A.N.A. Bulletin, 08/05/96

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

Athens News Agency Directory

ATHENS NEWS AGENCY BULLETIN (No 880), May 8, 1996

Greek Press & Information Office

Ottawa, Canada

E-Mail Address: grnewsca@sympatico.ca

CONTENTS

[1] Greece adopts wait-and-see stance on Yilmaz statements

Greece reacted skeptically yesterday to claims of a change in Turkey's attitude to differences with Athens by Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz on Monday.

Government spokesman Dimitris Reppas called Mr. Yilmaz's statement that Ankara's policy towards Greece was changing 'hypo-thetical'.

"It would be to our neighbor's advantage if it did not remain riveted to the expansionist and aggressive policy of recent years," Mr. Reppas said.

He said he hoped that Mr. Yilmaz's words would be consistent with his deeds.

On Monday, the Turkish prime minister said Turkey was changing its positions on Greek-Turkish relations and seeking, for the first time, outside arbitration for the Aegean differences between the two countries.

"Turkey, which so far has been supporting a negotiated solution to the problems in the Aegean, endorses through its newly-presented proposals, a different approach, and for the first time it is open to solutions emanating from the involvement of third parties," Mr. Yilmaz said.

"We hope," Mr. Yilmaz added, "that the Greek side will respond to our new opening so that it will not appear as avoiding the road of the law which it has recently supported."

Mr. Reppas added that there was "not a shred of truth" in Turkish press reports that the US was planning a 'Camp David' process for Greece and Turkey in October.

[2] Pangalos denies talks began at Bucharest

Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos said Monday in Parliament that his recent meeting with his Turkish counterpart Emre Gonensay in Bucharest was of an exploratory character, and no substantial reference to the problems concerning the two countries was ma de.

He was replying to New Democracy party leader Miltiades Evert, who submitted a Turkish memorandum claiming that during the Bucharest meeting Greece had accepted negotiations on a number of issues in the Aegean, including demilitarization of the islands and the islets issue.

Countering further criticism, Mr. Pangalos submitted a Mitsotakis government document, dated May 27, 1993, and showing that New Democracy was not dismissive of a composite name for the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).

He said Greek foreign policy was in favor of peace, progressive, pro-European, and actively following world-wide developments.

Mr. Pangalos reacted with charges of lying to a claim by New Democracy Vice-President Ioannis Varvitsiotis that he had not told the whole truth about the government's foreign policy, citing as an example his reference to demilitarization of the Aegean islands in an interview with Turkish journalist Mehmet Ali Birant earlier in the year.

Mr. Varvitsiotis replied that the tape of the interview was at Mr. Pangalos' disposal.

The government spokesman yesterday condemned Mr. Evert's presentation in Parliament of a Turkish foreign ministry document, noting that his "discovery" was made for either as part of opposition tactics or out of ignorance for the practices followed by countries in international organizations.

[3] No negotiations under way, Arsenis says

In Birmingham, where he was attending a one-day summit for foreign and defense ministers of the ten-nation Western European Union and 17 associated countries, Mr. Arsenis told reporters Greece and Turkey had not entered into negotiations, following the meeting between the Greek and Turkish foreign ministers in Bucharest.

"Negotiations have not started and it is likely that they will not," Mr. Arsenis said. "The fact that the two ministers met, and will meet again, has also occurred in the past and it is something good. But it has not opened the way to dialogue."

"Before you sit at the negotiating table you expect the members involved to show a certain kind of behavior.

"The sort of behavior we are expecting is respect for international law and international agreements," he said.

Mr. Arsenis said Greece and Turkey might enter into military co-operation in the future, after they solved such issues as the Cyprus problem. "I don't see any co-operation prospects between the two countries in the military sector," the minister said.

"Certain problems which emanated in January should be solved on the basis of international law and international agreements. We must take these steps first and then we will see," he said.

Asked whether there were any developments regarding Greece's blocking the flow of Community funds to Turkey within the framework of the EU-Turkey customs union, Mr. Arsenis said the foreign minister had made Greece's position on the issue clear and that Greece remained steadfast in its position.

