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The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English, 99-11-29
From: The Hellenic Radio (ERA) <ert.ntua.gr/>
CONTENTS
[01] POLITICAL CONFRONTATION LAUNCHES ELECTION CAMPAIGN CLIMATE
[02] COOPERATION BETWEEN GREEK AND ITALIAN PARLIAMENTS
[03] GREEK WEIGHTLIFTING TEAM FIRST
[04] CYPRUS PREPARES FOR PROXIMITY TALKS
[05] GREEK FOREIGN MINISTER COMMENTS ON TURKISH EU CANDIDACY
[06] DEFENCE MINISTER DENIES PRESS REPORTS ABOUT BOMB
[07] PRINCE OF WALES IN FAVOUR OF RETURN OF PARTHENON MARBLES
[01] POLITICAL CONFRONTATION LAUNCHES ELECTION CAMPAIGN CLIMATE
Greece is entering an election campaign period climate after political
leaders initiated political confrontation. Ending a two-day tour of
Crete, prime minister Kostas Simitis replied to a statement by
opposition New Democracy party leader Kostas Karamanlis that the time
of the clean Greeks was nigh; he accused him of taking an ultra-right
turn to past recipes, also expressing the conviction that PASOK would
win the elections. For his part, Mr Karamanlis, who is touring the
prefecture of Argolida and attended celebrations in Nafplio to mark the
city's liberation from Ottoman rule, denied the prime minister's
accusations and defended his goal for transparency in the country's
public life. Leader of the Democratic Social Movement Dimitris Tsovolas
who is touring the prefecture of Trikala, claimed that the government
had decided at the US' request to accept Turkey's nomination as a
candidate country for entry into the EU without any substantial
conditions.
[02] COOPERATION BETWEEN GREEK AND ITALIAN PARLIAMENTS
Speaker of the Greek parliament Apostolos Kaklamanis and his Italian
counterpart Luciano Violante signed a protocol of cooperation between
the Greek and Italian parliaments in Rome yesterday. Replying to
questions on Greek-Turkish relations, Mr Kaklamanis told Mr Violante
that despite American president Bill Clinton's remarks that Turkey
should proceed to a rapprochement with Greece, so far no steps had been
made in that direction. Referring to the Cyprus issue, Mr Kaklamanis
said there were no indications that something substantial would emerge
from the forthcoming meeting between Cypriot president Glafkos Kliridis
and Turkish Cypriot representative Rauf Denktash because of the
latter's intransigence.
[03] GREEK WEIGHTLIFTING TEAM FIRST
The Greek weightlifting team came first in the 70th World Weightlifting
Championships which took place in Athens. It won 19 medals, 4 gold, 10
silver and 5 bronze and also secured its participation in the 2000
Sydney Olympics with 8 athletes. Prime minister Simitis, the leaders
of political parties and the mayor of Athens have sent cables of
congratulations to the weightlifting team and the organizers of the
games.
[04] CYPRUS PREPARES FOR PROXIMITY TALKS
The Cypriot National Council is meeting in Nicosia today to discuss the
forthcoming proximity talks between president Glafkos Kliridis and
Turkish Cypriot representative Rauf Denktash in New York on December
3rd. President Kliridis and the officials accompanying him are leaving
for the US tomorrow. Cypriot foreign minister Yannakis Kassoulidis is
scheduled to fly to London tomorrow for a meeting with Britain's
special representative on the Cyprus issue Sir David Hannay before
proceeding to New York for the proximity talks. Representing Greece at
the proximity talks will be Greek ambassador in Cyprus Kyriakos
Rodousakis and former ambassador in Nicosia Alexandros Sandis.
Meanwhile Ankara has toughened its stand in view of the forthcoming
Cyprus proximity talks. Cyprus Radio said it was evident that Ankara
was trying to link the New York talks with developments at the EU
summit in Helsinki. A Cypriot government source said the Turkish side
would toughen its stand even more as the opening of the talks was
approaching, undermining the prospects. In an interview with the
Cypriot newspaper "Fileleftheros" yesterday, Cypriot foreign minister
Yannakis Kassoulidis said the Americans would lose face if Turkish
Cypriot representative Rauf Denktash came to the New York talks not to
discuss the substance of the Cyprus issue but to lay down his
conditions. Mr Kassoulidis said president Kliridis had been given
assurances that the talks would touch upon basic aspects of the Cyprus
question.
[05] GREEK FOREIGN MINISTER COMMENTS ON TURKISH EU CANDIDACY
In an interview with the Sunday Athens newspaper, "Kyriakatiki
Eleftherotypia", Greek foreign minister Giorgos Papandreou said if
Greece vetoed Turkey's candidacy for entry into the EU at the Helsinki
summit, Greece's European partners would be to blame. He also claimed
Helsinki would not be the last chance, there would be other EU
presidencies and other alternative solutions for Turkey's relations
with Europe. Meanwhile American ambassador in Athens Nicholas Burns
referred in an interview with the Sunday issue of the newspaper
"Kathimerini" to Greek-Turkish differences, the Cyprus issue, terrorism
and Greek-American relations. He hinted amongst other things that
Washington expected Athens to vote in favour of Turkey's candidacy at
the EU summit in Helsinki.
[06] DEFENCE MINISTER DENIES PRESS REPORTS ABOUT BOMB
Greek defence minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos has described as unfounded a
report in the Athens newspaper "To Vima" according to which a nuclear
bomb dropped from an American submarine and sank in the sea region
south of Crete.
[07] PRINCE OF WALES IN FAVOUR OF RETURN OF PARTHENON MARBLES
In an article in the London Sunday Times, the Prince of Wales and
Labour party MP Ken Livingstone Have supported the return of the
Parthenon marbles to Greece. Australian MPs have also said they
supported the return of the marbles in a letter to British prime
minister Tony Blair.
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