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Athens News Agency: News in English (AM), 98-01-12

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, 12/01/1998 (ANA)


MAIN HEADLINES

  • Greece reiterates: national airspace extends to 10 miles
  • Stephanopoulos leaves for week-long official visit to India
  • Athens terms Turkish claims on WWII history 'miserable insults'
  • Greece's Jewry rejects Turkish accusations
  • Preconditions for Turkish-cypriot involvement in EU talks
  • Greece and 12 other states to sign European ban on human cloning
  • Bomb blasts target tax offices
  • More illegal immigrants arrested
  • Fishermen protest tax measures by blockading Kalymnos, Leros
  • 15-day trial period for ban on traffic inside commercial triangle
  • Greek First Division soccer results
  • Weather
  • Foreign exchange

NEWS IN DETAIL

Greece reiterates: national airspace extends to 10 miles

National Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos on Saturday reiterated that Greece's airspace extends to a 10-mile limit rejecting comments by US ambassador in Athens Nicholas Burns on the issue. Mr. Tsohatzopoulos said the "sole criterion for a country's behaviour is that imposed by national interest.

Mr. Burns on Friday reiterated Washington's stance that the limits of each country's airspace should correspond to those of its territorial waters, meaning that the US recognises a six-mile limit for Greek airspace.

"No one's view is a criterion for the behaviour of a country," the defence minister said, emphasising that Greece's airspace, as clearly set out in a 1931 presidential decree and valid for decades, stood at the 10-mile limit.

"If some people, for their own purpose and using their own criteria, want some other limit for Greece, that is their opinion," he said.

The defence minister was speaking after briefing Greek Eurodeputies on the ministry's defence programmes and on initiatives being taken to promote security and stability in the region, as well as specific issues involving neighbouring countries.

Stephanopoulos leaves for week-long official visit to India

President of the Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos leaves for India today in an official visit aimed at boosting political and economic ties between the two countries.

Accompanying Mr. Stephanopoulos, who is the guest of Indian President K.R. Narayanan, are Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos, Finance Undersecretary Alekos Baltas and a delegation of leading Greek business representatives. It is the first such visit by a Greek head of state to India.

Tomorrow, Mr. Stepanopoulos will have talks in New Delhi with Mr. Narayanan, and India's prime minister and parliament speaker.

He is scheduled to make two speeches on Wednesday outlining economic ties between the two countries and Greece's policies on international issues, while he will also lay the foundation stone of a new building to house the Greek embassy in the Indian cap ital.

On Thursday, President Stephanopoulos is scheduled to visit the Taj Mahal in Agra. He will travel to Bombay on Friday and to Calcutta on Saturday, leaving for Athens on Sunday.

Greek and Indian business leaders who met in 1994 had cited healthy prospects for cooperation in tourism, food processing, shipbuilding, construction machinery and education.

The Indian side was eager to see cooperation in the fields of informatics and telecoms, and among small- to medium-sized enterprises.

Business leaders accompanying Mr. Stephanopoulos are expected to propose that Greek engineering contractors, many of whom are listed on the Athens bourse, could undertake design and construction of several projects in India.

Athens terms Turkish claims on WWII history 'miserable insults'

A Turkish foreign ministry statement characterising Greek Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos a "descendant of Greek fascism" was sharply rejected by Athens on Saturday as containing "miserable insults and unjustified provocations".

In a written statement, the Turkish foreign ministry attacked Mr. Pangalos for his statement the previous day, which called on European Union member- states to take a firm stand on what he called the "Kurdish genocide" being carried out by Turkey.

Replying to Mr. Pangalos' statements, the Turkish foreign ministry claimed that "Greek fascists under the leadership of the likes of Pangalos sent thousands of Greek Jews to death camps".

In a response, government spokesman Dimitris Reppas stated:

"The only thing Turkey is achieving with such miserable insults and unjustified provocations is to worsen its own position. The sooner it realises this, the better it will be for itself.

