Antenna: News in English (PM), 98-06-16

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

Last Updated: Tuesday, 16-Jun-98 22:09:20

CONTENTS

[01] E.U-Carfiff summit

[02] Kosovo

[03] Youth parliament

[04] Levkovitch-Onassis Foundation

[05] "Grand Princess"

[01] E.U-Carfiff summit

Clinton phoned Greek premier Kostas Simitis late Monday night in Cardiff, asking him to accede to the proposals that had already been tabled at the EU summit Monday.

It was Simitis's stiff response to the British chair Monday that prompted the Clinton phone call.

After the British prime minister failed to win his Greek counterpart's consent to a proposal that would make Turkey a candidate for EU membership and circumvent the Greek veto over EU funds earmarked for Turkey, president Clinton called Kostas Simitis. But the Greek prime minister held his ground.

Simitis recounted their late-night conversation at a press conference in Cardiff Tuesday.

"President Clinton told me that if I didn't agree to change the EU position on Turkey, then there could be tension between Greece and Turkey. I told him that in that case, Turkey would be to blame".

The EU postition is that Turkey must improve relations with Greece, help solve the Cyprus problem, and clean up its human rights record before it can move closer to the EU.

And at Simitis's insistence, that position drafted last December was adhered to at the Cardiff summit.

Clinton told Simitis that if Greece backed down, then Washington would be able to put pressue on Turkey to make some concessions in Greek-Turkish relations.

The Greek leader said no deal is possible. Turkey must change its behaviour before the EU doors open to it.

Britain was thus forced to withdraw both of its proposals, which would have amounted to a complete rewriting of the EU's stand on Turkey.

Another attempt to assist Turkey at the EU summit also got nowhere. French president Jacques Chirac requested that talks to bring Cyprus - one of eleven existing candidates for EU membership - into the EU be shelved until the Cyprus problem is solved.

Simitis resisted that move successfully as well. The talks with Cyprus will go ahead despite Ankara's objections.

While Greece stands determined to resist withering assaults on the EU's Turkey policy, it is not up against a wall. Luxembourg, for example, agrees with Greece, and while Holland and Belgium side with Britain, the German's were more reserved in Cardiff.

[02] Kosovo

His decision to do so comes in the wake of Nato's menacing air exercises in the skies near Kosovo Monday.

But Milosevic maintains his decision to restart talks was not influenced by the Nato display of strength.

After meeting with Russian president Boris Yeltsin, President Slobodan Milosevic agreed to meet with Ibrahim Rugova, the moderate leader of Kosovo's Albanian majority.

The Yugoslav president says he will not meet with militant ethnic Albanian separatists.

"I see no reason to conduct negotiations with terrorists" he told the press after meeting with Russian officials.

Earlier talks between Milosevic and Rugova broke down in May, the Albanians refusing to go on until the Serbs stopped an alleged military offensive against the Kosovars.

Since the end of February over 300 ethnic Albanians and members of the Serbian security forces have died in fighting, and the moderate Rugova has been losing ground to the militants.

After meeting with Russian leaders, Milosevic agreed to carry out no repressive actions against the civilian population of Kosovo; and to allow total freedom of movement within the province and the return of refugees who've fled to Albania during the recent troubles.

Milosevic also says he will reduce the presence of security forces in Kosovo, but only if the terrorist activities of the separatists stop.

US reaction to what Milosevic has agreed to with the Russians has been guarded. The White House is taking a wait and see attitude.

The US prompted Nato into staging air exercises over Albania and Fyrom Monday, a clear warning to Milosevic to end the assaults in Kosovo.

The Yugoslavs maintain that there were intentional Nato violations of Yugoslav air space during the exercises.

[03] Youth parliament

This was the third year the four-day students' parliament was held.

Greek high school students from around the world had the opportunity to air their views on key issues concerning Hellenism.

Angelos Asiotis took the podium to call for

peace and freedom for his homeland, Cyprus. He said the young people whose families once lived in Turkish-occupied Kerynia love freedom and their country.

Elena Varsami, who hails from Berlin asked that the Greek state do more to provide education for expatriate Greeks. "No matter how far we live from our homeland", she said, "we know our only homeland is Greece".

The teenage parliament was broadcast live around the world via Intenet.

The Greek president, party leaders, and other MPs attended Tuesday's session.

[04] Levkovitch-Onassis Foundation

Levkovitch, who teaches at Welsely College in the US, spoke in Athens at the invitation of the Onassis Foundation.

During her speech, she said erroneous theories are creeping into the American classroom.

"In schools in the US children are being taught that Greek civilisation, ancient Greek civilisation did not originate in Greece but originated in Africa and while Egyptian civilisation was very great, it is not the origin of western civilisation, Greek civilisation is".

Levkovitch came to Greece with the sponsorship of the Onassis Foundation, which is trying to promote Greek civilisation abroad.

Foundation chairman Stelios Papadimitriou says the grants go maintly to non- Greek university professors who have contriubuted to philhellenism.

[05] "Grand Princess"

On twelve-day Mediterranean cruise, the vessel spent a couple of hours off the Athenian coast, where it appeared for the first time on its maden voyage just last month.

The "Grand Princess" has 1100 crew members and can accommodate 2600 passengers.

It's as long as three football fields and stands 61 meters high. It weighs 109 thousand tonnes.

On its eighteen floors, passengers will find a theatre, a cinema, a library, plenty of shopping, four swimming pools, and other sports facilities.

There are also facilities for people with special needs.

The price per person on the cruise ranges from 3500 to 12 thousand dollars.

After leaving Athens, luxury liner will go to Venice, Naples, Livorno, Monte Carlo and Barcelona.

(c) ANT1 Radio 1998

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