[4] Gov't to continue with OA reforms, with improvements

Prime Minister Costas Simitis yesterday chaired a three-hour inner cabinet meeting focusing on the streamlining of the national carrier Olympic Airways (OA), the modernization of the air traffic control system and the procedures implemented for major state procurements. Government spokesman Dimitris Reppas said the inner cabinet had confirmed the government's decision to press ahead with the OA streamlining programme while improving certain aspects, particularly in light of recent pressure from the European Union.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Transport and Communications Minister Haris Kastanidis said particular emphasis would be placed on OA's competition policy and the company's organizational restructuring.

At the same time, he added, the government was formulating specific answers to the European Commission concerning the legality of assistance provided by the Greek state to OA.

The inner cabinet also decided to speed up the modernization of the Civil Aviation Authority, whose air traffic control system is to be upgraded with new radar equipment.

Also discussed at yesterday's meeting was the issue of transport ministry procurements, particularly Mr. Kastanidis's proposal to set up an independent procurements monitoring authority.

Mr. Reppas said that the government had decided to discuss the issue again soon, but on a broader basis in order to cover all public sector procurements rather than just in the transport and communications sector.

"It is a major issue of concern to the government, which will soon take its final decisions within the framework of an overall policy," Mr. Reppas said.

In a related development, Mr. Kastanidis said he was optimistic that the issue of the US Transportation Department warning to travelers regarding security arrangements at Athens international airport would soon end in a positive manner.

[5] Drachma up against foreign currencies in April

The drachma appreciated in April against the basket of all foreign currencies, including European currencies, according to the weighted parity indices compiled by the Exports Research and Studies Center (KEEM).

The weighted index for the basket of all foreign currencies depreciated by 0.82 per cent against the drachma based on Greece's overall external trade, while the corresponding depreciation of European currencies was 0.93 per cent.

With respect to the other currencies - the Swiss franc, Norwegian Krone, Canadian dollar, Australian dollar, Japanese yen and Cyprus pound - but not the US dollar, the weighted parity index dropped by 0.96 per cent against the drachma on the basis of the participation of each currency in the country's total external trade.

The cumulative depreciation of foreign currencies against the drachma in the fourth-month period January-April this year, against the corresponding average rates of December 1995, was 0.57 per cent for all currencies, 0.63 per cent for European currencies and 2.33 per cent for the other currencies (excluding the US dollar).

If the average monthly appreciation of the drachma continues at the same rate in the coming months, its cumulative appreciation for the year against the basket of all foreign currencies will be 1.7 per cent and 1.9 per cent against the basket of European currencies.

[6] Turkish air violations continue

According to press reports, Turkish aircraft of various types yesterday violated air traffic regulations in the Athens FIR and the Greek national air space on eight occasions in the northern and eastern Aegean.

In all cases, the planes were intercepted by Greek aircraft, the reports added.

[7] Athens the site of NATO Partnership for Peace exercise

A military crisis-containment exercise code-named 'Athena '96' will be held in Athens from May 13-17 within the framework of NATO's Partnership for Peace programme, the national defense ministry announced yesterday.

Taking part in the exercise will be military officers and foreign ministry officials from Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Spain, Romania, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Observers have also been invited from NATO.

The exercise aims at exchanging views and creating a common perception on matters pertaining to the handling of crises, with discussions and meetings during an imaginary, simulated crisis.

[8] Arsenis confident WEU will become EU's defense arm

The sessions of the Western European Union foreign and defense ministers synod on the Union's future military and political role continued here yesterday, with Greece's Defense Minister Gerassimos Arsenis saying his proposal that the WEU become the EU's defense arm had met with general acceptance.

Answering press questions yesterday, Mr. Arsenis, who elaborated on the subject during an official dinner on Monday, said that since the WEU did not have a military structure it could borrow NATO's infrastructure through a special agreement for clearly European peaceful missions.

Asked whether there were objections to his proposal, Mr. Arsenis said there were standard differences between the "Europeanists" and the "Atlanticists", "but I think my proposal, yesterday (Monday), covered them all."

