MPA NEWS IN BRIEF (09/05/1996)

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

Macedonian Press Agency Brief News in English Directory

BRIEF GREEK NEWS BULLETIN BY MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY

Thessaloniki May 9 (M.P.A.)

[A] NATIONAL NEWS

[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

TITLES

[A] NATIONAL NEWS

[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

NEWS IN DETAIL

[A] NATIONAL NEWS

[01] GREEK PRESIDENT TO MEET WITH US PRESIDENT IN WHITE HOUSE TODAY

President Kostis Stephanopoulos will meet with US President Bill Clinton today in the White House, where he will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos, Greek Ambassador to the US Lukas Tsilas, and the Hellenic Republic's Secretary-General E. Gigas, during the first of two successive meetings.

Also present at this meeting, from the US side, will be Vice- President Al Gore, National Security Advisor Anthony Lake, and - possibly- Secretary of State Warren Christopher.

A second, and longer, session will follow, where the Greek team will be joined by Education Minister George Papandreou, the first General Director of the Foreign Ministry Mr. Filon, the Director of Bilateral Relations Mr. Ladopoulos, the Director of the Foreign Ministry's Diplomatic Office Mr. Zografos and his counterpart from the Office of the Hellenic Republic Mr. Kaklikis.

On the US behalf at this meeting, aside from President Clinton, Mr. Gore, Mr. Lake and Mr. Christopher, will be the White House Personnel Director Leon Panetta, the US Ambassador to Athens Thomas Niles, the US Assistant Secretary of State John Kornblum, and the Presidential Aide and Director of European Affairs of the National Security Council Mr. Vershbow.

Following the meeting, the two Presidents will give a joint press conference.

In turn, President Stephanopoulos will go to the State Department, where he will attend a luncheon hosted in his honor by Vice-President Al Gore.

In the evening, President Clinton and his wife Hillary, will host a formal reception dinner at the White House grounds to honor the Greek head of state.

[02] GREEK PRESIDENT SAYS: CYPRUS IS A KEY ISSUE, US HAS RENEWED INTEREST

President of Greece Kostis Stephanopoulos, referring to Cyprus in a speech he gave in Washington, stated that it is a key issue for which the United States, and the European Union as well, have renewed their interest.

The President, speaking at the "Conference on the Greek-US Relationship and the Future of Southeast Europe" -jointly organized by the Institute for Foreign Policy of Law and Diplomacy and the Konstantinos Karamanlis Foundation- stated that Cyprus is called upon to make new significant concessions, which means that Turkey's intransigence is rewarded.

President Stephanopoulos also referred to Turkey's demand that the cypriot issue is resolved prior to Cyprus' EU accession, stating that Ankara does not have the right to make such a demand. He added that resolving the Cyprus issue is impossible as long as Turkey insists on its intransigence policy.

Specifically, the President characterized Turkey's attempt to impede Cyprus' EU accession, while at the same time promoting its own, as a "double extortion."

[03] FOREIGN MINISTER: LINKING THE ISSUES OF CYPRUS' EU ACCESSION WITH TURKEY'S CUSTOMS UNIION WOULD CAUSE A MAJOR CRISIS IN THE COMMUNITY

Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos forewarned that Turkey is preparing a new invasion, which he characterized as likely, speaking at a conference organized by the Fletcher Institute and the Konstantinos Karamanlis Foundation in Washington.

Speaking of 1,000 landing craft that are in a ready position at the turkish shores, Mr. Pangalos issued a stern warning to the European Union member-states, aimed specifically towards Germany and France, not to link the issues of Cyprus' accession to the EU with Turkey's Customs Union during the upcoming Monday's EU Foreign Ministers Council, because, he stated, the EU will face the biggest crisis in its history.

Speaking to Greek reporters covering the President's US visit, Mr. Pangalos referred to the EU Foreign Ministers Council and stated that "unfortunately, certain representatives at the meeting wanted to link Cyprus' EU accession to Greece's veto on Turkey's funding. I have already warned that this would lead to a major crisis for the Community in its entirety and for its operation."

