A.N.A. Bulletin, 05/04/96

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

Athens News Agency Directory

ATHENS NEWS AGENCY BULLETIN (No 855), April 5, 1996

Greek Press & Information Office

Ottawa, Canada

E-Mail Address: grnewsca@sympatico.ca

CONTENTS

[1] Greece, Bulgaria underline determination to strengthen close ties, co-operation

Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos and his Bulgarian counterpart Georgi Pirinski underlined their determination to further strengthen relations and promote co-operation between the two Balkan neighbors after talks here yesterday.

Mr. Pirinski arrived in Athens Wednesday night for a two-day official visit. Prior to his meeting with Mr. Pangalos, Mr. Pirinski had separate talks with Parliament President Apostolos Kaklamanis and President Kostis Stephanopoulos.

He met Prime Minister Costas Simitis later in the evening.

After his talks with the Bulgarian foreign minister, Mr. Pangalos underlined the close co-operation between Athens and Sofia and spoke of the desire of the two countries to further strengthen relations.

Mr. Pirinski expressed particular satisfaction over the assurances he had received from both Mr. Kaklamanis and Mr. Pangalos that the bilateral agreements recently signed concerning the waters of the Nestos River, road arteries and border posts, would b e ratified by the Greek Parliament immediately after Easter.

He said that the Bulgarian Parliament had already ratified the agreements and that the joint committees foreseen under the accords would convene in Sofia on May 17-18. The Bulgarian foreign minister said there had been an identity of views and "readiness" of the two countries to further develop bilateral relations in the economic and commercial sectors.

Mr. Pirinski also noted an identity of views with regard to the approach to problems in the Balkans, stressing the need for this approach to be made with the participation of all the countries of the region, on the basis of the principles of international law and inter-Balkan co-operation.

Mr. Pangalos said Mr. Pirinski had briefed him on the first-ever south Balkans meeting on security co-operation in Tirana which Greece did not attend because Romania and Serbia had not been invited to participate.

The meeting, earlier this week, brought together the defense ministers of Albania, Bulgaria, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Italy and Turkey as well as the US Defense Secretary William Perry.

Mr. Pangalos reiterated Greece's position that no countries in the region should be excluded from such meetings which, he added, should also be prepared better.

He said the next such meeting would be organized by Bulgaria and expressed the hope that Greece's positions would be adopted.

Mr. Pirinski said that Sofia's positions on the issue were identical with those of Athens, adding that Bulgaria's defense minister had conveyed this "message" to the Tirana meeting.

Replying to questions on the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline project, Mr. Pangalos said the issue would be discussed over dinner later in the evening, while Mr. Pirinski said "it is an issue of bilateral and tripartite interest which we are ready to discuss in the most constructive way."

Asked to comment on Bulgaria's initiative to organize a meeting of Balkan foreign ministers in June, Mr. Pangalos said that Greece agreed with "the general concept and content of such a meeting" which he described as "an initiative of the Balkan countries."

"We do not rule out the participation of other elements of international life, but the initiative will be one which belongs to the Balkan countries," he said.

Mr. Pangalos said that work would soon begin on the road networks and border posts provided under the recently signed Greek-Bulgarian agreements. He stressed however that communication between the two countries was not limited to the construction of two highways, adding that there were great possibilities for air, rail and telecommunications links between Greece and Bulgaria.

[2] Gov't agrees on fewer casinos

An inner cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Costas Simitis yesterday decided to decrease the number of casinos originally planned.

Considering the number of licenses announced to be excessive, the inner cabinet decided to cut back on the number of casinos planned for the provinces, revoked the license already issued for the Flisvos casino near Athens and canceled the tender procedure for the Parnitha casino.

The inner cabinet decided to hold, at a date yet to be announced, a repeat tender for the establishment of a casino in the Attica prefecture but outside the greater Athens area, and to re-examine the terms under which all existing casinos currently operate with the aim of protecting the public interest.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting regarding the cancellation of the Flisvos contract, government spokesman Dimitris Reppas acknowledged that the government had undertaken contractual obligations but said the joint venture to which the license had been granted had committed certain irregularities and had violated the terms of the relevant agreement.

This, he added, was expected to enable the revocation of the license without adverse financial repercussions for the state.

[3] New heads of OA approved

A parliamentary committee yesterday approved the appointments of Iordanis Karatzas and Miltiades Tsagarakis as managing director and general manager respectively of the national carrier Olympic Airways (OA). During discussion by the committee, Transport Minister Haris Kastanidis said he had replaced OA's management "because they were at war amongst themselves" and criticized the former president of OA, Rigas Doganis, in particular.

