Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 96-12-31
From: The Greek Press & Information Office, Ottawa Canada <grnewsca@sympatico.ca>
ATHENS NEWS AGENCY BULLETIN (No. 1078), December 31, 1996
Greek Press & Information Office
Ottawa, Canada
E-Mail Address: grnewsca@sympatico.ca
CONTENTS
[01] Suspensions announced in aftermath of Distos' capsizing, 10
bodies recovered
[02] AGET statement
[03] Opposition
[04] Tsohatzopoulos visits Greek contingent in Bosnia
[05] Inclement weather continues to take its toll
[06] Black Sea Greeks' problems discussed
[07] Kaklamanis issues New Year's message
[08] Peruvian embassy bombed, MRTA guerrillas condemn attack
[09] Peru guerrillas condemn attack
[10] Makeshift bombs go off at two banks
[11] Wolfpack reported in central Greece
[12] Optimism reigns among KKE, Synaspismos for '97
[13] Athens Academy ceremony honors outstanding contributions
[14] Greek firms extend helping hand to Bulgaria
[15] State securities auctions target 1.5 trillion drachmas in January
[16] Arsenis to visit Cyprus
[01] Suspensions announced in aftermath of Distos' capsizing, 10
bodies recovered
Athens, 31/12/1996 (ANA)
Five port authority officers were suspended yesterday pending
investigation into possible negligence over the handling of
search and rescue operations after the capsizing of a
Greek-flagged freighter, in which at least 10 people were killed
and another 10 were still missing at press-time and presumed
dead.
The suspensions were announced by Merchant Marine Minister
Stavros Soumakis, who said he had been notified of the maritime
accident involving the cargo vessel "Distos" after "considerable
delay".
The minister said all five officers would face disciplinary
action for the delay in briefing the ministry's leadership of
the incident, which occurred late Saturday night off Kymi, Evia.
So far, 10 bodies have been recovered from the capsized vessel,
which was carrying a load of 5,300 tonnes of cement from the
central Greek port city of Volos to Piraeus. Ten people are
still missing, including the wives of two crew members and a
10-year -old girl. Divers continued search efforts yesterday for
possible survivors.
According to reports, salvage operations and the recovery of the
remaining bodies were being hampered by choppy seas in the
region. Since dawn, an air force helicopter has been carrying
out flights over the region, joined by coast guard vessels, a
tugboat and fishing boats.
Out of 21 persons on board the vessel, only an 18-year-old
merchant marine cadet survived when he jumped overboard as the
Distos began to list after being hit by two large waves, which
caused its cement cargo to shift.
Autopsies of the bodies at the Athens mortuary early yesterday
revealed the cause of death to be drowning.
Coroner Nikolaos Kafiris said autopsies revealed that death
occurred almost immediately after the ship capsized and was due
to drowning, judging by the level of water in their lungs. He
said contusions on the bodies were due to battering against the
met al parts of the vessel, but were not a cause of death.
Several relatives of the dead had earlier claimed that the delay
in beginning search and rescue operations could have been fatal
for the trapped crew of the Distos.
[02] AGET statement
Athens, 31/12/1996 (ANA)
In a related development, AGET's shipping arm expressed its full
confidence in the captain of the Distos, Ioannis Tsitsirikis.
The AGET announcement stressed that at no time did the company
assign blame for the accident on the vessel's captain.
"The fact that he set sail under his own responsibility,
appraising the prevailing conditions, has occurred many times in
the past and does not constitute a reproach on his person or a
questioning of his professional abilities," the announcement
read.
The announcement added that the company has never directly or
indirectly pressured any captain to set sail despite adverse
weather conditions in order to accelerate cement deliveries. It
added that the last inspections of the Distos were carried out
in February 1995 and 1996.
The company also said it will seek justice through the courts
because of what it called a "distortion of the above
indisputable reality" by a small section of the media "damages
the company's reliability."
[03] Opposition
Athens, 31/12/1996 (ANA)
Main opposition New Democracy president Miltiades Evert
expressed his deep sorrow over the incident and pledged his
support to families of the victims.
"The state must seek the responsibilities, political or
otherwise, wherever these may lie and to take measures which
will avert similar such tragic occurrences in the future," he
said.
