Nine dead as torrential floods hit Greece
NEWS IN DETAIL
Greek Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos said yesterday that there was a
chance of resolving the protracted political crisis in Serbia, provided an
OSCE report that upheld opposition victories in disputed elections was
accepted.
Mr. Pangalos was speaking at the end of his one-day visit to the Yugoslav
capital of Belgrade, where he had talks with Serbian President Slobodan
Milosevic - the Serbian leader's first meeting with a foreign official for
three weeks - Foreign Minister Milan Milutinovic and leaders of the
opposition Zajedno (Together) movement.
Zajedno has staged mass protests in the streets of Belgrade for the past
eight weeks against the government's annulment of the opposition's 14
victories in Serbia's 18 largest cities, including the capital Belgrade.
A subsequent inquiry by a delegation led by former Spanish prime minister
Felipe Gonzalez on behalf of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation
in Europe (OSCE) declared the elections valid, ratcheting up pressure on
Mr. Milosevic to admit defeat.
Mr. Pangalos said that the opposition was ready to put an end to the
protests if the OSCE report was accepted.
Nine dead nd heavy damage in nation-wide flooding
Three people died and another three were still missing at press-time after
flash flooding hit the country yesterday.
The regions of Corinth, Argolida, Aigialia and Fthiotida have reported
widespread devastation with late reports stating that Fthiotida had been
declared in a state of emergency. Dramatic live footage showed the raging
waters sweeping away parked cars do wn the roads of the city of Corinth.
Another two people were missing late last night from the same bridge when
their car was swept away.
Worse hit was the perfecture of Argolida with unprecedented rainfall which
swelled the waters of the Xerias river and flooded 2,500 acres of land as
well as the ground floors of houses and shops.
The rain has caused extensive damage to power and telecommunications'
networks in the region as well as many farm dwellings in the villages of
Nea Kios, Dalamanara, Timenio and Myli. Early in the evening, the town of
Corinth suffered a general black-out which exacerbated the situation.
Trains from Athens could only travel to Argos, where passengers to the
south-east Peloponese were transferred to buses. Traffic on the national
highway between Corinth and Tripoli was confined to one lane because of
landslides along the road.
In the prefecture of Corinth, roads turned to rivers and in Kiato and
Lehena many houses were under water, while dozens of people stranded on
rooftops and in cars awaited rescue. Local emergency services were
innundated with calls as they attempted to free roads from cars that had
been swept away. It was reported that a number of vehicles, including two
trucks, fell into the port of Corinth.
In Athens, the continuous rainfall caused flooding of many roads and homes
as well as two subway stations and the Kifissos bus depot. The Kifissos
river overflowed, flooding the intersection of two of the city's main
arteries, Leoforos Kifissou and Kava las, with traffic chaos as a
result.
Cyprus defence minister
Cyprus Defence Minister Costas Eliades accompanied by the chief of the
Cyprus National Guard and members of the parliamentary defence committee,
were due in Athens later yesterday for talks with the Greek government on
the entir e spectrum of issues pertaining to Cyprus' defence.
An ANA despatch from Nicosia said Mr. Eliades would be having private talks
with his Greek counterpart, Akis Tsohatzopoulos, during which the two men
will examine developments relating to the joint Greece-Cyprus defence
doctrine and discuss issues regar ding the two countries' armaments
programmes.
The parliamentary defence committee will also be received by Prime Minister
Costas Simitis today before holding talks with Mr. Tsohatzopoulos
tomorrow.
During its stay in Athens, the committee will also meet with Foreign
Minister Theodoros Pangalos.
Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides is also scheduled to visit Athens this
week, while there are reports that Dutch Foreign Minister Hans van Mierlo,
the current president of the EU Council of Ministers, is also due in Greece
during the week in order to b e briefed on the latest developments and to
offer his good services for a defusion of the crisis.
The Cyprus issue and Greek-Turkish relations were discussed in The Hague on
Friday by Mr. van Mierlo and US Assistant Secretary of State John Kornblum,
who was accompanied by Mr. Cavanaugh.
Missiles are purely defensive, Cyprus says
Cyprus government spokesman Yiannakis Cassoulides said on Saturday that
Nicosia had purchased Russian-made S-300 anti-aircraft missiles in order to
avert, and not to cause, a war.
