[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] WAVE OF ADVERSE WEATHER ABATES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY
[02] THEO AGGELOPOULOS AMASSES SEVEN AWARDS AT THESSALONIKI
FESTIVAL
[03] CROATIAN PRESIDENT TO MEET WITH GREEK PARLIAMENT PRESIDENT
[04] INTERBALKAN-BLACK SEA BUSINESS CENTER TO HOLD MISSION TO
BELGRADE
[05] GREEK CULTURE MINISTER ASKS PRINCE CHARLES FOR THE RETURN OF
THE MARBLES
[06] CYPRIOT PRESIDENT CLERIDES TO VISIT ATHENS ON NOVEMBER 27
[07] PREMIER TO CONFER WITH FOREIGN AND DEFENSE MINISTERS OVER
CYPRUS ISSUE
[08] GREECE, EGYPT TO HOLD JOINT NAVAL EXERCISE, THE FIRST OF ITS
KIND
[09] GREEK FM: ANKARA HAS NO RIGHT TO THREATEN AND ISSUE
ULTIMATUMS
[10] TURKISH BUSINESSMEN PARTICIPATE IN AEGEAN LOCAL PRODUCTS
EXHIBITION
[11] KALAMARIA HONORS ANNIVERSARY OF WORLD DECLARATION OF HUMAN
RIGHTS
[12] DENSE FOG CLOAKS WESTERN MACEDONIA, ENCUMBERS TRAFFIC
[13] ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS GOT STUCK IN SNOW AND ABANDONED 106 KILOS
OF HASH
[14] PENSIONERS DEFY COLD WEATHER, TAKE TO THE STREETS TO PROTEST
[15] "STAGE" PROGRAM FOR UNEMPLOYED COLLEGE GRADUATES SET INTO
EFFECT
[16] REPPAS: THE TURKISH PROPAGANDA WAS RIDICULED AGAIN
[17] REPPAS: OCALAN DID NOT MAKE A STOP IN ATHENS
[18] EURO-DEPUTIES ISSUED AN APPEAL FOR OCALAN
[19] REPPAS: THERE IS NO MESSAGE FROM SIMITIS TO CLERIDES
[20] THE DIALOGUE FOR THE 35-HOUR WEEK WILL SOON BE UNDERWAY
[21] CONTACTS OF PRIME MINISTER SIMITIS WITH GOVERNMENT MINISTERS
[22] GREECE'S BALKAN POLICY GIVES VERY GOOD RESULTS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[23] CYPRIOT PRESIDENT CLERIDES TO MEET WITH SIR DAVID HANNAY IN
LONDON
[24] NATO DISMISSES BELGRADE'S CLAIMS OVER RAPID INTERVENTION
FORCE
[25] TURKISH CHRISTIANS PROTEST IN ZURICH
[26] A DEVELOPMENT OFFICE WILL OPEN IN GEVGELI WITH THE HELP OF
GREECE
[27] PRESIDENT YELTSIN'S STATE OF HEALTH CAUSED CONCERN IN RUSSIA
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] WAVE OF ADVERSE WEATHER ABATES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY
The wave of adverse weather that struck all of Greece
yesterday with thunder storms and gushing winds has begun to
gradually abate. Meanwhile, the bodies of three out of four
missing crew members of a Greek tug were recovered last night
after their boat was engulfed in flames
in the port of Thessaloniki while trying to extinguish the blaze
on a burning tanker. The fate of the fourth sailor is still
unknown.
The storm's aftermath can still be felt in Thessaloniki,
where trees were torn off the ground and catapulted parked
vehicles. Most transportation in the outskirts of the city can be
conducted with anti-skid chains.
[02] THEO AGGELOPOULOS AMASSES SEVEN AWARDS AT THESSALONIKI
FESTIVAL
Theo Aggelopoulos' award-winning film ''Eternity and a Day''
amassed seven prizes during the state awards of Thessaloniki's
39th Film Festival, among them best fiction film, best direction
and best script.
Mr. Aggelopoulos, whose film received the top Palme d'Or
award at this year's Cannes Film Festival, is to represent Greece
at this year's United States Motion Picture Academy Awards, a.k.a.
Oscar, nominated for the best foreign film category.
[03] CROATIAN PRESIDENT TO MEET WITH GREEK PARLIAMENT PRESIDENT
Croatia's president Franjo Tudjman continues his official
visit to Greece and will be received by the President of the
Hellenic Parliament Apostolos Kaklamanis today.
Yesterday, Mr. Tudjman met with his Greek counterpart Kostis
Stephanopoulos and the Prime Minster Kostas Simitis, as well as
political party leaders.
