Athens News Agency: News in English (PM), 97-04-29
NEWS IN ENGLISH
Athens, Greece, 29/04/1997 (ANA)
MAIN HEADLINES
- Greece to remain firm on EU-Turkey association agreement
- Unidentified assailant shoots Albanian
- Premier: Greece ready to improve relations with Turkey
- Premier outlines targets of Greece's economy
- Simitis invites Kohl to visit Greece
- Pangalos Christens baby daughter of murdered Greek Cypriot
- Defence Minister visits Greek troops stationed in Albania
- Greece rated EU's poorest country
- The final company of Greek troops leaves for Albania
- Turks sentenced for smuggling illegal immigrants
- Weather
- Foreign exchange
NEWS IN DETAIL
Greece to remain firm on EU-Turkey association agreement
Statements today by Alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou indicated
that Greece would remain firm in its positions concerning the European
Union-Turkey association agreement, according to an ANA despatch from
Luxembourg.
Papandreou, who together with Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos is in
Luxembourg for today's EU-Turkey Association Council, said the ''15'' had
prepared a text which was satisfactory for Greece and which must be
accepted by Ankara.
According to informed sources, the Turkish side appears unwilling to accept
the text and this may be the reason for Turkish Foreign Minister Tansu
Ciller's late arrival in Luxembourg.
Greece has stated that it will not lift its veto of the fourth financial
protocol, which provides for Community funds for Ankara, unless Turkey
satisfies the prerequisites set by the EU.
The EU prerequisites largely reflect Greek demands that Turkey recognise
international treaties governing relations between the two countries and
lift its threats of war and use of force against Greece.
Unidentified assailant shoots Albanian
An Albanian is recovering in a Thessaloniki hospital after being shot by an
unidentified assailant in the hut outside the city, where he lived with
three other compatriots.
The assailant drove up to the hut and fired a shot at its occupants,
hitting Leonidas Alberiami in the shoulder. The man then fired another shot
into the air and drove off.
Premier: Greece ready to improve relations with Turkey
Prime Minister Costas Simitis reiterated on Friday that Greece would,
subject to conditions, be willing to discuss issues with Turkey at a
bilateral level aimed at improving the climate of relations between the two
countries.
At the same time, the premier underlined the preconditions for such a
dialogue, namely that Turkey abandons all threats or use of force and
accepts "the activation of an international body with jurisdiction" for
resolving differences.
Mr. Simitis made clear however that the party whose territorial integrity
was being disputed did not have any obligation to enter into negotiations.
On the contrary, he said, the party which puts forward the relevant claims
is obliged to have recourse to the International Court at the Hague and
await its decision.
The premier was addressing an audience at Marburg University where he was
awarded an honorary doctorate.
Premier outlines targets of Greece's economy
Prime Minuister Costas Simitis said in a speech at Marburg University in
Germany that the Greek government's economic convergence programme being
implemented since 1996, would gradually lead Greece by 1998 to the
fulfilment of conditions for the country's accession to EMU.
Mr. Simitis based this assessment on the Greek economy's progress during
the last three years, particularly the curtailment of the public deficit by
6.5 per cent, the drop in inflation from 12 per cent in December 1993 to
6.8 per cent in February 1997 and the rate of growth of GDP which now
stands at 2.5 per cent, from -1 per cent in 1993. The premier noted that
this progress had been achieved without any wage freezes or dramatic
increase in unemployment.
Among the government's targets for 1997, Mr. Simitis said, was a further
drop in the public deficit to 4.2 per cent, GDP growth of 3 per cent and
inflation of 5 per cent.
Although the prospects for the Greek economy were good, Mr. Simitis told
his audience, the country's increased defence spending may place pressure
on the main indicators of public finances.
Premier Simitis concluded a six day visit to Germany yesterday with talks
with the Prime Minister of the Federal State of Essen Hans Eichel and a
dinner with local industrialists, businessmen and bankers.
Simitis invites Kohl to visit Greece
Prime Minister Costas Simitis has extended an invitation to German
Chancellor Helmut Kohl to pay an official visit to Greece which has been
accepted. Mr. Kohl has never officially visited Greece during his 14 years
in office. According to informed sources the visit might take place this
year.
In an interview to the German radio DLF Mr. Simitis rejected criticism
addressed to Greece by Germany for failing to recall the Greek ambassador
from Tehran when the verdict was issued on the murder of four Kurd
politicians in Berlin, attributing respon sibility to the Iranian
leadership for having given instructions to the perpetrators.
Mr. Simitis exercised criticism over the hasty character of recalling
ambassadors which was demanded by Germany, as well as for the absence of
necessary processes in the framework of the European Union in connection
with the issue.