An announcement issued yesterday by the Communist Party of
Greece (KKE) reads: "The wreck reveals in the most tragic way
that in our country there is a government of ship-owners,
industrialists and bankers headed by Mr. (Prime Minister Costas)
Simitis..."
According to KKE, the shipping company that owns and manages the
vessel is solely responsible for the tragedy.
On its part, the Democratic Social Movement (DHKKI) called for
an immediate judicial and administrative inquiry to find those
responsible for the capsizing of the Distos.
The accident, DHKKI added, illustrated the lack of security
systems as well as indifference of the competent services and
inadequate execution of duties on the part of the merchant
marine ministry.
[04] Tsohatzopoulos visits Greek contingent in Bosnia
Sarajevo, 31/12/1996 (ANA/P. Dimitropoulos)
National Defense Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos said during a
press conference here yesterday that the "effective"
contribution of the Greek forces in Bosnia (ELDYB) justifies
Athens' policy to participate in the implementation of the
Dayton Accord, and in the stabilization of peace in
Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Greek forces participated in the previous IFOR mission in the
area, and are currently in Bosnia as part of NATO-led forces
operating under a United Nations Security Council mandate.
Mr. Tsohatzopoulos said the Stabilization Force (SFOR) is now
aiming for the successful holding of forthcoming municipal
elections and the return of refugees.
ELDYB participated in safeguarding the recent elections for the
presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina, distributing electoral
material and receiving ballot boxes after the end of the voting
procedure.
Replying to reporters' questions on why a meeting between
himself and the Bosnian foreign minister did not go ahead as
scheduled, Mr. Tsohatzopoulos said the country is currently in a
transitional period and "it seems that ministries and ministers
are not yet working."
He also reiterated Greece's wish to see a "peaceful
co-existence" between the peoples of strife-torn Bosnia.
Earlier, Mr. Tsohatzopoulos addressed the 250-strong Greek
contingent in Bosnia and extended the ministry's New Year's
wishes.
Speaking in the community of Visoko, the minister said the Greek
contingent was helping safeguard peace in the region through
contributing to the creation of the appropriate conditions for
the consolidation of the Dayton Accord.
He added that the presence of the Greek troops further
contributed to the reinforcement of both Greece's and the
Hellenic Armed Forces' relations of solidarity with the former
Yugoslav states and the peoples of these nations.
Mr. Tsohatzopoulos was accompanied on his visit by National
Defense General Staff Chief Gen. Athanasios Tzoganis and other
military officers.
[05] Inclement weather continues to take its toll
Athens, 31/12/1996 (ANA)
Snow continued to fall around the country yesterday, cutting off
villages in mountainous areas and creating additional
transportation problems, although a gradual improvement in the
weather has allowed traffic to return to normal in other
regions. Snow an d freezing temperatures gripped the entire
nation late last week and have so far taken the life of one
woman, who fell and hit her head in her frozen backyard, while
dozens of people have been rushed to hospitals with fractures
from falls on ice.
According to reports, several mountainous villages in the Xanthi
prefecture continue to be isolated in the wake of ongoing snow
storms and poor weather conditions, with temperatures falling as
low as -9C.
Snowfall has also disrupted communications in the mountainous
villages of Kavala and Ioannina as well as causing power cuts
and phone problems in the Zagarohoria and Vovousa villages.
Meanwhile, rain storms caused landslides on the
Ioannina-Igoumenitsa national road and on the secondary road
network at Souli.
Snowfall and icy roads in Ioannina, Serres and western Macedonia
have also forced most traffic to use snow chains.
Sunday night's snowfall created problems on roads in Ioannina,
Florina, Kastoria, and Kozani as well as the secondary road
networks in the prefectures of Imathia, Pella, Pieria and Kilkis.
Morning fog in Thessaloniki caused delays in flights arriving
and departing from the city's Macedonia Airport.
On the other hand, strong gale force winds in the northeastern
Aegean caused ferry boat routes from Kavala to Thasos, and vice
versa, to be canceled.
In another weather-related development, traffic returned to
normal on national roads in Fthiotida after rising temperatures
caused ice to melt.
[06] Black Sea Greeks' problems discussed
Athens, 31/12/1996 (ANA)
The members of the Parliamentary Overseas Greeks Committee
discussed a number of issues facing repatriated Black Sea Greeks
in the region of Xanthi during a visit to the prefecture for
talks with the president of the prefectural administration,
Pavlos Papadopoulos, Xanthi's Prefect Panayotis Saltouros and
other local officials.
