Antenna: News in English (AM), 97-09-21

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

News in English 21/09/97

TITLES

• Madelaine Albright's renewed hopes over Cyprus talks and Greek-Turkish dialogue.
• Edward Shevardnadze wins the Onassis Prize.
• And, hats off to one of opera's greats, Maria Callas.

ALBRIGHT REVIEW

Secretary of state Maedelaine Albright made a stop in Cyprus after leaving the Middle East, to announce that the Cypriot president and the Turkish- Cypriot leader have agreed to meet soon.

Stopping in Cyprus Tuesday US secretary of state Madelaine Albright announced that Cypriot president Galvcos Clirides and Turkish-Cypriot leader Raouf Denktash have agreed to meet soon in Levkosia, to discuss security issues.

Greece welcomed the development, but is skeptical about the intentions of Turkey and the Turkish occupation authorities in northern Cyprus.

Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas said the Cypriot leaders' talks will not include discussion of Cyprus's plans to deploy anti- aircraft missiles to ward off a possible Turkish attack next year.

Turkey calls those missiles a threat to it. The Cypriot foreign minister says it's funny to think of his small country ever posing a threat to Turkey.

UN talks between Clirides and Denktash in Switzerland came to nothing several weeks ago. Denktash insisted that there could be no progress until the European Union cancels plans to start accession talks with the Cypriot Republic, something the EU has no intention of doing.

The next round of UN talks isn't expected until next year. But the US is concerned about stability in the region, and wants contacts to continue.

The Americans also want to smooth out Greek- Turkish relations. There were reports that Albright herself wants to be present at next week's meeting between the Greek and Turkish foreign ministers next week.

US Cyprus envoy Richard Holbrooke told CNN this week that Albright's stop in Cyprus, and her desire to sit down with the foreign ministers are both indications of how important security in the region is to the US interests.

What both Greece and Cyprus haven't seen yet is an indication that Turkey really wants to improve things. Greek deputy foreign minister Yiannos Kranidiotis says demilitarisation of Cyprus is one of Greece's basic aims, and hopes talks on disarmament will be a positive first step. But he adds that the essence of demilitarisation lies in

Turkey getting its occupation troops off the island.

Greek foreign minister Theodoros Pangalos feels the same way. He's asked the international community to put pressure on both Turkey and the Turkish- Cypriots about finding a solution to the Cyprus problem seriously.

But Pangalos also adds that he's going in to his meeting with his Turkish counterpart next week, in the spirit of the non-aggression pact signed by their two countries at the last Nato summit.

SHEVARDNADZE REVIEW

Shevardnadze paid an official visit to Greece, where he was awarded the Onassis Prize for his contribution to East-West rapprochement toward the end of the Cold War.

- Edward Shedvardnadze received a warm offical welcome from Greek leaders this week. Presenting the Georgian leader with a replica of an ancient Mycenean necklace, Greek president Kostis Stephanopoulos thanked him for all he's done for the Greek minority in Georgia - some 80 thousand people.

Stephanopoulos added that the Greek minority is a living link between two nations joined by ancient bonds of friendship.

Shevardnadze called the Greek-Georgians the flesh and blood of the ties between the two nations.

On a visit to Thessaloniki later in the week, the Georgian leader would return to that theme, sending greetings to the Georgian Greeks now living in northern Greece.

During their meeting, Shevardnadze and Greek prime minster Kostas Simitis again highlighted the friendship between their countries, signing a friendship and cooperation pact.

As Soviet foreign minister in the late 80s, Shevardnadze played a key role in de-escalating East-West tensions.

Receiving the Onassis Foundation Prize for International Understanding and Social Achievement on Tuesday, he hailed the end of what he called a period when uncompromising ideology divided the world in two.

And he praised the legacy of the ancient Greeks, who pointed the way forward.

With the biennial prize, the Georgian president received 250 thousand dollars.

There were a number of other Onassis prize winners. Under the gaze of Stephanopoulos and Simitis, Byzantine historian Sir Steven Runciman was awarded.

Dolly Goulandri, curator of the Cyprcladic Art Museum also received the Onassis Prize.

The 250 thousand dollar award for environmental protection went to the International Maritime Organisation, a UN agency.

