Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 96-11-11
From: The Greek Press & Information Office, Ottawa Canada <grnewsca@sympatico.ca>
ATHENS NEWS AGENCY BULLETIN (No. 1037), November 11, 1996
Greek Press & Information Office
Ottawa, Canada
E-Mail Address: grnewsca@sympatico.ca
CONTENTS
[01] ASE open for business as usual today as clean-up operation begins
[02] Pangalos: NATO must establish procedures for disputes between
members
[03] Bertolucci in Thessaloniki for the International Film Festival
[04] Venizelos adamant that Thessaloniki will continue to host the
international film festival
[05] Crucial decisions on ND party congress to be taken this week
[06] Euro-Mediterranean Group accepts Kaklamanis proposal for
expanded Mediterranean parliaments meeting
[07] Central European body to intensify contacts with Greece
[08] Leros police arrest 55 Iraqi illegal immigrants
[09] Ministry cars targeted by terrorist group
[10] Two crew members flee coast-guard inspection
[11] Avramopoulos proposal offers compromise to local Gov't funding
dispute
[12] Environment organizations coordinate efforts
[13] Vartholomeos moved by his Adelaide welcome
[01] ASE open for business as usual today as clean-up operation begins
Athens, 11/11/1996 (ANA)
A clean-up operation at the Athens Stock Exchange (ASE) was
announced by National Economy Ministry Secretary-General
Apostolos Fotiadis, speaking in a radio interview yesterday.
Meetings had been held over the weekend between the Union of
Stock Exchange Members (SMEXA) with the national economy
ministry after the situation that arose Friday when Delta
Brokerage S.A. was unable to cover cash obligations to the
Titles Depository.
Proceedings have been initiated against Delta representatives
after an urgent preliminary investigation.
Mr. Fotiadis stressed that the Athens Stock Exchange would be
open for business as usual on Monday and called for a strict
inspection of all brokerage companies.
He added that Delta had not been the only company guilty of
failing to meet its obligations and which had had to be bailed
out.
In future, he said, any company that broke the rules would be
forced to discontinue transactions and would be fined 50 million
drachmas.
According to reports on Saturday, the Titles Depository has
agreed to guarantee transactions and will cover Delta's debt,
estimated at almost three billion drachmas.
Meanwhile, it was also reported that the brokers have no
objection to having part of the debt covered by the joint-surety
fund (1.2 billion drachmas), on the condition that transactions
be covered by a legislative amendment prohibiting cash being
transferred to brokerage firms owing titles.
Meanwhile, main opposition New Democracy party leader Miltiades
Evert yesterday called for a judicial inquiry into the situation
at the ASE, since its credibility was at risk.
As long as the ASE's indicator remained low and investors had no
confidence in its proper functioning, the ASE would not be able
to take its proper place in contributing to the country's
growth, he said.
[02] Pangalos: NATO must establish procedures for disputes between
members
Athens, 11/11/1996 (ANA)
Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos yesterday called for NATO to
establish procedures that would determine the alliance's course
of action when one member state laid claims against another.
Mr. Pangalos was speaking in Patras yesterday in response to a
question regarding a letter he sent recently to NATO
Secretary-General Javier Solana.
Now that the alliance was expanding and changing direction, he
explained, Greece should demand such a procedure.
He drew attention to the fact that past governments (under
Constantine Karamanlis, George Rallis and Andreas Papandreou)
had maintained that it was not possible for NATO to concern
itself with the problems of the world and to be indifferent to
its own m ember states' problems.
Mr. Pangalos also accused main opposition New Democracy party
leader Miltiades Evert of "igno-rance and bad faith" in
statements he had made on the issue both before and after last
September's elections.
Meanwhile, with regard to a possible initiative by the United
States on the Cyprus issue, the minister said he felt this was
unlikely before January, given that the composition of the new
administration in Washington had not yet been finalized.
However, he drew attention to campaign promises made by US
President Bill Clinton on the issue, characterizing the problem
as an international one, as well as the implementation of United
Nations resolutions.
