From: miltos@nfl2.irc.nrc.ca
Subject: News (in ENGLISH)- Thu, 4 Nov 1993 (Greek Press Office BBS, Ottawa).

	Athens, 4/11/1993 (ANA): Premier Andreas Papandreou yesterday
said creating jobs and combating unemployment were priority
issues Greece would pursue when it assumed the EC rotating
presidency in January. Greece's geographical position also gave
it the opportunity to concentrate efforts on the Balkans, he
added. "We will give priority to developing a global and uniform
policy for Balkan countries, without ignoring our enhanced
presence in the Middle East", Mr. Papandreou said in an
interview with the Belgian daily Le Soir. "We will attempt to
stimulate EC interest in the Mediterranean, especially in regard
to the applications of Cyprus and Malta for admission to the
Community. "This is a particularly critical period for the
future of European establishment ... We are faced with new
challenges, and we are called upon to provide answers to new
problems in a framework of an international environment that is
in a process of constant evolution ... What kind of support are
we prepared to grant those countries? What kind of role are we
willing to play? The 'Twelve' have offered no convincing replies
to such questions", Mr. Papandreou said. The implementation of
the Maastricht treaty, Mr. Papandreou said could and should
provide fresh prospects, but it called for concerted efforts to
instil confidence into European peoples to build Europe.
Responding to a question about remarks made by PASOK members
concerning a revision of the Maastricht treaty, Mr. Papandreou
pointed out the treaty had been drawn up in a climate totally
different to the one prevailing today. Economic conditions and
performance were favourable at the time, he said, which
strengthened trends to establish strict convergence criteria
that did not take into account the economies of regions
concerned. Developments had reversed those conditions, economic
performances had diverged, European competitiveness was falling,
while unemployment grew, the premier said. 

	It was natural for Greece to be particularly sensitive to
developments in the Balkans, especially owing to its geographic
position. Greece, therefore, fully backed initiatives to restore
peace in former Yugoslavia, as well as stability and
co-operation, he said. Greek efforts were geared to that aim,
and Greece's ambition was to fully exploit its status both as a
Balkan country and a member of the EC. He reiterated his stated
policy on relations with the Former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia: "The future of our relations with that state depends
directly on its willingness to abandon its intransigent and
provocative behaviour which consists of usurping a Greek name
and Greek symbols and refusing to recognise existing borders",
he said. Mr. Papandreou said he thought the "12" had a mandate
to play a "balancing role" in the Balkans, recalling that some
progress had been made in that respect and the summit in
Brussels had decided to undertake joint action in the region to
seek a viable solution to the conflict through negotiations.
Greece, he said, would continue efforts in that respect together
with the UN and parties involved, but it was more than evident
that sanctions imposed against Serbia and Montenegro penalised
only one party. 


	Athens, 4/11/1993 (ANA): Rita Sussmuth, speaker of the German
parliament, the Bundestag, arrived in Athens yesterday on a
two-day official visit at the head of a German parliamentary
delegation. "I would like my visit to Greece to be considered a
symbol of close relations linking our two countries, relations
which are based to a great degree on the important work being
carried out in the framework of the Greek-German Parliamentary
Friendship Group", Ms Sussmuth said. Welcoming Ms Sussuth at
Athens airport, Parliament President Apostolos Kaklamanis said
the visit underlined 'the warm and friendly relations linking
the two countries and the two peoples and contributes to their
further development'. Ms Sussmuth said the talks she will have
in Greece will not only cover Greek-German relations but also
matters of concern to Europe such as nationalism, particularly
since Greece will assume the EC presidency on January 1. She met
with Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou later in the day. "We
exchanged constructive views on the course of United Europe, the
situation in Yugoslavia, the Skopje and the Cyprus issues", Mr.
Papandreou told the press. He said the meeting took place "in a
climate of co-operation and understanding". Ms Sussmuth
expressed happiness at the meeting, which, she said, discussed
the new challenges facing the Europe union, adding that she was
convinced that under the Greek presidency, it would have a
"brilliant future". 


	Athens, 4/11/1993 (ANA): Miltiades Evert yesterday took over
the helm of the New Democracy party, becoming the conservative
party's fifth president in its 19-year history. The 54-year-old
new leader won the party's presidency in a tough race with
former national defence minister and old-guard party stalwart
Ioannis Varvitsiotis. Mr. Evert won 141 votes of the 183 ballots
cast in a conference consisting of the party's 111 members of
parliament, nine Eurodeputies and 63 specially-elected regional
officials. The election result was greeted with applause and
loud cheers from a large crowd of New Democracy supporters who
had gathered outside party headquarters. The leadership race
started about a month ago when former conservative leader and
ex-prime minister Constantine Mitsotakis announced he would
resign after losing to his socialist rivals in the October 10
national elections. But Mr. Evert's aspirations to lead the
party were made apparent throughout Mr. Mitsotakis' term in
office as tension precipitated between the two men on government
policies. Mr. Evert, holder of an economics degree, harshly
criticised Mr. Mitsotakis for lacking the courage to cut
Greece's huge public sector and soften stiff austerity measures
that led to the collapse of his conservative government. In
October 1991, after less than one year of conservative rule, Mr.
Evert quit his post as Minister to the Prime Minister's Office
after Mr. Mitsotakis sided with his one-time protege and former
foreign minister Antonis Samaras in a public dispute with Mr.
Evert. 

