From: miltos@nfl2.irc.nrc.ca
Subject: News (in ENGLISH)- Mon, 25 Oct 1993 (Greek Press Office BBS, Ottawa).

ATHENS NEWS AGENCY BULLETIN, October 25, 1993

	A.N.A. Athens, 25/10/1993 (ANA): Prime Minister Andreas
Papandreou said Saturday night that one of the main goals of his
government's foreign policy would be to play a "leading and
specific" role in the Balkans and that Greece would serve as a
"bridge" between the Balkans and Europe. In his first policy
speech to parliament since his landslide election victory on
October 10, Mr. Papandreou said that Greece wished "to deepen"
its relations with the US and ultimately incorporate the Balkan
market in a united Europe. Mr. Papandreou said that his
government also desired "neighbourly" relations with Turkey and
reiterated that Greece would not recognise a state on its
northern border under the name "Macedonia" or a derivative of
that name. On the subject of Greece's forthcoming assumption of
the EC presidency on January 1, Mr. Papandreou said that Athens
would respond to the challenge "in the best way". "As the only
EC country in the Balkans, Greece aspires to play a leading and
specific role. We shall take action aimed at (securing) peace
and stability in the region, averting new pockets of war and
tension, resolving problems by peaceful means and restoring
inter-Balkan co-operation. Our country can serve as a bridge
between the Balkans and Europe", he said. Mr. Papandreou said
that his government would "co-operate constructively for the
substantial deepening" of relations with the US at both a
political and economic level. He said that his government would
work towards the creation of "relations of trust and good
neighbourliness" with Turkey but that Greece was "determined to
defend its national independence and integrity against all". "We
claim nothing, but nor are we prepared to negotiate our
sovereign rights", he stressed. If Turkey agreed, Mr. Papandreou
went on, Greece was prepared to settle "the only" bilateral
dispute concerning the delineation of the Aegean continental
shelf by taking the matter to the International Court of Justice
at The Hague. Turning to the Cyprus problem, which he referred
to as "our foremost national issue", Mr. Papandreou said that
"we are determined to protect Cypriot Hellenism and any violent
change in the present situation in Cyprus will be considered as
a casus belli". He said that Athens would co-operate with
Nicosia for a just and viable solution, a prerequisite for which
was the withdrawal of Turkish occupation troops. "The
convocation of the pan-national conference (the participation of
all Greek and Greek-Cypriot parties to decide on policy for the
Cyprus issue) is an established position of the government", he
added. Such a solution, he continued, must ensure the
independence, sovereignty and unity of the Cypriot state and
respect for the rights of its citizens. Of particular
importance, Mr. Papandreou said, was the strengthening of
Cyprus' relations with the EC with the aim of securing the
island republic's accession to the Community. On the Skopje
issue, Mr. Papandreou reiterated his government's determination
not to recognise a state under a name containing the word
'Macedonia' or a derivative of that name, nor to tolerate "the
theft" of Greek symbols and "irredentist designs" against
Greece. He hailed the efforts of the UN Security Council and
secretary general on the issue and said that Greece would
immediately send a letter to the UN chief clearly setting out
the government's positions. "At the same time", Mr. Papandreou
said, "we believe that a constructive disposition on the part of
the interested parties is a prerequisite for any negotiating
process". "But so far", he added, "experience has shown that
(Skopje President Kiro) Gligorov has not displayed any such
disposition". "Skopjan 