"For one year, the management appointed the boards of directors of OA's subsidiaries in an unlawful manner, while also allowing a clash of interests in Olympic Catering without protecting Greece's interests," Mr. Kastanidis charged.

The appointments of Mr. Karatzas and Mr. Tsagarakis were approved by a majority, with seven votes in favor (PASOK), five against (New Democracy and Political Spring) and one blank vote (Communist Party of Greece).

[4] Greek-Romanian bank established

An agreement was signed here yesterday for the establishment of a joint Greek-Romanian merchant bank in Bucharest, the first time Greece has participated jointly in a bank in the Balkans.

Participating on the Romanian side will be Prompt S.A., Financiara S.A., National Investment Fund, POF II Moldvoa, POF III Transylvania, POF IV Muntenia and POF V Oltenia.

The agreement was signed for the Greek side by the President of the Macedonia-Thrace Bank, Andreas Boumis.

The Greek participation will represent 49.5 per cent of the bank's total capital which amounts to 13.6 million dollars. The Greek side will be responsible for the management of the bank.

[5] Romeos calls for wider role of expatriate Greek community

Alternate Foreign Minister George Romeos said yesterday the expatriate Greek community had a third role to play in efforts to support Greece.

Speaking in New York, Mr. Romeos said the expatriate Greek community could contribute to the Greek government's efforts for a more outward-looking economic policy, saying it was necessity due to the globalization of markets. "This is not the old recipe of attracting investments, which of course, are welcome," Mr. Romeos said. "It is about, for example, expatriate Greeks ensuring Greek participation in the implementation of Community programs in their countries of residence."

"This can be the third basic direction; the other two are the activation of expatriate Greeks for national issues and the resolution of problems affecting expatriate Greek communities," he said. The World Council of Overseas Hellenism (SAE) does not aim to replace the activities of the overseas Greek communities but merely to coordinate efforts in order to achieve common goals, Mr. Romeos said.

Branding as "unprecedented," and "very important," a draft bill for the World Hellenism Assembly, the organization of which is expected to take place early next year in Thessaloniki to coincide with the declaration of Thessaloniki as Europe's Cultural Capital, Mr. Romeos said it will give the opportunity to Greeks and expatriate Greeks, whether they belong to organizations or not, to participate. The minister said the expatriate Greeks policy should apply to all Greeks, including those who do not belong to organizations. "They, too, should have the freedom to participate and offer ideas and services," he said. "The Church... should co-operate within the framework of the SAE in dealing with national issues and the problems facing expatriate Greeks," he said.

"This does not mean," he added, "that Church cannot take its own initiatives."

Mr. Romeos also referred to a draft bill calling for the founding of a Greek Education Institute dealing with education problems in expatriate communities. He added that during his visit to the US, he had the opportunity to meet with representatives of Greek community organizations and noted "the full acceptance of the government's policy on overseas Greeks, a policy remaining firm, as it has been programmed and planned by the interparty committee."

[6] Lufthansa trusts Athens airport security, regional directors says

Lufthansa's regional director for southeast Europe Josef Bogdanski said yesterday that the German airline found security measures at Athens' Hellenikon airport more than adequate and no longer needed to make its own security arrangements.

He said that up until early this year, Lufthansa had made its own security arrangements at Athens airport but that, at the end of January, the company had decided to withdraw its security personnel "because of the improved security conditions" at the airport.

Mr. Bogdanski declined to comment when asked if he agreed with a recent US transportation department warning about security at Athens airport, saying that this was a matter that concerned the transport ministers of Greece and the US.

Asked by the ANA whether the German airline saw a decline in the number of German tourists to Greece this year, Peter Lewrick, Lufthansa's representative for Greece, said that there was a decline in German tourists in general, which he attributed to less available income and surging unemployment in Germany.

"As a result, people are looking for places with the most attractive prices and services. But we see a good summer for Greece this year, since Condor, Lufthansa's charter subsidiary, is increasing its flights to Greece to 117 this summer," he said.

Mr. Bogdanski said that with three daily Lufthansa flights from Athens to Frankfurt, the German airline offers Greek passengers, especially businessmen, even wider flexibility in planning their trip.

With these additional flights, he added, Lufthansa will be offering a total of 52 weekly flights from Athens, Thessaloniki, Iraklion and once a week from Corfu.

