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The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English, 99-07-05
From: The Hellenic Radio (ERA) <ert.ntua.gr/>
CONTENTS
[01] DEVELOPMENTS IN THE CYPRUS ISSUE
[02] GREEK PRIME MINISTER WILL VISIT KOSOVO
[03] REACTIONS TO THE RE-ELECTION OF PRESIDENT STEPHANOPOULOS
[04] NEW ROUND OF TALKS ON OLYMPIC AIRWAYS
[05] MORE CHANGES IN EDUCATION
[06] POLICE ROUND UP ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
[01] DEVELOPMENTS IN THE CYPRUS ISSUE
The Cypriot foreign minister Ioannis Kassoulidis has said that the
invitation which the UN secretary general, Kofi Annan, will extend to
the Greek and Turkish-Cypriots in September would be for a solution to
the Cyprus dispute. He added, however, that if the Turkish-Cypriot
representative Rauf Denktash, raised the issue of recognition of his
self-styled state, or a solution on the basis of a confederation, then
there would be no rapprochement in their stands. Mr Kasoulidis has also
stated that at the Cypriot National Council which will convene in
Nicosia today, the Cypriot president Glafkos Clerides will express his
concern over the terms the Turkish-Cypriot representative Rauf Denktash
has set for a dialogue. Meanwhile, the speaker of the Cypriot house of
representatives Spyros Kyprianou has strongly criticized the recent
handling of the Cyprus issue by the German envoy for Cyprus and
questioned the UN secretary general Kofi Anan's authority. The
decision of the Group of Eight on the Cyprus dispute, paves the way for
a discussion on the solution of a confederation, estimates the Cypriot
communist party, AKEL. The Greek foreign minister George Papandreou has
stated to the Athens newspaper Kathimerini that the New York agreement
on a Greek-Turkish dialogue does not mean changes in the Greek stands.
For his part, the Turkish foreign minister Ismail Cem described the
agreement as a step towards the right direction, which should not
however, become the object of exaggeration.
[02] GREEK PRIME MINISTER WILL VISIT KOSOVO
A report in yesterday's issue of the Athens newspaper, To Vima, says
the Greek prime minister, Kostas Simitis, will pay a visit to Kosovo
this month to gain a first-hand picture of prospects for the country's
reconstruction.
[03] REACTIONS TO THE RE-ELECTION OF PRESIDENT STEPHANOPOULOS
The reaction of the opposition New Democracy party and the Coalition of
the Left Wing and Progress party was immediate to the prime minister
Kostas Simitis' appeal regarding the parties' support in the
re-election of Konstantinos Stephanopoulos to the presidency of the
republic. As known, the term of the president of the republic ends next
March. If the re-election of the present president or the election of
another is impossible to be achieved in parliament, then early
elections are bound to be held.
[04] NEW ROUND OF TALKS ON OLYMPIC AIRWAYS
This week is crucial for Olympic Airways, as a new round of
negotiations begins between the government and employees who have
planned a new 24 hour strike for Wednesday. A meeting will take place
today between the national economy minister Yannos Papantoniou, the
transport minister Tasos Mantelis and the unionists of Olympic Airways
in order to find common points of dialogue with the employees who react
to the fact that the British Airways' affiliate Speed Wing has taken
over the management of Olympic Airways.
[05] MORE CHANGES IN EDUCATION
In an interview with the Athens Sunday paper Kyriakatiki
Eleftherotypia, the education minister Gerasimos Arsenis announced that
special teaching programs would be introduced for students of the first
grade of Lyceum who have failed this year, adding that he will start a
dialogue with the students on the issue of educational reforms.
[06] POLICE ROUND UP ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
The government is to hire 2,500 policemen and soldiers to stand
sentinel over the borders in a bid to deal with the increasing crime
rate and illegal immigration. It will also re-examine the procedure for
the granting of a green card, the residence permit required by foreign
nationals. Meanwhile, a sweeping operation to arrest illegal immigrants
in Greece has been under way in the last few days. 870 illegal
immigrants have been rounded up and taken to police headquarters in
Attica. 250 of them have already been deported, while another 18 were
taken to court on charges of holding forged residence permits.
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