Subject: A.N.A. Bulletin 21/9/93 From: miltos@nfl2.irc.nrc.ca Athens News Agency bulletin, September 21, 1993 =============================================== Athens, 21/9/93 (ANA) - Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis yesterday emphasised the urgent need to reaffirm the "power and radiance" of democracy in these turbulent times. "The end of history did not arrive in 1989 ... with the collapse of communism and the end of the Cold War. History, ever-unfolding and often unpredictable, has entered a new period - one filled with hope but also extremely fluid and uncertain", he said at a reception in honour of members of the US Executive Committee of the Association of State Democratic Party Chairs. Noting that the course of history had been changed by the collapse of the former communist regimes in central and eastern Europe, the premier said that some had correctly predicted that "new problems and dangers" would emerge. "The continuing tragedy in the former Yugoslavia and the new states created in the southern part of the former Soviet Union are the most striking examples of the reappearance of all those phenomena that we believed had been condemned, at least in Europe, after two world wars. "The two decades-old military occupation of almost half of the Republic of Cyprus (by Turkish troops), despite repeated United Nations resolutions, is unacceptable in a period that has spawned hopes for a new responsible world order based on respect for international law and human rights", Mr Mitsotakis said. He added that there were some good omens, such as the agreement signed recently between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisation "which marks the beginning of a new period of peace and stability in the Middle East". The premier said Greece would continue to contribute to the "consolidation" of peace in the broader region of the south-eastern Mediterranean. "Greece today is a credible and recognised interlocutor of both the Palestinians and Israel. Greece, the only country in the region that is a member of both NATO and the European Community, also assumed substantial peace initiatives in former Yugoslavia within the framework of the United Nations and, I believe, with considerable success", he said. History, Mr Mitsotakis said, never changes and people are never left without an ideology. "In the current disarray, therefore, there is an urgent need to reaffirm the power and radiance of the idea that has prevailed in recent years: democracy", he added. Istanbul, 21/9/93 (ANA/Reuter) - A Greek freighter carrying chemical products capsized and sank off the Turkish Aegean Coast yesterday and two crew members drowned, port authorities said. They said the 1,070 tonne Miss Aegeo Star sank 700 metres off the port of Aliaga where is took on its cargo, the chemical product PTA. Authorities said there was no immediate danger to the environment. First engineer Christos Kouroupis and cook Merkourios Krikitas drowned while the remaining four members of the crew were picked up by fishermen in the area, the authorities said. Police said they had recovered the bodies of the victims. PTA is a raw polyester used in textiles manufacture, officials at the petrochemical concern PETKIM said. Officials had earlier said the ship was carrying crude oil. Aliaga port authorities said a sudden shift in the cargo may have caused the ship to sink. Turkey's Anatolia news agency said an investigation would be conducted. Due to the seriousness of the affair, the captain alone may be detained while the remaining crew members will return to Greece very soon, maybe even today. The company owning the Miss Aegeo Star has hired a Turkish lawyer to monitor the investigation. Athens, 21/9/93 (ANA) - Palestine Liberation Organisation chairman Yasser Arafat's official visit to Greece, scheduled to begin yesterday, has been postponed due to "urgent commitments" which have arisen following the recent signing of the PLO-Israeli agreement. Expressing regret at the postponement, Foreign Minister Michalis Papaconstantinou said that Mr Arafat had proposed alternative dates for his visit but that they clashed with general elections in the country. Mr Papaconstantinou said that Mr Arafat would most probably visit Greece after the October 10 elections. Mr Arafat requested the postponement because he was due to meet yesterday with the foreign ministers of the Arab League, after which he was scheduled to have talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. He is also due to visit Amman for talks with King Hussein. Mr Papaconstantinou said that Greece had agreed to an EC proposal to give an initial 20 million ECU in economic assistance to the Palestinians. A greater amount of assistance would follow, Mr Papaconstantinou said. "Greece is regarded as a link between the Middle East region and the EC", Mr Papaconstantinou said. Meanwhile, the Diplomatic Representation of Palestine in Athens said that Mr Arafat had wanted his Athens visit to be the first to an EC country following the signing of the PLO-Israel agreement "as a sign of his esteem and that of the Palestinian people for the people and governments of Greece which have maintained a firm principled stance singe 1948 in favour of the Palestinian issue ... both at a bilateral level and within the framework of the EC and international organisations". The announcement said that a new date for Mr Arafat's visit would be set "as soon as possible". Athens, 21/9/93 (ANA) - Greece said yesterday that if Albania wanted to become a member of international organisations, it should not disregard the general provisions concerning minorities which are laid down in international law. Foreign Minister Michalis Papaconstantinou made the statement while replying to questions on Albanian education policy which contains provisions which