President Tudjman is accompanied by a delegation of Croat
businessmen who will visit Thessaloniki Industrial Chamber on
Thursday.
[04] INTERBALKAN-BLACK SEA BUSINESS CENTER TO HOLD MISSION TO
BELGRADE
The Thessaloniki-based Inter-Balkan and Black Sea Business
Center (DIPEK) is to organize a business mission to Belgrade in an
effort to establish economic ventures between the Federal Republic
of Yugoslavia and Greece.
The mission will depart from Thessaloniki on Thursday and
will remain in the Yugoslav capital until Sunday.
Various chambers of northern Greece are participating in the
delegation, along with various businessmen who are active or
interested in developing ventures in Yugoslavia.
[05] GREEK CULTURE MINISTER ASKS PRINCE CHARLES FOR THE RETURN OF
THE MARBLES
Britain's Prince Charles toured the Acropolis yesterday
afternoon, accompanied by Greek culture minister Evangelos
Venizelos.
The culture minister told the Prince that the British
government should "make a brave move and return the Parthenon
Marbles to Greece.
"The time has come for the monuments of Athenian civilisation
to return to the place which has been preparing for exactly this
reason - the new Acropolis museum," Mr. Venizelos added. .
Prince Charles was later awarded the Gold Key to the City by
Athens Mayor Dimitris Avramopoulos during a special ceremony at
the Athens Town Hall .
On bestowing the city's medal on the Prince of Wales, Mr.
Avramopoulos also equested his support for a return of the
Marbles.
The Prince will travel to Knossos, Crete, today and will
depart for London later in the day.
[06] CYPRIOT PRESIDENT CLERIDES TO VISIT ATHENS ON NOVEMBER 27
Cypriot President Glafkos Clerides is to be received by
Greece's Prime Minister Kostas Simitis on November 27, the
Minister of Press and Media Dimitris Reppas announced yesterday.
During his visit to Athens, the Cypriot President will be
accompanied by Cypriot Foreign Minister Yiannakis Cassoulides and
Defense Minister Yiannakis Omirou.
The talks between Mgrs. Clerides and Simitis will be attended
by Greece's Foreign and Defense Ministers, Mgrs. Theodoros
Pangalos and Akis Tsochatzopoulos, respectively.
On the agenda for the meeting are Cyprus' EU accession
process and the issue of the S-300 missiles.
[07] PREMIER TO CONFER WITH FOREIGN AND DEFENSE MINISTERS OVER
CYPRUS ISSUE
Prime Minster Kostas Simitis is to meet with the
Ministers of Foreign Affairs and National Defense, Theodoros
Pangalos and Akis Tsochatzopoulos respectively, in order to
discuss the Cyprus issue.
Tomorrow's meetings is taking place in light of the Cypriot
President's imminent visit to Greece. Mr. Glafkos Clerides will
arrive in Athens on November 27 where he will be received by the
Greek Premier.
.
[08] GREECE, EGYPT TO HOLD JOINT NAVAL EXERCISE, THE FIRST OF ITS
KIND
Greece and Egypt are to hold their first ever joint exercise,
from November 27 to December 2, in accordance with a military
cooperation agreement signed by the two countries.
The naval exercise, code-named "Alexandria '98", will be held
off the coast of Alexanrdia and two frigates from each country
will take part in the maneuver.
The exercise aims to boost relations between the two nations'
naval forces and promote operational cooperation.
[09] GREEK FM: ANKARA HAS NO RIGHT TO THREATEN AND ISSUE
ULTIMATUMS
Greece's Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos met with his
Croatian counterpart Mate Granic in Athens yesterday with whom he
discussed matters of mutual interest as well as the Greek-Turkish
relations.
Following the talks, Mr. Pangalos stated that Ankara does not
have the right to threaten and issue ultimatum when Turkey itself
maintains arms on a permanent basis at the occupied region of
Cyprus.
Meanwhile, in a letter addressed to the President of the
Council of Greeks Abroad Andrew Athens, US President Bill Clinton
stated that the Cyprus issue, along with Kossovo and the Middle
East, is among the State Department's priority issues.
[10] TURKISH BUSINESSMEN PARTICIPATE IN AEGEAN LOCAL PRODUCTS
EXHIBITION
One hundred and eighty Turkish businessmen visited the
Exhibition of Aegean Local Products, organized by Helexpo in the
island of Lesvos.
The Turkish delegation was headed by the chairman of the
Ismir Chamber Ekmer Demiraz while, on the Greek side,
participants included chamber officials and business executives.
