Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 00-07-10

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Rash of forest fires reported, Samos the hardest hit

[02] Tsohatzopoulos reiterates Greek support for NATO expansion into SE Europe

[03] Tsohatzopoulos insists on "freezing" of dialogue between Greece and Turkey

[04] "Thrace-Aegean-Cyprus" Cooperation protocol signed

[05] Trakatellis voted as ND's head of Euro-MP group

[06] Tsovolas criticizes mass media in his closing address at party's conference

[07] Archbishop Christodoulos criticizes the mass media

[08] Ecumenical Patriarch postpones visit to Mount Athos

[09] Piraeus Bank subsidiary opens new branch in southern Albania

[10] Thessaloniki merchants request reopening of visa section in Nis

[11] Partial pier collapse on Crete

[12] Clear skies and hot weather forecast for Monday

[13] President Clerides dismisses Denktash's allegations

[14] Turkish Cypriot journalists arrested by Turkish occupation regime

[01] Rash of forest fires reported, Samos the hardest hit

Athens, 10/07/2000 (ANA)

More firefighting aircraft and personnel were transported to the smoke-covered island just across the shores of Asia Minor over the weekend, as the Pyrgos and Koutsi sites were identified as the focal points of the 15-kilometre-long blaze estimated to have turned some 1,200 hectares and 50 residences into ashes over the past few days.

The Samos fire also claimed a victim when the charred body of a 92-year-old woman was found in her village home.

According to the interior ministry, another 20 blazes of varying intensity were also reported throughout Greece over the weekend, as a blistering heat wave did its part to worsen conditions.

Fires were reported in the Elafohori site, Kavala prefecture, Konitsa in extreme NW Greece, off the village of Rahoni on the northern island of Thassos and in Strovilia, Evia island, among others. Two fires near the greater Athens area were extinguished on Sunday, one in Vari and the other in Grammatikos, near Marathon.

Three Albanian nationals, meanwhile, were arrested in connection with the last fire and are being questioned, police said.

The rash of forest fires, a nagging problem in the country over the past few decades, was the subject of an emergency meeting at the interior ministry on Sunday, where it was decided to lease more firefighting planes, among others, and heighten emergency measure to combat forest fires.

Authorities reported a 70-percent increase in forest fires this year in comparison with last year at this time, while it was decided that a state of disaster would be declared for Samos so as to allow for compensation and emergency funding.

A curfew is in place for forest lands throughout Greece in the summer months.

V. Papandreou says Greece experiencing difficult summer with fires and extreme weather conditions: Interior, Public Administration and Decentralization Minister Vasso Papandreou held a joint emergency meeting with Public Order Minister Mihalis Chrysohoidis and the fire brigade's leadership on Sunday to examine ways of tackling forest fires raging throughout the country.

Speaking afterwards, Papandreou said Greece is experiencing a difficult summer, there is a general mobilization of the state apparatus and weather conditions are extreme, while the prediction for the next few days is a worsening of these conditions.

"Despite the fact we have more aerial means than in previous years to extinguish fires and despite the fact we are among the top European countries in southern Europe in total capacity to extinguish fires, we will hire, due to the existing emergency, four additional medium and heavy duty firefighting helicopters to strengthen the existing force to enable the combatting of the biggest fire currently raging in the country, that on the island of Samos," she said.

Chrysohoidis said another 20 fires were currently underway in the country, which, however, were under complete control. He added that what was regrettable was the fact that new fires were constantly appearing.

There has been a 70 per cent increase in fires this summer compared to the same period last year.

[02] Tsohatzopoulos reiterates Greek support for NATO expansion into SE Europe

MOSCOW, 10/07/2000 (ANA - V. Mourtis)

Tsohatzopoulos made the remarks following the conclusion of his three-day official visit to Moscow, complete with talks with new Russian leader Vladimir Putin and his counterpart Igor Sergeyev.

The Greek minister cited still-simmering conflicts in the Balkans and the associated security concerns as a primary reason why the alliance should expand in the region.

He again reiterated that Athens and Moscow have common views regarding the inviolability of borders, the territorial integrity of states as well as shared opposition to separatist movements "supported from abroad", a reference to among others, Chechnya. The Greek minister also lent his support behind Moscow's position to Washington's ambitious plan to create an "anti-ballistic missile" shield, saying the prospect will facilitate a new arms race and flies in the face of the 1972 ABM Treaty. Tsohatzopoulos, rather, called for close US cooperation with Europe and Russia on any such missile shield.

