NEWS IN DETAIL

CoE's Parliamentary Assembly approves resolution on Cyprus

The resolution calls for an extra Cypriot deputy to be added to the one Cypriot representative already in the body, as well as a Turkish Cypriot deputy to attend sessions when discussions focus on Cyprus-related issues.

The resolution was amended prior to the vote by Cypriot, Greek and British deputies.

The report also calls for the demilitarisation of Cyprus, requesting that both sides resume dialogue and accept the measures proposed by the UN Security Council for de-escalation of tensions accross the island's dividing line.

Close Greek-Austrian ties highlighthed

She made the remarks at a Hellenic-Austrian Association event in Vienna. Ms Ferrero-Waldner said this new dimension was indicated by a forthcoming series of reciprocal official visits.

Austrian Foreign Minister Wolfgang Schuessel will visit Athens next month, while Alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou is expected in Vienna in May.

Federal Parliament President Heinz Fischer is scheduled to visit Athens in April at the invitation of his Greek counterpart. In the meantime, the setting of the date for the official visit to Austria by Prime Minister Costas Simitis is being discussed at a diplomatic level.

Tourism prospects

According to official figures released by the organisers, the Greek pavilion attracted the largest number of visitors, while a recent poll showed that one in 10 Austrians over the age of 16 intends to spend their holidays in Greece - second only to Italy (11 per cent).

Contact group tells Ciller `good will` steps neccessary for EU entry

It was apparent that so far no progress had been recorded in yesterday's meeting of the informal five-member contact group with Turkey, which focused on EU-Turkey relations.

Italian Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini pointed out that the problem of human rights, Greek-Turkish relations, the Cyprus and Kurdish problems remain serious obstacles to the acceleration of Turkey's entry.

Mr. Dini dwelled in particular on the importance of Turkey's relations with Greece.

"Greece exercises, and can exercise up to a point, the right of veto. We don't believe that the right of veto can be extended on issues of negotiations or dialogue. Every member of the EU has the right of veto only on the issue of full accession by another country," he said.

Mr. Dini provided a reminder of the July 15, 1996 statement by the Council of Ministers, calling on Turkey to respect the principles of international law in relations to other nations and their sovereignty and territorial integrity; to avoid the use or threat of using violence, and to seek recourse at the International Court of Justice at The Hague on issues of territorial disputes.

French Foreign Minister Herve de Charette stated: "There are no obstacles to Turkey's possible entry in the EU to begin with, but certain difficulties remain and we must solve them."

His German counterpart Klaus Kinkel agreed, but added that there are also difficulties to Cyprus' entry as long as the Cyprus problem is not solved.

State Department reaction

He added that US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright told her Dutch counterpart presiding over the EU, Hans van Mierlo, and European Commission Vice President Sir Leon Brittan that the US attributes great strategic importance to Turkey.

"The United States would not favour creating any artificial or any new conditions that might prevent Turkey from playing a full role in Europe," he said, adding "we are in favour of full inclusion by Turkey in western institutions."

G. Papandreou to represent Greece at Davos forum

The agenda of the four separate meetings will focus on the international funding system, social welfare neworks for the 21st century, the effect of the genetic revolution on society, the effect of technological changes on private enterprises as well as politics and society in general.

The selected 60 personalities include the presidents of Cyprus, Switzerland, Romania, Hungary, Poland, Egypt, Ukraine, Ecuador and South Africa as well as the prime ministers of Belgium, Russia, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Lebanon, Israel and India.

Turkish trade unionists on official visit to Greece

The two countries' trade union organisations referred to ties of friendship and cooperation, expressing a conviction that the consolidation of a climate of friendship and cooperation between the two countries would contribute decisively to their develop ment.

In this context they said peaceful investments would be given a great impetus if capital spent on armaments was channelled to them. The two organisations wish for a speedy and peaceful solution to the Cyprus issue and committed themselves to work for Balkan trade union cooperation.

Tzoumakas: 'political forces behind farmers' protests'

"Their demands have no relation to the need for reforms in agriculture, but arise from expediencies of political forces and parties that seek to create tension in the country's political and social life," he said, addressing the opening of the Agrotica '97 exhibition in Thessaloniki.

Citing figures, he said while one tractor corresponds to 50 hectares in the rest of the European Union, in Greece the ratio is one to eight, and that while 20 to 22 per cent of the population is engaged in agriculture, their contribution to GDP is only 12 per cent.

New Greek rep to EU Court appointed

Baltsa concert in Thessaloniki tonight

Ms Baltsa, who arrived in the northern city yesterday, will perform arias by Rossini, Verdi, Bizet, Saint-Saens and Maschanini, accompanied by the Vienna Symphony Orchestra conducted by D. R. Davis. The orchestra will give another concert tomorrow night featuring works by Schubert.

Tickets for tonight's concert have already been sold out.

Both performances are being held in the 1,000-seat auditorium of the Aristotelion University, the largest in Thessaloniki, since none of the larger cultural infrastructure projects have been completed. Of the total number of seats, 650 were put on sale and were sold within two hours, while the remaining 350 are reserved for invitations for officials attending the three-day events to mark the official opening of the Cultural Capital.

El Greco icon goes on show in Thessaloniki

The exhibition, marking the inauguration of Thessaloniki as Cultural Capital of Europe for 1997, will be open at the Museum of Byzantine Culture until April 15 and will then be taken on a tour of cities in Europe and the US.

Manginas elected deputy president for EPP group

Communist Party of Greece (KKE) Deputy Stratis Korakas was elected deputy president of the immigration committee of the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly.

Drunk driving crackdown announced

Mr. Spyropoulos noted that police evidence has revealed that a large percentage of criminal traffic offences are due to drunk driving.

In Attica, misdemeanour traffic violations between April to October 1996 reached 17,244 - with 2,329 of these being for drunk driving.

Approximately 2,000 people die and a further 30,000 are injured on Greek roads every year, while the annual toll for Europe as a whole is 50,000 fatalities and 500,000 injured.

Another seven kilometres of Egnatia construction awarded

A contract will be signed on Monday for construction of the "Thessaloniki western entrance" outside the city's limits. The three-kilometre-long project, with a budget of 5.5 billion drachmas, has been awarded to the Ergas-Altek consortium, and is expected to be completed in 27 months.

Treasury bill rates fall below 10 per cent

Specifically, 9.8 per cent for three months (from 10 per cent), 10.1 per cent for six months (from 10.30 per cent) and 10.9 per cent for one year (from 11.10 per cent).

It is the first time that interest rates on treasury bills fell below the psychological barrier of 10 per cent and paves the way for a new fall in bank interest rates.

WEATHER

FOREIGN EXCHANGE

(C.E.)

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