BRIEF GREEK NEWS BULLETIN (18/01/1996)

From: Macedonian Press Agency <mpa@uranus.ee.auth.gr>

Macedonian Press Agency News in English Directory

BRIEF GREEK NEWS BULLETIN BY MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY

Thessaloniki January 18, 1996

NEWS IN ENGLISH

NEWS IN ENGLISH

[01] TSOHATZOPOULOS AND SIMITIS SHARED THE FIRST PLACE WITH 53 VOTES IN THE FIRST ROUND OF VOTING - ARSENIS CAME THIRD WITH 50 VOTES

Akis Tsohatzopoulos and Kostas Simitis shared the first place with 53 votes each in the first round of voting for the election of new Prime Minister. The second and decisive round will be held this evening with the participation of those two candidates.

The result of the voting was announced by Returning Board member and Parliament deputy mr.Reppas. According to the official results of the first round mr.Tsohatzopoulos and mr.Simitis got 53 votes each, mr.Arsenis 50 votes and mr.Haralambopoulos 11 votes.

[02] THE FOUR CANDIDATES FOR THE PREMIERSHIP IN GREECE

Gerasimos Arsenis was born in the Ionian island of Cephalonia on May 30th, 1931. He studied Law at the University of Athens and after graduating he left for the United States for postgraduate studies at the Institute of Technology in Massachussets (MIT).

In the period 1964-1966 he worked for the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris and then he became Director of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

In 1981 he returned to Greece after an invitation by Prime Minister Papandreou and was appointed to the position of the Governor of the Bank of Greece. In 1982 he became Minister of National Economy and in the period of March 1984-1985 he was Minister of National Economy and Finance.

In 1985 he was elected state deputy and in 1986 he quit PASOK using harsh language against the party, its leadership and Papandreou and later formed the Greek Socialist Party. Three years later he returned to PASOK and is being elected Parliament deputy for the Athens A' Electoral District since 1990.

He is the current National Defence Minister and has been a member of the party's Executive Bureau since 1993.

He has two sons from his first marriage in the United States and a 5 yearold daughter with his second wife Louka Katseli, who is an economic adviser to Papandreou.

Kostas Simitis was born in Pireaus on June 26, 1936. He studied Law in Germany and economics in the London School of Economics while in 1965 he returned to Greece. He was one of the founders of the political research group "Alexandros Papanastasiou" and in 1967 the group was transformed into the "Democratic Defence" an organization that was fighting the army colonels of the greek junta.

He escaped abroad in order to avoid being jailed and in 1970 became a member of the Pan-Hellenic Struggle Movement (PAK), while he became a university lecturer in Germany. He returned to Athens in 1974 and was one of PASOK's co-founders while in 1977 he took up a lecturer's post at the Pantion University.

In 1979 he resigned from the party's Executive Bureau in which he was a member since PASOK's founding after a disagreement over a poster with the slogan "in favour of a Europe of the peoples".

In 1981-85 was Minister of Agriculture in the first PASOK government. Immediately afterwards he became Minister of National Economy and resigned his post in 1987 because he felt that his policies were being undermined. In 1993 he took over the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and in 1995 he resigned from the ministry and the party's Executive Bureau after a disagreement with the Prime Minister. Is being elected Parliament deputy for the prefecture of Pireaus since 1985.

He is married to Daphne Arcadiou and has two daughters.

Akis Tsohatzopoulos was born in Athens on December 19th, 1939. He studied civil engineering and economy at Munich Polytechnic where he also received a post-graduate degree.

In 1968 after the military coup in Greece he joined the Pan-Hellenic Struggle Movement (PAK) and in 1971 he was deprived of his greek citizenship. He returned to Greece as a founding member of PASOK after the restoration of democracy in 1974.

He is a member of the party's Executive Bureau and Central Committee since PASOK was founded. In 1981 he was elected state deputy and since 1985 he is being re- elected to Parliament as a deputy for the Thessaloniki A' electoral district.

After the 1981 parliamentary elections when PASOK came to power mr.Tsohatzopoulos served in many ministerial posts including the Ministries of Public Works, to the Prime Minister's Office (where he served twice), Labour, to the Presidency, Public Order, Interior (served three times), and Transport and Communications. In 1995 he was elected vice-president of the European Socialist Party.

He was close associate of Andreas Papandreou and very loyal to him. He has a german wife, Gudrun Moldehouer and two children, a son and a daughter.

Yiannis Haralambopoulos was born in Psari, Messinia in the Peloponnese on February 10th, 1919. He studied in the Military Cadets School and later civil engineering at the Woolwich Institute of London.

He served as an officer in the war in 1940 and later served in the army in the Middle East. He retired after 25 years in service and entered politics. In 1961 he was elected to Parliament on the Center Union party ticket headed by George Papandreou, father of Andreas Papandreou, and he was re-elected in 1963 and 1964.

He was arrested by the military junta and was exiled to a prison island for four years. After his release he headed the PAK movement which was operating underground in Greece. In 1974, after the return of democracy, he was elected Parliament deputy for the Athens B' electoral district and has been consistently re-elected since.

He served in many ministerial posts in the period 1981-89. Twice he was appointed Foreign Affairs Minister and three times got the Defence portofolio, while he served twice as deputy Prime Minister.

He was married twice and his second wife is Aga Staphila. He has three children, two boys and a girl.

[03] THE CONDITION OF PASOK'S LEADER PAPANDREOU REMAINS STABLE

The condition of PASOK's leader Andreas Papandreou remains stable, as it is mentioned in the medical bulletin issued today by the Onasion Cardiology Center. Also, according to the medical bulletin the patient's respiratory function is supported by respirator and his renal function by dialysis treatment.

It is mentioned that a special method is being used in order to prevent new accumulation of fluid in the patient's lungs. This afternoon mr.Papandreou will undergo CAT scan examination and the attendant doctors will be able to see if there is any new accumulation of fluid.

[04] THE US BELIEVE THAT TURKEY MADE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS IN THE PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS DESPITE THE VIOLATIONS

Washington is disturbed by the reports on tortures, freedom of the press restrictions, illegal executions, arsons and forced evacuations of villages that continue to come from Turkey but at the same time accepts that Turkey has made significant steps toward the improvement of the guarantees for the protection of human rights including the changes in its Constitution, according to US State Department Press Secretary mr.Burns.

He said that Washington will continue to have close relations with Turkey which characterized as valuable friend and ally. The US State Department Press Secretary also stressed that the military aid to Turkey serves the country's role in NATO while he also said that the United States back Turkey's fight against the Kurdish PKK party.