Mr. Pangalos is to visit the United States in late January or
early February, accompanied by Alternate Foreign Minister George
Papandreou, responsible for expatriate Greek affairs.
[03] Bertolucci in Thessaloniki for the International Film Festival
Athens, 11/11/1996 (ANA)
Buddhism has taught me to 'die' after each film and to be reborn
with each new one, Italian film producer Bernardo Bertolucci,
who arrived in Thessaloniki on Saturday, told a press conference
yesterday
Mr. Bertolucci, who is a guest of honor at the 37th Thessaloniki
International Film Festival, which will screen a retrospective
of his films, spoke of his long experience in the film world.
Mr. Bertolucci spoke of almost all his films, but selected the
film "1900" which he said is something like a study of the
civilizations of the earth.
Referring to Greek film producers, he said he only knows
Theodoros Angelopoulos and Costas Ferris, by chance, when in
1984 his friend Melina Mercouri "abducted" him and brought him
to the festival where he saw his film "Rembetiko."
[04] Venizelos adamant that Thessaloniki will continue to host the
international film festival
Athens, 11/11/1996 (ANA)
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, Culture Minister
Evangelos Venizelos put an end to persistent rumors about the
festival leaving Thessaloniki and referred to the institution on
the occasion of Friday's opening of the 37th Thessaloniki Film
Festival.
The Thessaloniki Film Festival will remain in Thessaloniki, he
said, and its Greek department will remain a competition. The
festival's awards will be given to new film directors, while
established film directors will also participate in the festival
with their films.
Mr. Venizelos also announced his ministry's will to both
maintain and extend the festival's regional events to Macedonia
and Thrace (the festival's film showing are continuing in
Florina and Kilkis for a second year, while Kastoria has also
been include d in the 'network' this year).
[05] Crucial decisions on ND party congress to be taken this week
Athens, 11/11/1996 (ANA)
Main opposition New Democracy party deputy president Ioannis
Varvitsiotis will submit a proposal this week on holding the
party's congress.
In an interview with the "Kyriakatiki Eleftherotypia" newspaper,
Mr. Varvitsiotis said that ND leader Miltiades Evert and his
main contender George Souflias have a different conception of
increasing the number of delegates to the conference and
explained that criteria for widening the electoral base will be
objective and fair.
"My responsibility is grave and I believe that all will consider
the crucial nature of the situation and will accept my
proposal," he said.
Meanwhile, statements by party cadres disputing decisions taken
by the Political Council and the party's charter have met with
reaction by Mr. Evert.
The Political Council will hold a special session at noon
tomorrow. An announcement issued by the party said "the
situation created by the attitude of certain deputies who
question, either directly or indirectly and in fact publicly,
both the recent decision taken by the Political Council on
holding the congress and clauses contained in the party's
charter will be examined during this meeting."
The announcement said the Political Council meeting was
considered necessary because the attitude of these deputies
"deals a blow at the unity and effectiveness of ND as a main
opposition party at a time when problems faced by the Greek
people have take n on explosive dimensions".
In recent days ND Deputies Petros Tatoulis and Dora Bakoyianni
have directly or indirectly requested that Mr. Evert should be
replaced as party leader.
In another development, Mr. Souflias stressed the view that
there are no dissenters in ND, shortly before returning to
Athens yesterday afternoon after visiting the Pieria prefecture,
replying to an interview ND Deputy Yiannis Kefaloyiannis gave to
Kyriakatiki Eleftherotypia newspaper.
"There are no dissenters. There are deputies who express their
views. We should not speak of expulsions. Everyone has the right
to express his view with the sole difference being that views
can be expressed with arguments, without adjectival terms and i
n a simple way which can help the party," Mr. Souflias said.
Replying to questions put to him by journalists at Macedonia
airport on the interview given by Ms Bakoyianni, Mr. Souflias
said he had not read newspapers and would not comment on
statements by ND cadres.
Asked to comment on Mr. Evert, he said he did not want to repeat
the same things on whether or not he should resign.
On the question of whether ND should go to the congress with Mr.
Evert as its leader, Mr. Souflias said "what is necessary is
that the congress should be fair and representative."
