Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 97-05-19
From: The Greek Press & Information Office, Ottawa Canada <grnewsca@sympatico.ca>
ATHENS NEWS AGENCY BULLETIN (No 1189), May 19, 1997
Greek Press & Information Office
Ottawa, Canada
E-Mail Address: grnewsca@sympatico.ca
CONTENTS
[01] PM Simitis and new opposition leader to meet in parliamentary
debate today
[02] Reppas comments
[03] Kranidiotis, Prendergast meet on Cyprus problem
[04] Annan invitation to Clerides, Denktash
[05] Karamanlis calls on supporters to rally to the party
[06] Venizelos confident that Parthenon friezes will return to Greece
[07] Greeks remember genocide of Black Sea Greeks
[08] Preliminary IGC meeting held
[09] Tsohatzopoulos
[10] Coalition supports an effective new local government system
[11] Athenians remember Lambrakis
[12] Development minister up beat on results so far
[13] Laliotis offers support for Thessaloniki's parking problem
[14] Eurobanking congress begins in Athens
[15] 14th DETROP exhibition draws interest from around the world
[16] Rescue teams find body of refuse worker
[17] Greek, Turkish pop idols to perform today amidst criticism
[01] PM Simitis and new opposition leader to meet in parliamentary
debate today
Athens, 19/5/1997 (ANA)
Prime Minister Costas Simitis will have his first confrontation
today with the main opposition New Democracy party's new leader
Costas Karamanlis in an off-the-agenda Parliamentary debate on
the economy sought by Mr. Karamanlis.
According to reports from both sides, Mr. Karamanlis intends to
strongly criticize the government's economic policy. Reports
from Mr. Simitis' close associates say that the prime minister
will avoid a confrontation, in the belief that the economy must
not constitute a topic of party confrontation.
Mr. Simitis is reported to be preparing to focus on the fact
that there must and can be a fertile and substantive dialogue
between parties on major problems faced by the economy for
participation in Economic and Monetary Union (EMU).
Mr. Simitis will refer to the government's policy on all sectors
of the economy and will stress that the policy being applied has
already produced results. He will further say that the policy
being applied is the sole one which can prepare the groundwork
for Greece's participation in EMU.
He will also insist on the economic policy it is implementing
and will stress that despite the fact that a fiscal
restructuring program is under way, the country is not faced
with considerable side-effects as is the case in other countries.
Reports said that Mr. Karamanlis will accuse the government of
"lacking the will and resolution" to restructure the state to
facilitate a structured development policy.
Mr. Karamanlis, although he recognizes that the economy is
presenting positive results in certain sectors, primarily in the
figures sector, maintains that necessary policies have not been
developed to enable convergence with European countries.
Mr. Karamanlis, the sources said, will refer to specific
examples and will call on the prime minister to provide answers
on the reasons why certain sectors of economic activity are
developing unsatisfactorily.
Lastly, Mr. Karamanlis will make it clear that "the wasteful
state is a tyrant for the citizen and an obstacle to economic
development."
[02] Reppas comments
Athens, 19/5/1997 (ANA)
Speaking in Xanthi yesterday on today's Parliamentary debate on
the economy, government spokesman Dimitris Reppas said "the
country's prime minister does not preoccupy himself with
confrontations but with the people's problems.
"What is of interest to the government is an end to lies and
hypocrisy," he added.
Called on to comment on a report in the newspaper "To Vima"
yesterday concerning government plans to change the procedure to
elect the president of the republic, Mr. Reppas said "the
government is examining all eventualities for a smoother
functioning of the constitution."
[03] Kranidiotis, Prendergast meet on Cyprus problem
Athens, 19/5/1997 (ANA)
Foreign Under-secretary Yiannos Kranidiotis and UN
Under-secretary-General Sir Kieran Prendergast met yesterday and
discussed the possibility of success in talks between Cyprus
President Glafcos Clerides and Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf
Denktash under UN auspices.
Mr. Kranidiotis underlined the negative stance of the Turkish
Cypriot leadership resulting in a discontinuation of proximity
inter-communal talks, since it was not possible to find common
ground for negotiations.
Under the circumstances, the holding and success of direct talks
on the Cyprus issue is the exclusive responsibility of UN
Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who is inviting President Clerides
and Mr. Denktash to New York in early June.
