Athens News Agency: News in English (AM), 97-06-23

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr>

NEWS IN ENGLISH

Athens, Greece, 23/06/1997 (ANA)

MAIN HEADLINES

• Greece pays tribute to Andreas Papandreou`s legacy
• Jack Lang praises the late statesman
• Papandreou memorial services in Cyprus
• Mount Athos exhibition warmly welcomed
• Premier holds talks with Mount Athos officials
• Defence minister in US for talks
• Philippine's President Ramos begins talks today
• Karamanlis slams 'fickle' US policy over Imia islets
• Samaras predicts early elections
• Europartenariat - Hellas 1997 begins today in Piraeus
• OA regrets inconvenience after domestic flights cancellation
• Greece ranks 5th in Mediterranean Games
• Weather
• Foreign exchange

NEWS IN DETAIL

Prime Minister Costas Simitis last night paid tribute to the legacy of Andreas Papandreou at an event at the Athens Concert Hall, on the first anniversary of the death of the late founder and president of ruling party PASOK.

The function at the Athens Concert Hall ended a day of commemoration to Papandreou, begun with a memorial service at midday at the Athens First Cemetery attended by more than 2,000 people.

Mr. Simitis said the event - which included an address from former French culture minister Jack Lang and a concert by singer George Dalaras conducted by composer Stavros Xarhakos - aimed at honouring the memory of a great politician.

The founder of PASOK was a charismatic leader, a visionary, a man who gave shape to the people's dreams, who transformed concerns into speech and political prospect, as well as the sensitivities and claims of the progressive side, Mr. Simitis said.

"He showed that fatalism, acceptance, compliance is not necessary and neither must it rule our lives. This is his great lesson to all of us," Mr. Simitis said, adding that Andreas Papandreou was decisive in leading Greece away from "the climate of post-civil war psychosis".

"Struggles to redefine the visions of the democratic left in modern conditions of market globalisation and technological revolutions also link us to Andreas Papandreou, because he was the ideologist who sought new paths for socialism which left prevailing models," he said.

Mr. Simitis said the country has a historic opportunity to participate in the prospect set out by the European countries and added that "the sacrifices which we must all make, the self-restraint which we must show are not imposed on us by anyone, but are necessary conditions for our survival as a country and are linked to our vision for a just and prosperous society. And these sacrifices have started to bear fruit over the past few years with Andreas Papandreou as prime minister, who himself showed the way to the country's equal participation in the processes of European unification."

Jack Lang praises the late statesman

Former French culture minister who is now president of the new French Parliament's foreign policy committee Jack Lang also addressed the event at the Athens Concert Hall last night, speaking after Prime Minister Costas Simitis who invited him to attend.

Earlier in the afternoon, speaking to the Athens News Agency (ANA) on arrival at Athens airport, Mr. Lang said Andreas Papandreou "was the creator of Greece's modern socialist movement, a personality which stabilised democracy in this country after the dictatorship. He played a great role in his time."

Commenting on Mr. Simitis and his government, he said "the present government of Greece is a good government. It is serious and methodical. Costas Simitis is a personality of great moral value and contributes to the creation of a more splendid picture for Greece abroad."

Memorial services were held throughout the country, organised by local PASOK organisations, and in Cyprus.

Papandreou memorial services in Cyprus

In Nicosia, the socialist EDEK party held a memorial service at the Ayios Ioannis cathedral.

EDEK leader Vassos Lyssarides recalled Papandreou's political and party activities and particularly underscored the policy the deceased had forged on the Cyprus issue.

Papandreou, he said, had placed the Cyprus issue as the top of the national agenda and opposed compromises which he had correctly foreseen would lead the Cyprus problem to impasses.

After the memorial service, Foreign Minister Ioannis Kassoulides laid a wreath on behalf of Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides. Wreaths were also laid by Dr. Lyssarides, leaders or representatives of the Cypriot political parties, on behalf of the chief of the National Guard, the commander of the Greek Force in Cyprus (ELDYK), and others.

Mount Athos exhibition warmly welcomed

The long-awaited exhibition of priceless relics from the all-male monastic community of Mount Athos was officially opened by President Kostis Stephanopoulos at Thessaloniki's Byzantine Museum on Saturday.

The major event of this year's Thessaloniki Cultural Capital activities received an enthusiastic response from the public, with more than 2,000 people visiting the exhibition yesterday, the first day it was open to the public.

Prime Minister Costas Simitis was also in attendance at Saturday's official opening.

"This exhibition once again teaches the world what Byzantium was and what it offered to civilisation through time," President Stephanopoulos said.

Mr. Simitis said in a brief address that the exhibition was "Orthodoxy's response", as expressed by Mount Athos, the greatest Byzantine and post- Byzantine monument in Europe.

Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos said the exhibition was "a profoundly historic event". Greece is participating in Europe with the full conscience of its history and its contribution to European civilisation, he said.

During the inauguration ceremony, Thessaloniki Metropolitan Panteleimon read a message from Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos, expressing his best wishes for the exhibition's success. Vartholomeos will visit the exhibition in September during a visit to Thessaloniki.

Among the visitors to the exhibition yesterday was the premier of the Australian state of Victoria Jeff Kennet, who said he was impressed both by the content of the exhibition and the museum itself, stressing that it is noteworthy that the exhibits are in full view for women for the first time.

The proceeds from the sale of tickets and special publications will go to Mount Athos for the construction of works to be decided by the Holy Community.

Premier holds talks with Mount Athos officials

Prime Minister Costas Simitis held talks with representatives of the Holy Community after the inauguration ceremony and offered assurances that there was no threat to the existing autonomous status of Mount Athos in the framework of agreements signed by Greece in the European Union.

