NEWS IN DETAIL

Government warns farmers with force

"We are determined to confront the protest actions using all means," government spokesman Dimitris Reppas said, Thursday, calling at the same time on farmers for a "good will" dialogue.

Reppas added that whoever "exceeds the limits" would find themselves up "against the forces of the state."

"We have a plan and the will to avert incidents and road blockades as happened before," Reppas said, referring to farmers' protest actions last December, which caused serious disruptions to road and rail traffic around the country.

The spokesman said the government considered the protest actions to be "unjustified and inopportune," adding that "the problems are known."

The country's main agricultural groups, meanwhile, decided not to participate in protests announced by the pan-Thessaly Coordinating Committee and the corresponding committee of Macedonia-Thrace farmers.

The decision was taken at a meeting in Athens by the administrative boards of the Panhellenic Confederation of Agricultural Cooperatives (PASEGES), the General Confederation of Agricultural Associations (GESASE) and the Democratic Agricultural Associations of Greece (SYDASE).

The meeting was convened at the initiative of PASEGES.

"We reject the logic of regional movements calling themselves 'coordinating committees' because of the role they play in misleading farmers and our society in general, with regard to the real problems facing farmers," the groups said in a resolution.

The resolution called on all farmers belonging to cooperative groups to remain united "because the major problems demanded unity, oneness of spirit and common struggles."

In a related matter, HELEXPO president Antonis kourtis, expressed hope that the farmers' mobilisations will not coincide with this year's agricultural fair Agrotica, which begins on Jan.29, saying that the fair "supports and promotes the agricultural production."

Stressing that Agrotica is the "creation of the farmers and the fora representing them," Kourtis told a press conference, Friday, on this year's 13th annual fair that "no one believes the farmers themselves will proceed in any action which will have consequences on the operation of the fair..."

Meanwhile, the Association of the Greek Tourist and Travel Agents (HATTA) has appealed to Prime Minister Costas Simitis and Development Minister Vasso Papandreou to exhaust all margins for dialogue so as to avert a growing wave of nationwide strikes and mobilisations.

The appeal came in a statement yesterday, which referred to fears of tourism losses, and points to a British travel directive issued Thursday, warning travellers to check the local situation before starting their trip, in view of planned blockade of road and rail links by farmers next week.

In a related development, the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) today accused the government's decision to deal firmly with planned protest actions by farmers as one of "blatant terrorism."

The KKE in an announcement charged that the government's warning that it will crack down on the farmers was a prelude for a general clamp down against the entire popular movement.

It said the working people were not only trying to safeguard their incomes but also their right to survive.

Simitis meets with Belgian Counterpart Dehaene

Simitis said he briefed the Belgian prime minister on Greek-Turkish relations and the Cyprus issue, reiterating that the decision taken last July 15 by the EU's foreign ministers is still valid, although he stressed caution should be exercised regarding any future developments.

He also expressed his satisfaction with the meeting, saying the discussion focused on EU developments in relation to European Monetary Union (EMU), the intergovernmental conference and the EU expansion, particularly concerning the form of the EU must take under the new conditions.

On his party, Dehaene noted the usefulness of bilateral contacts, saying the meeting reconfirmed that Athens and Brussels share the same positions on most issues regarding the EU's prospects.

Defence Minister comments on Greece, Cyprus defence

Tsohatzopoulos added that the Greece-Cyprus defence planning was based on certain ''definitive axes'' such as the good fighting capability of the armed forces and ''flexible retaliation to any aggressive act by Turkey''.

The minister underlined that Greece and Cyprus had been in full agreement the last two years with respect to confronting the Turkish threat.

Evert charged that the government's foreign policy was characterized by ''enormous shifts and major compromises''.

''You can't agree among yourselves and this is why you do not accept the convening of the Council of political party leaders to discuss national issues,'' Evert said.

Simitis: no special provisions for floods

Simitis said the Greek taxpayer was already fairly heavily burdened and the government must exercise self-restraint in imposing new taxes.

From the moment that no decision has been taken for the setting up of funds for other priorities such as national defence, such a fund cannot be established for the repercussions of natural disasters, he said.

The premier said that the government was placing emphasis on anti-flood works, many of which have already been incorporated in European Union and public investment programmes.

Greece has contracted a 75 billion drachma loan for such works from the Council of Europe Reconstruction Fund.

In Athens, works costing about 110 billion drachmas are being performed, Simitis said, noting that to fully protect the capital against floods the total cost of works would be 250 billion drachmas.

Simitis said responsibility for the problems caused by floods could not be attributed solely to the state, since Greek society as a whole shared the responsibility.

In Attica alone, he stressed, gullies stretching in total for hundreds of kilometres had been illegally filled in, which meant there was no way for the water to escape during heavy rainfall.

Soldier shot in illegal immigrants incident

The speedboat was spotted by the patrol at 2 am local time as it approached the northern coast of the island and disembarked the illegal immigrants despite warning shots.

According to the General Army Staff, the wounded soldier is infantryman George Karayiannis, 20, resident of Patras who was initially taken to the Megisti health centre before being transfered by helicopter to a hospital on Rhodes.

Doctors at the Rhodes hospital said Karayiannis' life was not in danger.

Gov't pleased with Socialist International Council

Reppas said that for the first time during a Socialist International council, views coincided with the positions of the Greek and Greek Cypriot sides, adding that the Turkish arguments regarding the Cyprus problems have been opposed.

Asked to comment on US diplomat Richard Beattie's statement to CNN defending the purchase of Russian-made S-300 missiles by the Cypriot government, Reppas said that "the more determined we are to defend a choice we've made the more people will acknowledge that we are right."

Reppas reiterated Simitis' statements that Athens fully supports Nicosia and that decisions are taken jointly by the two governments.

Meanwhile in Washington, Newly sworn in US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright expressed concern about Cyprus in her first press conference.

"We are very much concerned about Cyprus and all the related issues (Greek- Turkish relations), and believe that this year we have an opportunity to improve this, unfortunately, protracted dispute," she said.

Greek force in Bosnia rotated

A "Hercules" C-130 transport plane left Macedonia Airport in Thessaloniki yesterday carrying three officers and 38 soldiers to Visoho to relieve personnel serving with the Greek force in Bosnia (ELDYP).

The transport place was due to land in Thessaloniki Friday night.

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