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The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English, 99-09-06
From: The Hellenic Radio (ERA) <ert.ntua.gr/>
CONTENTS
[01] PRIME MINISTER'S PRESS CONFERENCE IN THESSALONIKI
[02] EU GRANTS LOAN AND AID TO TURKEY
[03] GREEK FOREIGN MINISTER'S INTERVIEW WITH FINNISH TELEVISION
[04] AMERICAN SPECIAL COORDINATOR VISITS CYPRUS
[05] CYPRUS WELCOMES APPOINTMENT OF AMERICAN PRESIDENT'S ENVOY
[06] COALITION OF THE LEFT APPROVES CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT
[07] AMERICAN SECRETARY OF STATE VISITS TURKEY
[01] PRIME MINISTER'S PRESS CONFERENCE IN THESSALONIKI
Speaking yesterday at the customary press conference in Thessaloniki,
where he inaugurated this year's International Trade Fair, the prime
minister, Kostas Simitis, said it was essential for the present
government to serve its full term in order for Greece to achieve its
goal of entry to European economic and monetary union. Mr Simitis said
the package of economic measures he announced last week were not a
pre-election ploy but had a social aim and reflected the favourable
results of the government's economic policy over the last three years.
The prime minister said the government was not in favour of elections
in March but was not afraid of them if the opposition parties demanded
them.
He said the calling of an early election in order to elect a new
president of the republic would not be in keeping with the spirit of
the Constitution, but he underlined that PASOK was ready for an
election at any time. He added that Greece had an excellent president
in Kostis Stefanopoulos and that polls had indicated the majority of
the Greek people wanted him to be re-elected. With regard to the stock
market, the prime minister predicted that it would remain stable and
that the public sector would derive approximately 200 billion drachmas
a year from transactions.
As far as Greek-Turkish relations are concerned, Mr Simitis emphasised
that Greece's policy was one of peace and cooperation. As regards the
forthcoming visits to Greece and Turkey by the American president, Bill
Clinton, he said he did not expect him to bring any new message
concerning the Cyprus issue. The prime minister also pointed out that
at the informal meeting of the EU foreign ministers' council in Finland
yesterday, the issue of the Greek veto on the EU's financing protocol
to Turkey was not discussed. With regard to a final name for the Former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Mr Simitis said negotiating procedures
should be speeded up.
The opposition parties were harshly critical of the prime minister's
statements, accusing him of panic and desperation, of empty promises,
insincerity and an alarmist campaign. The country's foreign policy will
be the subject of a meeting today, chaired by the prime minister.
[02] EU GRANTS LOAN AND AID TO TURKEY
A substantial improvement in relations between the EU and Turkey was
achieved at yesterday's informal session of the 15 EU foreign
ministers' council in Finland, and this was sealed by the granting of a
new loan to Turkey amounting to 600 million euros for reconstruction of
the region destroyed in last month's massive earthquake. The EU
ministers also granted 30 million euros in free aid and 150 million
euros from a financing protocol for aid to developing countries. The
Finnish foreign minister, Tarja Halonen, who was presiding over the
council, and many of her EU counterparts said Greece played a leading
part in coordinating EU efforts to help Turkey in the wake of the
disaster.
[03] GREEK FOREIGN MINISTER'S INTERVIEW WITH FINNISH TELEVISION
In the meantime, in an interview with Finnish television, the Greek
foreign minister, Giorgos Papandreou, said the climate between Greece
and Turkey had improved and that the Cyprus issue was the key to
relations between the two countries. Concerning Turkey's candidacy for
accession to the European Union, Mr Papandreou said the issue would be
discussed during the EU summit meeting in Helsinki. He pointed out,
however, that the EU would not proceed to substantial negotiations with
Turkey unless Ankara first took steps over matters such as the Cyprus
issue, good neighbourly relations with Greece and more democracy at
home.
[04] AMERICAN SPECIAL COORDINATOR VISITS CYPRUS
The new American special coordinator on the Cyprus issue, Thomas
Weston, who arrived in Cyprus on Saturday, has indicated that his goal
is to achieve an unconditional resumption of the dialogue between the
Greek-Cypriots and the Turkish-Cypriots in the autumn. He expressed the
American administration's wish to mediate in attaining a just and
viable solution to the Cyprus issue. Mr Weston will have a meeting
today with the Cypriot president, Glafkos Kliridis, and will also have
contacts with representatives of the Turkish-Cypriots in the occupied
part of the island. Later, in New York, he is scheduled to meet with
the Turkish-Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktash, who left for the United
States yesterday.
[05] CYPRUS WELCOMES APPOINTMENT OF AMERICAN PRESIDENT'S ENVOY
In a related development, the Cypriot government spokesman, Michalis
Papapetrou, has said the Cypriot government welcomed the appointment of
Alfred Moses as the new envoy of the American president, Bill Clinton,
in the Cyprus dispute. Speaking on Cypriot Radio, Mr Papapetrou pointed
out that the timing and promptness with which Mr Moses had replaced
Richard Holbrooke were an indication of US determination not to allow
any gap in the effort to find a Cyprus solution.
[06] COALITION OF THE LEFT APPROVES CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT
The central political committee of the Coalition of the Left Wing and
Progress has approved the candidacy of the veteran leftist figure,
Leonidas Kyrkos, for the post of president of the republic in next
year's presidential elections. The final decision will be taken at the
party congress in December.
[07] AMERICAN SECRETARY OF STATE VISITS TURKEY
American secretary of state Madeleine Albright yesterday visited the
quake-stricken regions in Turkey and said Washington would seek to
increase trade transactions with Turkey and American investments in a
bid to help overcome the problems created by the recent devastating
quake. Meanwhile the latest official toll released yesterday by the
Turkish authorities has reached 15,082 dead.
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