He said settlements anticipated in the agreements signed safeguard the position of Mount Athos and that the EU's activities do not harm and do not concern the monastic community's status.

Other issues discussed, apart from the special status on Mount Athos, regarded funding for repairs and environmental protection.

Mr. Simitis said the government supported the Holy Community's efforts and for this reason more money has been provided in past years than ever before for restoration and maintenance.

The Holy Community's Chief Secretary Brother Ioannis said the delegation was very pleased with the cooperation it had with the prime minister and the government delegation. He added that great problems existed on the peninsula and that repairs and environmental protection work must continue.

Referring to the Maastricht Treaty, Ioannis said initially there was disappointment among the Holy Community because issues concerning Mount Athos had not been raised as the monks had wanted.

Mr. Simitis accepted an invitation to visit Mount Athos and the date for the visit will be set at a later stage.

Defence minister in US for talks

National Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos arrived in Washington for a six-day visit to the US in the context of the Greek presidency of the Western European Union's (WEU) cross-Atlantic activities.

While there, he will address a meeting of WEU and NATO defence ministers, meet with US Defence Secretary William Cohen, Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott, Congresswoman Olympia Snowe and Congressman Paul Sarbanes, address a US Senate Committee a nd hold talks with American businessmen on matters concerning defence and the economy respectively.

Before departing, Mr. Tsohatzopoulos said that Europe had been trapped in stagnation and counter-productive stability for over 15 years due to neo- conservative policies, and as a result it cannot function competitively against the United States.

He said a 4.0 percent GDP increase rate for 10 years will create conditions of real overall growth for Europe's production potential and will function competitively against the US.

Mr. Tsohatzopoulos said this new economic policy combines the traditional tools of monetary, exchange and fiscal policy on a new basis and expressed optimism that such conditions of growth will be achieved through dialogue.

Asked to comment on the position of the US on the issue of the Imia islets, Mr. Tsohatzopoulos reiterated that the Imia islets are Greek and in the Aegean there is nothing to negotiate.

Philippines' President Ramos begins talks today

Filipino President Fidel Ramos yesterday began a three-day official visit to Greece at the invitation of President of the Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos, the first ever by a Philippine head of state.

Mr. Ramos, who is accompanied by his wife, will meet with President Stephanopoulos, Prime Minister Costas Simitis, ministers and leaders of opposition parties, amongst others.

Karamanlis slams 'fickle' US policy over Imia islets

The United States and its "fickle" policy over the Greek islets of Imia were criticised by main opposition New Democracy party leader Costas Karamanlis during a speech in Kilkis, northern Greece, on Saturday,

"The American position, with the known backtracking, does not satify us and neither does the reaction of the Greek government," he said.

Late last week, US Pentagon spokesman Ken Bacon retracted earlier statements clearly placing the Imia islets under Greek sovereignty, saying the US could not take a position on the conflict which brought Greece and Turkey to the brink of war in late Jan uary 1996.

Mr. Karamanlis was in Kilkis to attend events marking the city's liberation from the Bulgarians.

Samaras predicts early elections

Political Spring party leader Antonis Samaras Saturday predicted early national elections together with local elections in October 1998, without ruling out such an eventuality in 1997 due to developments in the country's national issues.

Addressing the members of his party's first elected Central Council, Mr. Samaras said that for PASOK surprise tactics were not unknown.

Mr. Samaras said the summer will be difficult for national issues and that dangerous developments might take place, considering as an "antechamber" of such upsets the position of the United States that the Imia islets constitute a disputed area.

Europartenariat - Hellas 1997 begins today in Piraeus

Representatives from more than 2,000 small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) from all over the world will take part in the Europartenariat-Hellas '97 in Piraeus today and Tuesday to investigate business collaboration prospects. The 16th Europartenariat will be opened by Greece's representative on the European Commission, Christos Papoutsis, who holds the energy and SMEs portfolio.

The Europartenariat institution was set up by the Commission in 1988 as a forum to promote business cooperation between SMEs of the host countries with corresponding enterprises inside and outside the EU in a bid to promote economic growth of the European Union's lesser developed regions.

Representatives from 400 Greek firms will meet officials of SMEs from EU member states, countries of central and eastern Europe, southeast Asia, Latin America and the United States in more than 12,000 scheduled meetings during the two-day event at th e Peace and Friendship Stadium.

OA regrets inconvenience after domestic flights cancellation

Nineteen regular domestic flights were cancelled yesterday while another 13 suffered delays following problems created by a "go slow" strike by company technicians.

In an announcement, Olympic Aviation said revenue lost as a result of the industrial action would be recouped from staff causing the inconvenience "by refusing to offer their services, while undermining the company's future and its reliability".

It further said every further decrease in turnover due to the attitude of a section of the staff also entails a decrease in necessary staff, adding that the board's decisions will be implemented at all cost, regardless of economic or political cost.

Olympic Aviation's board called on employees to consider their responsibilities towards society and the Greek people, who have funded the survival of the national carrier with 600 billion drachmas and offer their services as they are obliged to by law.

Greece ranks 5th in Mediterranean Games

Greece ranked fifth place among the 17 competing countries in the Mediterranean Games which ended yesterday in Bari, Italy. Greece counted a total 59 medals: 18 gold, 22 silver and 19 bronze. Italy led with 167 medals (63 gold), followed by France with 126 (48 gold), Turkey with 56 (27 gold) and Spain with 85 (18 gold, 28 silver).

WEATHER

FOREIGN EXCHANGE

(C.E.)

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