NEWS IN DETAIL

The parliamentary assembly of Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC), whose six-month rotating presidency is held by Greece, will meet in Athens on June 17-19 to discuss a wide range of economic, political and social issues.

PABSEC, founded in 1993, is the parliamentary wing of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) organisation, which aims to facilitate cooperation among Black Sea countries and turn the region into a zone of stability, prosperity and peace.

The meeting, to be chaired by Greek Parliament speaker Apostolos Kaklamanis, will discuss improving customs regulations, developing a cooperation mechanism between PABSEC and BSEC, and protecting the rights of refugees from the Black Sea region.

Delegates at the meeting will also discuss the conclusions of a BSEC foreign ministers' meeting held in Istanbul in April and developments in the creation of the Black Sea Commerce and Development Bank based in Thessaloniki.

Also on the agenda is a review of a progress report by the presidency's standing committee and approval of the 1997 budget.

Kaklamanis will hand over the group's presidency to Moldavian parliament speaker Dimitru Motspan at the end of the meeting.

President of the Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos and the president of BSEC, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Gennady Udovenko, will address the meeting.

Parliamentary members from all 10 member-states - Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Turkey and Ukraine - will take part in the meeting. Egypt, Israel and the Western European Union will attend as observers.

High level meeting on Greek-Albanian border

Prime Minister Costas Simitis today chaired a meeting to examine the situation on the Greek-Albanian border, following a series of recent incidents resulting from the ongoing crisis in the neighbouring country.

The meeting was attended by Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos, Interior Minister Alekos Papadopoulos, Public Order Minister George Romeos, Merchant Marine Minister Stavros Soumakis, National Defence Undersecretary Dimitris Apostolakis and representatives of the armed forces and coastguard.

Government spokesman Dimitris Reppas said the meeting examined the latest developments on the border with Albania as part of efforts to tackle the problems which have arisen, particularly in view of fears that the situation might get worse owing to general elections at the end of the month.

Greek committee of experts' reply expected next week

The reply of the Greek committee of experts will be sent to the Dutch EU presidency within the next few days, Alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou said today.

Replying to reporters' questions, Papandreou said the Greek reply would comment on the views set out by the members of the corresponding Turkish committee of experts in accordance with the procedure laid down.

Greece and Turkey each agreed to set up a committee of experts to examine procedures for approaching differences between the two countries.

The reports drawn up by the committees are exchanged between the two countries via the EU presidency.

Cabinet discusses IGC

Prime Minister Costas Simitis today chaired a Cabinet meeting which focused on issues related to the intergovernmental conference (IGC).

During a briefing by the competent ministers on the course of the IGC, government spokesman Dimitris Reppas said, the Cabinet expressed satisfaction regarding developments to date.

Reppas noted that most of Greece's targets appeared to have been attained ''since the issues in question are included in the text which will serve as a guideline for discussion'' at the Amsterdam summit.

The spokesman emphasised in particular that Greece's proposals concerning borders were included in the relevant chapter on the Community's common foreign and security policy.

Ancient Athenian trireme replica arrives in Thessaloniki

An exact copy of an ancient Athenian trireme, one of the greatest achievements of contemporary experimental archaeology, arrived in the port of Thessaloniki yesterday.

The "Olympias", a copy of a 5th century BC trireme, with places for 170 rowers, linen sails and bronze rams, was carried to Thessaloniki by a Hellenic Navy tank landing craft.

With the help of a floating crane and tug-boats, the trireme was placed on a specially-designed platform where it can be visited by the public.

The full-scale trireme, which has generated archaeological and naval interest all over the world, was built in Perama, near Piraeus, with the assistance of two British history professors and officers of the Hellenic General Navy Staff.

It is an exact model of ancient Athenian triremes built between 650 and 610 BC at Corinth or on Samos, according to historians by the Corinth naval architect Ameinokles.

The naval vessel which transported the trireme, the "Icaria", also anchored in the port of Thessaloniki. An exhibition entitled "The Hellenic Navy," which will be open to the public, will be held aboard the Icaria.

The two exhibitions -- of the trireme and the naval artefacts aboard the Icaria -- will be officially inaugurated by National Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos on June 17.

Turkish freighter causes oil slick

A coastguard patrol aircraft today spotted an oil slick off Cape Kafirea caused by the Turkish freighter "Naslinteniz", the Ministry of Merchant Marine said.

The Turkish captain of the vessel admitted responsibility for the pollution and the ministry has initiated the procedure for imposing the respective fine.

Pioneer alternative energy project in Crete

"The Greek government backs investments involving alternative sources of energy and for this reason has taken the pioneering decision to support the construction of the world's biggest photovoltaic power station on Crete," Development Minister Vasso Papan dreou told a press conference yesterday.

In effect, Ms Papandreou inaugurated the beginning of a promising relationship between the government and the environmental organisation Greenpeace in an effort, as she said, to protect Greece by promoting alternative energy sources". "The vast energy sources in Greece must be fully exploited," she added, describing solar energy as "a choice of strategic importance".

A Greenpeace press release meanwhile said that "solar power today entered a new era" following the Greek government's decision to begin construction of the photovoltaic power station.

The station is part of a two-year campaign by Greenpeace to transform Crete into a solar-powered island.

