Athens News Agency: News in English (PM), 97-05-09
NEWS IN ENGLISH
Athens, Greece, 09/05/1997 (ANA)
MAIN HEADLINES
- A place for Turkey in Europe, premier affirms
- Europe Day: Social issues must be emphasised in Maastricht revision
- Santer - Majority vote must be extended in EU decision-making
- European integration will bolster peace
- Greek economy on course for convergence, Santer tells Simitis
- Greece, Israel to conduct joint military exercises
- Ex-king responds to former president Karamanlis claims
- Name dispute should not sour Athens-Skopje relations, FYROM FM
says
- Experts say they've found location of Colossus of Rhodes
- Greek arrested in airport drug haul
- Samos forest fires continue to rage
- Weather
- Foreign exchange
NEWS IN DETAIL
A place for Turkey in Europe, premier affirms
Prime Minister Costas Simitis today reiterated Greece's support for
Turkey's place in Europe if it indicated by its actions its respect for the
rules of international law and for human rights.
Addressing at an event in Athens' old parliament building to celebrate
Europe Day in the presence of European Commission President Jacques Santer,
he said that Greece was in favour of improved relations between the
European Union and Turkey if the latter adhered to international law. Then,
he added, Turkey would have Greece's support in Europe.
Europe Day commemorates the day in 1950 when Robert Schuman made a
proclamation paving the way for the foundation of the European Communities.
Europe Day: Social issues must be emphasised in Maastricht revision
Prime Minister Costas Simitis stressed the need for attention to social
issues when reviewing the Maastricht treaty, in address today at an event
at Athens' old Parliament building, commemorating Europe Day.
The event was also addressed by European Commission President Jacques
Santer, on an official visit to Greece.
This year's anniversary, said Simitis, came at a decisive time for the
future of Europe with important negotiations being planned over the next
two years for the Europe of 2000.
He called for an end to the climate of scepticism and insecurity and
support for cohesion within the European Union. Its citizens should realise,
he said, that changes in institutions would not create a limitless
bureaucracy.
With regard to the expansion of the EU, there would have to be a corresponding
increase in resources to meet the increased cost. He called for equal
treatment for all member states, incluidng participation in the third phase
of the Economic and Monetary Union and the single currency.
The Intergovernmental Conference, he added, should find solutions to the
problem of employment.
Santer - Majority vote must be extended in EU decision-making
Santer drew attention to the need for majority decision-making within the
EU, one of the issues being examined by the Intergovernmental Conference.
Unanimity, he said, was becoming increasingly difficult to achieve as the
EU expanded.
"In order to avoid this difficulty, we should extend wherever possible the
use of the majority vote. If we don't, we are in danger of getting involved
in a circle of immobilisaiton, resulting in a lack of credibility and and
undermining of trust," he added.
The question of flexibility, he continued should act as a catalyst for
greater integration within the EU and not an agent of division. It should
only be used as a last resort when all other efforts, with the participation
of all member states, had failed.
Equality between member states should be fully respected, Santer stressed,
while the Commission should undergo certain adjustments such as a reduction
in the number of Commissioners and a review of its organisation.
He also favoured a more important role for the European Parliament, and
called for more transparency. Meanwhile the EU's social model, he said, was
Europe's strength.
"The European social model is characteristic of its achievements, the envy
of all other regional cooperation groups," he said.
European integration will bolster peace
Speaking later at the Herod Atticus Theatre at the official event marking
Robert Schumann Day, Santer underlined the prospects for peace prescribed
by the process of European integration.
''Neighbouring countries are still in a state of war. Next to you, in the
Balkans, war and misery have made children of your age beggars in order to
survive,'' he said, addressing an audience which included thousands of
schoolchildren.
''Thanks to the creation of the European Union, war has disappeared among
15 countries. Now, other countries of the continent wish to join the EU in
order to protect themselves against this tragedy...,'' Santer said.
Through better understanding, he continued, and exchanges between young
people of all nationalities, ''your generation will build a more stable
Europe which will offer better living conditions and will be better able to
exercise its influence in the world in order to safeguard freedom and
secure peace.''
Greek economy on course for convergence, Santer tells Simitis
At a working luncheon later, Santer and Simitis had the opportunity for a
wide-ranging discussion on the future and prospects of the EU which the
Commission president described as ''useful''.
