A.N.A. Bulletin, 11/10/96
From: The Greek Press & Information Office, Ottawa Canada <grnewsca@sympatico.ca>
ATHENS NEWS AGENCY BULLETIN (No. 1012), October 11, 1996
Greek Press & Information Office
Ottawa, Canada
E-Mail Address: grnewsca@sympatico.ca
CONTENTS
[01] Premier says Greece's EU equitable participation top Gov't
priority
[02] Economy
[03] Measures call for increasing revenue, reducing waste
[04] Opposition immediately criticizes Gov't policy statements
[05] Athens rejects Turkish claim that Greece-Cyprus exercises are
provocations
[06] WEU officials rejects claims of Turkey's readiness for full
membership
[07] Europarliament budget committee rejects bid to freeze '97 MEDA
funding to Turkey
[08] Van den Broek conclusion
[09] Pangalos schedules visit to Belgrade, Zagreb and Sarajevo
[10] EU delegation visits CEDEFOP headquarters in Thessaloniki
[11] Varvitsiotis calls for discussion into causes of ND's defeat
[12] Andrianopoulos
[13] Police break up ring dealing in bogus passports
[14] Italian national arrested
[15] Greece sends team of seismologists to Cyprus to help monitor
situation
[16] Mirage 2000 crashes off Andros, pilot safe
[17] Fossilized remains of gigantic bear found in Pella
[18] Prehistoric settlement, graveyard discovered
[19] Greek alphabet's role in western civilization examined at
Bavarian conference
[20] Papandreou inaugurates 'Greek Observatory' at London School of
Economics
[21] News in Brief
[22] General wholesale price indicator increases by 0.2 per cent
between July '96 to August '96
[23] Athens Metro project back on track
[24] New Hyatt casino on a winning streak in its first month
[25] Insurance sector decreases
[26] Greece's goals for development in energy sector outlined
[01] Premier says Greece's EU equitable participation top Gov't
priority
Athens, 11/10/1996 (ANA)
Greece's equitable participation in European unification,
defense of its sovereign rights, social and institutional
modernization as well as a leading role in the Balkans are the
basic orientations of the government's policy over the next four
years, Prime Minister Costas Simitis said last night in
unveiling his government's policy statements in Parliament.
"The basic axis, the central and uncompromising aim of our
policy, is the country's equitable participation in European
unification. Our successful response to convergence is not a
need that arises from external compulsion ... It is a national
strategy, which renders Greece competitive in the international
division of labor, which secures the development of the economy,
which creates the healthy prerequisites for the exercise of
effective social policy," he said.
Mr. Simitis described Turkey as the main factor of
destabilization in the region, nurturing "historically baseless
visions of reviving the Ottoman Empire."
"The status of the Aegean is absolutely clear, and is defined
with accuracy by the history of thousands of years and
international treaties ... Our policy is steady. There is no
issue of dialogue with Turkey, which, if it so desires, can have
recourse to international adjudication...
"We shall continue the strategy of diplomatic vigilance and
deterrent capability of our armed forces, with their
modernization and upgrading, and the implementation of the joint
defense doctrine involving Greece and Cyprus. The Cyprus problem
constitutes the first priority of (our) foreign policy," he
added.
Athens, 11/10/1996 (ANA)
Turning to the economy, the premier described the fiscal problem
as a national issue, and 1997 as an especially crucial year.
"The further de-escalation of inflation, the trimming of the
state sector as a percentage of GDP, as envisaged in the
Convergence Programme, the acceleration of the development
process and the strengthening of social solidarity, constitute
basic aims of our macro-economic policy in the coming years.
"Fiscal adjustment will not be based on squeezing workers'
incomes. Our incomes policy guarantees incomes which will be
above the inflation rate, and maintain the balance between
stabilization and social cohesion. The fairer distribution of
national income and wealth is a steady pursuit of our policy,"
he noted.
"The budget and comprehensive macro-economic planning are
especially crucial issues for 1997 and the years thereafter.
