From: tzarros@ccs.carleton.ca (Theodore Zarros) Subject: News (in ENGLISH)- Tue, 15 Mar 1994 (Greek Press Office BBS, Ottawa). Athens News Agency Bulletin, Balkan countries should keep out of Bosnia conflict, Greece reaffirms ----------------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 15/3/1994 (ANA): Greece reiterated Sunday that countries having historical ties with or bordering war-torn Bosnia or Balkan countries in general, should not get involved in the conflict, and criticised Turkey's offer to send peacekeeping troops to the region. At the same time, government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said that Greece "will continue diplomatic activity to avert a possible deployment of Turkish troops in Bosnia". "The Greek government position that no Balkan country should become involved in the ongoing civil war in Bosnia is unshakeable", he told reporters during a visit to Thessaloniki's television network. He said Turkey's intention send 5.000 peace-keepers to Bosnia reflects "Turkey's efforts to find a way out of its international isolation and the problems it faces". "I consider it inconceivable and absurd to exclude participation of other countries (in sending peace troops) which have historic relations with Bosnia, like Austria, and not display the same sensitivities as in the case of Turkey", he said. Still, he added, Greece was closely following all developments in the region. Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias said Friday Athens might send Greek forces to Bosnia, if the United Nations accepted Turkey's offer to deploy peacekeeping troops in the war-ravaged republic. "If Turkey sends its units (to Bosnia), Greece would also consider sending its forces", he said. "We continue to believe that all Balkan countries should abstain from military involvement in Bosnia, a principle accepted by NATO and the European Union, but should this principle be violated, a new situation in the region will arise, and this means that Greece will have to take new decisions in favour of its national interests and those of the broader region", he told reporters. He was speaking at Athens airport, on his return from Belgrade, where he discussed Bosnia peace plans with Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic. Meanwhile, National Defence Minister Gerasimos Arsenis yesterday did not exclude participation of a Greek peacekeeping force in Bosnia, adding that a decision on the issue would be taken in a few days. "Participation of Greek forces in the UN peacekeeping body in Bosnia should not be excluded", Mr. Arsenis said in an interview with Channel 1 of Greek Television. He said a decision on the matter would be taken in the "a few days" adding that his ministry was "fully prepared and examining all possible scenarios". Reactions --------- Athens, 15/3/1994 (ANA): Political Spring (Pol.A) leader Antonis Samaras said such a move contravened a decision taken by all political leaders in Greece to avoid military involvement in Bosnia. He also urged Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou to call a meeting of political leaders under the chairmanship of President Constantine Karamanlis to review developments in the Yugoslav crisis. Former Defence Minister and Deputy president of the conservative New Democracy Party John Varvitsiotis voiced strong opposition to the deployment of Greek forces, while the Coalition of the Left and Progress (Synaspismos) branded Mr. Papoulias' remark "unwise, unjustified and wrong". "It reverses a unanimous decision taken by the political leaders (on the issue), and facilitates persistent and unsuccessful efforts by Turkey to penetrate the Balkans", said a statement by the Leftist party. UN peace-keepers have asked for more than 10.000 extra soldiers for Bosnia to monitor a one month-old cease-fire between Moslems and Croats, and an eventual peace accord. The UN Secretary-General has been reluctant to accept offers of additional troops, including from Turkey, because of political sensitivities. But, strapped for troops to beef-up the over-streched UNPROFOR, UN officials have recently indicated they may be forced to stop being choosy. The UN protection force in Bosnia is about 13.000 troops. Turkish troops in Bosnia 'will prolong war' ------------------------------------------- Thessaloniki, 15/3/1994 (ANA): Bosnian Serb Deputy Prime Minister Bilianka Plavzic told reporters Sunday the possible dispatch of Turkish troops to Bosnia will result in a prolongation of the war in Bosnia Herzegovina both time-wise and geographically. Speaking at an event organised in her honour at the Kalamaria Town Hall in Thessaloniki, Ms. Plavzic said in the event Turkish or German troops were sent to Bosnia under a UN umbrella Serb political leadership would not be able to control the reactions of the people. Commenting on the present situation in Bosnia, she said Serbs controlled 72 per cent of territory while Bosnia's national real estate registry said Serbs controlled 64 per cent. We can withdraw to 64 per cent, but not 50 per cent as requested from us, she said. Ms. Plavzic said Croats and Moslems were holding secret meetings and taking decisions behind the Bosnian Serbs' back, terming Croats and Moslems "puppets of the Germans and the Americans". MP cautions UK Parliament over Turkish troops to Bosnia ------------------------------------------------------ London, 15/3/1994 (ANA- L. Tsirigotakis): British Labour MP and former minister Tony Ben yesterday cautioned the House of Commons inclusion of Turkish troops in the UN peacekeeping force in Bosnia would be an extremely dangerous act of historical illiteracy, adding that even today Turkey was violating international regulations by its military occupation of northern Cyprus. Apart from the fact a large number of persons in Britain and, indeed, of different convictions, were gravely concerned at Britain's deep involvement in the Bosnian civil war, the British MP asked whether or not the (Defence) Secretary was aware that sending Turkish troops would be an action of historical illiteracy and also extremely dangerous, not only because Turkey and ruled this region for six centuries, but also since even today Turkish troops occupied northern Cyprus, ignoring UN resolutions and violating international regulations? Mr. Ben asked also whether or not the Secretary could give assurances