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The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English, 99-12-15
From: The Hellenic Radio (ERA) <ert.ntua.gr/>
CONTENTS
[01] PRIME MINISTER OUTLINES GREEK POLICY TO FOREIGN JOURNALISTS
[02] OPPOSITION NEW DEMOCRACY PARTY LEADER MEETS PRESIDENT
[03] FOREIGN MINISTER TO GO TO ANKARA IN JANUARY
[04] OPINION POLL RESULTS
[05] FIRST ROUND OF CYPRUS PROXIMITY TALKS ENDS IN NEW YORK
[06] GREECE AND FYROM SIGN DEFENCE COOPERATION AGREEMENT
[07] INTERIOR MINISTER INTRODUCES BILL ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION
[08] BANK OF GREECE TO REDUCE INTEREST RATES BY 0.75 OR 1%
[09] GREEK MONUMENT FOR 2000 OLYMPICS IN SYDNEY
[10] PASSENGERS ROBBED ON BUS NEAR SOFIA, BULGARIA
[01] PRIME MINISTER OUTLINES GREEK POLICY TO FOREIGN JOURNALISTS
Speaking at a lunch for foreign corespondents yesterday, the prime
minister, Kostas Simitis, said Greece had succeeded in ensuring the
stability required to set its economy back on its feet and that the
results had been recognised by all the relevant international bodies.
He added that these results and their recognition were the outcome of
the efforts made by the entire Greek people and represented the start
of a new financial era. Mr Simitis underlined that a re-evaluation of
the drachma was currently being examined and the government was in
agreement with the Central Bank of Greece and Greece's European
partners over this issue. He also made it clear there would be no
political negotiations over Greece's entry to European economic and
monetary union. With reference to the recent EU summit, Mr Simitis said
the decision taken at Helsinki opened up new prospects for Greece and
Turkey, prospects of peace and cooperation. In reply to criticism from
the opposition parties on the outcome of the Helsinki EU summit, Mr
Simitis pointed out that delineation of the continental shelf in the
Aegean was the only Greek-Turkish difference which Athens recognised
and it would not negotiate over any of its firm stands at the
International Court at The Hague. Finally the prime minister said he
did not intend to call on Greece's political party leaders to agree
over the election of a new president of the republic, since they had
already adopted stands over the issue. He added that an early general
election would not benefit the country and that the government's firm
position was that it should exhaust its four-year term in office.
[02] OPPOSITION NEW DEMOCRACY PARTY LEADER MEETS PRESIDENT
Speaking after a meeting yesterday with the Greek president, Kostis
Stefanopoulos, the opposition New Democracy party leader, Kostas
Karamanlis, issued a negative assessment of the results of the Helsinki
summit. He maintained that although given the opportunity to
consolidate Greece's position and security, there had been a shifting
from firm Greek positions. But he admitted that the decision concerning
Cyprus was a positive one. Different points of view have been expressed
within the New Democracy party. The party's honorary president,
Konstantinos Mitsotakis, described the Helsinki decision on Cyprus as
an indisputable success for Greece, adding that in the long run Greece
would be able to deal with its problems with Turkey from a more
advantageous standpoint.
[03] FOREIGN MINISTER TO GO TO ANKARA IN JANUARY
The Greek foreign minister, Giorgos Papandreou, has told Cypriot Radio
that Greece faces Turkey with confidence in the wake of the Helsinki
summit. He added that he believed the Cyprus dispute and the Aegean
issue would now take on a whole new perspective, although he did not
expect any dramatic developments. Mr Papandreou also announced that he
would probably visit Ankara in January to sign the first series of
bilateral agreements on so-called low policy issues, such as trade
cooperation and tourism.
[04] OPINION POLL RESULTS
The results of an opinion poll taken before the recent EU summit in
Helsinki show PASOK to be slightly ahead of the New Democracy party in
the electorate's declared voting intentions. 31.6% of those polled said
they would vote for PASOK while 30.6% said they would support the New
Democracy party. 41.9% said they believed Kostas Simitis was the most
suitable man to hold the office of prime minister, while 31.2% backed
Kostas Karamanlis. Mr Simitis was the most popular amongst the
country's political leaders, with 40.4% of the votes, followed by Mr
Karamanlis with 38%, the Democratic Social Movement leader Dimitris
Tsovolas with 35.3% and the Coalition leader, Nikos Konstantopoulos,
with 34.3%.
[05] FIRST ROUND OF CYPRUS PROXIMITY TALKS ENDS IN NEW YORK
Speaking after the end of the first round of proximity talks in New
York on the Cyprus issue, the UN secretary general, Kofi Annan, has
called on the Cypriot president, Glafkos Kliridis, and the Turkish
Cypriot representative, Rauf Denktash, to continue the talks in
January. Meanwhile the Turkish Cypriot side has threatened not to
resume the talks unless the paragraph referring to a bi-zonal and
bi-communal federation on the island is removed from the resolution
concerning the renewal of the UN peace-keeping force's stay on the
island. The Greek Cypriots have threatened not to attend the talks if
the paragraph is deleted. Commenting on the results of the EU summit in
Helsinki, former Cypriot president and leader of the Democratic party
Spyros Kyprianou said Cyprus had paid so that Turkey would acquire the
status of candidate for admission to the EU.
[06] GREECE AND FYROM SIGN DEFENCE COOPERATION AGREEMENT
Greece's national defence minister, Akis Tsohatzopoulos, and his
counterpart in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Nikola
Kliusev, signed a defence cooperation agreement in Skopje yesterday.
The agreement calls for bilateral meetings of experts, the training of
defence ministry officials from the Former Yugoslav Republic and
cooperation in the defence technology sector.
[07] INTERIOR MINISTER INTRODUCES BILL ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION
Interior minister Vasso Papandreou yesterday introduced a draft bill in
parliament which is to change the rules for entry into the country and
the stay of foreigners in Greece with the aim of checking illegal
immigration.
[08] BANK OF GREECE TO REDUCE INTEREST RATES BY 0.75 OR 1%
According to reports, the Bank of Greece is expected to make an
announcement today on a reduction in interest rates from between 0.75%
and 1%.
[09] GREEK MONUMENT FOR 2000 OLYMPICS IN SYDNEY
An impressive Greek monument, the donation of Greeks living abroad to
the Olympic movement, is to be erected at the Olympic Games
installations in Sydney for the Olympics of the year 2000. The monument
is a synthesis of elements from Greek civilization, including ancient
Greek symbolic depictions and five Greek columns representing the five
continents. Eucalyptus trees underlining the bonds between Greece and
Australia will also be preserved at the site.
[10] PASSENGERS ROBBED ON BUS NEAR SOFIA, BULGARIA
Unknown gunmen hijacked a bus near Sofia, Bulgaria, yesterday
afternoon. They drove it to a deserted site and robbed the passengers,
among them 15 Greeks traveling from Thessaloniki to Bucharest, of their
valuables and money. None of the passengers were harmed.
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