Athens News Agency: News in English (AM), 97-10-02

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

NEWS IN ENGLISH

Athens, Greece, 02/10/1997 (ANA)

MAIN HEADLINES

• Ecumenical Patriarch voices hope for better Greek-Turkish relations
• Pangalos, Kranidiotis meet with Grossman
• Greek Defence Minister holds talks with Russian counterpart
• Cypriot independence marked at Herod Atticus concert
• Greek-Albanian cooperation in education, public order
• Krateros Ioannou picked for EuroCourt
• Greek students take Parthenon Marbles campaign to the Internet
• Liani-Papandreou book sales hit 20,000
• Bird-watching day on Saturday
• New drug prices set
• Greek stocks slip in profit-taking
• Petrol prices increase
• Int'l trade exhibition in Kavala
• High-speed rail the focus of Ioannina meeting
• New EU shipbuilding policy paper adopted
• Weather
• Foreign exchange

NEWS IN DETAIL

Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos I of Constantinople expressed hope yesterday that relations between Greece and Turkey will rise to the level the two countries enjoyed during the rule of Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the modern Turkish state.

The Patriarch, on an official tour of Thessaloniki and northern Greece, was speaking during a visit to the home where Ataturk was born in 1881 and to the adjacent Turkish consulate.

Making it clear that he was speaking "as a religious leader who is not involved in politics", Vartholomeos recalled the message of Ataturk for peaceful co-existence between the peoples of Greece and Turkey which, he added, he wholeheartedly adopted "as being in line with the teachings of our Christian faith".

"We have repeatedly stated our conviction that peaceful co-existence of the two peoples as the solution which is in the interests of both sides. As Ataturk said to (Eleftherios) Venizelos, the vital interests of Greece and Turkey are in complete harmony ," the Patriarch said. "We sincerely hope that this message of peace is accepted by all for the benefit of all," he added.

Vartholomeos was received by Turkish Consul Ertan Tesgior who presented the Patriarch with a book on the life of Ataturk.

Pangalos, Kranidiotis meet with Grossman

US Assistant Secretary of State Mark Grossman held consecutive meetings with Foreign Undersecretary Yiannos Kranidiotis and Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos yesterday afternoon.

No statements were made afterwards.

The main purpose of Mr. Grossman's tour of Athens, Nicosia and Ankara is the need to maintain certain corridors of communication open between Greece and Turkey, despite the complete deadlock reached in New York between Mr. Pangalos and his Turkish counterpart Ismail Cem.

Mr. Grossman, who had initially planned to visit Athens, Bucharest and Sofia, amended his programme after the developments in New York to include Ankara and Nicosia in his tour.

According to authoritative diplomatic sources, the US looks forward to certain more positive developments during the meeting between Prime Minister Costas Simitis and his Turkish counterpart Mesut Yilmaz on the sidelines of the inter-Balkan conference in Crete.

The sources pointed out that Mr. Pangalos reiterated to Mr. Grossman that Greece desires an improvement in relations with the neighbouring country on condition that Turkey will make some substantive gesture.

Greek Defence Minister holds talks with Russian counterpart

National Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos yesterday discussed issues of security and cooperation in the Balkans and the eastern Mediterranean, especially military cooperation between Athens and Moscow with his counterpart from Russia.

Their meeting took place on the sidelines of an informal NATO defence ministers' conference in Maastricht, The Netherlands.

When asked after the meeting whether they discussed the issue of safe transport for the Russian-made S-300 anti-aircraft missiles to Cyprus, Mr. Tsohatzopoulos told the press that the continuation of the abnormal situation on Cyprus with the continued occupation of its northern part by Turkey signals a source of destabilisation in the eastern Mediterranean.

Turkey's security is not threatened by Cyprus' anti-aircraft system, he said, adding that Cyprus has an inalienable right to defence.

Permanent representative of Greece to the United Nations, ambassador Christos Zaharakis, said in his letter, "I should like to stress the self- evident point that no nation can give up its right of self-defence or shirk its responsibility to protect its citizens from aggression.

"As an independent State, Cyprus exercises this fundamental right, as recognised by the Charter of the United Nations, by improving the deterrent capabilities of the Cypriot National Guard, all the more since the Republic of Cyprus has been the victim of vicious aggression by Turkey, which has been occupying the northern part of the island with its troops since 1974.

Cypriot independence marked at Herod Atticus concert

Turkey for the first time since 1974 is realising that its policy on the Cyprus issue is leading to deadlock, Foreign Undersecretary Yiannos Kranidiotis said last night at an event marking the 37th anniversary of Cypriot independence.

