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Athens News Agency: News in English (PM), 97-11-21

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

NEWS IN ENGLISH

Athens, Greece, 21/11/1997 (ANA)


MAIN HEADLINES

  • Simitis holds firm on Turkish inclusion in European Conference
  • Greek positions on new NATO structure agreed
  • Israel welcomes memorial to Thessaloniki Jews
  • Budget up for discussion next week
  • No reshuffle in the offing - gov't
  • Thessaloniki hosts ministerial conference on mass media
  • Syrian ship sinks off Hios
  • Seaman injured in boat fire
  • Doctors' strike to continue
  • Weather
  • Foreign Exchange

NEWS IN DETAIL

Simitis holds firm on Turkish inclusion in European Conference

Prime Minister Costas Simitis last night reiterated Greece's objections to including Turkey in a European Conference for countries wishing to join the European Union, as long as Turkey did not satisfy the conditions the EU had laid down, according to an ANA dispatch from Luxembourg.

In a press conference following a dinner for the 15 heads of government given by current European Council president, Luxembourg's Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, Simitis said that while Greece's 14 EU partners believed Turkey should be included in the Conference, many EU member states were critical of Turkey's stance on its relations with Greece and of its human rights record.

He did not deny that during the dinner he was the only one to raise objections to Turkey's participation in the Conference, but noted that Greece's views were also shared by other delegations, chiefly those from Scandinavia.

Simitis observed that Juncker appeared to concur with Greece's insistence that Turkey take specific measures with regard to respect for minority and human rights, apart from the Cyprus issue and that it recognise the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice in the Hague.

He also said it had been clear in the Luxembourg talks that the majority of member states no longer shared the European Commission's view that negotiations should begin with an initial six candidate states - Slovenia, Estonia, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Cyprus. Most now believed, he said, that talks whould begin with all ten eastern European states as well as Cyprus, but not simultaneously and on a case-by-case basis.

The prime minister said Greece would be willing to discuss certain aspects of a plan by European Commission president Jacques Santer to strengthen Turkey-EU relations under certain conditions, including an acceptance by Turkey of the jurisdiction of the International Court.

The Council president and Santer are to visit Ankara to brief the Turkish leadership on yesterday's talks.

Greek positions on new NATO structure agreed

Greece's positions regarding the new structure of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), ahead of a December 1-3 meeting of Alliance defence ministers, were finalised today at a meeting jointly chaired by Foreign and National Defence Ministers Theodoros Pangalos and Akis Tsohatzopoulos.

Pangalos told reporters after the meeting that the Greek positions on the Alliance's new structure were "solid and constructive" and would help in not only strengthening Greece's role in that context but also in "the development of NATO in the new conditions that have been created in Europe and worldwide".

Tsohatzopoulos called the upcoming December meeting in Brussels "important" since the final decisions would be taken on the structure and manner of operation of the Alliance, which he said would be transformed into a "new organisation of collective security of Euro-Atlantic range".

He also expressed certainty that, following the finalisation of the Greek positions, the desired results would be achieved at the December meeting.

Greece has initially taken a positive view on the new structure of the Alliance, which provides for the establishment of headquarters of its Southeastern Europe flank in Italy with four sub-headquarters in Greece, Italy, Spain and Turkey.

As for the reservations regarding the areas of operational control -- which will be abolished under the new structure -- the Greek government has made it clear that abolition of the operational control areas does not pose any problem for Greece's sovereign rights, given that the country maintains the right of veto on issues related to the planning, design and materialisation of military exercises.

Israel welcomes memorial to Thessaloniki Jews

Israel today welcomed the Greek government's establishment of a monument dedicated to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust in the northern Greek capital of Thessaloniki and said it was sending a large delegation to attend the ceremony on Sunday.

A government statement released through the Israeli Embassy in Athens said Israel "welcomes the decision and initiative of the Greek government to hold the unveiling ceremony of the Monument of the Jewish Martyrs for the victims of the Holocaust in Thessaloniki".

It said Minister of Health Yehoshua Matsa would head the Israeli delegation. Matsa comes from a historic Jewish family that has roots in the Greek town of Ioannina since his ancestors, who were expelled from Spain in 1492 -- after the Holy Inquisition -- actually came to Ioannina and remained there for about 200 years prior to returning to Israel 13 generations ago.

"The Israeli Minister, therefore, has special ties with Greece and is expected to also visit Ioannina during his stay here," the announcement said.

Greece's head of state Kostis Stephanopoulos will unveil the monument in a ceremony attended by dignitaries from around the world, including a U.S. Congressional delegation led by chairman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee Benjamin Gilman.

Other members of the Israeli delegation will include head of the Israeli Prime Minister's Office Moshe Leon, who also has ties with Thessaloniki, chairman of the governing board of Yad Vashem -- the Israeli organisation for the perpetuation of the memory of the 6 million victims of the Holocaust -- Avner Shalev, survivors of the Holocaust from Thessaloniki now living in Israel, the president of the Women's International Zionist Organisation (WIZO), and represen- tatives of the Israel-Greece Chamber of Commerce, while leading journalists from top Israeli newspapers such as Maariv, Haaretz, Yediot Ahronot and the Jerusalem Post will cover the event.

