From: tzarros@ccs.carleton.ca (Theodore Zarros)
Subject: News (in ENGLISH)- Tue, 22 Feb 1994 (Greek Press Office BBS, Ottawa).

	Athens, 22/2/1994 (ANA) The Greek government yesterday
expressed its "particular satisfaction" over developments in
Bosnia, saying that reason and prudence had prevailed. "The fact
that reason and prudence have prevailed is proof of just how
effective non-military means can be in resolving a crisis",
government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said. A NATO deadline
for warring factions in Sarajevo to withdraw the guns or
surrender them to UN peacekeepers expired at 1 a.m. (midnight
GMT) yesterday, with some of the weapons still in place, unable
to be moved because of heavy snow. The alliance lifted its
threat of immediate air strikes against remaining Serb siege
guns, snowbound on hills around the city, but NATO planes still
patrolled skies above Sarajevo at dawn yesterday. The spokesman
welcomed developments on the front in Bosnia, saying that they
vindicated Greece's positions on the crisis. "All efforts", Mr.
Venizelos continued, "must now be concentrated on finding an
immediate, peaceful and viable solution. Greece will continue to
make every possible effort in this respect". Asked if the NATO
ultimatum for the removal of heavy weapons around Sarajevo had
played a role in the developments, Mr. Venizelos replied
affirmatively, stressing however the "great importance" of
Russia's diplomatic intervention. Replying to other questions,
the spokesman said that Greece remained firm in its positions on
the Bosnian crisis, and was now awaiting results of tomorrow's
meeting in Bonn to be attended by the US, Russia, France,
Britain (as UN Security Council members), Greece, Germany and
Belgium (the present, next and previous holders of the European
Union presidency) and international mediators Lord Owen and
Thorwald Stoltenberg. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss
further steps towards peace in Bosnia. Meanwhile in Brussels,
Alternate Foreign Minister and President of the European Union's
Council of Ministers Theodoros Pangalos said the Union was
following closely the process of de-escalation of hostilities,
and would promote its own peace plan for Bosnia.


	Belgrade, 22/2/1994 (ANA - N. Georgiadis) Yugoslav Foreign
Minister Vladislav Jovanovic told Serb state radio yesterday "if
the policy of ultimatums continues, no progress will be
achieved. "It is only political dialogue and negotiations that
will put an end to the crisis", he stressed. Mr. Jovanovic
praised the role played by Russia and Greece during the recent
crisis in Bosnia, including other countries he did not name,
which are pursuing a political, not a military solution, to the
issue. 

	Brussels, 22/2/1994 (ANA) Greece will provide legal
justification, to its eleven European Union partners for the
decision it has taken to impose retortion measures against the
Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Alternate Foreign
Minister and EU Council of Ministers President Theodoros
Pangalos said yesterday. Speaking to reporters, after a meeting
of the Union's Foreign Affairs Council, Mr. Pangalos said:
"Greece will provide all the legal arguments justifying its
decision during the next few days". He added that "the
Commission has requested legal clarifications from Greece to
ascertain whether or not conditions exist for the European
Community Court to examine the measures taken by the Greek
government. "The political arguments are already known from a
statement by the Greek Prime Minister, as well as a telegram
sent by the Greek government to its partners setting out its
argumentation, as part of political co-operation among the
'12'". 

	Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias, defending
Greece's decision, said yesterday that it was not Greece that
had hurt the Community's solidarity but, rather, those who
support the intransigence of FYROM President Kiro Gligorov and
tolerate his historically unfounded claims. Greece, current EU
president, ordered last week the closure of its Consulate
General in the former Yugoslav republic, and barred the new
state from using the port of Thessaloniki. Athens, said the move
was prompted by the neighbouring state's continued intransigence
and aggressive behaviour. For the past two years, Greece has
accused FYROM of usurping the name 'Macedonia' which, Athens
says, is solely a part of Greek heritage, and of harbouring
territorial designs on its northern province of Macedonia.
Greece said that it would be prepared to resume dialogue with
FYROM, if the neighbouring state provided concrete examples of
good will, such as removal of a Greek symbol from its flag,
cessation of hostile propaganda against Greece and amendments to
sections of its Constitution. Under EU law, the unilateral
sanctions against FYROM would be illegal, unless Greece could
prove the action was justified by a threat to public order and
safety. Mr. Pangalos said that most EU countries exercised
criticism during the discussion on the content of the Greek
measures, and the way in which the decision was taken, adding
that "it is a special measure of a political nature based on
known Greek arguments". "We are very sorry we had to take those
measures. We would very much like to have good relations with
that state, but there are limits to tolerance", Mr. Pangalos
said. 

