From: tzarros@ccs.carleton.ca (Theodore Zarros) Subject: News (in ENGLISH)- Thu, 13 Oct 1994 (Greek Press Office BBS, Ottawa). Athens News Agency Bulletin, October 13, 1994 --------------------------------------------- * Clerides says yes to unofficial talks with Denktash * Millan: EU has not blocked funds to Greece * Santer in Athens for talks with premier tomorrow * Greek NGOs sign co-operation agreement with Commission * Church reps to visit Brussels * Church delegation visits former Yugoslavia * President meets with former Cyprus leader * Greek mining, iron regions to receive 6.1 million ECU * Intracom chosen to overhaul Kremlin phone lines * Gov't determined to implement policy of nominal shares Clerides says yes to unofficial talks with Denktash --------------------------------------------------- Nicosia, 13/10/1994 (ANA/CNA): Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides said yesterday he would hold unofficial talks with Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash in an attempt to find a settlement to the Cyprus problem. Speaking at Larnaca airport on his return yesterday from New York and London, Mr. Clerides made clear that the talks would not focus on the substance of the Cyprus problem but solely on finding ways to promote a solution. The consultations follow a request by UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali and will be based on the provisions of paragraph 4 of the latest United Nations Security Council Resolution 939 on Cyprus. In Athens, government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said the Greek government did not object to the meeting. "Greece does not have and could not possibly have any objections concerning the handling (of the Cyprus issue by) President Clerides and particularly with regard to his decision to meet with Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash," Mr. Venizelos said. The spokesman added that Mr. Clerides did "not need the assistance of the Greek government in handling" the problem, drawing attention to a statement by the Cyprus president that he would remain firm in his positions at the meeting with Mr. Denktash. Replying to questions, Mr. Venizelos said that Mr. Clerides' decision to hold a meeting with Mr. Denktash in no way constituted a change of policy in the Cyprus problem. "It is simply a display of good faith regarding procedural tactics and flexibility which is necessary for the Cypriot positions, which are in conformity with international law and UN resolutions, to be promoted," Mr. Venizelos said. In Nicosia, government spokesman Yiannakis Cassoulides said the National Council, the island's top advisory body on the Cyprus problem, would come together Monday to discuss Mr. Boutros-Ghali's request for unofficial talks between Mr. Clerides and Mr. Denktash. The Democratic Rally (DHSY) party, which was founded and headed by President Glafcos Clerides, expressed reservations over the meeting between the president and Mr. Denktash. Mr. Clerides resigned his post as DHSY president when he was elected to the office in 1993. The Communist Party (AKEL), the Socialist Party (EDEK) and the Democratic Party (DEKO), which supported Mr. Clerides in the 1993 presidential elections, expressed objections to the meeting. Millan: EU has not blocked funds to Greece ------------------------------------------ Brussels, 13/10/1994 (ANA-M.Savva): European Commissioner for Regional Policies Bruce Millan said yesterday there was no question of the Union having blocked Structural Fund money for programmes or projects in the Greek Community Support Framework (CSF). Categorically denying a report in the British 'Financial Times', Mr. Millan said "at the end of July 1994 the Commission approved 23 programmes for Greece, 13 regional and 10 multi-regional and these programmes are now being implemented." "A small number of multi-regional programmes still remain to be approved, but this should not be interpreted as a blockage by the Community of these programmes. It is the usual procedure of discussion with the authorities of the Member State concerned and in the case of the remaining Greek programmes we are proceeding rapidly towards their finalisation in a spirit of constructive dialogue with the authorities," Mr. Millan said in a press statement. "Turning to the public procurement issue, there is a clear commitment by the Greek authorities to overhaul the entire public procurement system in Greece. This has been agreed and is contained in the Greek CSF. This is a major task involving new legislation and we expect the new system to be in operation at the beginning of 1995. In the meantime a number of urgent projects which need to be launched this year have been identified by the Greek authorities and the Commission has agreed to deal with them on an ad hoc basis during this transitional period until the new public procurement system is in place. A number of projects have not been launched yet but will be before the end of the year and these, through close co-operation between the Greek authorities and the Commission, will be specified and tendered, as far as possible, according to the revised public procurement rules which will apply after the revision of the system," he added. "A number of projects which had been launched already were identified by the Greek authorities in close co-operation with the Commission as requiring improvements in their tender procedures so as to ensure that they would be effectively implemented and would minimise the risk of experiencing the problems of the past. These projects are the subject of discussions between the Greek authorities and the Commission in order to make improvements in the procedures for procurement within the framework of the Community's public procurement rules. There is no question of the Community having refused to finance investment projects in Greece, it is merely a question of finding the most appropriate solutions to ensure their effective implementation," he said. Santer in Athens for talks with premier tomorrow ------------------------------------------------ Athens, 13/10/1994 (ANA) European Commission President Jacques Santer will arrive in Athens tomorrow for talks with Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou on issues concerning the policy of the Commission and the duties of the Commissioners, government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos announced yesterday. Mr. Venizelos added that the talks would not be "binding" in nature. Greek NGOs sign co-operation agreement with Commission ----------------------------------------------------- Brussels, 13/10/1994 (ANA-B.Demiris): Two non-governmental Greek organisations, the International Social Affairs Institute and the Demetra Centre for Strategic Planning and Political Analysis, signed a co-operation agreement with the European Commission yesterday to promote Community-funded humanitarian initiatives in the world. The agreement, entitled "A Contract--a framework of co-operation," aims at the fastest and most effective implementation of humanitarian action financed by the European Union. According to a European