Athens News Agency: News in English (AM), 98-05-23
NEWS IN ENGLISH
Athens, Greece, 23/05/1998 (ANA)
MAIN HEADLINES
- IMF urges Greece to adopt tighter economic policy in 1999
- SE Europe agrees on Balkan peacekeeping force
- NATO commander "concerned" over S-300 deployment
- Joint Greek-US military exercise in early June
- Some hopes remain for EU-Turkey Association Council meeting
- Young Greeks travel less to EU countries than counterparts
- Spanish royal couple to open archaeological exhibition
- Minor incidents during teachers' protests
- Barclay's Bank target of second bomb attack
- Another major bust of contraband cigarettes reported
- OA employee representatives return from meeting with EU's Kinnock
- Greek stocks surge on privatisation, Hellenic Petroleum float
- Thessaloniki commuters caught in transport turmoil
- Weather
- Foreign Exchange
NEWS IN DETAIL
IMF urges Greece to adopt tighter economic policy in 1999
Greece's government needs to tighten its economic policy in 1999 in order
to gain entry into the European Union's economic and monetary union by
January 1, 2001, the International Monetary Fund said in an outline report
yesterday.
Greater effort and stringency would be needed in 1999, a landmark year for
the economy before possible EMU entry, said the IMF's outline, which is due
to be followed by a detailed report.
The IMF, which described the government's planned EMU entry date as
ambitious, recommended the abolition of redundancy ceilings, cuts in
severance pay and lower minimum wages, especially for youth and unskilled
workers.
The recommended measures, coupled with the government's bid to make working
hours more flexible and encourage part-time work in the public sector,
would allow greater elasticity in the labour market, the IMF said.
Despite several years of progress in the economy, the government had to
adhere to its existing policy and tighten it further, it said.
SE Europe agrees on Balkan peacekeeping force
Defence undersecretaries representing eight countries of southeast Europe
and the United States yesterday agreed in Tirana to create a peacekeeping
force to prevent conflict in the Balkans.
Albania, Bulgaria, FYROM, Greece, Italy, Romania, Slovenia, Turkey and the
US signed a letter of intent setting out the force's political structure,
which will provide the basis on which the respective defence ministers will
discuss the military aspect of a plan at a meeting in Skopje on Sept.
26.
The letter states that the signatories recognise that political and
military cooperation strengthens the capacity for securing peace and
stability in Europe.
Further, it explains that the multinational brigade-size force is available
for deployment under orders by the United Nations, the OSCE, NATO, or the
Western European Union.
NATO commander "concerned" over S-300 deployment
Supreme Allied Commander Europe, US Gen. Wesley Clark, yesterday expressed
concern over "the situation that could develop in Cyprus" after the planned
deployment of Russian-made S-300 anti-aircraft missiles on the island
republic.
Gen. Clark, speaking during a US Pentagon briefing on the situation in
Bosnia, told reporters that Washington was "naturally very concerned about
the situation with the S-300s and how it could develop in Cyprus".
"We are also interested in the continuation of peace between Greece and
Turkey and in the strengthening of their cooperation in the Aegean," Gen.
Clark said, adding that there had been "signs of progress" over the past
year in the Aegean.
He said development of the Reconnaissance Aircraft Projector (RAP) at NATO
headquarters in Naples had "allowed us to quickly ascertain and confirm
incidents involving the Greek and Turkish air forces through information
shared and easily analysed by the two sides."
Joint Greek-US military exercise in early June
A joint Greek-US medium-scale military exercise codenamed "Megas Alexandros"
will be held between June 1-5 in the Pagasitikos Gulf and in the Skyros-
Agios Efstratios region.
The exercise entails cooperation and joint training between all Greek
military branches on the one hand and US forces on the other.
The purpose of the exercise is to promote cooperation between the two
nations' militaries.
Some hopes remain for EU-Turkey Association Council meeting
The doors have not yet closed, a European Commission spokesman said
yesterday when asked to comment on Turkey's refusal to attend a scheduled
EU-Turkey Association Council meeting on Monday.
According to Community diplomatic circles, Turkey's boycott of Monday's
meeting does not necessarily rule out an Association Council meeting being
convened under the British EU presidency.
The 15 EU foreign ministers are expected to discuss the issue of EU-Turkish
relations during their meeting on Agenda 2000 on Monday.
Another source said that Turkey appeared "positive" on the possibility of
another meeting being scheduled for early June, before the Cardiff EU
summit.
Young Greeks travel less to EU countries than counterparts
Young Greeks travel less to European Union countries compared to young
people from other EU member-states.
According to figures from the European Commission's Eurobarometer unveiled
in Thessaloniki yesterday by PASOK Eurodeputy Nikos Papakyriazis, only 17
per cent of young Greeks up to 25 years of age have travelled to EU
countries over the past two years in contrast to young people from
Luxembourg, who have visited European countries by up to 97 per cent.
Spanish royal couple to open archaeological exhibition
"Greece in Spain, in the steps of Hercules" is the title of an exhibition
to open at the National Archaeological Museum next Wednesday.
