Thessaloniki gets revamped local daily
NEWS IN DETAIL
Farmers call off protests util March
Farmers yesterday decided to call off their latest round of protests, after
having the wind taken out of their sails on Friday when police deflated the
tyres of 1,500 tractors parked on national roads in central Greece.
Farmers' representatives said, however, that they would resume their
protests again in March, on the anniversary of the bloody Kileler farmers'
uprising in 1910.
The decision to call off the second round of protests came after a rally at
the Mikrothives junction in Thessaly, and following speeches at rallies in
major farming towns by members of the government and ruling party
PASOK.
Sources close to the Thessaly Coordinating Committee, which led the
decision to resume protests this month, said the farmers had put an end to
their protests because they were discouraged by recent developments and
lack of coordination by farmers.
The government, meanwhile, had followed up on its sleight of hand to
deflate the farmers' tyres by organising senior government members to speak
at rallies in Karditsa and Larissa.
Smaller-scale protests, however, continued throughout the weekend, although
none came close to disrupting traffic on national roads, a move that the
government was determined to avoid.
In December, a 25-day blockade of road and rail links virtually cut the
country in two, and caused extensive disruption to transport and export and
other industries.
The Thessaly Coordinating Committee on Saturday, meanwhile, demanded the
government repair damage to their machinery, saying they would file charges
against police for "extensive damage" caused to their tractors.
Papandreou: Thessaly farmers no worse off than others
In Larissa yesterday, Development Minister Vasso Papandreou said protesting
farmers were a minority of the farming community in Greece, adding that the
Thessaly farmers were no worse off than farmers in other Greek regions.
She admitted, however, that ruling party PASOK was in part responsible for
the current situation because it should have started dialogue sooner.
However, she added, the government refused to conduct talks "in a climate
of blackmail and national road blockades."
Ms Papandreou said the government was determined to implement its farming
programme in the framework of the broader competitive climate in Europe and
called on farmers to adjust to the new conditions.
National Economy and Finance Minister Yiannos Papantoniou said that the
government would not deviate from its present economic policy.
"The new fall in inflation shows that the (existing) economic policy is
yielding results and it would be a shame not to keep up this effort," the
minister said, adding that "tax exemptions and illegal subsidies do not
constitute the solution (to the problems facing the farmers) and will cause
immense prob lems for the remaining farming community."
Suspended sentences
In a related development, a Volos court on Saturday sentenced nine farmers
arrested in scuffles with police on Friday morning trying to prevent them
from blocking the Athens-Thessaloniki road to six months in prison with
three-year suspension.
Teachers to decide Wednesday on whether to continue strike
Federation of Greek Teachers (DOE) President Tasos Papaharalambous said
last night that proposals made to teachers by Education Minister Gerasimos
Arsenis were "positive", adding that results of the six-hour long
discussion with the minister and Finance Undersecretary Nikos Christodoulakis
will be communicated to the union which will decide on its next steps at
general assemblies scheduled for today and tomorrow.
A final decision on the future of the three-week strike by high school
teachers, which is entering its fourth week today, and the two-week strike
by primary school teachers will be taken on Wednesday when the general
assembly of Greek teachers union presidents will take place in Athens.
Untill then high schools and primary schools will remain closed this week
pending any further decisions.
Teachers' main claims are salary increases for teachers working in first-
stage education, a reduction in the working week from 25 to 21 hours and
the hiring of more teachers.
Mr. Arsenis said that salary increases given to teachers corresponded to
those given to university professors "at a time of fiscal difficulty".
He said he had accepted the claim for a reduction in weekly working hours
from 25 to 21 hours, but in three years' time, adding that the placing of
replacements at schools will be limited as of September to allow for more
hirings.
UN chief calls on Simitis for support to resolve Cyprus issue
Sunday newspaper "To Vima" published a letter UN Secretary-General Kofi
Annan has addressed to Prime Minister Costas Simitis in which he stresses
that an extension of the present status quo in Cyprus entails serious
dangers and is creating serious concern at the Security Council.
Mr. Annan stresses that efforts aimed at achieving a solution to the Cyprus
issue can succeed if both leaders (Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides and
Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash) commit themselves to handling all
issues in a collective manner an d on the basis of the mutual will to
compromise.
Mr. Annan requests from Mr. Simitis and Turkish Prime Minister Necmettin
Erbakan, to whom he has also addressed a letter, to support his efforts to
have the Cyprus issue resolved.
"The data required for us to process a settlement are at our disposal. I am
referring in particular to high-level agreements concluded in 1977 and 1979
and by which the two sides agreed to the establishment of a bi-communal and
bizonal federation, decisions taken by the Security Council, the package of
ideas and to other ideas probed in past years," it said.
The letter further says that it has also been recognised that an overall
settlement can be achieved through mutual concessions with overall
negotiations between the leaders of the two communities, which must last as
long as is necessary for a solution to be found and that it is vital now
for both leaders to commit themselves to such a process.
It went on to say that Mr. Annan had given emphasis to the fact he is ready
to make whatever effort to help the two communities achieve an overall
settlement, adding that without full cooperation from the two leaders and
active support from Greece and T urkey the effort will not succeed.