"Our aim is to exceed the 1995 half million passenger mark this year," Mr. Bogdanski said.

On a world scale, he said, Lufthansa is offering a total of 227 destinations in 88 countries, extending services to Eastern Europe with three new destinations in the Commonwealth of Independent States and providing new non-stop connections to South Africa.

The Lufthansa group carried more passengers and cargo in 1995 than ever before. For the first time in the airline's history, passengers surpassed the 40 million mark.

[7] Committee set up to chase Athens bid for 2004 Olympics

Athens Mayor Dimitris Avramopoulos announced yesterday the establishment of a committee to promote Athens ' bid to host the 2004 Olympic Games. The committee, comprising mostly scholars and businessmen, will be headed by the mayor. "Our common goal for t he Games of 2004 unites us and aims at giving our country a noble vision, a high cause of common struggle and hope," Mr. Avramopoulos said. Sports Under-secretary Andreas Fouras said the committee would operate under the auspices of President Kostis Stephanopoulos.

[8] Countdown to celebrations begins

The countdown for the celebration of the centennial of the Olympic Games began yesterday with the arrival in Athens of International Olympic Committee President Juan Antonio Samaranch. Twenty-three Olympic gold medallists are also expected to arrive in the capital in order to attend the celebrations. The 11-member IOC executive committee is to convene in Olympia for the first time today, while Mr. Samaranch will convey a message regarding Greece's position in the Olympic movement.

A ceremony has been scheduled to take place tonight in the Old Parliament, where the holding of the first Games were decided on in 1896. During the ceremony, Antonis Tzikas, the president of the Greek Olympic Committee, will honor President of the Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos, Mr. Samaranch and Athens Mayor Dimitris Avramopoulos.

[9] Vartholomeos to visit Yilmaz today

Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos will visit Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz in Ankara today.

The Patriarch will be escorted by members of the Holy Synod.

The visit, on the occasion of Mr. Yilmaz's coming to power, is of due political significance, since such visits did not take place during former premier Tansu Ciller's tenure.

[10] Papariga stresses peace, friendship during visit to Turkish town

Communist Party (KKE) Secretary-General Aleka Papariga stressed the importance of peace between the two peoples during a "symbolic" visit to the Turkish Aegean coastal town of Cesme yesterday.

"We desire the creation of peace and friendship between the two peoples, which is important for us. Peace and friendship is not an issue which interests only us communists, but people the world over," the Anatolian news agency quoted her as saying.

[11] Reppas says there is no feuding between ministers

Government spokesman Dimitris Reppas said yesterday the prime minister was not skeptical over statements by government ministers, adding that there was neither differentiation nor feuding between ministers "who exercise their duties in the framework of government policy."

He also agreed with a statement by Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos on Wednesday about nationalist demagoguery by parties, saying "nationalist demagoguery is a dangerous phenomenon which we should oppose."

[12] Greek journalists briefed on possibilities for Greek-Yugoslav co-operation

Twelve Greek economic journalists visiting Belgrade at the invitation of the Yugoslav Chamber of Commerce were briefed by political and economic officials on the political situation in the area and on the co-operation prospects between Greece and Yugoslavia yesterday.

The Greek journalists met with Serb Press Minister Radomir Vitko and president of the Yugoslav Chamber of Commerce Michailo Milojevic.

After briefing the journalists, Mr. Vitko thanked them for the objective manner in which they have covered the war and the events in former Yugoslavia over the past four years.

Mr. Milojevic spoke of the sectors in which Yugoslav companies are interested in cooperating with Greece, and said that his country was interested in ex porting food, beverages, clothing and electrical devices. He added that there is also interest in the pharmaceutical and chemical sector.

Mr. Milojevic characterized the first Yugoslav Economic Exhibition to be held in Athens on April 22-26 as being very important, as he said Greece constitutes the best partner for the promotion of Yugoslav products to third countries.

[13] Venizelos tables bills on prison reform

Long-awaited reforms to the prison system will be presented in Parliament today, when Justice Minister Evangelos Venizelos presents his reform package on justice ministry issues.

Three bills will be tabled in total, Mr. Venizelos told a cabinet meeting yesterday: today, Parliament will receive the draft bill on ministerial responsibility and the amendment and reform of the prison system, while the third on the protection of the individual from the processing of personal data will be tabled later.

The prison reform bill brings about deep and extensive changes aimed at decongestion of prisons with the amendment and integration of a series of clauses in the penal code.