Noting the Greek government's ''significant achievements'' prior to EMU,
Santer said the indicators of the Greek economy were in ''a very good
direction'', a fact he described as a positive element in the course to
convergence.
On his part, Simitis said that Greece attached great importance to the need
to establish political solidarity with respect to external borders.
Stressing the need for cohesion within the EU, Simitis said he had
discussed with Santer the latest developments in Greek-Turkish relations
and the course towards Cyprus' accession to the Community.
Santer expressed satisfaction at the decision of Greece and Turkey to set
up committees of experts to examine procedural matters concerning bilateral
differences and noted that Greece, as a full EU member, enjoyed the
solidarity and support of the Community.
Turkey, he added, is an associate member ''and as such there is a
difference between the two relationships, which is why a way must be found
to normalise relations between the two countries''.
Greece, Israel to conduct joint military exercises
A scheduled joint Greek-Israeli military exercise will take place in the
sea region of the Dodecanese from June 24-29 within the framework of a
bilateral agreement, government spokesman Dimitris Reppas announced
today.
An Israeli official will visit Greece within the next few days to
participate in preparations for the exercise, Reppas added.
Ex-king responds to former president Karamanlis claims
Ex-king Constantine today continued a series of tit-for-tat accusations
with former president of the republic Constantine Karamanlis with
statements which appeared tantamount to direct political intervention.
''With regard to the views of former president Constantine Karamanlis and
ex-king Constantine on forms of government, what is important is what the
Greek people, which is alone sovereign, wishes and decides through the
course of time,'' the former monarch said in a written statement issued by
his press office.
The ex-king was responding to a statement by Karamanlis earlier this week
advising ''those who still feel sympathetic towards the institution of the
monarchy to realise at long last that the issue concerning the form of
government in Greece has been resolved conclusively''.
The monarchy in Greece was officially abolished in 1974 by a referendum
following seven years of military dictatorship.
The former king and Karamanlis began trading accusations after the latter
published his archives in which he claimed Constantine had planned a coup
in 1975.
Meanwhile, the government today continued to distance itself from the
row.
''The government has no interest in the clash which has arisen following
publication of the archives of Constantine Karamanlis,'' government
spokesman Dimitris Reppas said when asked by reporters to comment.
''The facts themselves may be useful, but the government is not occupying
itself with them because it is fighting a battle for the future and leaves
others to dwell on the past,'' Reppas added.
Name dispute should not sour Athens-Skopje relations, FYROM FM
says
Foreign Minister Ljubomir Frckovski of the Former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia (FYROM) said today the dispute with Greece over the use of the
name "Macedonia" was not important enough to spoil the improved relations
between the two neighbouring nations, nor could it influence "the strategic
importance of interests and bilateral cooperation", according to the ANA's
correspondent in Skopje.
Speaking to the Greek press, the Minister contended that the recent
improvement in bilateral relations was not only due to the danger to both
countries posed by the crisis in Albania but had its own dynamic, since
Greece had found FYROM to be "a partner in the region".
While he stressed that FYROM was participating "in a constructive way" in
the UN-sponsored talks in New York, he said:
"There are certain limits which concern substantial interests and the very
identity of the Macedonian state which cannot be overlooked."
The name dispute, he added, could remain "open, without a war, but without
a compromise, such as the Cyprus issue or Greek-Turkish relations" although
he hastened to add that his country "will not follow Greece's example but
will try to resolve the problem in another way if possible and with mutual
respect".
In Frckovski's opinion, the interim bilateral agreement reached in New York
in September 1995 is the result of concessions on the part of his country.
The name "Republic of Macedonia" (which Greece objects to), he said is in
fact a "composite name since it determines the current borders of the state
and differentiates it from the broader geographical and historical meaning
of the word".
He objected to the proposed "Slavomacedonia" as being offensive to the
dignity of his nation's peoples, since he said they include five cultures -
ancient Greek, Roman, Byzantine as well as Slav.
Frckovski also said it had been a compromise on the part of his government
to agree to Greece using its own choice of name for FYROM in bilateral
relations.
When the ANA asked whether the name "Republic of Macedonia-Skopje" was
being discussed, Frckovski replied that Greece had rejected such a
proposition in 1992, while the FYROM had not taken a position on the
issue.
