Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 00-08-11

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

CONTENTS

[01] Athens and Nicosia in close consultation over new round of Cyprus talks

[02] Athens to lodge protest over boat ramming

[03] Greek military chief concludes London visit

[04] ND Euro-MP calls for boycott of Thessaloniki Int'l Fair's opening

[05] Demetrios to represent Patriarch at Moscow ceremony

[06] Journalists voice opposition to COREPER decision

[07] Equities drop again in light trade

[08] Athens 2004 Board approves procedures for radio and television coverage

[09] Union leader fears pension, health funds lost on bourse

[10] Unique Zakynthos sea park organization highlighted

[11] Greek-American organizations urge US to exert pressure on Turkey

[01] Athens and Nicosia in close consultation over new round of Cyprus talks

NICOSIA, 11/08/2000 (ANA - G. Leonidas)

"These negotiations must lead to direct talks between President Glafcos Clerides and Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash so that the Cyprus issue is not perpetuated," Greek foreign ministry spokesman Panagiotis Beglitis said, according to a Cyprus Radio Foundation (RIK) dispatch from Athens.

Sources in Greek capital said that Athens and Nicosia were in close consultation for the formulation of the strategy, which the Greek Cypriots will adopt during the fourth round of inter-communal proximity talks on the Cyprus issue, scheduled to begin in New York on September 12.

In the framework of consultations, Clerides will come to Athens in early September, after the visit of Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides for talks with Greek counterpart George Papandreou on August 28.

According to the sources, Athens holds the view that a Republican victory in the U.S. presidential elections in November would be a negative development for progress on the Cyprus issue, as the momentum so far gained would be lost and time would be wasted until the new administration got to grips with the issue.

Kasoulides said earlier this week that the Greek Cypriots were not certain to participate in a further round of talks unless the substance of the issue was discussed in New York.

[02] Athens to lodge protest over boat ramming

Athens, 11/08/2000 (ANA)

The Turkish-flagged vessel, which reportedly was sailing without navigational lights, crashed into the fishing boat despite its crew's continuous calls and signals. The motor ship subsequently fled the scene, authorities said.

The fishing boat's crew, six Greeks and four Egyptian nationals, were reported unharmed.

[03] Greek military chief concludes London visit

LONDON, 11/08/2000 (ANA - L. Tsirigotakis)

Summing up his visit, Paragioudakis said "With my counterpart, General Sir Charles Guthrie, we discussed many useful and interesting issues. The British were very open in the discussions and answered all our questions. The main issue we dealt with was the review of the defense strategy of the Greek armed forces in the next 10-15 years, which we have already started implementing and which will radically change the entire structure of the armed forces, so that they may be able to meet the modern requirements --which is basically to confront any threat, as determined by the government- but also the challenges, both in the near environment of the Balkans and further a field. Also, that they may be able to respond to the demands created with our participation in NATO, the European Union and in all these fields."

On Wednesday, Paragioudakis laid a wreath at the grave of Stephen Saunders, Britain's defense attache who was slain by Greece's elusive November 17 terrorist group on June 8 this year, in Melbury Osmond, Dorset, and presented a commemorative silver plaque to his widow, Heather.

"We were close with Stephen Saunders. He often came to headquarters for professional cooperation. He was very good in his mission and a wonderful person. That's why I felt the need to come and lay a wreath at his grave," he told reporters.

Heather Saunders said in statement that "I am deeply moved by the Greek General's action to honor my husband. I'm also moved by the support of the Greek people and I hope they will continue to help in my struggle and efforts to bring to justice the people who murdered my husband, and this, to the benefit of all of us and for the good of the Greek people."

[04] ND Euro-MP calls for boycott of Thessaloniki Int'l Fair's opening

Athens, 11/08/2000 (ANA)

Eurodeputy Antonis Trakatellis, who is also the head of ND's Europarliament group, was quoted by a local newspaper as saying that the boycott of the exhibition's inauguration, traditionally done by the prime minister, would serve as to express area residents' displeasure with the course of several major works underway in the Macedonia and Thrace regions.

Specifically, he referred to work on the Egnatia motorway spanning the breadth of northern Greece, a sewage treatment plant for the greater Thessaloniki area, the proposed Thessaloniki metro and a projected underwater freeway off the northern port city's shoreline.

"Nothing is being promoted. I wonder why we're not reacting... All of Thessaloniki's residents and northern Greece should rise up, at last," Trakatellis, a former rector at this city's Aristotelian University.

[05] Demetrios to represent Patriarch at Moscow ceremony

NEW YORK, 11/08/2000 (ANA)

The Archbishop is scheduled to depart for Moscow next week in order to represent, along with two other high-ranking Orthodox prelates, Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos at a ceremony inaugurating the restored Cathedral of the Savior in the Russian capital.

[06] Journalists voice opposition to COREPER decision

Athens, 11/08/2000 (ANA)

The European Union of Journalists (EUJ), of which ESHEA is a member, has condemned COREPER's recent adoption of such rules, which abolishes the right of access of citizens of European Union member-states to documents of the EU and undermines the Treaty of Amsterdam, ESHEA said in a statement to Foreign Minister George Papandreou.

"We call on the Greek government to distance itself from this decision," it added.

EUJ has described COREPER's decision as "a NATO coup d' etat".

[07] Equities drop again in light trade

Athens, 11/08/2000 (ANA)

Trade remained thin, and the market needs to consolidate, accompanied by a rise in turnover, analysts said.

The general index ended 1.21 percent lower at 3,675.56 points with turnover at 67.14 billion drachmas.

Worst hit for the second trading day were small and medium-capitalization stocks.