Pangalos christens baby daughter of murdered Greek Cypriot
Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides, Greek Foreign Minister Theodoros
Pangalos, state officials, political leaders and hundreds of people
attended yesterday the christening of Anastasia Isaac, 8-month old daughter
of a Greek Cypriot brutally beaten to death last summer by Turkish
extremists.
Mr. Pangalos went to Cyprus on Sunday to represent the Greek government,
which has undertaken the child's upbringing.
Anastasia, which literally means resurrection in Greek, was given her
father's name during a ceremony at the church of Agios Georgios, in the
south-eastern coastal town Paralimni, attended by hundreds of Greek
Cypriots who had watched Tasos' brutal murder on TV.
The Greek minister called on all countries dealing with the Cyprus problem
not to accept the fait accompli on the island.
He reiterated Greek support and said Athens will continue its efforts for a
peaceful and viable solution to the Cyprus question.
Mr. Pangalos also called on everyone to continue working towards the
"resurrection" of the island, divided since 1974 when Turkish troops
invaded and occupied 37 per cent of its territory.
Tasos, 24, was killed by Turkish extremists during a peaceful anti-
occupation march on August 11, 1996, and his daughter was born September
17. Mr. Pangalos was returned to Athens last night.
Defence Minister visits Greek troops stationed in Albania
Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos yesterday visited Greek troops of the
multinational aid protection force in Albania, on the occasion of the
Orthdox Easter.
Mr. Tsohatzopoulos arrived in Tirana in the afternoon and visited Greek
troops stationed near the Albanian capital.
Due to bad weather conditions, Mr. Tsohatzopoulos cancelled his trip to the
southern port of Vlore where a company of the Greek contingent is
stationed.
Mr. Tsohatzopoulos also met with Albanian Prime Minister Bashkim Fino and
his Albanian counterpart as well with Orthodox Archbishop Anastassios.
Mr. Fino extended an invitation to Mr. Tsohatzopolulos to pay an official
visit to the neighbouring country. The date of the visit will be set
through diplomatic channels.
The two men discussed issues related to the multinational force.
Mr. Tsohatzopoulos is scheduled to meet in Rome today with his Italian
counterpart on the Albanian issue.
Greece rated EU's poorest country
Greece is the poorest country in the 15-nation European Union and
Luxembourg the richest, while Epirus is the poorest region in the EU and
Hamburg the richest.
This data was included in the special bulletin published by the EU
statistical service on the "rich and poor" in the EU with data referring to
1994.
The bulletin stated that in 1994 the average income per capita in the EU in
Ecu and Agricultural Potential Units (APU) amounted to 16,644. On the basis
of 100 for the EU, Greece has an income per capita of 65 (7,193 in Ecu and
10,799 in APU). Portugal h ad an income per capita of 67 (7,224 in Ecu and
11,348 in APU), while Luxembourg has an income per capita of 169 (30,446 in
Ecu and 28,069 in APU).
Eight regions in the EU exceed the average income per capita 1.5 times.
Epirus is the poorest region with an income per capita of 43 (5,211 Ecu and
7,112 APU), followed by the French overseas territory, the Azores and the
Northern Aegean.
The final company of Greek troops leaves for Albania
The final company of Greek troops participating in the multinational force
overseeing the distribution of aid to Albania leaves this afternoon from
Thessaloniki.
The 100 men, along with vehicles and equipment, are to sail for Albania
aboard the Greek navy landing craft Hios and Kos.
Turks sentenced for smuggling illegal immigrants
Two Turks were each sentenced by a Kos magistrates court to 10 years
imprisonment and a 4,520,000 drachma fine for smuggling illegal immigrants
into Greece.
Jusal Getin, 22 and Topoz Murat, 19, were arrested on 22 April on the
Dodecanese island of Farmakonisi after landing 55 Iraqi illegal immigrants
on the island in their boat.
WEATHER
Unstable weather with local cloudiness and sporadic rain with some sunny
spells is forecast for most parts of Greece today, especially in the
western regions. Moderate southerly winds. Athens will be partly cloudy
with possible rain in the afternoon and temperatures between 112-21C.
Thessaloniki will be cloudy with local rain and temperatures between 10-
17C.
FOREIGN EXCHANGE
Closing rates - buying US dlr. 272.205
Pound sterling 441.579 Cyprus pd 528.042
French franc 46.632 Swiss franc 184.834
German mark 157.158 Italian lira (100) 15.856
Yen (100) 214.877 Canadian dlr. 193.134
Australian dlr. 212.000 Irish Punt 419.318
Belgian franc 7.618 Finnish mark 52.175
Dutch guilder 139.798 Danish kr. 41.297
Swedish kr. 34.649 Norwegian kr. 38.440
Austrian sch. 22.330 Spanish peseta 1.867
Portuguese escudo 1.569
(Y.B.)
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