Sir Kieran referred to efforts being made by Mr. Annan and the
UN for negotiations to go ahead with the purpose of finding a
solution.
Mr. Kranidiotis will meet Mr. Annan in New York on May 26 with
whom he will primarily discuss the Cyprus issue, as well as
Greece's candidacy for the Security Council after 1998.
[04] Annan invitation to Clerides, Denktash
Moscow, 19/5/1997 (ANA - D. Konstantakopoulos)
Replying to a question from the Athens News Agency (ANA) on
Saturday, Mr. Annan reiterated his intention to invite Mr.
Clerides and Mr. Denktash to "face-to-face" negotiations in New
York.
Mr. Annan explained that both sides have already expressed their
willingness to his envoy to come to these negotiations in New
York and he estimates that the talks will be held in the second
half of June.
Mr. Annan said that he has appointed Mr. Cordobes as coordinator
in the Clerides-Denktash talks and praised his experience and
the abilities he showed in Afghanistan and the Middle East.
[05] Karamanlis calls on supporters to rally to the party
Athens, 19/5/1997 (ANA)
Leader of the main opposition New Democracy party Costas
Karamanlis called his members on Saturday for "a great crusade"
to confront the government, speaking at a party meeting in the
Macedonian town of Kastoria.
The opposition leader stressed the need for collective action
for the party to achieve its objectives and spoke of individual
responsibility for the results of this effort.
Mr. Karamanlis said that, even under the assumption that the
government wanted to, "it still is unable to find solutions to
the country's major problems and lead into the future", because
"it is dragged down by the curse of all those that brought us to
this state".
He stressed that ND has an important role to play in all
developments and called supporters to join the party and assume
their responsibilities.
Meanwhile, the leader of the Political Spring party Antonis
Samaras attacked both the government and ND over the weekend,
saying that the country was under a "two-headed power
arrangement" and that in the main opposition party, things were
"abnormal and blurred".
[06] Venizelos confident that Parthenon friezes will return to Greece
Athens, 19/5/1997 (ANA)
Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos said yesterday that he was
optimistic that Greece's efforts to win back the Parthenon
marbles would eventually succeed.
"I believe that under the pressure of public opinion,
international and British, but also with the help of British
parliamentarians, we shall attain a happy end. We need
coolheadedness and planning. The repatriation of the Parthenon
marbles remains our permanent goal," Mr. Venizelos said on the
occasion of World Museums Day yesterday in which all museums in
Greece were free to the public.
The theme for this year's celebration of World Museums Day is
"the struggle against the illegal trade of our cultural
heritage", addressing a major problem for most countries that
have a long history of civilization to exhibit.
With the advent of the British Labor Party to government, Greece
has recently brought up the issue of a return of the Marbles.
Mr. Venizelos added that the culture ministry's goal was "to
overcome the static conventional view of museums, and arrive at
a modern one. Museums are the most modern form of culture. It is
the sector which vindicates our cultural heritage in the
consciousness of Greeks and foreigners alike".
He said his ministry was already following a new policy with
regard to museums and had set in motion a new pilot program
involving the country's 12 most prominent museums. The program
involves making museums more vital and visitor-friendly through
t he introduction of various services beyond the dry exhibition
of artifacts.
[07] Greeks remember genocide of Black Sea Greeks
Athens, 19/5/1997 (ANA)
A memorial service was held in Athens yesterday for the
estimated 353,000 Black Sea Greeks who perished in the course of
a campaign launched in 1919 by the subsequent founder of modern
Turkey, Kemal Ataturk.
May 19, today, has been designated as Memorial Day for the
Genocide of Pontian Hellenism.
In a message on the anniversary, Parliament President Apostolos
Kaklamanis said "the memory is still alive. Turkey today is
perpetuating the crime of invasion and occupation of Cyprus. It
is continuing to threaten in the Aegean, with illegal,
illogical, and historically groundless claims...
"Vis-a-vis this reality, we have the duty to maintain our
resolute stand. No sovereign right of Greece is negotiable, and
we are ready to support this decision of ours by every possible
means...
"At the same time, we are not abandoning the effort for a
peaceful rapprochement of the two peoples, which will blunt the
very negative climate," he said.
