From: "Greek Press Office BBS, Ottawa" Subject: A.N.A. Bulletin 7/1/95 Athens News Agency Bulletin, January 7, 1995 -------------------------------------------- (Apo to Ellnviko Grafeio Tupou kai Plnroforiwv, Ottaba, Kavadas E-Mail Address: grnewsca@sympatico.ca) * Premier: Syria talks satisfactory, "restrained optimism" * Venizelos: Demirel "softer tones" positive, but Athens stance firm * Holbrooke, Kranidiotis hold wide ranging talks on Balkan, Cyprus issues * PASOK to decide on presidential candidate "at the appropriate moment" * Police raid nips guerrilla group in the bud * Greek-Canadians protest French presidency 'bar Greek as EU language' intention Premier: Syria talks satisfactory, "restrained optimism" ----------------------------------------------------------- Damascus, 7/1/95 (ANA/S. Liarellis): Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou expressed "restrained optimism" on Thursday, when asked to comment on his talks with Syrian President Hafezz-Al-Assad focusing on breaking the deadlock in Syrian-Israeli relations. Mr. Papandreou, who left for Damascus on Wednesday, in an attempt to mediate between Syria and Israel and try to have their stalled peace negotiations resume, told reporters "the course (to resume negotiations) is very difficult." The Premier said he was in constant touch with the White House and Israel over developments during his trip. He did not rule out the possibility of visiting Israel "when conditions are ripe". Mr. Papandreou said he expected President Assad to visit Athens soon. He said he suggested that when the time came the agreement between the two countries might be sealed in Athens. Sources said the Premier had extended a similar invitation to Israeli Prime Minister Yijak Rabin. Syrian-Israeli talks have been stalled over the Golan Heights, captured by Israel in 1967. Syria wants Israel to withdraw completely from the Golan Heights. Greece offered to mediate between Syria and Israel during a recent visit to the region by National Defence Minister Gerasimos Arsenis. Mr. Papandreou said Syria held a strategic role in the region, adding satisfaction that relations between Greece and Syria were warming up. The Prime Minister said Syria's position on Skopje remained firm. He said talks also focused on Greek-Turkish relations, the Cyprus question and the Kurdish issue. Mr. Papandreou is accompanied by Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias, Health Minister Dimitris Kremastinos, Merchant Marine Minister George Katsifaras and Press and Media Under-Secretary Telemachos Hytiris. During a meeting with his Syrian counterpart Faruk Sarah, Mr. Papoulias agreed to drafting a friendship and co-operation pact between the two countries. He told the press, the Syrian Minister would visit Athens soon. Messrs. Kremastinos, Katsifaras and Hytiris held talks with their Syrian counterparts focusing on economic co-operation between the two countries and the re-establishment of a shipping line linking Latakkieh and Volos. The line was suspended several years ago due to trouble in the region. Mr. Papandreou left Damascus for Amman yesterday for talks with King Hussein on the Middle East process and bilateral co-operation, scheduled to begin today. He was welcomed by caretaker Prime Minister Abdul-Salam al-Majali. Mr. Papandreou stressed the long and friendly ties between the two countries, adding that talks would also focus on economic and cultural co-operation. Amman, 7/1/95 (ANA/S.Liarellis): Ending his visit to Damascus, Mr. Papandreou arrived in Amman yesterday for talks with King Hussein on the Middle East process and bilateral co-operation, scheduled to begin today. Mr. Papandreou was welcomed by caretaker Prime Minister Abdul-Salam Al-Majali who later gave a dinner in his honour. Addressing Mr. Majali over dinner Mr. Papandreou said "the peace process (also) pioneered by your country signals the beginning of a new age for our region and creates great expectations." "But like all ambitious designs, it needs vision and determination in order to secure its success," he added. "Greece supports the peace process from its start in Madrid, attending bilateral and actively participating in multi-lateral procedures," he said. Mr. Papandreou said Greece wishes to contribute to the solution of the most crucial problems in the Middle East region, including safety for all parties involved and economic development. He said Greece would help by all possible means, also within the framework of the European Union. Stressing that relations between Greece and Jordan have always been friendly, Mr. Papandreou said the new order in the region presents an opportunity for strengthening bilateral co-operation. Venizelos: Demirel "softer tones" positive, but Athens stance firm ---------------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 7/1/95 (ANA): Athens yesterday viewed Ankara's "softer tones" as positive noting, however, its own positions would remain firm. "The fact that the Turkish leadership is (now) using softer tones is positive ... but positions of both countries are known and firm," government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said. "We favour improvement," he said, "but this depends greatly on Turkey's attitude, especially on the Cyprus issue, including respect of human rights." Turkish President Suleiman Demirel renewed his proposal for the signing of a Greek-Turkish friendship and co-operation pact, noting Greece's standing veto on a customs union between Turkey and the European Union was meaningless. In an interview with the financial weekly magazine "Economicos Tachydromos", Mr. Demirel called for co-operation between the two countries "in sectors in which there are no problems, adding problems in others might be settled separately, either one by one or, collectively, as a package "Turkey and Greece should seek common fields of co-operation," he