Greece, as other countries, will be judged in the coming years
for its participation in Economic and Monetary Union. Our
options today will decisively determine when and under what
terms we shall participate in EMU. It is our steady decision to
fulfill the prerequisites for the country's participation in EMU
until the end of the decade," the premier continued.
Providing a reminder that only interest payments on the national
debt represented a greater amount than all the expenses for
defense, education, health and welfare together, he reiterated
that fiscal rationalization was the basic prerequisite for
Greece 's participation in European decision-making centers.
[03] Measures call for increasing revenue, reducing waste
Athens, 11/10/1996 (ANA)
There will be determined intervention in crucial aspects of
public finance, he said.
"First, a clamp-down on waste and utilization of state property.
State expenses must correspond to the real needs of society. The
functioning of the state must restrict itself to contemporary
needs," he said, continuing: "Secondly, interventions in t he
field of tax exemptions, grants, and subsidies. We shall not
accept the perpetuation of privileges and favouritist treatment,
which increase social inequality and have no place in a modern
and fair taxation system," he continued.
He said a third intervention will be a fair distribution of the
cost among all social classes.
"The fight against tax evasion and the informal economy will be
intensified. Social justice demands this," he stressed.
Mr. Simitis also announced that the government would proceed to
a review of the Community Support Framework, "so as to institute
structural moves which will give the programme greater
effectiveness and greater developmental prospects."
Regarding employment, Mr. Simitis said that the development
effort would produce 180,000 new jobs until the year 2000.
Industrial policy would aim at improving competitiveness, and
restructuring and strengthening the country's industrial base
through support for the creation of new entrepreneurial
activities, and modernization of existing units, particularly
small- and medium-size enterprises in high technology fields.
He added that the policy of privatization of enterprises would
continue, based on the criteria of their viability, reliability
of investors, and the safeguarding as many jobs as possible.
Such enterprises included large public utilities, such as the
Hellenic Telecommunications Organization (OTE) , the Public
Petroleum Corp. (DEP) and smaller state-controlled banks.
The premier said that modernization in agriculture, improved
marketing, and supports to new farmers would be the main means
of promoting dynamism and competitiveness in the sector.
Regarding education, he reiterated that the government's basic
principle was "support for state education at all levels,
qualitatively upgraded and effective."
Concerning the health care sector, Mr. Simitis said the National
Health System (ESY) would continued to be the government's
central option.
With regard to the environment and the quality of life, measures
would include a speeding up of the drafting of a National Land
Register, energy-saving schemes and promotion of milder forms of
energy, as well as the strengthening of international
cooperation.
The prime minister said that the task the present government is
undertaking is huge, adding that emphasis will be placed on
effective administration.
"The government's doctrine will be consistency, reliability and
effectiveness," he said, stressing that the bold initiatives
which society and the economy need require full social consensus
and mobilization, and that in the four years ahead the
government must settle all outstanding issues of the past, and
cover the distance separating the country today from other
European countries.
The debate will continue tomorrow and Saturday, with speeches by
all opposition party leaders and several deputies. The session
will conclude with a vote of confidence for the government on
Saturday evening.
[04] Opposition immediately criticizes Gov't policy statements
Athens, 11/10/1996 (ANA)
Criticism of the government's policy statements surfaced almost
immediately after the premier's speech from main opposition New
Democracy and other opposition parties.
Recently re-elected ND leader Miltiades Evert noted that "never
in the Parliament hall's past has so much time been needed to
say absolutely nothing."
On his part, ND deputy and former minister George Souflias, who
unsuccessfully contested the main opposition's leadership last
week, called the policy statements "timid, generalities,
grandiloquent promises, without substance and effect." Mr.
Souflias also referred to what he called a blending of views
from within the ruling party's various internal leanings, adding
that the government was unable to face the nation's problems.
Meanwhile, ND honorary president and former premier Constantine
Mitsotakis said after Mr. Simitis' speech that the prime
minister described today's reality "in an outstanding manner",
and presented "very strongly" the danger of Greece's
marginalization if the nation does not follow developments in
the European Union. However, he added that Mr. Simitis' address
was "tragically weak" in terms of enunciating specific measures.
