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The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English, 99-08-02
From: The Hellenic Radio (ERA) <ert.ntua.gr/>
CONTENTS
[01] GREEK FOREIGN MINISTER'S INTERVIEW
[02] GREEK PRIME MINISTER TO VISIT ALBANIA
[03] GERMAN CHANCELLOR TO VISIT ATHENS
[04] CYPRIOT FOREIGN MINISTER'S INTERVIEW
[05] GENERAL EXAMS RESULTS RELEASED TODAY
[06] ALEXIS ZORBAS MUSEUM
[07] MOUNTAIN TOURISM IN GREECE
[08] HAND-GRENADE GOES OFF AT ORTHODOX CATHEDRAL IN PRISTINA
[09] TURKEY IN QUANDARY OVER OCALAN DEATH SENTENCE
[01] GREEK FOREIGN MINISTER'S INTERVIEW
In an interview published in yesterday's edition of the Athens
newspaper "Eleftherotypia", Greek foreign minister Yorgos Papandreou
said Greece was taking part in the Greek- Turkish dialogue from a
position of strength. Mr Papandreou said that while he now viewed
foreign policy in a different way, he still insisted in his position
concerning minorities, but also on the terms laid down by the Treaty of
Lausanne and on the individual's right to self-designation. He pointed
out that the Greek state had been using the expression "Turkish
minority" as far back as the 1950s. The opposition New Democracy party
described Mr Papandreou's positions concerning the Muslim minority in
Thrace as naive and dangerous. Leader of the Democratic Social Movement
Dimitris Tsovolas said Mr Papandreou's statements harmed Greece's
national interests. He also said he was against the Greek-Turkish
dialogue which has begun at the level of foreign ministry experts.
[02] GREEK PRIME MINISTER TO VISIT ALBANIA
Greek prime minister Kostas Simitis is scheduled to visit Albania on
August 24. Meanwhile Greek national defence minister Akis
Tsohatzopoulos returned to Athens yesterday after his two-day visit to
Albania. Mr Tsochatzopoulos met with Albanian prime minister Pandeli
Maiko and foreign minister Paskal Milo.
[03] GERMAN CHANCELLOR TO VISIT ATHENS
German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder is to visit Athens on October 4,
returning the visit to Bonn last year by Greek prime minister Kostas
Simitis. The agenda of the talks between the two leaders has not been
determined yet, but according to an article in yesterday's edition of
the Athens newspaper "To Vima", it will almost certainly contain all
issues of bilateral and mutual interest.
[04] CYPRIOT FOREIGN MINISTER'S INTERVIEW
In an interview published in yesterday's edition of the Cypriot
newspaper "Fileleftheros", Cypriot foreign minister Ioannis Kassoulidis
maintained that the United States was in a position to provide
incentives or counter- incentives to the Turkish side with regard to a
settlement of the long- running Cyprus dispute. He clarified that it
all depended on how determined Washington was to convey a clear message
to Ankara that the US wanted the Cyprus issue to be resolved and the
Turkish Cypriots to come to the negotiating table with reasonable
positions. The same newspaper also carried an interview with Greek
ambassador in Nicosia Kyriakos Rodousakis, who underlined that the
single defence doctrine between Greece and Cyprus was still in effect
and being strengthened.
[05] GENERAL EXAMS RESULTS RELEASED TODAY
The results of the general exams for entry into higher educational
institutions will be released this morning.
[06] ALEXIS ZORBAS MUSEUM
Minister for Macedonia and Thrace Ioannis Magriotis and the general
secretary of the region of western Macedonia Mr Papadopoulos yesterday
laid the foundation stone for the "Alexis Zorbas" museum in the village
of Katafygio in Velvendos municipality. The museum will be built at the
site of the old house where Alexis Zorbas, made famous by author Nikos
Kazantzakis in his novel, used to live. Invited at the ceremony will be
Alexis Zorbas's grand- daughter, Anna Gegart, along with her family;
she is to offer her grand- father's mementoes to the museum after its
completion.
[07] MOUNTAIN TOURISM IN GREECE
The "Pindos" Strategic Planning Centre is to implement a programme for
the promotion of mountain tourism in Pindos, establishing enterprises
for the production and sale of tourist products and services. The aim
of the programme is to attract tourists and provide a livelihood for
the dwindling population of mountain areas. Furthermore the Kastoria
municipality is planning to exploit the famous "Dragon's cave" on the
road to Kastoria lake. Access to the cave, one of the most beautiful
and interesting in Greece, will be made easy for visitors.
[08] HAND-GRENADE GOES OFF AT ORTHODOX CATHEDRAL IN PRISTINA
A bomb went off early yesterday at the Orthodox cathedral currently
being built in the Kosovo capital, Pristina. The explosion was caused
by a hand-grenade hurled by persons unknown into the nave of the
church, but only minor damage was reported. The Serbian Church says
that since June 12, when the peacekeeping force was first deployed in
Kosovo, approximately 20 churches have been destroyed or damaged. In a
report published yesterday in the British newspaper "The Sunday
Telegraph", the commander of the Nato forces in the region, General Sir
Michael Jackson, said the Albanians were now behaving exactly like the
Serbs before the war. Additionally, NATO spokesman Jamie Shea, in an
interview with the BBC, said that about thirty people get killed on a
daily basis in Kosovo, where the absence of police and judicial
authorities has created a power vacuum. For that reason, Mr Shea
stated, 3,000 United Nations policemen will be sent to the area in the
coming months, while the training of candidates for the police of the
ethnic Albanians will begin soon.
[09] TURKEY IN QUANDARY OVER OCALAN DEATH SENTENCE
The Turkish press reports that Turkish president Suleyman Demirel has
admitted his country is facing a difficult decision over whether or not
to carry out the death sentence passed on Kurdish leader Abdullah
Ocalan. Meanwhile Iran has called for compensation from Turkey for the
air raids carried out last month on Iranian territory, in which 5
Iranian peasants were killed. A Turkish delegation visited the stricken
areas in north-western Iran last week and made commitments that the
necessary legal procedures would be initiated, including the granting
of compensation to the government of Iran and the families of the
victims. Later however, Turkish prime minister Bulent Ecevit refused to
pay any kind of compensation.
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