According to Greenpeace, the Greek government will fund the first 5 Megawatt tranche of the proposed 50 Megawatt power station with IWECO Solar, a subsidiary of the US company ENRON Solar.

The European Union and the Greek government will fund 55 per cent of the capital costs. Total investment, the organisation said, is 17.75 million dollars.

ENRON's plan submitted to the Greek government proposes building 9 Megawatts a year until 50 Megawatts is reached by the year 2003. The largest photovoltaic power station at the moment is 3.3 Megawatts in Italy.

"This smashes conventional assumptions on solar power in terms of scale and costs. The solar age is no longer a dream of the future but a reality today, " Thilo Bode, executive director of Greenpeace International said in the press release.

At 50 Megawatts, the Crete solar power station would be 15 times larger than any other solar installation in the world, more than four times cheaper than the average costs of photovoltaic energy, and provide electricity for nearly 100,000 people, which is one-eighth of Crete's population. "This is the type of energy investment which governments must now implement if we are to have any chance of averting dangerous climate change, and if countries are to meet their own greenhouse gas reduction commitments," Mr. Bode said.

Earlier, Ms Papandreou announced 1.7 trillion drachmas (US$615 million) in energy investments over the next five years.

Albanian Socialist Party leader holds talks with Greek leaders

Prime Minister Costas Simitis last night discussed the situation currently prevailing in Albania in light of general elections in that country on June 29 with Albanian Socialist Party leader Fatos Nano, who is visiting Greece at the invitation of the ruling PASOK party.

Today, Mr. Nano will meet National Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos, main opposition New Democracy party leader Costas Karamanlis and Coalition of the Left and Progress leader Nikos Constantopoulos.

Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos also held talks with Mr. Nano, who is heading an Albanian Socialist Party delegation. No statements were made after the meeting.

Apostolakis: Ankara must realise Aegean borders won`t change

National Defence Undersecretary Dimitris Apostolakis, currently on a tour of the Dodecanese islands, said Ankara must accept that the borders of the Aegean have been consolidated and will not change in any way.

"The borders of the Aegean have been consolidated and will not change in any way. If the Turks accept this and stop using the threat of war it is certain that a better period can develop for the two peoples," he said.

"We are living in a difficult region and we are facing a specific threat. However, whatever act of force against Greece will meet with a swift and painful reply. We are not a warlike people. We want peace and Greece is working for stability in the region. Unfortunately, we are faced with threats alone. We have the right to defend even the last inch of land," he added.

Replying to a question on the extension of Greek territorial waters to 12 nautical miles, Mr. Apostolakis said "it is the government's steadfast position that no-one can doubt Greece's right to extend its territorial waters. It reserves the right to exercise this measure whenever it considers it expedient. Nobody has waived or sold out this right."

Mr. Apostolakis arrived on Rhodes yesterday and where he was briefed by division commander Maj.-Gen. Athanasios Nikolodimos. He later visited the border island of Kastellorizo.

US says warship transfers to Greece, Turkey separate issues

US State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns said yesterday the Clinton administration did not link the respective agreements for the lending and transfer of warships to Greece and Turkey, and reiterated its support for their implementation, which requires approval of the US Congress.

"According to the law, Congress must be informed of our intention to renew the lease of navy vessels to Greece. We support a renewal of the lease of the Adams-type destroyers, and the Knox-type frigates to Greece...

"In the case of Turkey, we want to proceed to the transfer of frigates. I would be less than honest if I said that there weren't certain problems with Congress, but we continue to support the transfer of frigates to Turkey, and we shall continue doing so. We want both agreements to be implemented, but we don`t link them. Greece and Turkey are two equally important allies of the US," he said.

Turkey again raises regional headquarters issue

The issue of NATO's regional headquarters within the alliance's new structural organisation was again brought up by Ankara during yesterday's Defence Ministers' conference in Brussels.

Speaking to reporters afterwards, National Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos said Turkish Defence Minister Turhan Tayan's proposal for a joint regional headquarters covering both Greece and Turkey has the obvious intention of gaining more favourable terms for Turkey's claims vis-a-vis Greece.

He added that Ankara has isolated itself, while no NATO member-state agrees with the Turkish proposal.

Greek-US memorandum on technological cooperation in Balkans

A technological cooperation memorandum between Greece and the United States concerning the Balkans was signed in Thessaloniki yesterday.

The memorandum was jointly signed by National Economy Ministry Secretary- General Nikos Zahariadis and the chief of the US Commerce Department's technology section for Europe and Africa, Lucy Richards, during a meeting held at the Thessaloniki Technologi cal Park.

Technological cooperation concerns the sectors of telecommunications, informatics, the environment, construction, foodstuffs and agriculture.

The memorandum determines specific actions to be undertaken to promote cooperation as well as mechanisms to promote cooperation.

Agreement to reinvigorate Lake Pamvotis signed

The Onassis Foundation and Western Australia University professor Jorg Imberger yesterday signed a 68-million-drachma, two-year agreement for the conducting of research and submission of proposals for the rehabilitation of Lake Pamvotis in Ioannina, nor thwestern Greece.

Australian ambassador to Athens Robert Merrillees and Ioannina Mayor Mr. Glinavos attended the signing ceremony.

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