Subject: News I (Greek Press Office BBS, Ottawa). To: macedonia@husc.harvard.edu (macedonia list.) Date: Thu, 22 Jul 93 13:39:38 EDT Bulletin, 22/07/1993 ( ) ------------------------ A.N.A. Athens, 22/7/1993 (ANA): Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis said yesterday that recent statements by the Albanian leadership had left him with the impression that Tirana had not ``conclusively sorted out its positions`` on the ethnic Greek minority and the development of Greek-Albanian relations. ``Greece's position is unshakeable``, Mr. Mitsotakis told reporters after a Cabinet meeting, expressing the hope that reason would prevail on the part of Albania. ``It is quite clear``, he went on, ``that Greece is demanding for the Greek minority (in southern Albania) precisely what Tirana is demanding for the Albanian minorities in former Yugoslavia. At the same time, however, not only is Greece not raising the issue of (a change of) borders, but is the main champion of the principle of inviolability of existing borders in the region``. Mr. Mitsotakis expressed the hope that Tirana would understand that neighouring Greece had the same rights as Albania. ANA Tirana, 22/7/1993 (Macedonian Press Agency): The Albanian Orthodox Church has not yet been accorded the freedoms due to it, the Archbishop of Tirana and All Albania Anastasios told European Parliament President Egon Klepsch during a meeting yesterday. Archbishop Anastasios said that Orthodox believers were not given the same freedom to exercise their religion as Moslems or Catholics in Albania. He specifically mentioned the government's failure to provide time for seminars on Orthodoxy, while pointing out that there was no Orthodox church in Tirana, that not one monastery had been returned and that, unlike the Catholic and Moslem communities, no land had been alloted for the building of a church in Skodra. The Archbishop stressed that as long as Albanian-Moslem deputies continued to interfere with church matters, the situation would remain tense. Regarding the incident involving the deportation of Archimandrite Chrysostomos from Albania, the Archbishop said that it could have been avoided if the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania was recognised as an institution and if he personally had been informed. Earlier, Mr. Klepsch met with Albanian Parliament Chairman Peter Arbnori, who briefed him on the ``human rights law`` recently passed by the Albanian parliament. According to Mr. Arbnori, however, ``this does not mean that these rights can be abused, as is the case, for example, with religious freedoms``. ANA Athens, 22/7/1993 (ANA): Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Yosi Beilin is scheduled to begin a three-day visit to Greece today, the foreign ministry said Wednesday. The ministry announcement said Mr. Beilin would meet with Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis, Foreign Minister Michalis Papaconstantinou and Foreign Undersecretaries Virginia Tsouderou, George Papastamkos and Vyron Polydoras to discuss bilateral relations and regional developments. ANA Athens, 22/7/1993 (ANA): Police arrested two groups of Iraqi illegal immigrants ferried over to the island of Chios by turkish speedboats yesterday and Tuesday night. The first group --comprising nine men, three women and two children-- was intercepted in the Tagma Despoti area in chios on Tuesday. Another group of 15 immigrants --eight men, three women and two children-- was arrested on the Chios-Kardamilos national road yesterday. All 29 were taken before the Public Prosecutor yesterday, according to a merchant marine ministry announcement. Meanwhile, in Corfu, a search has been set up by the Corfu Central Port Authorities to locate a Romanian stow-away who fell into the sea on Tuesday night off the Turkish-registered ship ``Captan Burhanettin isin`` about 30 miles west of the island. The ``Captan Burhanettin Isin`` had set sail from istanbul bound for Trieste. ANA Lisbon, 22/7/1993 (ANA): The Greek Navy training vessel Ares, with Captain Stylianos Anastasopoulos at the helm, sailed into Lisbon harbour on Tuesday after visiting Toulon, France. The ship is manned by 200 navy cadets from the Greek Naval Academy and five officers, including two escorts from the School of Navy Cadets. It left Piraeus on July 7 for a 43-day summer training trip with stops scheduled at Toulon, Lisbon, Casablanca, Rhodes and kavala before its return to Piraeus. A reception, attended by representatives of the Portuguese authorities, members of the Greek embassy and the press, was held on board the ship Tuesday night. During the reception, the Greek