The Communist Party of Greece's (KKE) Parliamentary
representative, Orestes Kolozov, said Mr. Simitis' speech
displayed the "social-democratic neo-conservatism" model in "all
its glory." He estimated that "radical" austerity, as he put it,
in the economy would also continue. In addition, Mr. Kolozov
criticized the prime minister for "having said nothing on" the
Cyprus problem, Greek-Turkish relations and potential US
initiatives on the issue.
Coalition of the Left and Progress (Synaspismos) President Nikos
Constantopoulos called the premier's speech an "academic report
of ideas" and not an "analysis of policies and prospects."
[05] Athens rejects Turkish claim that Greece-Cyprus exercises are
provocations
Athens, 11/10/1996 (ANA)
Greece yesterday rejected Ankara's claims that the recent Greek
and Cypriot joint military exercises "Nikiforos" and "Toxotis"
were aggressive and provocative.
Foreign ministry spokesman Costas Bikas said that, on the
contrary, "it is Turkey's behavior in Cyprus for the past two
decades that is provocative and illegal, and hinders the
creation of conditions of stability in the Mediterranean."
Mr. Bikas was commenting on a statement by Turkish Foreign
Ministry spokesman Sermet Atacanli on Wednesday, who said that
Turkey considered the Greece-Cyprus exercises as "a military and
political escalation threatening peace and stability in the
region."
The Greek foreign ministry spokesman reiterated that the
reconnaissance and interception of a Turkish F-16 fighter -
which crashed into the eastern Aegean near the island of Hios on
Tuesday- had taken place while it was violating Greek air space.
[06] WEU officials rejects claims of Turkey's readiness for full
membership
Paris, 11/10/1996 (ANA - J. Zitouniati)
Western European Union officials yesterday rejected recent
statements by WEU Parliamentary Assembly President Dudley Smith
that Turkey should become a full member of the organizations.
WEU sources said Mr. Smith's comments were "personal opinions"
and that Turkey does not meet the most basic preconditions for
full membership.
While Turkey is a member of NATO, it is not a member of the
European Union, a prerequisite for full WEU membership. It is
currently an associate member of the WEU.
Mr. Smith, a British Conservative party deputy, whose tenure as
president ends in December has previously expressed pro-Turkish
sentiments and maintains a home in the Turkish-occupied
territory of Cyprus.
[07] Europarliament budget committee rejects bid to freeze '97 MEDA
funding to Turkey
Brussels, 11/10/1996 (ANA - F. Stangos)
The European Parliament's budget committee yesterday rejected a
proposal to freeze funds contained in the MEDA programme
destined for Turkey in 1997, relying on an oral commitment by EU
Commissioner Hans van den Broek that Ankara will satisfy the
Europarliament's requests.
According to several Eurodeputies, an unprecedented tactical
maneuvre by Mr. van den Broek and the "authoritarian" manner in
which the president of the European Parliament's budget
committee, German Eurodeputy Delthef Samland, conducted the
discussion w as adequate to overturn the trend created
concerning the funding of Turkey from MEDA and to revoke the
resolution issued last September.
The budget committee voted against the paragraph containing the
controversial amendment anticipating the allocation of MEDA
funds for each country to enable the European Parliament to
"isolate" funds concerning Turkey and "freeze" them, as had been
decided in a resolution at a plenary session in September.
Mr. Samland, a Social Democrat, undertook the issue personally
and conveyed the oral commitment by Mr. van den Broek to his
colleagues that the European Commission will strictly adhere to
the European Parliament's admonitions and will not ratify plans
f or Turkey, except for those concerning the strengthening of
democratization and respect for human rights, as well as those
aimed at improving the living standards of the Kurdish
population.
According to Mr. Samland, Mr. van den Broek assured him that the
Committee will not merely take the Europarliament's resolution
into consideration, but will turn it into practice and that the
plans concerning Turkey will only be accepted on condition they
will strengthen a "society of citizens", as well as those
concerning the situation in southeast Turkey.
Mr. Samland then proposed and succeeded in having amendments
out-voted that had placed MEDA funds destined for Turkey placed
in the reserves of the Community budget for 1997.