[06] Euro-Mediterranean Group accepts Kaklamanis proposal for
expanded Mediterranean parliaments meeting
Athens, 11/11/1996 (ANA)
A proposal by Parliament Speaker Apostolos Kaklamanis for an
expanded meeting of counterparts from Mediterranean nations'
parliaments in Athens next April has been accepted at an
informal meeting of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliaments in
Palermo, Italy.
Apart from the five members of the Euro-Mediterranean group,
invitations will be extended to Parliament Speakers of the
remaining 12 countries around the Mediterranean, the European
Parliament, an observer from the European Commission and the
President of the Maghreb (association of nations on the north
African coast).
The theme of the Athens meeting will be the balance between the
European Union's North and South, the contribution of European
Parliaments to the construction of the European edifice, as well
as Mediterranean co-operation in promoting peace, stability,
democratic institutions and human rights.
In his address to the Palermo meeting, Mr. Kaklamanis emphasized
the need for renewed interest in the region following the
radical changes in eastern Europe, the review of the European
Union charter, as well as the expansion of the EU within the
frame work of the Intergovernmental Conference.
The idea of Mediterranean co-operation began at the EU summit on
Corfu in 1994 and was further developed with the signing of the
Barcelona Declaration in November 1995.
[07] Central European body to intensify contacts with Greece
Vienna, 11/11/1996 (ANA/D. Dimitrakoudis)
Austrian Chancellor Franz Vranitzky on Saturday announced the
Central European Initiative's (KEP) intention to intensify its
contacts with Greece, which has shown a relevant interest.
Mr. Vranitzky was speaking at the end of the KEP's two-day
summit in Graz, Austria, attended by 13 prime ministers and
foreign ministers of member-states. KEP is a co-operation forum
between the 16 countries of central and eastern Europe.
The KEP also wants closer ties with the OSCE, the Council of
Europe, the Black Sea Co-operation Council and individual
countries such as Russia and Turkey. Mr. Vranitzky said that in
the framework of the new European security architecture, the KEP
must contribute to security and stability in the region of
central and eastern Europe.
He said the KEP constitutes a "platform" for European
integration between the European Union and the countries still
lacking an association agreement with it. Out of the KEP's 16
member-states, only Austria and Italy are members of the EU,
while out of the remaining 14, seven have an association
agreement and the other seven do not.
[08] Leros police arrest 55 Iraqi illegal immigrants
Athens, 11/11/1996 (ANA)
Leros coast-guard officers arrested 55 Iraqi illegal immigrants
on Friday shortly after they were dropped off on a remote beach
on the nearby islet of Farmakonisi by two Turks who had
transported them in a 10-metre wooden boat. The illegal
immigrants - 29 men, 11 women and 15 children - said that they
had set off from the Turkish town of Sulemaniya and after a
ten-day journey reached the port town of Izmir.
They told coast-guard officers that they had each paid the two
Turks $2,500, with the exception of children under the age of
six, to transport them from Izmir to Farmakonisi.
The illegal immigrants were handed over to the Leros police
department from where they will be sent to appear before the
public prosecutor on Kos.
[09] Ministry cars targeted by terrorist group
Athens, 11/11/1996 (ANA)
Improvised explosive devices damaged two state-owned cars parked
outside the interior, public administration and decentralization
ministry in Klafthmonos Square in downtown Athens yesterday
afternoon.
An unidentified caller telephoned the Skai radio and TV network
afterwards, claiming responsibility for the blasts on behalf of
the "Struggle against Authority" terrorist organization.
Police said the explosive devices were gas canisters which
caused damage to both cars and to a privately-owned car parked
nearby.
[10] Two crew members flee coast-guard inspection
Athens, 11/11/1996 (ANA)
Two unidentified foreigners jumped from a Ukrainian-flag yacht
yesterday as it was being escorted into Piraeus harbor by a
coast-guard patrol vessel for an inspection.
The 9.5 meter "Antares", which according to initial reports
belongs to Andrei Tortsilov, a ship's master from Rostov, was
spotted by the coast-guard vessel early on Saturday morning near
the Peace and Friendship Stadium not far from Piraeus central
harbor.
