A.N.A. Bulletin, 11/10/95

From: "Greek Press & Information Office, Ottawa Canada" <grnewsca@sympatico.ca>

Athens News Agency Directory

ATHENS NEWS AGENCY BULLETIN (No 712), October 11, 1995

Greek Press & Information Office

Ottawa, Canada

E-Mail Address: grnewsca@sympatico.ca

CONTENTS

[1] PASOK Central Committee convenes today for 'crucial' session

The Central Committee of ruling party PASOK will convene today to elect a new party secretary and executive bureau, in a meeting that is thought to be crucial to putting an end to months of internal party dissension.

Today's pivotal meeting comes a day after the second anniversary of PASOK's return to power, with government spokesman Telemahos Hytiris expressing his confidence that PASOK would be returned to power at the end of its four-year mandate.

Deliberations within the party continued well into the night, centering on the composition of a new executive bureau reflecting all trends inside the party.

Earlier yesterday, a group of centrist deputies proposed the participation of the group of four leading dissidents - former ministers Paraskevas Avgerinos, Vasso Papandreou, Theodoros Pangalos and Costas Simitis - along with ministers Akis Tsohatzopoulos, Gerassimos Arsenis, Anastasios Peponis, and Costas Laliotis, parliament president Apostolos Kaklamanis, and former ministers Evangelos Yiannopoulos, Dimitris Tsovolas, and Ioannis Haralambopoulos in a new executive bureau.

Political analysts say the stand of prime minister and party leader Andreas Papandreou towards the group of four leading dissidents will be central to whether the party crisis will be defused or deepen.

It remained unclear whether the group of four would insist on the prime minister initiating the procedure for his succession, what stand the premier himself would adopt on the issue, and what proposals for the executive bureau would be submitted in the course of the meeting.

In statements yesterday, former public order minister Stelios Papathemelis proposed today's meeting elect a successor, who would assume the duties of deputy premier until the prime minister retired.

In announcing his candidacy for the executive bureau, Transport and Communications Minister Evangelos Venizelos said the Central Committee would convene not in order to provide answers to loyalists and dissidents, but to give convincing answers to the Greek people.

[2] Hytiris marks Gov't achievements

Marking the second anniversary of PASOK's return to power yesterday, government spokesman Telemahos Hytiris said the government's most important achievement had been the stabilization of the economy and the salvation of the country from the situation in which the previous New Democracy party had left it.

Positive developments such as the reduction in the inflation and interest rates, and the commencement of large public projects, he said, had laid the basis for growth and the exercise of social policy.

In foreign relations, the country's prestige had received a boost, progress had been made on the accession of Cyprus to the European Union, and relations with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Albania had improved.

Meanwhile, transport minister and former government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos yesterday said recent opinion polls showing main opposition New Democracy leading ruling party PASOK indicated a "serious political crisis" for political parties.

The overall low percentages for all political parties and the numbers of those who said they would cast a blank vote or were undecided were indications of the crisis faced by all parties, he said.

Main opposition New Democracy party leader Miltiades Evert yesterday said he was satisfied at the results of the polls.

"We must all proceed together to help the Greek people solve its problems," Mr. Evert told a private television station on Monday evening. "ND will do everything possible in this direction."

[3] Second round of consultations begins in Skopje, Greece to lift sanctions on Sunday

Greece said yesterday that its trade sanctions on the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia would be lifted on October 15, in line with provisions of the recently-signed interim accord between the two countries.

Government spokesman Telemahos Hytiris told reporters the sanctions still held and would be officially lifted on Sunday, when the accord comes into effect. Greece imposed the trade sanctions on neighboring FYROM in February 1994.

Meanwhile, in Skopje yesterday, the Greek and FYROM delegations resumed consultations focusing on the technical aspects on the implementation of the accord.

Yesterday's meetings were a continuation of the consultations which began in Athens last Thursday, and sources said they centered on travel documents for the movement of goods and people from FYROM to Greece, and the establishment of liaison offices in t he capitals of both states.

[4] New programme to document extent of Mediterranean pollution gets underway

Seventeen scientific institutes and laboratories will examine the Saronic, Patraikos, Thermaikos and Strymonikos gulfs as well as waters off the large Aegean islands of Crete, Lesvos and Rhodes as part of a programme aimed at systematically documenting pollution in the Mediterranean.

The five-year programme's network will be comprised of 246 pollution observation stations, of which 28 will monitor land-based pollution; 79 near coastal areas and 138 near beaches, while one station will monitor airborne pollution.

The five-year programme is part of the Mediterranean Action Plan.

[5] Gov't hopes for speedy resolution to Iakovos issue

The government said yesterday it hoped differences between Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos and Archbishop of North and South America Iakovos would be resolved "in the best possible way".

"The problem should be overcome for the sake of Orthodoxy, Hellenism and the overseas Greek community," government spokesman Telemahos Hytiris said.

He was speaking as a three-member delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarchate arrived in New York yesterday for talks with Archbishop Iakovos.