In statements to the ANA, Mr. Cassoulides added that it would be some
months before the missile system was deployed and there would be plenty of
time in the meantime "for us to concentrate our efforts for a peaceful
settlement of the Cyprus problem, whi ch will be followed by the total
demilitarisation of Cyprus."
Commenting on Turkish threats of military action against Cyprus if the
missiles were deployed, Mr. Cassoulides said they were nothing new.
Turkey's increasing belligerent statements were the focus of condemnation
by the US, Russia and the United Nations on Saturday.
All three repudiated Turkey for threatening to take military action against
Cyprus if the island republic proceeded with its plan to install an anti-
aircraft defence system.
US State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns described as "unjustified,
irresponsible and unwise", a statement made on Friday by Turkish Foreign
Minister Tansu Ciller saying that Ankara would not hesitate to strike
Russian-made anti-aircraft missiles to be deployed in Cyprus.
The Turkish threats were also condemned by Russia as being "reminiscent of
the worst periods of the cold war".
Russia "cannot ignore such statements from Turkey, including a direct
threat against the safety of the sovereign Republic of Cyprus," foreign
ministry spokesman Gennady Tarasov said in a written statement.
"Such a statement seems especially strange considering the evident fact
that the S-300 anti-aircraft missile system is of a purely defensive
character," Mr. Tarasov said. "The artificial aggravation of tensions can
only delay the future settleme nt of the Cyprus problem, and it does not
help stability or improve the atmosphere of trust and cooperation in the
region," Mr. Tarasov said.
Finally, Turkey was criticised by the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who
stressed that using or threatening to use force against a member state
contravenes the organization's charter.
Cavanaugh arrives in Cyprus
The Director of the Office of Southern European Affairs at the US State
Department, Carey Cavanaugh, arrived in Cyprus last night.
Speaking on his arrival at the airport, Mr. Cavanaugh expressed the concern
of the United States and of the international community at the current
tension in Cyprus following the Cypriot government's decision to purchase
Russian-made S300 anti-aircraft missiles. He stressed the need for measures
to be taken in order to defuse the tension.
While Mr. Cavanaugh described the decision over the purchase as "wrong", he
also condemned the behaviour of Turkey, which has threatened to attack
Cyprus if the missiles are deployed.
The US official stressed that Turkey attacking Cyprus would be inexcusable
and would not be accepted, adding that the situation is tense and what is
needed is calm and for the parties involved to take steps towards a
peaceful resolution of the issue.
"The purpose of my visit here is to help in the reduction of tension and to
encourage these steps," he said.
Mr. Cavanaugh was scheduled to meet with Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides
and Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash today. His meeting with Mr.
Denktash is due to be held in the occupied territories of Cyprus.
Late on Monday Mr. Cavanaugh will fly to Athens, where he will remain until
Wednesday, and will then travel on to Ankara until next Friday.
According to yesterday's Greek Cypriot press reports, Mr. Cavanaugh is
expected to ask the Cyprus government to withhold the purchase of the anti-
aircraft missiles and will reiterate a US proposal for a moratorium of
Greek and Turkish overflights in Cy prus.
The proposal was originally put forward by US Secretary of State-designate
Madeleine Albright, during a visit here last summer in her capacity then as
US representative to the UN.
According to State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns, during his talks
with officials in the region, Mr. Cavanaugh will try to advance "concrete
actions to reduce tension" as well as "overall military activities."
Defence minister leaves for Athens
Defence Minister Costas Eliades, accompanied by the National Guard
Commander Nicolaos Vorvolakos, as well as the president and members of the
House Defence Committee left for Athens yesterday, to discuss defence
issues.
No official announcement of the minister's visit to Athens was made, but it
is believed it is related to the joint defence pact, agreed upon by the
governments of Cyprus and Greece in November 1993. The latest Turkish
threats against Cyprus, after a gov ernment decision to purchase Russian-
made anti-aircraft missiles S-300, is also expected to be discussed.
The President of the House Defense Committee Takis Hadjidemetriou told CNA
Sunday that the Cypriot delegation will today hold talks with Greek Premier
Costas Simitis and meet Alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou.
He added that during their five-day visit in Greece, the eight Cypriot MPs
will participate in a meeting at the Greek defence ministry, under Defence
Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos, who will be accompanied by his political and
military advisers.
Overwhelming majority backs S-300 purchase
Ninety-four percent of Greek Cypriots agree with the Cyprus government's
decision to buy the Russian-made S-300 anti-aircraft missile system and 90
per cent are willing to pay for their security, an opinion poll has
shown.
