Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 03-04-07

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

CONTENTS

[01] ECOFIN president: Assessment of economic repercussions from war difficult

[02] Greek DM: Washington believes EU-US relations must be restored

[03] ND's Karamanlis tours Ileia prefecture

[04] Alternate FM to separately receive Czech counterpart; 'Prestige' coordinator

[05] Council of State upholds appointment of muftis

[06] Peace rallies in Hania, Kavala

[07] IAAF selects afternoon start time for 2004 Olympic marathon

[08] 'Olympic Truce' signed in Nicosia

[09] Greek, Turkish pupils gather on Samos for sports, cultural events

[10] 'Tour of Athens 2003' message for peace

[11] Group of Iraqi illegals intercepted off Lesvos

[12] UN chief hopes Cyprus peace plan will not wither away

[13] Spokesman says UN chief's report blames Denktash for deadlock

[01] ECOFIN president: Assessment of economic repercussions from war difficult

Athens, 07/04/2003 (ANA)

“However, no matter what the repercussions are, nothing can compare with the massive human tragedy of the war that is taking place, therefore, humanitarian aid is a priority for the European Union at this phase,” he said during a press conference on Saturday at the conclusion of an informal ECOFIN meeting near Athens.

The meeting marked the last time such an informal ECOFIN meeting takes place in its present form, as finance ministers from newly acceded EU member-states will participate as observers in future sessions before becoming full members when the entire accession process is concluded.

Christodoulakis stressed that during an afternoon session on Saturday, ECOFIN ministers again reiterated their position of retaining all existing procedures within the current legal framework for examining a member-state’s application for Economic and Monetary Union inclusion.

In the shadow of the current US-led campaign against Iraq, Christodoulakis said ECOFIN ministers believe that following the latest developments oil prices do not warrant concern at the moment.

Moreover, briefly referring to the controversial issue of state supports, both in Europe and the United States, for a struggling airline sector, he said the matter will be discussed at an upcoming G7 meeting, although he advised “readiness” on the part of the Commission.

Similar to oil prices, he said EU-wide inflation is also not a problem at the moment, before warning, however, that reforms are necessary for markets’ better performance, especially labor market reforms.

“We must try and avoid (economic) overheating and other phenomena that lead to problematic developments as far as production costs and prices are concerned...” he said.

EU Commissioner Pedro Solbes had earlier referred to increased inflationary differences amongst member-states (3.8 percent in February as opposed to 3.5 percent in the same month in 2002), saying however, that this development is not at the moment causing concerns within the Commission.

Regarding the upcoming spring session of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington, Christodoulakis said the EU will promote its proposal to create a new mechanism for restructuring countries’ public debt, one based on the recent experiences of Latin America, as he said.

“Beyond the need for more generous aid, we feel the need for their (poorer countries with a heavy debt burden) voice to be heard louder in all international fora, including the IM...” he said.

Finally, he said the ECOFIN Council’s ministers decided to recommend to EU leaders that Wim Duisenberg remain at the helm of the European Central Bank until the election of a new president.

[02] Greek DM: Washington believes EU-US relations must be restored

Athens, 07/04/2003 (ANA)

The Greek minister arrived in the United States last week for talks with US leadership, including US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and White House National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, on the occasion of a handover ceremony of US-made F-16 fighter planes to the Hellenic Air Force.

Papantoniou stressed that Rice comprehended the fact even if the United States achieved victory in Iraq, “it is not certain that a solution will be found, rather it may lead to greater instability and more terrorism in the region.”

Additionally, he said the issue of establishing an international framework of rules, especially on the part of the United States and Europe, to deal with serious crises without resorting to unilateral military action was also discussed.

Meanwhile, he is expected to visit Paris and Berlin on the same day this month for talks with his French and German counter-parts, with the issue of a common European defense policy high on the agenda of talks.

Regarding the thorny issue of a “Euro-Army”, Papantoniou stressed that political volition and proper funding are necessary to ensure the continent’s security, with a robust defense industry also imperative.

Finally, he noted that any visit to Ankara is unlikely unless a distinct change in Turkish policy noted, before referring to continuing violations of Greek airspace by Turkish warplanes, as he said, and a restart of negotiations for a Cyprus solution based on the Annan peace plan.

The Athens daily “Kathimerini” carried the interview in its Sunday edition.

Meanwhile, in an interview published by another Athens daily, Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos said a common European defense policy would mark a “dramatic change” in Euro-America relations.

The prerequisites, he said, are for “Europe to decide that it will assume the financial, ideological, political and social cost of guaranteeing the security of the European continent”.

