Subject: News I (Greek Press Office BBS in Ottawa).
To: macedonia@husc.harvard.edu (macedonia list.)
Date: Thu, 15 Jul 93 13:45:04 EDT

 bulletin, 15/07/1993 ( )
 ------------------------

 Bulletin Athens News Agency

        Athens,15/7/93(ANA)--Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis
yesterday called on Albania to afford the same rights to the ethnic
Greek minority in Northern Epirus (southern Albania) as Tirana
demanded for its own minority in former Yugoslavia.
        Speaking at a press conference,Mr Mitsotakis set six
conditions for a ''rapid and substantial'' improvement in Greek-
Albanian relations and said that Athens was prepared to sign an
agreement with Tirana on the granting of work permits to a ''large
number'' of Albanian seasonal workers.
        Listing the conditions for an improvement in Greek-Albanian
relations which worsened recently following the expulsion of a
senior Greek Orthodox cleric from Gyrokastr, Mr Mitsotakis said
firstly that Archimandrite Chrysostomos must be permitted to return
to Albania and reassume his duties.
        In addition, he said, all church property confiscated by
the Communist regime must be returned to the communities to which
it belongs and Orthodox Christians must be allowed to freely
perform their religious duties,including the free use of the  Greek
language services.
        Secondly, he said, the Albanian government must permit the
establishment of ethnic Greek minority schools, both private and
public, and allow lessons to be taught in the Greek language at all
levels throughout all the regions inhabited by ethnic Greeks and
not only in the ''arbitrarily designated minority regions'' .
        As a third condition, Mr Mitsotakis said that the
political, educational, cultural and social organisations of the
Greek minority should be allowed to develop freely and all property
belonging to the Greek communities which was confiscated by the
former Communist regime should be returned, including schools,
libraries and cultural centres.
        Fourthly, he went on, the Albanian government must stop
harassing and arbitrarily dismissing members of the Greek minority
from public service and afford equal opportunities in the central
administration to all minorities and substantial access to the
state media.
        Tirana must enable the families who, since 1944, have
abandoned their homes in Northern Epirus to return, and to support
any claims they may have for the return of their property and their
re-settlement in the communities they were forced to leave.
        The sixth condition set by Mr Mitsotakis was that the
Albanian government ''must stop interfering with the right of
Albanian citizens to declare whatever ethnic identity they wish,
according to international principles and must institute programmes
that discourage prejudice and hostility towards ethnic Greeks and
other minorities''.
        ''We are prepared to work with the Albanian leaders to find
common ground to resolve any of our differences on minority
rights'', Mr Mitsotakis said, adding:
        ''If differences persist, we are prepared to enter into an
understanding with the Albanian government'' and bring the issue of
Albania's obligations towards the Greek minority before the
International Court for clarification.
        Mr Mitsotakis said that Greece did not harbour feelings  of
hostility towards the Albanian government or the Albanian people.
        The Greek government, he said,  was the first government in
the region which unequivocally stated its opposition to any change
in borders. ''We want to do whatever is possible to improve the
lives of all Albanians. While we can't allow all Albanian workers
to enter Greece, we are prepared to give permits to a large number
of seasonal workers..., he added.
        Mr Mitsotakis underlined however that legal work permits
were a prerequisite ''because the Greek state cannot tolerate the
violation of its laws'' and because it was the only solution for an
end to the high incidence of crime which ''although concerned only
a small minority of illegal immigrants, considerably strains the
relations between our two peoples''.
        At the present time, he said, there are more Albanian
immigrants in Greece than in any other country in the world.
        ''However, when the violation of Greek laws continues and
the number of workers exceeds our capacity to absorb them, as has
been the case in recent months, then we are forced to expel those
who entered the country illegally, which is what we have been doing
recently . All the developled  countries have been forced in recent
years to expel illegal foreign workers on a mass sscale..Despite
this, Greece is ready and willing to negotiate and immediately sign
an agreement on the issue of the legal presence of Albanians in
Greece, which, however, will be based on the close guarding by both
countries of their common border so as to put an end to the
phenomenon of illegal immigration'', Mr Mitsotakis said.
        Mr Mitsotakis said that Greece desired relations between
the two countries to serve as a model of friendship and cooperation
between neighbouring states.
        ''But this cannot come about'', he added, ''unless an end
is put to the ill-treatment of the Greek minority and they are
afforded all the human rights to which they are entitled...''
        The Greek minority, Mr Mitsotakis said, does not constitute
a threat to Albania.
        ''On the contrary, it constitutes a bridge of friendship
and cooperation between Albania and Greece, the country which can
help the Albanian people more than any other country''.
        At the same time that Tirana was suppressing the rights of
the ethnic Greeks, Mr Mitsotakis said, it was demanding full rights
for the Albanian minorities of Serbia, Skopje and Kosovo.
        ''This undisguised policy of double standards is clearly
unacceptable and unjust'', Mr Mitsotakis said, adding that Greece
demanded the same rithts for the Greek minority in Albania as those
demanded by Tirana for the Albanian minorities in former
Yugoslavia.
        He warned that Athens would not accept any attempt ''for
wherever it may come'' which applied one set of measures for the
Albanian minorities outside Albania and other measures for the
Greek community living in Albania.
        Replying to press questions on the six conditions, Mr
Mitsotakis said that Greece was merely demanding implementation by
Tirana of what Albania had already agreed to.
        ''Greece,'' he said, ''is not a second-class state''.
        He said that the expulsion of illegal Albanian immigrants
would continue although at a lesser pace.
        Mr Mitsotakis referred to the possibility of achieving ''an
overall and permanent solution to the Balkan problem''.
        Developments in Bosnia-Herzegovina held out hope for a
solution, he said, adding that ''the wider Yugoslav problem  should
be handled with an overall solution which we should prepare'' and
which, he said, may be ''closer than some expect''.
        He pointed out once again that developments had vindicated
Greece's policy of fairness to all sides, which has now been
adopted by all.
        The basic axes of this policy are two, the premier said:
first, the inviolability of borders and second, the equal treatment
for equal cases of large minorities.
        Mr Mitsotakis also warned that any presence of US troops in
neighbouring Albania could cause a resurgence of Albanian
nationalism in the region.
        ''Washington must take into consideration that the mere
presence of US troops in Albania-or even in Skopje-could cause a
resurgence of Albanian nationalism and the policy of the United
States must be unswering on the principle of the inviolability of 
borders'', Mr Mitsotakis said.
        He stressed that there would never be peace in the Balkans
as long as talk of change of borders continued. ana