The visit took place within the framework of progress assessment
of the on-going social integration and employment program for
the repatriated Pontians.
Committee President Grigoris Niotis said a housing program was
proceeding according to schedule and had already covered 97 per
cent of the Pontians' housing needs.
He added, however, that problems had arisen regarding social
integration and employment programs, adding that a solution to
these problems would result from a broader development plan for
Thrace.
The committee is due to submit to Parliament a series of draft
bills aimed at improving living conditions for the Pontians.
Mr. Niotis, explaining the reasons for the committee's visit
during a meeting later in Komotini, said members "came to be
briefed on problems concerning the settlement of Black Sea
Greeks, which continue to exist", adding that "an effort must be
made for a harmonious incorporation of the Black Sea Greeks in
Thrace..."
The president of the Unified Prefectural Self-Administration of
Rodopi-Evros, Yiannis Nikolaidis, thanked the delegation for its
visit to Thrace, saying that the "permanent committee is
discussing problems of expatriate Hellenism in the heart of the
problem of Thrace."
[07] Kaklamanis issues New Year's message
Athens, 31/12/1996 (ANA)
In a New Year's message, Parliament President Apostolos
Kaklamanis said 1996 was one of the most difficult experienced
by the country and the people after the restoration of democracy.
He said the year was characterized by the deaths of well-known
personalities in the political and cultural sectors as well as
by the Imia islets incident.
Referring to Greek-Turkish relations, Mr. Kaklamanis said that
for as long as the neighboring country continues to make
provocative claims against Greek national sovereignty, and as
long as Cyprus continues to suffer under Turkish occupation,
Greeks must not rest.
In a similar message, the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) said
1997 finds Greece confronted with very serious problems, "such
as US and NATO plans to divide Cyprus and the Aegean", revision
of the Maastricht Treaty and the government's economic policy,
"which offers plenty of privileges to the oligarchy."
The Coalition of the Left and Progress (Synaspismos) said that
what are required are bold and progressive reforms and radical
changes in correlations and social activation, otherwise the
country's backwardness will be consolidated.
Democratic Social Movement (DHKKI) party leader Dimitris
Tsovolas said 1997 is a crucial year for Greece and requires
rallying and struggling to avert harmful developments being
methodized by the great powers and the economically powerful.
[08] Peruvian embassy bombed, MRTA guerrillas condemn attack
Athens, 31/12/1996 (ANA)
A bomb exploded outside an apartment building housing the
Peruvian embassy in Athens yesterday evening, slightly injuring
one passerby.
An organization calling itself "guerrilla fighting group" later
claimed responsibility for the time-bomb explosion in a
telephone call to a local radio station.
The explosion caused extensive material damage on the second
floor of the apartment building, located on Vassilisis Sofias
Avenue in central Athens.
According to reports, further casualties were averted thanks to
a warning call, which prompted police to evacuate the building.
The shadowy terrorist group first made its appearance by
exploding a bomb at the Athens Polytechnic last November during
events marking the anniversary of a student uprising against the
military junta ruling Greece in 1973.
[09] Peru guerrillas condemn attack
Lima, 31/12/1996 (ANA/Reuter)
Meanwhile, a spokesman for Peru's Tupac Amaru Revolutionary
Movement (MRTA) guerrillas yesterday condemned the bombing of
the embassy. "We reject this sort of display of solidarity
because it does not contribute to the solution of a crisis,"
Isaac Velazco told Reuters in a telephone interview from Hamburg.
The "guerrilla fighting group", which claimed responsibility for
the attack, said the bomb was a demonstration of solidarity with
the MRTA guerrillas, who currently hold 83 hostages in the
Japanese ambassador's residence in Lima.
"Those who feel they are revolutionaries by this action should
know that an isolated action in the context of a country's class
struggle does not help, but prejudices the process," Mr. Velazco
said.
"We do not justify violence for the sake of violence. This
solidarity has to be expressed within the negotiation process,"
he added.
[10] Makeshift bombs go off at two banks
Athens, 31/12/1996 (ANA)
Home-made incendiary devices exploded outside two banks early
yesterday morning in the central Athens residential district of
Exarchia, causing damage but no injuries, police said.
