Athens News Agency: News in English (PM), 99-03-01

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

NEWS IN ENGLISH

Athens, Greece, 01/03/1999 (ANA)

MAIN HEADLINES

• Gov't rejects 'anti-Greek' Ocalan aide's comments
• Athens comments on U.S. unhappiness over asylum
• Euro Central Bank to look at inflation criteria
• Increasing NATO activity in Thessaloniki
• Former opposition leader Evert has bypass
• Greek equities end moderately higher
• Ten arrested in pyramid investment scheme
• Bulgarian man held on drugs charges
• Five held over drugs, prostitution charges
• Weather
• Foreign Exchange

NEWS IN DETAIL

Government spokesman Dimitris Reppas today rejected allegations by an aide of Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan of Greek government collusion in Ocalan's capture by Turkish secret service agents in Kenya two weeks ago as an "anti-Greek delirium" that "adds water to the propaganda mill against Greece". Ocalan aide Semse Dillan Kilic, in an Athens press conference on Saturday, charged the Greek government with involvement in an international conspiracy against Ocalan, but failed to present evidence. He also said the government did not intend to take any "legal or administrative" action against Kilic. "Those who represent the PKK do not necessarily represent the millions of Kurdish people. Narrowing down the circle of its representatives is not in the Kurdish people's interests," he warned.

Athens comments on U.S. unhappiness over asylum

Asked to comment on the US stance regarding Greece's sheltering of the three Ocalan aides, Reppas noted that "the US have expressed their dissatisfaction with the transport to Greece and granting of political asylum to them", adding: "But we follow a policy of principles. Greece has shouldered the responsibility of putting forward the issues of the Kurdish people, but some cast blame only" on Athens.

Euro central bank to look at inflation criteria

The European Central Bank will discuss on Wednesday ways of softer interpretation of the inflation criterion for EU member-states seeking participation in EMU, following a sharp decline in the EU average inflation. Bank of Greece governor Lucas Papademos said that the European Central Bank will discuss the issue on Wednesday. Papademos will attend an ECB's board meeting. EMU-outs have asked European Union bodies to re- examine the inflation criterion. If such a demand was adopted Greece could participate in EMU even with an average inflation slightly higher than 2.5 percent, a percentage currently achieving the Maastricht criterion.

Increasing NATO activity in Thessaloniki

There was increased activity at the port of Thessaloniki on Monday as peacekeeping forces from NATO member-states headed for the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and then Yugoslavia, prepared for a possible peacekeeping mission in the strife-torn province of Kosovo. Since February 18, eight vessels have docked at the port, and 2,508 troops arrived at the city's airport. A military source told the ANA that two U.S. war ships sailing in the northern Aegean, with 1,500 marines, would participate in the bilateral naval exercise 'Megas Alexandros', due to be held March 2-9, before heading on to FYROM.

Former opposition leader Evert has bypass

Main opposition New Democracy party (ND) former leader Miltiades Evert told a news conference today he had recently undergone heart surgery in the United States. Evert said he underwent a triple bypass in the US after developing heart problems. He said he was making his health problem public because "The politicians' lives belong to the social whole, to the nation and to the people". Evert's personal physician, Professor Pavlos Toutouzas, said Evert was in good health, but some caution was necessary.

Greek equities end moderately higher

Share prices ended moderately higher on Monday pushing the Athens bourse closer to the 3,400 level. The general index ended 0.50 percent up to 3, 394.47 points, off the day's highs of 3,410 points. Traders said buying activity focused on small and medium sized capitalisation stocks while blue- chips - which led the market's recovery last week - were subdued. Sector indices were mixed. Banks fell 0.19 percent, Leasing soared 6.91 percent, Insurance increased 1.82 percent, Investment dropped 2.55 percent, Construction jumped 6.77 percent, Industrials were 0.76 percent up, Miscellaneous rose 5.52 percent and Holding ended 2.48 percent higher.

Ten arrested in pyramid investment scheme

Police said they arrested 10 people on suspicion of intent to defraud by conscripting many unsuspecting Albanian nationals in a pyramid investment scheme. They idenfified the head of the operation - run through a company called Energen Worldwide Hellas - as Ilias Lambrousis, 27. According to police, Lambrousis, having set up the company, would organise meetings for Albanian nationals - and preferably couples - at central Athens hotels on weekends. He and his associates would present his pyramid scheme, with membership fees starting at 280,000 drachmas. Each new member would receive income in accordance with the number of new members he would bring into the company. According to police, the charter of the company set up in September 1998 provided for a number of activities and services, none of which Lambrousis ever provided. He focused exclusively on recruiting members to the pyramid scheme.

Bulgarian man held on drugs charges

A Bulgarian man was arrested in Thessaloniki on Sunday night as he tried to sell heroin to an undercover police officer. According to police sources, the man, identified as Isinof Daout, 36, had entered the country through an unguarded border post on Greece's border with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Daout was trying to sell 1.5 kilos of heroin for seven million drachmas. Police say that drug traffickers in Bulgaria are increasingly smuggling heroin onto the streets of Thessaloniki.

Five held over drugs, prostitution charges

Five persons, including two women, were arrested today for smuggling large quantities of drugs into Greece from Albania and for pimping, police said. Police confiscated 107 kilos of hashish, a revolver and ammunition in their posession. the drugs and arms, as well as two mobile phones and 766,000 dr. Police said the five smuggled drugs from Albania and trafficked them in Corinth and the greater Athens region.

WEATHER

FOREIGN EXCHANGE

Monday's rates (buying)
U.S. dollar          289.714
Pound sterling       463.621
Japanese yen (100)   241.254
French franc          48.688
German mark          163.293
Italian lira (100)    16.494
Irish Punt           405.522
Belgian franc          7.917
Luxembourg franc       7.917
Finnish mark          53.715
Dutch guilder        144.926
Danish kr.            42.964
Austrian sch.         23.210
Spanish peseta         1.920
Swedish kr.           35.478
Norwegian kr.         36.700
Swiss franc          200.850
Port. Escudo           1.593
Aus. dollar          179.577
Can. dollar          191.277
Cyprus pound         549.032
Euro                 319.374

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