Antenna: News in English (PM), 98-10-12

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

Last Updated: Monday, 12-Oct-98 21:10:59

CONTENTS

[01] Elections

[02] Antalya

[03] Athens

[01] Elections

Dimitris Avramopoulos was reelected mayor of Athens by an unprecedented landslide over Pasok challenger Maria Damanaki.

None of the candidates won outright majorities in Thessaloniki and Piraeus, but the New Democracy- backed candidates look set to win those city halls in next week's run-offs.

With over 95 per cent of the votes for mayor of Athens counted, incumbent, New Democracy-backed Dimitris Avaramopoulos had every reason to smile. He's pulled in over 57 per cent of the vote, an impressive showing, the most impressive ever, in fact.

His one-sided victory revealed how strong his pull across party lines is. Even seven per cent of the Communist Party's supporters voted for him.

And well over ten per cent of the voters who normally back the Left Coalition, the party of Avramopoulos's challenger, Maria Damanaki.

Avaramapoulos's astounding victory was a crushing defeat Left Coalition for Damanaki, who, with Left Coalition and Pasok backing, picked up only 16.5 per cent of the votes.

To make things even worse for Pasok, Damanaki finished not too far ahead of other, lesser candidates. Dimitris Bays, thrown out of Pasok for refusing to withdraw his candidacy, turned in a respectable 13 per cent showing at the polls.

And Leonidas Avdis of the communist party got just over 10 per cent.

In Thessaloniki and Piraeus, the other two big cities, no candidate was able to win a majority.

But the New Democracy-backed candidates are sitting pretty in both those cities too. In Thessaloniki, New Democracy-Political Spring-backed Vassilis Papageorgopoulos won 43 per cent of the vote; compared to the 27.5 per cent pulled in by Pasok's Thrasivoulos Lazarides. That gives Papageorgopoulos reason to hope for the victory in next weekend's run off against Lazarides. But he's not a shoe in for the conservatives. The 15 per cent of voters who chose the Left Coalition candidate in Sunday's race will be crucial in determining the outcome of the run off.

In Piraeus, New Democracy-Political Spring candidate Christos Agrapides turned in a 43 per cent showing; Pasok-backed Christos Fotiou, supported by Pasok, was way back at 27.5 per cent; and the Communist Party's Panagiotis Salpeas turned in a respectable showing of almost 12 per cent.

Those contest remain to be determined, but in Athens Avramopoulos feels vindicated by his landslide.

Accused by Damanaki and other candidates in the campaign of being a do- nothing mayor, he said the vote is recognition by the people of his city of the work that he has carried out over the past four years. Work, he said, that has placed a premium on respect for the citizen and the city's institutions.

Damanaki, a member of the Left Coalation, congratulated Avaramopoulos on his triumph, but expressed dissatisfaction with the support she had from Pasok. Exit polls showed that she, Bays, and Avramopoulos split the Pasok voters three ways - explaining in good measure why she fared so poorly.

In her statement, Damanaki said internal bickering had cost her dearly.

Indeed, her candidacy divided Pasok. It prompted Bays to run himself, even though his candidacy got him thrown out of Pasok.

Bays, who had Political Spring's backing, was satisfied with his showing of nearly 13 per cent, just a little over three per cent less than what Damanaki got.

"They said we wouldn't get into double digits", beamed Bays". Pasok, he added, needs to read the message from the voters.

[02] Antalya

While Yugsolav president Slobodan Milosevic held eleventh-hour negoatiations with US envoy Richard Holbrooke in Belgrade, the leaders of Greece, Turkey, and other Balkan countries tried to impress upon Yugoslav representatives in Antalya of the need for peace.

Greek prime minister said Monday that he had information suggesting that a peaceful solution for Kosovo was close at hand.

But amid the uncertainty, there was little that could be accomplished at the conference. Indeed, the divisions between the Balkan states were underscored by the stand off between Belgrade and Nato.

The Kosovo crisis divided the Albanian and Yugoslav officials at the meeting - Albania was angry because the heads of state wouldn't issue a statement of full support for Nato strikes against the Serbs.

Greek prime minister Kostas Simitis told his

colleagues that the sirens of war had clearly overshadowed the conference's agenda of promoting economic and cultural cooperation among the nations of southeastern Europe.

The Greek leader added that he makes that point to Greece's Nato and European Union allies repeatedly.

Little came out of meeting between the Greek and Turkish prime ministers on the sidelines of that conference in Attalya.

Greek prime minister Kostas Simitis said afterwards that their meeting had been held in a constructive climate, and that the two men had exchanged views on a number of issues.

But Earlier in the day, Turkish foreign minister Ismail Cem once again warned Cyprus not to acquire Russian anti-aircraft missiles.

Responding to a journalist's question, Cem said Turkey will do whatever necessary from preventing deployment of the S-300 missiles.

The delivery of the weapons has been postponed several times this year, and it is not certain when Cyprus plans to take delivery.

[03] Athens

As every year, the anniversary was marked with the raising of the Greek flag on the Acropolis.

On October 12th, 1944 the swastika came down on the Acropolis, and the German troops began their retreat, ending over four years of brutal occupation. The terror and famine that accompanied the occupation left a million people dead.

But the German war machine couldn't break the

resistance of the Greek people.

Athens mayor Dimitris Avramopoulos talked about the enduring importance of the nation's victory over a larger, better-equipped power.

"United in resistance, Greeks are now, as then, ready to do their duty to their country when the occasion arises", he said.

Representing the government, justice minister Evangelos Yiannopoulos said Greece had emerged glorious from the allied effort against the Nazis. But he sounded a bitter note, too, adding that Greece's stronger allies looked only to Turkey after the war, even though Turkey hadn't shed a drop of blood in the struggle against fascism.

(c) ANT1 Radio 1998

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