From: tzarros@ccs.carleton.ca (Theodore Zarros) Subject: News (in ENGLISH)- Tue, 1 Nov 1994 (Greek Press Office BBS, Ottawa). Athens News Agency Bulletin, November 1, 1994 --------------------------------------------- * Athens dismisses Soysal 'package solution' proposal * New Democracy * Kranidiotis: Greek reservations on Turkey-EU relations * Premier briefs president * Arsenis in Egypt * Orthodox MPs to meet in Athens * Papazoi at Tunis Mediterranean environment ministers conference * Dutch to look at Greece's WEU membership 'soon' * German wanted by Interpol arrested in Thessaloniki * Police find weapons on board Turkish vessel * Athens court orders arrest of Gryllakis on phone-tapping charges * Acropolis strike called off * OTE share float begins with public offer * Papantoniou sells London investors on OTE * Greek-Russian businessmen to discuss economic co-operation Athens dismisses Soysal 'package solution' proposal --------------------------------------------------- Athens, 1/11/1994 (ANA): Athens yesterday dismissed Ankara's proposal for a "package solution" to "bilateral problems" between the two countries, saying the only difference between Greece and Turkey was the delineation of the continental shelf and that should be settled by the International Court at The Hague. "The only difference with Turkey is the delineation of the continental shelf; an issue for which Greece proposes recourse to the International Court at the Hague," government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said. "The Greek government does not accept claims of 'package' differences in need of 'package solutions' with Turkey," Mr. Venizelos added, in reference to Turkish Foreign Minister Mumtaz Soysal's statements on Sunday. In an exclusive interview to the Athens News Agency, Mr. Soysal admitted that Turkey was creating an artificial climate of tension in its relations with Greece and proposed a "package solution" to settle what it sees as problems between the two neighbouring countries. The Turkish minister reiterated that the extension of Greek territorial waters beyond six miles in the Aegean would be a casus belli for Turkey. In response to the interview, Greek Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias said yesterday that Mr. Soysal's statements were made for "domestic consumption" and did not contribute to the creation of "a different climate" in relations between the two countries. "Mr. Soysal is harping on the same theme for reasons of domestic consumption. It is not necessary for me to reply. I told Mr. Soysal that we have to contribute to the creation of a different climate," Mr. Papoulias added. Mr. Papoulias had a brief meeting with Mr. Soysal on the sidelines of the signing of the Israeli-Jordan peace pact last week. Speaking to reporters in the northern city of Ioannina shortly before returning to Athens, Mr. Papoulias reiterated that Greece had an inalienable right to extend its territorial waters in the Aegean from six to twelve miles. "As to when we might exercise this right, this is a matter which is at the discretion of the Greek government," Mr. Papoulias said. Ankara has repeatedly threatened Athens with war if it extended its territorial waters to twelve miles in the Aegean. Greece says it has an inalienable right to extend its territorial waters from six to twelve miles but has not said when it might do so. An international convention on maritime law comes into effect on November 16 permitting countries to extend their territorial waters from six to 12 nautical miles. Mr. Venizelos told reporters yesterday that a country's position on the issue of extending territorial waters would not succumb to outside pressures or creation of artificial tension. November 16 is a critical date for Mr. Soysal because (it reflects) Turkey's failure to obtain provisions in its favour in the international law of the sea, Mr. Venizelos said. On Sunday, Mr. Venizelos said "nothing will change" on November 16 but said the fact that the multilateral international convention would come into effect on that date was "important." New Democracy ------------- Athens, 1/11/1994 (ANA): Main opposition New Democracy party leader Miltiades Evert yesterday criticised Turkey for using its foreign policy issues to divert attention from its huge internal problems. Former prime minister and honorary ND party leader Constantine Mitsotakis yesterday said Greece should not turn down a Turkish proposal to discuss the whole range of bilateral problems starting with the Cyprus problem which, he said, was at the centre o f differences between the two countries. "We are not seeking a modus vivendi with Turkey, but we are pursuing a solution to our (bilateral) problems," Mr. Mitsotakis said. In reference to Greece's rights to extend its sea waters to twelve miles in the Aegean, Mr. Mitsotakis said " Greece will not exercise its right for the time being." Kranidiotis: Greek reservations on Turkey-EU relations ------------------------------------------------------ Luxembourg, 1/11/1994 (ANA/P. Pantelis, C. Verros): Foreign Under-Secretary Yiannos Kranidiotis expressed Greece's 'general reservations' regarding Turkey's relations with the European Union, particularly the customs union envisaged in the Association Agreement, at the Foreign Ministers Council meeting yesterday. Discussion on EU relations with Turkey took place in the context of preparations for the Turkey-EU Association Council meeting scheduled for December 19. Mr. Kranidiotis referred to technical problems involved in the customs union --Turkish textile and steel exports, Turkish citizens' rights of residence in the EU -- but also to Turkey's human rights record, the Kurdish problem and the Cyprus issue, citing, in particular, its refusal to co-operate on the fate of 83 Greek citizens missing since the invasion of Cyprus in 1974, and current threats of war in case Greece exercised its lawful right to extend territorial waters to 12 miles. French European Affairs Minister Alain Lamassoure acknowledged Turkey's problems with human rights and its major responsibility on the perpetuation of the Cyprus problem, but said the country which "was experiencing a true civil war... ought to be encouraged on the road towards progress and stabilisation", underlining its geographical, political and strategic importance. Nevertheless, he said that the signature of the customs union agreement depended on progress in the area of human rights and the question of Cyprus. Council President German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel appealed to Greece, which "has many open fronts", to lift its reservations and co-operate in the completion of the customs union with Turkey. British Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd seconded the appeal. The discussion on the EU- Turkey customs union will continue at permanent representatives level. The Foreign Ministers Council adopted a Commission proposal on the Union's Mediterranean policy, including a reiteration of the Corfu summit decision for inclusion of Cyprus and Malta in the next round of enlargement. Premier briefs president ------------------------ Athens, 1/11/1994 (ANA): Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou yesterday described his meeting with President Constantine Karamanlis as "interesting and friendly". The premier declined to provide details as to the content of the discussion, particularly in connection with calls for a redefinition of the country's foreign policy and to Greek-Turkish relations. Political Spring party spokesman Akis Gerontopoulos said that Mr. Papandreou had again ignored the need for an initiative to deal urgently with open national issues, with the participation of all parties. Arsenis in Egypt ---------------- Athens, 1/11/1994 (ANA): National Defence Minister Gerasimos Arsenis begins a four-day official visit to Egypt today and will meet with government officials and representatives of the Greek community there. Mr. Arsenis met yesterday with Patriarch Parthenios of Alexandria and All Africa, who was in Athens on a visit. Orthodox MPs to meet in Athens ------------------------------ Athens, 1/11/1994 (ANA): European MPs of the Orthodox faith will meet in Athens tomorrow to discuss a Greek Parliament initiative for the creation of an intra-parliamentary committee in Europe. President of the Greek Parliament Apostolos Kaklamanis will open the conference. Papazoi at Tunis Mediterranean environment ministers conference --------------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 1/11/1994 (ANA): Environment Under-Secretary Elizabeth Papazoi is representing Greece at the Mediterranean Countries Environment Ministers' Conference which is being held in Tunis today. The conference will discuss ways and means to protect the environment in the Mediterranean. Dutch to look at Greece's WEU membership 'soon' ----------------------------------------------- Luxembourg, 1/11/1994 (ANA/K. Verros/P. Pantelis): The Dutch parliament will examine the issue of ratifying Greece's full Western European Union (WEU) membership "soon." The Dutch parliament has not examined the issue so far because "it has problems with Greece's relations with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM)," WEU Council President Dutch Foreign Minister Hans van Mirlo told a press conference yesterday after a brief WEU Council meeting on the issue of the organisation's next secretary-general. Replying to a questioner on when the Netherlands will ratify Greece's accession to the organisation, Mr. van Mirlo said "it is not the government that has delayed ratification, but parliament which has problems with Greece's relations with FYROM." "Movement has been observed recently and I believe that parliament will apply itself to the ratification issue soon," he added. According