"I propose sending my special envoy Mr. Han Sung Joo to Athens on February
10 to proceed with the active support of your government so as to achieve
the targets set out in this letter. I particularly appreciate your personal
support," the letter concluded.
Greece, Cyprus will not concede sovereign rights, says Apostolakis
National Defence Undersecretary Dimitris Apostolakis said yesterday that
the Greek-Cypriot joint defence doctrine is a political philosophy, one
that shows the determination of the Hellenic nation not to make concessions
on national independence and natio nal sovereignty.
Mr. Apostolakis was speaking in Crete during events marking the 100th year
of the Cretan's revolution against Turkish rule of the island.
"It is the will of both the Greek and Cypriot governments not to give the
opportunity to anyone to dispute our sovereign rights," he said.
Housing programme for repatriated Greeks a success
The National Institute for the Reception and Resettlement of Expatriate and
Repatriated Greeks (EIYAPOE) President George Iacovou expressed satisfaction
over the organisation's efforts in Thrace to house Black Sea Greeks, during
his farewell tour of the region.
"The National Institute for the Reception and Resettlement of Expatriate
and Repatriated Greeks has developed a very reliable housing plan and
produces high-specification homes and at very speedy rates. It has also
adopted modern building technologies permitting it to build settlements in
record time," he said during a tour of the Apalou Alexandroupolis community
and the municipalities of Sappes and Tycherou where houses are being built
to house repatriated ethnic Greeks from the Black Sea region.
Swedish deputy finance minister in Athens today
Swedish Deputy Finance Minister Tomas Estrus will hold talks here today
with his Greek counterpart George Drys within the framework of the Swedish
government's efforts to clarify certain taxation issues as well as its
proposal on a joint system for energy taxes and European policies in the
taxation field.
"Our aim in these contacts is the exchange of information and views on
issues which will be discussed at joint meetings of finance ministers of
the European Union's member-states," Mr. Estrus told Swedish radio before
his departure for Athens.
The European Commission is promoting a package of measures regarding the
harmonisation of taxation legislation in EU states to combat tax evasion
and to improve revenue-gathering by member-states.
Thessaloniki gets revamped local daily 'Nea Macedonia'
The first edition of Thessaloniki daily "Nea Macedonia" circulated in the
northern port city yesterday in the face of opposition of former employees
of the Journalists Organisation of Northern Greece (DOBE), the company
which had published Thessaloniki-based newspapers "Macedonia" and
"Thessaloniki", which both folded last June.
The proprietors of "Nea Macedonia" are George Kouris, who also owns Athens
daily "Avriani" and Katerina Vellidis, the proprietor of "Macedonia" and
"Thessaloniki".
An editorial in the newspaper said Nea Macedonia "is a new newspaper but it
is also, not only in name but also in essence, the unbreakable continuation
of the most historic newspaper of northern Greece 'Macedonia' which was
founded by Costas Vellidis an d restructured by Yiannis Vellidis."
"Macedonia" and "Thessaloniki" were forced to close over financial problems
suffered by the Vellidis Group. The closure followed strikes by journalists
over the Group's failure to pay pension dues.
Speaking over the weekend, Mr. Kouris announced that he controlled 60 per
cent of the new company named K.I. Vellidis S.A. and Ms Vellidis the
remainder. He said it has absorbed a number of journalists from DOBE and
planned to hire more.
However, staff dismissed from "Macedonia" and "Thessaloniki" have reacted
strongly, publishing a four-page edition of the old newspaper "Macedonia"
in which they strongly criticised Mr. Kouris and Ms Vellidis, calling the
new newspaper "a fake".
They have taken their case to the law courts and are also seeking money
owed to them by DOBE which is in the process of liquidation.
WEATHER
Fair to overcast in most parts of Greece with northerly moderate winds
getting stronger in the southgern Aegean sea. A small rise in temperatures
expected during the day. Athens will be mostly sunny with temperatures
between 4-15C. Same in Thessaloniki with temperatures between -2 to
13C.
SPORTS
Weekend Greek first division soccer results:
Olympiakos - Heraklis 2 - 1 Athinaikos - Panathinaikos 0 - 2
Kavala - Pyrgos 1 - 0 Panahaiki - Ionikos 2 - 1
PAOK - Kalamata 2 - 0 Edessa - Aris 1 - 0
Xanthi - Kastoria 6 - 0 AEK - OFI 0-1
Apollon - Veria to be played today
Standings: Olympiakos 48
AEK 42 Panathinaikos 42
OFI 37 Kavala 31
Pyrgos 30 PAOK 29
Veria, Panahaiki 28 Ionikos 27
FOREIGN EXCHANGE
Friday's closing rates - buying US dlr. 258.773
Pound sterling 422.294 Cyprus pd 519.808
French franc 46.128 Swiss franc 180.132
German mark 155.625 Italian lira (100) 15.838
Yen (100) 208.419 Canadian dlr. 191.218
Australian dlr. 196.728 Irish Punt 413.228
Belgian franc 7.544 Finnish mark 52.457
Dutch guilder 138.597 Danish kr. 40.791
Swedish kr. 34.895 Norwegian kr. 39.650
Austrian sch. 22.114 Spanish peseta 1.839
Portuguese escudo 1.549
(C.E.)
