Two arrested for drug possession
NEWS IN DETAIL
Government considers Albania crisis
Prime Minister Costas Simitis today chaired a two-hour meeting with the
leaderships of the foreign and defence ministries to discuss developments
in Albania in the light of initiatives being undertaken by the European
Union, the Western European Union and the Organisation for Security and
Cooperation in Europe.
Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos briefed the meeting concerning the
decisions taken at the informal meeting of the EU Council of Foreign
Ministers in Apeldoorn at the weekend.
At the meeting in the Netherlands, the foreign ministers decided to send an
expert military and police advisory group to try and help restore order in
Albania.
In statements after today's meeting, National Defence Minister Akis
Tsohatzopoulos said the various initiatives currently being undertaken had
been examined so that Greece could respond in the most effective way and
support Albania ''in terms of humanitarian aid, politically and with police
assistance in this difficult period which that country is undergoing''.
Later today, the coordinating body for crisis handling will meet at the
foreign ministry with the participation also of defence ministry representatives
in order to finalize specific positions of Greece.
Pangalos described as a positive development Albanian President Sali
Berisha's commitment to resign if he lost the general election in
June.
At the same time, both Pangalos and Tsohatzopoulos strongly denied reports
alleging disagreement between them regarding the government's handling of
the Albanian crisis.
''We find the stories that are being written interesting but they have
nothing to do with what we are aware of,'' Pangalos said, while Tsohatzopoulos
underlined that ''there is no problem''.
''The efforts of all should be focused on restoring democracy and attaining
calm and progress as well as on supporting the new Albanian government,''
government spokesman Dimitris Reppas said.
Replying to questions on the scenarios regarding Berisha's resignation, the
spokesman said that the government's position was not a ''guarded'' one,
while underlining the need for normality to be restored in the neighbouring
country.
Reppas said however that the government did not want all efforts being made
for a solution to be restricted solely to the issue of whether Berisha
should resign or not.
''The Greek government fully supports the government of Bashkim Fino which
expresses all the political forces in Albania, can restore normality and
lead the country to unimpeachable elections,'' Reppas said.
If an international presence is needed during general elections in June,
the spokesman said, Greece would participate by sending observers.
In reply to other questions, Reppas categorically denied that Greek crew
members aboard Hellenic Navy vessels evacuating civilians from Durres on
Saturday had fired on Albanians who had gathered at the port in the hope of
finding a way to leave the country.
Alternate FM concerned over EU handling
Alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou has expressed concern over the
European Union's handling of the crisis in Albania as well as fears that
the problems could spread over the entire region.
In an interview in the Spanish newspaper El Pais, Papandreou criticised the
EU for "not acting promptly to avert the crisis in Albania". Warnings by
Greece and Italy to the EU a month ago that the situation in the Balkans
was deteriorating had gone unheeded, as had demands for the assumption of
specific initiatives, he said. Nor had a requested Ministers' meeting on
the issue been held, he added.
Northern Greek industrialists determined to continue expansion
Despite negative developments in the Balkans, the Northern Greece
Association of Industries (SBEE) continued to support expansion outside
Greece, according to a statement by SBEE President Nikos Efthimiadis.
Addressing the opening of a four-day conference on business cooperation in
southeastern Europe, Efthimiadis referred to the fruitful cooperation
between the private and public sectors in business ventures in neighbouring
countries over the past year.
In particular, he referred to the Thessaloniki Stock Exchange Centre which
opened in April 1996, the Black Sea States' Bank which is to open next
month, as well as the completion of a development plan.
He referred to certain "bitter truths" such as the lack of fundamental
infrastructure for enterprises in northern Greece wanting to expand their
activities north of the border, as well as the fact that Greece did not
adequately exploit possibilities offered by its membership in the European
Union.
The conference opening was also addressed by Macedonia and Thrace Minister
Philippos Petsalnikos and the chairman of the board of the Bank of
Macedonia and Thrace, Spyros Kouniakis.
Tomorrow, Prime Minister Costas Simitis and Foreign Minister Theodoros
Pangalos are to address the conference tomorrow.
Active Greek involvement in EU diplomatic mission to Tirana
Greece will be actively involved in the European Union's first tentative
steps to help the Albanian authorities restore order in the anarchic Balkan
republic and will continue its own contacts in Albania in an effort to
bring an end to the crisis.
As a first step, the EU has decided to send a high-level mission to Tirana
today, led by Dutch diplomat Jan de Marchant et d'Ansembourg and including
representatives from EU presidency the Netherlands, Greece, Italy, the
European Commission and the Orga nisation for Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE).
The aim of the mission is to explore the steps needed to be taken to
normalise the situation in Albania.
"The European Union has decided the dispatch of representatives to Albania
with the aim of studying the situation and offering assistance to the
Albanian government in its efforts to restore public order and safety,"
government spokesman Dimitris Reppas said in Athens yesterday.
He said Greece would be represented in this mission by ambassador Dimitris
Kypraios and Brigadier Ioannis Tsagaris.
Foreign Undersecretary Yiannos Kranidiotis will visit Gjirokaster tomorrow,
as part of intense diplomatic and political contacts on the part of the
Greek government to find a peaceful political solution, Mr. Reppas
said.
"Greece will continue to offer humanitarian aid and we believe that soon
the crisis will be over and Albanians and Albania will see better days,"
Mr. Reppas said.
