Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 03-02-17

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

CONTENTS

[01] Greece seeks Arab, EU link to press Iraq into disarming

[02] Greece says EU has unified Iraq policy but processing needed

[03] Prime minister sends congratulations to new Cypriot president

[04] PM rejects talk of impending resignation

[05] Tens of thousands take to the streets, saying ''no'' to war on Iraq

[06] Gov't to take court action in cash dispute between EU, state airline

[07] Aid for ethnic Greeks in Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia

[08] Greece's image in the US, Canada has changed, seminar says

[09] Former king ends 24-hour visit to Greece to perform religious rite

[10] Papadopoulos elected President of the Republic from first round

[01] Greece seeks Arab, EU link to press Iraq into disarming

CAIRO 17/02/2003 (ANA/Fay Karaviti)

Representing the EU at a meeting of the 22-member Arab League, Foreign Minister George Papandreou said the 15-nation bloc and the Arab world should create links to help defuse the crisis with Iraq, avoiding a clash of cultures and religions.

''Not only would the Arab countries be legitimized in terms of the consequences they would suffer from any war, but they would also have the chance to intervene to help make Iraq comply with UN resolutions,'' Papandreou said.

Greece, the EU's six-month rotating president, has sought to avert a US-led war on Iraq that has not been sanctioned by the United Nations.

''We will stand by the Arab countries in any initiative that is taken in this direction, and we will continue to view the UN and the Security Council as the only competent authority to handle the crisis,'' Papandreou told the emergency ministers' talks to prepare for an Arab League summit expected later this month.

He also said that the peace process in the Middle East should be reactivated in order to create a ''road map'' for the region.

''For us, this is a basic priority, as the Iraq crisis cannot overshadow the Middle Eastern problem. If we seek to have UN resolutions implemented, then this must apply to all, including the Israelis,'' the minister added.

EU seeks Mideast ''road map'': Also addressing the meeting for the EU, its foreign affairs commissioner, Chris Patten, underlined the need for the ''road map'' peace process, and welcomed Palestinian moves towards reform.

Concerning a possible military strike against Iraq, Patten said the EU remained in support of an international framework deriving from the UN.

Papandreou meets Iraqi foreign minister: n the sidelines of the Arab League meeting, Papandreou told reporters that he had met Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri.

''Europe is yearning for peace. There is leeway for a diplomatic solution and this (opportunity) must not be lost,'' the Greek minister said.

''It will not be lost if Saddam Hussein complies with the content of UN resolutions. I conveyed the EU's views to Mr Sabri, and its attempt for a peaceful settlement of the crisis, and I believe I was understood,'' he added.

Preparation for EU summit: On Saturday, Papandreou informed Prime Minister Costas Simitis of talks he held in New York last week on trying to defuse the Iraq crisis.

The two officials also prepared for an informal EU summit to be held in Brussels on Monday when Greece will strive to secure unity within the bloc on Iraq, the foreign minister told reporters.

''Efforts towards disarmament must continue...The UN is the competent body to take decisions. Europe must emerge from the summit with one voice, that of implementation of UN resolution 1441 and of international legitimacy,'' he said.

Asked if the meeting would produce a resolution, Papandreou noted that the usual outcome of informal summits was the release of a statement by the EU presidency, rather than a resolution.

On Sunday, the minister also said that the summit would take no decision on details of the Iraqi crisis, which were being handled by the UN.

[02] Greece says EU has unified Iraq policy but processing needed

BRUSSELS 17/02/2003 (ANA/H.Poulidou)

''The European Union has a common policy on Iraq, which was shown at a foreign ministers' meeting on January 27, and the policy requires additional processing,'' Simitis told reporters.

The prime minister will chair an informal EU summit in the Belgian capital on Monday to debate the Iraq crisis.

''We are seeking to avoid dividing lines among EU countries. We all want peace and we must look for a practical way of attaining our target,'' he said.

At the same time, the meeting would not present an ''overall draft solution'', which was the UN's mission, he said.

