Athens News Agency: News in English (PM), 97-06-25
NEWS IN ENGLISH
Athens, Greece, 25/06/1997 (ANA)
MAIN HEADLINES
- Yugoslavia, Greece discuss bilateral relations
- EU official welcomes Greek use of funds
- Thessaloniki airport inaugurates new facilities
- Tsohatzopoulos talks with Cohen focus on CBMs in the Aegean
- Greece reiterates proposal for "Balkan security council"
- Norwegian parliament president in Athens today
- Balkan regional conference on culture and reconciliation
- Greece unhappy with Dutch compromise on EU farm prices
- Anthony Quinn arrives in Greece
- Weather
- Foreign exchange
NEWS IN DETAIL
Yugoslavia, Greece discuss bilateral relations
Visiting Yugoslav premier Radoje Kontic discussed Greek-Yugoslav relations
and prospects for their further development and issues of the wider Balkan
area with Parliament president Apostolos Kaklamanis.
Kontic expressed his country's gratitude for the Greek stance and support
during the Bosnia-Herzegovina crisis and the embargo imposed on Yugoslavia.
He conveyed his country's request to Greece that the latter play a primary
role in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia's efforts to return to
international organisations, and called for acceleration of the Greek
Parliament's ratification of the agreements due to be signed during his
visit here on avoidance of double taxation and protection of investments.
He stressed the importance of a closer cooperation between the two
Parliaments for further development of the ties between their countries in
all sectors and invited Kaklamanis to officially visit Yugoslavia sometine
in 1997, which the parliament president accepted.
Kaklamanis assured Kontic that Greece would continue to stand at Yugoslavia's
side, because this was imposed by the interests of not only the two peoples
but the entire Balkans.
It was necessary for Yugoslavia to regain its position, and Greece's
assistance in that direction was a given fact, Kaklamanis said.
In a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis later, both men
expressed their satisfaction at the level of cooperation between the two
countries.
Simitis said the recent investment by Greek telecoms organisation OTE in
Yugoslavia and other investments in mineral resources was an example of
"very good cooperation".
He said Yugoslavia was supportive of Greece's proposal to convene a summit
of Balkan countries towards the end of the year, adding however that all
Balkan countries should participate in this meeting.
"Relations (between Balkan countries) have to be normalised as soon as
possible," he said.
Simitis said that the European Union had to develop a Balkan policy and
that Greece should play a leading role towards achieving this goal.
"Greece is obliged to take initiatives for peace in the Balkans," he
said.
Kontic said the "sincere, friendly and constructive" talks focussed on
promoting bilateral relations, multilateral Balkan cooperation, the
reintegration of Yugoslavia into international organisations and the peace
procedures.
He said he had extended an invitation to Simitis to visit Belgrade and that
the Greek prime minister had given his in principle agreement for
Yugoslavia's use of the port of Thessaloniki following the signing of
relevant agreements by the chambers of commerce.
Kontic said trade between the two was projected in the region of 500
million dollars for the next year and thanked Simitis and Greece for
working to reintegrate Yugoslavia and to lift obstacles to relations with
other countries.
Kontic, who is on a one-day visit to Greece, met previously with president
Kostis Stephanopoulos and signed two bilateral agreements on the avoidance
of double taxation and investment protection.
EU official welcomes Greek use of funds
European Audit Department chairman Bernard Freeman expressed satisfaction
with the Greek government's use of European Union funds.
"We are particularly happy with the use of structural funds by Greece,"
Freeman told reporters after a meeting with Prime Minister Costas
Simitis.
Greece had received almost 5 billion Ecus in structural funds over the last
few years, he said.
Commenting on the socialist government's economic policies, Freeman
welcomed a decline in inflation, interest rates and the public debt.
"(We are also satisfied with) the fact that the premier and the Greek
government will continue privatisation in order to boost the productivity
of the Greek economy", Freeman added.
Simitis said his talks with Freeman were useful and showed that the country
was moving in the right direction.
"We want a third opinion to assure us that laws are being implemented and
subsidies are rightly distributed," he said.
Accompanying Freeman on his visit to Athens is the Greek representative to
the European Audit Department, Popi Nicolaou.
Thessaloniki airport inaugurates new facilities
Macedonia Airport's new facilities will be inaugurated Thursday in
Thessaloniki by Transport and Communications Minister Haris Kastanidis.
The first stage of operational and aesthetic upgrading of the airport, an
investment of 3.5 billion dr. financed by the Ministry which began last
year, aims at modernising the country's second international airport as it
renders Thessaloniki a European metropolis in linging the Balkan and
eastern European countries with other continents.
Kastanidis will outline the timetable for the second stage of upgrading
works, budgeted at 11 billion dr., during tomorrow's ceremony.
The second tranche of works focuses on two building extensions and
upgrading of a take-off/landing corridor to handle conditions of fog, as
well as two new corridors 3,440 and 2,400 metres long respectively, 38 new
parking spaces for aircraft, a container station and new auxiliary
installations.
According to the Master Plan, Macedonia Airport will serve an estimated
nine million passengers per year.
Tsohatzopoulos talks with Cohen focus on CBMs in the Aegean
National Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos held talks yesterday with his
US counterpart William Cohen on proposals by UN Secretary General Kofi
Annan on adopting confidence-building measures in the Aegean.
Mr. Tsohatzopoulos pointed out Ankara's unwillingness to accept a summer
extension of a moratorium on military exercises in the Aegean. He also
rejected the possibility of Greece allowing Turkish warplanes to use
certain air corridors in Greek airspace.
