Athens News Agency: News in English (PM), 97-10-01

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

NEWS IN ENGLISH

Athens, Greece, 01/10/1997 (ANA)

MAIN HEADLINES

• Greek police seize priceless Neolithic gold treasures
• Mirage pilot found in wreckage
• Gov't works on reforming public utilities
• Patriarch, FM meet in Thessaloniki
• Merchant fleet capacity up
• Public Order Minister visits US to confer with FBI,CIA
• Greece says no change in stance towards Ankara
• US Ass't Secretary of State Grossman in Greece today
• Bill on Bank of Greece autonomy tabled
• Romeos: 'Observer' informant not in Greece
• Two more charges against Thierry Roussel filed
• Weather
• Foreign exchange

NEWS IN DETAIL

A neolithic treasure dating back to the 5th millennium B.C. has been seized by Athens security police who arrested two persons trying to sell 54 golden ring-shaped artefacts for one billion drachma to an antiquities smuggler, police said today.

The artefacts, seized last night, weigh 213 grams. They were found in the possession of two persons in the Athens seaside suburb of Vouliagmeni, whom police described as the masterminds of a gang of antiquities smugglers.

Archaeologists said that the artefacts "are unique, since they are among the very few gold pieces from the 5th millenium B.C. found to date."

Security police officers posing as buyers arrested a 49-year old private security guard from the northern Greek town of Kavala and another person, whom they did not identify.

The security guard, who had been under surveillance since last April, told the police that he had bought the treasure 15 years ago from unidentified persons for 25 million dr., and had only now decided to sell the artefacts, a police source said.

Mirage pilot found in wreckage

The wreckage and the body of the pilot of a Greek air force Mirage 2000 fighter plane were found today by navy frogmen off the island of Skyros, where it crashed during a training flight, defence ministry sources said.

The jetfighter crashed into the sea two miles north of Skyros last night as it tried to land at a nearby airport.

The wreckage was found in the sea at a depth of 10 metres, with the pilot's body strapped into his seat.

The same sources said the plane's black box had also been found.

Gov't works on reforming public utilities

Prime Minister Costas Simitis today chaired a government meeting which agreed on the general directions of government policy concerning the revitalisation of public utilities (DEKO) and the abolition or merger of public agencies.

No final decisions were taken however at the three-hour meeting which was attended by National Economy and Finance Minister Yiannos Papantoniou, Development Minister Vasso Papandreou, Interior, Public Administration and Decentralisation Minister Alekos Papadopoulos and Transport Minister Tassos Mantelis, within whose competence most DEKO fall.

Also participating were Finance Undersecretary Nikos Christodoulakis and adviser to the premier, Tassos Yiannitsis.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Papantoniou said specific decisions would be announced shortly.

"I can't say anything now. I would prefer to make an overall announcement when the relevant decisions have been finalised," he said.

Replying to questions, Papantoniou said one of the issues agreed today was the general outline of the government's tariff policy for the DEKO which, he added, would be "very restrained" during the next two years.

Patriarch, FM meet in Thessaloniki

Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos said today that the Greek government would support the Ecumenical Patriarchate "which is an ecumenical institution of Orthodoxy", following talks in Thessaloniki with Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos.

Vartholomeos described as "sincere" the interest of the Greek government, adding that co-operation between the Patriarchate and Athens was necessary today more than at any other time.

Following the meeting, sources close to both sides said that the clouds which had recently cast a shadow over relations between Vartholomeos and Pangalos had been dispersed.

In statements to reporters, the Patriarch appeared to confirm this, saying "we agreed about all matters of common interest which were discussed".

Vartholomeos, who winds up his visit to the northern Greek port today and travels to Xanthi tomorrow, said his trip to Greece had been "blessed" from every point of view and had provided the opportunity for "the people, the Church and various bodies to express their love, respect and devotion to the Ecumenical Patriarchate".

Merchant fleet capacity up

The capacity of the Greek merchant fleet increased by 59,960 gross registered tons in September while the number of vessels remained the same, with three joining and three leaving the Greek registry, the Merchant Marine Ministry announced today.

The three vessels which joined the registry have a total capacity of 130, 195 grt, while those which left 70,235 grt.

The Ministry said the three vessels which registered had an average age of nine years, while those which left 19 years.

Meanwhile, Merchant Marine Minister Stavros Soumakis said he would meet on October 13 with Eurodeputies occupied with transport and shipping matters and the administrative board of the Panhellenic Seamen's Federation (PNO) to discuss the lifting of cabotage restrictions in 2004.

Public Order Minister visits US to confer with FBI,CIA

Public Order Minister George Romeos left today for Washington where he will have talks with CIA Director George Tenet, FBI Director Louis Freeh and State Department officials.