According to the most important changes, detention is abolished for misdemeanors and is limited to felonies. The institution of conditional release will be redefined and prison inmates will have to serve 16 or 20 years, if there are accumulated crimes, (the current limits are 18 and 22 years).

The bill abolishes automatic prosecution for uncovered cheques and provides for prosecution only if a lawsuit is filed. Bank sanctions will remain in force, however.

The fine for those found guilty of embezzling public finances has been raised to 50 million drachmas from the current five.

Evidence obtained illegally is deemed to be inadmissible and a prosecutor's right to appeal acquittals will be restricted.

The law on the responsibilities of ministers replaces law 802/71. The most important clause is that an increased majority is required for ministers and undersecretaries to be referred to a special court for ministerial responsibilities; more specifically, the majority of government deputies is necessary and a tenth of the number of opposition deputies.

Prosecuting deputies will be retained by the new law because a possible amendment at this point would probably create constitutional problems. Participant defendants will continue to be referred to the special court together with ministers, unless other wise decided by Parliament.

[14] ND reaction

The main opposition New Democracy party said that instead of the government making the law on the responsibilities of ministers tougher, it was amending relevant clauses for greater leniency.

ND also criticized the "mild treatment" meted out to embezzlers of public funds and said that instead of making better and more humane prisons the government was releasing prison inmates serving life sentences earlier and continuously reducing their minimum jail sentences.

[15] Market inspectors warn consumers to be wary of spoiled goods

Market inspectors have taken measures to protect consumers from unsuitable lamb and goat meat, their derivatives and dairy products reaching the market during the Easter holidays.

At least 70 crews of market inspectors and police will conduct intensive checks at stores in the central meat and vegetable markets, as well as at supermarkets and storage facilities for frozen food.

Market inspectors also issued instructions to consumers to avoid purchasing unsuitable foodstuffs which merchants may try to market. Consumers should not buy whole lamb and goat carcasses lacking seals anticipated by law, or if they have a dark color o r smell off. Frozen entrails and liver should have cellophane packaging and bear the necessary seals. Great attention should also be paid to eggs which should have a regular shape and size and have clean shells without cracks.

Meanwhile the Consumers Institute (INKA) said their nationwide boycott of the market yesterday was a "great success".

The boycott was organized in co-operation with the General Federation of Consumers of Greece.

Abstention from all commercial sectors ranged between 15 per cent and 70 per cent in various cities throughout the country.

An abstention percentage in the region of 18 per cent is considered "crucial" since it brings about a decrease in sales, having a positive effect on procedures for shaping demand and supply and ultimately the prices of products to the benefit of consumers.

INKA, the General Federation of Consumers of Greece and their member organizations thanked the mass media for their contribution to the boycott's success, terming it decisive.

[16] Gov't announces measures to keep a lid on prices

Commerce Under-secretary Michalis Chrysochoidis said yesterday that the retail price of lamb for the Easter period would not exceed 2,000 drachmas per kilo.

Mr. Chrysochoidis stressed that measures have been taken regarding the increased demand of certain products and the maintenance of prices at reasonable levels, in order to ensure the smooth operation of the market.

The under-secretary noted that certain instances of profiteering have been taking place "temporarily", due to factors such as the reduced consumption of beef due to the outbreak of mad cow disease in Britain, which resulted in an increase in demand for other meat, as well as the extended period of bad weather which has adversely affected the production of garden produce.

[17] Simitis to attend prefectural inaugural meeting

Prime Minister Costas Simitis will address the first convention of the Union of Prefectural Self-Administrations of Greece (ENAE), meeting today and tomorrow in Alexandroupolis. Interior, Public Administration and Decentralization Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos and Finance Minister Alekos Papadopoulos will also attend the meeting.

The most important matters to be discussed will be employees and financial autonomy. The country's 54 prefectural self-administrations are in danger of being left without any staff, as employees have been attracted by the better salaries in the public sector, particularly in the finance ministry.

During the meeting, Mr. Tsohatzopoulos is to present the draft bill for the organization of regions into a single administrative unit.

[18] Political Spring presents proposals for regional development

Greece needs a drastically different approach to economic development, Political Spring leader Antonis Samaras said during a presentation yesterday of two regional development programs the party has submitted to the European Commission.

Mr. Samaras said that Greece should adopt "a radically different model for development, one that would be compatible with social cohesion, able to ensure transparent management and multiplication of national and community resources as well as able to emphasize Greece's comparative advantages."

