to support a lawsuit against the Acheloos River diversion project on grounds it was not accompanied by an environm ental effects study. Based on the decision, governmental departments must provide all information within their sphere of responsibility to physical or legal persons within a month of a relevant application. Information classified as "secret" remains an exception.
Greek Press and Mass Media Minister Evangelos Venizelos Saturday called for a campaign against the Turkish occupation of northern Cyprus and warned against indifference and complacency. Mr. Venizelos arrived in Cyprus Friday to attend events marking the 21st anniversary of a 1974 Greek military junta-engineered coup.
He spoke at a presentation ceremony in honour of the founder of a local radio station who provided late Cypriot President Archbishop Makarios with a forum to address his people and urge them to resist the military coup. The ceremony, orgnised by a multi-party committee, was attended by church, political, military and local leaders.
Mr. Venizelos reiterated that the Cyprus problem was "the top priority issue in Greece's foreign policy," adding: "all negotiating procedures should be kept open, without slipping into acceptance of views and positions expressed by the opposite side, which are later presented as a fait accompli."
Interior Minister Dinos Michaelides said, "it is our duty to fight for justice and a better future for our country, free of occupation troops, threats and dangers, and without division lines on its territory and among its people." "We shall fight the battle against injustice because we have Greece's support, which is wholehearted and tangible," Mr. Michaelides said.
Assistant United Nations special envoy for Cyprus Gustav Feissel said Saturday the organisation's report on excavations in the Turkish-Cypriot sector of Nicosia along the "Green Line" dividing the island was nearing completion.
The Cypriot government insists the works, which Turkish Cypriots claim are part of a play ground's construction, are really fortification works.
Mr. Feissel declined to comment on the content of the report after a meeting with President Glafkos Clerides Saturday. Yesterday Mr. Feissel departed for Ankara, where he's to hold talks with the Turkish leadership along with UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros- Ghali.
President of the Europarliament Klaus Haensch is arriving in Athens today for talks with the political leadership, focusing on swaying Greek opposition to EU majority voting as opposed to consensus voting.
During his three-day visit, Mr. Haensch will have talks with President of the Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos, Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou, Parliament President Apostolos Kaklamanis as well as with leaders of the opposition. He will also attend a special session of the European Affairs Committee of the Greek Parliament.
The second meeting of delegations from Greece and Albania ended on Friday with the signing of an agreement providing for the avoidance of double taxation. At a brief press conference following the meeting, Albanian Deputy Foreign Minister Arian Starova and the General Secretary of the Greek Foreign Ministry, Ambassador Constantinos Georgiou, confirmed the political will of both sides to further strengthen bilateral relations.
The meeting focused mainly on issues related to the education of the ethnic Greek minority in Albania and public order, including avoidance of border incidents and the guarding of borders to prevent the illegal movement of people and goods.
The two officials said a bilateral agreement would soon be signed providing for the seasonal employment of Albanians in Greece, while the jointly competent Greek ministries would examine the issue of granting legal status to a number of Albanians already living and working in Greece illegally.
During the meeting, Greece raised the issue of abolition of visas for Greek passports, saying the measure discriminated against Greece, since no visa is required for citizens of other European Union member-states.
A final agreement between Greece and a consortium led by the German company Hochtief for construction of an international airport in Spata is expected to be signed later this month. Parliament will consider passage of the agreement in August.