Commencement of Thessaloniki as "Cultural Centre"
NEWS IN DETAIL
Twelve out of 21 persons on board a capsized Greek-flagged freighter
beached off Kymi, Evia, remained unaccounted for this morning, as search
efforts continued at daybreak.
Nine bodies from the freighter "Distos" have been recovered by rescue units,
while one crewmember, 18-year-old merchant marine cadet Christos Anagnostou,
was picked up alive after he jumped into the water when the vessel began to
list.
The vessel, owned and operated by the AGET Iraklis Cement group, was laden
with 5,300 tons of cement when it capsized in rough seas Saturday night
east of Kymi. The Distos was headed for Piraeus after leaving Volos on
Thursday, and after previously seeking shelter in the island of Skiathos'
port on Friday due to bad weather.
According to shipping circles, rough seas can cause a cement cargo to shift,
making it a particularly dangerous cargo to transport in bad weather.
After the vessel was located by the coast guard, it was subsequently towed
to approximately one nautical mile from the Evia coast in about 35 metres
of water.
Among the 21 on board the vessel were two wives of crewmembers and a 10-
year-old girl.
AGET general manager Nikos Mavros told a press conference yesterday
afternoon that the vessel had left Skiathos at the decision of its captain
Yiannis Tsitsirikis.
The ministry notified AGET that the Distos was in trouble after being
warned by a Spanish satellite station, which had received a signal from a
specially fitted communications device on the vessel.
According to reports, when the ministry notified AGET that the Distos was
in trouble Saturday night, the company considered it a false alarm.
Gov't statement
Speaking to reporters earlier, Merchant Marine Minister Stavros Soumakis
said an investigation to possible negligence by port authorities was
continuing.
In later statements, Mr. Soumakis said that "according to first reports
from divers who had entered the ship, the vessel's compartments were full
of water."
The minister said a preliminary investigation had been ordered, which is
being carried out by senior coast guard officials on the site.
One dead as storms hit Greece
Twenty-nine villages in three prefectures throughout the country continue
to be isolated in the wake of on-going poor weather conditions.
According to the public order ministry, as a result of snowfall yesterday,
communications have been disrupted with 11 villages in Achaia prefecture,
11 villages in Evia and seven villages in Fthiotida prefecture.
Many vehicles have been immobilised on the national and regional network
due to weather conditions. A total of 85 traffic accidents have occurred
from Friday afternoon until last night killing 13 people and injuring
125.
A 65-year-old woman died yesterday after slipping and hitting her head in
her backyard, which turned to ice following snow and freezing rain that
pounded her village over the past few days in northern Greece. Dozens of
people, particularly elderly persons, were rushed to hospitals in the last
few days suffering from fractures from falls on ice.
Snow continued to fall yesterday in many parts of the country, cutting off
villages in mountainous areas and creating transportation problems.
Foreign policy, economy expected to take centre stage in '97
Prime Minister Costas Simitis has every reason to be satisfied with the
outgoing year, a particularly difficult year for Greece's foreign policy
and economic sectors, since he admittedly played a leading role in
1996.
Mr. Simitis succeeded the late Andreas Papandreou at the socialist PASOK
party's leadership and won general elections last September, keeping PASOK
in power for a second consecutive term.
The death of Andreas Papandreou (which may signal the end of an entire era),
the prevalence of Simitis in Greece's political scene, a crisis in Greek-
Turkish relations and the farmers' mobilisations late in the year, are
considered the most important ev ents in 1996, and will probably pave the
way for what is expected to develop in 1997.
On the domestic political front, Mr. Simitis can be considered the leading
figure since at the present stage he has neither any substantive intra-
party criticism to face nor a main opposition party having a steadfast and
unified policy, as the conservat ive New Democracy party is faced with its
own serious internal problems, and consequently, he can address the
country's problems unimpeded.
Mr. Simitis will have to tackle two main problems in the new year, namely,
Greek-Turkish relations and the state of the economy.