	Asked to comment on Greece's position in the event Community
partners raised objections, Mr. Pangalos said "our decisions
define the framework of the days to come and we hope for speedy
developments". Asked how the Greek decision is compatible with
the commitment made by Community leaders at the Edinburgh summit
to secure oil supplies for FYROM, Mr. Pangalos said the embargo
does not include goods (foodstuffs and medicines) and energy
destined for humanitarian institutions and organisations.
Referring to the question of oil, Mr. Pangalos reminded that
12,000 tonnes of oil was transported from the port of
Thessaloniki to FYROM last year, at a time when the state's
absorption capacity is 3,000 tonnes, according to Greek
estimates. "It would be interesting to find out what happened to
the other three quarters. You cannot increase consumption four
times in one year. This would be an unprecedented increase in
history", Mr. Pangalos said. Mr. Pangalos also announced that
the Commission intends to send Foreign Political Affairs
Commissioner Hans van den Broek to Skopje, and Athens to examine
the situation. Mr. van den Broek tour will last two days,
tomorrow and Thursday. 


	Athens, 22/2/1994 (ANA) Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias sent
a message to the European Union yesterday saying its European
partners had turned their backs to EU solidarity, not Athens.
"We are sending a message to our friends and partners. It is not
Greece that has hurt the Community's solidarity but, rather,
those who support the intransigence of (Skopje President Kiro)
Gligorov and tolerate his historically unfounded claims", Mr.
Papoulias said in Ioannina, during celebrations marking the 81st
anniversary of this city's liberation from Ottoman rule. "Our
country has the unchallenged right to take such measures in
defending its national integrity", Mr. Papoulias said. 

	Athens, 22/2/1994 (ANA) Meanwhile, government spokesman
Evangelos Venizelos said that the retortion measures announced
last week against FYROM, were aimed at pressing Skopje to
provide concrete examples of good will demanded by Greece. "The
measures taken by Greece against FYROM are aimed at bringing
pressure to bear on Skopje to provide concrete examples of good
will, which will allow the continuation of dialogue within the
framework of the UN, also bearing in mind the Greek government's
position on the name issue", Mr. Venizelos said. Replying to
press questions, Mr. Venizelos said that Greece's decision to
suspend the movement of goods through the port of Thessaloniki
to and from Skopje, had been misinterpreted by the officials of
other countries, including US Secretary of State Warren
Christopher, who described the measures as excessive. The
spokesman reiterated a statement by Prime Minister Andreas
Papandreou, when announcing the measures last Wednesday, that it
had been proven in practice that words alone were either
underestimated or misinterpreted. "Consequently", Mr. Venizelos
said, "Greece was obliged to express its basic position in
deed". Both the United States and Greece's European Union
partners, Mr. Venizelos continued, must realise that any
reactions and pressure should be addressed to the Skopje
government "which has not taken even a single step towards
moderacy and prudence". However, he said, Greece is prepared to
enter into dialogue, bearing in mind its position on the issue
of the neighbouring state's name. The spokesman reiterated that
the Skopje government had misinterpreted Washington's recent
decision to establish diplomatic relations with FYROM, forcing
Greece to take retortion measures. "Measures which were taken
after some delay, but with great care", he said. The spokesman
stressed that Skopje should stop using Greek symbols and desist
from irredentist propaganda against Greece. Replying to other
questions, Venizelos said that reactions to the Greek measures
were not characterised by acrimony. "All (reactions) have been
within the framework of the code of diplomatic etiquette", he
said. The measures, he added, had a solid legal basis founded in
international and European Union law.