Commission announcement yesterday, the International Social Affairs Institute, specialising in humanitarian aid to African countries, has undertaken important initiatives in the past years to channel humanitarian aid to the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union Republics. The Demetra Centre for Strategic Planning and Political Analysis, the announcement said, specialises in promoting humanitarian aid to victims of war and natural disaster in the countries of the third world. A total of 140 non-governmental organisations have already signed co-operation agreements with the European Commission for the promotion and implementation of European Union humanitarian action. Church reps to visit Brussels ----------------------------- Athens, 13/10/1994 (ANA): According to a decision by the Permanent Holy Synod, Metropolitans Timotheos of Corfu, Ieronymos of Thebes and Panteleimon of Attica will leave for Brussels on October 18, on a visit that will aim to develop closer co-operation and communication between the Church and the European Union. The Synod Committee will participate in functions due to take place in Brussels in honour of Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos. Vartholomeos is also expected to conduct a tour of Patmos and the Dodecannese soon. The Church has tabled studies on development projects all over Greece which it wants to be financed through the Delors II package. Church delegation visits former Yugoslavia ------------------------------------------ Vienna, 13/10/1994 (ANA-D.Dimitrakoudis): A three-member joint delegation of the European Council of Episcopal Synods and the Synod of European Churches began a peace mission to the former Yugoslavia yesterday. The delegation, which includes Greek Orthodox Bishop of Austria Michael, will visit Zagreb for talks with the head of the Catholic head of Croatia, Cardinal Franjo Kouharic, and Belgrade, where they will meet with Orthodox Patriarch of Serbia Paul. They will also have a number of other contacts with representatives of various other Christian Churches and of the Muslim and Jewish religions. President meets with former Cyprus leader ----------------------------------------- Athens, 13/10/1994 (ANA): President of the Republic Constantine Karamanlis held a meeting yesterday with visiting former Cyprus president and leader of the Free Democrats Movement George Vassiliou to discuss developments in the Cyprus problem. Following the meeting, Mr. Vassiliou told the press he opposed a meeting between Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides and Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash proposed by UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali. Mr. Vassiliou said that such a meeting would indicate a "lack of consistency and a change of course" in the Cyprus problem. He added that the Greek government "is not in a position to offer as much as it would like to in the direction of a Cyprus settlement, due to problems on other fronts." Mr. Vassiliou also held a meeting with Aleka Papariga, secretary general of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE). Ms Papariga described the present status quo in Cyprus as a "de facto partition," expressing fear that things will remain as they are. Ms Papariga criticised the government's policy on the Cyprus problem saying it had "complicated the problem further by placing it within an overall arrangement addressing Greece's problems in the Balkans." Greek mining, iron regions to receive 6.1 million ECU ----------------------------------------------------- Brussels, 13/10/1994 (ANA-P.Stangos): The sum of 6.1 million ECU's will be granted to Greek regions until 1997, for conversion activities in the coal mining and iron industries. The European Commission decided yesterday on the tentative distribution of funds to member-states and the determination of the regions to be selected for funding through the three European Union initiatives, RECHAR II (400 million ECU's), RESIDER (500 million ECU's), and RETEX (94.6 million ECU's), in the sectors of mining, the iron industry, and textiles respectively. Greece will receive 1.5 million ECU's for the lignite mining area of Ptolemais in Macedonia, in the framework of the RECHAR II Initiative, for the conversion of activities and the creation of jobs in small and medium size industries. Also, 4.6 million ECU's will be granted to areas reliant on the iron industry, in the framework of the RESIDER II Initiative. Intracom chosen to overhaul Kremlin phone lines ----------------------------------------------- Athens, 13/10/1994 (ANA): Greek telecommunications and informatics firm Intracom has won a $ US 2.6 million contract to overhaul the Kremlin's telephone exchange system. Intracom and Techmachimport, a foreign trading company of the Russian Federation, signed the agreement at Intracom's head office in Peania yesterday. The one-year turn-key effort will involve the installation of a 5,000 line AXE-10 Digital Exchange in the Kremlin and state of the art ISDN service will be provided. The project will link up with Russia's national and international telephone networks, including an integrated audio-visual communications system. Intracom which, together with Siemens of Germany, dominates the Greek telecommunications market, manufactures the AXE-10 under licence from Ericsson AB of Sweden. Intracom's competitors in the Kremlin deal included Siemens of Germany, Alcatel of France, and ATT of the US. Socrates Kokkalis, Intracom's chairman, was elated. "We are extremely proud to be entrusted with such an important and high-profile project," he said. "It shows our experience and success in the difficult telecommunications environments of Greece and Eastern Europe has not gone unnoticed," he said. "This will mark a revolution in Kremlin telecommunications, although the red line, a telex link, with the White House will not be touched," Intracom spokesman John Liveris said. An Intracom affiliate, Intralot, is already handling lotto gaming in Russia. Gov't determined to implement policy of nominal shares ------------------------------------------------------ Athens, 13/10/1994 (ANA): The government said yesterday that it would implement its policy on the nominalisation of shares, despite industry opposition. Finance Minister Alecos Papadopoulos reiterated the government's intention after a meeting yesterday with the administration of the Federation of Greek Industries (SEB). In an announcement, SEB President Iason Stratos said industrialists were opposed to the reintroduction of nominal shares. Industry, the announcement said, believes the measure will have negative repercussions and is a counter-incentive for productive and investment activities. Replying to press questions on economic developments, Mr. Stratos said inflationary pressures should be tackled immediately, adding that difficulties are being faced in the implementation of this year's budget and called for the implementation of the Convergence Programme exactly as it was approved. Similar observations were made by the president of the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry.