From: tzarros@ccs.carleton.ca (Theodore Zarros) Subject: News (in ENGLISH)- Mon, 30 May 1994 (Greek Press Office BBS, Ottawa). Athens News Agency Bulletin, Turkey stirs up tension, provocation to export home problems - Venizelos ----------------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 30/5/1994 (ANA): The government yesterday accused Turkey of creating tension and committing acts of provocation against Greece in an attempt "to export" its domestic problems. In a statement to reporters in Thessaloniki on an attempted bomb attack against the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Istanbul Saturday, and Friday's statement by Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Ferhat Ataman accusing Greece of allowing its territory to be used for the training of Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) members, government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said: "Turkish provocations and efforts to create tension continue. Claims that PKK members are supposedly being trained in Greece are absurd. Yesterday we had the bombs at the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul. We are following the situation with a cool head and caution. We call on the Turkish government not to export its political problems, and show respect for the rules of western civilisation and international law." In leaflets found next to three powerful time-bombs placed in iron pipes next to a wall, and on a roof of the Patriarchate building, a hitherto unknown Islamic organisation calling itself "Warriors of Islamic Enlightenment" claimed responsibility for the attempted attack. The bombs were discovered by Patriarchate officials and defused by Turkish bomb disposal experts, shortly before they were due to detonate. The experts said that had they gone off, the blasts would have caused extensive damage and possibly casualties. In the leaflets, the Islamic organisation refers to Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos, spiritual leader of the world's 200 million Orthodox Christians, as "a filthy devil", adding that "the struggle shall continue until he is dead". Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Ferhat Ataman claimed Friday that Kurdish rebels were being trained in Greece. On Saturday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Kostas Bikas also flatly denied Turkish Foreign Ministry claims that Kurdish rebels were being trained in Greece. "As we have repeatedly stated, such accusations are both false and totally unfounded," Mr. Bikas said. "Turkey is going through a serious crisis in many sectors. It should look into the socio-economic situation within its own boundaries, including human rights violations, and seek both the causes of and a cure for its problems," he added. Opposition reaction ------------------- Athens, 30/5/1994 (ANA): Main opposition New Democracy party leader Miltiades Evert said in Katerini yesterday he "did not consider the bombs a serious affair." "Three bombs which were planted and did not explode, together with a threatening letter is no matter worthy of consideration," he said, adding: "What causes concern and is of importance, is the statement by the Foreign Ministry spokesman. The reason why it took place is evident. The government should oblige the Turkish Foreign Ministry to either withdraw it or produce evidence. I consider the statement suspicious. Turkey is currently faced with three major problems: the Kurdish issue, the economic issue and the spreading of Islamism which can lead it to chaos." Commenting on the bomb attempt against the Patriarchate, Political Spring party leader Antonis Samaras said "the prospect of Orthodoxy's unity, which the Patriarchate symbolises, related to the Kurdish issue, which is dividing Turkey, is leading to extreme manifestations." "Turkey's government should take all necessary measures to protect the Patriarchate," he said. Meanwhile, in a message to the European Commission, Christos Papoutsis, head of PASOK's Parliamentary group at the European Parliament, called for prompt intervention by the European Union with the Turkish government for the security and unimpeded operation of the Constantinople Patriarchate, which is at risk of various attacks by fanatical political and religious groups. Greece, Cyprus talks on current phase of problem ------------------------------------------------ Athens, 30/5/1994 (ANA): Greece and Cyprus on Saturday expressed the hope UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali's forthcoming report on the Cyprus problem would underline filibustering resorted to by the Turkish side at the latest UN-sponsored talks. Speaking to reporters after a 90-minute meeting, the Foreign Ministers of Greece and Cyprus Karolos Papoulias and Alecos Michaelides also expressed concern for the delay in making public the report. Mr. Papoulias said that he had accepted an invitation to visit Nicosia to continue talks with Mr. Michaelides on the Cyprus problem, which he described as the most important national issue for Greece. Mr. Michaelides said that he had exchanged views with Mr. Papoulias on the current phase of efforts to resolve the problem, and discussed the next steps to be taken. He said he shared a hope with Mr. Papoulias that other countries would now realise the Turkish side had no political will t o work towards a settlement of the problem. Mr. Michaelides underlined that the last three UN Security Council resolutions on the issue had stressed that if the latest initiative was not successful, alternative methods would be used to enforce the resolutions. Turkish-Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash last week failed to co-operate with the UN to reach an agreement on a package of confidence building measures. Mr. Papoulias told questioners both the Cyprus problem and the issue of Cyprus' accession to the European Union would be discussed at the EU summit in Corfu next month. Greece warns Albania, Turkey over hostile statements, acts -------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 30/5/1994 (ANA): The government Saturday issued a two-prong warning to Tirana and Ankara, cautioning it would not tolerate a repetition of hostile statements or action against Greece or the Greek minority in Albania. Speaking to reporters in Thessaloniki, government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos reiterated that Greece desired an improvement in relations with Albania, but any such improvement rested on Tirana's respecting the rights of the ethnic Greek minority. "We have at