This method met with strong reaction from the Greek Eurodeputies
participating in the debate - Yiannos Kranidiotis from PASOK and
Stavros Argyros from New Democracy - who expressed their
displeasure over Mr. Samland's refusal to put to the vote
accompanying observations referring to Turkey, in particular.
However, these decisions are not final since the proposal by the
budget committee will be put to the vote at a European
Parliament plenary session (Oct. 21-26) within the framework of
the first reading of the draft budget for 1997. In addition, Mr.
van den Broek has undertaken to present the views he conveyed
through Mr. Samland yesterday at the budget committee's meeting
in Strasbourg on Oct. 21 by himself, where he is expected to be
called on to put his views in writing so as to bind the
Committee's position towards Turkey.
Mr. Kranidiotis made the following statement afterwards:
"I express my strong displeasure over the autocratic manner in
which Mr. Samland conducted the work of the European
Parliament's budget committee, without letting all views to be
freely expressed and without putting all the proposals to the
vote. I am greatly concerned that there is some closed clique of
people in the budget committee who take decisions 'in secret'.
Today's decision by the budget committee is attempting to annul
the European Parliament's resolution concerning the funding of
Turkey from MEDA. I intend to raise the issue at a plenary
session of the Socialist Group and request that the content of
last September's resolution by supported in practice as well."
[08] Van den Broek conclusion
Brussels, 11/10/1996 (ANA - M. Savva)
Despite existing difficulties, the European Union must keep
channels of dialogue and co-operation with Turkey open.
Conclusions drawn by the report drawn up by Mr. van den Broek
concerning the implementation of customs union, the
democratization process and the state of human rights in Turkey,
which will be submitted to the European Parliament soon, lead to
this phrase.
The document made public yesterday underlines the need for the
continuation of the policy inaugurated on March 6, 1995,
concerning relations with Turkey and Cyprus' accession to the
European Union.
"Turkey constitutes a very important partner in the customs
union agreement. And it remains a political and strategic
partner in the region of major importance. The channels of
dialogue and co-operation must remain open, because the target
remains for a continuous decrease in tension in the Aegean, in
accordance with the principles of international law and for
finding a just and viable solution to the Cyprus issue."
The report, which criticizes human rights violations, as well as
the reform process, which is dragging its feet, stresses that
the customs union has operated so far in the most satisfactory
way.
[09] Pangalos schedules visit to Belgrade, Zagreb and Sarajevo
Athens, 11/10/1996 (ANA)
Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos will make an official visit
to Belgrade, Zagreb and Sarajevo from Oct. 16-19.
Mr. Pangalos will be accompanied by a delegation.
[10] EU delegation visits CEDEFOP headquarters in Thessaloniki
Athens, 11/10/1996 (ANA)
A delegation of deputies from the European Parliament's Social
Affairs and Employment Committee, which includes PASOK
Eurodeputy Nikos Papakyriazis and New Democracy Eurodeputy
Costas Hatzidakis, visited the European Center for the
Development of Occupational Practice (CEDEFOP) in the Thermi
region in Thessaloniki yesterday.
The delegation will visit CEDEFOP again today.
The purpose of the delegates' presence is to be briefed on the
course of the center's work and discuss the content of its
co-operation with the European Parliament and the European
Commission.
[11] Varvitsiotis calls for discussion into causes of ND's defeat
Athens, 11/10/1996 (ANA)
Main opposition New Democracy Vice-President leader Ioannis
Varvitsiotis said yesterday that the party's Parliamentary group
should undertake an honest and in-depth discussion on the causes
of the recent electoral defeat, noting that "the general climate
is that Mr. Simitis was underestimated."
He expressed support for the return to the party of all cadres
who have left the party, including Political Spring party leader
Antonis Samaras, "as long as they accept New Democracy's
ideological principles".
Mr. Varvitsiotis said that the party conference, scheduled for
March or April, would be called upon to close the issue of
challenges to the leadership, and would be considered a failure
if it did not achieve this.
He referred to personal clashes, adding that there were no
substantial ideological differences within the party that would
justify them.