	Brussels, 22/2/1994 (ANA - F. Stangos / V. Demiris) "The
Commission fully understands very well the degree of sensitivity
which the issue (of FYROM) causes the Greek government and the
sentimental reactions it causes to Greek public opinion.
However, being the Treaty's trustee, the Commission should
examine the legal implications of the measures taken by the
Greek government in the light of Community legal order", a
European Commission spokesman told reporters yesterday.
"According to article 36 of the European Union's Treaty, a
member state can adopt restrictive measures on import and export
trade in the event these measures are imposed to safeguard its
public order and public security", he said. "The European
Court's firm and steadfast jurisprudence sets out that it is up
to the member state taking measures of such a nature, to show
that disturbances exist threatening its internal public order,
with consequences that cannot be handled in any other way. "The
Commission will wait for Greek argumentation on this issue", the
spokesman added. He said this exclusively concerns the legal
repercussions of the Greek decision while its political aspects
were due to be discussed yesterday at the Council of Ministers
during a dinner. The measures taken by the Greek government, he
said, violate the Community regulation on import and export
trade with the former Yugoslav republics.


	Athens, 22/2/1994 (ANA) Loading operations began today to
forward 17,000 tonnes of Skopjan goods, which arrived at the
port of Thessaloniki, before the government announced retortion
measures against the neighbouring state last Wednesday. In a
special circular, the government has instructed the Port
Authorities to arrange for the despatch of the 17,000 tonnes of
cargo, as soon as possible. The first two vessels which arrived
in the port at the weekend to take on the goods, are the
Lebanese-flag 'Dania' and the Greek-flag 'Georgia'. The 'Dania'
will take on 700 cubic metres of timber to an unknown
destination, and the Georgia load 1,100 tonnes of ore for the
Italian port of Genova. Meanwhile, trucks formed long lines on
both sides of the Greek-Skopje border as customs officials
enforced stringent checks on all shipments. At the Evzonos
border post this morning, more than 50 trucks from the
Netherlands, Italy, Skopje and Greece were awaiting inspection.
Athens last Wednesday halted the movement of goods through the
port of Thessaloniki to and from the Former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia and closed its Consulate General in Skopje, as
retortion measures against the neighbouring state's continued
intransigence and provocativeness. 


	Nicosia, 22/2/1994 (ANA - G. Leonidas): The Cypriot government
fully supports Greek government measures on the Skopje (Former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) issue, government spokesman
Yiannakis Cassoulides said yesterday. Asked whether or not the
Cypriot government would offer Greece practical support too, Mr.
Cassoulides said unfortunately Cyprus could not do that as it
had no diplomatic relations with Skopje.


	Melbourne, 22/2/1994 (ANA - S. Hatzimanolis) Tension grew among
the Greek Australia community, following an arson attempt
against the building of the Panmacedonian Union of Melbourne and
Victoria Monday morning. The building, where the co-ordinating
committee of a large protest gathering against Australian
recognition of FYROM meets, suffered limited damage. The
gathering is scheduled for Sunday. The arson attack came less
than 24 hours after a fire gutted the Skopjan Orthodox church of
St. Nicholas in Preston. Government circles and media are
expressing concern that Australia may become a field for violent
confrontation between Greeks and Skopjans. Several attacks
against Greek Australians have been reported lately. Meanwhile,
Australian Foreign Minister Garath Evans stated Sunday that
following his country's recognition of FYROM, he had received
certain "lively messages from certain circles". He added that
FYROM recognition was inevitable, and that Greek retortion
measures against Skopje would not hold.


	Athens, 22/2/1994 (ANA) "The Greek community in Albania is
entitled to certain well defined rights stemming from
international law, and the Albanian government has corresponding
obligations which no one should overlook", government spokesman
Evangelos Venizelos said yesterday. Mr. Venizelos was commenting
on a statement by National Defence Under-secretary Nikos Kouris,
who reiterated Greece would protect overseas Greeks by all means
at its disposal.