"As far as its historically unfounded claims and slander against Greeks are concerned, we refer it (Turkey) to yesterday's (Friday's) statement by the Central Jewish Council (of Greece)," Mr. Reppas added.

Greece's Jewry rejects Turkish accusations

The Central Jewish Council issued a statement on Friday after a meeting with Mr. Pangalos, stressing that the organisation had "repeatedly expressed its gratitude to the Greek people and the Greek Orthodox Church for their contribution in saving Greek Jews".

The Central Jewish Council statement was made in response to yet more claims by the Turkish foreign ministry on Thursday, namely, that during World War II Greek authorities had "willingly handed over Jews" to Nazi occupation troops.

"Greeks offered as much help as possible to Jews persecuted (during the Nazi occupation), often endangering their own lives," the Jewish Council's statement read.

In addition, Jewish groups of Greece again on Saturday rejected the accusations made by the Turkish foreign ministry.

Thessaloniki Jewish community president Andreas Sefiha told ANA that Greek Jews were grateful to their fellow citizens for the assistance against Nazi persecution, citing resistance by government officials as well as the help of ordinary citizens.

The northern Greece Jewish leader cited his own personal experience during WWII, in which his whole family was saved by the intervention of Greek Christians, while he declared surprise at the Turkish statement, saying that it was "at best, inaccurate".

Thessaloniki was a major Sephardic metropolis since the very early 16th century, boasting a more than 50,000-strong community prior to Nazi occupation.

The main opposition New Democracy party on Saturday reacted sharply to the Turkish ministry's claims, saying Turkey "has already gone beyond the limits even we expect and that the present situation is pitiful".

Differences between ND and the PASOK government over the handling of national issues, the ND statement read, "do not mean that we do not all stand united against Turkish provocations".

Preconditions for Turkish Cypriot involvement in EU talks

Greek Foreign Undersecretary Yiannos Kranidiotis, in an interview with the Cypriot daily "Simerini", said that any Turkish Cypriot involvement in Cyprus' EU accession talks must not contravene UN resolutions and lend any legality to the Turkish Cypriot pseudo-state or Turkish occupation.

Mr. Kranidiotis set two preconditions for the Turkish-Cypriot involvement in accession talks:

First, that they accept Cyprus' European Union orientation and prospects.

Secondly, that they accept to be part of the official Cypriot delegation.

He added that further proposals to the Turkish Cypriot side on the issue would be prepared.

The Greek undersecretary added that the Nicosia and Athens governments must work together on both the political and the technical aspects to accession talks.

Mr. Kranidiotis said that there will be two parts to accession talks, namely, an EU Council of Ministers decision on the Commission's recommendation, followed by negotiations of the 15 EU member-states with Cyprus.

Cyprus is one of six counties to begin accession talks with the EU on March 30.

Greece and 12 other states to sign European ban on human cloning

Thirteen countries will sign today the first binding international ban on human cloning as controversy over such experiments heats up.

The 13 countries are among the 40 members of the Council of Europe which says another seven member states are considering endorsing the ban which will bind signatories as soon as it has been ratified in five states.

The text, which is an addition to the European Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine, slaps a total ban on human cloning although it allows the cloning of cells for research purposes.

The signing ceremony will take place at the French Foreign Ministry in Paris after President Jacques Chirac opens a conference of Europe's national ethics committees.

The signatories are Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Spain, Sweden and Turkey.

Fears about the dangers of genetic engineering are rising as human cloning, the exact reproduction of a human being, appears to be at hand.

President Bill Clinton has called for a five-year ban on human cloning experiments. U.S. physicist Richard Seed stirred up renewed debate by saying he was ready to clone a human and could do so within 18 months if he raised enough money.

Britain has been at the forefront of the cloning debate after scientists in Scotland made worldwide headlines by cloning Dolly the sheep.

Bomb blasts target tax offices

Two separate bomb explosions in Athens yesterday evening rocked the finance ministry's data processing centre (KEPYO) and the 7th tax bureau office in the Kallithea district.