Speaking before a concert at the ancient Herod Atticus theatre, he said that without "a just solution of the Cyprus problem, Turkey's European aspirations cannot proceed".

Mr. Kranidiotis observed that Turkey had nothing to reply to the proposal for the island's demilitarisation, and had no disposition of flexibility to show.

Greek-Albanian cooperation in education, public order

Cooperation between Greece and Albania in a number of sectors including education and customs control will improve with specific measures decided yesterday at a meeting of the National Foundation for the Reception and Rehabilitation of Repatriated Greeks (EIYAPOE) in Ioannina.

The meeting was attended by Alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou and Albanian Interior Minister Neritan Ceka.

The meeting concentrated its efforts on activities related to the ethnic Greek minority in Albania.

Among the decisions is the reactivation of education protocols between the University of Ioannina and the Universities of Tirana and Gjirokaster, including a strengthening of the departments of Greek language, physics, chemistry and computers in the lat ter university.

Also new school centres will be set up in cooperation with Albanian authorities, to upgrade education for the Greek minority in Albania.

Ioannina, where all these activities will be coordinated from, is also going to promote educational programmes to promote teaching of Greek in former Soviet republics.

Krateros Ioannou picked for EuroCourt

Law professor Krateros Ioannou will be Greece's new judge at the EuroCourt in Luxemburg, replacing Constantinos Kakouris, who has concluded his third term in the post. Mr. Ioannou will assume duties on Oct. 7. He had been an advocate for Greek positions at the European Court in an appeal by the Commission in relation to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). He has also been a member of the experts committee on Greek- Turkish relations. Mr. Kakouris was Greece's s econd European judge, after replacing Alekos Chloros in 1983.

Greek students take Parthenon Marbles campaign to the Internet

The Union of Greek Students in Britain has launched a website on the Internet "to inform Britons and the entire world" on the campaign for the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece, an announcement said yesterday.

The 5th century B.C. marbles were removed from the Parthenon in 1806 by British Ambassador to Constantinople Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin, on the basis of a controversial 'firman' from the Ottoman Turkish administrators.

Lord Elgin removed an estimated 253 pieces, including the Parthenon frieze by Phidias, a Caryatid and a column from the Erectheum, and sold them to Britain for 36,000 pounds sterling.

The impressive Parthenon temple was dedicated to the goddess Athena, patron of the Greek capital city of Athens.

The Marbles are housed at the British Museum.

Members of the Union, the announcement added, will also be present today at the Grand Hotel in Brighton, where the ruling Labour Party congress is taking place, to brief the MPs and other delegates on the issue.

The Union's target is to inform the public of its own campaign to establish November 28 as "Parthenon Day".

The Union's website (www.parthenonday.org) contains information on Greece, the Acropolis and its main monument, the Parthenon, how the Marbles were removed from the Parthenon and transported to Britain, and the late actress/culture minister Melina Mercouri's campaign for their return.

It further contains a text of protest which Internet users may sign, to be handed to the British government at a later date.

The 22,000 Greek and Cypriot students in Britain are also planning a series of other events to promote the Marbles campaign.

Liani-Papandreou book sales hit 20,000

Sales of Dimitra Liani-Papandreou's book about her life with the late premier Andreas Papandreou have topped the 20,000 mark, with a second edition in the offing.

The public's response to the book, entitled "Ten years and 54 days", has been "spectacular" according to Maria Koukouvinou, public relations director for the publisher, Livanis - Nea Synora. Foreign publishers from as far afield as Australia, the US an d Saudi Arabia have expressed great interest in translations of the book.

Ms. Liani-Papandreou is to sign copies of her book next week in a central Athens bookstore; the author is to announce details shortly.

Bird-watching day on Saturday

A bird-watching day is to be held this coming Saturday, October 4, in the Dadia forest near the Evros River delta.

It is being held by the Evros prefecture, the forestry service and the Dadia Community Enterprise, at the request of the Greek Ornithological Society to celebrate European Bird-Watching Day.

Representatives of all the above-mentioned organisations will be on hand to guide visitors. Binoculars, telescopes and printed information will be made available, while there will also be other events such as a poster competition and games.

New drug prices set

New prices have been set on a number of pharmaceuticals, worked out by the ministries of development and health, according to the method decided by the Cabinet some time ago.

