Athens News Agency: News in English (PM), 98-05-26
NEWS IN ENGLISH
Athens, Greece, 26/05/1998 (ANA)
MAIN HEADLINES
- Spanish royals visit Acropolis
- PM stresses ties between Greece, Spain
- President to visit Cyprus
- Greece denies Turkish press reports
- Six illegal immigrants arrested
- Dockers walk-out tomorrow
- Police to join Acropolis Rally
- 1,766 AIDS cases in Greece
- Fire on board Panamanian ship
- 'Britain and Greece' festival
- Posidonia '98
- Weather
- Foreign Exchange
NEWS IN DETAIL
Spanish royals visit Acropolis
Queen Sophia of Spain took a stroll down memory lane this morning, arm-in-
arm with husband King Juan Carlos, as the city of her childhood fanned out
below her, glittering in the springtime Athenian sunlight, from the
Acropolis. The Spanish royal couple spent an hour combing the sacred hill,
as Athens Mayor Dimitris Avramopoulos acted as their "tour guide". Police
took stringent security measures, barring Greek and foreign visitors from
the site for the duration of the one-hour royal tour, while a police
helicopter hovered above.
PM stresses ties between Greece, Spain
Prime Minister Costas Simitis referred to the common ties linking the Greek
and Spanish peoples during his address at the luncheon, saying both peoples
had gone through "difficult and heroic struggles" for their independence.
He referred to their common sea, the Mediterranean, which was for both
peoples "a source of life and wealth". The friendship between Spain and
Greece is further strengthened by the their participation in the European
Union and NATO, Simitis said.
President to visit Cyprus
President Kostis Stephanopoulos will pay an official visit to Cyprus from
June 25-28, Greece's Ambassador to the island republic, Kyriakos Radousakis
told reporters in Nicosia today. Speaking to reporters at the Greek stand
of the International Exhibition of Cyprus, the envoy told reporters that it
would be the first visit of a Greek president to the Mediterranean island.
Radousakis described the visit as the culmination of a number of economic
and political events within the framework of cooperation between Greece and
Cyprus.
Greece denies Turkish press reports
Greece today rejected as "completely untrue" a report in the Turkish daily
Cumhurriyet claiming that Greek and Turkish military officials had been
"discreetly" working on confidence-building measures to reduce tension in
the Aegean. Government spokesman Dimitris Reppas said issues concerning
relations between the two countries were not dicussed at any meetings which
did take place between officials of the two sides on the sidelines of
multilateral meetings.
Six illegal immigrants arrested
Six illegal immigrants were arrested in a car which was ordered to stop by
police on the Thessaloniki-Kozani road today. As soon as the rented car
came to a halt, the driver got out and ran off. His identity remains
unknown. The Albanians told the police that they had each paid 50,000
drachmas to an unidentified compatriot in Tirana to be transported to the
northern port city of Thessaloniki.
Dockers walk-out tomorrow
The national federation of port workers today called a 48-hour strike
beginning Wednesday to protest the government's plans to change the legal
form of the authorities which run the ports of Piraeus and Thessaloniki.
The federation also decided to hold two 48-hour strikes and call on workers
not to work at the weekends during the first half of June. The General
Confederation of Greek Labour (GSEE) has called a 24-hour nationwide strike
which is due to start at midnight tonight to protest the government's
privatisation plans.
Police to join Acropolis Rally
The police will not only be helping in the organisation of the international
Rally Acropolis to be held in Greece June 7-9, this year they will also be
participating. A six-member team will be taking part in the rally headed by
lieutenant Vassilis Christoforakis. The team's car will be driven by
sergeant Grigoris Nioras. Its mechanic is sergeant Alexandros Nioras.
Technical back-up will be provided by sergeant Theodoros Halmatzis,
sergeant Vassilis Valaris and constable George Skouras.
1,766 AIDS cases in Greece
Greek health authorities recorded a further 26 cases of AIDS in the first
three months of 1998, bringing the total number of cases to 1,766 since
1984, Health Undersecretary Theodoros Kotsonis told reporters today.
Kotsonis said 88 percent of the total number of people afflicted with AIDS
were men. Of the 1,766, 25 were children.
Fire on board Panamanian ship
Fire broke out aboard the Panamanian-flag cargo ship "Asklipios" late last
night, forcing its 17-member crew, headed by a Greek captain, to abandon
ship, the Greek Merchant Marine Ministry said today. It said the fire broke
out while the freighter was sailing off the coast of Tunis en route from
Helsinki to Piraeus for conversion work. It said the captain, Nikolaos
Kakaroumbas, and the 16-member Finnish crew, were picked up by a Tunisian
warship. The fire was still ragin on the ship, the ministry said.
'Britain and Greece' festival
The British Embassy, with the support of the British Council, is organising
the "Britain and Greece" Festival from November 21 to December 5, British
Ambassador in Athens Sir Michael Llewellyn Smith announced today at a press
conference. The Festival aims to highlight the partnership which already
exists between the two countires as well as to strengthen the image of
Britain as a modern and innovative country playing a leading role in the
European Union, said Sir Michael, whose country currently holds the
rotating EU presidency.
Posidonia '98
The rich maritime tradition of London and the Scandinavian countries can be
seen at Posidonia '98, the biennial international shipping exhibition which
this year has attracted over 1,480 companies from 71 countries. Two large
groups -- Maritime London and the Scandinavian Shipping Association in
Greece -- play host to a wide variety of industry leaders. Maritime London
boasts big names such as Intertanko -- which represents owners of mearly
2,000 tankers amounting to 169 million dwt -- and Bimco, offering advice
and guidance to its 1,000 owner-members who control more than half the
world merchant fleet.
WEATHER
Unstable weather is forecast throughout Greece today. Winds variable,
moderate to strong. Rainfall and local storms with spells of sunshine in
the Ioanian and northeastern Aegean regions. Possibility of rain in Athens
with temperatures between 15-25C. Rain in Thessaloniki with temperatures
from 15-20C.
FOREIGN EXCHANGE
Monday's rates (buying)
U.S. dollar 298.423 British pound 486.477
Japanese yen(100) 217.694 French franc 50.521
German mark 169.384 Italian lira (100) 17.175
Irish Punt 426.362 Belgian franc 8.207
Finnish mark 55.711 Dutch guilder 150.228
Danish kr. 44.455 Austrian sch. 24.071
Spanish peseta 1.992 Swedish kr. 38.720
Norwegian kr. 40.116 Swiss franc 203.102
Port. Escudo 1.653 Aus. dollar 186.987
Can. dollar 205.979 Cyprus pound 573.773
(M.P.)
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