From: zarros@turing.scs.carleton.ca (Theodoros Sp. Zarros)
Subject: News (in ENGLISH)- Tue, 1 Feb 1994 (Greek Press Office BBS, Ottawa).

Athens News Agency Bulletin, 

     Washington, 1/2/1994 (ANA - D. Dimas): US Secretary of State
Warren Christopher said yesterday that the US had not taken any
decision yet concerning recognition of the former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). Speaking to reporters before his
talks with Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias as President of
the European Union's Foreign Ministers' Council and EU Foreign
Political Affairs Commissioner Hans van den Broek, Mr.
Christopher said: "The US is examining this policy (recognition
of FYROM), but we have not taken any decision yet on the matter.
We think that dialogue between Athens and Skopje to settle their
existing differences is desirable. We hope to continue to have
good relations with the Greek government as we have has for so
long. But we are also concerned at developments in FYROM". Mr.
Christopher also said that measures should be taken to avoid the
spread of the Bosnia war, especially to the south.

     Speaking to reporters, on his way out of the State Department,
Mr. Papoulias said that the Cyprus issue was discussed with
Foreign Affairs Committee President Lee Hamilton (D-Indiana)
earlier. Mr. Papoulias was scheduled to meet with President
Clinton's national security adviser Anthony Lake at midnight.
For the Greek EU presidency the Bosnia situation is a top
priority owing to "a looming danger of escalation of war", which
the US does not appear to share, considering the crisis a
"European matter".

     Mr. Papoulias' task is "difficult", according to political and
diplomatic observers, due to the existing "rift" in handling the
Bosnian issue, particularly between the US and France, which
recently led to overt recriminations. French Foreign Minister
Alain Juppe is due in Athens tomorrow, to be briefed by Mr.
Papoulias on his talks in Washington and US reaction to what the
Greek presidency proposed. The Middle East was included in the
agenda and Mr. Papoulias is due to visit the area in
mid-February, as President of the EU Council of foreign
Ministers to contribute to further progress in the Palestinian
and Middle East issues. Matters of top priority for the US
included in the agenda, are Russia and developments in central
and eastern Europe. Nuclear weapons in North Korea and Iran were
included in talks at the request of the US.


     Athens, 1/2/1994 (ANA): US Ambassador to Greece Thomas Niles
said in Thessaloniki yesterday, the US wanted to make use of
Greece's "vast experience" in the Balkan region. Speaking to
reporters after a meeting with Minister for Macedonia and Thrace
Constantine Triarides, Mr. Niles said he had discussed ways in
which the US and Greece might work together to attain targets of
the two countries in the region. "We are here to learn", Mr.
Niles said, "because Greece clearly has vast experience in this
region of the Balkans, and it is this experience which we want
to make use of". Mr. Niles was accompanied by State Department
head for economic affairs in Eastern Europe Ralph Johnson.

     Mr. Triarides said the meeting was "interesting", emphasizing
the "serious and Genuine" interest displayed by the US in future
co-operation and economic development in the Balkans and former
Eastern European countries. "I'm glad because the relative
advantages of Thessaloniki and the hard work ahead us in
attaining these goals have been understood by the US", Mr.
Triarides said. "I hope these talks will lead to closer
co-operation between the two countries", he added. A
prerequisite for Balkan development is peace in the greater
region, Mr. Triarides stressed.


     Athens, 1/2/1994 (ANA): Foreign Under-secretary George
Papandreou had a meeting yesterday with members of the Swedish
Parliament permanent committee on Sweden's accession to the
European Union.


     Athens, 1/2/1994 (ANA): British Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd
yesterday expressed the wish Greece and Former Republic of
Yugoslavia (FYROM) find a solution to their differences. Mr.
Hurd was speaking to reporters after a meeting with United
Nations Secretary General Boutros Boutros Ghali. Asked by
reporters whether Britain will encourage the two sides to resume
dialogue, Mr. Hurd said: "I have not very much to contribute to
that. It's obviously very desirable that Greece and FYROM should
resolve their differences, so that that country can settle fully
and peacefully into the international community". "We have good
relations with both countries now and we hope that their
discussions find a way of succeeding", Mr. Hurd added.