Mr. Arsenis told reporters at the close of the meeting that it had been productive.

"I believe the Union will evolve into a defense and security organization linked directly to the European Union as well as being closely associated with NATO the infrastructure of which it will use for European affairs in peace missions in and out of Europe," he told Greek reporters.

Asked whether the Yugoslav experience had any effect on the meeting, Mr. Arsenis said the experience of Yugoslavia had taught the lesson that "unless there is a united foreign policy, military and defense policy formulated after the fact has enormous difficulties."

Mr. Arsenis said prevention of crises was more important than administration of crises adding that the former is based on the right foreign and economic policy and the social support of states trying to be incorporated into European economy and society.

[9] Turkey has no hope of becoming full WEU member

Meanwhile, Mr. Arsenis told an interview with the BBC's Greek Service that Turkey had almost no prospects of securing full accession to the WEU. He said Turkey had 'zero prospects,' since only the EU member states had the right to be full members of the Union.

Mr. Arsenis said Turkey always raised the issue of full accession for negotiating reasons with a view to upgrading the status of associate members.

"We don't need to fight a battle over this," he said. "Turkey has lost the battle."

[10] Greece, Bulgaria hold exercise on flooding

A joint Greek-Bulgarian map exercise designed to deal with small-scale floods will be held May 13-16 in the Strymon River valley near the Greek-Bulgarian border, the National Defense General Staff (GEETHA) announced yesterday.

The exercise, code-named 'Strymonas '96,' will involve actions and procedures of the Greek and Bulgarian armed forces in the border region, in the event of flooding, for the joint confrontation of the disaster and satisfaction of the immediate needs of the local population.

The exercise is being carried out in the context of bilateral co-operation, with the establishment of mutually acceptable procedures, the announcement said.

[11] Gov't satisfied with outcome of parliamentary debate

Government spokesman Dimitris Reppas said yesterday that Monday's debate on national issues in Parliament had proved the correctness of the government's policy.

He stressed that after the first round of the prime minister's visits abroad, Greece's position was upgraded and there was a favorable reaction internationally to the way the Greek government approached national issues and the solutions it was proposing.

He said it was the first time that Greece was not under unilateral pressures, citing as an example the issue of the Greek veto to the Turkey-EU customs union.

"The United States and the European Union are not urging us into a political dialogue with Turkey any more, accepting that any disputing of international treaties must be addressed to legal organs," he said. He offered the estimate that the government' s foreign policy provided a good basis for the development of a "policy of strategic character" that would transcend "the time limits of a government and the political limits of influence of one party". An inter-party committee on national issues will soon be activated on the basis of an existing law, he added.

He said that the other parties generally shared the government's Balkan and European Union policy, while concerning Greece's bilateral relations with the US, Russia and other countries, they had not expressed different views.

[12] Kaklamanis to visit Moscow

President of the Greek Parliament Apostolos Kaklamanis yesterday held a meeting with Russian Ambassador to Athens Valery Nikolayenko focusing on the details of Mr. Kaklamanis's official visit to Moscow.

During the meeting the two men reviewed a wide range of issues of mutual interest including reinforcement of co-operation between the two Parliaments, while Mr. Kaklamanis also referred to Greece's national issues.

[13] Mitsotakis: solution to Cyprus issue near

Cypriot President Glafcos Clerides held a meeting yesterday with main opposition New Democracy honorary president and former premier Constantine Mitsotakis, focusing on recent developments in the Cyprus problem as well as prospects for reaching a settlement on the issue.

Following the meeting, Mr. Mitsotakis said it was possible that a solution could be found to the Cyprus problem in the near future.

"Nobody can say how soon it will be but on the other hand nobody can exclude the possibility of a solution being reached in the near future," he said. "We must always be ready to deal with the possibility that developments may cause the need for solutions."

The former premier said the position the United States would hold on the problem was decisive, adding that "no one can make precise predictions in view of the forthcoming US elections."

President Clerides, who is in Athens for talks with political leaders, met with President of the Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos on Monday.