our disposal lawful political and diplomatic means which we shall use if we have to. Both the international community and the Albanian government know only too well what those means are," Mr. Venizelos said. Commenting on latest Turkish press reports accusing Greece of allowing use of its territory for the training of Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) members, Mr. Venizelos said: "There has indeed been a new wave of reports in the Turkish press which, unfortunately, have been reproduced by certain European newspapers. The most annoying thing, however, is an official statement by Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Ferhat Ataman. I repeat once more. Such Turkish allegations have reached a ludicrous point. It is an attempt to export Turkey's domestic problems. The matter is a purely domestic Turkish problem." The spokesman said that Greece had repeatedly and unreservedly condemned all acts of violence and terrorism, and "in any case, Greece's entire territory is completely open and accessible to everybody, which cannot be said of Turkey's territory." "We are not prepared to tolerate repetition of such a game," Mr. Venizelos added. Asked if the timing of the Turkish press reports might be linked with the attack launched against Greece by Albanian Foreign Minister Alfred Serreqi in Paris on Friday, Mr. Venizelos replied that he did not wish "to make interpretations" of international events. Speaking at a Paris Conference on Stability in Europe, Mr. Serreqi accused Greece of spreading misinformation about the treatment of the Greek minority in Albania. Mr. Venizelos said, however, that Greece was closely following all such developments, without overlooking "any possibility or factor". Greece, he added, maintains its efforts to act as a factor of peace, security and stability in the Balkans. EU troika in Algiers talks -------------------------- Athens, 30/5/1994 (ANA): Foreign Under-secretary George Papandreou will head a European Union troika delegation to Algiers today, to convey a message of support for Algerian government efforts to implement its economic reform programme, the Foreign Ministry said Saturday. The EU troika currently comprises Belgium, Greece and Germany. The delegation will have talks with President Liamine Zeroual and Prime Minister Mokdad Sifi, with whom it will underline the importance the EU attaches to the commencement of dialogue among all the country's democratic political forces. It will also condemn terrorism. Islamic militants are waging a campaign to overthrow the army-backed Algerian government. Tomorrow, Mr. Papandreou will fly to Cairo to represent Greece as observer at a Non-Aligned Movement foreign ministers' meeting. Mr. Papandreou will have talks with Foreign Minister Amr Moussa and Arab League Secretary-General Esmat Abdel Meguid. He will also meet with representatives of the Greek community and Patriarch Parthenios of Alexandria. "Relative peace" for ethnic Greeks in south Albania --------------------------------------------------- Gjirokastr, Albania, 30/5/1994 (ANA-G.Zarkadis): This ethnic Greek-populated area saw relative peace Saturday, following a week of Albanian police interrogations of ethnic Greeks. Albanian security had interrogated 12 people at Santi Quaranta Saturday, bringing to 65 the total of persons arrested, questioned and set free since last Thursday. This has sparked panic among ethnic Greeks fearing persecution, causing tense political relations between Albania and Greece to further deteriorate. The ethnic Greek minority Omonoia party protested the latest events here Saturday, asking for the release of its six party members who will be tried for espionage, possession of weapons and fomenting separatism . About 400,000 ethnic Greeks live in Albania, mostly in the south. Central Bank to continue defending drachma against speculation --------------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 30/5/1994 (ANA/REUTERS): Greek central bank governor Ioannis Boutos told a Sunday newspaper that the Bank of Greece would try to cut crippling interest rates while continuing its policy of defending the drachma against speculation. "The Bank of Greece will try to influence interest rates, but carefully, so that pressure on the drachma is not increased," the Kathimerini paper quoted Mr. Boutos as saying. The "hard drachma" policy of pegging the Greek currency to the German mark will continue, Mr. Boutos said. "So far we have spent less than one billion dollars to support the parity," he told the paper. On May 13 investors started an attack on the drachma on expectations that Greece, faced with chronic macroeconomic imbalances, would have to devalue its currency. "The pressure was local and this is an unpleasant fact, because Greeks who have earned huge yields from high interest rates all these years... now use this wealth to devalue the currency that made them rich," Mr. Boutos was quoted as saying. The attack prompted Greece to bring forward the date for lifting all remaining short-term controls on capital movements to May 16 from July 1. The Bank of Greece made a move towards raising money market liquidity on Friday through a series of dollar, mark and European Currency Unit (ECU) swap deals which will give banks the chance to borrow drachmas at 27 per cent. Triple-digit interbank rates were used during the previous two weeks to defend the drachma and traders said the central bank's policy ruled out the possibility of a devaluation. No thought of going back on deregulation - Venizelos ---------------------------------------------------- Athens, 30/5/1994 (ANA): Government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said Saturday there was no thought of reconsidering the policy of exchange deregulation, commenting on a statement by Academy member Professor Angelos Angelopoulos "Such a thing would deal a blow at Greece's international stature. We have applied a policy of speedier deregulation in the movement of short-term capital, to prevent speculative expectations in anticipation of deregulation," Mr. Venizelos said. "Everyone should bear in mind that devaluation of the drachma should not be sought. This happens to be the government's firm and unswerving monetary policy: no devaluation," he stressed. Commenting on the same issue, Mr. Venizelos said the government always aimed at low interest rates, recalling an earlier statement by Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou at an interview with a private TV network, that the current phase of interest rates was an interval.