Finally, Tsohatzopoulos said "the process" for a tender to award a new main battle tank contract will be completed by September, while he noted that Greek-Russian defense cooperation over the past three years has topped the 300-billion-drachma mark. (One US dollar equals about 360 drachmas)

[03] Tsohatzopoulos insists on "freezing" of dialogue between Greece and Turkey

MOSCOW, 10/07/2000 (ANA - V. Mourtis)

He clarified that Greece's support of Turkey's European vocation did not concern the solving of bilateral issues.

Speaking at a press conference in Moscow on Saturday, at the end of his three-day visit, Tsohatzopoulos said the agreement reached at the European Union Helsinki summit is limited to shaping a positive climate of coexistence and cooperation which could be utilized by Greece and Turkey in the long term to resolve whatever differences exist between them.

Tsohatzopoulos said that for Greece resolving bilateral issues meant two things: the final cancellation of Turkey's illegal and one-sided claims against Greece to enable the issue of the continental shelf to remain the sole issue, for which Greece proposes the process of the International Court, and the definite withdrawal of Turkish occupation forces from Cyprus as the second basic precondition for one to be able to speak of solving Greek-Turkish problems.

He said a just solution to the Cyprus issue clearly affects the development of Greek-Turkish relations.

He also said Greece supported dynamically and with determination the cancellation of the illegal advancement of Turkish troops in Cyprus and that this position met with widespread support from UN member-states.

[04] "Thrace-Aegean-Cyprus" Cooperation protocol signed

Athens, 10/07/2000 (ANA)

Speaking during the ceremony, Sifounakis said the "Thrace-Aegean-Cyprus" programmed aims at promoting the unified border region starting from Thrace, embraces the Aegean and ends at Cyprus through the promotion of the unified cultural heritage and tradition, of the environment and the modern creators of Hellenism in these regions.

Sifounakis said the signing of the pioneering programmed "is overshadowed by the fact that the 26th anniversary of the barbaric invasion and occupation of territory in Cyprus will arrive in a few days' time, as well as by the recent provocative action of the occupation forces with their advancement in Strovilia (in the buffer zone)".

[05] Trakatellis voted as ND's head of Euro-MP group

Athens, 10/07/2000 (ANA)

The vote was taken on Saturday at ND's headquarters in Athens during a meeting of New Democracy's Euro-deputies.

Meanwhile, it was announced that Stavros Xarhakos would assume the post of noted ND cadre Marietta Yiannakou, following the latter's resignation from the Europarliament.

[06] Tsovolas criticizes mass media in his closing address at party's conference

Athens, 10/07/2000 (ANA)

Tsovolas, who was making a closing address at the end of the party's Organizing Conference, once again criticized the mass media over the treatment of his party and announced more dynamic action in the autumn.

"If the leadership of state-run TV continues to ignore DHKKI you should be ready for us even to blockade the state-run TV building," he said.

Tsovolas said the main cause of national, political and social decline is the "triangle of sin", namely the media, the politicians and economic interests.

DHKKI polled about 2.7 percent in last April's general election and dropped out of Parliament after failing to reach the 3 percent limit necessary for a party to elect Parliament deputies.

[07] Archbishop Christodoulos criticizes the mass media

Athens, 10/07/2000 (ANA)

Archbishop Christodoulos said the mass media "aims at reducing his prestige and influence with the people" and spoke of "black propaganda whose purpose is to get rid of him".

He once again clarified that he had no political ambitions and denied that he was a nationalist and that he had anti-European sentiments.

The Church of Greece strongly opposes a government decision to omit reference to religion affiliation from the new identity cards.

[08] Ecumenical Patriarch postpones visit to Mount Athos

ISTANBUL, 10/07/2000 (ANA - A. Kourkoulas)

The visit to Megistis Lavras, Vatopedio and Pantokratoras monasteries, scheduled for July 15, has been postponed due to the Ecumenical Patriarch's burdened programmed, Holy Synod representatives said.

Other ecclesiastical sources, however, clarified that the Ecumenical Patriarch postponed his visit since he does not wish to become involved in the ongoing confrontation between the Church of Greece and the Greek government on the issue of religion being listed in identity cards.

[09] Piraeus Bank subsidiary opens new branch in southern Albania

GJIROKASTER, Albania, 10/07/2000 (ANA - P. Barkas)

According to executives of the private Greek commercial bank, some US$ 10 million has been invested so far in Albania to establish Tirana Bank's branches. Bank officials said a total of 10 branches would operate in Albania within the next six months.

