Antenna News in English 210896

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

News in English, of 21/08/1996

TITLES

• Simitis calls on early elections in September.
• Evert undertakes initiative over the Cyprus issue .
• And, a famous British soprano at the Athens Symphony hall .

ELECTIONS / SIMITIS

Pasok's executive bureau will meet by Thursday morning, and the prime minister will then call in his cabinet, before he meets with president Kostis Stefanopoulos later in the day. The premier will hand in the official letter by which he will ask for early national elections. Sources say on Friday, the ruling party's central committee and the parliamentary group will hold a common meeting, where the pre-election campaign of Pasok will officially set off. Four ministers will be replaced by interim ones : the government spokesman, the Justice, the Interior and the Public Order ministers.

After several front-page headlines had screamed that the prime minister plans to call an election in September, a series of rumours were spread on the issue, while two camps were formed within the ruling party of Pasok, with those who were in favor of this idea, and on the other hand, with the party's MPs who were opposed to early elections.

Development minister Vasso Papandreou and national economy and finance ministers Yiannos Papantoniou and Alekos Papadopoulos are reported in favour of calling early elections, as they expect that severe economy measures will be taken after the elections, for the improvement of Greece's economy. Pasok's secretary Kostas Skandalides is also reported in favour of this idea, as he considers the specific period of time favourable for the party to win a parliamentary majority in the elections.

In the other camp, another four names are reported: Interior minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos, defence minister Gerasimos Arsenis, foreign minister Theodoros Pangalos and Labour minister Evangelos Yiannopoulos.

As for the specific arguments brought up by each one of the camps, the Pasok MPs who want early national elections say that, first, the specific period of time is favourable for Pasok's victory in the electinos; second, that the country's financial situation needs immediate and strong decisions, and third, that Greece's national issues need a powerful and firm government to be faced.

On the other hand, those who are opposed to the idea of early elections, stress that, first, the government will seem unreliable to the people; second, that there is the possibility of a new incident provoked by Turkey, during the pre-election campaign, and third, that the Greek people just don't want elections at this period of time.

Tuesday premier Kostas Simitis met with several members of Pasok as well as with the party's secretary Kostas Skandalides. The main argument Simitis is reported having emphasized on to them was that the government needs a new popular order to move on to a complete economy and foreign policy programme without the risk of a long pre-election campaign, as the elections would normally be held in 1997.

Sources say the prime minister intends to propose the opposition parties to avoid any large political rallies, and instead, to participate in debates on TV, in the framework of the pre-election campaign of each party.

ELECTIONS / ND REACTIONS

The main opposition party's honorary president Konstantinos Mitsotakis expressed his disagreement over the idea of early elections in this period of time, stressing that the government is trying to turn the major issue of the Greek-turkish relations, and especially the Cyprus issue, into an object of internal, pre-election dispute.

New Democracy has contended for months that the government will call elections before its term expires in the autumn of 1997. But Pasok had so far ruled out early balloting.

On Tuesday New Democracy MPs expressed their belief that their party will surely win a parliamentary majority in the early elections.

CYPRUS

On Monday, Cypriot president Glavcos Clerides as well as the leaders of the other political parties in the country rejected the proposal of the special UN representative in Cyprus, Gustav Feyssel, for a meeting between the Cypriot president and the Turkish-Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash, before the establishment of fair and commonly accepted grounds.

The National Council is also discussing a proposal that was submitted by the US, sources say, for the beginning of a military dialogue with the Turkish occupation forces as a first step, and secondly with the participation of the Turkish-Cypriots.

Sources say the Cypriot government is preparing a "Black Book" , a special file on Turkish brutality, containing videotapes, pictures and relevant information, which Cyprus will send to foreign governments and parliaments.

DENKTASH

According to the reports, Denktash claims that Greek-Cypriot Solomos Solomou was killed by a bullet that was sent away, although it originally came from the gun of a Turkish-Cypriot soldier, who only fired on the Turkish flagstaff. Solomos Solomou, after the funeral of his cousin, Isaak, tried to lower the Turkish flag just inside the occupied territory of Cyprus, and was shot to death by Turkish-Cypriot soldiers.

Tassos Isaak was beaten to death by a Turkish mob in the neutral zone of Cyprus, which separates free Cyprus from the Turkish-occupied north.

EVERT

After the meeting of his party's political council, Evert said, "Greece needs immediate decisions, initiatives on an international level".

The leader of New Democracy also emphasized on the necessity for the planning of a commonly accepted foreign and defence policy. "That was the most important problem in the Cyprus issue", Evert added, "that we turned it into a matter of inner- party disputes in Nicosia and in Athens".

In Brussels, European Commission president Jacques Santer called the murders of the two Greek-Cypriots in Cyprus's neutral zone last week "acts of brutal force", and stressed that these incidents won't stop the Cyprus entry in the EU procedure. Santer added that Turkey's customs union with the EU has been made under specific conditions, and in the case these conditions are not fulfilled, there will be penalties imposed on Turkey.

Evert expressed his satisfaction over the statements of Jacques Santer. On Tuesday, the main opposition party's leader will visit the families of the two victims of the Turkish brutality in Cyprus last week.

VATOUMI

Two thousand ethnic Greeks are giving their daily fight for living in Vatoumi. The Kesisoglous, a family that keeps the ethnic Greek community in contact with the homeland, publish a newspaper in greek and in russian under their own expenses.

Turkish businessmen are reported being interested in opening a furniture factory once again, where the Kesisoglous were working at one time. But, the son of the family, Iordanis, knows exactly what he wants. He says, "When we left Turkey, we lost our homes, absolutely everything. I don't hate the Turks, they are human beings like us, we're christians and we must love everyone. But we want to work with our own people, with the Greeks".

The efforts of ethnic Greeks are not only focused on maintaining a contact with Greece, but also on reminding the inhabitants of Georgia of the Greek civilisation.

SPORTS / SURF

Forty-four athletes from sixteen countries took part in the games.

Greek-American Mike Boutsianis got the first position in the Championships, winning three races and being ine fifth place in another two. He only got 6. 1 penalty degrees.

Australia's Mark Petersen was second, with 10. 7 penalty degrees, and Finian Mainard, from the Virgin Islands, got third position, with 16. 7 penalty degrees.

Best Greek surfers were Filippos Adamides, who got the 28nd position, and Zisis Theocharis, who got the 30th.

SOPRANO

The internationally acclaimed soprano has a 35-year- old experience on stage with performances all over the world, including Coven Garden, the Metropolitan Opera and the Scala of Milan.

Jones, an opera singer who has performed several well-known roles, such as Lady Macbeth, Turandot, Tosca, is a down-to-earth professional. "You must wait ten or fifteen years until you sing a very difficult dramatic role", she says.

At the recital she will give at the Athens Symphony Hall, Jones will perform arias from well-known operas by Verdi, Puccini, Vagner and Strauss.

Guinneth Jones will also sing Greek ancient tragedies. Spending her summer holidays very often in Greece, Jones is a great admirer of the ancient Greek civilisation.

© ANT1-Radio 1996

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