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The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English, 99-12-03
From: The Hellenic Radio (ERA) <ert.ntua.gr/>
CONTENTS
[01] FINNISH PRIME MINISTER VISITS ATHENS
[02] GREEK PRESIDENT PAYS OFFICIAL VISIT TO PORTUGAL
[03] AMERICAN PRESIDENT ADDRESSES LETTER ON CYPRUS ISSUE
[04] NATO DEFENCE MINISTERS MEET IN BRUSSELS
[05] GREEK GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN COMMENTS ON SEATTLE INCIDENTS
[06] ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER BACKS RETURN OF PARTHENON MARBLES
[07] GREECE JOINS SCHENGEN TREATY
[08] NEW ANTI-SEISMIC BUILDING CODE
[09] GREEK AUSTRALIAN LIKELY TO BE PROCLAIMED "YOUTH OF THE YEAR"
[10] ATHENS AND PIRAEUS POISED FOR THE MILLENNIUM
[11] MORE THAN 800,000 FOREIGNERS WORKING IN GREECÅ
[01] FINNISH PRIME MINISTER VISITS ATHENS
Prime minister Kostas Simitis met in Athens yesterday with his Finnish
counterpart and president of the EU Paavo Lipponen. After the meeting
the Greek prime minister stated that Greece would veto Turkey's
candidacy with the Union unless a context of clear stands on peace,
development and cooperation for the region was formulated at the EU
summit in Helsinki. Greece's stand, Mr Simitis said, will depend on the
procedure for Cyprus' admission to the EU, which must not be linked
with a settlement of the Cyprus issue, as well as with Turkey's
attitude on Greek-Turkish relations. For his part, the Finnish prime
minister admitted that Greece's concern was justified, adding that all
EU member states agreed with Cyprus' entry in the EU, as well as with
the view that Turkey's candidacy should be judged on the basis of the
Copenhagen criteria.
[02] GREEK PRESIDENT PAYS OFFICIAL VISIT TO PORTUGAL
President of the republic Konstantinos Stefanopoulos is currently on a
four-day official visit to Lisbon. Mr Stefanopoulos met yesterday with
Portuguese prime minister Antonio Gutieres and discussed bilateral
relations and major issues of concern to the EU, in view of the
Helsinki summit and the fact that Portugal will assume the presidency
of the EU on January 1st, 2000. Speaking at the official banquet hosted
in his honour by Portuguese president Jorge Sabaio, president
Stefanopoulos referred to Greek-Turkish relations and Turkey's European
prospects. Ankara, Mr Stefanopoulos said, should show a spirit of
cooperation which would allow for the settlement of the long-running
problems of Cyprus and the delineation of continental shelf in the
Aegean according to international law. Referring to the Cyprus issue in
particular, president Stefanopoulos expressed the hope that Cyprus
would soon find the position it deserved in the European Union. Today,
the Greek president will visit the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce and
Lisbon's City Hall. He will also attend a banquet the Portuguese prime
minister will host in his honour, while he will inaugurate an
exhibition of Byzantine icons together with the Portuguese president
tonight.
[03] AMERICAN PRESIDENT ADDRESSES LETTER ON CYPRUS ISSUE
UN secretary general Kofi Annan is expected to convey to Cypriot
president Glafkos Kliridis and Turkish Cypriot representative Rauf
Denktash a letter from American president Bill Clinton on the Cyprus
issue. Diplomatic circles describe president Clinton's letter as
decisive for the outcome of the Cyprus proximity talks opening in New
York today. Meanwhile Washington is strongly backing the EU's decision
to start entry talks with Nicosia, American state department spokesman
James Rubin said yesterday, commenting on Mr Denktash's statement that
Cyprus' admission procedure should stop.
[04] NATO DEFENCE MINISTERS MEET IN BRUSSELS
The biannual inter-ministerial meeting of Nato defence ministers was
held in Brussels yesterday. The ministers addressed a clear warning
that ethnic cleansing operations against minorities in Kosovo should
stop. They also pointed out the need for effective intervention on the
part of the EU to face crucial problems in Kosovo. Greek national
defense minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos expressed concern over the
continuing ethnic cleansing operations in Kosovo against all
non-Albanian minorities.
[05] GREEK GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN COMMENTS ON SEATTLE INCIDENTS
Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas commented on the protest
incidents in Seattle against the conference of the World Trade
Organization. He said protest demonstrations were a normal part of
democracy and not pathological phenomena. He also described the Seattle
incidents as a good lesson for those who criticized the protest
demonstrations in Athens during the visit of American president Bill
Clinton.
[06] ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER BACKS RETURN OF PARTHENON MARBLES
Italian prime minister Massimo D'Alema said yesterday he was in favour
of the return of the Parthenon marbles to Greece. He was speaking at a
ceremony during which a second century AD statue was returned to
Libya.
[07] GREECE JOINS SCHENGEN TREATY
Greece will become a full member of the Schengen treaty on January 1st,
2000, according to yesterday's decision of the competent committee in
Brussels.
[08] NEW ANTI-SEISMIC BUILDING CODE
The new anti-seismic code, which is ready and will come into effect in
the year 2000, will provide for stricter construction standards to
protect buildings during quakes. This was announced yesterday during a
conference on safer buildings organized by the Association of Greek
Civil Engineers, the Organization for Anti-Seismic Planning and
Protection and the Greek Technical Chamber.
[09] GREEK AUSTRALIAN LIKELY TO BE PROCLAIMED "YOUTH OF THE YEAR"
Greek Australian Nikos Moraitis, who is only 17, has many chances of
being declared "Australian Youth of the Year". He is a specialist in
personal computers and computer software.
[10] ATHENS AND PIRAEUS POISED FOR THE MILLENNIUM
Athens is preparing to bid farewell to 1999 and usher in the new
millennium with a multimedia show against the backdrop of the
Acropolis. The port city of Piraeus is also busy making its own
preparations for 2000. At a press conference yesterday, Piraeus mayor
Christos Agrapidis outlined a programme of events, which will begin on
December 4th and continue until January 6th, next year.
[11] MORE THAN 800,000 FOREIGNERS WORKING IN GREECÅ
According to a recent survey carried out by the National Labour
Institute, more than 800,000 foreigners, most of them Albanians and
people from other Balkan countries, as well as from Egypt, Pakistan and
the Philippines are working in Greece. 43% of them have said that they
wish to remain in the country. In addition, the Institute's report
points out that Greece is now acquiring the characteristics of a
multicultural society, a phenomenon observed in the United States,
Canada and many developed European countries.
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