''The EU expresses opinions, but the final responsibility belongs to the (UN) Security Council...The 15 countries want to have an open discussion on the subject of Iraq so that understanding can be achieved,'' Simitis said.

On Monday, Simitis is also due to meet UN chief Kofi Annan, who has been invited to attend the summit.

[03] Prime minister sends congratulations to new Cypriot president

BRUSSELS 17/02/2003 (ANA/Y.Zitouniati)

Papadopoulos, head of the Democratic Party, stood in the election as candidate for a group of opposition parties spanning the political left and right. He gained 51.51 percent of the vote.

''Mr Papadopoulos has the experience and the knowledge of the situation that will enable him to handle the Cyprus issue,'' Simitis told reporters.

''I believe that he will confront the situation realistically, and I do not think there will be a different line from that pursued so far, as far as essentials are concerned,'' the prime minister said in reply to a reporter's question.

He added that Papadopoulos' predecessor, Glafcos Clerides, had forged a path for the new leadership to follow.

Political leaders welcome election of new Cyprus president: Foreign Minister George Papandreou on Sunday evening welcomed Cyprus' new president to his post following the re-lease of final election results in the island republic.

''The election of Mr. Papadopoulos coincides with a highly significant period for Cyprus and its citizens, both Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot,'' Papandreou said in a statement.

''After the historic Copenhagen decision we are called upon to continue efforts for completion of the process of Cyprus' entry into the European Union, along with substantive negotiations on the basis of the Annan plan to resolve the political problem,'' he added.

In a separate statement, the leader of the main opposition New Democracy party, Costas Karamanlis, said he wished Papadopoulos every success at a historic moment for Cyprus.

The head of the Coalition of the Left and Progress, Nikos Constantopoulos, also welcomed Papadopoulos as president, saying his party would back his efforts to attain a just, viable and operational solution to the Cyprus problem.

[04] PM rejects talk of impending resignation

BRUSSELS 17/02/2003 (ANA/H.Poulidou)

''This is a midsummer night's dream,'' Simitis told reporters when asked to comment on media reports that he might quit.

''These rumors were created by people who are seeking to obstruct the government's work,'' he added.

[05] Tens of thousands take to the streets, saying ''no'' to war on Iraq

Athens, 17/02/2003 (ANA)

Flocking through the centre of Athens in a peaceful march were representatives of political parties, trade unions and peace groups, political leaders, political refugees, public figures and citizens, spanning children to pensioners.

Strewn with placards saying ''No to War'', ''Imperialism is the enemy'', and ''No bloodshed for war'', the orderly march to the US embassy was briefly disrupted by masked youths hurling firebombs into ministry premises near Syntagma Square and offices of the Ta NEA and To Vima newspapers.

Police dispersed the youths with teargas. A guard was slightly injured in the blaze, and an automobile wrecked.

''The people who inspired these attacks and carried them out, who tried to stir up trouble, will not succeed in overshadowing the magnificent, anti-war message sent out by today's rally,'' government spokesman Christos Protopappas said. ''We all must condemn this''.

Also criticizing the attacks was the main opposition New Democracy party.

In addition, youths belonging to a group named Action Thessaloniki 2003 burnt the UK flag in front of the country's city-centre embassy in a protest against the British government's backing for the US in a planned military attack on Iraq.

And at the tail end of the march near the US embassy, tens of youths attacked riot police with firebombs and rocks to break through a security cordon. Police guarding the embassy dispersed the group, and suspects were held for questioning.

Resounding through the city centre in a rally before the march was the voice of singer Maria Farandouri, internationally acknowledged for her renditions of works by Mikis Theodorakis.

Addressing the rally, composer Theodorakis said that he believed the last hope for humanity lay in the voice of the public, which had been heard simultaneously in 70 capitals around the world on Saturday, and reportedly in around 350 US cities.

A statement read to the rally called for a halt to the war plan, and the implementation of UN resolutions, also asking the UN's Security Council to refrain from providing any justification for an attack. Protesters also sought a worldwide ban on nuclear, chemical and other weapons of mass destruction.