        Athens, 15/7/93(ANA)--Serbian opposition leader Vuk
Draskovic yesterday thanked Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis
for efforts that led Serbian authorities to release him and his
wife from custody.
        ''Mr Draskovic expressed his gratitude for the efforts of
Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis that resulted in his and his
wife's release (from custody), and once again reconfirmed Greek-
Serbian ties of friendship'', a government announcement said.
        Mr Draskovic, leader of the Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO),
faced charges of assaulting a police office and incitement to riot
stemming from a June 2 demonstration in which a policeman was
killed and scores of protesters injured.
        Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic, who last Friday
released the opposition leader from custody, said he was pardoning
Mr Draskovic on the count of incitement but was not dropping
assault charges. ana

        United Nations, 15/7/93(ANA-M.Georgiadou)--UN Secretary
General Boutros Boutros Ghali has asked Greece and the Former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to resolve their differences before
the General Assembly convenes in September, UN spokesman Joe Sills
said yesterday.
        Mr Sills said the secretary general had sent two identical
letters to Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis and to FYROM
President Kiro Gligorov, reminding them of the conditions set out
in Security Council Resolution 845 concerning the outstanding
differences between Greece and FYROM.
        He said the Security Council has called on both sides to
continue their efforts under the aegis of the secretary general for
a speedy solution of outstanding differences.
        The secretary general informed them, he said, that former
co-chairman of the Geneva conference Cyrus Vance has agreed to
continue his good offices to help both sides reach an agreement.
Negotiations will stard on August 1, he said.
        ''In the letters, the secretary general expresses the hope
that the two sides will be able to resolve their differences before
the 48th General Assembly convenes in September'', he said.
        Asked where the negotiations will take place, Mr Sills said
he did no know. Responding to another question, Mr Sills said the
letters addressed to Mr Mitsotakis and Mr Gligorov by the
secretary general would not be released. ana

        Strasbourg, 15/7/93(ANA-K.Verros)--The current president of
the European Community Council of Ministers,Belgian Foreign
Minister Willy Claes yesterday said he believed the Skopje issue
was moving in the direction of resolution. ''I do not believe that
we are moving towards a state of conflict but towards a state of
calm'', he said, in response to a question.He said he could not see
any dangers to peace developing in the region of the Former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, adding that the presence of US
peacekeeping troops was an added advantage.
        Mr Claes said he would ask the General Affairs Council
meeting on July 19 for a mandate to visit former Yugoslavia,
specifically, Belgrade and Sarajevo, to undertake talks aimed at
finding a peaceful solution which will be acceptable by all sides.
ana

        Athens, 15/7/93(ANA)--Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis
said yesterday that a just solution to the Cyprus problem had
always been and will always be the first priority of Greek foreign
policy.
        The Cyprus issue is in ''the frontline of national
priorities'', he said.
        Referring to the progress of Cyprus' bid for accession to
the EC, Mr Mitsotakis pointed out that the Greek government at the
recent Copenhagen summit achieved ''more than what it could have
hoped for''. Copenhagen constituted a ''great victory'' on the
issue of the accession of Cyprus to the EC, he said. ana

        Athens, 15/7/93(ANA)--Foreign Minister Michalis
Papaconstantinou  yesterday held talks with his Egyptian
counterpart Amr Moussa, who is on a three  day official visit to
Greece.
        The Egyptian delegation accompanying Mr Moussa later held
talks with  a Greek delegation on all sectors of cooperation
between the two countries.
        Mr Moussa will meet Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis
today.
        Tomorrow, Mr Papaconstantinou and Mr Moussa will sign a
protocol of cooperation between Greece and Egypt, before holding a
joint press conference. ana

        Athens,15/7/93(ANA)--NATO's Supreme Allied Commander in
Europe, General John M Shalikashvili, will pay a two-day official
visit to Greece July 20-21 at the invitation of the chief of the
National Defence General Staff, General Dimitries Skarvelis.
        The general will meet Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis 
and National Defence Minister Ioannis Varvitsiotis on the day of
his arrival to discuss various issues, including the operation of
the NATO Headquarters in Greece.
        General Shalikashvili will also meet with General
Skarvelis. He will also visit the Third Army Corps in Thessaloniki,
from where he will leave for Brussels. ana

        Athens, 15/7/93(ANA)--A strong earthquake measuring 5.4 on
the Richter scale shook the port city of Patras yesterday, causing
damage to buildings.
        The epicentre of the quake at 3.32 p.m was the Bay of
Patras, 180 kilometres west of Athens. It was followed by two
weaker tremors.
        Seismology Professor Ioannis Drakopoulos said that the area
of the epicentre was known for its high incidence of seismic
activity and did not rule out an even bigger quake. End