|
|
|
The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English, 99-08-05
From: The Hellenic Radio (ERA) <ert.ntua.gr/>
CONTENTS
[01] GOOD PROSPECTS FOR GREEK-ISRAELI MILITARY COOPERATION
[02] THOMAS WESTON APPOINTED US COORDINATOR FOR CYPRUS ISSUE
[03] CYPRIOT GOVERNMENT PROTESTS OVER DETENTION OF GREEK CYPRIOT
[04] OFFICIAL INFLATION RATE FOR JULY TO BE ANNOUNCED TODAY
[05] GREEK PARLIAMENT PASSES PUBLIC SECTOR BILL ON FIRST READING
[06] LATSIS GROUP CERTAIN TO ACQUIRE 50.1% OF ERGOBANK
[07] FIREMAN DIES OF SEVERE BURNS
[08] WAVE OF DEMONSTRATIONS SWEEPING YUGOSLAVIA
[09] ANKARA REJECTS COMPROMISE WITH KURDISH REBELS
[01] GOOD PROSPECTS FOR GREEK-ISRAELI MILITARY COOPERATION
Alternate foreign minister Yannos Kranidiotis, who paid a two-day visit
to Israel, ascertained there were possibilities of joint business
ventures and bilateral military cooperation between Greece and Israel.
In August, the chief of the Israeli navy is to visit Athens and in
September Greek defence minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos is to pay a visit
to Israel. During his stay in Israel, Mr Kranidiotis met with senior
Israeli government officials and Orthodox patriarch Diodoros of
Jerusalem. Talks with patriarch Diodoros focused on the planned
celebrations for the 2,000 years since the birth of Jesus Christ to be
held in Jerusalem. Patriarch Diodoros called for spiritual and
material support from the Greek government for the reconstruction of
the church of the Resurrection.
[02] THOMAS WESTON APPOINTED US COORDINATOR FOR CYPRUS ISSUE
Veteran American State department official Thomas Weston has been
appointed special US coordinator for the Cyprus issue to replace Thomas
Miller who is taking over as US ambassador to Bosnia. Washington
announced Mr Weston's appointment also giving assurances he would seek
a just and viable Cyprus solution and reiterating that the Cyprus issue
remained one of the Clinton administration's top priorities.
[03] CYPRIOT GOVERNMENT PROTESTS OVER DETENTION OF GREEK CYPRIOT
The Cypriot government has lodged a demarche with the UN concerning the
detention and maltreatment of Greek Cypriot Rogiros Georgiou, who has a
Canadian passport, by the unilaterally declared so-called Turkish
Cypriot state of Rauf Denktash. Twenty days ago, Rogiros Georgiou
crossed by mistake into the Turkish-occupied part of Nicosia and has
been detained illegally ever since by the Turkish occupation
authorities. Reports said the jailed Greek Cypriot refuses to sign a
statement recognizing the self-styled Turkish Cypriot state. The
Cypriot foreign ministry has also contacted the Canadian ambassador to
Cyprus, whose seat is in Damascus, for the necessary diplomatic
demarches, while the Cypriot charge d'affaires in Ottawa has been
instructed to notify the Canadian government.
[04] OFFICIAL INFLATION RATE FOR JULY TO BE ANNOUNCED TODAY
According to all indications, the inflation rate in July ran at 2.1%,
but an official announcement is expected to be issued today. In the
meantime, the government has decided to reduce the special consumption
tax on fuel in an effort to curb rising fuel prices and keep the
inflation rate down.
[05] GREEK PARLIAMENT PASSES PUBLIC SECTOR BILL ON FIRST READING
The Greek parliament started a debate yesterday on a draft bill tabled
by the interior and public administration ministry on the permanent
hiring of 30 thousand public servants. The bill also provides for
personnel transfers and free collective labour contracts in the public
sector. The draft bill was passed on first reading yesterday with 53
votes to 36, following a roll call vote requested by the main
opposition New Democracy party. Meanwhile the civil servants union is
staging a 24-hour strike today in protest against compulsory transfers
in the public sector. 1.3 trillion drachmas earmarked for
municipalities Interior minister Vasso Papandreou has announced that
152 billion drachmas would be granted to municipalities in 1999 in the
framework of the local administration special financing programme. The
total amount earmarked for new municipalities created after the merger
of smaller communities amounts to 1.3 trillion drachmas.
[06] LATSIS GROUP CERTAIN TO ACQUIRE 50.1% OF ERGOBANK
The Latsis group is certain to acquire a 50.1% stake in Ergobank. The
deadline for the offer of Ergobank shares ended yesterday and the exact
number of shares acquired by Eurobank will be disclosed today. The
Latsis group offered two Eurobank shares plus 17,000 drachmas for each
Ergobank share.
[07] FIREMAN DIES OF SEVERE BURNS
Fireman Stavros Karvouniaris succumbed to his wounds yesterday after
several days in an Athens hospital as a result of severe burns. He was
seriously injured in a major fire on the island of Chios on 28 July.
His colleague Ioanna Tassopoulou had died in the same fire, while
deputy chief of the Chios fire brigade Angelos Barbayannis had suffered
minor burns.
[08] WAVE OF DEMONSTRATIONS SWEEPING YUGOSLAVIA
A wave of demonstrations is sweeping Yugoslavia. In Betsei, northern
Yugoslavia, two and a half thousand people took part last night in a
protest rally staged by the opposition and hundreds more participated
in similar protest demonstrations against the regime of Yugoslav
president Slobodan Milosevic in various other cities, the Beta news
agency reported. In Betsei the demonstration was staged by the alliance
of democratic parties, a coalition of 6 political parties calling for
greater autonomy in Serbia's northern province of Vojvodina.
Demonstrations were also staged in Leskovac, southern Serbia, as well
as Krakujevac. Finally, in Valjevo, 200 people staged a protest calling
for the resignation of president Milosevic and the governments of
Yugoslavia and Serbia as well as the local authorities.
[09] ANKARA REJECTS COMPROMISE WITH KURDISH REBELS
Ankara has rejected any kind of compromise with Kurdish rebels despite
an appeal issued by jailed Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan to the PKK
for an end their armed struggle. Meanwhile Ankara has been angered by
American undersecretary of state responsible for human rights Harold
Koch's visit to Turkey's south-eastern provinces with a predominantly
Kurdish population. The American official toured the region to find out
on the spot whether or not there has been any progress in the human
rights situation in Turkey. The Turkish government reacted by lodging a
demarche with Washington.
|