[12] Andrianopoulos
Athens, 11/10/1996 (ANA)
Meanwhile, former ND minister Andreas Andrianopoulos, an ardent
supporter of privatizations who has withdrawn from the party and
recently hinted at the formation of a new political party, said
yesterday, "we are obliged and determined to adopt measures to
thwart the onslaught of the socialist government against the
centre-right, an onslaught to which the entire Greek society has
surrendered."
[13] Police break up ring dealing in bogus passports
Athens, 11/10/1996 (ANA)
Police yesterday broke up an Athens-based ring dealing in the
issue and distribution of fake passports and travel documents.
Two Iraqis and four Bulgarians were arrested after police
searched a house in the Neos Kosmos district, in which they
found 20 fake Greek passports, 18 fake driving licences, two
bogus French identity cards and 37 fake Iraqi documents. Police
said one of those arrested, Iraqi national Fatuk Fatan, was the
mastermind behind the operation.
Fatan was arrested in May this year when found in possession of
three fake passports and was due to be tried later this month.
Police said, however, that they had foiled his plans to use one
of the fake passports to flee the country.
Police in charge of the investigation say that more arrests are
anticipated.
[14] Italian national arrested
Athens, 11/10/1996 (ANA)
An Italian man wanted by Interpol for armed robbery was arrested
at the Promahonas border checkpoint at Serres, northern Greece,
yesterday when officials found him in possession of a stolen
passport.
Tarcisio Tenchini, 47, told police that he bought the passport
in Modena, Italy, from a person he does not know. Interpol says
Tenchini is suspected of involvement in an armed robbery in
Naples, Italy, earlier this year and that he and his accomplices
a re suspected of stealing a large number of passports from
Italian tourist offices.
[15] Greece sends team of seismologists to Cyprus to help monitor
situation
Athens, 11/10/1996 (ANA)
Greece said yesterday it was sending a team of senior
seismologists and engineers to Cyprus to help monitor the
situation in the wake of the 6.1 Richter quake which jolted the
island on Wednesday.
Environment, Town Planning and Public Works Minister Costas
Laliotis said the team of seismologists would establish a
network to better monitor the expected aftershocks and that the
engineers would assist in evaluating damage to buildings. One
person died and more than 50 people were injured on the island
when the tremor struck at midday on Wednesday.
The quake, which had its epicenter 40kms west of the coastal
town of Paphos, was felt as far as Egypt. The Paphos areas was
last hit by an earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale in
February last year. Two elderly people were killed when their
house collapsed.
In Thessaloniki, meanwhile, seismologists at the Aristotelian
University said a tremor registering 5.6 Richter in Cyprus this
morning was part of the normal course of events in the wake of
Wednesday's quake. Seismologist Manolis Skordilis told the ANA
that events were progressing normally.
By midday yesterday, hundreds of aftershocks had been registered
by the Thessaloniki laboratory, all originating from the
epicenter of Wednesday's quake. Only 13 were considered to be
"significant" tremors, registering 4.6 and above.
Mr. Skordilis said seismologists last year had warned that the
Mediterranean basin was entering a "live period" of seismic
activity which could last up to a decade.
Greece, he added, had the dubious privilege of being the most
seismically active country in Europe.
In August next year, Thessaloniki will host the "Earthquake
Olympics" drawing more than 1,000 scientists from around the
world.
[16] Mirage 2000 crashes off Andros, pilot safe
Athens, 11/10/1996 (ANA)
A French-made Hellenic Air Force Mirage 2000 fighter crashed
into the sea six nautical miles south of the island of Andros
yesterday while taking part in a routine training flight,
Defense Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos announced.
According to reports, the plane's pilot, Stylianos Nikidis,
ejected before the fighter hit the water. He was picked up while
on a rubber life-raft.
Initial reports said the accident was due to mechanical failure.
[17] Fossilized remains of gigantic bear found in Pella
Athens, 11/10/1996 (ANA)
The fossilized bones of a 100,000-year-old gigantic bear have
been found in a cave in the Loutraki, Pella region of northern
Greece.