     Asked on the Cyprus problem, Mr. Hurd said: "I discussed the
Cyprus issue with the Secretary General. I believe it is very
important that the opportunity of these next weeks be taken. By
that I mean that it is very important that the talks now going
on between Mr. Denktash and Mr. Clerides on the confidence
building measures should succeed. I did my best in Ankara ten
days ago to urge this forward and I'll take every opportunity to
do the same".


     United Nations, 1/2/1994 (ANA - M. Georgiadou): Alternate UN
Chief spokesman Ahmad Fawzi yesterday said he had no knowledge
of UN Chief's Special Representative for Former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) Cyrus Vance's intention to visit
Athens and Skopje. "I don't know of any plans by Mr. Vance to
visit the region. He is in touch with parties concerned, but I
am not aware of any plans for such a visit", Mr. Fawzi told the
press yesterday. Mr. Vance was "furious at the violation of the
black out in this sensitive stage", sources said yesterday.
There would be no relative statement by a UN spokesman, the
sources added.


     Athens, 1/2/1994 (ANA): The government yesterday advised Deniz
Baykal, leader of the Turkish Republican People's Party, to
study the Treaty of Laussane, international law and the Greek
constitution before making any statements during his ongoing
visit to Greece. Asked to comment on statements by Mr. Baykal in
Xanthi and Rodopi Sunday, government spokesman Evangelos
Venizelos said: "Before making any statement, it would be
advisable for Mr. Baykal to study the Treaty of Laussane,
international law and the Greek Constitution which, if viewed
from any angle, could serve as a model on minority issues". Mr.
Venizelos added that in matters of law and institutions, Greece
belonged to the European culture "from which Turkey is a long
way off". The spokesman condemned incidents Sunday, in which a
group of extreme right-wing youths threw stones and hurled
insults at Mr. Baykal and his group in Xanthi.

     Mr. Baykal had earlier fueled tension in the region, by
stating "Greece should recognize the Moslem minority in Thrace as
Turkish". Mr. Venizelos said the government condemned all
violence "irrespective of origin", adding the incidents had been
caused by "isolated groups". Mr. Baykal arrived in northern
Greece on a three-day visit Saturday. Greek Moslems exercised
all their rights, as provided for in the Constitution, which in
no way differed from rights of all other Greek citizens, the
spokesman said. "Turkish politicians who visit Greece have the
opportunity to see how a state which respects the rule of law
and upholds human rights operates. Such an experience would be
particularly useful, if a comparison were drawn between Greece
and Turkey on human rights issues", Mr. Venizelos added. The
spokesman said no official Turkish protest had been lodged
concerning the incidents in Xanthi.

     Meanwhile, speaking in Thessaloniki yesterday, Mr. Baykal
referred to "the Moslems living in Western Thrace" rather than
"the Turkish minority" of which he spoke in Rodopi and Xanthi
over the weekend. After visiting the house in which Kemal
Ataturk was born, Mr. Baykal said Moslems of Western Thrace
faced problems which were not insoluble. "The Greek government
has taken certain steps towards resolving (the problems), and
there is hope it will take more", Mr. Baykal said. He said
Greece and Turkey were friends and could, in future, become
closer friends.

     An ANA dispatch from Istanbul later said that the Turkish
Foreign Ministry had asked the Greek authorities to protect Mr.
Baykal and those accompanying him on his visit to Western
Thrace. Quoting a ministry announcement issued late Sunday night
in the Turkish capital, the dispatch said that the Turkish
government, through the Greek embassy in Ankara, had asked the
Greek authorities "to prevent aggressive actions by a group of
fanatics and to take the necessary security measures for the
Republic Peoples Party delegation".