"The Jewish presence in Thessaloniki dates back to antiquity. In recent history the legacy of the Jewish community paralled that of the city and the important contribution of the community's presence there remains with us today. During World War II, 50,000 Greek Jews from Thessaloniki, 96 percent of the Jewish population of that city, were put to death in Nazi concentration camps," the announcement said.

But, it added, "the history of the Jews of Thessaloniki is not just a history of destruction, but a story of courage and revival. It is characterised by the courage of those brave Greeks who risked their lives in order to save their Jewish compatriots".

Budget up for discussion next week

A parliamentary committee begins discussion of the government's budget for 1998 next Wednesday, Parliament President Apostolos Kaklamanis said today.

The budget will be brought before the plenary session of the House on December 17 with the Parliament voting on the economic measures on December 21.

No reshuffle in the offing - gov't

The Greek government today denied persistent press reports that a cabinet rehuffle was in the pipeline.

Acting government spokesman Yiannis Nikolaou said the government believed it was directing its energies productively.

He dismissed claims that there were problems in ruling PASOK's Parliamentary Group, saying"these are problems that come up", and that they would be dealt with by the deputies themselves.

Thessaloniki hosts ministerial conference on mass media

Thessaloniki will play host to more than 40 ministers from the Council of Europe and invited states as they meet for the 5th European Ministerial Conference on Mass Media Policy, which begins on December 11.

A press release from the Council of Europe said the meeting was being held in the northern port city at the invitation of the Greek authorities and would study the current situation, the positive and negative aspects of the development of the information society and its influence on how society operates as well as on relations between individuals, groups and countries as well as possible action by governments to respond to it.

Apart from the Organisation's 40 member-states, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Monaco, the Holy See, Canada, the United States and Japan will also be represented.

The conference hopes to provide a forum for the ministers to explore means of fostering new services that promote freedom of expression and information, artistic creation, intercultural exchanges and participation in public life, but also ways of limiting or regulating access to services which may be used to the detriment of human rights, the protection of minors and basic democratic values.

The ministers will also study self-regulation measures which could be taken by media circles and those who create and run services. The conference will also provide an opportunity to decide on practical measures to be taken by governments at national and international levels.

Deputy Secretary-General of the Council of Europe Hans-Christian Kruger and Greece's Press and Media Minister Dimitris Reppas will official open the proceedings of the conference.

Discussions will be based on the general theme of "The information society: a challenge for Europe" and the sub-themes of "the impact of new communication technologies on human rights and democratic values" and "rethinking the regulatory framework for the media".

Syrian ship sinks off Hios

A Syrian-flag freighter was sinking after colliding with a small Greek tanker early today off the island of Chios, and first reports by the Merchant Marine Ministry said the 12-member crew of the Syrian vessel were safe.

A Ministry spokesman said the crew abandoned the freighter "Nadine", which was carrying no cargo, after it started taking on water following its collision with the tanker "Phiandra" north of Hios while delivering heating oil to the island.

The Ministry said the causes of the collision could not be immediately determined. It said the Syrian vessel's crew had been picked up by the Bulgarian freighter "Burgas" which was sailing nearby.

The Phiandra's 7-member crew were all safe, the Ministry added.

Seaman injured in boat fire

A Greek seaman was injured when fire which broke out early this morning aboard the Greek tourist boat "Skopelos Star", docked in the Patras marina, port authorities said.

The blaze was put under control in a four-hour operation after causing extensive damage to the small vessel, the authorities said.

Port police were investigating the causes of the fire.

Doctors' strike to continue

Doctors in Attica's public hospitals today voted to extend their strike until Wednesday, November 26, after a new government proposal on salary scales was rejected by the Athens-Piraeus Union of Hospital Doctors (EINAP).

Meanwhile, the Hospital Doctors' Federation (OENGE) last night decided to end the strike in regional hospitals and to accept the latest pay proposals made by Finance Undersecretary Nikos Christodoulakis.

WEATHER

Unstable weather with cloudiness and rain will continue in most parts of Greece today with occasional snowfall in the mountainous regions in the north. Winds variable, moderate to strong. Athens will be partly cloudy with spells of sunshine and temperatures between 9-17C. Cloudy and rainy in Thessaloniki with temperatures from 6-10C.

FOREIGN EXCHANGE

Thursday's closing rates - buying US dlr. 269.090 Pound sterling 456.876 Cyprus pd 530.918 French franc 46.479 Swiss franc 192.026 German mark 155.650 Italian lira (100) 15.884 Yen (100) 212.367 Canadian dlr. 189.770 Australian dlr. 184.929 Irish Punt 405.867 Belgian franc 7.547 Finnish mark 51.584 Dutch guilder 138.156 Danish kr. 40.898 Swedish kr. 35.674 Norwegian kr. 38.291 Austrian sch. 22.112 Spanish peseta 1.843 Port. Escudo 1.525

(M.P.)


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