Antenna News in English 230796

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From: Antenna Radio <http://www.antenna.gr> - email: antenna@compulink.gr

News in English, of 23/07/1996

TITLES

• Actress Aliki Vouyouklaki's life in the balance.
• Greece gets Olympic silver.
• And, Greek expatriates' solidarity with Greece.

ALIKI

Doctors say Voyouklaki, who has been slipping in and out of a coma since Saturday, has virtually no chance of surviving the liver ailment that sent her to Germany and the US for answers four months ago.

After two months of undergoing treatment at the Athens Medical Centre, Voyouklaki went into a coma because4 of liver failure Saturday night.

Her overall condition has been deteriorating since last week, say doctors. Monday, the reported that her heartbeat is irregular and her blood pressure is low and falling.

The nation is with Aliki, praying for her as she asked it to do when her ordeal began four months ago.

Family, friends, and strangers who've loved her from afar have visited the hospital, some taking flowers.

Others have phoned the clinic or written messages of support. The groundswell of support was the best gift Aliki could've received on her birthday Saturday.

Antenna president Minos Kyriakou, a close friend of the actress, visited her on her birthday. "I hope God gives her strength", he told reporters. "That's what everyone wants", he added, "she's so strong that there could be a miracle".

One woman who visited the hospital said that all women can identify with Vouyouklaki, because she's managed to stay forever young - something all women would like to do.

With the spirit of youth comes hope. Aliki's mother, Emy told Antenna, "My child is going to be alright".

AIRPORTS

The Greek and American governments insist that security at Athens is fine. But what about other airports, in other countries?

Antenna's Giorgos Amyras recently visited Heathrow, in London, Charles de Galle, in Paris, and Zurich's international airports. He found security sorely lacking at all three.

MEDAL

Weight-lifter Leonidas Sabanis hoisted a total of 305 kilos in the 59-kilo category, clinching the second spot Sunday.

An ethnic greek from southern Albania, Sabanis lifted 137.5 kilos in the jerk, setting a new Greek record.

With his 305-kilo total, Sabanis finished two-and-a-half kilos behind China's Tang Nin-Seng, who set a new world record with his 307.5-kilo effort.

After winning the silver, Sabanis said he's pleased with the result, but added that he could've won the gold if he had been more relaxed.

TWA

The world cannot leave him and the other victims behind.

"He loved Greece and he wanted to go to Greece to work in the future". The words belong to Daniel's mother, but the whole story's in her tear-filled eyes.

"His dream was to become a pilot", she told Antenna. "I brought him here, in the States to study, and I buried him here...so young...at least he died happy, because he liked what he was doing...He was a thousand per cent Greek, he loved Greece".

In Greece, there is not only lament, but anger, in the aftermath of the tragedy. A number of stories have appeared in the American press, inferring that lax security at Athens international airport

could've given terrorists the chance to plant a bomb on the ill-fated jet that flew the Athens-New York run before leaving for Paris.

The US state department has said security at Athens meets international satnadard.

And government spokesman Dimitris Reppas said Monday that Greece will take all action necessary to defend itself against the claims in the press.

That could include legal action against the offenders.

Transport minister Charis Kastanides said Greece could file libel suits over the lax-security allegations. He also said that the press reports do not reflect the official position of the US government. And he added that Greek experts may go to the US to check on security at US airports. The TWA plane that exploded had sat on the tarmac at JFK airport for three hours before leaving for Paris.

The search for answers to the questions surrounding flight 800 will continue. For relatives of the victims, the question "Why?" has no answer. Daniel Kallas's sister has only grief, expressed in her anguished words: "I have no brother".

CYPRUS

Twenty-two years after they invaded northern Cyprus, Turkish troops are still in occupation, despite repeated international calls to get out.

For Greek-Cypriots, the anniversary speaks of death, refugees, and fear of the invader. A fear heightened by the fact that Turkey marks the date with military celebrations.

July 20th, 1974: Turkish troops descend upon Cyprus, eventually occupying the northern part of the island, and sowing death and destruction among the Greek-Cypriots they met along the way.

