Antenna: News in English (PM), 98-11-06

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

Last Updated: Friday, 06-Nov-98 15:48:32

CONTENTS

[01] Pangalos

[02] Panathinaikos

[03] ARTS

[01] Pangalos

At a press conference just two days after the prime minister won a showdown with his in-house critics in parliament, Theodoros Pangalos returned to the controversy generated by Tuesday's confidence motion.

Asked about the spectacle caused when 11 Pasok MPs handed the government a written protest over the prime minister's decision to hold a vote of confidence in his government, Theodoros Pangalos didn't hold back.

"Whoever doesn't vote for the government supported by the party he belongs to, is either crazy or begging to be expelled", he said.

In Tuesday's confidence vote, the 11 MPs said they disagreed with the prime minister's calling the confidence vote, but would vote "yes".

Kostas Simitis shot back: "Unless you're letter is withdrawn, I'll consider your 'yes' votes 'no' votes".

The letter was withdrawn.

The prime minister said he'd called for the vote to make it clear that there are no alternative policies to his, the ones that are provoking negative responses from some deputies.

And Pangalos carried that theme with him into his press conference: the political map needs to be clarified, he said, and as quickly as possible.

There can be no wafflers, or conditional support for the government within Pasok.

Accordingly, Pangalos is also calling for a reduction of the size of Pasok's executive bureau.

"The executive bureau can't work with 19 members", he said. "You need 7 or 9 members for it to be effective".

Pangalos says the bureau was enlarged over the years by party founder Andreas Papandreou, who either wanted to give posts to his friends, or who perhaps also helped that by diluting the body he would render it ineffectual.

There are too many discordant voices on that body right now, contended the foreign minister, but the numbers aren't the gist of the matter for him.

He explained at his press conference: "You can't have the leaders of those behind" what he calls the "systematic attempt to turn Pasok into a parliamentary minority on the executive bureau".

Pangalos will take his proposal to the next party congress for consideration.

The foreign minister also took shots at the leader of New Democracy. He described Kostas Karamanlis as a "bad, provincial imitation of Athens mayor Dimitris Avramopoulos". Pangalos has often implied that Avramopoulos is a man of no political substance.

Drawing his criticism of Pasok's in-house critics and the opposition parties together, Pangalos said there's a battle going on in politics today: between specific policies and specific ideas on the one hand, and abstract demagogery on the other.

Responding to Pangalos's comments, the New Democracy spokesman said a psychiatrist would be the appropriate person to explain the foreign minister's behaviour.

During his press conference, Theodoros Pangalos underscored Greece's view that Turkey has a future in the European Union. The foreign minister said he's glad Turkey is improving its recently- strained relations with the EU. But he also noted that membership is far off.

Pangalos greeted Ankara's recent decision to take the chill out of its relations with the EU as positive. That chill set in last December, when the EU refused to put Turkey on the list of candidates for membership in the next round of expansion.

Pangalos says Turkey has long had the right to be a member of the EU someday, and Greec supports that orientation.

The Greek foreign minister also dismisses some in other EU countries which express concern because Turkey is a muslim country.

"There are already six to seven million muslim citizens in EU countries", says Pangalos. "It's not a problem".

Where Athens has a problem is with Turkey's treatment of Greece and its refusal to solve the Cyprus problem and respect international law.

Turkey needs to recognise the international court as the proper arbiter of Greek-Turkish differences, says Pangalos. Turkey must stop trying to get its way in the Aegean by issuing threats.

[02] Panathinaikos

In sports, Panathinaikos is back at the top of its European champions league group. Pao has a strong shot at advancing to the tournament quarterfinals after beating French side Lens Thursday night.

Leonidas Vokolos sends 55 thousand fans at Athens Olympic stadium into raptures as he scores the only goal of the match in the second half.

With a win and three draws, Pao leads the champions league Group E with six points in four matches. Pao has two wins and a pair of losses, with two games left to play in the group round.

Arsenal, Dynamo Kiev, and Lens are in a three-way tie for second place with five points apiece.

Olympiakos is also sitting pretty over in Group A, despite dropping a 2-nil decision to Dutch team Ajax in Amsterdam Wednesday night.

Olympiakos and Ajax lead their group with seven points apiece. Both teams have two wins, a loss, and a draw each. Porto and Croatia have four points apiece.