The crisis over the Imia islets in January 1996, when Greece and Turkey
came to the brink of war, substantively shaped the framework and the
climate - the worst in past years - in Greek-Turkish relations, and
according to all indications the disputing b y Turkey of all islets lying
close to the Turkish coastline will constitute a permanent headache for
foreign policy in the future.
One could say that Greek foreign policy, more than ever, is orientated
towards confronting Turkish designs in the Aegean and Cyprus. Additionally,
Athens is pursuing this purpose both through the European Union and through
Washington, as well as a unifi ed defence doctrine with Cyprus.
Backstage manoeuvres are also taking place to improve Greek-Turkish
relations, while US President Bill Clinton is expected, on the basis of pre-
election statements, to take initiatives on Greek national issues.
Meanwhile, Greece's relations with the neighbouring Former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) are also pending, after a prolonged period of
recession, since talks in New York sponsored by UN mediator Cyrus Vance
failed to produce results. Consequent ly, the settlement of the landlocked
state's name is to be expected in 1997, or at least a clarification of its
prospects.
Many fear that the state of the economy and the restrictive policy the
government is obliged to follow to allow the country to align itself with
Maastricht Treaty criteria might lead to social tensions. The danger was
clearly visible with mobilisations by protesting farmers and pensioners,
which the government handled steadfastly and successfully.
However, the situation is not easy since the government might be faced with
additional problems in the health and education sectors and since it will
have to maintain its social image in the light of its steadfast economic
and incomes policy.
Opposition parties
The picture in ND's camp is particularly grim.
Party leader Miltiades Evert lost last September's general elections and in
the wake of this defeat his intraparty foes virtually consider him to be "a
leader with an expiry date."
He is faced with a sustained internal opposition headed by George Souflias,
who is seeking the party's leadership, as well as a party congress in late
February or early March, where a new leader is expected to be elected.
Political Spring party leader Antonis Samaras, who failed to keep his party
in Parliament after it fell below the 3 per cent margin necessary for a
party to elect deputies, is also in a difficult position.
On the other hand, Communist Party of Greece (KKE) Secretary General Aleka
Papariga, Coalition of the Left and Progress leader Nikos Constantopoulos
and the leader of the recently established Democratic Social Movement
(DHKKI) party, Dimitris Tsovolas, have every reason to feel satisfied with
their forces.
Commencement of Thessaloniki as 'Cultural Capital'
Thessaloniki will welcome its assumption of the European Cultural Capital
1997 title with a 24-hour, open-air celebration replete with singers,
actors, clowns, magicians, artists, musicians and participating residents.
An open-to-all party beginning on New Year's Eve and lasting until dawn the
next day is also being thrown by the city's Cultural Capital Organisation.
In addition, five open-air tents will be set up at central locations in the
city to house musical and theatrical groups.
Other events welcoming the new "cultural year" will start tomorrow morning
. Musical groups and singers will perform traditional carols while
appearances by several well-known Greek and foreign performers are
scheduled in front of the White Tower.
WEATHER
Overcast in most parts of the country with snowfalls in the mountainous
regions and rainstorms in the west and the islands. The weather will
gradually improve later in the day. Athens will be overcast with scattered
showers and temperatures ranging from 9-16C. Same for Thressaloniki with
temperatures between 2-8C.
FOREIGN EXCHANGE
(Friday's closing rates - buying)
US dlr. 245.054 Pound sterling 413.029
Cyprus pd 521.594 French franc 46.797
Swiss franc 182.131 German mark 157.639
Italian lira (100) 16.056 Yen (100) 213.379
Canadian dlr. 179.473 Australian dlr.194.948
Irish Punt 408.605 Belgian franc 7.658
Finnish mark 52.774 Dutch guilder 140.641
Swedish kr. 35.760 Norwegian kr. 38.013
Austrian sh. 22.429 Spanish peseta 1.874
Portuguese escudo 1.564
(C.E.)
