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The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English, 99-07-28
From: The Hellenic Radio (ERA) <ert.ntua.gr/>
CONTENTS
[01] CABINET MEETS TO PREPARE NEW IMMIGRATION POLICY
[02] PRIME MINISTER VISITS GREEK TROOPS IN KOSOVO
[03] GREEK-TURKISH DIALOGUE CONTINUES IN ATHENS TOMORROW
[04] US CYPRUS COORDINATOR IN ATHENS
[05] SINGLE DEFENCE DOCTRINE GOING STRONG
[06] GAS PIPELINE MEETING IN MOSCOW IN THE AUTUMN
[01] CABINET MEETS TO PREPARE NEW IMMIGRATION POLICY
The cabinet meets today to discuss the strictly controlled immigration
policy the government plans to implement which will focus, on the one
hand, on the scheduled entry of seasonal workers to the country and on
the other, on the immediate deportation of illegal immigrants. The new
legislation that is being prepared, which will be tabled by the
interior minster, Vaso Papandreou, for discussion by all the political
parties, provides for the drawing-up of bilateral agreements with
neighbouring states over the limited entry of seasonal economic
immigrants to Greece. The draft bill also provides for an annual
reassessment of cases where immigrants are already in possession of a
green card, while measures will be stepped up to police the borders
against illegal immigrants who, if caught, will be deported
immediately. The New Democracy party leader, Kostas Karamanlis, has
proposed the establishment of a special body to guard the border areas
which would act in conjunction with the army. He also recommended a
restructuring of the country's police force, tighter control over the
entry of immigrants, greater transparency in the issuing of green cards
and the reintroduction of the rural police or gendarmerie.
[02] PRIME MINISTER VISITS GREEK TROOPS IN KOSOVO
Accompanied by the national defence minister, Akis Tsohatzopoulos, and
the government spokesman, Dimitris Reppas, the prime minister, Kostas
Simitis, visited the Greek contingent in the international
peace-keeping force stationed in Urosevac in Kosovo yesterday.
Addressing the members of the force, Mr Simitis said their presence in
the region was a practical indication of Greece's interest and of the
Greek people's solidarity with their neighbours. The prime minister
also referred to the responsibilities that lay with the EU for the war
in Yugoslavia and said that if the EU had been more far-sighted in its
planning and adopted an integrated strategy for the Balkans, it could
have forestalled the crisis and prevented the conflict. The prime
minister underlined Greece's role in smoothing over the crisis and said
the government's policy had made Greece one of the strongest and most
reliable interlocutors, both within the Alliance and amongst the Balkan
countries. Mr Simitis was briefed by the commander of the Greek force
about its work in the region. He announced that an engineers battalion
and a medical corps would soon join the contingent to work for the
region's reconstruction. The prime minister also met with the British
commander of the multinational force, General Michael Jackson with whom
he discussed the disarmament of the Kosovo Liberation Army. Mr Simitis
noted that no satisfactory progress in the issue had been made.
[03] GREEK-TURKISH DIALOGUE CONTINUES IN ATHENS TOMORROW
The Greek-Turkish dialogue which began in Ankara on Monday at the level
of foreign ministry experts moves to Athens tomorrow. The Turkish
foreign ministry has described the talks as positive and constructive.
The Greek foreign minister, Giorgos Papandreou, may have a meeting with
his Turkish counterpart, Ismail Cem, in Sarajevo on Friday to assess
the results of the initial contacts.
[04] US CYPRUS COORDINATOR IN ATHENS
On a farewell visit to Athens, the American State Department's outgoing
special coordinator in the Cyprus issue, Thomas Miller, spoke yesterday
of Washington's efforts to get both sides round the negotiating table
over the Cyprus dispute in view of the invitation which the UN
secretary general, Kofi Annan, is expected to issue soon. With
reference to the initiative undertaken by the so-called Group of Eight,
Mr Miller told a press conference that the intention was not to replace
the United Nations as mediator but to focus the attention of the
international community on the Cyprus dispute. The State Department
coordinator also reaffirmed that the United States had for the past 25
years been in favour of the establishment of a bi-communal, bi-zonal
federation under a single rule on the island, adding that this position
was unlikely to change.
[05] SINGLE DEFENCE DOCTRINE GOING STRONG
The Greek ambassador in Nicosia, Kyriakos Rodousakis, has said the
single defence doctrine between Greece and Cyprus does not need
amendment or restructuring in any way. He announced that the Greek
national defence minister, Akis Tsohatzopoulos, would be going to
Cyprus in September to reconfirm the strategic cooperation between the
two sides with his Cypriot counterpart. Commenting on a statement by
parliamentary deputy Christos Rotsas regarding the range of the F-16
fighter jets, the Cypriot government spokesman, Kostas Serezis, pointed
out that the aircraft had a range of 2,000 miles, while the distance
between Crete and Cyprus was only 370 nautical miles.
[06] GAS PIPELINE MEETING IN MOSCOW IN THE AUTUMN
A tripartite meeting of Greek, Bulgarian and Russian delegates aimed at
the establishment of a company to build and manage the
Burgas-to-Alexandroupolis natural gas pipeline will take place in
Moscow in September. The meeting was arranged during talks in Athens
yesterday between the Greek development minister, Evangelos Venizelos,
and the vice-president of the Russian parliament, Valentina Matvienka.
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