The Greek Cypriots' opinions and feelings on military issues are revealed
in a survey carried out on January 9, by the local AMER market research
company, on behalf of the top-selling Cypriot daily newspaper "Fileleftheros".
According to the survey, published yesterday, the joint defence pact agreed
upon by the governments of Cyprus and Greece in November 1993, has
increased support compared to previous opinion polls, with 88 per cent
backing it and only two per cent against.
The survey covered all the free areas of Cyprus, with a sample of 308
people aged between 18 and 65, in both the rural and urban areas.
It was carried out after the latest threats against Cyprus by Turkish
Foreign Minister Tansu Ciller, and before US State Department Spokesman
Nicholas Burns described Turkish officials statement as "uncalled for and
most unwise."
The survey has also shown that Greek Cypriots' choices were based on the
feeling of their insecurity, rather than the prospect of their country's
defence capability being used as a negotiating factor for a solution to the
protracted Cyprus problem.
Turkish troops have been occupying 37 per cent of Cyprus northern territory
since 1974, in violation of repeated UN resolutions calling for their
withdrawal.
yesterday afternoon on a two-day visit on the occasion of the inauguration
of the natural gas project on Wednesday.
"As Prometheus gave the flame to humanity, so we are pleased to bring
natural gas to the legendary god's country as a small token of reciprocation,
" the Russian minister said.
Mr. Rodionov, who is accompanied on his visit by the president of the
Russian State Natural Gas Company "Gazprom", R. Diachirev and a 15-member
delegation, was met at the airport by Development Minister Vasso Papandreou
and the president of the Public N atural Gas Enterprise (DEPA) Savvas
Papafilippou.
Welcoming the delegation, Ms Papandreou noted the importance of its
presence in Greece, which she said "the government intends to turn into an
energy hub in the wider geopolitical region."
Ms Papandreou expressed the wish for cooperation with Russia on the natural
gas project to be expanded into the wider energy sector "as energy networks
are very important for both countries."
"During our two days here, we will have the chance to study a series of
cooperations for the future. Apart from natural gas, there are also issues
such as oil, the wider energy sector, networks etc, while the implementation
of these plans will significa ntly help the people of both countries," he
said.
discovered the ancient city of Argilos near the Strymonas river in Serres,
northern Greece after over four years of excavations.
Argilos, built circa 654 BC, was a colony of Andros, one of four along with
Stageira, Sani and Akanthos which were located between Chalkidiki and the
Strymonas river.
So far, the archaeologists have uncovered a large part of the city of
Argilos, including part of a defensive wall and harbour, 6th and 5th
century dwellings, coins, a mint and paved roads leading from the city's
acropolis to the harbour.
A large number of graves have also been found containing ancient and
classical artefacts, including two Macedonian tombs intact.
The excavations have also yielded significant ceramic finds which show that
Argilos maintained trade, economic and political relations with the rest of
the known world at the height of its prosperity.
WEATHER
Rainstorms and snowfalls in most parts of Greece, in some areas accompanied
by gale force winds. Weather improvement is expected as of tonight starting
from the northern Ionian sea, Epirus and western Greece. Athens will be
rainy with possible snowfalls in the mountains and temperatures between 9-
12C. Same for Thessaloniki with temperatures between 5-8C.
SPORTS
Weekend Greek first division soccer results:
AEK -Olympiakos Postponed due to weather Paniliakos -Athinaikos
2-3 Panahaiki -Apollon 0-2
Edessaikos -Kalamata 4-0 Kavala -Veria 1-0
Aris -Iraklis 0-0 Kastoria -Panathinaikos 1-2
Ionikos -OFI 3-2
FOREIGN EXCHANGE
(Friday's closing rates - buying) US dlr. 243.972
Pound sterling 411.244 Cyprus pd 516.237
French franc 45.870 Swiss franc 177.935
German mark 154.702 Italian lira (100) 15.858
Yen (100) 211.296 Canadian dlr. 180.445
Australian dlr. 190.047 Irish Punt 404.042
Belgian franc 7.506 Finnish mark 51.911
Dutch guilder 137.858 Danish kr. 40.622
Swedish kr. 35.474 Norwegian kr. 38.222
Austrian sh. 22.001 Spanish peseta 1.848
Portuguese escudo 1.550
(C.E.)