The problem between the Patriarchate and the Archbishop erupted after Iakovos reportedly withdrew his August 21 resignation.

Mr. Hytiris flatly denied claims that Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou had made any approach to either of the two men.

Main opposition New Democracy party leader Miltiades Evert called on the government to take the necessary action to safeguard the unity of the expatriate Greek community in the United States.

Mr. Evert said he was watching developments with concern and urged the government "to proceed with necessary action in order to safeguard the unity and the spiritual and national coherence of the overseas Greek community."

Mr. Evert, who has already called on Archbishop Iakovos not to resign "for the sake of Orthodoxy," said he hoped the Archbishop would continue "offering his invaluable services as a spiritual and religious leader".

Political Spring party leader Antonis Samaras also called for unity. "It is a national necessity, in these difficult times for Hellenism, to safeguard the serenity and unity in the bosom of Orthodoxy," Mr. Samaras said.

[6] Early detection, prevention main axes of fight against cancer, experts say

Deaths from cancer in Greece increased from 18,000 in 1993 to 19,000 in 1994, as more cases of the deadly disease were detected in 1994 than in the previous year, according to figures released here yesterday during the first day of the eighth "European Week Against Cancer".

Medical researchers note that according to epidemiological figures, 1.3 million new instances of cancer were reported in 1990, while one in three residents of the European Union is struck by cancer at some point in his or her lifetime.

Those same figures point to cancer as the most frequent cause of early death and responsible for a quarter of all deaths in Europe.

However, experts say early detection of some forms of cancer can lead to full recovery, while advice listed in a European code against cancer may reduce cancer deaths by up to 100,000 people a year.

The code to prevent cancer recommends quitting smoking, reducing daily alcohol consumption, avoiding extensive exposure to the sun's rays and following a diet high in fiber, fruits and vegetables.

[7] Papantoniou arrives in Washington for IMF-World Bank meeting

Greek National Economy Minister Yiannos Papantoniou arrived yesterday in Washington to participate in the working sessions of the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

On the sidelines of his visit, Mr. Papantoniou is due to meet with senior US administration officials, including presidential adviser George Stephanopoulos and Senator Paul Sarbanes.

He is due back in Athens on Sunday.

[8] Moslem minority ignores calls to boycott schools

Regular attendance was noted at all educational institutions for Greek Moslem students in Thrace yesterday, despite calls by an unofficial group called the "Supreme Minority Committee," which called on parents to boycott schools for five days to protest a new law on instruction of Greek Moslem students.

According to reports, small groups of hecklers appeared yesterday morning outside minority schools in an effort to prevent students from attending, without success.

Political analysts in Thrace, however, said such actions are commonly organized by Turkish diplomatic circles from Ankara's consulate in Komotini and other Turkish government services, usually finding any reason to call for a boycott of classes.

Calls for abstention even occur when measures universally considered positive are instituted, as was this case this year with the introduction of the mandatory teaching of English and gym classes by trained physical education instructors, sources said.

However, minority representatives told the ANA they "accept with satisfaction" a Education Ministry decision that Greek Moslem students enter higher education institutions with a separate number of spots reserved for them.

[9] Hoax caller forces OA flight to land in Corfu

An Olympic Airways flight, carrying 230 passengers to Brussels from Athens, was forced to make an emergency landing in Corfu this morning after an anonymous call claimed that a bomb had been placed on the aircraft.

Police and airport staff carried out a thorough search of the aircraft but found nothing. The search lasted for two hours and the aircraft took off for Brussels at approximately 12:30pm.

[10] Greek prefect proposes ancient 'mna' as new name for ECU

A proposal to name the European Currency Unit (ECU) after a 7th century B.C. Greek coin was made yesterday by a Greek prefect to resolve the problem of finding a new name for the ECU.

The proposal was made by Hania prefect Aleka Markoyiannaki, who told a press conference that the ECU should be named "mna," after the first coin which circulated on the island of Aegina in the 7th century B.C.

"The 'mna' will solve the problem of finding a new name for the European Union's currency," she said.

She added that "the word 'mna' is short and easy to pronounce in all languages."

[11] Tzoumakas to speak at conference on social security benefits for EU workers

A four-day European conference on the free movement of workers in the European Union will start at the "Kalimera Kriti" hotel at Sisi in the Lasithi prefecture today.

The conference is organized by the European Commission in cooperation with the Social Security General Secretariat and the Social Security Foundation (IKA).

Labor and Social Security Minister Stephanos Tzoumakas will attend the conference, as will the directors of IKA and the Farmers Pension Fund (OGA) and other insurance funds and representatives of the General Confederation of Workers of Greece (GSEE), the Federation of Greek Industries (SEB), chambers of commerce and university professors.

Issues to be covered will include freedom of movement for workers people in the EU and prospects for Community coordination as part of regulation 1408/71 concerning social security for immigrants.

[12] New-look EU license plates go into circulation

New license plates in line with the latest European Union design were unveiled yesterday by the Transport Ministry.