The discovery was made by a team headed by Kostas Ataktidis, an
expert speleologist who has worked both in Greece and abroad.
Initial palaeontological estimates indicate that the
cave-dwelling bear stood up to three meters tall and may have
weighed up to three tonnes.
Further work in the cave, in which the remains were found and
the immediate region, will continue throughout the month by
specialists from the culture minister as well as the
Thessaloniki and Vienna universities.
Some 13 caves found in the Loutraki region will soon compromise
Greece's first "speleological park", once research work is
completed. According to reports, the Viennese experts will
conduct an applied geographical environmental study of the
region, including surveys of the morphology, geology, hydrology
and the vegetation of the area, to form a complete picture of
the formation of the caves as well as the evolution of the
animals believed to have lived in the area since the Ice Age.
[18] Prehistoric settlement, graveyard discovered
Athens, 11/10/1996 (ANA)
An eighth millennium B.C. settlement and graveyard, touted as
the most significant pre-Cycladic find in the Aegean, have been
discovered in the Maroula region on the island of Kythnos.
According to the 21st Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities
Department, portions of a human skeleton were washed ashore last
month at the site due to beach erosion.
Five preneolithic graves were subsequently located in the same
region along with the foundations of cyclically designed
residences adorned with slate rock floors.
Remains of habitation during the same period, according to
archaeologists, have also been located at the Yioura site on the
island of Alonnisos, in the Sporades chain.
[19] Greek alphabet's role in western civilization examined at
Bavarian conference
Munich, 11/10/1996 (ANA)
The Greek alphabet and its role as a landmark in the history of
writing and development of western European civilization was
recognized by 22 leading researchers from Europe and the United
States, who participated in an international conference entitled
"History of the Greek language and writing: From the second to
the first millennium B.C. - Discontinuation or Continuation."
The conference was organized by the Greek Culture Foundation in
Ochlstadt, Bavaria last week with the co-operation of the
Society for the Study and Dissemination of Greek History.
Participants, included the academic E. Neumann, noted German
archeologist H.G. Buchholz, A.W. Tohnston, University of London
professor L. Emmett Bennett and many others from Greece and
Europe, who presented results of their reports to a large
audience o n the early history of the Greek language.
[20] Papandreou inaugurates 'Greek Observatory' at London School of
Economics
London, 11/10/1996 (ANA - L. Tsirigotakis)
Alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou yesterday
inaugurated the "Greek Observatory", the research arm of the new
chair of Modern Greek studies at the London School of Economics.
Speakers at yesterday's event stressed that the Observatory
represents a major step in expanding the school's European
studies programme, aimed at upgrading research and teaching on
all aspects of modern Greece.
Mr. Papandreou said in statements that it was the government's
policy to support the creation of other such chairs of Greek
studies abroad.
"It is the country's official and general policy to support the
creation of chairs of Greek studies in many countries abroad, in
academic centers, but also in areas where there are expatriate
Greeks," he said.
"The creation of the Greek Observatory is of special
significance, first of all, linking the Greek academic community
in Britain with Greece, and providing updating on important
developments in the social sciences. Secondly, contributing to a
better knowledge on the part of the British public, academic
community and politicians on the problems of the region and
Greek positions regarding the Balkans and the Mediterranean, and
thirdly, contributing to a cultural bridge between British and
Greek universities," he added.
[21] News in Brief
Athens, 11/10/1996 (ANA)
Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos yesterday met with the head
of the Melina Mercouri Foundation Jules Dassin, and other
foundation officials, to discuss the course of the Acropolis
Museum project.
[22] General wholesale price indicator increases by 0.2 per cent
between July '96 to August '96
Athens, 11/10/1996 (ANA)
The general secretariat of the National Statistical Service
(ESY) announced yesterday that the general wholesale price
indicator for final products increased by 0.2 per cent in August
1996, compared to July 1996, against an increase of 0.4 per cent
during the corresponding period in 1995.
The general indicator increased by 6.2 per cent in August 1996,
compared to the general indicator of 1995, against an increase
of 6.6 per cent in comparison to the same indicator in 1995.