"This issue is very serious and we do not know what would happen if it had
been accepted at that time," he said, adding nevertheless than according to
his sources, "this formula has not been raised during the New York
talks".
Experts say they've found location of Colossus of Rhodes
The location of the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the seven wonders of the
ancient world, was possibly at the entrance to Mandraki harbour where the
statues of two fawns stand today, according to a research team under the
supervision of a seismology professor.
The team, under Professor Evangelos Lekkas, studied the effects of
earthquakes and other natural disasters on Rhodes in the classical and
mediaeval periods.
Professor Lekkas however rejected theories that the fawns in some way
served as the bases for the legs of the Colossus since there were no fawns
at the northeast end of the fortress of the Old City in ancient times.
According to the research team, a major earthquake in 227 BC was accompanied
by ''seismic breaches'' which caused significant damage to monuments on the
island and resulted in the collapse of the Colossus, no remains of which
have ever been found.
Professor Lekkas announced his team's findings at the 4th International
Symposium on the preservation of Mediterranean monuments which is currently
being held in Rhodes.
He presented data indicating that the city of Rhodes on numerous occasions
reached its peak only to fall into decline due to ''the combined action of
natural disasters''.
The Colossus of Rhodes, was a large bronze statue of the sun god, Helios,
in the island's harbour. It is believed to have been built in whole or in
part by Chares of Lindus (Rhodes) between 292 and 280 BC.
The bronze had been taken from the tools and machines left behind by
Demetrius I after his unsuccessful siege of Rhodes.
Greek arrested in airport drug haul
Customs officers today arrested a Greek man in possession of over three
kilos of cocaine who flew into the country from Chile and who is believed
by police to be a member of an international drug smuggling ring.
Panagiotis Georgiadis, 30, who arrived from Chile on an Iberian Airlines
flight via Madrid, had hidden 3.4 kilos of cocaine in a plastic bag wrapped
in foam-rubber in the back of his rucksack.
Georgiadis reportedly told the police that he had taken delivery of the
cocaine on April 15 in Sao Paolo, Brazil from persons whom he refused to
identify.
According to the police, Georgiadis had smuggled three kilos of cocaine
into Greece in late January.
Meanwhile, police arrested four Albanians -- one man and three women -- in
the Piraeus suburb of Korydallos after finding them in possession of 1 kilo
of heroin.
Another two Albanians were arrested in the Athens district of Peristeri in
possession of half a kilo of heroin. During questioning, Artur Koisai, 25
and Sokol Moutsa, 26 confessed to selling three kilos of heroin in the
Athens area during the last two months.
In separate incidents, Albanian Ilir Moustaz, 29 was arrested in the Athens
suburb of Neos Kosmos after being found in possession of over four kilos of
marijuana, while Jamaican Thomas Christofere, 34, was arrested in Kypseli,
downtown Athens, for being in possession of 80 grams of heroin.
Samos forest fires continue to rage
Two forest fires that broke out yesterday afternoon on the island of Samos
are still raging out of control today, after destroying hundreds of square
kilometres of forests.
This morning the fire had spread to inaccessible areas and to the Valsamo
and Aghio Isidoros forests. Fire-fighting planes are unable to fly due to
the strong southerly winds.
WEATHER
Mostly sunny weather with some local cloudiness is forecast for most parts
of the country today with the possibility of rain in northern Greece early
in the morning. Winds will be northwesterly, moderate to strong, turning
gale force in the eastern Aegean which will gradually subside. Athens will
be mostly sunny with temperatures between 16-25C. Similar weather in
Thessaloniki with temperatures between 15-23C.
FOREIGN EXCHANGE
Thursday's closing rates - buying US dlr. 270.122
Pound sterling 438.762 Cyprus pd 528.359
French franc 46.795 Swiss franc 186.248
German mark 157.797 Italian lira (100) 15.966
Yen (100) 218.419 Canadian dlr. 195.345
Australian dlr. 210.056 Irish Punt 409.299
Belgian franc 7.648 Finnish mark 52.253
Dutch guilder 140.308 Danish kr. 41.476
Swedish kr. 34.938 Norwegian kr. 38.063
Austrian sch. 22.420 Spanish peseta 1.869
Port. Escudo 1.567
(M.P.)
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