intransigence has confirmed that the process accepted by the
previous government leads to an impasse and is ineffectual", Mr.
Papandreou said. He called on the UN and the international
community to exercise its influence on the Skopjan leadership in
order to resolve the problem and eliminate an additional pocket
of tension in the Balkans. The recent recognition of Skopje by
Belgium and China, he said "which added to the long list of
recognitions during the New Democracy government", did not help
towards a settlement of the problem. "The delusions created in
Skopje by these procedures do not alter the fact that
recognition by Greece is of unique importance for the
newly-established neighbouring state", Mr. Papandreou said,
adding that Greece was prepared "to contribute to the
development and prosperity of Skopje, provided it abandons its
arrogant, groundless and provocative positions". Mr. Papandreou
said Greece sincerely desired improved relations with Albania
but stressed that this was dependent on Tirana's respect for the
rights of the ethnic Greek minority in Northern Epirus (southern
Albania) "as established by international law". Mr. Papandreou
said that his government was determined to make every possible
effort to give new impetus to the course towards European union.
The axes of Greek policy within the framework of the EC, he
said, would be within the context of the "new reality being
shaped" by the Maastricht treaty. Convergence, he went on, can
only be attained "when it is seen as convergence of real
economies, convergence of the levels of development of the
member states". Turning to national defence, Mr. Papandreou said
that his government's "strategic orientation" would be based on
the position that the main threat to the country was from the
east. Stressing that Greece spent 7 per cent of GNP on defence,
Mr. Papandreou said that the reduction of this figure
constituted a long-term target but that it would be necessary at
the same time to secure a balance of military forces in the
region. "Greece's security is the affair of the entire nation.
In this respect, the institution of civil defence will be
established primarily concerning the nation's frontiers", he
said. On the subject of the economy, Mr. Papandreou said that
his government's immediate target was to combat inflation and
improve competitiveness. Painting a grim picture of the current
state of the economy, Mr. Papandreou said that the total gross
deficit was in excess of 4.3 trillion drachmas, production was
in serious decline, interest rates were having a negative effect
on production, investments and deficits and competitiveness was
falling. He said that the government's priorities would be to
ensure stability in government policy, secure favourable
conditions for development and investment activity and check the
public finance deficits. At the same time, he went on, the
government would shape incomes policy so as to secure workers'
real incomes and combat unemployment by creating new jobs.
Economic stabilisation, he said, would be attained by reducing
the public finance deficits, bringing down inflation and
"exhausting even the smallest possibilities for economising
expenditures". Mr. Papandreou pledged to crack down on tax
evasion and curtail the black economy. He said that funds from
the Delors II package would provide "the main tool" for
promoting investments and that projects already approved which
did not substantially contribute to the competitiveness of the
economy and the quality of life would be re-examined.
Disincentives would be removed, Mr. Papandreou said, in order to
create favourable conditions for investment initiatives by Greek
and foreign companies. Turning to the public sector, Mr.
Papandreou said that privatisation was not incompatible with the
government's policy provided it did not result in private
monopolies, the loss of social services, the undermining or
weakening of strategic activities or to "cracks" in the
country's national defence. He said that the admission to the
stock exchange of "a relatively small package of shares" of
public enterprises such as the state telephone company (OTE)
"may assist the self-financing of modernisation projects". The
"still-born" law providing for the partial purchase of OTE by a
strategic investor would be repealed, Mr. Papandreou said. The
main aim of the government's development policy, Mr. Papandreou
said, would be to strengthen the export activities of Greek
companies. "Both the opening of the European market and that of
Eastern Europe and the Balkan peninsula constitute a competitive
challenge for Greek companies whose presence in these countries
must be seriously strengthened. "Our ultimate aim is the
incorporation of the Balkan market in the united Europe", Mr.
Papandreou said. 



	Athens, 25/10/1993 (ANA): Main opposition New Democracy party
leader Constantine Mitsotakis last night called Prime Minister
Andreas Papandreou's first policy speech to parliament
"intentionally vague". "We heard a great deal about targets and
intentions but only very little about the specific measures for
attaining those targets", Mr. Mitsotakis told parliament.
Accusing Mr. Papandreou of "double-talk", Mr. Mitsotakis
described the government's policy, outlined by the prime
minister Saturday night, as "a bad copy of the correct policy
which we followed". Mr. Mitsotakis asserted that the ruling
PASOK party was "now adopting the policy of New Democracy".
Turning to specific issues, Mr. Mitsotakis asked Mr. Papandreou
if the government intended to change the electoral law,
stressing that any change should be made now rather than at the
end of its four-year term "in order to suit the needs of the
ruling party". Mr. Mitsotakis also called for a discussion of
the way in which the President of the Republic is elected,
noting that the present method could lead to continuous
elections and made the country's political system more unstable.
He criticised the government's plans to repeal the tough
anti-terrorism law, warning that "our country will have the
pitiful privilege of being the only civilised country in the
world without protection against terrorism". Turning to the
government's foreign policy statements, Mr. Mitsotakis said that
his main worry was the Skopje issue. He warned the government
not to abandon "the shield of protection for our national
interests provided by the UN Security Council resolutions on the
Skopje issue, on the basis of which negotiations have been
conducted up to now. "Can't you see how happy (Skopje President
Kiro) Gligorov is with your policy?" Mr. Mitsotakis asked the
PASOK deputies. "It is clear that it is of no interest to Mr.
Papandreou if Skopje is recognised as "the Republic of
Macedonia' by all the countries of the world", Mr. Mitsotakis
charged. The New Democracy leader also called on the government
to "immediately" clarify its policy towards Albania, while
agreeing with Mr. Papandreou that "the only basis for good
relations (with the neighbouring country) is respect for the
rights of the ethnic Greek minority". On the issue of the large
numbers of illegal Albanian immigrants entering Greece, Mr.
Mitsotakis warned that "if you give in to the Albanian demands
(to grant legal status to all immigrants) you will intensify the
feeling of insecurity currently prevailing in Greek society
...". Mr. Mitsotakis described the government's expressed desire
for "relations of trust and good neighbourliness" with Turkey as
"definitely positive" but called on Mr. Papandreou to clarify
whether he intended to continue or sever the dialogue with
Ankara. On economic issues, Mr. Mitsotakis said that the
undermining of New Democracy's policy would endanger the
anticipated improvement in the Greek economy. This danger, he
went on, will become "mortal" if the government insisted on
cancelling the privatisation programme from which it would
secure at least 600 billion drachmas in the two-year period
1993-94. "Where will you find this money?" Mr. Mitsotakis asked.
He accused the government of being vague even with regard to its
long-term measures for the economy. "You said yesterday that you
will resort to borrowing. But you didn't say from where you
intend to borrow", said Mr. Mitsotakis, addressing himself to
Mr. Papandreou. Mr. Mitsotakis said that the government had "no
margin for undertaking additional expenditures" and was "forced
to continue the privatisation programme. Otherwise the
consequences will be inevitable -- interest rate increases, new
taxes and even harsher austerity". He warned the government that
if it cancelled or changed the allocation procedures for major
infrastructure projects "all the investors who are standing by
will leave and Greece will lose 5 billion dollars of investment
capital from abroad and at least 20,000 new jobs". 