Analysts were reluctant to forecast the bourse's short-term future in its current moribund phase.

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavily traded stocks ended 0.26 percent down, and the FTSE/ASE 40 index for medium-sized shares finished 3.99 percent lower.

The parallel market index for smaller capitalization stocks closed 8.04 percent down.

Of 343 shares traded, declines led advances at 312 to 27 with 4 issues unchanged.

Most heavily traded were Hellenic Telecommunications, Alpha Bank, Parnassos, Papastratos, Bank of Piraeus and National Bank of Greece.

Equity futures end mixed, tracking Athens bourse: Equity futures traded on the Athens Derivatives Exchange finished mixed on Thursday, roughly in line with the indices on which they are based.

The FTSE/ASE 20 index closed 0.26 percent down, and the FTSE/ASE 40 ended 3.99 percent lower.

Turnover was 9.46 billion drachmas from 10.83 billion drachmas a day earlier.

A total of 1,284 contracts were traded on the FTSE/ASE 20 with turnover at 3.6 billion drachmas.

On the FTSE/ASE 40 index, 2,926 contracts changed hands on turnover of 5.7 billion drachmas.

Athens derivatives market shows 1.8 pct m/m rise on June: The Athens Derivatives Exchange in July recorded 199,366 contracts, up 1.8 percent on June, it said on Thursday.

Also rising by 1.8 percent in July was the average daily number of equity and bond futures, which rose to 4,747 from 4,662 a month earlier, the derivatives market said in a statement.

Bond prices end mixed in moderate trade: Bond prices in the domestic secondary market on Thursday finished mixed in moderate trade.

The Greek benchmark 10-year bond showed a yield of 6.003 percent from 6.023 percent in the previous session.

The Greek paper's yield spread over German bunds was 85 basis points for the second straight session.

Turnover through the central bank's electronic system totalled 84 billion drachmas from 112 billion drachmas the session before.

Sell orders accounted for 44 billion drachmas of turnover.

Drachma down vs. euro, up vs. dollar: The drachma on Thursday ended lower against the euro and higher versus the US dollar in the domestic foreign exchange market.

At the central bank's daily fixing, the euro was set at 337.110 drachmas from 337.05 drachmas in the previous session.

Also at the fix, the dollar was set at 373.330 drachmas from 375.860 drachmas a day earlier.

[08] Athens 2004 Board approves procedures for radio and television coverage

Athens, 11/08/2000 (ANA)

The four companies, which received the tender documents, must submit their bids by September 12, and by October 15 the winner of the tender will be chosen.

The International Olympics Committee (IOC) has already approved the specific timetable.

[09] Union leader fears pension, health funds lost on bourse

Athens, 11/08/2000 (ANA)

Dimitris Stratoulis, GSEE's secretary of social policy, said that a major cause of the suspected losses were transactions he claimed were made on government orders.

Stratoulis called for the managers of social insurance funds to be given the right to handle their own investments, using safety as the main criterion, followed by returns.

In addition, the majority of members on the boards of social insurance funds should be representatives of the insured, he added.

GSEE, a trade union umbrella group, represents nearly a million workers in the private and public sectors.

[10] Unique Zakynthos sea park organization highlighted

Athens, 11/08/2000 (ANA)

Zakynthos also hosts spawning grounds for the endangered Caretta Caretta sea turtle.

The organization was officially inaugurated on July 31, after being founded by a legislative act in late 1999.

Deputy Environment Minister Ilias Efthymiopoulos represented the government.

[11] Greek-American organizations urge US to exert pressure on Turkey

NICOSIA, 11/08/2000 (CNA/ANA)

They also stress the need to see international law and order enforced and Turkey acting in accordance with the rule of law and UN resolutions on Cyprus and point out that it is in the US interests to act towards a resolution of the Cyprus question.

A resolution adopted by the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA), at its annual convention in New Orleans, calls on Washington to honor its pre-election pledges by recognizing that the Cyprus problem is fundamentally a question of invasion and occupation by Turkish armed forces with the illegal use of American-supplied arms and equipment.

The Administration, it adds, should acknowledge that the US bears a "national responsibility" for the Cyprus tragedy and quotes remarks by Secretary of State and US Ambassador to the UN to this effect.

AHEPA calls on the US to back Cyprus' application to join the European Union, without any linkage to Turkey, and underscores the need for Ankara to comply with a 1996 European Court ruling in the Loizidou case, which stipulates that Turkey must allow the Greek Cypriot access to her property in occupied Cyprus and pay her compensation running into thousands of dollars for the loss of use of that property. So far Turkey has steadfastly refused to comply.

The American Hellenic Institute (AHI) in a statement on the tragic occasion of the 26th anniversary of the Turkish invasion points out that "Turkish obstructionism is not the only guilty party."

"Faulty US policy is also responsible for the damaging failure to produce a settlement," it said, adding that "instead of barren process of negotiation, the US administration should institute a realistic diplomatic approach "including coercive measures against Turkey such as sanctions and denial of assistance from the international financial institutions."

The organization invites Washington to "identify Turkey and its military-dominated government as the responsible party for the Cyprus problem and recognize that the Turkish military is the key" and to end its current approach and state that future peace talks will take place on the basis of restoring the status quo ante and the rule of law as it applied before Turkey's 1974 illegal invasion.

In a separate announcement, AHI submits a testimony to the Democratic and Republican national platform committees urging that both parties include a commitment in their platforms to undertake a far-reaching and critical review of existing policy toward Turkey.

Furthermore, it addresses a questionnaire to House and Senate candidates, asking them to state their position on upholding the rule of law in Cyprus and the establishment of a bizonal, bicommunal federation on the island, as provided for by UN resolutions.

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