Athens News Agency: News in English (PM), 97-05-11
NEWS IN ENGLISH
Athens, Greece, 11/05/1997 (ANA)
MAIN HEADLINES
- Defence Minister comments on Aegean issue
- Bill to resolve conscription problems
- Greek troops in FYROM military exercise
- Violence against travellers in southern Albania
- Santer concludes visit to Greece
- Albanian escapee recaptured
- Weather
- Foreign exchange
NEWS IN DETAIL
Defence Minister comments on Aegean issue
National Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos said today that Greece had an
inalienable right to extend its territorial waters from six to twelve miles
and would do so when it saw fit.
However, he added, along with any such extension, Greece would at the same
time safeguard the free navigation and movement of vessels in the
Aegean.
Tsohatzopoulos was speaking in Thessaloniki when asked by reporters to
comment on a front-page article in the Sunday newspaper ''To Vima''
claiming that Greece was edging towards agreement with Turkey on the flight
of military aircraft over the Aegean.
Noting that he had not read the article, Tsohatzopoulos underlined that
Athens cannot under any circumstances enter into negotiation with Ankara on
Greece's sovereign rights.
Bill to resolve conscription problems
National Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos today announced the final
arrangements contained in new legislation aimed at resolving the problem of
draft-dodgers abroad and conscientious objectors.
Speaking at the sessions of a Council for Overseas Greeks (SAE) presidium
meeting in Thessaloniki, Tsohatzopoulos said a relevant bill had already
been tabled in Parliament and approved by the 300-member House's Scientific
Committee.
Under the provisions of the bill, draft-evaders living abroad will be able
to return to Greece if they agree to complete a few months military service
and pay off their remaining term on a monthly basis.
Up to now, Greek men avoiding the draft by going abroad were allowed to
return to the country only under special circumstances and only for a short
period.
The exact number of months to be served and the amount to be paid will
depend on the age of the person concerned and family obligations.
By way of example, draft dodgers who were born between 1957 and 1964 will
serve six months and pay off the remainder of what they would normally have
served at 100,000 drachmas per month.
Conscientious objectors meanwhile will be able to choose one of two forms
of alternative service -- either ''unarmed'' service in one of the branches
of the military, or ''social service'' in a public organisation.
Tsohatzopoulos clarified however that both alternatives would entail a term
of service double the normal.
This was unavoidable, he said, because countries such as Spain which
introduced the option of alternative service of almost the same duration as
regular service suddenly faced a conscription problem resulting from the
appearance of thousands of ''conscientious objectors''.
The arrangements are contained in a bill on military conscription which
will be discussed in Parliament by the end of May.
Greek troops in FYROM military exercise
A platoon of Greek army commandos arrived in the Former Yugoslav Republic
of Macedonia (FYROM) today to take part in a nine-nation military exercise.
It is the first time the Greek army has been in the region since World War
Two and comes at a time of rapidly improving bilateral relations.
The exercise, organised by the "Cooperation for Peace" Organisation, is
aimed at confronting a natural disaster, in this case a hypothetical
earthquake and subsequent leak of toxic liquid into the Axios River and of
toxic gas into the atmosphere. The Greek troops' role will be to transport
the "wounded" on amphibious craft along the river to nearby hospitals.
Another three NATO member states, the USA, Italy and Turkey, will be
participating in the exercise, along with troops from the FYROM, Bulgaria,
Albania, Slovenia and Romania. FYROM President Kiro Gligorov is expected to
attend the start of the exercise on Monday at the Krivolak military base
near the town of Negotino.
While in the neighbouring country, the Greek platoon will also visit the
town of Valentovo to lay a wreath at the military cemetery where 11 Greek
soldiers and officers are buried, casualties of a battle during the First
World War.
Violence against travellers in southern Albania
Armed gangs attacked and robbed a group of about 400 illegal immigrants
shortly after they had been deported from Greece back to Albania over the
border post of Kakavia. Two buses were also held up yesterday and two
people who tried to resist were injured, according to a report from the
ANA's correspondent in Tirana.