[23] Athens Metro project back on track
Athens, 11/10/1996 (ANA)
Tunnel-drilling work on the Athens Metro will resume in a few
days' time, Environment, Town Planning and Public Works Minister
Costas Laliotis announced yesterday, following the settlement of
a dispute between the state and the consortium constructing the
Athens Metro.
Mr. Laliotis told a press conference that his meeting with
representatives of the "Olympic Metro" consortium on Wednesday
had discussed the problems that had arisen and that the two
parties had agreed to meet again in a fortnight to evaluate
progress.
He said the suspension of work at four stations would soon be
lifted and that he would speed up the process to solve technical
problems plaguing work at one of the main stations, Ermou.
The amicable agreement came after some tension between the state
and the consortium, with Mr. Laliotis reportedly considering
rescinding the contract with the consortium if problems were not
ironed out.
Attiko Metro, which represents the Greek state in the
520-billion-drachma project, issued an announcement last week
saying that delays in the execution of the project were due to
Olympic Metro, a joint Greek, German and French consortium.
[24] New Hyatt casino on a winning streak in its first month
Athens, 11/10/1996 (ANA)
The newly opened Hyatt Regency casino in Thessaloniki posted a
gross turnover exceeding the two billion drachmas mark in
September, its first month of operation, company president
Giorgos Galanakis said yesterday.
Specifically, he said total revenue reached 2.217 billion
drachmas, an average daily of 76.5 million, while average daily
attendance was around 3,600 - the highest in Europe.
Mr. Galanakis said the state would receive 30 per cent of gross
revenues, or about 650 million drachmas.
Players' losses amounted to an average of 21,000 drachmas per
person, the casino's management stated.
[25] Insurance sector decreases
Athens, 11/10/1996 (ANA)
Greece's insurance market has decreased by 15 per cent over the
past year and, according to representatives of insurance firms,
the drop is due to a slowing in the rate of increase for
personal insurance policies, which cover about 50 per cent of
the nation's insurance market.
The turnover in the sector amounted to 500 billion drachmas in
1995, while the personal life insurance sector registered a 20
per cent decrease.
By contrast, the automobile insurance sector increased slightly,
while remaining policies remained stable.
The above figures was announced yesterday by the president of
the Union of Insurance Companies of Greece's International
Relations Committee, Yiannis Delentes, on the sidelines of the
Federation of Insurance Unions of European States' general
assembly, which began in Thessaloniki yesterday.
Mr. Delentes said recent activity in the market is making
insurance agents skeptical, adding that insurance agents are
concerned over a possible abolition of the tax exemption for
insurance premiums.
[26] Greece's goals for development in energy sector outlined
Athens, 11/10/1996 (ANA)
Development Minister Vasso Papandreou analyzed the economic,
diplomatic and political targets of making Greece a transit
center for energy sources transported between western Europe and
the Balkans, Russia and Black Sea regions.
She was speaking yesterday at the Balkan conference of the
International Federation of Energy and Chemical Industry Unions.
Ms. Papandreou outlined the steps with which the government is
approaching this crucial target, namely, a Greek proposal to the
Community for inter-Balkan power networks and pipelines for the
transport of petroleum and natural gas.
In addition, other steps include the creation of an underwater
cable linking Greece with Italy; an institutional framework
urging the Public Power Corp. (DEH) to establish flexible
subsidiaries operating in the Balkans and eastern Europe;
completion of a pipeline carrying natural gas from Russia
through Bulgaria to Greece with option to extend it to Albania
and linkage to Italy; promotion of the proposed
Burgas-Alexandroupolis petroleum pipeline as well as
acceleration of programmes for utilizing renew able sources.
Ms. Papandreou said the government will promote modernization
and competitiveness in the energy sector and the social
dimension of energy.
In a message, EU Energy Commissioner Christos Papoutsis referred
to changes which will be brought about by a directive on
deregulating the energy market, which has been in effect since
June. He also noted that inter-Balkan networks are meeting with
a positive response from the Community, because it is believed
that they will produce greater security in supplying the
European Union.
End of English language section.
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