Another two Greece-based banks, National Bank of Greece and Alpha Credit, are also active in Albania, while both plan to open branches in Gjirokaster as well.

[10] Thessaloniki merchants request reopening of visa section in Nis

Athens, 10/07/2000 (ANA)

[11] Partial pier collapse on Crete

Athens, 10/07/2000 (ANA)

According to reports, the construction firm (Domiki Kritis) that finished the pier a year and a half ago claimed that the project's foundations were laid in a relatively shallow depth of eight meters, thus making the spot unsuitable for the docking of large vessels.

A ship-crane had been making necessary repairs over the past few days prior to the collapse.

[12] Clear skies and hot weather forecast for Monday

Athens, 10/07/2000 (ANA)

[13] President Clerides dismisses Denktash's allegations

GENEVA, 10/07/2000 (CNA/ANA)

In a written statement issued in Geneva where the third round of the UN-led proximity talks are underway, President Clerides underlines that "we did not have the document, we do not have the document and beyond the journalistic information we know nothing about it".

At the same time, he expresses regret "that the tone of Mr. Denktash statement does not show that he has come to these talks having the political will to negotiate seriously".

The Cyprus president says he does not wish to reply to Denktash's statement because he respects the blackout requested by the UN Secretary General and because "the accusation that we have released his document to the press is completely unfounded".

Earlier on Sunday, Denktash accused the Greek Cypriot side for leaking a document to the media on Friday in order to "kill" it and to prevent UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser, Alvaro de Soto from putting forward certain proposals.

The proximity talks which opened on 5 July, will be adjourned on 12 July and restart on 24 July.

De Soto: UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser on Cyprus, Alvaro de Soto warned Sunday that the public handling of issues that are under discussion in the UN is not helpful in the UN-led proximity talks.

He was speaking after a one-hour meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash, who broke an appeal by the Secretary-General for an embargo on statements.

The UN official, who did not take any questions, said "the process goes on" and that "there are meetings scheduled in the coming days and we will not depart from that".

De Soto stressed that the "public handling of issues that are under discussion in the UN-led process is not helpful to that process at all".

Denktash, who did not take any questions after the meeting and looked clearly irritated, alleged that "according to the Greek press the object of making use of our paper to the Secretary-General was in order to kill our paper and that they have succeeded in that and that the next thing is to prevent Mr. de Soto from putting forward certain proposals".

Denktash said "they have not succeeded in killing our paper", claiming that "our paper is our case".

He further claimed that confederation, a solution which is contrary to UN resolutions calling for a bizonal, bicommunal federation on the island, "is legally, politically, factually a remedy" and a "formula for uniting what is divided".

Clerides, de Soto meeting: President Clerides had an hour-long private meeting with Alvaro de Soto here in Geneva late Saturday. According to sources, the UN chief's advisers had asked for the meeting.

President Clerides and the Cyprus team taking part in the talks are scheduled to meet de Soto again on Monday morning.

According to sources, at this stage of the talks the UN are focusing on canvassing the two sides so that they can formulate a skeleton of ideas on which substantive negotiations could begin. However they are not expected to come up with a complete set of ideas or a draft interim agreement.

Diplomatic sources consider it highly likely that the UN officials will give the two sides the ideas to take home when the talks adjourn on July 12.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkish troops invade and occupied the island's northern third. Two rounds of proximity talks have already taken place in New York and Geneva, which aimed at probing the positions of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot sides and to prepare the ground for negotiations leading to a comprehensive settlement.

[14] Turkish Cypriot journalists arrested by Turkish occupation regime

NICOSIA, 10/07/2000 (CNA/ANA)

In an appeal to the representative on Freedom of the Media of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the International and the European Federation of Journalists, the Journalists' organizations of Turkey and the International Press Institute and other media and journalists' organizations, the UCJ reported the arrest and disappearance Friday night of Editor-in-Chief of Turkish Cypriot daily "Avrupa", Sener Levent and two or more of his colleagues.

"Avrupa" has been persecuted by the illegal regime in the northern areas of the Republic, under occupation since 1974 when Turkey invaded the island, because of its views on the Cyprus issue.

The so-called "authorities" in May confiscated the daily's equipment and furniture, following a refusal to pay a 290,000-dollar illegal "fine" for alleged defamation of Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash.

The UCJ said "despite the efforts of the families and the lawyers of the arrested journalists to find out where they are held the Turkish authorities refuse to give any information".

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