NEWS IN DETAIL

Prime minister slams teachers for continuing strike

Simitis was replying to a question in Parliament tabled by Communist Party of Greece (KKE) deputy Orestes Kolozov.

The premier accused the teachers of continuing their strike on the pretext that they were waging a struggle for all workers.

''This framework of demands of their struggle is unacceptable,'' he said.

Teachers have decided to continue their strike for the fifth consecutive week next week.

Simitis called on the strikers to consider the ''cost'' for pupils and end their labour action.

Attributing responsibility to the government for the continuation of the strike, Social Democrat Movemement (DHKKI) leader Dimitris Tsovolas responded to Simitis' statements accusing him of confronting the strike with the attitude of a casino gambler.

Kolozov said the government should satisfy the teachers' demands because their strike was having ''an enormous overall cost''.

Simitis calls farmers to talks

Simitis was replying to a question tabled in Parliament by main opposition New Democracy party leader Miltiades Evert on the government's handling of the most recent round of farmers' protests.

Farmers in Thessaly suspended their protests last week after police deflated the tyres of tractors parked along the Athens-Thessaloniki national road, to prevent them being used to block the highway as was the case last December.

''The police merely took those measures which were necessary to keep law and order,'' Simitis said, adding that the police had acted in order to prevent the perpetration of a criminal offence, namely the blocking of the highway.

Alleging wilful damage to the farmers' vehicles, Evert responded by saying that the prime minister had not seen the tractors whose steering wheels and screws had been removed.

Calling the police action ''a barbaric raid'', Evert said the government had no right to break the law even when citizens were breaking the law.

''Which article of which law gives you the right to cause damage to vehicles,'' Evert asked.

Simitis replied by citing a number of specific provisions of the penal code, stressing that there were no grounds for compensation being paid to the farmers because ''there was no damage''.

Upsurge in polio cases in the Balkans, conference told

The conference, entitled ''Mass Vaccination Campaign against Poliomyelitis'', began here on Wednesday. It has been organised by the European Regional Bureau of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in cooperation with the Health and Welfare Ministry.

If is focusing on problems associated with the vaccination of populations in regions such as the Balkans. Participants have come from Greece, Italy, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Yugoslavia, UNICEF and other international organisations.

The ultimate objective of the conference was to find ways of eradicating the disease by the year 2000 when it is hoped that it will no longer be necessary to vaccinate children.

Poliomyelitis is an acute viral infection which mainly affects children but also older persons. If the infection spreads to the nervous system, varying degrees of paralysis ensue.

Delegates at the conference noted that although the incidence of the disease has declined worldwide, the 188 cases reported in 1996 were in just six countries -- Albania (139), Turkey (16), Yugoslavia (24), Greece (5), Russia (3) and Ukraine (1).

Professor of Epedimiology T. Kourea-Kremastinou told the conference that the cases reported in Greece concerned children belonging to population groups on the move, namely gypsies, who had not been vaccinated.

She said 99 per cent of children in Greece had been vaccinated by the age of two.

Other Greek delegates at the conference underlined that the problem in Greece was mainly due to illegal immigrants and that the only solution was mass vaccination at a regional and local level.

Albania's PM Meksi says he will resign if his party asks him to

Speaking at a press conference for Greek journalists in the Albanian capital, Meksi said he would resign only if asked to do so by his ruling Democratic Party and not by the opposition and demonstrators.

Meksi's statement, seen also in light of remarks last night by Democratic Party President and Foreign Minister Tritan Sehu that government responsibilities would be discussed at the party's next national council and that changes were not ruled out, reinforces the view in Tirana that the government will attempt to reduce tension in the country by making internal changes.

Meksi however denied all responsibility, both on his part and the government, for the operation of the get-rich-quick pyramid schemes.

As soon as the extent of the problem had become known, he said, the government had warned investors but ''perhaps not in the clearest manner''.

Meksi indicated that the problem was known even before recent elections, prior to the collapse of the schemes, but said ''no government could have intervened in such a matter''.

''No one spoke about the phenomenon then, not even the opposition,'' he said.

Asked to comment on the demand of demonstrators and the opposition for his and the government's resignation, Meksi replied:

''There is no such issue. This will happen when it is requested by the (Democratic) party and not those who were aware of the risks and the opposition which from the beginning of my premiership has monotonously called on me to resign.''