ambassador to Portugal also announced plans to make Lisbon and the island of Ithaki sister-cities next year. ANA Athens, 22/7/1993 (ANA): Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis reiterated yesterday that the government would proceed with its denationalisation programme for state-owned companies. Speaking to the press after yesterday's Cabinet meeting, Mr. Mitsotakis said that, at a time when denationalisations were being conducted all over the world, the insistence of the opposition and trade union establishment on maintaining practices of the past constituted an international ``prototype``. He said very powerful interests operating in the Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation (OTE) and the Public Power Corporation (DEH) were responsible for the opposition to the issue of denationalisation. Mr. Mitsotakis noted that EC decisions had clarified that state monopolies in the telecommunications sector should be abolished by the year 2003. If, the premier said, OTE has not been streamlined by then, it will forced shut due to its inability to compete against foreign telecommunications giants. The premier also asked who would object to DEH purchasing electricity at a cheaper price that it currently does. The government's policy on th eissue of procuring electric power ``serves absolutely the interests of the consumer and DEH itself``, adding that it did not serve the interests of trade unionists, ``who, in this way, lose the right to turn the switches off whenever they want``. He said that projects such as a natural gas plant in lavrion and lignite unites in Florina and Thrace would give life to these regions. The opposition's objections to these projects, he said, were indicative of ``political passion (which) has led to irrationalities and extremities`` which ultimately harm the Greek people. Mr. Mitsotakis said that he did not expect any problems with the passage of the government's denationalisation bills, adding that any New Democracy deputy voting against party line would be asked to explain his position. Meanwhile, the Federation of Greek Industries (SEB) yesterday issued a statement on the issue of the partial privatisation of OTE: ``The modernisation of telecommunications in Greece can proceed with the abolition of its monopoly, its openining to competition and its transformation into a modern and flexible business capable of facing competition with business strategy and tactics``. Referring to DEH, the announcement expressed support for competition in the production of electric power. ANA Athens, 22/5/1993 (ANA): Parliament, meeting in summer session, yesterday adopted legislation that would allow private companies to produce electrical power for sale to the state-run Public Power Corportaion (DEH). The bill, introduced last week, was adopted by a vote of 51 to 47, after several keay amendments were made to the draft. ANA Athens, 22/5/1993 (ANA): Parliament will discuss the bill on the Acheloos river diversion project on August 12, after the government approves the bill August 4, Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis said yesterday. In a meeting held yesterday with ministers, prefects and mayors for the Thessaly prefecture, the premier said the project was ``essential for the life of Thessaly``. ANA Athens, 22/5/1993 (ANA): The Cabinet yesterday expressed its satisfaction at the final allocation of the Delors II package funds. Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis and foreign Minister Michalis Papaconstantinou yesterday briefed the Cabinet on the results of the marathon General Affairs Council in Brussels. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Mr. Mitsotakis said the allocation constituted an indisputable success for the government, securing more for Greece than he himself had announced after the Edinburgh EC summit. A foreign ministry announcement at the time had said it had been agreed that Greece should receive 18-20 billion ECUs over the 1993-1999 seven-year period. On Monday, the General Affairs Council agreed that Greece should receive between 19.5-20 billion ECUs ``a little more``, Mr. Mitsotakis said, than that announced by the government after the Edinburgh summit. Greece will also receive an additional 600 million ECUs from the Agricultural Fund, FEOGA, an amount initially included in the Delors II package but now allocated separately. Added to this amount will be funding received by Greece for development in the underprivileged agricultural zones of the Aegean islands. In total, Greece will receive 2.871 billion ECU per annum, double its previous allocation under the Delors I package.