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Antenna News in English 021096Antenna Radio News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Antenna Radio <http://www.antenna.gr> - email: antenna@compulink.grNews in English, of 02/10/1996TITLES
CYPRUSPrime minister Kostas Simitis flew to Cyprus Tuesday morning for an official two-day visit on the island and for talks with the Cypriot authorities on the island's major national issues.The first day of Simitis's visit coincided with the 36th Cyprus's independence day from the English empire. When arrived at Nicosia's airport, the Greek premier said he was very pleased to make his first official trip, after his recent election as prime minister, to Cyprus. He also said, "The Cyprus issue is the first major matter of Greece's foreign policy. The greek government has never stopped being interested in solving the Cyprus issue and securing the future of the Cypriot hellenism". Simitis stressed that his visit on the island's independence day proves exactly Greece's concern to support the independent Cypriot republic as well as its fights for the island's territorial integrity. Cypriot president Glafcos Clerides thanked the Greek premier and his government for their concern to the island. Greek and Cypriot officials watched later in the day an impressive military parade, which included ten Russian military vehicles recently bought by Cyprus. After the parade, Kostas Simitis referring to the Greek-Cypriot joint defence doctrine said, "We need a powerful dissuasive force to face the Turkish aggressiveness. And we do have such a force". Earlier in the day, the Greek prime minister had layed a wreath on the tomb of Cypriot Archbishop Makarios. All along his official appearances, the Greek premier was warmly welcomed by the Cypriot people, and especially by school students holding greek flags. Kostas Simitis discussed with the Cypriot president Glavcos Clerides the US proposal for a dialogue between the Cypriot National Guard and the Turkish occupation forces to reduce tension in the confrontation line. They also examined all ways of handling the negotiations on the Cyprus issue, as well as the perspectives of the island's entry to the European Union. N.D.Friday will be the final day of the competition for the leadership of the main opposition party. One hundred and ninety three electors will have to choose between the party's former leader, Miltiades Evert, and a former minister and top party member, Giorgos Souflias.Tuesday, seventy-six electors from the party's county organisations were elected all over Greece. They, along with 108 MPs and nine euro-deputies, will elect New Democracy's new president. On tueusday ,New Democracy MP and former president of parliament Athanassios Tsaldaris expressed his position in favour of Evert's candidacy, calling both the winner and the looser of Friday's election to cooperate together for the sake of the party's unity. Another leading member, Ioannis Varvitsiotis also asked to lower the high competition tones within the party. He asks of everyone to accept the final results of Friday's election. Former party leader Konstantinos Mitsotakis indirectly expressed his position in favour of Giorgos Souflias's candidacy Monday night. Souflias specified the goals of his candidacy earlier in the day, saying, "I'm ready to work for a party that will regain its size as it was when founded". CONGRESSGreek-turkish relations were the main topic of a two- day congress, which was held in Washington Monday and Tuesday.The congress, which was organised by the Carneggy International Relations Foundation, was attended by politicians and intellectuals from Greece and Turkey, as well as by American officials. US former undersecretary of state and special envoy on FYROM Matthew Nimitz held a leading role in the congress, in which was also participated by the Greek former foreign ministers, Michalis Papakonstantinou and Giorgos Papoulias, and their Turkish former counterparts Emre Gkionensai and Hikmet Tsetin. CILLERTurkey called for dialogue with Greece on all issues in the Aegean status quo, once again, through its foreign minister Tansu Ciller.Speaking before the general assembly of the United Nations, Ciller said that her government wants a global solution for the Aegean, and continued further her provocative statements. Referring to the murders of the two unarmed Greek-Cypriots by Turkish soldiers in Cyprus's neutral zone two months ago, Ciller blamed the Greek-Cypriot side in the island for the incidents, which were internationally broadcasted shocking the world public opinion. The Turkish foreign minister claimed that the Greek- cypriot side denies dialogue with Turkey. CONSTANTINOPLEElpida Frangopoulou is a lawyer, who has been fighting for the rights of Greeks in Turkey for over thirty years. She has defended the property rights of Greeks in Constantinople stripped of their homes by Turkish authorities, on the pretext that Greeks have no inheritance rights, or that their owners, living abroad, had died.Condemning the Turkish violations at the Greek offices of the European Parliament in Athens, Frangopoulou couldn't hide her emotion. "Unfortunately, Turkey has gone far beyond any limit of justice, she said. It has stripped Greeks off their rights for a long time, but not up to that point, to take away Greek properties, one hundred and fifty years old", she said. Frangopoulou and Left Coalition eurodeputy Alekos Alavanos said that the Turkish foreign ministry has issued a document, asking the country's judges to seize all the properties of Greeks living, or who used to live, in Constantinople. Despite the fact that a special inquiry held by the Turkish foreign ministry has showed that Turks ARE allowed to own real-estate in Greece, Turkey has stripped Greeks from the right to get immobile property there. Alavanos called the greek government to go to all of the European Union's judicial institutions and denounce Turkey for violating Greeks' human rights. Furthermore, Tuesday was the first day of a worldwide campaign launched by the International Amnesty for the protection of human rights in Turkey. ADEDYPublic sector employees Union handed in a six-page petition to prime minister Kostas Simitis on Tuesday in view of next week's ratification of the government's programme by the parliament.The Union asked the premier to end the austerity policies by taxing all mobile and immobile properties. Public Sector employees stressed that their buying power has been reduced by 40 per cent in the past six years. They also asked for the modernisation of the public sector services by eliminating the political control of their boards. The Union also referred to the improvement of the state security funds for the public sector employees as well as to the transfers of employees under certain conditions. Meanwhile, the National Economy and finance ministry has been examining each possible way, to find supplementary income sources without imposing new taxes. NIARCHOSThe will of one of the last Greek shipowning legends is causing problems within his family, according to a report published by a British daily."Daily Mail" reported early this week that Helena Ford, daughter of Stavros Niarchos and Charlotte Ford, intends to dispute his will, by which she doesn't inheritate a thing. Niarchos, who passed away last April, had another four children after his third marriage, to Evgenia Livanou. Philippos, Spyros, Kostas and Maria will inheritate half of their father's fortune, which is estimated to be in excess of 4 billion dollars. Helena Ford has already inheritated a part of the fortune of her grand-father, American car-maker Henry Ford. OLYMPICTwo Olympic winners in sailing were honoured special awards by the Rotary Club in an Athens suburb on Monday night.Odysseas Eskitzoglou and Giorgos Zaimis won the gold medal in the 1960 Olympics in Rome. Kostas Doulgerides, president of the Rotary Club explained, "Our aim is to honour the people who practice the ancient saying ''a sound mind in a sound body''". Christos Iakovou, the coach of the weight- lifting "Dream Team", who brought five medals back from this year's Olympics, was also honoured. He said, "As an old Olympic winner and now coach of the greek weight-lifting team, I want to send a message to all of Greece's youths : to be sports lovers". © ANT1-Radio 1996Antenna Radio News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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