In a message marking today's anniversary, main opposition New
Democracy party leader Costas Karamanlis stressed the state's
duty to stand by "our Black Sea brothers who are being
repatriated as well as those who are still living in countries
of the former Soviet Union".
[08] Preliminary IGC meeting held
Houpten, The Netherlands, 19/5/1997 (ANA)
The extraordinary meeting of European Union foreign ministers
representatives on the Intergovernmental Conference ended in
Houpten yesterday.
Greece was represented by Foreign Ministry Community Affairs
Secretary-General Stelios Perrakis.
The meeting was of a substantive nature given that it was held
in this small Dutch town 48 hours before the conclave due to
convene at The Hague tomorrow and a few days before the European
summit in Amsterdam on May 23.
Speaking to the Athens News Agency (ANA), Mr. Perrakis said the
Dutch EU presidency has brought a "collection of documents" for
discussion containing new formulations on issues concerning EU
citizens (freedom, security and justice).
Issues were also discussed which concern the incorporation of
the protocol for the Schengen agreement (an agreement on the
free movement of people and services inside the borders of the
EU) and the EU's legal status.
[09] Tsohatzopoulos
Athens, 19/5/1997 (ANA)
Speaking at a party meeting in Thessaloniki on Saturday,
National Defense Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos reiterated that
there was nothing to negotiate in Greek-Turkish relations.
Referring to reports on Greek-Turkish dialogue, Mr.
Tsohatzopoulos said:
"There is nothing to negotiate. Don't worry. We are ready to
talk, but not (on) Greece's sovereign issues."
Mr. Tsohatzopoulos said Greece has the strength to say "no" to
Turkey over "air corridors" and "gray zones" and warned that
"the Greek armed forces will give a 'flexible' reply to whoever
makes aggressive actions which it will remember for decades."
[10] Coalition supports an effective new local government system
Athens, 19/5/1997 (ANA)
The Coalition of the Left and Progress said yesterday it would
support the merger of local government organizations on the
condition that incentives for their development were provided.
Coalition president Nikos Constantopoulos told a meeting in
Patras yesterday that local government organizations were
suffering from a lack of technical infrastructure and personnel
and needed "bold financing".
"The proposal of hope for the future of Greece is for the
Coalition a proposal for institutional and political reform and
for decentralization of self-administration," he said.
"We say yes to a policy of merger of communities which must be
pursued with substantial procedures which will not allow a
repeat of negative phenomena which we have seen," he said.
[11] Athenians remember Lambrakis
Athens, 19/5/1997 (ANA)
Athenians yesterday marched from Marathon to the city center to
mark the 34th anniversary of the assassination of leftist deputy
and pacifist Grigoris Lambrakis.
The march ended with a rally last night at the Pedion tou Areos
park in downtown Athens, addressed by the daughter of Che
Guevara, Aleida. A cultural festival followed.
Grigoris Lambrakis was murdered in Thessaloniki in 1963 by
extreme rightist elements. His story later became the focus of
the bestseller "Z" by Vassilis Vassilikos and later popularized
in the film of the same name, directed by Costa-Gavras.
[12] Development minister up beat on results so far
Athens, 19/5/1997 (ANA)
Speaking in Thessaloniki on Saturday, Development Minister Vasso
Papandreou said results of the government's development policy
are "very positive and in certain cases unexpected."
"We have development rates which are higher than those we had
hoped for," Ms Papandreou said at a conference on economic
development organized by local PASOK party officials.
Ms Papandreou said interrelated convergence and development
programs are being consistently implemented, adding that this
was taking place for the first time in Greece. She further said
that preparations have also started for the implementation of
the Third Convergence Program.
[13] Laliotis offers support for Thessaloniki's parking problem
Athens, 19/5/1997 (ANA)
Environment, Town Planning and Public Works Minister Costas
Laliotis said in Thessaloniki on Saturday the ministry would
provide 1.5 billion drachmas for the construction of parking
areas in the Thessaloniki municipality, adding that the creation
of every new parking place would be subsidized with 600,000
drachmas.
Mr. Laliotis attended an extraordinary session of Thessaloniki's
municipal council which focused on "the unified parking plan",
which includes the research report and the proposals by experts
from the Aristotelion University on tackling Thessaloniki's
traffic problem.