Unidentified callers warned the "Eleftherotypia" daily and the "Star" television station of the pending bomb attacks, allowing police to evacuate both buildings and block traffic in the areas.

According to reports, both time bombs caused powerful blasts, with the first at KEPYO recorded at 8:04 p.m. and the second 14 minutes later at the Kallithea office.

Authorities said the explosions may be related to several false bomb threats received on Friday by the national economy minister's office.

No injuries were reported in either blast.

More illegal immigrants arrested

Samos police detained 13 Iraqi illegal immigrants on Saturday on the eastern Aegean island's Prasos peninsula.

The eight men, two women and three children had been left on the island's shores by a Turkish smuggler early Saturday morning, according to police.

The 13 were taken to a local detention centre for illegal immigrants.

Fishermen protest tax measures by blockading Kalymnos, Leros

Vehicle ferries were prevented from docking in Kalymnos and Leros yesterday after local fishermen and sponge divers blockaded the two Dodecanese islands' ports to protest against new tax government measures.

Some 60 fishermen launched a blockade on Leros Sunday in the wake of the mobilisation on Kalymnos, which continued despite talks on Saturday to try to resolve the dispute.

The ferries denied access were the Ialysos, Rodanthi, Leros and Dimitroula, which sail the Piraeus-Dodecanese routes.

The blockades followed talks in Athens with Finance Undersecretary George Drys over the tax measures, the Kalymnos' fishermen and sponge divers began their action despite an agreement to resume talks at the end of the month.

The fishermen and sponge divers want to be reinstated in the farming sector in order to avoid keeping credit and debit balances. According to the mayor of Kalymnos, Mr. Drys told protesters' representatives that the shift in status was banned und er a European Union directive.

15-day trial period for ban on traffic inside commercial triangle

A pilot programme barring the entrance of unauthorised vehicles in most of central Athens' commercial and historical triangle is set to begin tomorrow for a 15-day trial period, according to the environment, town planning and public works ministry.

The triangle, which will be sealed off by an electronic card entrance system, borders Stadiou Avenue, Athenas Avenue, Syntagma Square and Mitropoleos Street.

Ministry officials will provide information to citizens, as 323 special entry cards have already been given to residents within the triangle.

Access will be open to all vehicles on Evripidou, Sophocleous and Aristidou streets, while taxis will be allowed on Karagiorgis Servias, Lekka, Praxitelous, Chrysospiliotissas and Vissis streets.

Greek First Division soccer results

Olympiakos-Veria 4-1 Pyrgos-Panathinaikos 0-0 PAOK-Athinaikos 1-0 Kalamata-OFI 1-0 Apollon-Heraklis 0-0 Proodeftiki-Ethnikos 2-3 Panahaiki-Kavala 2-0 Panionios-Ionikos 2-2 Xanthi-AEK play today Standings-points: AEK, Olympiakos 43, Panathinaikos 40, PAOK 37, Ionikos 33, Heraklis 28, OFI, Apollon 24, Xanthi 23, Panionios, Pyrgos 20

WEATHER

Fair weather with some cloudiness in most parts of Greece including the Cyclades and Dodecanese islands and Crete. Sleet in the northern parts of the country in the morning. Winds light to moderate. Athens mostly sunny with a few clouds and temperatures between 5-14C. Same in Thessaloniki with temperatures from 5-12C.

FOREIGN EXCHANGE

Friday's closing rates - buying US dlr. 284.436 Pound sterling 461.459 Cyprus pd 534.192 French franc 46.810 Swiss franc 193.346 German mark 156.706 Italian lira (100) 15.946 Yen (100) 216.653 Canadian dlr. 198.698 Australian dlr. 183.193 Irish Punt 390.848 Belgian franc 7.598 Finnish mark 51.763 Dutch guilder 139.068 Danish kr. 41.158 Swedish kr. 35.654 Norwegian kr. 38.202 Austrian sch. 22.276 Spanish peseta 1.849 Port. Escudo 1.534

(C.E.)


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