[14] Clerides: Cyprus problem is an example of UN ineffectiveness

The Cyprus problem and its handling by the United Nations Security Council, constitutes an example of the ineffectiveness of the international organization, Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides said yesterday.

President Clerides made the remark in a speech after being presented with an honorary doctorate by the Law Department of the University of Athens.

He explained that although this ineffectiveness cannot be attributed to any weaknesses from the part of the UN Charter, the end to the bipolarity resulted with a strengthening of the role of the Security Council which in turn affected the balance within the Security Council and other UN bodies.

"The international community will have to find ways to avoid decision taking based on the self-interested motives of member states," the Cypriot president said.

He also reassured that as a president, he has an obligation to handle the Cyprus issue within the framework of today's international scene. This implies, among other, the withdrawal of Turkish occupation troops and settlers as well as the return of refugees to their homes.

The president said that we look to the future with optimism and courage and this is strengthened by the implementation of the Greco-Cypriot joint doctrine pact and the decision for Cyprus to begin accession talks with the European Union after the end of the intergovernmental conference, currently underway.

Glafcos Clerides' lifetime work was presented by Athens University Law Professor Giorgos Kasimatis, who stressed the president's leading role in the last 50 years of Cypriot public life.

After the end of the ceremony, Mr. Clerides inaugurated an exhibition of Cypriot folk art in the university.

The exhibition opened a three-day event on Cyprus, organized by the university's Philosophy school.

[15] Commission aims to broach issue of ethnic Greek properties in Istanbul

The European Parliament's Report Committee is investigating the issue of the property of ethnic Greeks in Istanbul, which have been effectively confiscated by the Turkish authorities, and the European Commission intends to make every effort for the issue to be raised at the next EU-Turkey Association Council meeting, Eurodeputy Alekos Alavanos told a press conference yesterday.

The press conference was given jointly by the Coalition of the Left Eurodeputy and ethnic Greek lawyer Elpida Frangopoulou who has been involved with the property issue of the ethnic Greek community in Istanbul for the last 30 years.

A report to the committee submitted by Mr. Alavanos and Ms Frangopoulou in 1994 contained evidence showing that as a result of the practices adopted by the Turkish courts, at the behest of the Turkish state, the property of ethnic Greeks of Istanbul were, in effect, confiscated.

This, the report underlined, clearly violated human rights, the rights of minorities and the EU-Turkey association agreement which expressly prohibits all discrimination on the grounds of nationality.

Mr. Alavanos said the outcome of the report had been "extremely positive," since the Commission had stated its intention "to make every effort for the issue of the Greek property of Istanbul to be raised at the next EU-Turkey Association Council meeting ."

As a result, Mr. Alavanos added, the Greek government now has the opportunity to ask the Turkish government to respect what had been agreed by the prime ministers of Greece and Turkey in 1988, namely to revoke the decrees which obstruct the exercise of real rights with respect to property in Turkey belonging to persons of Greek nationality.

The Commission's reply to the Report Committee states the following:

"Additional information was requested from the Turkish authorities through the Commission's representation in Ankara.

"They said authorities invoke the principle of the division of powers provided in the Turkish constitution and consequently take the view that they cannot intervene with regard to judgments rendered by the Turkish courts. It appears from information obtained by the Commission's representation in Ankara from non-governmental sources that there are indeed certain problems in the implementation of legislation. The Commission intends to make every effort for this issue to be raised at the next EU-Turkey Association Council meeting."

Ms Frangopoulou said that in just one night in 1964, 8,000 Greeks left Istanbul with just 50 drachmas in their pockets, leaving behind property of considerable value.

She also referred to the case of the Tzanettos property, which has belonged to the Greek family for 150 years and which has still not been handed over to the legitimate beneficiaries because the Turkish courts consider that Greeks do not enjoy the right of ownership.

[16] Reppas comments on internal party issues

Government spokesman Dimitris Reppas yesterday described as "personal" a view expressed by the Prime Minister Costas Simitis' adviser Theodoros Tsoukatos that PASOK party president Andreas Papandreou should resign and the prime minister take over the leadership of the party.

Mr. Reppas reiterated a previous statement by Mr. Simitis that he would announce his intentions to the forthcoming party congress himself, "guided by the national and party interest".