In the northern port city of Thessaloniki, demonstrators filled the centre, bringing traffic to standstill.

Three separate rallies culminated in a peaceful joint march to the US consulate, where protesters burned a US flag and carried a statement to the Macedonia Thrace ministry asking that Greece should keep out of a US-led war on Iraq.

At the end of the march, self-styled anarchists hurled rocks, oranges and bottles of water at storefronts and then at police, who used teargas to disperse the youths. Scuffles broke out in which TV crews had their equipment damaged.

Other towns staging anti-war rallies were Patras, Kavala, Irakleio, Hania, Trikala and Karditsa.

Political parties seek peace: The head of the ruling PASOK party's central committee, Costas Laliotis, took part in the march, telling reporters that a strong showing had been made by a public that backed democracy and peace, joining forces with millions of people in tens of countries and hundreds of cities around the world.

''We have joined forces to say yes to peace and no to war...We want to besiege (US president George) Bush and (Iraqi president) Saddam Hussein. Bush should not embark on unilateral military initiatives and intervention. We are saying no to the war,'' Laliotis said.

''In addition, Saddam Hussein must respect UN resolutions and decisions, and proceed to disarm Iraq in terms of weapons of mass destruction,'' he added.

Also taking part in the march were the head of the Communist Party of Greece, Aleka Papariga; the leader of the Coalition for the Left and Progress, Nikos Constantopoulos; and chief of the Democratic Social Movement, Dimitris Tsovolas, all of whom spoke out against the war. Also represented was the New Democracy (ND) party.

The secretary of ND's central committee, Evangelos Meimarakis, said that the party backed a peaceful solution to global rifts, attended by a respect for international legality and the implementation of UN Security Council decisions.

Speaking in Thessaloniki, Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos said: ''Greece, also as (rotating) president of the European Union, is shouldering a very delicate and difficult role. Because currently the world community has to rescue the operation, prestige and stature of the United Nations; and the European countries in particular have to save and reshape their political physiognomy, and the possibility of a strategic role for the EU.''

''I don't know if we will avert the war, but what we must do is to protect conditions for peace,'' Venizelos added.

Journalists' union decries attack on newspaper office: Later in the day, the ESIEA journalists' union condemned the attack on offices of the Lambrakis Press Organization by masked youths, in which automobiles of staff members were wrecked.

''Not only was this an attack directed against a specific media group and against the freedom of speech. It was also an attack that undermined the normal operation of democracy and of the state, as well as the largest protest march that has ever taken place in Greece,'' the union said in a statement.

[06] Gov't to take court action in cash dispute between EU, state airline

Athens, 17/02/2003 (ANA)

''We will resort to Greek and European courts,'' Transport and Communications Minister Christos Verelis said in a statement.

Management of the ailing airline has disputed the Commission's decision that calls for the return of state subsidies dating back to 1998 under a revitalization plan, backed by the government, its owner.

Verelis also repeated that the government would continue to try to privatize the airline in a bid to avoid its closure and the loss of 6,000 jobs.

In December, the company's president and CEO, Dionysis Kalofonos said: ''Olympic Airways is in no danger from the decision, but from an unprecedented campaign by rivals, who have named a fine of about 193 million euros, hiding the content of the decision, which refers to 41 million euros, equivalent to OA's share capital rise in 1998.''

[07] Aid for ethnic Greeks in Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia

Athens, 17/02/2003 (ANA)

Also announcing the 3.75 million euro program, which will go into immediate effect, were the council's president, Andrew Athens, and the head of the Balkan and Black Sea Business Centre, Dimitris Bakatselos.

The funds to back business, education, training, health and welfare, are to be provided from the foreign ministry as part of an international development cooperation project. Already disbursed are 1.5 million euros, Magriotis said.

The plan is due to be extended to Albania in 2003, and in 2004 to southern Russia.

[08] Greece's image in the US, Canada has changed, seminar says

NEW YORK 17/02/2003 (ANA/P.Panayiotou)

''It was commonly agreed by all that the image of Greece has changed. Our country is no longer the 'black sheep'," Dimitris Yerou, information secretary general of the Greek press and mass media ministry told the Athens News Agency.