July 20th, 1996: Turkish troops celebrate the 22nd anniversary of their bloody invasion. Turkish prime minister Netsmetin Erbakan attended the military festivities in northern Cyprus Saturday.

He watched as Turkish helicopters and Turkish fighters flew over the island, boasting of their conquest. Bulent Ecevit, Turkish president at the time of the invasion, also attended the festivities Saturday.

For Greek-Cypriots, there's nothing to celebrate. Many are refugees. They remember the dead; they remember lost homes, the possessions left behind in hasty flights south, away from the Turks; they remember the beatings in Turkish prisons; and they remember the missing, unaccounted for after over two decades.

Turkey has never shown any intention of releasing northern Cyprus from its grips.

Cypriot president Glavcos Clerides said, "The presence of Erbakan at Saturday's celebration confirms the expansionist intentions of Turkey". Greek premier Kostas Simitis also spoke of Turkish expansionism in his message marking the anniversary.

And New Democracy leader Miltiades Evert said "The Turkish prime minister's visit to the occupied territories was a provocative act".

Greek president Kostis Stephanopoulos said in his anniversary message that the the international community should act decisively to bring justice to Cyprus.

EVERT

Greece lifted its veto of 500 million dollars in EU aid last week, hoping Turkey would listen to EU calls for it to be a good neighbour to Greece.

In Evia over the weekend, Evert said even the conditional lifting of the veto was a mistake, calling it a foreign policy defeat.

Evert spent the weekend travelling the Greek islands, getting his party's views out to the voters.

On the island of Skyros, not far from Evia, he repeated his proposal that all the country's parties meet to discuss issues of great importance to the country.

Evert slammed the government, accusing it of being inactive, and mishandling the country's affairs.

POLL

The PRC poll conducted for the paer "Ta Nea" gives Mr Simitis a 75.1 per cent personal popularity rating.

Left Coalition leader Nikos Konstantopoulos comes in second with a 70 per cent rating.

He's followed by former Pasok member, and leader of Diki, Dimitris Tsovolas, who turns in a 56.7 per cent showing.

Running through the list: Political Spring leader Antonis Samaras scores 41.6 per cent; communist party secretary Aleka Papariga stands at 34.5 per cent; and New Democracy's Miltiades Evert turns in a 32.9 per cent popularity rating.

Government spokesman Dimitris Reppas didn't make too much of the poll. The Greek people don't need the polls to make their decisions, he said.

And Stavros Dimas, head of New Democracy's election steering committee, wasn't ruffled by Evert's poor showing. New Democracy leads Pasok in the party polls. And Dimas says his party will win the next elections.

ARKADES

Labour minister Evangelos Yiannopoulos opened the proceedings, stressing that Greek expatriates have an important role to play in promoting the intersts of Hellenism.

New Democracy's central committee secretary Stavros Dimas talked about the necessity for Greeks living abroad to have closer ties to Greece.

Which is what the World Council of Hellenism, of which is Andrew Athens is president, is all about. Athens addressed greetings to the congress.

Visiting Olympia, home of the ancient Olympic Games, Athens told Antenna that Greeks abroad speak in one voice when it comes to Greece's national security issues.

One of Greece's biggest national security headaches is Turkey. Athens said the United States shouldn't sell so many weapons to Turkey, because it upsets the balance in the Aegean region.

During his travels through the old country, Athens also visited his parents' home town: the village of Kakovatos in Ilia. He received a warm welcome from the village residents, who rushed to greet one of their own.

SPORTS

But the Greek basketball team rebounded to beat Brazil Monday.

This one is a hard-fought contest all the way, and the teams go to the break with the score knotted at 54.

Late in the game Greece goes ahead, and wins it 89-87. The Brazilians make the final score close with two desperation three-pointers as the clock winds down.

A great night for forward Nikos Ikonomou. He leads Greece's offensive charge with a spectacular 34-point performance. Greece shoots well overall, in fact, hitting 56 per cent of its shots.

Greece's next game is against Puerto Rico.

© ANT1-Radio 1996

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