The exhibition will run through to July 5. Organised by the Spanish culture
and foreign ministries, with the cooperation of the Greek culture ministry,
the exhibition will be officially opened on May 27 at 10 a.m. by the
visiting Spanish royal couple, King Juan Carlos and Queen Sophia.
The exhibition attempts to trace the myth of Hercules through art, commerce,
letters and historical sources, throwing light on Greek settlements and
commercial posts established in the 6th-5th centuries B.C. on the Iberian
peninsula and tracing the impact of ancient Greek civilization on the
evolution of art and culture.
The exhibition is made up of artifacts from Spanish museums, photographic
material, and models of tombs as well as five items from the Phoenicians.
Minor incidents during teachers' protests
Hundreds of teachers marched through the streets of Athens yesterday to the
ruling PASOK party's offices to protest the government's plans to abolish
the present system of appointing teachers based on a waiting list.
Arriving at PASOK's offices, some teachers tried to break the glass doors
at the main entrance. Two took a no-parking sign and tried to break the
bullet-proof glass. Others threw eggs at the office windows.
Barclay's Bank target of second bomb attack
An anonymous caller yesterday claimed responsibility for Thursday night's
firebomb attack against a branch of the Barclay's Bank in the Athens suburb
of Kifissia on behalf of the "Autonomous Cells of Rebel Action" group. No
injuries were reported.
A makeshift incendiary device, consisting of seven gas cannisters and a
container of gasoline, ignited shortly after midnight just inside the
bank.
Police said the attackers had apparently gained access to the entrance of
the bank where the ATM is installed by using a bank cash card.
The fire damaged the bank's entrance and shattered windows in the same
building.
The same branch was the target of a similar attack, claimed by the deadly
"November 17" terrorist group on January 25, 1991.
Another major bust of contraband cigarettes reported
Police in Halkidiki prefecture yesterday confiscated a large quantity of
contraband cigarettes.
Acting on a tip-off from the Ierissos coast guard station, police officers
located a truck carrying 165,000 smuggled packets.
Documents found on the driver, 29-year old Ioannis Atmatzidis, a resident
of Thessaloniki, bore five customs seals from various cities in Europe,
which leads police to suspect that they are on the tracks of a major
smuggling ring.
It is the third time in the last few days that large quantities of
contraband cigarettes have been confiscated in northern Greece.
OA employee representatives return from meeting with EU's Kinnock
Representativesofthe Union of Flight Attendants and Stewards (EISTH)
returned from Brussels optimistic after EU Commissioner Neil Kinnock
appeared prepared, in their words, to help Olympic Airways' restructuring
if the loss-making national carrier's management and the government achieve
four targets mandated some time ago and still not implemented.
The four targets include non-intervention by the state in the carrier's
administration; no further subsidies; its operation on private sector
criteria and application of EU guidelines.
Speakers said responsibilities of both the administration and the
government were huge in that no operational plan has yet been submitted.
Greek stocks surge on privatisation, Hellenic Petroleum float
Greek equities ended the week substantially higher yesterday taking a mini
price rally into a third consecutive session.
Traders said the market had regained confidence over the government's
privatisation drive ahead of an expected flotation of state-owned Hellenic
Petroleum shares in June.
The general index ended 1.26 percent higher at 2,606.48 points to show a
net gain of 5.53 percent on the week. Sector indices were mostly higher.
The FTSE/ASE 20 index ended 0.96 percent higher at 1,560.69.
Trading was moderate to active with turnover at 73.1 billion drachmas.
Thessaloniki commuters caught in transport turmoil
Commuters in Thessaloniki yesterday faced chaos as urban transport workers
protesting the government's plans to change labour relations held long work
stoppages spanning peak hours.
Many commuters were forced to go to work by car, adding to congestion on
the roads, since taxis were unable to meet the demand. Dozens of people
stood at bus stops all over the city waiting for transport that failed to
arrive.
Further morning and evening work stoppages have been announced for Tuesday,
Wednesday and Friday next week.
Weather
The weather in most parts of the country will be sunny tomorrow, turning to
cloud later in the day and then maybe rain or storms. Winds light to
moderate. Athens will be mostly sunny with temperatures ranging from 14C to
28C. Cloud is expected in the evening. The weather in Thessaloniki will be
overcast and possibly rainy later in the day with temperatures between 14C
and 27C.
Foreign Exchange
Friday's rates (buying) U.S. dollar 300.685
British pound 489.790 Japanese yen(100) 221.196
French franc 50.830 German mark 170.555
Italian lira (100) 17.290 Irish Punt 429.238
Belgian franc 8.255 Finnish mark 56.086
Dutch guilder 151.275 Danish kr. 44.733
Austrian sch. 24.229 Spanish peseta 2.008
Swedish kr. 39.121 Norwegian kr. 40.364
Swiss franc 204.466 Port. Escudo 1.665
Aus. dollar 189.571 Can. dollar 206.634
Cyprus pound 579.626
(C.S.)
|
