Another youth dead from drug abuse
Greek farmers protesting the government's agricultural policy kept main
highways closed across the country for the eleventh day today, with more
than 100 road blocks. Representatives of the farmers, who decided to
escalate their protest after a meeting in Larissa yesterday, have
maintained the roadblocks will stay in place until the government decides
to satisfy their demands.
Tomorrow, mainland farmers will be joined by members of 17 agricultural
associations in the Cretan prefecture of Heraklio, who have said they will
close the highway between the island's two main cities of Heraklio and
Hania. However, Heraklio Federation of Agricultural Associations President
Aristidis Schinarakis stated yesterday that the federation did not support
the move.
Last night farmers in Thessaloniki warned they would be escalating their
protests. The president of the Union of Democratic Agricultural Cooperatives
of Thessaloniki, Sotiris Parlapanis, told the ANA yuesterday that the
Thessaloniki-Serres road would be blocked within the next two days at
Derveni. If this happens, Thessaloniki will be completely cut off both from
eastern Macedonia and from the Evzones, Kilkis border post, Greece's
main "gate" to central Europe.
Meanwhile, a counter-protest was made by frustrated foreign truck drivers
trapped on Greece's roads, in the form of a road block of their own near
Aigani, north of Larissa yesterday. The Greek farmers' protest committee
was reportedly negotiating with the foreign drivers.
President Kostis Stephanopoulos told protesting farmers at a blockade
near Kavala airport yesterday that he was aware of their problems but could
do nothing.
''I am aware of your problems but I can do nothing. I shall submit my views
to the government and I believe the best possible solution will be found,''
Stephanopoulos said.
He was speaking to farmers while on his way to Xanthi to be briefed at
first hand on the widespread damage caused by heavy flooding in the region
last weekend.
Stephanopoulos was accompanied by Macedonia-Thrace Minister Philippos
Petsalnikos.
Twenty-six Iraqi illegal immigrants of Kurdish origin have been arrested
by coastguard officers after landing on the island of Symi in two waves
late Friday night.
A Turkish speedboat first landed 16 illegal immigrants on the islet of
Marmara, while a second craft shortly afterwards took a further 10 Iraqis
to the area of Aghios Aimilianos.
The illegal immigrants told coastguard officers that they had each paid 3,
000 US dollars to the owners of the two Turkish speedboats .
The 15 men, 5 women and 6 children are being detained at Coastguard
Headquarters on Symi and were due to appear before the public prosecutor
later yesterday.
Meanwhile, another 30 Iraqi illegal immigrants landed on the island of Symi
in the early hours of yesterday morning, right in front of the yacht club,
according to a report from Rhodes. Around the same time, another 12 were
left in a deserted stretch of coast on the island of Kastellorizo. In both
instances the Turks who transported the Iraqis to Greece returned to
Turkish waters undetected. It is estimated that thousands of Iraqi citizens
have gathered on Turkey's shores seeking ways to enter Greece.
Over 5,000 members of large families participated in a rally and march to
Parliament in Athens today to protest the government's decision to abolish
the life pension given to mothers with more than three children.
The protestors and representatives from 111 associations all over the
country were also protesting cuts in allowances for large families and the
reduction of state funds allocated to improve the country's demographic
position.
Deputies from all the political parties represented in Parliament, as well
as former deputies of the Political Spring party, joined the protesters to
express support for their demands.
Ruling PASOK party deputies Stelios Papathemelis and Anastasios Peponis
said that they would vote against the relevant legislative provision
cutting allowances to large families.
After the rally and march to Parliament, representatives of large family
associations and a 15-member delegation of deputies from all the political
parties handed a resolution containing their demands to House Speaker
Apostolos Kaklamanis.
The government's decision to cut allowances to large families was part of a
package of recently announced fiscal measures which include the imposition
of new taxes and the abolition of scores of exemptions.
Cypriot Defence Minister Kostas Iliades, accompanied by National Guard
Chief General Vorvolakos, flew to Athens today to participate in a meeting
at the Pentagon tomorrow. The meeting's agenda, according to an ANA
dispatch from Nicosia, includes the US proposal for a moratorium on flights
by Greek and Turkish planes over the Republic of Cyprus.
Coaltion of the Left and Progress leader Nikos Constantopoulos today
proposed to all Balkan governments that 1997 be declared a year for inter-
Balkan co-operation.
Addressing the two-day conference ''Women and the Balkans of the year
2000'' which opened today in Thessaloniki, Constantopoulos said he was
putting forward the proposal so that inter-Balkan co-operation might become
a ''mass movement'' in order for the region to develop into a crossroads
for ''forms of international co-operation'' with the EU, the OSCE and other
organisations.
Constantopoulos said that the principles and objectives of such inter-
Balkan co-operation should be incorporated in a framework along the lines
of the Helsinki Final Act and become a permanent institution.
An 18-year-old youth was found dead in a central Athens hotel room early
this morning from a drug overdose. Evangelos Strongylakis, whose parents
were separated, had lived at the hotel with his father for the past three
months. He had reportedly tried to kick the habit at the "Strofi"
rehabilitation programme. Police say that since the beginning of this year
more than 190 youths have died from drug overdoses.
WEATHER
Monday's weather will be overcast, foggy, with west-southwesterly moderate
to strong winds over most of Greece, turning to northeasterlies in the
east. Athens: partly cloudy with temperatures between 10-17C. Thessaloniki:
scattered cloud, light winds, with temperatures ranging from 6-13C.
SPORTS
Basketball:Panathinaikos beat PAOK 86-57 in their fourth straight
championship victory in a row. Peristeri defeated Heracles 73-68, Apollo
Patron beat spoting 82-57, Olympiakos beat Larissa 87-58. First division
football games were cancelled yesterday due to a strike by staff at the
nation's stadiums.
FOREIGN EXCHANGE
(Closing rates [buying] U.S. dlr 240.868, Can. dlr.176.497, Australian dlr.
192.160, Pound sterling 395.252, Irish punt 396.899, Cyprus pd 516.634,
French franc 46.301, Swiss franc 184.844 Belgian franc 7.592, German
mark 156.508, Finnish mark 52.417, Dutch guilder 139.530, Danish Kr.
40.884, Swedish Kr. 35.516, Norwegian Kr. 37.400, Austrian Sh. 22.243,
Italian lira (100) 15.838, Yen (100) 214.421, Spanish Peseta 1.859,
Portuguese Escudo 1.549.
(M.S.)