Mr. Pangalos also stated that Greek ambassadors stationed in all EU member-states are taking diplomatic steps toward this direction and added that all of the EU ambassadors to Athens have been summoned by the Secretary-General Mr. Perakis who has told them that if there is any such attempt (to link the issues) "Greece will consider as self-evident the blocking of the EU- Malta Association Council."

"Malta and Cyprus go together," the Foreign Minister stated.

"If there is no Cyprus, there will be no Malta. That will be the first step," Mr. Pangalos said, adding that the second step will be Greece's systematic obstructions to all of the Community's foreign relations, without exception.

In other words, "whenever there is a unanimous decision, Greece will exercise its veto power," Mr. Pangalos said, adding that "the attempt to link Turkey's expansionist aspirations with Cyprus' legal relations with Europe, is completely irational from a political point of view and wholly unethical."

Mr. Pangalos emphasized that Greece will exercise its rights as they are outlined by the european institutions and accords, and characterized as inconceivable Turkey's EU funding "as long as this country extorts and threatens Greece and maintains territorial claims against us."

The Foreign Minister insisted that Greece will maintain these positions and called upon the EU allies to adopt them, otherwise, he foresaw, "we will enter into a crisis situation in the Union as a whole, which, I believe, will be unprecedented."

"We are not a big EU member-state, but Europe does not belong to some, it belongs to all and it belongs to us, too, and we demand that our rights are accepted equally," Mr. Pangalos stated.

Concluding, he noted that "it is ridiculous to speak of an Inter-Governmental Conference, common foreign policy and common defense policy when this group of nations is not in a position to display basic solidarity on such a clear issue."

Mr. Pangalos did not hesitate to state that Germany and France created the problem with the tolerance of the Italian EU presidency.

He characterized as "outrageous" that Greece finds understanding and sensitivity towards the greek positions from the US, and not from its European Union partners.

[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

[04] GREEK AMERICAN COMMUNITY LEADERS DISCUSS CYPRIOT ISSUE WITH US UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE JOHN KORNBLUM

United States Under-Secretary of State John Kornblum, accompanied by a delegation of State Department officials, met yesterday with leaders of the Greek-American community, headed by the President of the World Hellenism Council Andrew Athens.

According to reports, the State Department officials who are dealing with the Cypriot issue, said that the US positions regarding an imminent US initiative to solve the Cyprus issue will be announced within the next two months and will have been completed by the time Cypriot President Glafkos Clerides visits Washington.

The president of the Justice for Cyprus Commission Savas Tsivikos characterized the meeting's outcomes as positive and stated that the Americans have realized that Turkey must proceed to some action.

Also participating in the meeting were the assistant Under- secretary of State Marshal Anter, the special coordinator for Cyprus Jim Williams and the State Department's South Europe Director Kerry Kavano.

[05] CYPRIOT PRESIDENT: ANY TALK ON CYPRUS ISSUE WILL BE A LOSS OF TIME IF THERE IS NOT AN AGREEMENT ON THE ISSUE OF FUTURE SECURITY

"Any discusssion on the cypriot issue will be a loss of time if there is not an agreement on the issue of future security," stated the Cypriot President Glafkos Clerides, while emphasizing that Washington has accepted this greek-cypriot position.

In a recent interview, President Clerides prioritized the issue of security and accession to the European Union, followed by the issues of sovereignty, territory and basic freedoms.

"If there is rapprochement on these issues, our side is ready to sit at the negotiations table," Mr. Clerides stated.

He also stated that, following the UN Secretary-General Butros Ghali's findings of an impasse in the cypriot issue, the United States, European Union and Britain have decided to undertake initiatives instead of adopting the UN's alternate proposals.

"Our side hopes that there will be a coordination of these initiatives," Mr. Clerides stated.

"Currently, coordination has begun between Washington and London with deliberations being carried out on determining the role and the manner in which the EU will be represented in the talks," the Cypriot President said, adding that there is no agreement on a five-day summit taking place regarding the Cyprus issue.

Mr. Clerides also assessed that no american initiative is expected to take place prior to the US elections in November.

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