Antenna: News in English (PM), 98-07-09

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

Last Updated: Thursday, 09-Jul-98 22:03:33

CONTENTS

[01] Tsochatzopoulos-Cohen

[02] US-Cyprus-S300

[03] New Democracy-Local elections

[04] Economy-Inflation

[01] Tsochatzopoulos-Cohen

The deal was finalised by the Greek and American defence secretaries in Washington.

Greece is also getting four US-made naval destroyers.

But the US is refusing to sell Greece other weapons systems.

Greek defence minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos came away from his meeting with American defence secretary William Cohen with some weapons acquistions for Greece.

The four new destroyers will replace the Greek navy's existing destroyers.

Greece is also buying 20 second-hand F-16s for 5 million dollars apiece. These planes, like the F- 16s Greece already has, will be upgraded.

The US has refused to sell Greece other sophisticated weaponry, like the camera or radar- guided Popeye missiles, which can be fired from either the F-4 or the F-16 and have a range of almost 60 miles.

Turkey may get the missiles from Israel, and Tsochatzopoulos says that following the American refusal, Greece will search elsewhere for missiles.

Tsochatzopoulos said that Greece will turn to other markets to buy those missiles, but didn't specify whether one of these markets could be Russia.

Greece is currently embarked on an ambitious journey to modernise its armed forces. And a number of nations are bidding to sell it planes, missiles, and tanks. One weapon Greece is looking at is the Russian S-300 surface-to- air missile.

The US is asking it to opt for the US Patriot missile instead.

[02] US-Cyprus-S300

Nicosia maintains that as long as Turkey poses a military threat, it needs to defend itself against a possible air attack.

The Cypriot defence minister observed S-300 test launches outside Moscow earlier this week.

US secretary of state Madeleine Albright has written a letter to the Cypriot president urging him, say sources, to cancel its plans to acquire the missiles this autumn, or to store them outside Cyprus.

Albright also suggests Cyprus think about obtaining a missile with a shorter range.

Cyprus has sent a letter to the UN secretary general, explaining that the only way the missile deal could be cancelled would be within the framework of a plan to demilitarise the island as a whole. That would include getting the 30 thousand plus Turkish troops out of the occupied north.

The Cypriot government said Thursday that it favours a ban on military flights over the divided island as a way of reducing tension.

The ban was discussed by the Greek and American defence secretaries in the US earlier in the week.

[03] New Democracy-Local elections

Karamanlis said the local elections will be political affairs, but not narrow party-political contests.

[04] Economy-Inflation

The government is putting price controls on food, pharaceuticals, gasoline, and auto parts.

Deputy development minister Michalis Chrisochoides says the government has determined that restricting price levels on those items can be done without hurting retailers.

One way the government is influencing prices is by prohibiting wholesalers from determining retail prices on auto parts.

Getting inflation down to 2 per cent is a prerequisite for Greece taking the drachma into the single European currency. After dipping below five per cent earlier this year, it has moved upward again, and is currently at 5.2 per cent.

The government hopes that its new foray will help get inflation falling again.

(c) ANT1 Radio 1998

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