The price of 4,075 drugs will be reduced by an average of 19 per cent, while the price of 1,934 drugs will increase by an average of 14 per cent.

According to Development Undersecretary Michalis Chrysochoidis, the impementation of the new prices is estimated to benefit both consumers and social security funds, as well as the domestic pharmaceutical industry.

The lowering of prices relates to expensive drugs, both domestically produced and imported, which had a higher price than the lowest price in any European country. In a move to support the domestic industry, apart from the above category, other domestic drugs' prices will be reduced.

Meanwhile, there has been a reaction by pharmacists, who say that out of the estimated 80 billion drachmas less in the yearly cost of drugs to the national economy, 40 billion will be taken out of their income.

Greek stocks slip in profit-taking

Greek equities ended a two-day rally to new records as investors preferred to cash in part of their previous days' massive gains.

The general index closed 0.02 percent off at 1,771.04 points but the parallel market index for small cap companies soared 2.59 percent reflecting renewed buying interest in smaller stocks on the Athens Stock Exchange.

Sector indices ended mixed. Banks fell 0.08 percent, Leasing was 0.40 percent down, Insurance dropped 0.88 percent, Investment rose 0.73 percent, Industrials were 0.02 percent up, Construction fell 0.36 percent, Holding increased 1.38 percent and Miscel laneous rose 0.14 percent. Trading was heavy and turnover was 28.6 billion drachmas.

Broadly, advancers led decliners by 119 to 107 with another 29 issues remaining unchanged.

Athinea, Pavlides, Sanyo, Singular, Bank of Central Greece scored the biggest percentage gains at the day's upper limit of 8.0 percent, while Bank of Athens, Corinth Mills and Macedonian Plastics suffered the heaviest losses.

National Bank of Greece ended at 34,850 drachmas, Ergobank at 18,600, Alpha Credit at 20,485, Delta Dairy at 3,900, Titan Cement at 16,780, Intracom at 14,710 and Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation at 6,975.

In the domestic foreign exchange market, the US dollar was slightly easier against the drachma.

Petrol prices increase

The retail sales prices of fuel will increase as of today and for one week due to a change in international prices. According to an announcement by the Public Petroleum Corp. (DEP) and the development ministry, the retail sales prices of gasoline will inc rease by 1.20 drachmas per litre and of diesel by 1.60 drachmas per litre.

In the Attica region and Thessaloniki prefecture, super gasoline will cost 223 drachmas per litre and unleaded 207 drachmas per litre.

Int'l trade exhibition in Kavala

A large exhibition of products manufuctured exclusively in Kavala, entitled "Kavala '97", will be organised between Oct. 4 to 9 in the city's government building.

The 3,000-sq.-metre exhibition area will include products from industry, manufucturing, arts and crafts.

The Kavala Chamber of Commerce said several countries will be taking part.

About 20,000 people visited last year's exhibition, while this year organisers expect an increased number of business deals to be concluded.

The event is organised by the Kavala Chamber with support from the prefecture and Kavala municipality.

High-speed rail the focus of Ioannina meeting

A two-day meeting of the southeastern European group of the International Railway Union wound up in Ioannina yesterday, presided over by the Greek Railway Organisation (OSE).

The meeting's main theme was the extension of a high speed railway network in southeastern Europe, including Greece. According to OSE, train speeds on such railroad networks will exceed 160 kilometres per hour, depending on the condition of interconnect ing networks in each country.

Referring to the extension of Greece's railway network, an OSE official said according to a timetable, the network will reach Ioannina in 2004 and the port of Igoumenitsa probably in 2009.

New EU shipbuilding policy paper adopted

The European Commission adopted a strategy paper on the future European shipbuilding policy and a proposal for a regulation establishing new rules on aid to shipbuilding.

The communication announces the Commission's intention to direct its efforts into defending the industry from anti-competitive behaviour of shipbuilders in third countries and to help the industry increase its competitiveness in promoting research, deve lopment and innovation and supporting closer industrial cooperation.

The proposal for a new state aid regime provides for a prolongation of the possibility to grant contract-related state aid to shipyards up until the end of the year 2000.

Other forms of public support such as investment aid, restructuring aid and aid for research and development are proposed as well.

In addition, under certain circumstances, the Commission is prepared to allow aid for innovation to partly cover risks related to technological challenges.

With these combined efforts, the Commission is optimistic that the objective of making European shipbuilding a global and competitive industrial sector can be achieved.

WEATHER

FOREIGN EXCHANGE

(C.E.)

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