According to the first program, "Islandia", measures should be taken for the incorporation and development of island regions, while the second program, "Interag", calls for a European zone of trans-border action.

Mr. Samaras said that "the post-war centralized system" should be replaced by "a dynamic and flexible model of regional development, decentralizing planning, resources and actions."

"I will not cease to believe that we have the power to overturn the course of the Greek economy in order to upgrade the country's position in the modern European and international reality," Mr. Samaras said.

[19] Disabled civil servants to receive pay increases

Increases of up to 20 per cent, paid from the beginning of 1996, will be given to civil servants with special needs, according to Finance Under-secretary George Drys yesterday.

Mr. Drys said the total cost for the wage hikes comes to 165 billion drachmas, which will come out of state coffers, the Social Security Foundation (IKA) and local government entities.

He also said the government will take all necessary measures to reach its inflation goal of 5 per cent by the end of the year. However, Mr. Drys added that if inflation tops 5 per cent, cost-of-living raises will be given to low pensioners.

[20] Threatened garbage strikes for Easter break

Sanitation workers in the Athens municipality declared a 48-hour strike yesterday for next Monday and Tuesday, the beginning of the Orthodox holy week leading to Easter.

The approximately 2,000 workers warned that if their demands are not met, the two-day strike may be declared indefinite.

Meanwhile, the Panhellenic Federation of Local Authority Workers (POE-OTA) will meet next Wednesday to decide if it will declare a nationwide strike.

Athens Mayor Dimitris Avramopoulos is expected to meet with sanitation workers' representatives today.

Mounds of rubbish continued to pile up in the streets of Thessaloniki yesterday as municipality workers continued their strike for the fourth consecutive day.

The strikers are scheduled to hold a four-hour work stoppage today, and will also hold a general meeting in order to decide on their positions. They are claiming higher wages.

[21] News In Brief

A conference in Alexandroupolis yesterday entitled "The Role of the Mass Media in the Balkan War," called for the need to uphold journalistic ethics and resist the influence of interests outside the region attempting to misinform public opinion. The gathering was held within the framework of "Balkan Dreams," a series of events organized by the Komotini municipality's cultural center. Reporters from Romania, Albania, Turkey, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Greece attended.

A blaze on board the Ukrainian-flagged 'Larko Bay' cargo vessel forced the hospitalization of 14 crew members yesterday. The burning ship was located by an air force helicopter yesterday 10 nautical miles west of the island of Kythira. No casualties were reported. The 14 crew were being kept for observation in the Kythira hospital. Larko Bay, with a cargo of lumber, had set sail from the port of Piraeus on Wednesday.

The transport ministry is to provide funds totaling one billion drachmas for the upgrading of the 'Macedonia' airport in Thessaloniki by this summer. Transport Minister Haris Kastanidis said work was necessary on the airport building in passenger waiting lounges and VIP areas. The ministry announced that the contractor will be the Cultural Capital of Europe Organization. The immediate commencement of the project was announced yesterday by Thessaloniki Mayor Constantinos Kosmopoulos during a meeting of the Propeller Club, which was presenting the technical and artistic program for 1997.

A draft presidential decree establishing the administrative autonomy of the Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT), signed by Prime Minister Costas Simitis and Development Minister Vasso Papandreou, was submitted to the Council of State yesterday.

A business delegation from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) visited the Thessaloniki Port Authority yesterday, for the first time since the lifting of the Greek economic embargo, and discussed possible agreements for the handling of car go shipments by the port. The delegation comprised representatives of 20 large firms and executives of the Skopje Chamber of Commerce.

[22] Correction

The ANA Bulletin would like to apologize for misquoting Swedish Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Schori in its article in the April 2 edition, entitled "Sweden says Imia issue concerns all EU members, calls for dialogue between EU, Turkey" and print in its entirety the clarification from the Swedish embassy.

"In yesterday's (Tuesday's) ANA-bulletin you have quoted the Swedish Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Pierre Schori, as having proposed that the so called Imia issue be settled 'through dialogue between the European Union and Turkey' and, if it failed, referred to the International Court of Justice in the Hague.

"This quote is not correct. Even if the Imia issue certainly is of concern also to Sweden and other EU-members, Mr. Schori, at a press-conference in Thessaloniki on April 1 called for a democratic dialogue, including, if necessary referral to the International Court of Justice in the Hague, not "between the European Union and Turkey," but "between Greece and Turkey"."

The mistake was made by a reporter.

End of English language section.