Crucial week ahead for New Democracy
The main opposition New Democracy party's three-day 4th Congress will start
at the Peace and Friendship Stadium on Friday where some 3,400 delegates
will elect a new party leader from four candidates in what is believed by
many to be the party's most cruc ial congress in its 22-year history.
The candidates contesting the leadership are the incumbent leader Miltiades
Evert and his challengers George Souflias, Costas Karamanlis and Vyron
Polydoras.
The 4th congress will be the first to elect a party leader but many concede
that it will constitute an important step towards widening democracy in the
party, while many others claim that the problems of the party's political
orientation and cohesion will not be resolved during the upcoming
congress.
What remains to be seen is whether the outcome of the congress at the Peace
and Friendship Stadium will bring peace and friendship to strife-torn
ND.
18 illegal immigrants presumed dead as boat sinks in Aegean
Eighteen illegal immigrants were presumed dead last night after a boat
carrying them from Turkey sank in Turkish territorial waters just off the
islet of Ro early yesterday.
Port authorities on Ro were notified of the incident by a survivor of the
incident, an Iranian man, who said he swam to the Greek islet after the
boat sank. A further two survivors were rescued by port police vessels
arriving at the scene shortly after the initial reports. The port police
said they saw bodies floating within Turkish territorial waters. Turkish
authorities and ships sailing nearby were notified to search the area for
possible survivors. After the incident was reported, Turkish coast guard
vessels collected the bodies and transported them back to Kas.
According to reports, the 21 illegal immigrants, including three women and
three children, bought the boat, without an engine, in the town of Kas in
Turkey in order to row to Kastellorizo and request political asylum from
the Greek authorities. The three survivors said that half-way between the
Turkish coast and the island, the boat began to leak and sank soon
afterwards. They said none of the 18 who perished could swim, and there
were no life jackets on board.
The three surviving men have been hospitalised in Kastellorizo, whe-re one,
whose four-month pregnant wife drowned in the incident, is being treated
for severe shock.
Dock workers protest death of colleague
About 600 dock workers have gathered outside the Merchant Marine Ministry
in Piraeus to protest what they say is the state's indifference to their
working conditions. The demonstration follows the death of a fellow-worker
killed in an explosion on Saturday while working on a vessel docked in
Perama.
The dock workers staged a rally earlier this morning outside the city's
Labour Centre, before marching through Piraeus to the Ministry.
Scuffles broke out with the police after demonstrators realised the
Minister, Stavros Soumakis, was not in the building. At the moment, their
representatives are meeting to decide whether to meet with the head of the
port authority or to wait for the minister. Soumakis was scheduled to
attend a meeting with Prime Minister Costas Simitis and shipowners'
representatives.
Pregnant woman murdered in broad daylight
A French-Canadian today shot and killed his seven-months pregnant wife on a
street in the Athens suburb of Vrilissia after a violent quarrel.
According to eye-witnesses, Joseph Pouhaze (phonetic spelling) had been
waiting in a car for his wife, Maria Tsirou, 32 to appear.
When Tsirou did appear, there was a violent quarrel, with Pouhaze trying to
persuade his apparently estranged wife to get back together but to no
avail.
The witnesses said Tsirou tried to get away but Pouhaze chased after her
and shot her in the head. Doctors at a nearby hospital said her death was
instantaneous.
Pouhaze ran off after the murder but about 150 metres from the scene shot
himself in the leg and was taken to hospital where he is being treated
under police guard.
Police found a note in Pouhaze's car explaining what had driven him to
murder his wife.
Two arrested for drug possession
Police today arrested two Colombian men after finding over two kilos of
cocaine during a search of their house in Piraeus.
The arrested were identified as Alberto Rodriguez, 44 and Sergio Bizaro,
51.
Apart from the 2.38 kilos of cocaine, police also seized 1,300,000 drachmas
on the grounds that it was derived illeally from the sale of narcotics.
According to the police, the two Colombians have been living in Greece for
a number of years and are married to Greeks.
WEATHER
Fine weather is forecast for most of Greece today with only a few clouds in
eastern Macedonia and Thrace and the northern Aegean sea with possible
showers. Moderate northerly winds getting stronger in the Aegean. Athens
will be mostly sunny with temperatures between 9-18C. Thessaloniki will be
partly cloudy with temperatures between 8-14C.
SPORTS
Greek First Division soccer results
Olympiakos-Edessa 4-0 AEK Athens-Panahaiki 2-0
Pyrgos-Panathinaikos 2-1 Heraklis-OFI Crete 0-1
Apollon-Kavala 2-0 Veria-Ionikos 1-1
Kalamata-Kastoria 2-0 Athinaikos-Xanthi 0-0
PAOK Thessaloniki-Aris Thessalonoiki 2-1
Standings:
Olympiakos 61 AEK 55
Panathinaikos 51 OFI 49
PAOK 44 Kavala 43
Pyrgos 38 Veria 34
Ionikos 33
FOREIGN EXCHANGE
Friday's closing rates
US dlr. 266.243 Pound sterling 424.675
Cyprus pd 522.784 French franc 46.287
Swiss franc 181.501 German mark 156.180
Italian lira (100) 15.669 Yen (100) 215.204
Canadian dlr. 195.364 Australian dlr. 212.427
Irish Punt 415.350 Belgian franc 7.571
Finnish mark 52.308 Dutch guilder 138.806
Danish kr. 40.932 Swedish kr. 34.367
Norwegian kr. 38.829 Austrian sch. 22.192
Spanish peseta 1.840 Portuguese escudo 1.553
(M.P.)
