MPA NEWS IN BRIEF (19/03/1996)

From: Macedonian Press Agency <mpa@philippos.mpa.gr>

Macedonian Press Agency Brief News in English Directory

BRIEF GREEK NEWS BULLETIN BY MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY

TITLES

[01] NOBELIST POET ODYSSEAS ELYTIS WILL BE BURIED TODAY

As was his last wish, laureate poet Odysseas Elytis will be buried in a deep, Christian silence, without obituaries or eulogies read from dignitaries.

The burial will take place today at Athens First Cemetery in a small family ceremony. The renowned poet died yesterday at his home in Athens from a heart attack. He was 85 years old.

Elytis was bestowed with the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1979 for his poem "To Axion Esti" which was accepted by the Swedish Academy as "one of the 20th century literature's most concentrated and richly faceted poems."

The President of the Hellenic Republic Kostis Stefanopoulos, the Prime Minister Kostas Simitis, the President and founder of PASOK Andreas Papandreou, as well as an array of other intellectuals and artists have expressed their profound sadness for the poet's death.

[02] PREMIER TO PROMOTE A STRONGER GREECE AT THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL

The Greek government is under no illusions regarding the difficulties it might encounter at trying to promote its goals during the European Union's Intergovernmental Conference (IGC), scheduled to take place in Turin, Italy at the end of the month.

According to yesterday's parliamentary address given by the Greek Premier Kostas Simitis, Greece's proposals at the IGC are might not coincide with the views held by the other EU countries- members.

From the Parliament's podium, the Premier emphasized that the country's national strategy aims at a strong Greece that "participates in the on-going developments and determines its future.

"There are countries-members which have quite different points of view from us," Mr. Simitis stated, adding "however, we will fight for our goals, we will struggle. We want to be present, to influence the developments, since we must work for a better Europe in which Greece can be stronger, where Greece can play a more decisive role, where its input can be improved, in order to upgrade its citizens' living standards," the Premier stated.

The Premier maintained his principle of unanimity on issues affecting vital national interests of member-states.

[03] MAIN OPPOSITION LEADER WANTS A FEDERATED EUROPEAN UNION

In his parliamentary address, Miltiades Evert, the leader of Greece's main opposition party New Democracy stated that the ultimate target of the European Union's Intergovernmental Conference should be a federal unionization of Europe where every country-member will maintain its integrity intact.

Mr. Evert requested that the Greek defense and foreign policy targets be further clarified and stated that they must aim at securing the EU's external borders as well as those of the countries that compose the EU , with guarrantees and respect afforded to the International Law and International Accords, and finally, at the recognition and respect of the rights of and obligations to communal solidarity.

[04] POLITICAL SPRING LEADER WANTS TO MAINTAIN UNANIMITY IN THE EU

Antonis Samaras, the President of opposition party Political Spring, is in favor of maintaining the principle of unanimity in the European Union, supporting that the time has not come yet to proceed to the majority rule principle.

In his Parliamentary speech given yesterday evening, Mr. Samaras also asked that a united co-ordinating body be created in Athens in order to closely follow the upcoming Intergovernmental Conference discussions, and to have the ability to draw quick and judicious decisions regarding Greek policy-making.

[05] GREEK PRIME MINISTER TO VISIT ROME ON MARCH 21

Greek Prime Minister Kostas Simitis will make a one-day visit to Rome on March 21, as part of Greece's efforts to keep its European allies abreast of its positions.

Mr. Simitis will travel to Italy again on March 29 in order to participate in the European Union's Intergovernmental Conference, scheduled to take place in Turin.

[06] GREEK FARMERS TO ORGANIZE COUNTRY-WIDE PROTESTS TODAY

Greek farmers will organize a country-wide rally today, beginning in Athens where they will surround the Ministry of Agriculture's building and demand immediate solutions to their problems.

This afternoon, Greek Prime Minister Kostas Simitis will meet with the Presidium of PASEGES and is expected to announce a package of measures for the farmers and livestock breeders.

As part of their protests, the farmers plan to block sections of the national highway.

[07] U.S. AMBASSADOR TO FYROM APPOINTED YESTERDAY

Christopher Hill is the United States Ambassador to Skopje as of yesterday, announced the State Department.

According to the announcement, Mr. Hill is knowledgeable on issues concering the Balkans and central Europe and, prior to his appointment, he had been involved in the application of the Dayton Accord to Bosnia.

[08] BOSNIAN LEADERS MEET IN GENEVA

Amidst a climate of skepticism, the leaders of the three sections of Bosnia met yesterday in Geneva in an American-made effort to bolster the trouble spots of the Dayton Accord.

Despite objections expressed by Russia and many European countries, the United States government summoned the leaders of Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia in Geneva in an effort to convince them into fullfilling the terms of the Dayton-signed Accord.

Serb President Slobodan Milosevic, his Croatian counterpart Franjo Tudjman and Bosnian acting President Ejup Ganic met separately with the Bosnian Contact Group and reviewed a document that reports the nine-points related to the Croat-Moslem federation, the release of war prisoners, the maintenance of Sarajevo's multi-ethnic character, the Bosnian territorial integrity and the division of power among Serbs, Croats and Moslems.

[09] HELSINKI WATCH FINDS HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN ALBANIA

The annual report of the Helsinki-Watch Human Rights Committee has found the Albanian government guilty of continuous human rights violations, part of which are limiting the citizens' freedom of expression and subverting justice.

The report emphasizes that "despite the substantial progress noted during the past five years, the single-party notion is still adopted by the majority of the country's new leaders."

This ideal, which is characterized by the Helsinki Committee as a "stalinist" one, is the cause of delay in the country's procession to democracy.

The reports enumerates violations such as "courts being manipulated against opposition parties, the main opposition leader in prison after being subjected to a mock- trial, government interefering with the courts, selecting incapable individuals who, after followng six-month long seminars, are considered to be judges, the law regarding genocide that aims at distancing from the political world those who oppose the governments' ideology."

The report also refers to the Greek minority living in Albania and notes that "although a small progress has been made in greek-albanian relations, many problems still remain, such as the teaching of the greek language at school and the creation of new classes at the schools of Argyrokastro, Aghion Saranta and Delvino."

Moreover, there are references made to the problems created in the past during greek-albanian protest rallies, the obstacles journalists encounter and the governmental seizure of television footage.

The Helsinki Committee demands the "respect of the minority's right to develop and express its national, cultural, religious and language identity."

The Albanian government, the report states, must be especially sensitive to the need of teaching the mother tongue, to providing the neccessary number of classes and properly trained teachers, along with the need of appropriate programs and school books, so that constitutional rights are met."

In a separate chapter, the report refers to the difficulties Albania's Orthodox Church is facing, specifically the obstacles the Archbishop Anastasios must overcome in his effort to fulfil his mission, as well as the issue of returning church property assets.