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The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English, 99-12-13
From: The Hellenic Radio (ERA) <ert.ntua.gr/>
CONTENTS
[01] GREEK PRESIDENT AND PARLIAMENT BRIEFED ON HELSINKI SUMMIT
[02] CRUCIAL WEEK FOR GREEK ECONOMY
[03] FURTHER DEMONSTRATIONS PLANNED IN EDUCATION SECTOR
[04] DEFENCE TALKS IN SKOPJE AND TIRANA
[05] PARTY POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS
[06] BRITISH HARD-LINE ON PARTHENON MARBLES
[07] MUSEUM INAUGURATED IN DRAMA
[01] GREEK PRESIDENT AND PARLIAMENT BRIEFED ON HELSINKI SUMMIT
The prime minister, Kostas Simitis, is meeting the Greek president,
Kostis Stefanopoulos, today to brief him on the results of the recent
European Union summit in Helsinki. Mr Simitis described the decision
taken by the EU partners to accept Turkey's status as a candidate for
EU membership as a historic one for peace. He added that the Greek
government had succeeded in satisfying all Greek positions through the
European Union and that the decision met the Greek people's
expectations for security and stability in the future. However, Mr
Simitis pointed out that it was too early to think about any direct
dialogue between Greece and Turkey and reiterated that the only dispute
existing between Athens and Ankara was the issue of the continental
shelf in the Aegean. Meanwhile the Cypriot president, Glafkos Kliridis,
has said he is satisfied with the developments in Helsinki. The
proximity talks taking place in New York on the Cyprus issue are
expected to come to an end tomorrow. President Kliridis said his last
meeting within the framework of the talks would take place tomorrow
morning and the Cypriot delegation would then leave New York in the
afternoon. The Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktash, who will also be
leaving tomorrow, will probably visit Ankara for deliberations. The
Turkish prime minister, Bulent Ecevit, has said the Helsinki decision
opens up new horizons for his country, which will endeavour to meet the
criteria laid down by the EU over the next few months. Mr Ecevit said a
very good level of dialogue with Athens had been achieved and he
expressed the hope that the fundamental problems concerning the Aegean
would soon be dealt with. Incidents took place in a number of Turkish
cities yesterday when demonstrators calling for immediate
implementation of the Helsinki decision regarding human rights clashed
with police. Several people were arrested.
[02] CRUCIAL WEEK FOR GREEK ECONOMY
The national economy minister, Iannos Papantoniou, said the Helsinki
decision created a favourable climate in south-eastern Europe and would
facilitate Greece's entry to European economic and monetary union. He
also said no decision had been made in Helsinki regarding the taxing of
bonds because of Britain's negative stand, and the issue was referred
to Portugal' s EU presidency next year, together with plans to
establish an exchange of information in combatting tax evasion. This
will be a critical week for the Greek economy, with decisions on
interest rates expected to be made on Wednesday and the debate on next
year's state budget opening in the Greek parliament on Friday.
[03] FURTHER DEMONSTRATIONS PLANNED IN EDUCATION SECTOR
In the education sector, the coordinating committee of Greek
schoolchildren met yesterday and decided to continue their protest
action against the government's reform measures. The action includes
the occupation of school buildings and the staging of a further mass
rally in Athens and Piraeus on Thursday this week. The government has
ruled that pupils who fail to attend classes because of the protest
action will be deemed absent.
[04] DEFENCE TALKS IN SKOPJE AND TIRANA
The national defence minister, Akis Tsohatzopoulos, is to go to Skopje
and Tirana this week within the context of Greece's defence cooperation
with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Albania.
[05] PARTY POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS
Speaking to representatives of the productive classes in Kefallonia
yesterday, the president of the New Democracy party, Kostas Karamanlis,
presented his party's programme for small- and medium-sized businesses
and the agricultural sector. The central committee of the Coalition of
the Left Wing and Progress met yesterday to discuss current political
developments and the party's election platform, while the president of
the Democratic Social Movement, Dimitris Tsovolas, addressed a
gathering of party supporters held to mark the fourth anniversary of
the party's founding.
[06] BRITISH HARD-LINE ON PARTHENON MARBLES
A report in the British newspaper, The Guardian, says the British prime
minister, Tony Blair, has made it clear to the members of his cabinet
that there is no question of the Parthenon Marbles being returned to
Greece, despite repeated requests from Athens. The Greek government
recently renewed its efforts for the return of the Marbles, which were
removed from the Acropolis by Lord Elgin during the Turkish occupation,
and drew attention to the damage the statues have sustained while
housed at the British Museum.
[07] MUSEUM INAUGURATED IN DRAMA
The general secretary of the culture ministry, Lina Mendoni,
inaugurated the Archaeological Museum of Drama yesterday. The exhibits
housed in the Museum provide a detailed picture of Drama's cultural
history from the Palaeolithic period to its liberation from the Turks
in 1913.
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