Greek and Canadian teams uncover ancient city of Argilos
NEWS IN DETAL
Simitis chairs meeting on Cyprus president's visit
Prime Minister Costas Simitis today held a meeting with Foreign Minister
Theodoros Pangalos and National Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos which
focused on preparations for the visit of Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides
on Friday.
During Clerides' visit, Simitis told reporters after the meeting, the two
sides would jointly examine developments in the Cyprus problem and ''review
scenarios and positions''.
The premier reiterated that Cyprus was a sovereign, free state which
decided issues relating to its defence and the means to make it effective.
''They who are concerned,'' he added, ''have only to contribute to ending
Turkey's illegal occupation of Cypriot territory, or contribute to the
realization of the Cyprus Republic's proposal for the demilitarisation of
the island.''
Greece, Simitis said, will not allow itself to be dragged into the climate
of threats as Ankara would like.
Asked whether today's meeting dealt with information in the hands of
Tsohatzopoulos about Ankara's military plans, Simitis underlined that ''we
discussed and examined all information''.
Alternate foreign minister briefed by Cyprus defence committee
The members of Cyprus' parliamentary defence committee today briefed
Alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou on the course of the island
republic's armaments programme.
Cyprus Defence Minister Costas Iliades, accompanied by the chief of the
Cyprus National Guard and members of the defence committee arrived in
Athens yesterday for talks with the Greek government on the entire range of
issues pertaining to Cyprus' defence.
Papandreou reaffirmed Athens' support for the Greece-Cyprus joint defence
doctrine, stressing that ''we are in a transitional phase which requires
delicate diplomatic handling''.
Earlier, the members of the defence committee were received by Parliament
President Apostolos Kaklamanis.
Speaking after the meeting, Iliades said there had been ''a briefing
concerning the broader sector of defence and there was an identity of views
regarding support for the political decisions taken by Greece and
Cyprus''.
Asked to comment on reactions from several countries to Nicosia's decision
to purchase and deploy Russian-made anti-aircraft missiles, Iliades
replied:
''We propose the demilitarisation of Cyprus as a confidence-building
measure in the first phase, so that an acceptable and fair basis can be
found concerning the Cyprus issue.''
Kaklamanis said Nicosia's decision to purchase the S-300 system had been
absolutely necessary, given that it faced a direct threat from the Turkish
occupation forces ''to which (Nicosia) does not have the required
defence''.
Ciller visit to occupied Cyprus illegal, Athens says
The visit by Turkish Foreign Minister Tansu Ciller to the occupied northern
part of Cyprus is de facto illegal, government spokesman Dimitris Reppas
said today.
Ciller and Chief of the Turkish General Staff Haki Karadayi were due to
visit the occupied areas of Cyprus this week, according to press reports.
''The government strongly condemns the action of Ms. Ciller, who is not
offering good services to the already exacerbated relations between the two
countries,'' Reppas said.
Russian energy minister meets with premier
Russia's Energy Minister Peter Rodionov, here on a two-day visit, today had
brief meetings with Prime Minister Costas Simitis and Development Minister
Vasso Papandreou.
Rodionov arrived in Athens yesterday on the occasion of the inauguration of
the natural gas project on Wednesday.
Speaking later at a joint press conference, Rodionov and Papandreou
announced that the two countries would sign an energy cooperation
protocol.
The protocol provides for the formation of a working group to discuss
issues related to the Burgas-Alexandroupolis gas pipeline and the extension
of the natural gas network to the Greek-Albanian border.
Asked to comment on Nicosia's decision to purchase and deploy Russian-made
anti-aircraft missiles, Rodionov replied:
''This is an issue purely of competition and if the purchase was made by
some other western country it would not taken on such dimensions in the
media.''
Asked on the same issue, Papandreou said:
''Cyprus is an independent state and as such takes its own decisions about
armaments.''
Five dead as torrential floods hit Greece
At least five people died in flash floods that swept Greece yesterday
disrupting communications and causing extensive damage in the regions of
Corinth, Argolida, Aigialia and Fthiotida with dramatic live television
footage showing the raging waters sweeping away parked cars down the roads
of the city of Corinth.
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.
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 Kavalas, causing traffic chaos.
Interior Undersecretary Lambros Papadimas told the ANA that Fthiotis had
literally been cut in two as a result of the collapse or serious damage to
the five bridges connecting the prefecture.
He said dozens of villages on one side of Fthiotis had been cut off while
the national road network in the prefecture could not be used due to
extensive problems.
Papadimas said the armed forces were assisting in a decisive way, with
marines and a batallion of engineers trying to build a floating bridge to
enable albeit rudimentary communication with the villages which have been
cut off.
Emergency cases in the prefecture are currently being served by army
helicopters which this morning transferred three patients with kidney
complaints and one pregnant woman to hospital.
At the present time it is not raining in Fthiotis and the national road is
expected to be reopened to traffic in an hour or two.
In a related development, main opposition New Democracy leader Miltiades
Evert demanded immediate compensation for the flood victims.
''From the moment that the state is not in a position to protect the
property of citizens, it is obliged to compensate them immediately for the
damage they have incurred from the floods. And we expect the government to
do precisely this without delay,'' Evert said.
Democratic Social Movement (DHKKI) leader Dimitris Tsovolas left today for
Corinth to visit the areas worst hit by the floods and be briefed by local
authorities on the situation.
Coalition of the Left and Progress leader Nikos Constantopoulos will head a
party delegation to Corinth tomorrow.
Garbage collectors suspend strike
Garbage collectors today suspended a nationwide strike following torrential
rains and flash floods that caused tons of rubbish to spill into streets,
blocking sewers and inundating main road arteries.
The Garbage Collectors' Federation announced after an emergency meeting
that it was suspending the strike action until February 20 "due to the
situation in the streets following yesterday's (Sunday's) floods".
It also said it had taken into consideration a pledge by Interior, Public
Administration and Decentralisation Minister Alecos Papadopoulos that there
demands for permanent work contracts for temporary personnel and higher
bonuses would be settled with the tabling of a relevant amendment in
Parliament.
Ships at anchor as seamen strike
Ships remained at anchor at ports around Greece as seamen and dockworkers
began a 48-hour strike to press their demands that no changes be made to
the fiscal regime applicable since 1955.
The strike will affect Greek-flag vessels of all categories as well as
foreign ships employing Greek seamen.
The seamen are also demanding measures to combat unemployment, the
absorption of unemployed colleagues and a minimum pension equal to 80 per
cent of the present basic salary.
The labour action may develop into a rolling strike following talks between
the seamen and Finance Undersecretary George Drys which the seamen
described as unsatisfactory.
Pangalos meets Milosevic, sees solution in OSCE report
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.
US envoy Cavanaugh due in Athens
The Director of the Office of Southern European Affairs at the US State
Department, Carey Cavanaugh, who is in Cyprus for talks with the Cypriot
government is due to arrive in Athens tonight.
Speaking on his arrival in Cyprus, 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.
Greek and Canadian teams uncover ancient city of Argilos
A joint team of Greek and Canadian archaeologists have 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
(M.P.)