French minister due in Athens today

A working meeting will be held with the leadership of the interior ministry, which will be followed by the signing of a cooperation protocol on interior and public administration issues. Mr. Debre will pay a courtesy visit to Prime Minister Costas Simitis this evening, and will also meet with Public Order Minister George Romeos.

UN chief rejects talk of Greek-Turkish war over Cyprus

He added that he does not think there will be a war between Greece and Turkey over Cyprus.

"There have been tensions and a tendency to bring in armaments into the region which has created tensions. What we are hoping to do is to continue the talks, the proximity talks and the efforts of (UN Secretary General's special representative) Dr. Han.

"It would be preferable that the talks take place before September. Otherwise, we are going to get into the Cypriot presidential election fever, " Mr. Annan told a press conference.

"The British and the American governments are working in a supporting role with us and I see now the British government has named Sir David Hannay to support the effort, and we expect Washington to designate someone also to work with us," he added.

"I don't think there will be a war (between Turkey and Greece). We are attempting to defuse the tensions and I think we've seen an improvement already and I would hope none of the leaders will do anything that will escalate the matters," he said.

EU Commission releases `97 economic report

For Greece, the report ascertains that positive results have been achieved in many fronts. The rate of growth increased from 2 per cent in 1995 to 2.4 per cent in 1996, while an important role in recovery was played by an increase in gross investments by 8.3 per ce nt, an increase in exports and an increase in domestic demand.

According to the Commission's predictions, inflation is expected to decrease to 6.9 per cent, the increase in domestic demand should be speeded up and reach 3.2 per cent a year, while the volume of exports should increase by 5.8 per cent.

The fiscal deficit between 1990 and 1996 decreased from 16.1 per cent of GDP to 7.9 per cent, while the public debt percentage decreased from 111.8 per cent of GDP to 110.6 per cent in 1996.

Greece ranked last in EU for direct foreign investment

According to 1994 figures, the total of direct foreign investment in Greece totalled Ecu452 million, while total foreign investment in the 15 EU member- states amounted to Ecu52.5 billion. Based on this, only 0.9 per cent of direct foreign investment in the EU concerned Greece.

Of the total of Ecu452 million, other EU member-states invested Ecu305 million, while the remaining 148 million was invested by other countries.

Portugal was 14th in the ranking, although it attracted more than the double amount of direct foreign investment, Ecu1.05 billion. Finland was 13th with Ecu1.1 billion.

Acropolis and other sites remain closed to visitors

"It is a simple case of hostage-taking," Mr. Venizelos said yesterday, noting that not all culture ministry employees were taking part in what he called the "selective" strike.

Mr. Venizelos acknowledged that the archaeologists and engineers employed by the culture ministry were "the worst paid employees of the Greek state".

The government remains constantly open to public dialogue, he said, adding that the draft law on civil servants was currently being prepared. The rolling 48-hour strikes of the culture ministry employees have closed the Acropolis museum and ar chaeological site in Athens and the White Tower, Byzantine and archaeological museums in the northern port city of Thessaloniki.

The strikers' demands are mainly pay- and benefit-related.

Immigrant smugglers arrested

Konstantinos Palis, 24 and Nikoalos Tsamaris, 27, had agreed to transport the immigrants for the sum of 5 million dr. The Iraqis had entered Greece with the help of two of their compatriots who ferried them across the Evros River border with Turkey.

The two men, along with the 62 Iraqis, are to appear before the Alexandroupolis prosecutor.

Meanwhile, an Albanian has been robbed by two men posing as policeman in the village of Anatoliko, Thessaloniki. Theodoros Dounas, 36 and K.M.M., 17, took 100,000 dr. from the pockets of Skrase Marko, 30, after telling him they were from the security police. Marko later reported the incident to police, to whom Dounas confessed the crime.

In another incident, a Greek and an Albanian were arrested last night near Kastoria for transporting three Albanian illegal immigrants from the Albanian border. Andreas Tzini, 40, and Vasilis Ioannou, 48, were apprehended as Tzini was driving the three in his car, led by Ioannou who was driving ahead to act as a lookout. However, when he did see the police it was too late to warn Tzini.

WEATHER

FOREIGN EXCHANGE

(M.P.)

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