[03] ARTS

The goal of the event is to give the artists whose canvasses and sculptures are on display exposure to art critics and the public.

This exhibition is a unique opportunity for visitors to see the rich variety and human capabilities explored by handicapped artists who aren't professionals.

These artists transcend their individual problems with an impressive naturalness, as they connect their inner worlds with the substance of their art.

Says painter Triatafillos Iliades, "Sometimes I confront problems" in my work. "But sometimes the euphoria my work creates in me...to be able to put what's inside me on canvass is..."

Is beyond description in mere words. These artists all transcend physical barriers using a universal language.

One painter says his bright paintings allow him to express his natural optimism. "I've never felt melancholic", he explains. His canvasses prove it.

The government's youth secretary believes it's important for everyone, even people with special needs, to be able to play different roles in society, to take full part in the life of society.

For these artists, a response from the art world and the ordinary art lovers who visit galleries is important. It is that response which acknowledges them as artists, irrespective of any disabilities they may have.

BURNS/PAPOUTSIS

The American ambassador to Greece says the government has a good chance of reaching its goal of getting the Greece into European Economic and Monetary Union in the year 2001.

Nicholas Burns also said during a speech in Athens Thursday that the American government thinks the outlook for growth in the Greek economy is good.

"With the economic reforms of the Simitis government...coming decade".

Greek European commissioner for the environment Christos Papoutsis is also optimistic about the prospects of his country's economy.

He warned though during a talk at the Athens Commercial Society that Greece will only qualify to join the EU's single currency in 2001 if it continues with its belt-tightening economic policies.

Papoutsis added that the government needs to look beyond the fiscal criteria it needs to meet for the Euro. The economy must also be restructured if Greece is truly to converge with the stronger EU economies.

ECONOMY

The government has told public sector workers they will get pay hikes equal to inflation in 1999. The finance minister discussed that and other issues during a meeting with trade unionists Thursday.

The government has been talking about pay raises of two per cent for next year. It wagers that inflation will be at around that by the end of 1999; but it's currently at five per cent, and civil servants want guarantees that they won't lose any buying power to higher prices.

The government has refused another union demand: to link income tax brackets to the consumer price index.

CPI linking would take inflation into account when setting the amount of tax paid at a given income level.

The unions want tax thresholds at different income levels to be raised in accordance with the inflationary attrition to the purchasing power of workers' incomes

CARS

The government is in the midst of a drive to lower inflation, and so is lowering some indirect taxes. People in the market for a new car may have good news, as a sales tax reduction could make a new set of wheels up to 8 per cent cheaper next year.

Auto dealer Angelos Kanallepoulos says the tax cut will do the market good if it's for real, knocks five per cent off the price of a new vehicle, and happens right away.

Sellers want it to take effect immediately, since word that it's going to happen by the New Year has frozen sales.

Not everyone in the know is sure cheaper cars are on the way though. Like car dealer Kosmas Iakovides. He notes that factory price hikes of at least five per cent will all but wipe away any gains to consumers from the tax break.

DEH

A cut in the sales tax on electricity will make burning those lights cheaper next year. Starting January first, power users domestic and commercial wil be paying on average 8.5 per cent less for their electricity.

As they lined up to pay their bills Thursday, some consumers greeted the cut as good news.

But there were sceptics: one man said "If they want to cut the price of power, let them just cut it, not the tax". He thinks there's something roundabout in that approach, and concludes that the govenment will find a way to make up for the revenue lost by hiking charges somewhere else, and soon.

The European Union needs to approve the sales tax reduction, a process that is expected to take three months.

BUSINESS

In financial news, the Athens stock exchange registered losses of 1.95 per cent Thursday.

Now here's a look at where the drachma stands against the world's major currencies.

Greek drachma

* US Dollar 280.0 *Canadian Dollar 184.4 * Australian Dollar 177.3 *German Mark 168.4 *British Pound 464.5 *French Franc 50.2 *Japanese Yen (100) 238.2 * ECU 330.7

Culture

Thessaloniki's new symphony hall will be open for music and much else before the end of next year.

The temple of culture will not only be a concert centre; it will also have a lyrical theatre and a conference centre.

The massive structure is costing five million dollars.

Members of its board of directors say that it will also house a music library, which will be connected to the library at the Athens symphony hall.

(c) ANT1 Radio 1998

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