Two small liquid gas canisters planted outside the entrance of a
National Bank of Greece branch on the corner of Mavromichali and
Fanarioton Streets exploded at 1:29 a.m., damaging the entrance.
The second explosion occurred at 1:31 a.m. at a Commercial Bank
branch on the corner of Skoufa and Asklipiou streets, damaging
the bank's automatic teller machine, next to which a home-made
bomb comprising three small liquid gas canisters had been
planted.
[11] Wolfpack reported in central Greece
Athens, 31/12/1996 (ANA)
Packs of wolves have been decimating livestock herds near Pitsi,
some 60 km west of Lamia, as local residents are reportedly
arming themselves with shotguns.
The approximately 80 residents of the community, which has been
cut-off since Christmas, have been returning to their homes
early in the evening for safety reasons. Yesterday, armed groups
of villagers searched the area for about 10 wolves, blamed for t
he killing of 30 sheep and goats over the past four days.
"We have never had wolves in the past, but now they are
increasing continuously," community President Elektra Kretsa
said, adding that "although relevant services have been notified
since the summer, they have done nothing else than remind us
that wolves are a protected species."
With snow 50 cm deep covering the ground, residents have been
taking shelters in their residences when night falls as howling
is being heard around the village.
[12] Optimism reigns among KKE, Synaspismos for '97
Athens, 31/12/1996 (ANA)
Optimism prevails in the two parties of the Parliamentary left,
the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) and the Coalition of the
Left and Progress (Synaspismos), regarding their prospects in
1997.
The orientations of the two parties are totally different, and
their aims diametrically opposed. Their plans for 1997 hold a
special interest for political developments.
Specifically, KKE wishes to increase its impact on society and
social organizations, while Synaspismos seeks to play a
prominent role in Parliament, utilizing a crisis in the main
opposition New Democracy party, but also on national issues with
various initiatives leader Nikos Constantopoulos is considering
to undertake.
KKE, steadfastly pursuing the building of an "anti-imperialist,
anti-monopolistic front" set up during its congress last May,
considers that the recent mobilizations of the farmers and
various categories of workers create favorable conditions for
attainment of the goal.
It also believes that the crisis will intensify in 1997, that
the European Union has nothing positive to offer the Greek
economy, that NATO will be substantially involved against Greece
in the Aegean and Cyprus, and that all these factors are capable
of spurring social forces that will find expression in its
positions.
Mr. Constantopoulos is said to be aiming to stress the
weaknesses of the bipolar political system and the importance of
the role of a small party for parliamentary democracy. He is
reportedly planning to visit countries in the Balkans, the
Middle East, Cyprus, and perhaps Turkey, with the aim of
promoting Greek positions in view of the critical state of the
country's foreign affairs.
In conclusion, one may say that although the parties of the left
are not likely to exercise crucial influence in political
developments in 1997, they nevertheless are capable of
contributing to the political climate.
Both parties are expected to try to roll their sleeves up in
view of municipal and Euroelections in 1998, so as to further
strengthen their forces.
[13] Athens Academy ceremony honors outstanding contributions
Athens, 31/12/1996 (ANA)
The Athens Academy last night gave awards and honored 75
individuals from the scientific and social fields, such as Mary
Angel for her struggle in support of AIDS sufferers, artists
such as the photographer Nelly and conductor Odysseus
Dimitriadis, as well as anonymous persons, such as fisherman
Antonis Hatziantoniou, who discovered an ancient statue off
Kalymnos.
As of this year the Academy also initiated an award for the
Olympic Ideal, "with the purpose of praising the spiritual and
social significance of the Olympic contest," Athens Academy
President Yiangos Pesmazoglou said during the ceremony.
Beneficiaries of the positive sciences awards included the Greek
Girl Scouts Giorgos Markoyiannis for his book "Safety Manual for
Fishing Vessels" and Athanasios Katerinopoulos and Eftychia
Zisimopoulou for their research on minerals at the Lavrion mine
s.
Awards given for letters and fine arts included Mr.
Hatziantoniou and pupil Stelios Tzinevrakis, who handed over to
antiquities authorities the bronze female statue they found off
Kalymnos.
[14] Greek firms extend helping hand to Bulgaria
Sofia, 31/12/1996 (ANA/N. Hios)
Greek firms and banks active in Bulgaria are now taking a
leading role in providing assistance to charitable institutions
in the neighboring country.
