Antenna: News in English (PM), 98-11-18

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

Last Updated: Wednesday, 18-Nov-98 20:17:44

CONTENTS

[01] Scorpios-Memorial service for Christina Onasis

[02] WEU meeting in Rome

[03] Sports

[01] Scorpios-Memorial service for Christina Onasis

13-year-old Athina Onasis attended a memorial service for Christina Onasis on the island of Skorpios.

It was a sombre day on Skorpios, the island that belonged to Athina Onasis's grandfather, tycoon Aristotle Onasis.

Athina once spent her summers on the island.

But on Wednesday, she walked with her father Thierry Roussel through the chilly morning air to the grave of her mother, Christina Onasis, who died in Buenos Aires ten years ago to the day at the age of 38.

Holding onto her father Thierry Roussel with one hand, and clutching 38 red roses in the other, Athina made a painful pilgrimage to the church for the memorial service.

The young heiress placed the roses on her mother's grave and lit a candle.

The island and the larger island of Levkada, a stone's throw away from Skorpios, are rich in memories for the Onasis family.

Father Apostolos, who said the memorial service, baptised Athina.

In Nydri, Levkada, Athina dined with her father at a taverna Tuesday night.

The proprietor Gerasimos Stavrakos was once a sailor on the Onasis yacht named after Athina's mother.

He says Athina was always a well behaved little girl.

The local residents are fond of her.

They also feel a debt of gratitude to the Onasis family for the assistance it has provided them.

Nidri's mayor, Anastasios Gazis says the Onasis's bought the land for a school to be built on. The school, recently completed, is a valuable asset to the children who live here.

Athina left Levkada and Skorpios Wednesday afternoon for Geneva, where her family lives. Wherever she goes, she is never far from the thoughts of many people in Levkada.

And Skorpios will never be far from her thoughts.

[02] WEU meeting in Rome

The WEU has long been considered the EU's embryonic defence organisation; but members have never agreed to whether or not it should become independent of Nato.

Meeting in Rome, European ministers pledged to cooperatie more in military procurement, eradicate duplication in arms production, and increase the amount invested in arms research and development.

Greek defence minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos made the case for the WEU transforming itself from Nato's European pillar into the EU's independent defence and security organisation.

And the decisions on boosting and rationalising European weapons production is seen as a sign that the Atlancticists, mainly the British, are coming closer to the Europeans within the WEU.

Tsochatzpoulos said it's important that European governments play an active role in coordinating the activities of Europe's defence industries. Duplication in production, he explained is costly.

For Tsochatzpoulos and others, integrating Europe's defence industry is a stepping stone toward the goal of making the WEU the EU's independent defence wing.

It's not possible, the Greek defence minister said in Rome, for the EU to move to a single currency but leave its defence in the hands of the USA.

[03] Sports

Fifteen thousand fans showed up at Kemal Stafa stadium for what was the first official sporting event in Albania since the outbreak of political strife in the spring of 1997.

The Greek team goes into Wednesday afternoon's match in Tirana hoping to pick up a badly needed win.

But it's Albania that takes the offensive initiative at the outset, creating numerous problems for the Greek defenders, and coming close to scoring twice in the first half.

Greece's Kostas Frantzeskos missed a golden opportunity at the other end, shooting wide in the 25th minute.

The visitors are more aggressive in the second half - but can come no closer to scoring than two shots that hit the goalpost.

The match ends in a scoreless draw, and both teams pick up a point in the standings. In European championship qualifying group 2, Greece is in second place with five points; first-place Latvia has six points. Norway and Slovenia are in third with four points

apiece, followed by Georgia with three, and Albania with two points.

In pro basketball, Aris locked horns with Limoge in France in a European cup duel. Aris won the contest 79-73 and moved to first place into first place in its group.

Things didn't go as well for Aek, which dropped an 87-82 decision to Partizan in Belgrade.

(c) ANT1 Radio 1998

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