	Athens, 25/10/1993 (ANA): Communist Party of Greece (KKE)
Secretary General Aleka Paparriga said that the policy of the
new PASOK government would be to follow the same strategy as
that of all governments since 1974. The main characteristic of
this strategy, she said, is that the government will respond
positively to the demands of the Federation of Greek Industries
(SEB) and "big capital" for new privileges and incentives while
viewing existing labour legislation as a disincentive. Mr.
Paparriga charged that the government would fully incorporate
Greece in the EC "on terms of subordination". She said that the
PASOK government would continue the privatisation policy
initiated by New Democracy with the exception of the
"semi-privatization" of the state telephone (OTE) and
electricity (DEH) companies. For this reason, she continued,
workers could not expect any improvement in their standard of
living nor any improvement in the economy. 



	Athens, 25/10/1993 (ANA): The Coalition of the Left and
Progress criticised Premier Andreas Papandreou's government
policy speech at a press conference yesterday. Coalition
spokesman Grigoris Yannaros said Mr. Papandreou was "vague" on
foreign policy and said it would be interesting to hear more
about Greece's role in the Balkans and its relations with the
US. Turning to the Skopje issue, Mr. Yannaros proposed Greece
should launch an initiative for a package of confidence-building
measures along the lines suggested by the EC, choosing a
suitable name acceptable to both sides, and establishing
conditions of economic co-operation and better relations between
the two countries. 



	Athens, 25/10/1993 (ANA): The Islamic Republic of Iran Saturday
denied reports that it has recognised the Former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) under the name 'Republic of
Macedonia'. It is not correct that we have recognised it as the
Republic of Macedonia. We have only accepted the UN Security
Council resolution on the issue", Iran's Ambassador to Athens
Qasem Moheb-Ali told IRNA. Government spokesman Evangelos
Venizelos on Friday said Iran was among the countries that
recognised Skopje with the name of 'Macedonia'. Skopje was
admitted to the UN in April under the provisional name of FYROM
because of a name dispute with Greece. Mr. Moheb-Ali also denied
press reports that Iran will be opening an embassy in Skopje
soon. "This report is not correct", the Iranian ambassador told
IRNA. "We care about the feelings of the Greek nation", Mr.
Moheb-Ali added, referring to historical friendly ties between
Greeks and Iranians. Meanwhile, the director-general of western
Europe at Iran's foreign ministry, Hamed Reza Asifi, left Athens
Friday after holding talks with Foreign Minister Karolos
Papoulias and National Economy Minister George Yennimatas
Thursday on ways to expand bilateral political, economic and
trade ties between the two countries. Mr. Asifi also conveyed
Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati's congratulatory
message to Mr. Papoulias, who was the first Greek foreign
minister to visit the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1987. (IRNA). 



	Athens, 25/10/1993 (ANA): The government Saturday rejected a
protest lodged by Tirana concerning the discovery of three
Albanians found dead earlier last week near the Greek-Albanian
border, stressing that the incident took place on Albanian soil
and involved only Albanians. "The official reply to the Albanian
protest (lodged) yesterday (Friday) will be given by the Foreign
Ministry. But it must be stressed right now that the protest is
based on completely untrue facts and refers to an incident which
took place on Albanian soil between Albanians", government
spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said. The spokesman reiterated
that the improvement of Greek-Albanian relations "which is the
aim of the Greek government" was dependent on Tirana's respect
for international law and the rights of the ethnic Greek
minority in Albania. 