These are just the latest in a series of violent attacks on those returning
over the border into southern Albania. Travellers on the roads from Kakavia
to the southern Albanian towns of Gjirokaster and Sarande do so at their
own risk.
Multinational forces stationed in Gjirokaster to oversee aid distribution
have officially announced they will supervise the operation of the customs
post at Kakavia and the road leading there from the city. However, they
have not as yet made any specific moves.
Political observers believe that the situation, as well as the lack of
willingness by the Albanian Public Order Ministry to send more police to
the south, is part of an effort by groups loyal to President Sali Berisha
to provoke discord among the population of the southern regions and to
undermine the role of the National Salvation Committees there.
Santer concludes visit to Greece
European Commission President Jacques Santer concluded a three-day official
visit to Greece today, declaring his satisfaction with progress in
infrastructure works under way in Greece, as well as the rate of absorption
of European Union funds, the ANA's Thessaloniki correspondent reports.
"There haven't been any development projects of this magnitude since the
time of Pericles," Santer told a press conference before his departure from
Thessaloniki today.
Santer explained that funding prospects for 1999 would be announced by the
Commission after the Amsterdam summit, but said that they would be included
in a package along with the Commission's report on candidate countries for
accession to the EU, as well as the entirety of the EU's structural
policies regarding expansion. The drawing up of this package, he added,
would also entail a consideration of the cost of expansion.
Replying to a question with regard to a proposal by Northern Greece
Industrialists' Association president Nikos Efthimiadis for a "Santer plan"
to support Balkan nations, Santer said a comprehensive framework existed,
which however concentrated on each state separately.
The EU had special agreements with Bulgaria and Romania, he explained,
which covered the entire spectrum of relations. The EU was also contributing
450 million ECU to Albania, a higher amount of aid than to any other
country.
Today Santer also visited the offices of the Development of Vocational
Training Centre (CEDEFOP), which has moved from Berlin to Thessaloniki,
becoming the only EU organisation based in Greece.
Meanwhile, Macedonia and Thrace Minister Philippos Petsalnikos made a
proposal to Santer for the founding of a European Commission Regional
Bureau in Thessaloniki to support the city's exapnding role in the Balkans
and the Black Sea region.
Santer promised the proposal would receive due consideration, although he
pointed out that the Commission's funds were currently subject to strict
fiscal discipline.
Albanian escapee recaptured
An Albanian escaped convict was captured on the island of Kos late last
night after a search during which a man unconnected to the case was killed
after his motorbike collided with a police car.
Andreas Murati, 37, had threatened a taxi driver, George Uganas, 37, with a
knife and ordered him to hide him in his taxi and take him to the boat to
Piraeus. The taxi driver agreed, for the sum of 500,000 dr., and arranged
to meet Murati three hours later. Uganas then notified the police, who set
up a road block and stopped the taxi. Murati attacked two of the policemen
with his knife, injuring them slightly, while he himself was also slightly
wounded in the arm after being shot at by one of the two officers.
Meanwhile Kyriakos Bournis, 29, was killed when his motorbike collided with
a police car involved in the hunt for Murati. Police say Bournis was
driving on the wrong side of the road.
WEATHER
Mostly fair throughout the country, with possibility of some local cloud in
the north later in the day. Winds will be light and northerly, and moderate
over the Aegean. Temperatures on the mainland will range between 13-28C and
on the islands 16-25C.
FOREIGN EXCHANGE
Friday's closing rates - buying US dlr. 268.544
Pound sterling 435.548 Cyprus pd 529.907
French franc 46.818 Swiss franc 187.205
German mark 157.797 Italian lira (100) 15.968
Yen (100) 220.293 Canadian dlr. 193.797
Australian dlr. 208.876 Irish Punt 408.188
Belgian franc 7.652 Finnish mark 52.372
Dutch guilder 140.472 Danish kr. 41.507
Swedish kr. 35.059 Norwegian kr. 38.117
Austrian sch. 22.446 Spanish peseta 1.871
Port. Escudo 1.569
(Y.B.)
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