Athens News Agency: News in English (PM), 97-06-27

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

NEWS IN ENGLISH

Athens, Greece, 27/06/1997 (ANA)

MAIN HEADLINES

• Athens categorically rejects Ankara's claims
• Greece, Cyprus coordinate moves on organised crime
• Tourism better, but work still to be done
• Greek parliamentary observers to Albanian elections leave today
• Greek ethnic leaders in Albania kidnapped as violence continues
• Premier confident of successful Athens 2004 bid
• EU socialist finance ministers weekend meeting in Athens
• Police arrest 19 in car smuggling scam
• Mortgage Bank focuses on services for Greek expatriates
• Greenpeace congratulates gov't over solar power plant decision
• Egypt to compensate Greeks who lost fortunes
• Fine levied on Turkish ship
• Weather
• Foreign exchange

NEWS IN DETAIL

The government today termed "groundless, unfounded, unsubstantiated, rash, inane and laughable" accusations by Ankara claiming that the body of a Greek officer had been found in northern Iraq during operations by the Turkish army against Kurdish guerillas.

''The accuser has the burden and responsibility to produce the evidence,'' government spokesman Dimitris Reppas said, replying to a question from the correspondent of a Turkish newspaper.

Reppas stressed that the hurling of such accusations against Greece harmed Turkey, while the persons behind the accusations ''are showing the international community that they do not have the maturity, ability, responsibility or will to tackle their country's problems with political means''.

Greece, Cyprus coordinate moves on organised crime

The public order ministers of Greece and Cyprus, George Romeos and Nikos Kosis, today discussed ways of combatting organised crime, terrorism, drug trafficking and abuse.

Kosis arrived in Greece on an official visit yesterday accompanied by senior police officers including the head of the island republic's force.

The two ministries have maintained close cooperation since December 1993 when they signed a police cooperation agreement in Nicosia.

After today's talks, Romeos announced that the Cyprus police will soon be given access to Greece's computerised fingerprint identification system, subject to permission, to assist them particularly in cases involving terrorism and drug trafficking.

Romeos and Kosis have been friends for the past 32 years, ever since the former went to Cyprus to help Kosis publish a newspaper.

Tourism better, but work still to be done

Although the Greek National Tourist Organisation (GNTO) is anticipating a 5- 10 per cent increase in foreign tourist arrivals compared to last year, there is no room for complacency due to the structural problems which remain in Greek tourism, GNTO General Secretary Nikos Skoulas said today.

Skoulas was speaking to 300 British reporters, writers and businessmen active in the tourism sector who are participating in a three-day annual conference of the Institute of Travel and Tourism (ITT) which opened this morning.

The GNTO chief assured the conference delegates that ''a new spirit of professionalism'' was now prevailing in Greece, while ''a renewed standard of tourism development'' had been adopted with emphasis on quality rather than low prices.

Skoulas advised tour operators against pressing Greek hoteliers to lower their rates, saying this would only result in a ''vicious circle'' of lower prices-lower quality which in the end left customers unsatisfied.

He also expressed support for the establishment of one or more private Greek airline companies to compete directly with the ''over-protected'' national carrier, Olympic Airways, and urged the speedy liberalisation of airport services, including ground handling.

Greek parliamentary observers to Albanian elections leave today

A seven-member interparty parliamentary delegation leaves for Tirana today to act as observers in general elections in the neighbouring country on Sunday.

For the same reason, four Greek Eurodeputies will travel to Albania. Ruling PASOK party deputy Eleftherios Veryvakis will be going to Albania as an observer with the Council of Europe.

Meanwhile, seven coaches carrying Albanian nationals intending to vote in Sunday's poll left for Albania yesterday from the northern port city of Thessaloniki.

The coaches were carrying almost 300 people but authorities say the number of those returning to vote has been small, probably due to the fear of attack from the armed gangs roaming the Albanian countryside.

Greek ethnic leaders in Albania kidnapped as violence continues

Reports from the Albanian city of Gjirocaster yesterday said that Theodoros Bezianis, the former president of the local branch of the ethnic Greek "Omonia" party had been kidnapped near his village of Frastani.

The circumstances of the kidnapping were not immediately clear. Mr. Beziani's daughter, who is standing for election in Sunday's poll as a candidate for the Human Rights Party, insisted that the kidnapping was politically motivated.

Mr. Bezianis, an American citizen, is one of five ethnic Greeks imprisoned in Albania in 1994 on charges of espionage and weapons possession after a gunman killed two Albanian soldiers in a conscript camp near the border.

Their arrest and conviction in August 1994 rekindled a simmering feud between Athens and Tirana over the human rights of the ethnic Greek minority in southern Albania, estimated by Athens at 400,000.

Albanian President Sali Berisha released one of the five on Christmas Eve 1994 and the remaining four - on appeal to Albania's Supreme Court - had their sentences reduced or suspended.

Mr. Bezianis's daughter said her father had been receiving threatening phone calls for the last few days to withdraw his candidacy. Her brother Costas Bezianis is the proprietor of the largest soft drink bottling plant in southern Albania and has also been the target of threats and attacks.

A later report from Ioannina said another ethnic Greek Albanian, Vassilis Kremydas, the president of the Examilia community and brother-in-law of the former president of "Omonia" Sotiris Kyriazatis, had been kidnapped by armed men in Sarande.

The report said the kidnappers had asked for a ransom of 40 million drachmas by today or Mr. Kremydas would be killed.

Premier confident of successful Athens 2004 bid

Prime Minister Costas Simitis said yesterday he was convinced that Athens had a great possibility of succeeding in its bid to host the 2004 Olympic Games, after being briefed on the Greek capital's candidacy by Athens 2004 committee president Yianna Angelopoulou-Daskalaki.

