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

News in English, of 29/08/1996

• prime minister's plans to strengthen the Greek economy.
• k industrialists meet with the main contenders for the premiership.
• the Clinton administration calls all Greek- American voters.

SIMITIS

Evert says if elected, he'll introduce a series of tax breaks to the nation's farmers and rewrite the tax laws governing the self-employed.

He adds that the farmers are of vital importance to Greece, and that the Greek people should be willing to make their economic lot easier.

Simitis counters that Pasok already has plans in the works to bring farmers tax relief on production costs.

He adds that the Evert package as a whole is unworkable, it would cost the country some two-and-a-half billion dollars, says Simitis. He wants the opposition leader to tell everyone where he intends to find the cash.

Simitis calls Evert's promises of farm aid and the rest of his economic plan "7 lies", an example of obsolete populism.

Evert promises to trim the size of the public sector from 40 to 32 per cent of GNP. That means 12 billion dollars in state spending cuts, says Simitis. He wants Evert to tell the nation where he plans to make the incisions. He also wants Evert to explain how he will be able to save money while promising to make big hand-outs.

Evert is also promising growth rates higher than the current rate of just over 2 per cent. Simitis says the last time New Democracy was in power, growth was a paltry .6 per cent. The premier adds that Pasok's policies over the past three years mean growth over the next couple of years will be 4 per cent per year.

The prime minister calls Evert's economic plans a a policy of slump and stagnation, a rehash of the failed policy of the last New Democracy government.

The Evert plan calls for revising the Maastricht treaty to help Greek farmers. But New Democracy is responsible for the EU's policy toward Greek farmers, says Simitis. Moreover, in the past, New Democracy failed three times to put together an economic convergence programme the EU would accept, leading to delays in Greece putting EU development funds to use.

Simitis calls Evert's promise to abolish Pasok's stringent tax code for farmers and the self- employed, mere populist rhetoric. Simitis promises to make corrections to the tax system, but adds saying the war against tax evasion, and tough tax guidelines can be abandoned, is a lie.

The Pasok tax laws tax many people according to things like the size of their business or office, and the self-employed say their taxes don't reflect their meagre incomes. Simitis says the Pasok system is the only way of stopping tax cheaters. Tax evasion, he insists, is the number one problem for the economy.

Simitis ends by asking Evert four questions: How can Greece develop? How can the social state and social solidarity be advanced in today's world? What role does Greece want to play in the EU? And, What role should Greece play in the Balkans?

ND RESPONSE

Prokopis Pavlopoulos appealed to Kostas Simitis to abandon what New Democracy calls the security of his "vague monologue", and accept Evert's challenge to a televised debate.

The spokesman added that Evert will answer all of the prime minister's questions during a press conference on Thursday.

Commenting on the election platforms of the two main contenders, Political Spring president Antonis Samaras said neither Simitis nor Evert have much to offer: both are asking people to vote for them as the lesser of two evils.

US GREEK-AMERICAN

The Clinton administration and American democrats are eager to win the Greek-American vote in November. Greek-Americans and democratic party officials assure Antenna that president Clinton is personally determined to see that Greek-Turkish problems are solved to Greece's satisfaction.

The head of the Greek-American movement for the Clinton-Gore ticket, Angelos Zakopoulos, tells Antenna correspondent Alexandra Spiridaki, "The American president wants to help, he very much wants to solve Greek-Turkish problems, and he will.

I'm very optimistic. He's a great friend of Hellenism. His right-hand man is George Stephanopoulos. Stephanopoulos's office is right next door to the president's, and he's one of the few people who can enter the president's office without knocking".

Don Fowler, chairman of the Democratic Party, shares Zakopoulos's view that a Clinton White

House is, and will continue to be, a good friend o Greece.

In response to a question from Spiridaki during a recent press conference, Fowler said,

"There's a commitment on the part of this administration to do those things that are necessary to ensure that Greece is well- protected, that Greece is not put at any disadvantage to any of its neighbours. The differences in some of the island problems at this point are the focus of the president personally. You can look forward to increasingly active involvement on the part of this government to find a n equitable resolution of those difficutlties".

Despite the assurances, not everyone in the Greek- American community is convinced that Clinton is completely in Greece's corner. Some people point out that the Clinton administration has given Turkey two-and-a-half times more in arms than previous administrations.

The skeptics add that Clinton, however well- dispose he is personally toward Greece, is a hostage of the bureaucracy.

But Zakopulos says that's not true. He believes what's important is for Greeks to make Greek views understood everywhere in Washington, at the state department and the Pentagon as well as at the White House.

EVERT

New Democracy's local branches met Wednesday to choose their parliamentary candidates.

The party's MPs are firmly behind Miltiades Evert's 7-point economic platform. Thodoros Kassimis says New Democracy knows the resources exist for to make good on its promises, as long as the state's finances are wisely managed.

The candidate selection process ends Saturday, when the party's Executive Committee meets to approve the local branches' selections.

SEB

The industrialists met with both prime minister Kostas Simitis and New Democracy's Miltiades Evert, telling them that de-industrialisation and unemployment are plagues that need immediate cures.

Evert said the development of northern Greece is a matter of national importance. He added that the resources to back large investments in the area exist.

Nikos Efthymiades, the industrialists' chairman, said anwers are needed now, because unemployment in Thessaloniki has reached 25 per cent.

KONSTANTOPOULOS

There has been much speculation about the Left Coalition working out some sort of sweetheart cooperation deal with Pasok after the elections.

Konstantopoulos says that's out of the question. He explains that his party is against one-party government's and that the Coalition would never help Pasok put one together.

He's calling on the prime minister to engage in open dialogue with his political opponents during the campaign.

The Left Coalition failed to win any seats in parliament in the last elections. Konstantopoulos is confident that will change this time around. He's optimistic that his party will get stronger.

TV COUNCIL

The parties couldn't agree with the proposals for time allotments made by the TV and Radio Council.

The parties will meet with the council to hear its new proposals on Thursday or Friday.

Interior minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos explained that the parties put great emphasis on access to political commercial time. Otherwise they have to depend on newscasts to get exposure, leaving them at the mercy of the whims of news directors.

GSEE

The GSEE's council unanimously elected Christos Polyzogopoulos to replace Christos Protopappas, who resigned the post.

Polyzogopoulos was president of Athens Workers' Center until now. Accepting his new post, he called on all of the political to deal with the problems of working people.

He said the union is accountable to no one except its members. "We're a large and creating part of Greek society, and will continue to be".

Protopapas wished his successor good luck, saying the union carries out difficult but necessary tasks.

© ANT1-Radio 1996

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