The participants discussed a variety of issues including the
creation of intervention mechanisms in both countries' governments
in periods of political crisis, an intervention that Turkish
officials said they would embark on in coming weeks will center on
the Halki School of Theology, whose board was fired by Turkish
authorities without adequate reason earlier this month.
A decision was taken for the meeting to be held every six
months in Greece and Turkey.
Alternate Foreign Minister George Papandreou saluted the
event.
[11] KALAMARIA HONORS ANNIVERSARY OF WORLD DECLARATION OF HUMAN
RIGHTS
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary since the signing of
the World Declaration of Human Rights, the Municipality of
Kalamaria, in cooperation with the Cultural Center Brahma Kumaris,
is to organize an event titled "Human Values-Justice".
The event, to be held tomorrow evening, is to feature the
participation of the director of the United Nations Information
Center in Athens Ingrid Lehman and the representative of the
Brahma Kumaris University, Philosophy Professor Antony Strano.
Their addresses will focus on the theme of justice which,
according to the Declaration, "strikes a balance between rights
and freedoms and humans and nature."
[12] DENSE FOG CLOAKS WESTERN MACEDONIA, ENCUMBERS TRAFFIC
Dense fog has cloaked Western Macedonia, encumbering traffic
by reducing the drivers' visibility, while melted ice on the
provincial road network necessitates the use of anti-skid chains.
Meanwhile, the deluge that befell on the area of Halkidiki
yesterday flooded a score of houses and stores.
[13] ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS GOT STUCK IN SNOW AND ABANDONED 106 KILOS
OF HASH
A group of unidentified individuals who had apparently
entered Greece illegally from Albania abandoned 106 kilos of
hashish in the vehicle the stolen vehicle they were driving, when
they were trapped in the snow on the provincial road Kozani-
Florina.
The culprits had stolen the car two days prior from a city in
Florina. While driving on the provincial road, they fell upon a
police block who were trying to regulate traffic due to the snow
that had covered the roads.
In a state of panic, the illegal immigrants abandoned the
vehicle and ran off into the snow.
On another matter, police in Florina arrested a 27-year-old
man from Georgia who was transporting from Albania into Greece 700
cartons of contraband cigarettes which he planned to distribute in
Thessaloniki.
[14] PENSIONERS DEFY COLD WEATHER, TAKE TO THE STREETS TO PROTEST
Pensioners in Athens and Thessaloniki defied the rain and
cold weather today and took to the streets in order to rally
against the state's economic policy.
In Athens they rallied to the Minstry of National Economy and
Finance, wanting to meet with the meeting Yiannos Papantoniou,
whereas in Thessaloniki they rallied to the Ministry of Macedonia
and Thrace.
[15] "STAGE" PROGRAM FOR UNEMPLOYED COLLEGE GRADUATES SET INTO
EFFECT
Four thousand unemployed college graduates are to be given
jobs during the next two-year period by various local
administration organizations, cooperatives and companies, through
the Labor Ministry's STAGE program.
Eligibility for the program, whose funding amounts to seven
billion drachmas, is met by those who have not surpassed the 35
years of age, have not been employed in a sector related to their
studies and hold a university degree or a diploma from a technical
university.
[16] REPPAS: THE TURKISH PROPAGANDA WAS RIDICULED AGAIN
Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas stated that
Ankara's action to publish a map which presents Greek islands
under Turkish sovereignty is an extreme ridicule of the Turkish
propaganda.
Greece, said Mr. Reppas, deals with the issue by taking all
the necessary steps and pointed out that the Turkish propaganda
industry was unable to mislead the world as everybody knows to
whom the islands belong to.
[17] REPPAS: OCALAN DID NOT MAKE A STOP IN ATHENS
Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas categorically
denied the information that Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan made a
stop at the Airport of Athens before going to Rome and added that
the Greek government remains firm in its already expressed
positions.
Mr. Reppas also pointed out that the Greek government brought
the Kurdish problem to an international level and that the issue
was discussed in the European Union.
[18] EURO-DEPUTIES ISSUED AN APPEAL FOR OCALAN
Euro-deputies representing different political groups, among
them certain PASOK Euro-deputies, issued an appeal to the Italian
government to grant a political asylum to Kurdish PKK leader
Abdullah Ocalan and in any case not to extradite him to Turkey.
With a joint statement, the Euro-deputies point out that the
European Court of Justice has ruled against Turkey a number of
times in cases concerning persecutions of Kurds and destruction of
Kurdish villages.
[19] REPPAS: THERE IS NO MESSAGE FROM SIMITIS TO CLERIDES
Prime minister Kostas Simitis has sent no message to Cypriot
president Glafkos Clerides on the issue of the installation of the
Russian S-300 anti-aircraft missiles to Cyprus.
