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The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English, 99-11-30
From: The Hellenic Radio (ERA) <ert.ntua.gr/>
CONTENTS
[01] FOREIGN MINISTER VISITS MOSCOW
[02] FOREIGN MINISTER MEETS SWEDISH COUNTERPART
[03] TURKISH OFFICIALS REFER TO EU CANDIDACY
[04] GREEK GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN REPLIES
[05] EU ECOFIN COUNCIL DECISION ON GREECE
[06] OPINION POLLS GIVE LEAD TO PASOK
[07] GREEK COMMUNIST PARTY COMMENTS ON ECONOMY
[08] CONFERENCE ON PARTHENON MARBLES OPENS IN LONDON
[09] EU LABOUR AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS COUNCIL MEETS IN BRUSSELS
[10] CYPRIOT PRESIDENT GOES TO NEW YORK
[11] CYPRIOT FOREIGN MINISTER VISITS LONDON
[12] OLYMPIC AIRWAYS REDUCED FARES
[13] NEW SYSTEM TO MONITOR SEA ENVIRONMENT
[01] FOREIGN MINISTER VISITS MOSCOW
Foreign minister Giorgos Papandreou is flying to Moscow today on a
two-day working visit for talks with Russian foreign minister Igor
Ivanov on the Cyprus issue and the crisis in Kosovo. He may also meet
Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin.
[02] FOREIGN MINISTER MEETS SWEDISH COUNTERPART
Mr Papandreou was in Stockholm yesterday and met his Swedish
counterpart Anna Lint for talks on Turkey's European prospects and its
candidacy for European Union admission in view of the EU general
affairs council meeting on December 6th. The talks reaffirmed identity
of views on the criteria Turkey should meet and the two sides agree to
stay in touch.
[03] TURKISH OFFICIALS REFER TO EU CANDIDACY
Turkish prime minister Bulent Ecevit yesterday referred to the upcoming
EU summit in Helsinki and the terms set by Greece for Turkey's
nomination as an EU candidate country saying Turkey had no intention of
making concessions in the Cyprus or Aegean issues. For his part,
Turkish foreign minister Ismail Cem said that Greek-Turkish relations
would improve immensely if Athens were to support Turkey's status as an
EU candidate country at the Helsinki summit. He made the comments on
his return from a 3-day tour of Europe during which he visited Sweden,
Denmark and Finland. Mr Cem added that Ankara would not accept the
linking of the Cyprus issue to Turkey's relations with the EU. In
reference to the upcoming Cyprus proximity talks in New York, he said
that the Turkish side would attend with good intentions.
[04] GREEK GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN REPLIES
In Athens, Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas yesterday once
more called on Turkey to help itself and strengthen its European
orientation. He added that on the issue of Turkey's candidacy for EU
accession, the Greek government would act on the basis of its national
interests at the upcoming Helsinki summit next month. In reference to
the recent violation of Cypriot airspace by Turkish jet fighters, Mr
Reppas stressed that such actions were not positive ones and that the
legal government of Cyprus had taken all the necessary diplomatic
steps.
[05] EU ECOFIN COUNCIL DECISION ON GREECE
The EU ECOFIN ministers meeting in Brussels have decided that the
European Commission should stop monitoring Greece's public sector
deficit. The ministers also discussed the drop of the euro against the
US dollar. Greek national economy minister Yannos Papantoniou expressed
satisfaction and stressed the first stage of Greece's entry into
European economic and monetary union had been successfully completed.
He added the next critical date would be March 2000 when Greece will
officially submit its entry application. Yesterday, EU commissioner
Pedro Solbes also expressed the hope that Greece will have fulfilled
all entry criteria by March and join the euro zone.
[06] OPINION POLLS GIVE LEAD TO PASOK
Two public opinion polls released yesterday indicate changes in the
forecasts about the strength of the two major parties in future
elections. The polls, published in the newspapers "Eleftherotypia" and
"Ta Nea" give a lead to PASOK over the opposition New Democracy party
in the region of Attica. Government spokesman Dimitris Reppas, who was
asked to comment on the polls, said that such research, if carried out
in a scientific way, could prove a useful tool. He added PASOK would
not succumb to the lure of public opinion polls and the government's
goal remained to complete its work successfully. He also said that the
government's position was that elections should be held at the end of
its four year term in September 2000. Meanwhile speaking at a party
rally in Glyfada, Athens, yesterday, opposition New Democracy party
leader Kostas Karamanlis referred to rigged opinion polls and strongly
criticised the government, accusing it of dishonesty and corruption.
[07] GREEK COMMUNIST PARTY COMMENTS ON ECONOMY
General secretary of the Greek Communist party Aleka Papariga has said
that the phase of recovery of the Greek economy in recent years was
anemic, extremely low and unstable and did not benefit the working
class in the least. She was speaking at a one-day meeting on
developments, trends and prospects in the Greek economy organised by
the Greek Communist party.
[08] CONFERENCE ON PARTHENON MARBLES OPENS IN LONDON
An international conference will be held in London today on the
conclusions reached by experts who examined the damage caused to the
Parthenon marbles by cleaning methods used at the British Museum.
Referring to speculation about the return of the marbles to Greece
prior to the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, culture minister Elisavet
Papazoi said yesterday Greece would call for the permanent return of
the Parthenon sculptures to their rightful home. She also released a
report by Greek experts on the state of the sculptures and announced
that the marbles had suffered extensive adulteration during cleaning
operations at the British Museum, reversing the argument used by the
museum about better restoration and maintenance conditions. At the
London conference, British historians are expected to blame the
administration of the British Museum of conspiracy, bribery and
concealing information. More than 20 historians and art restorers from
all over the world are to attend the conference.
[09] EU LABOUR AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS COUNCIL MEETS IN BRUSSELS
The EU council of labour and social affairs ministers convened in
Brussels yesterday. Greece was represented by minister for labour and
social security Miltiadis Papaioannou. The council decided on a
"European strategy for employment" which includes guidelines for
employment policy in the year 2000, the 1999 joint report and the
council's recommendations to member states.
[10] CYPRIOT PRESIDENT GOES TO NEW YORK
Cypriot president Glafkos Kliridis is expected in New York today in
view of the proximity talks with Turkish Cypriot representative Rauf
Denktash on December 3rd. Meanwhile American state department spokesman
James Rubin said yesterday the upcoming talks should touch upon the
substance of the Cyprus issue.
[11] CYPRIOT FOREIGN MINISTER VISITS LONDON
Cypriot foreign minister Yannakis Kassoulidis has been in London since
yesterday to deliver a speech on the latest Cyprus developments and
Cyprus' entry into the EU at an event organized by the Cypriot
Brotherhood. Invited to attend the event are mainly British MPs. Mr
Kassoulidis is also expected to have a meeting with British
representative for the Cyprus issue Sir David Hannay. Mr Kassoulidis is
to leave London for New York tomorrow to attend the Cyprus proximity
talks opening on December 3rd.
[12] OLYMPIC AIRWAYS REDUCED FARES
Olympic Airways is offering reduced fares for tickets to European
destinations and back, to be used from 1 to 15 December 1999 and 11
January to 26 March 2000.
[13] NEW SYSTEM TO MONITOR SEA ENVIRONMENT
A sophisticated system recording the sea environment and making
forecasts about the state of Greek seas was presented yesterday at a
meeting organised by the oceanography institute of the sea research
national centre. The system will respond to questions about water
temperatures, regions abounding with fish, and will give signals if a
region is threatened by an oil spill.
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