Mr. Simitis expressed complete satisfaction at the efforts so far of the "Athens 2004" bid committee and Angelopoulou-Daskalaki, in particular, following the briefing at the committee's headquarters at Zappeion Hall.

"We have a very good chance of being selected to stage the Games, because of the excellent infrastructure, but also because we are proposing a different spirit for the Olympics. We do not want them to be a strictly athletic event, but rather a cultural event which highlights peace and friendship between peoples," Mr. Simitis said.

Noting that Greece had great experience in staging major sports events, Mr. Simitis said the hosting in Athens of the World Athletics Championship in August would serve as a general test.

Replying to questions which have been aired concerning the cost of staging the Games, the premier stressed that it was an issue which could be "dealt with."

"We spend a great deal of money to promote our country with regard to tourism," he noted.

Mr. Simitis also expressed the view that the staging of the Olympics could help Greece in its national issues.

"There are always hotbeds of crisis, particularly in the Balkans. We can project the spirit of Olympism as a means of promoting peace and cooperation among peoples. Greece confronts all problems with a peaceful approach," Mr. Simitis said, expressing th e hope that Athens would eventually be chosen.

EU socialist finance ministers weekend meeting in Athens

Socialist finance ministers from European Union member-states meet in Athens this weekend to discuss strengthening the social state, accelerating growth and boosting employment in the EU.

The meeting, organised by National Economy and Finance Minister Yiannos Papantoniou will be attended by Prime Minister Costas Simitis.

The meeting will be held with the participation of British Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown, French Finance Minister Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Portuguese Finance Minister Antonio de Sousa-Franco, Italian Finance Minister Vincenzo Visco and Finnish

Finance Minister Arja Alho as well as former Swedish finance minister Kjell- Olof Feldt and former Irish finance minister and leader of the Irish Labour Party, Ruari Quinn.

Former European Commission president Jacques Delors will also participate at the meeting.

The focus of the meeting will be to find a clear socialist economic and social policy which will fall in line with the EMU and the single European currency while boosting growth and restricting unemployment. European Socialists have been calling for bet ter coordination of EU economic policies through a political body which would be enhanced with the jurisdiction to consult with the European Central Bank, in an effort to put growth under political control and not in the hands of bankers and technocrats.

The meeting will also be attended by European officials, including the president of the European Committee of the German Parliament, the president of the Socialists in the Parliament of Luxembourg, an Austrian Socialist Party representative responsible for economic issues, the vice-president of the European Parliament and economic experts.

Police arrest 19 in car smuggling scam

Police have broken up a gang of 15 Hungarians and four Bulgarians alleged to have stolen more than 70 luxury cars in Thessaloniki during the past two years, subsequently selling them with forged papers in Bulgaria, Romania and Russia.

Hungarian Andras Homola, 27, who is believed by police to be the ringleader, has been arrested and is being held in Hungary, while three compatriots, Laslo Toth, Zlot Kapitani and Laslone Ksekei are being held in the Diavata prison in Thessaloniki.

The arrested will stand trial in the northern port city on October 20.

Due its seriousness and particularity, the case was presented at the 4th European Regional Meeting of police force representatives in Lyons, France on June 10-11.

Mortgage Bank focuses on services for Greek expatriates

The National Mortgage Bank of Greece will pay more attention to Greek customers and investors living outside Greece, with a number of specially designed programmes and banking products.

Mortgage Bank Governor Vassilis Rapanos announced the focus on expatriates while on a visit to Toronto yesterday for contacts with the area's ethnic Greeks.

The visit also coincides with the bank's 70th anniversary.

A bank delegation visited Montreal and Quebec last Monday and briefed Greek community representatives on the bank's new products. Mortgage Bank officials stressed that as part of its re-organisation, the bank has been considering the creation of a speci al department to cater for the specific needs of its overseas customers.

Greenpeace congratulates gov't over solar power plant decision

Prime Minister Costas Simitis yesterday received a letter of congratulations from Greenpeace International chief Thilo Bode.

In his letter to the Greek premier, Mr. Bode referred to the positive measures taken by the government on the improvemnt of renewable energy sources and especially the building of the world's largest solar photovoltic electric power plant on Crete. The Greenpeace official described the power plant as a unique, historical achievement.

He said that in view of the Kyoto meeting, next December, it was vitally important for governments to be able to implement a series of alternative practices in the efforts to reduce emissions agravating the greenhouse effect.

Finally, Mr Bode called on Greece to continue playing a leading role in solar systems, taking advantage of the economic benefits involved in investments and new job positions.

Egypt to compensate Greeks who lost fortunes

Bilateral relations were reviewed during a Greek-Egyptian relations symposium organised by the Commerce and Industry Chamber of Athens (EBEA) and the Greek-Egyptian friendship association in Athens.

The seminar focused on trade between the two countries, Egyptian investments in Greece, the creation of joint ventures between Greek and Egyptian businesses, and cooperation in the banking sector.

Egypt's ambassador in Athens Samir Self El Yazal said Cairo was willing to compensate Greek-Egyptians who lost their fortunes when they fled from Egypt several decades ago.

He also noted problems standing in the way of closer relations, in particular obtaining visas for Egyptians. Greek and Egyptian businessmen held several meetings during the seminar.

Fine levied on Turkish ship

Merchant Marine Minister Stavros Soumakis today imposed a 10 million drachma fine on the Turkish captain of a Turkish-flagged cargo vessel for pollution caused by the freighter off the Peloponnese coast on March 26.

The Turkish owning company, Demir Finansal Kiralama S.A., was also liable to payment of the fine.

WEATHER

FOREIGN EXCHANGE

(M.P.)

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