     Athens, 1/2/1994 (ANA): Archbishop Iakovos of North and South
America yesterday stressed the need for close co-operation
between government and opposition parties on national issues.
Speaking to the press, Iakovos - who arrived in Athens yesterday
afternoon - expressed contained optimism on the course of
national issues and satisfaction at the state of relations
between Greece and the US. Turning to the Skopje issue, the
Archbishop said the moment calls for wise handling from the
government, adding that the Overseas Greeks in the US will
contribute to the promotion of the national issues.

     Iakovos, will leave on Thursday for Istanbul to have a meeting
with Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos. Iakovos was scheduled to
arrive in Athens on Saturday but had to put back his visit due
to a slight indisposition.

     In a toast to the Archbishop, Mr. Papandreou said he was
certain co-operation between Greece and the United States would
grow deeper with support of the Archbishorphic and Iakovos
personally. Iakovos stressed Greece's national issues were the
national issues to all (the Greeks). "We stand by your side,
with hands ready to move in any direction", Iakovos said.


     Athens, 1/2/1994 (ANA): Foreign Under-secretary George
Papandreou leaves for Geneva today, to represent the European
Union at the 50th session of the UN Human Rights Committee. Mr.
Papandreou will have bilateral talks with UN High Commissioner
for Refugees Sadako Ogata and senior International Red Cross
officials.


     Athens, 1/2/1994 (ANA): Agriculture Minister George Moraitis
yesterday began a tour of Sweden and Norway for talks on the
agricultural aspects of European Union enlargement. In his
capacity as president of the EU Council of Farm Ministers, Mr.
Moraitis will pay a two-day visit to Sweden before flying to
Oslo for three days of talks. The Greek presidency of the EU has
said it will try to help all four countries seeking accession to
the Union - Sweden, Norway, Austria and Finland - to join
simultaneously.

     Mr. Moraitis will have talks with his counterparts in Stockholm
and Oslo on various problems in the agriculture sector relating
to the accession of the two Scandinavian countries to the EU. At
the same time, he will brief the governments of the two
countries on the Greek presidency's positions concerning EU
enlargement.


     Athens, 1/2/1994 (ANA): National Economy Alternate Minister
Yiannos Papantoniou, proposed economic support by the European
Union to the East European countries and Balkan states in
particular, in a speech at a Conference of the International
Economic Forum in Davos from 28 to 30 January.

     Mr. Papantoniou, who represented the European Union at the
Forum, had meetings with the Prime Ministers of Denmark Paul
Rasmussen and Bulgaria L. Berov on the sidelines of the
conference, relating to progress of bilateral relations. He also
had meetings with Vice President of the European Commission Leo
Brittan and president of the European Bank for Reconstruction
and Development De Larociere on the GATT issue, the possibility
of financing projects and programs in East Europe, in the
context of Inter-European Networks. He also met with EU
counterparts on matters of common interest and others concerning
the Greek Presidency.


     Brussels, 1/2/1994 (ANA - G. Daratos): The European commission
is expected to ratify next week proposals by Commissioner Bruce
Millan on "Community initiatives" to finance a package of
infrastructure projects in Greece through European union
Structural Funds. Community initiatives account for 9 per cent
of Community resources the Structural Funds will provide in the
period 1994-1999, totaling 12.73 billion ECU's out of 141.47
billion ECU's, earmarked for regions listed as "Target 1",
covering the whole of Greece, and targets 2 and 5b (unemployment
and underdeveloped agricultural regions apart from those in
"Target 1"). The Commission is expected to ratify financing for
Greece, as part of "Community initiatives" for programs
amounting to 1,150 million ECU's, being at least 8 per cent of
the total figure to be supplied through such initiatives.


     Brussels, 1/2/1994 (ANA): Greece's Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
fell by -11 per cent (+16 per cent for all European Union member
states) from 1985-1992, according to a Community Eurostat
bulletin published yesterday. Per capita GDP in Greece in
inflation-indexed prices was the lowest in the EU reaching 7.851
units, being double for all the EU (15.617). Prices for the US
and Japan are 22.255 and 18.771 respectively. Aggregate GDP of
major countries, namely Germany, France, Italy and Britain
equaled 80 per cent of the Community's GDP, while that of
smallest countries (Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Luxembourg)
was 3.3 per cent.