	Athens, 25/10/1993 (ANA): There was tension in southern Albania
and on the Greek-Albanian border yesterday after a 68-year-old
ethnic Greek woman was beaten to death by Albanian police
Thursday and the murder of a Greek National Guard Friday by nine
Albanian illegal immigrants attempting to enter Greece at the
border town of Konitsa. Police in the region have questioned
hundreds of Albanian illegal immigrants in an effort to find the
killers of border guard Pantelis Zikas, 25, but without success.
Greeks living in the border region have called on the government
to take "drastic measures" to stop the continuing waves of
illegal immigrants from Albania and to protect them from
assault. In southern Albania, meanwhile, ethnic Greek officials
were concerned at a new wave of actions by the Albanian
government calculated, they said, to strike a blow at the morale
of the ethnic Greek minority, and to exert pressure on the Greek
government to legalise the status of illegal Albanian immigrants
in Greece. The recent ban by the Albanian government on the
operation of Greek minority schools and the prevailing tension
will be the focus of a briefing of foreign ministry officials by
a delegation of the ethnic Greek minority party 'Omonia', due to
arrive in Athens today. However, ethnic Greek minority sources
said yesterday the schools would continue to operate. The same
sources said that if the schools' operation were hindered by the
police, the minority would organise a big rally in the following
days to protest the ban. 



	Bonn/Dusseldorf, 25/10/1993 (ANA - P. Stangos): Thousands of
Greeks braved foul weather to give visiting Ecumenical Patriarch
Vartholomeos a warm welcome at a special service held at St.
Andrew's orthodox Church in Dusseldorf yesterday. The service
was also attended by members of the Roman Catholic and
Evangelical Churches and local officials. Later, the Patriarch
drove to Cologne to confer with Cardinal Maisner, reportedly the
most 'politicised' supporter of dialogue among Churches, and a
pioneer of reactivating the Catholic Church in countries of
eastern Europe. In the evening, the Patriarch attended a
reception given in his honour by Premier on Northern Westphalia
Johannes Rau. The Patriarch's talks with Mr. Rau marked the
opening of a scheduled round of meetings which he had with the
President Richard von Wiesaecker, Speaker of Parliament Rita
Zusmuth and Chancellor Helmut Kohl in Bonn yesterday. In the
evening, Patriarch Vartholomeos attended a reception given in
his honour by Greek Ambassador Ioannis Bourloyannis-Tsangaridis
and, later, a dinner by Turkish Ambassador Onur Eimen. 



	Athens, 25/10/1993 (ANA): Lavrion Coast-guard officials
Saturday arrested 15 Pakistani illegal immigrants who attempted
to disembark at Cape Sounion from the Morocco-registered yacht
Rafaella. The Coast-guard said that the yacht was carrying a
total of 19 Pakistanis and a search was underway for the four
who managed to evade arrest. The crew of two Polish nationals
was also taken into custody for questioning. According to
initial reports, the illegal immigrants had boarded the yacht at
the Turkish port of Marmara. 



	Athens, 25/10/1993 (ANA): International mediator Lord Owen will
visit Greece today and meet with Foreign Minister Karolos
Papoulias within the framework of a tour of European capitals
for talks on the situation in former Yugoslavia, the foreign
ministry announced Saturday. 



	Athens, 25/10/1993 (ANA): President of the Republic Constantine
Karamanlis sent UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros Ghali a
congratulatory note Saturday on the occasion of United Nations
Day. "I wish to express my appreciation for your efforts for the
finding of a just and viable solution to the Cyprus problem so
that it will cease to be a 'pending' international issue", his
message added. prime Minister Andreas Papandreou also sent a
congratulatory note: " I wish to underline our firm devotion to
the principles and aims of the United Nations and mainly to the
preservation of peace and the improvement of friendly relations
and financial co-operation between nations as well as to the
respect of human rights". 



	New York, 25/10/1993 (Macedonian Press Agency / ANA): Renowned
singer Nana Mouskouri will be proclaimed a UNICEF ambassador at
a special ceremony today. As a UNICEF ambassador, Ms. Mouskouri
will travel the world raising funds for underprivileged
children. At a reception held in her honour Friday, Ms.
Mouskouri announced that she would give a concert in Cyprus in
1994 to remind the international community of the numerous UN
resolutions condemning Turkey's intransigent policy on the
Cyprus problem. END