His comments appeared in the “Ethnos” newspaper.

[03] ND's Karamanlis tours Ileia prefecture

Athens, 07/04/2003 (ANA)

In brief comments there, Karamanlis criticized the government for not keeping its promises to help residents repair damages, as he claimed.

Meanwhile, in an unrelated development, a ND-sponsored three-day conference of the European Federation of Public Service Employees and the Independent Democratic Movement of Employees wound up sessions at the Old Parliament building in downtown Athens on Saturday.

The conference was part of the main opposition party’s series of events during the ongoing Greek EU presidency, with 82 representatives from 17 European countries attending, according to a ND press release.

[04] Alternate FM to separately receive Czech counterpart; 'Prestige' coordinator

Athens, 07/04/2003 (ANA)

In a separate meeting, Yiannitsis will later receive former Spanish minister Rodolfo Martin Villa, the Madrid government’s coordinator of the country's response to the “Prestige” pollution crisis.

Greek interests owned the ill-fated oil tanker that sank off Spain’s northwest coast late last year.

[05] Council of State upholds appointment of muftis

Athens, 07/04/2003 (ANA)

Greece’s constitution stipulates that ‘muftis’ -- quasi-religious, quasi-administrative leaders -- are appointed by the state, and not elected by the Muslim faithful in their region.

A Muslim resident of Komotini, a city in northeastern Greece’s Thrace region, had taken recourse to the CoS to petition for the annulment of the current mufti’s appointment. He cited the 1913 Treaty of Athens in filing his petition.

However, the court cited the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, the same Treaty of Athens as well as the European Pact for Human Rights in rejecting the motion, commenting in detail on each of the points cited by the plaintiffs.

Although the vast majority of Greeks belong to the Eastern Orthodox Christian faith, a Muslim minority is concentrated in the border Thrace region with Bulgaria and Turkey.

[06] Peace rallies in Hania, Kavala

Athens, 07/04/2003 (ANA)

Authorities estimated a crowd of protesters in Hania at 3,500, with about 1,000 arriving by ferry boat earlier in the day.

Several local and prefecture officials as well as clergy participated in the anti-war, pro-peace rally.

Members of local Arab communities protest outside US embassy: Arab residents in Greece, including Palestinian expatriates, protested outside the US embassy in Athens on Sunday against the continuing US-led campaign in Iraq, shouting anti-war and anti-Israel slogans for the most part.

Several local peace and anti-globalization groupings also joined the rally in central Athens.

The mobilization comes one day after about 3,000 protesters attempting to block off a naval station on Crete (Souda Bay) that serves as a logistical base for the US Sixth fleet in the Mediterranean.

[07] IAAF selects afternoon start time for 2004 Olympic marathon

Athens, 07/04/2003 (ANA)

Specifically, the men’s and women’s marathons will take place on Aug. 29 and Aug. 22, respectively, and begin at 6 p.m. (16.00 GMT). The men’s marathon will, in fact, close out the competition for the 2004 Games, as it is traditionally the last event held during the Summer Olympics.

The international athletics federation had initially considered a morning start time for the arduous event in a bid to avoid the mid-afternoon heat and humidity in the Greek capital.

The 2004 Olympics marathons will be run on the “classical route” connecting the Marathon plain in eastern Attica prefecture – the site of an immensely crucial victory by an Athenian citizen-army and their allies the Plataians over an invading Persian force in 490 B.C. --with downtown Athens’ all-marble Panathinaiko stadium, the venue that hosted the first modern Olympics in 1896 and the finish line for the 2004 marathon.

Most historians agree that the battle of Marathon paved the way for Classical Greek civilization, with the event held in antiquity in honor of an Athenian messenger that heralded the battlefield victory to his fellow citizens before dying of exhaustion.

[08] 'Olympic Truce' signed in Nicosia

NICOSIA 07/04/2003 (ANA)

Only one Turkish Cypriot politician, however, was able to pass into the free areas of the island republic, as the Denktash regime in the Turkish-occupied areas prevented most other T/C politicians from attending the ceremony. Alpai Dourtouran was the only T/C politician that attended the event.

[09] Greek, Turkish pupils gather on Samos for sports, cultural events

Athens, 07/04/2003 (ANA)

The focus of the three-day events is on ancient Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympic Games, part of an initiative by the junior high and high school of Fourni via the education ministry’s “Olympic Education” program and with the co-sponsorship of the Samos prefecture authority.