that the British government would not endorse dispatch of Turkish troops to region in former Yugoslavia?". The British Defence Secretary replied the Turkish government's offer to send troops to Bosnia was an issue for the UN Secretary General to handle. Greek gov't satisfied with Vance-Papoulias meeting, more to come ---------------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 15/3/1994 (ANA): Government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said in Thessaloniki Saturday the government considers the meeting held last week between Greek Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias and negotiator Cyrus Vance positive. Mr. Venizelos said Greek positions were fully understood by Mr. Vance, adding that it would not be the only meeting, as the initiative was continuing. Commenting on the possible participation of Turkish troops in Bosnia UN peacekeeping forces, Mr. Venizelos said: "The basic position not only of Greece, but of the UN as well, is that countries having historical involvement in the region should not participate, and that applies to neighbours even more so". Official hopeful German help might bring Skopje settlement ---------------------------------------------------------- Bonn, 15/3/1994 (ANA): Bundestag (German Parliament) External Affairs Committee Chairman Dr Hans Stergen Saturday expressed the view that if certain articles in the Constitution of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia were either amended or removed, Greek wishes will have been satisfied and an abnormal situation normalised. "I believe that if we could contribute so that certain expressions, such as those carried in the Skopje Constitution that lead to misinterpretation, are amended and others removed, then we shall have responded to the desires of our Greek friends and normalised an abnormal situation", Dr. Stengen said. He added Greek positions had met with considerable understanding among all parliamentary groups, but unilateral commercial embargo measures did not concur with what had been agreed on among political union bodies in regard to a common foreign policy. "That is the meaning of the talks we shall be having with the two sides in forthcoming days and weeks", Dr. Stengen went on. Time was needed for the issue of Greek retortion measures against Skopje to be re-examined by the European Union Commission, and removing reservations on ratification of Greece's access to the Western European Union, he said. FYROM president Kiro Gligorov is due in Germany today, at the invitation of the EUROPA-DIALOG political forum. Despite the unofficial character of his visit, his schedule includes a round of meetings with German President Richard von Weitzaecker, former Foreign Minister Mr. Genscher, current Foreign Minister Mr. Kinkel and other German officials. US NATO representative in Athens -------------------------------- Athens, 15/3/1994 (ANA): Washington's representative to NATO, Lieutenant General Daniel Christman, was due to arrive in Athens yesterday for a three-day visit. The NATO official will hold talks with the Greek head of the Armed Forces, Admiral Christos Lymberis, Defence Minister Gerasimos Arsenis and visit Greek and American military sites in Larissa and Crete. Ankara Embassy demarche over threat letters, assault on Greek woman ----------------------------------------------------------------- Istanbul, 15/3/1994 (ANA): The Greek embassy in Ankara made a demarche with Turkish authorities yesterday, in connection with threatening letters received by staff and an assault against the wife of an employee of the Greek Consulate General in Istanbul. The letters, signed by the "Turkish Revenge Brigades" (T.I.T./CAKA BEY), also sent to members of the Press Office, threatened a "tooth for a tooth and eye for an eye fight against Greek imperialism", and included a photocopy of a recent publication of Turkish journalists' and diplomats' addresses in Athens by a Greek daily, urging the "close surveillance of these agents". The wife of the cultural attachi was attacked by "unidentified" persons in a car, in the centre of the city. European transport conference in Crete -------------------------------------- Athens, 15/3/94 (ANA): The second European Transport Conference began in Agios Nikolaos, Crete yesterday, through Wednesday. It aims at adding emphasis on planning a European Transport policy, the financing of infrastructure projects, their regulatory framework and their dimensions on issues of safety and environment. Transport and Communications Minister John Charalambous, opening the conference in his capacity as President of the Council of Transport Ministers of the European Union, said that the basic philosophy of the conference was the promotion of a deregulated market for transport in an environment of healthy competition. European Union Commissioner Abel Matutes stressed Crete's strategic position, and described the aim of the conference as a quest for "a common prospect of a European scale on the future of transport". Attending representatives of the environmental organisation Greenpeace described the European road network as a "farcical denial of the European Union's environmental commitments". Stojan Antov, parliament speaker of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) arrived in Crete last Saturday, amidst stringent security measures. Mr Antov, who leads a delegation from FYROM, takes part in the European Transport Conference. It is the first time that FYROM officials come to Greece, since the trade embargo enforced by the Greek government against Skopje on February 16 as retortion measures, demanding that the government in Skopje change the country's name, symbols and constitution. Mr Antov declined to make an arrival statement simply saying: "I'm tired". The Skopje delegation was admitted into Greece with visas stamped on a white paper, not on their passports. Government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos announced on Saturday that the delegation had agreed not to carry their flag bearing the ancient Greek Vergina Star symbol into the conference. Mr Venizelos also denied reports that Greece had relaxed its trade sanctions through oil destined for Skopje to move across the Greek border on Thursday. "The consignment had arrived in the port of Thessaloniki several days before sanctions were introduced", he said.