"There never was, nor is there now such an issue," he said following the
meeting.
"I have made it clear that it is not possible that Turkish military
aircraft be accorded special treatment whenever they want to pass through
the international airspace in the Aegean," he stated.
"They are obliged to move according to ICAO guidelines, in other words they
are obliged to lodge their flight plans and their nationality.
"Every country is obliged to do it because we have the responsibility of
safe passage for all planes flying over the Aegean and if ICAO guidelines
are not kept, then we cannot guarantee the safety of flights," Mr.
Tsohatzopoulos added.
Referring to the confidence-building measures in the Aegean, Mr. Tsohatzopoulos
said that he briefed the US side on the Greek views, "which are very clear,
and I expressed my regret that Turkey did not accept the extension of the
moratorium on air force exercises in the Aegean".
Greece reiterates proposal for "Balkan security council"
National Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos reiterated at a conference of
the Western European Union's (WEU) inter-Atlantic forum in Washington,
Greece's proposal on the creation of a "Balkan security council", as well
as a "Balkan crises prevention centre" at the level of Balkan nations'
defence ministers.
He referred at length to the Albanian crisis, saying that it shows in the
most explicit way the need to strengthen democracy and the institutions of
a state of law.
Mr. Tsohatzopoulos termed European contribution a "crucial factor in the
course of European stability and unification."
He said the foundations of the new Balkan security are maintaining the
border status quo, not creating geopolitical axes of confrontation in the
region and collective guarantees and commitments by countries in the region
that they will abstain from the threat of the use of force and, of course,
the use of force as a method of resolving problems.
On Monday, Mr. Tsohatzopoulos met US Assistant Secretary of State Strobe
Talbott at the US State Department and called on the US to exercise its
influence on Turkey to stop disputing the status quo in the Aegean and
creating a a climate of destabilisati on in the region with its attitude.
Norwegian parliament president in Athens today
Norwegian Parliament President Kirsti Grondahl is due in Athens today for a
four-day official visit at the invitation of her Greek counterpart,
Apostolos Kaklamanis. During her stay, Ms Grondahl will be received by
President Kostis Stephanopoulo s and have talks with Foreign Undersecretary
Yiannos Kranidiotis, Mr. Kaklamanis and the members of the Greece-
Scandinavia parliamentary friendship group.
She will also meet with main opposition New Democracy party leader Costas
Karamanlis and Athens Mayor Dimitris Avramopoulos.
Balkan regional conference on culture and reconciliation
A three-day conference on culture and reconciliation in southeastern Europe
begins tomorrow in Thessaloniki, organised by the "Union for Democracy in
the Balkans", to discuss the parameters which affect contemporary culture
in southeastern Europe.
The conference will be held with the participation of politicians, scholars
and scientists from Europe and the US.
Speaking to reporters yesterday, President of the Union's Board of
Directors, Nikos Efthymiadis, a former president of the Northern Greece
Industries Association, said the union, which was established in 1995, was
planning to create a "Centre for Democracy in the Balkans."
Greece unhappy with Dutch compromise on EU farm prices
Agriculture Minister Stephanos Tzoumakas, like most of his EU counterparts,
said yesterday he was unhappy with the Dutch presidency's compromise
proposal for the Union's new farm prices.
Speaking at the EU farm ministers' council in Luxembourg, he said the
proposal not only did not provide answers to the most direct and important
Greek demands, but did not face them at all. More especially for cotton, he
mentioned the payment of support s directly to the producers, the
regionalisation of penalties for excess production, and the permanent
demand - along with Spain - for increased quotas.
A compromise proposal contained a vague reference that Greece's request for
reforms in cotton, regarding the regionalisation of joint-responsibility,
would be discussed with the European Union.
"For all these demands, you included in your proposal a vague statement.
This statement must be made clear and include all the issues which are
important for Greece, and their acceptance does not create additional
fiscal demands," Mr. Tzoumakas said.
Meanwhile, the Council of Ministers adopted the regulation for improving
the trading of honey, which is of direct interest to Greece. The regulation
provides for the financing of programmes in this field by the Community by
up to 50 per cent.
Anthony Quinn arrives in Greece
Film legend Anthony Quinn arrived in Athens yesterday to attend a gala on
Monday as the honoured guest of a Greek monthly magazine.
Mr. Quinn, who was accompanied by his wife and three children, played the
leading role in the film "Zorba the Greek". He is also expected to attend
an event in Irakleio, Crete, on the legendary figure of Zorba.
In statements at the airport, he said he had played in four films involving
Greece and was currently participating in one on the life of Russian author
Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910). He will stay in Greece until July 2.
WEATHER
Almost fair weather with a further drop in temperatures is forecast for
most of the country today. Local clouds and intermittent rain in central
and northern Greece in the afternoon. Winds will be variable, moderate to
strong. Fine weather in Athens with temperatures between 22-33C. Party
cloudy in Thessaloniki with temperatures from 19-30C.
FOREIGN EXCHANGE
Tuesday's closing rates - buying US dlr. 269.725
Pound sterling 450.566 Cyprus pd 528.736
French franc 46.356 Swiss franc 187.810
German mark 156.453 Italian lira (100) 16.011
Yen (100) 235.273 Canadian dlr. 194.353
Australian dlr. 202.249 Irish Punt 408.208
Belgian franc 7.582 Finnish mark 52.350
Dutch guilder 139.044 Danish kr. 41.087
Swedish kr. 34.958 Norwegian kr. 37.269
Austrian sch. 22.234 Spanish peseta 1.852
Port. Escudo 1.550
(M.P.)
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