The spokesman cited Justice Minister Evangelos Venizelos' publicly stated support of the government's foreign policy in order to counter press claims that the minister had expressed disagreement on the subject in a letter to the prime minister.

Asked if the letter would be released, Mr. Reppas said PASOK did not follow "a policy of publicizing" letters by its members.

[17] Laliotis gives recalcitrant municipalities ultimatum over landfills issue

The environment, town planning and public works ministry threatened to table legislation determining garbage landfills for the greater Athens area's refuse if an east Attica prefectural council or the regional council does not decide on sites within a given time-frame.

Environment, Town Planning and Public Works Minister Costas Laliotis made that announcement yesterday, after meeting with the mayor of Ano Liosia, a municipality just west of Athens that contains the capital's primary landfill.

"If the prefectural councils do not make decisions assigning the operation sites for new landfills, the environment, town planning and public works ministry will turn to the plan it agreed to with TEDKNA (the Union of Attica Municipalities and Communities), after it tables in Parliament a report by the Athens Polytechnic," he said.

The minister also called on the municipality and Ano Liosia's residents to allow the landfill's operation, saying he understands their anxiety but public health comes first.

In addition, Mr. Laliotis categorically stated that no agreement or decision is pending for a garbage incinerator in Attica, saying 3.5 million residents will not be turned into guinea pigs.

The environment minister is scheduled to have meetings next week with political party leaders in order to brief them on the current malodorous situation with the capital's garbage collection.

Meanwhile, Ano Liosia Mayor Nikos Papademas said he was satisfied by the minister's commitment for implementing the original plan for Athens' garbage disposal. He declined, however, to disclose what proposal he would make to the Ano Liosia city council over lifting the closure of the landfill.

Stop Press - Late last night, the Ano Liosia Municipal Council agreed to open the landfill until May 28. The resolution said that if the problem has not been resolved by that date, the landfill will close indefinitely.

[18] Venizelos to present prison reform bill in 40 days

During discussion in Parliament yesterday of a draft bill which provides, among other things, for the decongestion of prisons, Justice Minister Evangelos Venizelos committed himself to presenting a new, modern and effective correctional code within 40 day s.

PASOK rapporteur Leonidas Tzannis painted a bleak picture of conditions in prisons today, noting that while their capacity was for 4,000 inmates, the number held exceeded 6,000. He attributed prison overcrowding to "imported crime".

New Democracy party rapporteur Antonis Foussas criticized the government over the draft bill, saying that every time there were problems in prisons, the justice ministry opted for the easy and cheap way out of releasing prisoners by reducing sentences.

During the debate, Political Spring party deputy Antonis Lentakis asked the government to adopt an amendment providing for the unconditional release of those responsible for staging the coup d'etat of April 21, 1967.

[19] Bill on ministerial responsibility to be revised

The bill on ministerial responsibility will be returned to the cabinet after objections to it were raised in public by deputies of the ruling PASOK party.

Justice Minister Evangelos Venizelos said the final decision on the bill's fate would be taken by the prime minister and the cabinet.

The law on the responsibilities of ministers was discussed yesterday by PASOK's parliamentary labor sector, with all deputies invited to attend.

Speaking after the meeting, Mr. Venizelos said the discussion focused on the issue of the special majority required for Parliament to take a final decision referring a minister or former minister to the special court, adding that public disagreement had been raised on this issue by a number of deputies and he had requested a new meeting for this reason.

[20] Milos catacombs may be saved through Community intervention

The European Commission yesterday replied favorably to a question by a Greek Eurodeputy regarding the possibility of a Community programme funding the maintenance of the catacombs on the island of Milos.

In his question, Coalition of the Left and Progress Eurodeputy Mihalis Papayiannakis said the Milos catacombs, which are unique in Greece and constitute a priceless piece of European cultural heritage, are in danger of being destroyed by erosion.

Mr. Papayiannakis asked the Commission to look favorably upon a possible application from Greek authorities for EU funding of maintenance work on the site.