The plan's initial stage provides 3,000-4,000 parking spaces in
the center of the city with the creation of underground and
surface parking lots. The municipal council expressed support
for an immediate implementation of studies.
An appeal was also made to Mr. Laliotis during the municipal
council's meeting to contribute to the resolution of two
problems concerning the co-existence of parking space and
archaeological sites in Dikastiriou Square and the offering of
the building housing the old customs offices at the port to
facilitate the relocation of the municipal mansion.
[14] Eurobanking congress begins in Athens
Athens, 19/5/1997 (ANA)
The 25th Eurobanking congress, organized by the National Bank of
Greece from May 18-21, began yesterday at the Astir hotel in
Vouliagmeni.
The congress of the European Working Group on Operational
Research in Banking was addressed by Eurobanking's general
secretary Frederick Ridgeway from the Bank of Ireland.
National Bank of Greece's deputy governor Andreas Vranas, in his
speech, referred to the trends and prospects of financial
services in Greece, while Ioannis Manos, general secretary at
the Union of Greek Banks spoke on economic and monetary union,
the single currency and financial services and timetable and
preparation by member-states.
Mr. Ridgeway underlined the role of Eurobanking - a broad and
dynamically evolving group of European bank officials,
specialized in banking and financial services research - that
gathers annually to criticize and review techniques, experiences
and methods of operations research, as well as other problems
facing banking administration.
[15] 14th DETROP exhibition draws interest from around the world
Athens, 19/5/1997 (ANA)
The 14th DETROP exhibition has drawn commercial visitors from
all over the world, and the important economic agreements
concluded so far have proved the important role the major
exhibition is playing for the Greek economy and the foodstuffs
and beverages sector.
HELEXPO has registered arrivals of commercial visitors from 33
countries, including countries from the Far East, the Arab
world, North America and the European north.
Among the visitors is the foodstuffs market director of Israel's
Supersol company, which is the biggest foodstuffs branch in the
country, with a turnover of $672 million. Other companies such
as Layam Co Ltd and Willy Food Ltd are also represented at DE
TROP.
Parallel exhibitions of the 14th DETROP, which are part of the
program "Thessaloniki Cultural Capital of Europe 1997" and are
hosted at HELEXPO's two big international convention centers
also met with great success.
The two-day conference "Oinoforos" ended yesterday with
important addresses by special experts and wine producers.
[16] Rescue teams find body of refuse worker
Athens, 19/5/1997 (ANA)
Rescue workers yesterday found the body of refuse collection
worker George Drakides who disappeared on Saturday morning in
the main Athens landfill in Ano Liossia.
Drakides, 50, disappeared as garbage collectors began cleaning
up the tons of refuse left on city streets during last week's
six-day strike.
Drakides, a member of the crew of an Agia Paraskevi municipality
collection truck, was last seen when a colleague went off and
left him alone in the vehicle at 4.30 a.m. The colleague went to
get help to tow the truck which had become stuck on the soft
landfill surface.
Police and fire brigade crews with specially trained sniffer
dogs searched the area throughout the day and found his body
yesterday at midday.
[17] Greek, Turkish pop idols to perform today amidst criticism
Athens, 19/5/1997 (ANA)
There were mixed reactions in Cyprus and Greece over the weekend
as preparations got under way for a joint Greek-Turkish pop
concert to be held today on the Cyprus buffer zone separating
the island's free areas and the Turkish occupied northern part.
The organizers of the concert by Greek pop idol Sakis Rouvas and
his Turkish colleague Burat Cut expect to draw about 6,000
youths from both communities.
The event has received the endorsement of the United Nations as
well as the Cypriot government.
However, some of the republic's political parties and at least
one citizens' group have been critical of the initiative in the
light of the occupation situation in northern Cyprus.
Similarly in Greece a number of cultural figures have expressed
their opposition to the concert.
UN security is being stepped up around the area where the
concert will be held in Cyprus' "no-man's-land", while the
organization's spokesman and UN peacekeeping force spokesman
Waldemar Rokoszewski denied recent press reports that the two
communities i n the audience will be separated, saying that
"there would be no reason to have this concert if we kept Greek
Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots apart".
Meanwhile, the Athens secretariat of the Ipekci Award has
decided to propose the two pop singers for its next "Special
Peace and Friendship Award" in a statement expressing support
for the concert.
End of English language section.
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