Antenna: News in English (AM), 97-04-15

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

News in English, 15/04/97

TITLES

• Greek troops ready for their mission in Albania.
• Zorba and music in the service of diplomacy.
• And, Apollon's cinderella shoe proves a little too tight.

ALBANIA/GR.TROOPS

Greece is expecting the nod to be given as early as Tuesday - for it to start sending the troops to Tirane and Vlore.

Parents with sons joining the mission feel a mixture of pride and sadness.

It was a weekend of emotion for the men of the 601st infantry battalion, waiting to leave northern Greece for Albania.

Parents went to say goodbye to their sons. One father said, "We're proud of our children for joining the peacekeepers. God bless them".

One mother said she's not afraid any harm will come to the men, but another added that she's sorry she won't be seeing her boy for a long time.

Corporal Stefanos Mytoudis said he's going to Albania becuase he likes adventure.

The Greek force includes 87 officers and 603 enlisted men.

When the troops will move out is yet unclear. International troop departures for Tirane are being staggered to prevent a bottleneck at the Albanian capital's airport.

The Greek defence ministry expects two C-130s to leave Thessaloniki for Tirane on Saturday.

Earlier, on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, a naval ship is expected to sail for the port of Vlore in southern Albania, carrying 120 soldiers who will be stationed there, and equipment and supplies.

Another ship will follow, possibly three days later, carrying heavy equipment destined for Greek troops assigned to Tirane.

One of the assignments the Greeks will have is escorting aid shipments from the coast to the Albanian capital.

The exact dates are uncertain, but the secretary of the joint chiefs of staff, Manousos Parakioudakis, is confident that the troops will all move out this week.

ANASTASIOS

Archbishop of Albania Anastasios has announced the establishment of a love and culture centre in the southern city of Argyrokastro.

The centre will include a hospital and a kindergarten.

Touring the southern part of the country over the weekend, Anastasios urged ethnic Greeks in the area NOT to abandon their homes in the face of the chaos and looting that's been going on for several weeks.

Making Efthymios Tzolos the new priest at the Church of the Transfiguration in Argyrokastro, Anastasios said ethnic Greeks should stay and continue their struggle to live free and in prosperity. "There is a future, there is hope; I'm certain that God is with us", added the archbishop.

CYPRUS

The early-morning arrest of Angelos Panaretou at his home in the village of Trachoni sparked rage among village residents.

His brothers Marios and KleOvoulos, and the village vice president Periklis Matthaiou rushed to the British police station on the base, which Angelos Panaretou was refusing to enter.

Fighing ensued, and Marios Panaretou complained that a British policeman had hit him on the head and the shoulder with a wooden truncheon.

The other three people were slightly injured. Enraged, other villagers went to the police station, protesting angrily.

SIMITIS/FOREIGN MINISTRY OFFICIALS

Turkey has to stop questioning Greek sovereignty over the isle of Imia; respect international law; and take any problems it has with Greece to the international court.

Greek foreign minister Theodoros Pangalos said after meeting with prime minister Simitis Monday, that only if Turkey meets those conditions can there be any kind of dialogue aimed at further reducing tension between the two Aegean neighbours.

Alternate foreign minister Giorgos Papandreou meets with his Turkish counterpart on the sidelines of the Euro-Mediterranean Conference in Malta Tuesday. But Pangalos says THAT meeting will be a mere formality.

Pangalos is expected to meet with the Turkish foreign minister at the end of month - before the EU-Turkey Association council meeting on April 29th.

And there is also a possibility that the Greek and Turkish prime ministers will meet during the Nato summit in Madrid.

TOURISM

Simitis announced that he wants to see the country's tourism industry upgraded, new forms of tourism developed, and existing state-run tourist facilities put to better use.

And with the toursist season more or less upon us, development minister Vaso Papandreou says this year will be better than last. What the government wants to do, she added, is see that services provided to tourists in Greece are continually improved.

FYROM/CONCERT

When Zorbas couldn't communicate with people in words, he danced to show what he couldn't say with words.

As we hear in this report, Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis used the music he wrote for the movie to bring Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, to a better understanding of each other.

What do Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, or Fyrom, share besides a border? Why, Giorgos Zorbas, of course. The man who Nikos Kazantzakis modelled his famous Zorbas on, spent the final years of his life in Fyrom.

And Fyrom president Kiro Gligorov attended a concert in Skopje by Mikis Theodorakis, who wrote the score for the movie, Zorba the Greek.

The performance included music from the movie and other Theodorakis pieces.

For several years, Greece and Fyrom have disagreed over what Fyrom's permanent name should be. Greece objects to Fyrom's attempt to call itself just plain "Macedonia", fearing the expansionist connotations implied in the adoption of the name of the northern Greek province.

Theodoroakis said that with the concert, "two nations going through a difficult time, got the chance to meet and look at each other through music".

President Gligorov, who appeared to enjoy the Greek music immensely, agreed. He called the event a good opportunity for the two countries to get to know each other and show that they have good will toward each other.

Calling it a great day for both countries, Gligorov added that the concert proved that the two neighbours can conduct cultural exchanges.

B.BALL

Apollon is down by 10 with seven minutes to go in Sunday's final, but comes back and knots it at 78 on a three-pointer by Vouksevich with 12 seconds remaining.

Apollon decides NOT to foul on the inbound, so last shot goes to Olympiakos, and Dimitris Papanikolaou comes through with a deuce with four seconds to play. Apollon is out of time outs and can't get the ball back in play. And Olympiakos wins it, 80-78.

In the semi-finals on Saturday, Apollon surprised Panathinaikos 92-79. NOT a surprise the Pao management liked, coming on the heels of a string of disappointing outings. And so it was NO surprise that Pao fired coach Bozdar Malkovich after the game with Apollon.

In the other semi, Olympiakos needed another big shot at the end to survive. This time it's a three- pointer from Franjo Nakich that lifts the Greek champs over Aek, 63-61.

SOCCER

Olympiakos is also sailing fair SOCCER seas. In league action over the weekend, the first-place Piraeus club whips Veria 2-nil, and stays two games abreast of Aek, also a winner, 3-nothing over Pao.

Elsewhere, third-place Ofi is a loser on the road. Winner Paok is in fifth place, right behind Panathinaikos.

Xanthi, Edessaikos, and Athinaikos all have an easy time of it at home, and sixth-place Kavala dumps Aris 3-1.

DEAF-MUTE

Armed with a love of life, he's the goalkeeper on an amateurs' second division soccer team.

Paris can't hear the fans cheering for him as he tends goal, but he knows he's the most popular player on the Kappodokes team.

Off the pitch, Paris lives with his father in a village near Alexandoupoli. Every morning, he goes to work at a factory that makes car lights.

Then, it's lights on in the goal. Paris's target this year is not to allow more than five goals into his net.

He and his teammates communicate with signs. After practice, the goalie goes home and talks about his day with his father.

Nikos is proud of his son. He has three boys, but says Paris is his whole life.

Paris's room is decorated with medals and awards commemorating his achievements in games for people with special needs.

© ANT1 Radio 1997

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