Antenna: News in English (PM), 98-07-08

Antenna News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

Last Updated: Wednesday, 08-Jul-98 21:30:09

CONTENTS

[01] Tsochatzopoulos-Cohen

[02] Kosovo

[03] Athina Onassis

[04] Interest rates-Inflation

[05] ECB-Greek economy

[01] Tsochatzopoulos-Cohen

Calling secession an "unacceptable" option, Akis Tsochatzopoulos said in Washington that the Kosovo Liberation Army insurgents are committing acts of terrorism in the strife-ridden Serbian province.

Kosovo was one of the issues Tsochatzopoulos discussed with US defence secretary William Cohen.

Akis Tsochatzpoulos and William Cohen agreed that they should exhaust all avenues for a peaceful settlement of the Kosovo crisis.

Greek and American officials feel though, that time is running out; they don't rule out Nato imposing autonomy on Kosovo with force.

Greek diplomatic sources say that means that in the next days high-ranking Greek officials may be paying a visit to Kosovo, in a last-minute effort to broker a peaceful decision.

In Washington, Greek defence minister Akis Tsochatzopuolos has been driving home that the only solution in Kosovo is autonomy for the province, not the outright independence many ethnic Albanians are demanding.

He says the task of the international community is to impress upon both the Serbs and the ethnic Albanians with words that there is no other rational solution.

The Greek defence minister criticised Western threats to attack the Serbs it the fighting doesn't stop and talks don't start between the two sides soon.

At a news conference he said the Nato threats issued almost daily are nourishing the hope of the Kosovo Liberation Army that if it fights on it can hope for Nato intervention against Serbia.

He believes the ultimate goal of the secessionists is union with Albania.

Talking to reporters, Tsochatzopoulos said, "We are not going to accept that minorities can use violence to change borders".

He disagrees with the US call for the KLA to be given a seat at eventual negotiations: "It's good to know who they are and what they are saying", explains Tsochatzopoulos, "but they are dangerous".

Dangerous, he believes, because they are unwilling to accept a compromise solution of autonomy within Yugoslavia.

What Greece would like to see is talks between Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic and moderate ethnic-Albanian leader Ibrahim Rugova.

US ambassador to the UN Richard Holbrooke told CNN he fears the fighting could spread to Greece and Turkey.

Stability in the Aegean was one of the issues discussed by Tsochatzopoulos and Cohen. Both support Nato's proposed measures to build confidence between Greece and Turkey in the Aegean.

Cyprus's intention of buying Russian surface-to- air missiels was also on the agenda in Washington. Tsochatzopoulos said that until Cyprus is demilitarised, then it makes no sense to expect Cyprus to give up the right to acquire weapons essential to its defence.

Cohen asked if Cyprus would cancel the missile deal if a military flight ban were imposed over Cyprus. He also admitted, though, that the US could not guarantee that such a ban would be implemented.

Tsochatzopoulos believes demilitarisation is an important objective, and that talks on solving the Cyprus problem would be a first step toward achieving that.

In the US, Tsochatzopoulos has been looking at American weapons that Greece may want to buy. Cohen asked him to put the American Patriot missile on his list, and cross off the Russian S- 300.

The two men have agreed that Greece will buy four naval destroyers from the US; they also discussed possible F-15 and F-16 jet sales.

[02] Kosovo

The ships from Greece, Italy, Spain, and Turkey are on a three-day visit.

In Kosovo, five people were reported killed in fighting Wednesday.

Ethnic-Albanian sources claim five ethnic Albanians were killed by the Serbs in the village of Morine, 56 miles soutwest of the capital of Pristina.

The Serbian authorites report that a Serb policeman was wounded and an ethnic-Albanian bystander killed when rebels opened fire from a moving van in another town near the capital.

[03] Athina Onassis

The 13-year-old heiress is on holiday with her father Thierry Roussel and his family.

Athina Onassis and her father Thierry Roussel and his family arrived in Hydra on a three-masted yacht, which will continue its tour of the Aegean over the next few days.

The Ariadne arrived at the port of Hydra Tuesday at sunset. Athina Onassis and the rest of the Roussel family were warmly welcomed by the mayor of the island, who presented Athina with a book of photographs of her grandfather, Aristotle, and her mother Christna. The photos had been taken during the many visits that the Onassis family had made to the island. After his privately-owned island of Scorpios, Aristotle Onassis gave Hydra pride of place in his heart.

Mayor Constantinos Anastasopoulos says he's happy to have the Onassis's back on the island.

Arriving on the picturesque Aegean island, Athina and the Roussels walked through the whitewashed village streets of the port town, windowshopping as they went.

Wondering what an heiress might buy? Athina bought fishing lines and teddy bears!

The entourage sailed to the nearby island of Spetses later Wednesday.

[04] Interest rates-Inflation

The government's primary target has been bringing inflation down ever since it was elected in 1996. It is hoped that the lower interest rates resulting from lower inflation will be a spur to investment.

Inflation of two per cent is a prerequisite for Greece taking the drachma into the single European currency in the year 2001. Lately, the government has been concerned by difficulties in getting inflation to budge from its current five per cent per annum perch.

[05] ECB-Greek economy

Wim Duisenberg believes that Greece is on course to join the single European currency as planned in the year 2001.

Duisenberg recently told the Belgian financial newspaper Echos that he's optimistic about the future for Greece, citing reductions in inflation and the devaluation of the drachma earlier this year.

Echos notes that the demand for Greek bonds has been stronger since Diesenberg's statements.

The central bank head's views on the Greek economy are seconded by Fimagen, a subsidiary of the largest bank in Belgium, the "Generale". It recommends Greek state bonds with a three-year maturity date as a good by.

(c) ANT1 Radio 1998

Antenna News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article