to reports, Portugal will ratify Greece's accession in the next few days. German wanted by Interpol arrested in Thessaloniki -------------------------------------------------- Athens, 1/11/1994 (ANA): A 27-year-old German national wanted by Interpol has been arrested in Thessaloniki on counterfeiting charges, police said yesterday. They said Tomas Gebel had set up an electronic counterfeiting laboratory in the Neous Epivates suburb of Thessaloniki, where he and an accomplice printed forged 5,000-drachma bank-notes. Gebel was arrested Saturday after trying to buy cigarettes from a kiosk with a forged 5,000 drachma bill. Another 47 forged bills were found in his possession. Questioned by police, Gebel admitted that he and Nikolaos Kamnitsas, a Greek residing in Germany, had set up the electronic forgery system comprising a computer, colour screen, scanner and colour printer in the apartment they rented in Neous Epivates. Both Gebel and Kamnitsas, who was arrested later, were being sought by Interpol after being convicted in absentia by German courts for a series of offences including robbery, rape, forgery and drug charges. Police find weapons on board Turkish vessel ------------------------------------------- Athens, 1/11/1994 (ANA): Police yesterday confiscated two pistols and a number of bullets found aboard the Turkish vessel "Z Bairaktar." On Sunday, the vessel's captain and crew members which landed 52 Pakistani and Afghan illegal immigrants at Palea Fokea, appeared before the public prosecutor. They were charged with smuggling illegal immigrants and assault after the Pakistanis and Afghans alleged that the ship's captain forced seven other illegal immigrants at gun-point to jump into the sea. Turkish captain Ziogi Gursu and the all-Turkish crew denied the allegations. Athens court orders arrest of Gryllakis on phone-tapping charges ---------------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 1/11/1994 (ANA): The Athens Council of Appeals yesterday ordered the arrest of retired army general Nikos Gryllakis, former prime minister Constantine Mitsotakis' security chief, for his involvement in a phone-tapping scandal. The order was issued after the council unanimously agreed to have Gryllakis tried by a criminal court for orchestrating the scandal between 1988 and 1991. "Mr. Gryllakis resorted to extremely dangerous and criminal activity... He was the instigator and co-ordinator (of the scheme) for a very long period," the decision said. General Gryllakis was charged last year with tapping the phones of dozens of politicians from 1988 to 1991. He has been in hiding since June and has said in telephone interviews that he fears for his life if he appears in public. Gryllakis, who was hand-picked by former conservative premier Mitsotakis to act as his security chief advisor in 1989, was also charged with forging documents to help in the illegal wiretapping of the ex-premiers' political foes. He was first ordered arrested on September 20 when he failed to appear for testimony in the case. Court officials said the date for the trial was expected to be set in November. He faces up to 30 years jail if convicted. The scandal surfaced when Christos Mavrikis, a former employee of the state-run phone company, said he systematically bugged the phones of Mitsotakis' political rivals on the orders of Gryllakis. Mavrikis was also ordered to face criminal proceedings together with 11 other persons implicated in the scandal. In June, Parliament voted to indict Mr. Mitsotakis for breach of public faith and morally instigating the scheme. Acropolis strike called off --------------------------- Athens, 1/11/1994 (ANA): Security guards at the Acropolis called off a three-week-long strike yesterday after a court ordered their action illegal and an abuse of union rights. Union representatives said they would meet later in the day to decide how to continue their campaign to secure higher wages and grants. The strike at the Acropolis began on October 5 when security guards closed the site to the public, leaving the 2,500-year-old monument unattended. Similar strikes were organised by Culture Ministry personnel at other sites at the Palace of Knossos on Crete and the Temple of Zeus at Cape Sounion, south of Athens. The court ordered the re-opening of the sites on grounds that antiquities constitute national symbols. Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou condemned the strike, calling it a "national shame". OTE share float begins with public offer ---------------------------------------- Athens, 1/11/1994 (ANA): The public can buy shares in the forthcoming share float of 25 per cent of the Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation (OTE) now by registering in advance which will guarantee shares to the value of 200,000 drachmas. The advance registration period has already started and will last four weeks. Investors can register for either a large or small number of shares. Those not registering during this period do not lose the right to buy shares during the final registration period. However, they will not be guaranteed shares to the value of 200,000 dr. as is the case with those participating in advance registration. The final registration period has been planned for the end of November. The exact date will be announced by the media at the same time as the share price. Advance registrations and registration are carried out with a simple application at any branch of the following banks: ABN-AMRO Bank, Agricultural Bank, Arab Bank, Barclays Bank, Bayerische Verreinsbank, General Bank, Doric Bank, National Bank, Commercial Bank, ETEBA, ETBA, Eurobank, Interbank, Midland Bank, Citibank, Societe Generale, Ionian Bank, Bank of Athens, Bank of Attica, Ergobank, Bank of Macedonia and Thrace, Bank of Piraeus, Credit Bank, Xiosbank and Paribas. The same person cannot register at more than one bank and neither can he or she register at the same or a different bank on a different date. Papantoniou sells London investors on OTE ----------------------------------------- London, 1/11/94 (ANA/L. Tsirigotakis): In the course of a working luncheon at the Schroeders Banking House yesterday, National Economy Minister Yiannos Papantoniou discussed the prospects of the Greek economy and the partial privatisation of the Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation (OTE) with a group of large and well-established institutional investors. Eighteen percent of OTE shares will be made available to foreign capital markets. The two banking houses which are acting as consultants in the sale will explore investors' responses in foreign stock markets in the next two weeks, and then advise the organisation on the share price. After the meeting, Mr. Papantoniou said he had noted a positive interest in the Greek economy among foreign investors. Asked whether other privatisations would follow, he declined to reveal details, saying this was within the purview of next year's budget, now being drawn up, but added that the privatisation programme, with the retention of the majority of shares and management by the state, had a "long-term" character. The minister met with Chancellor of the Exchequer Kenneth Clarke in the afternoon, with discussion centering mainly on developments in the Greek economy and its prospects. "We agreed that the European economy is in recovery, that we shall have high growth rates next year, and that the Greek economy, and its convergence programme stands to benefit from this recovery. The growth of the Greek economy in 1995 will be higher than envisaged in the convergence programme," he said. Mr. Papantoniou visited the offices of the "Financial Times" in the morning, and briefed the paper's editorial staff on the Greek government's economic policy. He also gave an interview to CNN on the same subject. Mr. Papantoniou said that, on the whole, international press and organisations' reactions betrayed a very positive attitude towards the Greek economy. Greek-Russian businessmen to discuss economic co-operation --------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 1/11/1994 (ANA): Greek and Russian businessmen will meet in Moscow next month to discuss bilateral economic relations and prospects for expansion within a European and Balkan structure, it was announced yesterday. The Association of Greek Businessmen in Russia, which represents Greek entrepreneurs who have invested in business ventures in that country, have announced the holding of their first business symposium, on the topic: "Greek-Russian Economic Relations -- Experiences, Achievements, Problems, and Perspectives in the present economic environment of Russia and the CIS". The four-day symposium, which opens November 30 at the Mezhdunarodnaya Hotel in Moscow, "aspires to become the most significant forum for the promotion of the bilateral and multilateral (especially within the European and Balkan space) economic co-operation between Greece and Russia", the announcement said. Political and economic personalities from Greece and Russia will address the symposium. The events include panel discussions focusing on: trade, services, banking and insurance; energy and co-operation in the oil sector; shipping, maritime co-operation and transport; tourism; construction and technical studies; the farming industry; co-operation in the medical-pharmaceutical sector; and co-operation in the fields of technology, communications and informatics. A number of authoritative Russian business organisations, members of Greek chambers and other economic organisations from Greece and important centres of the Greek Diaspora, representatives of the Greek organisations from the CIS and Cypriot entrepreneurs with investments in Russia will attend, while interest has also been expressed by businessmen from the other Balkan countries.