[10] 'Tour of Athens 2003' message for peace

Athens, 07/04/2003 (ANA)

[11] Group of Iraqi illegals intercepted off Lesvos

Athens, 07/04/2003 (ANA)

A 28-year-old Turkish national accompanying the dozen illegals – all of whom hail from Iraq – was charged with migrant smuggling, reports state.

Authorities said the group had disembarked from the opposite Turkish coastline, a favorite springboard for mostly Third World illegal immigrants attempting to sneak into Greece and other EU destinations in the Mediterranean.

The suspect was identified as Abdullah Abouzer.

Meanwhile, four Turkish nationals were arrested by border guards in the northeast Evros prefecture on Sunday for attempting to illegally enter the country.

Two of the four, identified as Hussein Dilmak, 33, and Ergul Aser, 26, were charged with migrant smuggling. A car the four were riding in was also confiscated near the township of Mandra, close to the Greek-Turkish land border in the Thrace region.

[12] UN chief hopes Cyprus peace plan will not wither away

UNITED NATIONS 07/04/2003 (CNA/ANA)

In his draft report on his mission of good offices in Cyprus, to be presented before the Security Council on Monday, Annan says ''the end has been reached in the effort that began in late 1999'' and that ''the window of opportunity that opened then was closed at the 10-11 March 2003 meeting'' in The Hague.

Annan clearly blames the Turkish Cypriot side for the collapse of the talks in The Hague and expresses positive comments about both former President of the Republic Glafcos Clerides and President Tassos Papadopoulos.

''Under my auspices, an intensive effort was undertaken between 1999 and early 2003 to assist the two sides in Cyprus to achieve a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem. This effort was undertaken in the context of a unique opportunity which, had it been seized, would have allowed a reunited Cyprus to sign the Treaty of Accession to the EU on 16 April 2003'', he says.

Annan adds that ''proximity talks were held between December 1999 and November 2000, and direct talks between January 2002 and February 2003''.

''During the process, the parties were not able to reach agreement without third party assistance. Accordingly, I submitted a comprehensive settlement proposal on 11 November 2002, a first re-vision on 10 December 2002, and a second revision on 26 February 2003. The plan required a referendum in advance of 16 April 2003 to approve it and reunify Cyprus'', Annan points out.

He notes that ''in The Hague on 10-11 March 2003, it became clear that it would not be possible to achieve agreement to conduct such a referendum, and the process came to an end''.

''My plan remains on the table. I do not propose to take a new initiative without solid reason to believe that the political will exists necessary for a successful outcome'', the UN chief adds.

He says he does ''not believe that such an opportunity will occur any time soon'' but he does believe however that ''it would be a great step backward if the plan as such were simply to wither away''.

Annan says ''there have been many missed opportunities over the years in the UN good offices efforts on Cyprus'' and that ''both sides bear a share of the blame for those failures''.

''But in the case of the failure of this latest effort, I believe that Mr. (Rauf) Denktash, the Turkish Cypriot leader, bears prime responsibility'', Annan adds.

Commenting on the efforts made by Clerides, Annan says the former President ''sought to find ways to address the interests and concerns of the Turkish Cypriot side'' and furthermore ''showed a willingness to seek out ways to circumvent ideological barriers and solve problems in a practical way''.

Referring to Papadopoulos, who was elected President of the Republic in mid-February 2003, Annan says he accepted that continuity existed with his predecessor, ''vowed to refrain from requesting substantive alterations'' to the peace plan and ''agreed to work apace and in good faith within the time frame provided for the plan'', although he doubted ''whether it would be possible, as a practical matter, to reach a settlement in the time remaining''.

On Greece and Turkey, Annan says that the role of the two countries ''both as guarantors and as motherlands is crucial to reaching a settlement, for both legal and political reasons''.

''I am pleased to have counted on the strong support of Greece throughout my effort'', he says and hopes that the new government in Turkey ''will soon be in a position to throw its support unequivocally behind the search for a settlement, for without that support it is difficult to foresee one being reached''.

[13] Spokesman says UN chief's report blames Denktash for deadlock

NICOSIA 07/04/2003 (CNA/ANA)

Commenting on the report, Chrisostomides reiterated that the Greek Cypriot side's position remains the same, noting that ''we will work towards a solution''.

He added that ''we will negotiate in good faith on the basis of the Annan plan so that the plan may become a functional solution to the benefit of all Cypriots, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots''.

Chrisostomides described the report of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan ''a chronicle of Denktash's refusal to engage in sincere and substantive negotiations for a Cyprus settlement''.

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