European Commissioner Monika Wulf-Mathies replied that "monuments such as the Milos catacombs could constitute poles of tourist attraction for certain regions isolated from the Community, which gives them a special dimension regarding the development of these regions".

Ms Wulf-Mathies said the Commission will examine the possibility of funding the project as soon as the relevant Greek authorities submit an application for funding.

[21] Greece attends Balkans military medical conference

The First Balkan Military Medical Conference began yesterday in Istanbul, with the participation of Romania, Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey.

The conference aims to promote co-operation on a military level between member states of the military medical committee formed last year, which will meet every two years.

In his opening speech, second-in-command of the Turkish General Staff, Lieutenant-General Cevik Bir underlined the conference's importance and said it will contribute to the strengthening of friendly relations between the countries participating.

"Turkey, which is located in a triangle made up of the Balkans, the Caucasus and the Middle East, is ensuring stability in the region with the policy it is following," said Lt.-Gen. Bir.

The conference, in which 568 people are participating, is due to end on May 8. Business conducted during the conference will be continued in the 12th International Military Medical Conference, due to be held between May 8 to 10.

[22] Directors of Balkan news agencies meet in Brussels

The Association of Balkan News Agencies (ABNA) began its four-day conference here yesterday.

The directors of the Balkan agencies are scheduled to meet with Greek Eurodeputies today as well as with the president of the International Federation of Journalists and EU Commission officials.

Tomorrow's itinerary calls for a meeting with Europarliament President Klaus Haensch and EU Energy Commissioner Christos Papoutsis.

ABNA was created two years ago as a non-profit organization with the intent of furthering co-operation between Balkan news agencies and promoting the exchange of news and information. Members include the national news agencies of Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Romania, Turkey and Greece.

ABNA's presidency for the first six-month period this year is held by Athens News Agency (ANA) General Director Andreas Christodoulides.

[23] Hania to host international meeting on irrigation

The Second International Symposium in Irrigation of Horticultural Crops is to be held in Hania on the island of Crete between September 8 and 13. To date, 180 scientists from 34 countries have said they intend to participate.

The event is being organized by the Subtropical Institute and the National Institute for Agricultural Research (ETHIAGE), under the auspices of the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS), in co-operation with the Hania Prefectural Self-Administration.

The main issues to be discussed at the symposium will include the relations between plants, water and soil, the design of irrigation systems, the quality of water for irrigation and the environmental consequences of the use of irrigation.

Those attending the conference will also have the opportunity to attend events relating to the local culture and customs, and will visit large irrigation projects and archaeological sites in Crete.

[24] Unionists call for drastic measures to curb rising unemployment

The General Confederation of Workers of Greece (GSEE) yesterday outlined its positions on unemployment at a press conference on the eve of a parliamentary debate today on a draft law aimed at tackling the problem.

GSEE President Christos Protopappas said that unemployment affected 10 per cent of the active population and was on the rise. The rate of unemployment for young people was in the region of 27 per cent and 50 per cent of the unemployed in the country are what are known as "long-term" unemployed, he said.

The confederation's executive committee said that the draft law tabled by the labor ministry did not go far enough "to changing this harsh reality."

It noted however the "positive point" that procedures were finally under way to legalize large numbers of foreigners who are at present working in Greece unlawfully.

GSEE reiterated its proposals for combating unemployment, including the introduction of the 35-hour working week, the abolition of overtime, the protection of the long-term unemployed (early retirement schemes) and the securing of funds to assist the unemployed. On the basis of these positions, Mr. Protopappas said, GSEE would intervene in today's parliamentary debate and put twelve "crucial" questions on unemployment and jobs to the government and political parties.

On the subject of pensions, Mr. Protopappas said the trade union movement remained firm in its demand for increasing minimum pensions to the level of 20 days' wages of an unskilled worker.

The unions are also demanding that pension increases be linked to collective labor agreements.

Mr. Protopappas said that GSEE would be sending a letter containing these proposals to Prime Minister Costas Simitis, underlining that they constituted the only fair solution, and warning that if they were not adopted, GSEE and pensioners would step up their protest actions.