The above was stated by Greek government spokesman Dimitris
Reppas who underlined that the two leaders will discuss the Cyprus
issue in the meeting they will have in Athens on Friday.
[20] THE DIALOGUE FOR THE 35-HOUR WEEK WILL SOON BE UNDERWAY
The government's decision to start the dialogue for the
adoption of the 35-hour work week was expressed by Akis
Tsochatzopoulos and Kostas Skandalidis in the Greek General
Confederation of Labor congress.
However, they made it clear that the main target is for
Greece to join the EMU. The minister of national defense stated
that the public employees should not lose their permanency as a
result of the conversion of the status of the state companies.
Right-wing main opposition party of New Democracy
representative Prokopis Pavlopoulos called for an interim
provision, similar to that which was adopted in the case of the
Stock Exchange, aimed at maintaining the permanency of the public
employees working in the organizations that will be turned into
limited liability companies.
[21] CONTACTS OF PRIME MINISTER SIMITIS WITH GOVERNMENT MINISTERS
Prime minister Kostas Simitis had separate meetings with
foreign minister Theodoros Pangalos and minister of development
Vaso Papandreou to discuss energy policy issues, mainly concerning
natural gas.
The prime minister will also have a meeting today with
governing socialist party of PASOK central committee secretary
Kostas Skandalidis. The party's executive bureau meets today
chaired by Mr. Simitis to discuss issues concerning the party
congress that will be held in March.
[22] GREECE'S BALKAN POLICY GIVES VERY GOOD RESULTS
Greek foreign ministry general secretary professor Stelios
Perakis stated that the Balkan policy followed by Greece gives
very good results, while at the same time he underlined that
Greece's role should become more intense toward the incorporation
of the Balkan states into the European procedures.
In his speech in an event organized by the Institute for
Balkan Studies Mr. Perakis stressed that Greece is the only
country that has a historical knowledge of the Balkans and is
truly interested in the region's security, while he also pointed
out the dangers for Europe and the Balkans in case the procedures
for the closer cooperation of the Balkan states with the European
Union do not move ahead.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[23] CYPRIOT PRESIDENT CLERIDES TO MEET WITH SIR DAVID HANNAY IN
LONDON
Cypriot President Glafkos Clerides is to meet with the
British envoy for the Cyprus issue Sir David Hannay in London
today, where the later will brief the Cypriot leader on his recent
talks in Turkey.
This evening, President Clerides will speak at the London
School of Economics on Cyprus's course to the European Union.
Mr. Clerides will depart London for Athens on Thursday.
[24] NATO DISMISSES BELGRADE'S CLAIMS OVER RAPID INTERVENTION
FORCE
NATO officials in Brussels have dismissed Belgrade's claims
that the deployment of a rapid intervention force into Yugoslavia
constitutes a direct threat to the national security.
The said force will comprise approximately 2,000 troops whose
main mission would be to provide exit avenues and protection to
the OSCE observers stationed in Kossovo, in case conflict erupts
again in the region.
[25] TURKISH CHRISTIANS PROTEST IN ZURICH
Eighty Christians of Turkish origin held a protest in Zurich
aimed at sensitizing the international public opinion over the
oppression of the Turkish state.
According to the Swiss news agency, they are Assyrian
Christians of Turkish origin living in Germany, Belgium, Holland
and Switzerland. The protesters want to inform the public opinion
that the Kurdish minority is not the only one that is being
oppressed in Turkey and at the same time, they express their
solidarity to Kurdish PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan.
The protesters have occupied a church at the center of Zurich
and they threaten that they will set themselves on fire in case of
an effort to force them out.
[26] A DEVELOPMENT OFFICE WILL OPEN IN GEVGELI WITH THE HELP OF
GREECE
An office of development will open in the following days in
FYROM's border town of Gevgeli with the financial backing of the
Greek ministry of interior, public administration and
decentralization.
The above were announced in Gevgeli after the meeting of a
Greek interior ministry delegation with local administration
representatives. It should be noted that it is a pilot programme
which is implemented for the first time in FYROM and is part of
the regional cooperation between the local administrations of the
two countries.
[27] PRESIDENT YELTSIN'S STATE OF HEALTH CAUSED CONCERN IN RUSSIA
The deterioration of president Yeltsin's state of health has
caused concern in Moscow and the communists speak about early
elections.
As it was made known, the Russian president will remain in
hospital for about two weeks in order to recover from the
pneumonia he is suffering from. According to his doctors, Mr.
Yeltsin's state of health is stable.
