Antenna: News in English (AM), 97-03-28

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

News in English, 28/03/97

TITLES

• Archbishop Spyridon's message to Orthodox Christians.
• The prime minister tells employees and employers to lower their financial expectations.
• And, mother's milk may be a weapon against diabetes in children.

ALBANIA

Baskim Kazintente, who made the accusation in the Albanian parliament, is a loyal supporter of Albanian president Sali Berisha.

For several weeks, thousands of armed rebels have been demanding Berisha's resignation, saying HE's responsible for thousands of families losing their life savings in a banking scandal.

As we hear from Tom Alexopoulos, the notorious Berisha secret service doesn't just run disinformation campaigns: it has made life difficult for the press.

As the chaos continues in southern Albania, a supporter of the country's beleaguered president, Sali Berisha, has tried to lay responsibility for the unrest at Greece's door.

But Greece has rejected as groundless and bizarre the claim of Muslim fundamentalist Baskim Kazintente, that it is sponsoring separatists in southern Albania, which has a large Greek minority.

The Greek government spokesman said the accusation is not only false, it's unimportant. The Greek government points out that both president Berisha and Albanian prime minister Baskim Fino have praised Greece's stance throughout the crisis.

As armed gangs rampage throughout southern Albania, members of the Greek minority say what they want is order restored, so the looting and robbing stops.

Kazintente once headed the notorious Berisha secret service. One of the main victims of that secret service was the free press.

Antenna's Nikos Megrelis visited the offices of "Koha Yone", an opposition daily - those offices were totally destoryed by the Albanian secret services.

The paper once was the country's most popular independent opposition paper, with 70 thousand readers daily.

Then, on March 2nd, twenty of Berisha's secret service men entered the paper's premises armed with Kalashnikovs and grenades. They beat two jounralists and the guard, leaving them unconscious, and they destoryed everything before setting the building on fire.

Nikol Lessi, Koha Yona's general manager told Megrelis, "Unfortunately, there are many obstacles in the way of our re-opening. First of all, there' s the financial loss; then, there's the destruction of all our equipment; and the printing press has been placed off limits to us".

Ending the censorship and making the state radio and television stations more democratic, are two of the key points of conflict between president Berisha and the new interim prime minister, Baskim Fino. Already, the newly- appointed government has tried to get two anti-censorship bills passed, but they were rejected by the Berisha-dominated parliament.

Sources close to Fino say he will try to get the bills passed again in the next few days. If they aren't passed, then the same sources say it will be difficult for Fino and Berisha to continue to co-exist in the government.

Today, there are just three newspapers in Albania: one belongs to Berisha's Democratic Party; another supports Berisha; and the third is written in English.

Frouk Tsoupi, editor-in-chief at Koha Yone, says life for journalists was difficult when Berisha ruled supreme. Now, with the state in disarray, it's impossible.

Now, Tsoupi explains, journalists have to deal with theats from criminals, gangs, and armed civilians.

It may be difficult for anyone to feel safe in Albania these days. Even Berisha, who Antenna's camera caught leaving his official residence at midnight, under the escort of ten cars and tank.

SPYRIDON

Spyridon spoke at the start of a recent meeting of the Archdiocese Council.

The archbishop said the council members need to be involved in achieving what he calls "our new goals, which include above all teaching the Orthodox tradition to the faithful; and rediscovering the tradtions of Byzantium".

Spyridon announced that his archdiocese is setting up a translations department and tht the "Orthodox Observer" publishing house is going to start printing more books. The archdiocese page on the Internet is also going to be lengthened. And more resources are going to be put into teaching teachers of Greek.

At the meeting, where California businessman Alex Spanos was chosen to head the new council, Spyridon also talked about the global spiritual leadership provided by the ecumenical orthodox patriarchate.

Spanos called on all council members to work together, adding that the main task of the council is to help strengthen the archdiocese financially.

SIMITIS

Addressing trade unionists who support Pasok, Kostas Simitis said both employees and employers should adjust their economic demands so that they don't fuel inflation.

Kostas Simitis defended his economic austerity measures, saying reality today can't be faced with old policies, and old arguments.

Any economic demands that stretch the economy's ability to pay only add to inflation and unemployment, he added. He also said that though

the unemployed aren't represented in any pay negotiations, their needs must be borne in mind. Otherwise, a second-class group of workers will be created.

Simitis said the social welfare state as it exists has to be restructured. And he seemed to suggest that workers will have to start shouldering a larger share of the cost of their health insurance and housing.

ND

Karamanlis met with Georgios Rallis and Konstantinos Mitsotakis Thursday.

Karamanlis thanked Rallis for what he called the impeccable job he'd done as head of the organising committee for last weekend's party congress.

Karmanlis said Rallis said he'd offer his services to New Democracy whenever he's asked to.

Rallis, who resigned from parliament four years ago, made it clear that he has no personal political ambitions beyond just helping the party.

Karamanlis had a warm meeting with Mitsotakis later. Both men said their talk had been good, and Mitsotakis said he will continue to work for the good of the party under its new leader, as he always has.

Karmanlis also met with the president of parliament, Pasok MP Apostolos Kaklamanis. Kaklamanis said he's sure the new opposition party leader will perform his job admirably.

DIABETES

Modern living may also be a contributing factor.

Pediatrics professor Christina Karagianni says that starting babies on cow's milk before they are three months old may increase the risk of their developing diabetes later in childhood.

She adds that there must also be a genetic pre- disposition, and that environmental factors, like toxins and preservatives in food, and stress, may also be culprits.

The continuous growth in the prevalence of childhood diabetes is a western phenomenon. One in every 300 children in the western world now has the disease, making it the second most common childhood endocrinal illness, and the second most common chronic childhood illness overall.

Another childhood illness becoming more common is asthma. Pediatrician Kostas Synaniotis says, like most experts, that environmental pollution is NOT a factor in childhood asthma. Cigarette smoke, however, IS.

Doctors urge smoking parents to keep away from their infants when they're lighting up.

Synaniotis says wheezy breathing in infants may presage a later onset of asthma.

SOCCER

In European basketball, Aris lost the first game of the home and away Corage Cup final, going down at home to Turkey's Tofas, 77-66.

© ANT1 Radio 1997

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