Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English, 99-03-02

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From: The Macedonian Press Agency at http://www.mpa.gr and http://www.hri.org/MPA.

BRIEF GREEK NEWS BULLETIN BY THE MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY

Thessaloniki, March 2, 1999

TITLES

[01] STATE DEPARTMENT: GREECE DOES NOT SUPPORT TERRORISM

[02] GREECE'S AMBASSADOR TO KENYA TESTIFIES FOR 15 HOURS

[03] OSCE PRESIDENT KNUT VOLLEBAEK TRAVELS TO PRISHTINA TODAY

[04] PRESIDENT STEPHANOPOULOS IN UZBEKISTAN

[05] GREEK INDUSTRIES FEDERATION IN N.GREECE RESPONDS TO KOC

[06] CONCERT HELD IN SUPPORT OF KURDS DRAWS LARGE CROWD

[07] GREECE-US MILITARY EXERCISE BEGINS IN THE AEGEAN TODAY

[08] FORMER FM PANGALOS INCENSED OVER SWEDISH WIRE REPORT

[09] BORDER ZONE TO INCREASE DEVELOPMENT IN N.E. GREECE

[10] C OF E'S COMMITTEE FOR PREVENTION OF TORTURE TO VISIT OCALAN

[11] STATE DEPARTMENT: WASHINGTON POST'S CLAIMS ARE UNFOUNDED

[12] MILOSEVIC REFUSES DEPLOYMENT OF NATO TROOPS IN KOSOVO

NEWS IN DETAIL

[01] STATE DEPARTMENT: GREECE DOES NOT SUPPORT TERRORISM

Washington, March 2 (MPA)

State Department spokesperson James Foley stated that Greece is a friendly country, an ally of the United States.

"We work closely with Greece on a whole range of issues - regional, economic, strategic, political." While adding that the US disagree with Greece granting asylum to two colleagues of the of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, the matter should be placed into perspective.

"The terrorism list is something which covers repeated, systematic, high-level pattern of state sponsored support for terrorism, and I wouldn't talk about a close NATO ally and such a prospect in the same breath," he said. A.F.

[02] GREECE'S AMBASSADOR TO KENYA TESTIFIES FOR 15 HOURS

Athens, March 2 (MPA)

The former public relations manager at the Athens airport, Stephanos Evangelatos, is also to provide additional testimony today. Also, the Greek Intelligence Service agent Maj. Savvas Kalenteridis is to appear once more before the prosecutor today. A.F.

[03] OSCE PRESIDENT KNUT VOLLEBAEK TRAVELS TO PRISHTINA TODAY

Prishtina, March 2 (MPA)

Mr. Vollebaek, who is also the President of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, is presently in Prishtina where he will hold talks with the region's ethnic Albanians.

Meanwhile United States former presidential candidate Bob Dole, at the Secretary of State's prodding, will try to persuade the Albanians into accepting the interim agreement of Rambouillet. A.F.

[04] PRESIDENT STEPHANOPOULOS IN UZBEKISTAN

Tashkent, March 2 (MPA)

Megrs. Karimof and Stephanopoulos are expected to sign agreements on consular issues and road transport. Greece and Uzbekistan signed a friendship and cooperation pact and a series of cooperation agreements in commerce, technology, training and tourism when Mr. Karimof visited Greece on April 1, 1997.

During his aircraft's refueling stop in Tbilisi, Georgia yesterday, while en route to Tashkent, President Stephanopoulos had an hour-long meeting with Georgina President Eduard Shevardnadze who received the Greek President with a guard of honor. They discussed bilateral relations as well as on Mr. Stephanopoulos' planned official visit to Georgia in May. A.F.

[05] GREEK INDUSTRIES FEDERATION IN N.GREECE RESPONDS TO KOC

Thessaloniki, March 2 (MPA)

In a letter addressed to Mr. Koc, Mr. Takas stated that "while the directive to cease business activity was not aimed at us, we feel that we have an obligation to respond.

"We disregard your one-sided criticism on the Greek governments policy on Greek-Turkish issues. We are not going to follow you, since we also conduct our own harsh but documented criticism regarding the Turkish governments' provocations towards Greece.

"Our peoples have enough memory and knowledge of history to judge the functions of democracy and human rights throughout the history of both countries as well as the reasons that provoked Greek-Turkish conflict," Mr. Takas writes in his letter.

He further notes that personal contacts have greatly developed during the recent years among businessmen from both countries, thereby promoting business cooperation in South-Eastern Europe in an effort to dissociate business ties from political developments.

"Through common actions" he adds, "we tried to create a spirit of mutual trust and respect, by believing that the economic interests that would develop would create a climate which in turn would aid relations between the two countries. We insist on these efforts, both at a bilateral level, as well as at the Balkan, Black Sea and European levels."

We realize the pressure recently exerted on you to put an end to the spirit of Greek-Turkish friendship and cooperation inaugurated with the Papandreou-Ozal meeting in Davos...However, we cannot receive without returning the insulting accusations (hurled) at the business world of Greece and the entire Greek society, which lives freely in an entirely democratic and European environment." A.F.

[06] CONCERT HELD IN SUPPORT OF KURDS DRAWS LARGE CROWD

Athens, March 2 (MPA)

A salute was forwarded by Italian Nobel prize laureate in literature, Dario Fo, who said that "For us it is a political choice to stand by the Kurdish people and Ocalan." A.F.