Considering the yacht to be suspicious, the coast-guard vessel
ordered the yacht to follow it into Piraeus harbor for an
inspection.
As the yacht approached the jetty of the harbor, its two crew
members jumped off onto a moored vessel, climbed onto the jetty
and ran off.
Coast-guard officers who later searched the vessel found 2,230
cartons of cigarettes on board.
The Antares has been impounded and the Piraeus Coast-guard
Authority is conducting an investigation.
[11] Avramopoulos proposal offers compromise to local Gov't funding
dispute
Athens, 11/11/1996 (ANA)
A temporary compromise to the dispute over the government's
plans to cut funding to local government bodies was proposed by
Athens Mayor Dimitris Avramopoulos at the close of a stormy
three-day meeting that ended early Saturday morning in Athens.
Mr. Avramopoulos, president of the central union of communities
and municipalities (KEDKE), suggested that local government
organizations contribute 10 billion drachmas to the national
effort for economic convergence, in lieu of the 25 per cent cut
pro posed by Interior Minister Alekos Papadopoulos to the 50 per
cent of income from vehicle circulation fees usually paid to
municipalities and communities.
Interior Under-secretary Lambros Papadimas, representing the
government at the meeting, agreed in principle with the
proposal, which he is to refer to the responsible ministries for
discussion over the next few days.
In a resolution passed at the end of the meeting, KEDKE gave the
interior ministry until Wednesday to respond to its demands or
it will begin protest action beginning with the closure of the
country's local government offices.
If there has been no commitment on the part of the government by
Tuesday afternoon's meeting of Attica's local government
organizations, the latter will close all their offices for three
days.
Mr. Avramopoulos emphasized the magnitude of the problem, which
he said was not one of simple accounting, but was a political
and moral issue since it could lead to further funding cuts.
Mayors supported by the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) walked
out of the KEDKE conference, accusing Mr. Avramopoulos of
"plotting" and trying to turn local government into a vehicle
for the government to increase taxes on the people.
Main opposition New Democracy party representative Prokopis
Pavlopoulos said it was the fundamental political responsibility
of the prime minister and the national economy and finance
minister to accept KEDKE's demands and to meet with its
representatives at once to discuss those demands in a positive
spirit.
It was also the government's duty, he added, to avoid any
attempt to put the onus on local government to shoulder the
heavy tax burden it had imposed.
[12] Environment organizations coordinate efforts
Athens, 11/11/1996 (ANA)
The 7th Panhellenic Conference of Environmental Organizations
ended last night with the election of a seven-member committee
to communicate regularly with ecological organizations
throughout the country.
The committee will create working groups in accordance with
issues arising at times and will coordinate their activities.
This development is in contrast to the conference's target,
which was the creation of local and regional environmental
organizations in accordance with the charter's clauses.
The proposal was supported by a few but insistent delegates who
stressed the need for better organization to enable ecological
groups to be in a position to be heard and exert pressures.
However, the overwhelming majority of delegates expressed the
view that it would be better for them to be linked to each other
in the form of a loose network.
[13] Vartholomeos moved by his Adelaide welcome
Melbourne, 11/11/1996 (ANA/S. Hatzimanolis)
Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos "was moved to tears by the
welcome accorded to him in Adelaide where he was welcomed by a
sea of people."
The Ecumenical Patriarch will complete his visit to Adelaide
tomorrow, his second stop in his tour of Australia, and will
leave for Canberra where he will meet Australian Prime Minister
John Howard and Governor General Sir William Dean.
Meanwhile, Archbishop of Australia Stylianos said that he and
the Patriarch are not in the least concerned by rallies
organized by expatriates in Melbourne and Sydney calling for "an
end to division."
"We are living in a time and a country of absolute freedom. They
(the protesters) are free to act and express themselves as they
wish. The rally is being held by a few who will never become the
measure of the Church's life. It is a wretched marginal group,"
he said.
On their part, the bodies organizing the rally in Melbourne said
they expect up to 70,000 people "who will shout yes to
reconciliation and no to division."
End of English language section.
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