[25] Papantoniou says development will cost 10 trillion drachmas

National Economy Minister Yiannos Papantoniou said development policy in Greece is based on an extensive and long-term 10 trillion drachma (ECU 32 billion) program-me.

Speaking at an event organized by the European Investment Bank yesterday, Mr. Papantoniou said that of this amount, the European Union would cover 56 per cent, the Greek state 20 per cent and the remaining 24 per cent would come from the private sector.

Mr. Papantoniou said the development effort would be intensified over the next two years with emphasis being placed on upgrading infrastructure and promoting structural changes in the economy and public administration.

He said the rate of implementing certain major projects was being speeded up considerably this year, while a number of others were beginning.

Mr. Papantoniou said the studies and preliminary work for projects to be finalized such as the Thessaloniki Metro and the undersea tunnel linking the Malliakos Gulf would be completed soon.

He referred to the new Athens international airport at Spata, terming it the biggest investment in the air transport sector in Europe, the Athens Metro, the Athens regional road network, the Patras-Athens-Thessaloniki motorway, the Egnatia highway and t he Rio-Antirrio bridge (which are included in inter-European networks), natural gas and sewage treatment in Psytalia.

Mr. Papantoniou said these projects were also important for the EU since Greece was the sole EU member-state in the wider region of the southeastern Mediterranean, the Balkans and the Black Sea.

He said 1,250 billion drachmas would be spent in 1996 compared to 689 billion drachmas in 1995, adding that projects would be promoted at the same rate up to the year 2000.

[26] Thisavros hydroelectric project to cost 240 billion

The 240-billion-drachma hydroelectric project Thisavros in Drama will provide energy amounting to 1,400,000 KWT for the Public Power Corporation's (DEH) interlinked system when it is completed.

Construction is being carried out exclusively with Greek labor with planning by DEH's hydroelectric projects department. Energy production will rely on waters of the Nestos river which will be used afterwards to irrigate 200,000 acres in the Drama, Nestos, Xanthi and Rodopi regions.

The project is being funded by the European Regional Development Fund and the European Investment Bank, as well as by national funds.

Hydroelectric construction will concern three units which will operate in the Thisavros, Platanovrysi and Temenos regions.

Construction of the dam at Thisavros started in 1983 with the creation of a deviation tunnel for the Nestos river's waters. When it is completed it will be the third in Europe. The electric power production plant will be built on the same location.

The project is expected to be inaugurated in spring next year.

[27] Inflation up 0.1 per cent in April

Inflation rose marginally to stand at 9.2 per cent at the end of April on an annual basis, compared to 9.1 per cent in March, according to the National Statistics Service (ESYE). The slight increase was due to a 1.3 per cent rise in April's Consumer Price Index (CPI), against an increase of 1.2 per cent in the same month last year.

The ESYE said that the April CPI had been burdened by 0.18 per cent as a result of the increase in the price of tomatoes.

Other products and services responsible for the CPI increase were oranges (0.15 per cent), apples (0.06 per cent), vegetables (0.11 per cent), lamb (0.03 per cent), gasoline (0.06 per cent), heating oil (0.06 per cent) and the new hotel rates (0.19 per cent).

ESYE Secretary-General Fani Zervou described as "encouraging" the fact that prices in the market appeared to be settling down, noting that the price increases in April concerned isolated products and did not create general inflationary trends.

[28] Reactions

Political Spring party spokesman Notis Martakis called for a change in the government's economic policy, urging the government to base its economic policy on increasing growth.

"What else does the government of austerity expect before it does it?" Mr. Martakis asked. "Isn't poverty, expense and unemployment e-nough?"

The Coalition of the Left and Pro-gress party issued an announcement saying the rise in inflation "denounces all government forecasts and undermines economic development."

The Coalition called on the government to take into account the impasses to which its choices have led and opt for growth, social sensitivity and rationalization of its policy.

[29] News in Brief

- Moscow, (ANA-D. Constantakopoulos) Patriarch Parthenios of Alexandria spent four days in Moscow where he held talks with Patriarch Alexios of Russia on his way to Odessa.

End of English language section.