	The new conservative leader was first voted into parliament in
1974 and has been re-elected seven times since then. Before
entering politics, Mr. Evert held leading administrative
positions in large industries. In 1986 he was elected Athens
mayor and was soon dubbed the "bulldozer" for his no-nonsense
style of management and accomplishments as caretaker of the
Greek capital. Analysts believe his strong grassroots support
from conservative voters may improve the defeated party's image
regain the backing of those who swung to Samaras' new party in
the October elections. Mr. Evert is New Democracy's fifth
president in its 19-year history, succeeding the party's founder
and current President of the Republic, Constantine Karamanlis,
George Rallis, Evangelos Averof and Constantine Mitsotakis. Born
in Athens in 1939, Miltiades Evert is married with two
daughters. As a result of his activities against the seven-year
military dictatorship which seized power in 1967, he was
prohibited from leaving the country. During his political
career, Mr. Evert has held the posts of finance under-secretary,
industry minister, finance minister, health minister and
minister to the Prime Minister's Office. Mr. Evert's family is
of Bavarian origin. His father, Angelos Evert, was for many
years chief of police in Athens during and after the Nazi
occupation and is credited with saving the lives of a large
number of Greek patriots, British officers and Jews. 

	The government yesterday congratulated Mr. Evert on his
election as leader of the main opposition party. Government
spokesman Evangelos Venizelos expressed the hope that Mr. Evert
would exercise "constructive opposition". Prime Minister Andreas
Papandreou congratulated Mr. Evert on his election, telling
reporters that smoother relations between his government and the
main opposition depended entirely on the attitude of the latter.
An announcement issued by Political Spring extended
congratulations to Mr. Evert on his win and wished that "the
change of leadership may mark a change in attitude of the main
opposition party". 

	In a speech to supporters following his landslide victory, Mr.
Evert said New Democracy could give the country what it needed:
"A peaceful revolution which will lead it to the forefront of
the modern world". Promising modernisation and reorganisation of
the party, Mr. Evert also pledged "unyielding defence of
Greece's national rights, particularly in the face of Skopjan
provocation". He spoke of a "national foreign and defence policy
which will exclusively serve Greece's interests" and support for
Hellenism in Cyprus and Albania. New Democracy, Mr. Evert said,
would propose a "credible alternative policy to the Greek
people" and expressed certainty that this policy would result in
the return of "those who have moved away". "The doors of New
Democracy are open to ideas, proposals, to every citizen, to all
the people", he said. Mr. Evert said that his party would
"exercise responsible opposition" and would soon regain the
confidence of the majority of the Greek people. 


	Athens, 4/11/1993 (ANA): Public Order Minister Stelios
Papathemelis yesterday met with his Israeli counterpart Moshe
Shahal and Israel's Ambassador to Athens David Sasson. bilateral
issues were discussed with special emphasis placed on combating
organised crime and drug trafficking. Mr. Shahal extended an
official invitation to Mr. Papathemelis to visit Israel. 


	Athens, 4/11/1993 (ANA): A leading Bulgarian academic has
accused the Bulgarian Intelligence Services of stealing an 18th
century masterpiece from a monastery at the all-male monastic
community of Mount Athos, the Macedonian Press Agency (MPA)
reported yesterday. "Bulgaria's National Intelligence Service
orchestrated the operation to steal the unique relic from the
Zografou monastery and sneak it to the Bulgarian presidential
mansion", Petar Mitanov told the MPA during a short visit to
Thessaloniki, northern Greece. "It was placed in the safe of
former Communist leader Todor Zhivkov and still remains there,
with the only difference being that current President Zhelyu
Zhelev now controls the safe", Mr. Mitanov said. Mr. Mitanov,
52, heads a Bulgarian committee that oversees and assists
Bulgarian monks living at the Zografou convent. The special body
falls under the jurisdiction of the Bulgarian foreign ministry.
Mr. Mitanov's accusation came two days after a public prosecutor
in Thessaloniki initiated legal proceedings and ordered an
investigation into the theft of the 18th century text "The
History of Paisios". Academics consider the text a priceless
relic of Bulgarian national history. it was written by Paisios
at Zografou and has remained at the monastery's library since
his death. Monks at Zografou discovered the book's disappearance
last year when they found a copy in the place of the original.
They estimate the timing of the theft nine years ago when a team
of Bulgarian academics first visited Zografou to study the
masterpiece. Father Efthymios, the monastery's abbot, sent a
letter to Mr. Zhelev in 1992 accusing Bulgarian embassy
officials in Athens of assisting in the operation and requesting
the book's return. Mr. Mitanov, among Bulgarian experts that
frequently visited Zografou, said he was pressuring authorities
in Sofia to return the book, but noted no official response had
been given. "Not only during the days of previous governments
but today as well, a wall of silence has been raised regarding
this case and no one provides official explanations as to how
the historic piece found its way into the hands of the Bulgarian
authorities and what they plan to do about it from now on", Mr.
Mitanov said. "The book should be returned to wipe-out the
repercussions of this filthy act of the Bulgarian nation", he
said, adding the case could "dangerously poison" bilateral
relations between Greece and Bulgaria. Embassy officials in
Athens have made no comments on the accusations. 


	Athens, 4/11/1993 (ANA): French President Francois Mitterrand
yesterday accepted an invitation from Culture Minister Melina
Mercouri to visit the Aegean islands of Patmos and Santorini in
April next year. Ms. Mercouri briefed Mr. Mitterrand on the
Culture Ministry's programmes and the "Archipelagos" programme
presented for inclusion in the UNESCO schedule, as well as the
proposal to introduce history of art lessons in primary
education. Yesterday evening Ms Mercouri was expected to meet
former French culture minister Jack Lang, while today she will
leave for Brussels to participate in the EC Council of Culture
Ministers to be held tomorrow. Ms Mercouri also met yesterday
with the director general of UNESCO Federico Mayor yesterday to
discuss "Archipelagos" -- a culture programme on the Aegean
islands which Greece is proposing for integration in UNESCO's
"Meeting of Peoples" programme. It was agreed that an expert
committee would be set up to consider the programme. END