Antenna: News in English (AM), 97-09-28

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

News in English 28/09/97

TITLES

• Turkey throws a monkey-wrench into talks with Greece in New York
• A Greek-Australian researcher brings her promising cancer tests to Greece
• And, U-2 does Thessaloniki

PANGALOS REVIEW

But Turkish obsitnacy ensured that the results were disappointing.

The Turkish side refused a Greek offer that would take relations forward, even though it had US support.

The meeeting between Theodoros Pangalos and Ismail Gem ran into the rocks of Imia. In January 1996, Turkey nearly sparked a war by staging a military landing on the Greek rocks, which it claims as its own.

Since the Imia crisis, Turkish officials have on a number of occasions not only ignored international calls for them to drop their claim or take it to the international court, they have laid claim to dozens of other Greek isles.

In New York, Pangalos offered to lift the Greek veto on European Union funds to Turkey, if Turkey agreed to drop its Imia claim, or go to the court.

Gem refused, and the talks shipwrecked.

But Gem also went on the offensive, saying Turkey cannot take just one issue to the court. Rather, all issues must go into arbitration as a single package.

Pangalos called that yet another ploy to get Turkey's designs on the Greek Aegean onto a respectable agenda. The Greek foreign minister said "Turkey is trying to make an issue of sovereignty in the Aegean. That amounts to questioning borders, and we can't discuss it".

After that meeting, Pangalos and Gem had separate meetings with US secretary of state Madeleine Albright and US Cyprus envoy Richard Holbrooke.

No further progress was made, Pangalos explaining Greece's position, and underscoring that Turkey is the problem.

Holbrooke was satisfied with the explanation, but also expressed the urgency the US lends to an improvement in Greek-Turkish relations.

"I'm pleased at the position...in Aegean...Greece has taken. I think we're on the eve of important developments in Europe".

Another issue the US is keen on resolving is Cyprus. Turkey has been aggressive there too, warning the European Union NOT to go ahead with talks next year to get Cyprus into the EU. Holbrooke issued a rebuff to Ankara.

"We support Cyprus's accession to the EU...and we support lower tensions in the Aegean...discussion with Albright".

Greek-Turkish relations received added strain. Pangalos said he had told the US that Greece wants beter relations, but referring to the bloody Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, and Turkey's constant demands on Greek territory, the Greek foreign minister said quote, "it's impossible to talk to a murderer and a robber".

The Turkish government responded by circulating a document around the United Nations, calling Pangalos a quote "unifnformed, impolite, and psychopathic", unquote. It says that such statements make any dialogue meaningless.

Pangalos replied to that, by returning to the substance of the matter.

"It is impossible to tolerate....territorial claim....to the victim of the murder.

But there was more: after the Pangalos-Gem meeting, Turkey sent a note to the UN secretary general, warning that it will use all means to prevent Cyprus from deploying defensive ground-to- air missiles next year. Cyprus wants the missiles to deter Turkey from a future air attack.

Despite the debacle in New York, Greek and American officials have not given up. Hope now resides in the meeting in Crete between the Greek and Turkish prime ministers in early November.

Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas says Crete will be a chance for Greek-Turkish reconcilation to get back on track, the reconciliation that started with the non- aggression agreement the two sides reached at the last Nato summit in July.

CLINTON REVIEW

"People in the world......are between Greece and Turkey.....and Pakistan."

Clinton will be hoping that the November meeting of the Greek and Turkish prime ministers in Crete will get the process of reconciliation on track again.

APOSTOLOPOULOU REVIEW

Vaso Apostolopoulou, whose tests on lab animals and human subjects in Australia have brought very encouraging results, arrived in Greece Wednesday, to oversee the tests to be counducted here.

She talked about her research at a press conference Thursday.

AVRAMOPOULOS REVIEW

Before he left for the United States, where he was to be honoured by the United Hellnic-American Congress, the mayor talked about what the Olympics will mean for Athens and the country as a whole.

But he gave nothing away about his personal political ambitions.

U-2 REVIEW

A customs strike had threatened to cancel the date Thursday, when 28 trucks carrying the band's equipment couldn't get across the border. But the strikers finally caved in, and let the gear through.

Thousands of fans and cars crowded into the area around the port in Thessaloniki starting early Friday afternoon, as everyone was eager to get a spot close to the stage.

A lot of hassle, but the Irish band made it all worth it.

Those who didn't get a ticket - and there were plenty - weren't disappointed. They took in the gig on four large video screens set up around the city.

© ANT1 Radio 1997

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