are to the detriment of schoolchildren of the ethnic Greek minority. "Albania must understand that the moment it is knocking on the doors of international organisations, of which it is not a member, it cannot disregard the general provisions on minorities as these have been laid down in international law", Mr Papaconstantinou said. Mr Papaconstantinou said that apart from " strong protests" lodged with Tirana and the Albanian ambassador in Athens over the education provisions, Greece had also informed Conference for Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) High Commissioner for Ethnic Minorities Max van der Stoel. He added that the CSCE official had already been in contact with the Albanian government over the issue. Greece is waiting for the Albanian reply, Mr Papaconstantinou continued, and Tirana must realise that its relations with Athens depend on its treatment of the ethnic Greek minority there, in accordance with international standards. "Albania, which from an economic viewpoint is highly dependent on Greece, must realise that the normalisation of its relations with our country is in its interests", Mr Papaconstantinou said. Meanwhile, the Albanian authorities continued to prohibit the operation of existing ethnic Greek minority schools in Santi Quaranta, Delvini and Gyrokastr. In a statement earlier, the Greek government denounced the Albanian political leadership's actions, urging it to respect its promised and obligations stemming from international conventions which it has signed and calling on it to restore the rights of the ethnic Greek minority in Albania. "Actions like these create conflict and undermine relations between the two countries", the statement added. Brussels, 21/9/93 (ANA - P. Pantelis/Reuter) - The EC Commission has accepted Greece's demands on shipping and favourable settlements on Mediterranean farm products, raised at yesterday's special joint meeting of EC foreign and farm ministers. Foreign Minister Michalis Papaconstantinou announced the Commission had committed itself to raising the issued with the US in the framework of negotiations on the international GATT trade agreement. The ministers agreed there should be no new negotiation of the Commission's farm agreement with the US, as requested by France, but that "explanations" should be given and "interpretative" clarifications made. The "12" are presently seeking a compromise solution to satisfy France's request without delaying GATT negotiations and the signing of a trade agreement at the end of the year. Mr Papaconstantinou and Agriculture Minister Christos Koskinas called for new, explicit and specific positions on the agricultural sector, shipping and textiles. Mr Papaconstantinou raised the issue of shipping which, he said, has already been deregulated and is in danger of falling victim to US lobbies. Mr Koskinas said Mediterranean farm products required favourable settlements in the framework of GATT, adding that agricultural reserves were in danger of increasing. He requested special settlements for olive oil, wine, fruit and vegetables. The meeting was called to discuss France's objections to a US-EC farm agreement reached last year. France wants the EC to reopen the agreement. Athens, 21/9/93 (ANA) - A decision on Greece's request for a postponement of the EC summit scheduled for October 29 is expected within the next few days, Foreign Minister Michalis Papaconstantinou said yesterday. Mr Papaconstantinou added that the government had lodged a demarche for the summit to be held on November 1, a date supported by the Belgian presidency of the EC. Greece has asked for a short postponement of the summit, due to elections held on October 10 and subsequent parliamentary procedures which necessitates the presence of the prime minister. Mr Papaconstantinou said he expected a response yesterday or today in Brussels, where he is attending a joint meeting of foreign and agricultural EC ministers. Athens, 21/9/93 (ANA) - The European Community's 'troika' - past, present and future EC presidency countries - will meet in Brussels today to examine EC issues on relations with eastern and central European countries and Romania and Bulgaria, in particular. Foreign Minister Michalis Papaconstantinou, in statements yesterday morning before leaving for Brussels to attend a meeting of EC foreign and agricultural ministers to discuss a farm export deal with the US that threatens the GATT accord, said Greece favoured the association of the two Balkan countries with the Community. "Our country was the first to ratify in parliament the association agreement between the EC and Romania" he said. Mr Papaconstantinou said the government was continuing its Balkan policy which leads Greece to play a major role in the Balkans and opens the gates to the Balkans for Europe through Greece. The Yugoslav issue will also be discussed today in the presence of mediator Lord Owen, he said. Greece has played a great role in the Yugoslav issue and the EC, the US and Russia have repeatedly called for Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis' mediation on the Yugoslav issue. Russia will also be discussed at the meeting as the EC wishes to help this country overcome its domestic difficulties and enable it to contribute to the building of a new world. "Russia should participate in the successful effort for pacification in Bosnia", Mr Papaconstantinou said. Meanwhile, referring to main opposition Panhellenic Socialist Movement leader Andreas Papandreou's comments on the foreign policy his party will implement, the foreign minister said. "Mr Papandreou is knocking on open doors, because the policy he is promising is (already) being applied by our government with great success". "I saw no (new) element whatsoever and no proposal whatsoever", he said of Mr Papandreou's comments.