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Antenna News in English 270896Antenna Radio News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Antenna Radio <http://www.antenna.gr> - email: antenna@compulink.grNews in English, of 27/08/1996TITLES
SIMITIS ELECTIONPrime minister Kostas Simitis wants Greece's month of election campaigning to be a month of constructive dialogue and debate between the country's political parties.In that spirit, Mr Simitis has accepted an invitation to debate New Democracy's Miltiades Evert on national TV. One time, not the three times Evert is asking. The prime minister hopes that this election month will contain dignified dialogue and be free of negative campaigning and sharp tones. Large rallies are a hallmark of Greek election campaigns. But not this time. Mr Simitis is holding just one large rally, in Athens, two days before the election. Before that, the premier will spend much of his time touring the country. His first election whistle stop will be in Thessaloniki on September 6th. The visit to Greece's second city will coincide with the the opening of the annual international trade fair there. The prime minister is already getting ready - Monday discussed his speech in Thessaloniki with his economy ministers. Mr Simitis has risen to the top of Pasok as a moderniser, a man who wants to break with the ways of the past. On September third, the anniversary of Pasok's official launch as a political party in 1974, Pasok's National Council will meet. With Pasok begins to chart its course into the 21st century, Mr Simitis says the day will be a milestone, the beginning of a new era. Mr Simitis will not be alone on the campaign trail. Other party members will also be touring the nation with speeches - Mr Simitis has dubbed the road campaign the "Victory Express". Pasok's message is one of responsible fiscal management combined with sensitivity. The prime minister says Pasok will make no promises of hand outs that it can't can't keep, and Pasok has said it will not swerve from its tight economic policies. At the same time, the ruling party says it wants to create a social welfare system that will make sure that all those who need help, get it. ELECTIONS/NDWe heard there that New Democracy president Miltiades Evert wants to debate the prime minister three times, not once.New Democracy's spokesman explained why Evert wants several debates. Prokopis Pavlopoulos says the voters need to be fullly briefed on the parties' positions in three areas: foreign policy, national security; social and economic policies.Also needed, are institutional changes to modernise the country. Pasok goes into this election campaign saying it's not making any promises the country can't afford. New Democracy president Miltiades Evert will announce his election platform on Tuesday, during a meeting of the opposition party's MPs and central committee members. PANGALOSForeign minister Theodoros Pangalos attacked New Democracy leader Miltiades Evert during a press conference on Monday.Pangalos accuses Evert of adopting Turkey's views on Greek-Turkish relations. Pangalos says, "Evert said he's in favour of dialogue between Greece and Turkey, on the condition that all their problems are listed. That's what Turkey's been asking for, for over a decade". Pangalos says Turkey wants to put all sorts of things on it list of problems, including issues of Greek sovereignty Greece will not discuss. New Democracy spokesman Prokopis Pavlopoulos brushed aside Pangalos's accusation, saying his comments aren't worth replying to. ELECTIONS SMALL PARTIESMuch of the headline space is devoted to Greece's two main parties during any election period. But the smaller parties are also in the race for parliamentary seats.Political Spring has gotten a boost, as the members of the Democratic Renewal party, or Diana, have joined its ranks. Political Spring leader Antonis Samaras welcomed the members of Democratic Renewal to his party. Diana was founded by current Greek president Kostis Stephanopoulos. Like Political Spring, it emerged as a breakaway from New Democracy. One of Greece's two main left-wing groupings, the communist party, is taking election shots at the opposite one: the Left Coalition. Communist party secretary Aleka Papariga accuses the Left Coalition, which failed to win a parliamentary seat in the last national election, of preparing to form some sort of cooperation pact with Pasok after this election, if Pasok fails to win a majority large enough to form a government on its own. She says the communist party will not cooperate with any other party. The communists don't want to help any other party form a government. Left Coalition leader Nikos Konstantopoulos is also campaigning. His response to the Evert-Simitis TV debate is to call for a three public debate between the members of all the main political parties. CYPRUSThe faces of the murderers of Greek-Cypriot Tassos Isaak are no longer anonymous. Isaak was clubbed to death in Cyprus's neutral zone in August 11th, as he was peacefully protesting Turkey's military occupation of north Cyprus.After days of working with video tapes of the beating, the Cypriot police now have very clear pictures of Isaak's murderers. The murderers' names have been learned and they have been identified as members of the Turkish terrorist organisation, the "Grey Wolves". According to reports in the Turkish press, the Wolves had been sent to Cyprus by Turkish foreign minister Tansu Ciller, to take part in the violence unleashed on the unarmed Greek-Cypriot protestors on August 11th. The Greek-Cypriot police are issuing warrants for the arrest of the murderers. An arrest and trial seems unlikely, though, since both men are now back in Turkey. A Turkish-Cypriot daily has republished an interview with the leader of the Turkish terrorist organisation "Grey Wolves" in the Turkish magazine "Tempo". The terrorist leader admits that over three thousand members of his organisation went to Cyprus on August 11th and took part in the violent incidents. Claiming that the "Grey Wolves" aim to defend Turks all over the world, he said the organisation's members took up positions at spots where they knew that Greek-Cypriot motorcycle riders would attempt to pass in Cyprus's neutral zone. Turkish-Cypriots who disagree with their leaders also find themselves under threat of execution. The widow of murdered journalist Koulou Adalin told the magazine Aktueal that her husband had been killed by people acting on the orders of Turkish-Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash. Adalin had often criticised the oppressiveness of the Denktash regime. The French daily "Le Figaro" ran a special feature on Cyprus following the latest Turkish violence. Under the title, "Cyprus, the island Europe laments, dreams of peace", Figaro gives an account of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, and of Turkey's Cyprus policy. The United Nations has called on Turkey to remove its troops from the island, but to no avail. ALIKIIt's been forty days since one of Greece's favorite theatre and television stars, Aliki Vouyouklaki, has passed away.Sunday morning, dozens of Aliki's loved ones, close friends, associates, and admirers gathered at the First Cemetery, in Athens, to attend a memorial service in her honour. Her mother, Emy, was a tragic figure, still enveloped by grief. Also in a deep state of mourning were her only son, Yiannis, her two brothers, her ex-husband Dimitris Papamichail, and her partner until she died, Kostas Spyropoulos. Everyone at the service agreed: it seems as if Aliki is still with us, as if her smile, preserved in a picture on her grave, is still with us. SPORTSGreece has always been associated with the sea, so it's fitting that Greek athletes have won distinction at the European waterskiing championships in Denmark.Angeliki Andriopoulou won a gold and a silver medal. The gold came in the "triathlon", where she scored 2,650 points; the silver was in the figure skiing. World champion Natalia Roumiantseva of Russia finished first overall. In the jump, Andriopoulou broke her own Greek record, with a score of 40.1 meters. Her old record was 39.8 metres. © ANT1-Radio 1996Antenna Radio News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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