At a special ceremony at the offices of the Association of Greek
Businessmen in Bulgaria, Greece's ambassador to Sofia,
Panayiotis Karakassis, called on all those present to extend a
helping hand to the Bulgarian people who are currently going
through difficult days.
Bulgaria's government lacks funds for welfare spending and
Bulgaria has been particularly hard hit by the recent cold snap,
with four patients dying at an unheated mental hospital and
recent snowstorms leaving 470 Bulgarian towns and villages
without power.
The Ionian Bank branch in Sofia has "adopted" the Preslaf
orphanage in the city of Sumen and the children's sanatorium for
heart conditions in the city of Bankja, paying for all operating
expenses as well as donating 1.5 million lev in money and food.
Meanwhile, the Bulgarian Investment Bank, which is managed by
Greece's Commercial Bank, has donated $3,000 to the Santanski
orphanage to install central heating.
The Intracom Group is sponsoring the Ran Bosilek orphanage in
Sofia, paying for all operating costs, the renovation of the
building and for basic infrastructure. At a special ceremony,
Bulgarian Olympic gold medallist Stefka Konstadinova distributed
Christmas gifts on behalf of the Group.
Intracom has also undertaken the full and free computerization
of the National Gallery of Sofia and representatives of Greek
firms have offered to cover the entire needs of Greek schools
for 1997.
[15] State securities auctions target 1.5 trillion drachmas in January
Athens, 31/12/1996 (ANA)
Four issues of state securities will be auctioned during January
as the finance ministry raises its borrowing requirements to 1.5
trillion drachmas in the first month of 1997.
One-year treasury bills will be issued on Jan. 2, taxed with a
7.50 per cent rate and bearing an 11.20 per cent interest rate.
Their net yield after tax will be limited to 10.36 per cent.
According to an announcement by the finance ministry, the tax
will be received in advance at their time of issue. Ministry
announcements said the state's loan needs for January will
amount to about 1.5 trillion drachmas.
According to an announcement by the National Mortgage Bank
yesterday, its bonds, which will be issued in this order, will
have a face interest rate of 12.50 per cent and will be subject
to a 15 per cent tax rate. Consequently, the net yield of these
bonds will be higher than that of treasury bills and will be set
at 10.63 per cent.
According to the finance ministry's announcements, apart from
the one-year treasury bills, three-month bills with a 10.20 per
cent interest rate will be issued and six-month ones with a
10.50 per cent interest rate.
Additionally, for the first time bonds will be issued on Jan. 20
without zero coupons and with a two-year duration, namely,
two-year treasury bills, while the possibility will be provided
for renewal of treasury bills maturing on this date.
Tendering will take place on Jan. 24 for bonds with a stable
interest rate, a three-year duration and for bonds of a
fluctuating interest rate, a seven-year duration with Jan. 27 as
the date of issue. Lastly, treasury bill titles will be issued
on Jan. 31, as well as two-year bonds without zero coupons.
On the question of the public debt's development in 1996, the
ministry announced that at the end of the year the central
administration's debt as a percentage of GDP is expected to be
120.5 per cent, presenting a slight reduction (0.3 per cent)
compared to 1995 (120.8 per cent).
At the end of 1997, an even greater decrease is expected with
this percentage reaching 116 per cent of GDP. The small decrease
shows a stabilization trend due to the first stage surpluses of
past years. Referring to the issue of new products, the ministry
announced that the issue of index-linked bonds will start later.
Lastly, the bulletin lists tax rates for the independent
taxation of state securities in other European Union countries
which are higher than the 7.50 per cent rate applied in Greece.
The rate is 30 per cent in Germany, 25 per cent in Spain, 20 per
cent in Britain, 19.9 per cent in France and 12.50 per cent in
Italy.
[16] Arsenis to visit Cyprus
Athens, 31/12/1996 (ANA)
Education Minister Gerassimos Arsenis will be the keynote
speaker at a special event in honor of the late Cypriot
President and Archbishop of Cyprus, Makarios III, to be held in
Nicosia on January 19.
The event is organized by the Pancyprian Love March of
Archbishop Makarios III, the Cyprus education and culture
ministries and the Archbishop Makarios III Foundation.
End of English language section.
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