The plates will contain letters of the Greek alphabet that are also found the Latin alphabet, and a numerical sequence from 1,000 to 1,999.

The plates will also carry a national insignia, the EU's symbol, and will be specially made to ensure that frauds are easily discernible.

Truck plates will carry one letter and a four-digit number, with public-use trucks using a yellow plate and private-use trucks using white.

New EU plates will be provided after older model license plate stocks are exhausted around December, according to Transport and Communications Undersecretary Christos Kokkinovassilis.

[13] Wulf-Mathies replies to Alavanos on Cohesion Fund

European commissioner for regional policy, Monika Wulf-Mathies said any planned suspension of funding from the Cohesion Fund would apply only to new projects and new stages of projects already begun, and not to projects already approved by the Commission.

Ms Wulf-Mathies was replying to a question from Coalition of the Left and Progress Eurodeputy Alekos Alavanos on the planned suspension of funding by the Cohesion Fund, which finances projects in Greece, Spain, Portugal and Ireland.

"There is a real danger of important funds being lost for Greece and the remaining cohesion countries, provided they do not fulfill conditions set out by the Maastricht Treaty," Mr. Alavanos said.

"The Greek government - which appears to have the smallest absorption rate among all the Cohesion Fund countries and consequently will have the biggest losses - should brief the Greek Parliament and the Greek people immediately and take drastic action together with the other Cohesion Fund countries to avert such an eventuality," he added.

[14] Tzoumakas meets with GSEE officials

Labor and Social Security Minister Stephanos Tzoumakas held talks with General Confederation of Workers of Greece (GSEE) officials yesterday, while GSEE President Christos Protopapas spoke of the need for the ministry to take "bold initiatives" to meet long-standing trade union demands and pre-election commitments by the ruling party.

Mr. Tzoumakas said that, aside from boldness, seriousness and hard work was needed for results to be obtained.

Issues discussed included unemployment, social security and pensions, funds from the Delors II package, immigrants and a tripartite administration for organizations.

[15] Metro works unearth significant archeological finds

Significant information on ancient Athens' topography has recently come to light from excavation work currently underway for the city's underground metro.

Remnants of ancient structures and buildings have been unearthed near Syntagma Square in front and adjacent to Parliament, according to antiquities curator Liana Parlama, who said the findings point to the "Valaneion," a large Roman baths complex locate d approximately under the National Park's Amalias Street entrances.

The ancient baths, which cover about half a stremma, were found in excellent condition, she said. In one instance, the baths' northern wall rises to 3.85 meters along with its foundation.

A photographic exhibit depicting the ancient square in relation to the modern Syntagma area is planned for the new underground metro station, while subway commuters will be able to also view displays of archeological findings from the Roman-era complex along with designs and mock-ups of how the baths looked almost two millennia ago.

Part of the Valaneion shaft will also be restored and displayed as is.

[16] Vartholomeos to visit Australia next year

Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos will make an official visit to Australia on November 10-26 next year, an Australian Archbishopric announcement said yesterday.

Vartholomeos will attend events marking the 10th anniversary since the opening of the St. Andreas Theological School. His visit to the region will include a stop in New Zealand.

[17] Theodorakis to perform in Australia

Acclaimed Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis will give a series of concerts in Australia, in the framework of International Year of Tolerance, it was announced yesterday.

Mr. Theodorakis' concerts will be held under the auspices of the Australian government. He will perform in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and the capital, Canberra, from November 17-24.

"The music of Mr. Theodorakis is proof of acceptance and understanding. It is the cornerstone of tolerance," Federal Minister for Immigration Nick Bolkus said.

The 70-year-old composer will be accompanied on his tour by singer Maria Farantouri and a 30-member orchestra.

[18] News in Brief

Melbourne (ANA): Macedonia-Thrace Minister Constantine Triarides, Thessaloniki Mayor Constantine Kosmopoulos, representatives of Greek political parties, as well as artists and scholars, have been invited to attend the "Dimitria '95" festival in Australia by the Victorian Pan-Macedonian Union. The annual festival, which runs from October to November, aims at promoting Macedonia's culture, history and tradition to the broader Australian society.

Athens (ANA): A conference on the subject of "urban sculpture", organized by the National Metsovion Polytechnic's architecture laboratory and in cooperation with the Fine Arts and Letters Shelter and the Centre for European Culture at Delphi, is scheduled for October 12 at Zappeion Hall.

London (ANA): Athens Mayor Dimitris Avramopoulos yesterday opened an exhibition here entitled "Greece during World War II, 1940-45". The photographs, documents and cartoons in the exhibition highlights the sacrifices made by the Greek people during the war.

Athens (ANA): Police in Iraklion, Crete, yesterday broke up a seven-member ring placing illegal immigrants as hired help in homes in Crete. The one Pole and six Ukrainians had placed 11 illegal immigrants from the Ukraine in Greek homes over the last four months for a fee of 60,000 drachmas each. The seven confessed that they ran a similar office in Athens until March this year.

End of English language section.