Romeos is scheduled to meet Tenet, who is of Greek origin, tomorrow and with Freeh on Friday, after which he will give a press conference at the Greek Embassy.

Late on Friday Romeos will fly to New York where he will stay until Sunday for meetings with local officials and representatives of the Greek-American community.

The focus of Romeos' talks in the United States will be matters related to co-operation in efforts to combat drug trafficking, terrorism and organised crime.

Romeos will return to Greece on Sunday.

Greece says no change in stance towards Ankara

Athens said today that it had not and did not intend to change its policy on Greek-Turkish relations but expressed the hope that Turkey would change its stance.

Government spokesman Dimitris Reppas made the statement when asked to comment on recent remarks by Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos, and particularly whether these remarks constituted exaggeration.

"There is no question of exaggeration or downgrading," Reppas said, expressing the hope that Ankara would change its stance on Greek-Turkish relations, noting that this would in turn bring a change in the Greek stance.

The spokesman reiterated that the tone of statements by Turkish officials had of late been "impudent" and were responsible for the recent tension in relations between the two countries.

Replying to other questions, Reppas described Turkey's policy as provocative and aggressive.

On the joint communique signed earlier this year in Madrid by Prime Minister Costas Simitis and Turkish President Suleyman Demirel, Reppas said it did not solve any problem but merely constituted the basis for the commencement of a procedure "which might lead to confronting problems".

US Ass't Secretary of State Grossman in Greece today

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Mark Grossman is expected in Athens today in an attempt to try and defuse tension and help restart talks between Greece and Turkey.

Mr. Grossman, who is responsible for European affairs, plans to hold talks with Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos and Undersecretary Yiannos Kranidiotis this evening.

It will be the second meeting in seven days that the US official had had with Mr. Pangalos. Last week he was in New York to attend the UN General Assembly.

Mr. Grossman is also expected to travel to Ankara and meet with officials there. He will reportedly press both Greece and Turkey's prime ministers to meet in Crete next month during an inter-Balkan summit meeting. The US official was previously Washington's ambassador in Ankara.

Bill on Bank of Greece autonomy tabled

A bill granting autonomy to the Bank of Greece, the country's central bank, was tabled in Parliament last night by the National Economy Ministry as part of an important step towards the central bank's separation from the government.

The bill hopes to bring the country's monetary policy further in line with the rest of the European Union on the basis of the new economic environment being shaped in the framework of Economic and Monetary Union (EMU).

The central body in the new institutional framework will be the Monetary Policy Council. The Council - and not the government as was the case until now - will in future determine the country's monetary policy and also supervise the exchange policy proposed by the government.

The Council will have six members, three of whom will be the incumbent governor and the two deputy governors of the Bank of Greece. The remaining Council members will be appointed by the government, with the consent of the central bank's governor.

Following approval of the bill, the central bank will be more directly linked to the European Central Bank being set up - the future watchdog of the EURO - and less to the Greek government, which will be kept abreast of monetary issues by the bank's governor.

The bill further provides for the estblishment of supervisory and sanction- imposing mechanisms by the central bank on all companies and credit organisations in the local capital market sector including brokerage firms and not only on banks, as is the case today.

Romeos: `Observer` informant not in Greece

Public Order Minister George Romeos yesterday said records showed that Kurd Seydo Hazar, at the centre of a controversial "Observer" newspaper article alleging the existence of Kurdish guerrilla training camps in Greece, left the country through the Doira ni border post last Friday, probably on his way to Germany.

Mr. Romeos added that the Kurdish man had originally been given a one-month visa, which after being renewed once, expired in April 1997. He added that Mr. Hazar paid a fine upon exiting the country for prolonging his stay without permission.

The minister said claims that Mr. Hazar was still hiding somewhere in Greece as a member of a Kurdish guerrilla cell were groundless and were part of a mudslinging campaign against Greece that appears from time to time in certain international press out lets.

Mr. Romeos said investigations had been carried out in the past over similar allegations, including ones by US officials, all of which were found to be completely baseless.

Two more charges against Thierry Roussel filed

The Supreme Court has decided that Thierry Roussel, the father of 12-year- old Athena Onassis-Roussel, should stand trial on two more charges apart from defamation, perjury and filing a false lawsuit.

All charges relate to cartain accusations Mr. Roussel had launched against the Onassis Foundation's board, for which a previous acquittal was based on insufficient evidence. As a result, the case will be examined again by the Council of Appeals.

Athena Onassis-Roussel will have to wait until she becomes an adult in the year 2003 to be able to administrate the massive fortune left by her grandfather Aristotelis to her mother Christina.

WEATHER

FOREIGN EXCHANGE

(M.P.)

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