Playwright Manjula Padmanabhan won the 250-thousand dollar first prize in her category for her play "Harvest", about rural life in Inida. Playwrights Anton Huan of the Philippines and Nigel Jackson of the US were also singled out.

Commendation went to four other playwritghts: American Gabriel Ancia, Greek Panahiotis Mendis, Hungarian Peter Mulan, and Brazilian Maria Pereiera Dezevero.

LIANI REVIEW

At the centre of the controversy was a report in an Athens daily that the book contains a transcript of prime minister Kostas Simitis's 1996 White House conversation with president Bill Clinton.

According to the transcript, Simitis agreed to follow the US line on all major foreign policy issues.

But, as we hear in this report, both Washington and Athens say it's a forgery.

- A promotion for Dimitra Liani Papandreou's book on the internet calls it not a biography of her late husband and former Greek prime minister Andreas Papandreou, but a "feverish statement of a simple woman who had the chance to become the object of the affections of a powerful man".

But the book casued the political thermometer to rise a little over the week, after the Athens daily Athinaiki published what it called a sneak preview.

The main apple of discord is Athinaiki's claim that a transcript of Kostas Simitis's April 1996 conversation with Bill Clinton is in the book.

That document, which has surfaced on other occasions, has Simitis telling Clinton that Greece will follow the US on main foreign policy issues.

It also has Clinton expressing dissatisfaction with Greek foreign minister Theodoros Pangalos, and expressing the desire to see Andreas Papandreou's son Giorgos take his place.

The transcript was received by the Greek ambassador shortly after the White House meeting, and allegedly sent to Andreas Papandreou, who, though gravely ill, was still president of the ruling Pasok party.

The next day, the White House issued a disclaimer, saying the document bore no relation to the Simitis-Clinton discussion.

The transcript was later published in an Athens magazine. This week, US ambassador to Greece Thomas Niles says if it's the same document that's supposed to be in Liani Papandreou's book, then it's a joke. It was even written in poor English.

The transcript, known diplomatically as a non- paper was also sent to newspaper offices on other occasions: on the eve of Simitis's election to the Pasok presidency in June 1996; and before the September 1996 elections, in which Simitis was elected power.

Then New Democracy leader Miltiades Evert said this week that he was given the transcript during the September election campaign. "It was unsigned", said Evert, "and I considered it unreliable. Supposedly, the AMericans had sent it to Andreas Papandreou, to brief him on Simitis's trip. I couldn't use such a document in the campaign".

Giorgos Papandreou says he doubts his father, given his weak health, could even have done anything with the document had he received it. He also doubts it ended up in his father's archives, as the press leaks on Liani Papandreou's book purport.

Liani Papandreou herself dismissed the Athinaiki claims about her biography. She says they're off base, regarding both the content of and the intentions behind her book.

The US and Greek government both say the transcript is a forgery, but a document is a document, and this one stirred some controversy in Pasok, especially since Athinaiki claims it reveals Andreas Papandreou's bitterness at the fact that some of his top lieutenants, like Simitis and Pangalos opposed him at the end of his career. Papandreou is said to have been especially hurt by Pangalos, for saying Andreas Papandreou had accepted bribes to build his villa in an Athens suburb. The book says Papandreou had previously felt Pangalos would be the best man to succeed him.

The book leak had some Pasok MPs lashing out at what they said is an attempt to muddy the name of Simitis, one doomed to fail. Others said they'll wait until they read the book before passing judgement on it.

Pangalos wasn't bothered at all. He said the only thing worse than people saying bad things about you, is people forgetting you.

APOSTOLOPOULOU REVIEW

Vasso Apostolopoulou recently shot into the headlines, when an anti-cancer she's experimenting with got positive results on human cancer patients.

In the next round of tests, the scientist hopes to confirm those results.

She said last week, "Now we're conducting other research to confirm what we've found and hope to make cancer a thing of the past one day. That's what I say to Antenna. Greetings to all in Greece and especially I'd like to thank those Greeks and who've honored me".

CALLAS REVIEW

The three day conference in Athens and Epidavros, ended with a series of cultural events dedicated to the memory of a woman who took the operatic world by storm.

© ANT1 Radio 1997

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