Yerou chaired the seminar on Friday, which was arranged by the ministry and held at the Greek Press Office in New York.

Among those taking part were academics from the communications field and the heads of Greek embassy press offices in the US and Canada.

[09] Former king ends 24-hour visit to Greece to perform religious rite

Athens, 17/02/2003 (ANA)

The ex-monarch left Athens airport by private jet to Spain where his daughter resides after sightseeing in Athens and meeting acquaintances.

On arrival on Saturday, Constantine went to the Tatoi estate near Athens, reportedly for the first time since 1993, after arriving on a scheduled flight from Italy. He declined to make statements to the media.

Asked to comment on the visit, government spokesman Christos Protopappas told reporters that that Constantine had informed the Greek embassy that he would stay for about 24 hours in order to perform the memorial ritual.

The ex-king entered the country under the terms of the Schengen travel agreement on a passport issued by a European country. He was identified on the document by the surname of ''de Grecia'', the spokesman said.

''The former king is one of millions of European visitors to come to Greece in 2003. No more, no less,'' he added.

Also asked for comment by the media was Deputy Foreign Minister Yiannis Magriotis, who said that the country was in no jeopardy from the former monarch following a parting of the ways between state and monarchy.

Constantine cannot enter the country using a Greek passport unless he drops his former title of monarch and employs a surname.

In January, the head of the International Olympic Committee said that the ex-king, a member of the IOC, had the right to return to Greece for the Athens 2004 Olympics under the terms of an agreement signed by the IOC and the government.

''The Greek government has signed a contract with the IOC under which members of the IOC will be in Athens in August 2004, and this contract must be adhered to,'' IOC head Jacques Rogge had told the Sunday Eleftherotypia newspaper.

[10] Papadopoulos elected President of the Republic from first round

NICOSIA 17/02/2003 (CNA/ANA)

He won Sunday's presidential elections with the support of the centre-right Democratic Party he heads, the leftwing AKEL, the Social Democrats (KISOS) and the Ecologists-Environmentalists Movement.

Tassos Papadopoulos secured 51.51 percent of the vote over outgoing President Glafcos Clerides, who secured 38.80 percent.

Papadopoulos' victory was realized with 213,353 votes while Clerides garnered 160,724 votes.

Alecos Markides came third with 27,404 votes or 6.62 percent while New Horizons leader, Nicos Koutsou, received 8,771 votes or 2.12percent.

In statements after the election results were announced the new president elect said that he would engage in substantive negotiations to prove to the international community that his commitment to finding a political settlement remains firm.

Papadopoulos, speaking on the telephone with President Glafcos Clerides who rang to congratulate him on his election victory, sought Clerides' expertise, abilities, connections and knowledge in the task ahead.

Addressing himself to Turkish Cypriots, Papadopoulos said he looks forward to a just and viable solution for the benefit of both communities with respect to each side's rights, history and traditions.

''The people of Cyprus have decided for a change and have given me a mandate for a society that is united. I would like to express my gratitude for the trust the people have shown in me,'' he said.

He said his contract with the people for a society of equality without discrimination and without prejudice, a society that would observe meritocracy will be observed.

''I would like to send a special message to our Turkish Cypriots compatriots and say that I look forward to a just and lasting settlement to the benefit of all in a spirit of equality with respect to the rights, the history and the traditions and the political self-sufficiency of each of the two communities in the context of the UN peace plan, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has put forward,'' Papadopoulos said.

He said he will expect to see Annan in Cyprus towards the end of the month, as announced by the UN, in the hope that the Secretary General will be able to break the current deadlock in the ongoing UN-led peace negotiations.

''We are absolutely ready for substantive negotiations which are needed to be faithful and prove to the international community as well that our commitment to a solution remains firm and unfaltering,'' he said.

The president elect said he would make every effort to see, if possible, a reunited Cyprus join the European Union and increase the benefits that full accession would bring to Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots alike.

He said he

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