[07] GREECE-US MILITARY EXERCISE BEGINS IN THE AEGEAN TODAY

Athens, March 2 (MPA)

The exercise is part of a framework of bilateral cooperation and joint training between all Greek forces and corresponding ones from the United States. Greece is participating with its 32nd marine brigade, a frigate, a destroyer, three landing craft and a number of support vessels.

The United States are participating with two landing craft and a 1,500-troop force. The exercise will be coordinated by the Greek national defense general staff. A.F.

[08] FORMER FM PANGALOS INCENSED OVER SWEDISH WIRE REPORT

Milan, March 2 (MPA)

The report claimed that Mr. Pangalos made the statement on the sidelines of the European Socialist party meeting in Milan yesterday.

Mr. Pangalos characterized the report as "a figment of imagination" and stated emphatically that he did not speak to any Swedish reporter on the Ocalan affair. Moreover, he added that the only talks he held with journalists concerned the ESP's future. A.F.

[09] BORDER ZONE TO INCREASE DEVELOPMENT IN N.E. GREECE

Thessaloniki, March 2 (MPA)

The program will be presented tomorrow by the minster of Macedonia-Thrace Yiannis Magriotis to the mayors of the border municipalities of Central Macedonia, Serres, Kilkis and Pella. A.F.

[10] C OF E'S COMMITTEE FOR PREVENTION OF TORTURE TO VISIT OCALAN

Washington, March 2 (MPA)

Mr. Ocalan is presently incarcerated by Turkish authorities at the high-security prison of Imrali island. A.F.

[11] STATE DEPARTMENT: WASHINGTON POST'S CLAIMS ARE UNFOUNDED

Washington, March 2 (MPA)

When asked during the regular press briefing yesterday if the United States are satisfied with the Greek government's response to these allegations, Mr. Foley stated that the preliminary answer is that the findings are pointing in the direction of a satisfactory resolution of the matter.

"They look promising. I can't give you a formal read-out because we had a Pentagon delegation that went over to Greece because, indeed, there were allegations concerning Greek unauthorized transfer of US origin military technology to Russia. But the key word here is "allegation." We conducted an investigation with the fullest cooperation of Greece and the US Government agencies are currently awaiting the investigator's report for analysis.

They have completed the work. My understanding, preliminarily, is that the results look very promising. The Pentagon will be briefing congressional committees who are already kept abreast of the matter.

I'm not going to comment on specifics until that consultation and briefing is complete and we have the final report," Mr. Foley said.

When asked if this matter is only concerning allegations, the State Department spokesman said that the matter consists of two parts.

"One is an allegation; not a truth, but an allegation. The other is the fact that the allegation happened to cover a serious matter. Therefore, you have to investigate if it's serious, if it's not minor. But it's looking good, as I understand it," Mr. Foley explained, assuring the journalists that it turned out to be a false allegation and that there was no transfer of technology.

When asked if the US plan to include Greece on the list of countries which support terrorism, or at least urge them to close all terrorist training camp in the Greek territory, Mr. Foley responded that another journalist had tried to draw him "down that path" last week and said that he refuses to be drawn in that direction.

"Greece is a friendly country, is an ally of the United States. We work closely with Greece on a whole range of issues - regional, economic, strategic, political. We disagree with Greece over what happened in the Ocalan affair, as well as with the asylum granted to his two colleagues. We make no bones about that. But let's put this in perspective. The terrorism list is something which covers repeated, systematic, high-level pattern of state sponsored support for terrorism, and I wouldn't talk about a close NATO ally and such a prospect in the same breath," he said.

When asked if the United States believe that PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan can get a fair trial in Turkey, taking into account the treatment given to the attorneys of the accused, Mr. Foley responded that the US have welcomed the statement given by Turkish Premier Bulent Ecevit on February 26 who said that he has taken measures necessary to prevent demonstrators from threatening Mr. Ocalan's lawyers.

"We believe that Turkey understands that it's in Turkey's interest to create the conditions necessary for Ocalan's trial to be conducted in a transparent way and in accordance with its obligations under international human rights instruments," Mr. Foley said.

"I think Turkey does not necessarily need to hear from other countries that its treatment of Ocalan is in many ways going to be very closely watched, inevitably, by the international community, by virtue of the very fact that Turkey achieved such a notable counter- terrorism success. The fact is there is a greater spotlight; and it is, indeed, an opportunity for Turkey to show how well its system of justice can work in transparency and in accordance with international norms. That's certainly what Turkey has committed itself to do, and that's certainly what we expect it to do." A.F.

[12] MILOSEVIC REFUSES DEPLOYMENT OF NATO TROOPS IN KOSOVO

Prishtina, March 2 (MPA)

During his meeting with the President of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Knut Vollebaek, the Yugoslav president stressed that if an agreement is reached during the second round of talks between the Serbs and the ethnic Albanians of Kosovo, to be held in Rambouillet on March 15, then the presence of NATO troops in Kosovo will not be necessary.

Mr. Vollebaek stated that "I find it hard to understand how the agreement will be applied without the presence of a peacekeeping force", pointing out that, aside from the sporadic conflict that erupts in the region, there's also lack of trust between the two sides.

He said that if the agreement is signed when talks resume on March 15, then OSCE's verification mission would need military back up. A.F.

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