said, adding that there was no hostility against Greece in Turkey. He singled out the sectors of culture, tourism, trade, industry and sports, saying that Greek entrepreneurs could invest in the Asia Minor coastal areas, since investments in Turkey were open to all. "As old neighbours in this part of the world, Turkey and Greece have nothing to benefit from hostility between them," he said. Mr. Demirel addressed invitations to President Constantine Karamanlis and Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou to visit Ankara, and reiterated his proposal "for the signing of a pact of friendship, good neighbourliness and co-operation between the two countries". He said the problems between the two countries "could be solved separately, one-by-one, or collectively as a package." Mr. Demirel claimed that Ankara "has never used its problems with Greece for domestic consumption", adding that his country "has not provoked or incited any enmity in Turkey against Greece". The Turkish leader also claimed that there were no violations of Greek airspace by Turkish planes, saying his country's aircraft "do not fly to threaten people living on the (Greek) islands". "Turkey and Greece are NATO allies, and there is no question of one country intimidating the other." Turning to Greece's veto on Turkey's customs union with the EU, Mr. Demirel said: "Greece might perhaps keep up with this for some time to come but, eventually, Europe will say that there is no reason in it, as it only means hostility." On the Cyprus question, Mr. Demirel said "it is not an issue between Greece and Turkey". "Cyprus was never under the administration of Greece. For 300 years it had been under the administration of Turkey. There are two peoples on the island, living into one another ... The island has been separated into southern and northern Cyprus. For southern Cyprus to join the European Union representing all of Cyprus is contrary to the agreements that have preceded," he said. "Southern and northern Cyprus must first solve problems between them and then jointly decide what they would like to do," Mr. Demirel added. Holbrooke, Kranidiotis hold wide ranging talks on Balkan, Cyprus issues ----------------------------------------------- Athens, 7/1/95 (ANA): US Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Richard Holbrooke flew to Athens Thursday night for talks with Greek counterpart Yannos Kranidiotis on Greece's relations with its Balkan neighbours, and the perspective of a Cyprus admission to the European Union. Mr. Kranidiotis told the press he had put across Greece's positions on those issues and "they have been understood." He added hope his US counterpart would convey Greece's positions on the Cyprus problem to Ankara. Mr. Holbrooke flew here after ending a two-day visit to Cyprus, where he held separate talks with Cypriot President Glafcos Clerides and Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash. He said prominent New York attorney Richard Beattie had been picked by President Bill Clinton to serve as his special envoy to Cyprus. "He will be the first (U.S) presidential emissary to Cyprus since 1980," he said. He said Mr. Beatie would visit the region by the end of January to continue discussions on efforts to help resolve the division of Cyprus. Mr. Holbrooke urged for a peaceful settlement of the Mediterranean island's dispute, saying it would contribute to stability in the region. "At the end of the Cold War and the break-up of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, the situation in this part of the world has become more complicated, if not more dangerous," Mr. Holbrooke said. "It is incumbent on all of us to seek to contain and deal with the many problems that have arisen from the break-up of the two communist countries, of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia. "These problems add to the existing problems of Cyprus, and problems in relations between Greece and Turkey," he added. Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkish troops invaded and seized its northern part. The invasion was sparked by a short- lived coup in Nicosia, engineered by the military junta then ruling Greece. United Nations efforts to reunite the island republic have failed so far. Asked whether or not Washington supported Cyprus' admission to the European Union, Mr. Holbrooke said the Clinton administration actively backed European integration. He said: "We believe that, at the end of the Cold War, Europe should be undivided. The Europeans themselves must decide who to take into the European Union. We are not members. We don't tell them how or when to take people, but we support the process. "I hope there will be a day when all the people of Cyprus, in some form of a federation worked out by the people of Cyprus themselves, join the European Union," he noted. Mr. Holbrooke will continue on a Balkan tour, visiting Skopje, Albania and Sarajevo. He was also due to fly to Ankara, but engine problems to his plane forced him yesterday to cancel his visit to Turkey. "The visit has been cancelled due to two engine failures in the plane he was to fly in," a spokeswoman for the embassy in Ankara was quoted as saying by Reuters. She said Mr. Holbrooke would reschedule the visit focusing on the divided island republic of Cyprus within the next few weeks. The U.S official said that, while in Tirana, he would press for the release of four ethnic Greeks imprisoned on charges of military espionage. Tirana's move to try and convict leading members of the ethnic Greek community in Albania have soured relations between the two Balkan neighbours. Mr. Holbrooke's trip to Sarajevo was not included in the official agenda of his tour. He said he would speak with Bosnian officials in a bid to "see whether we can move into a more positive step towards peace". Mr. Kranidiotis said Greece now anticipated moves by the Skopjan and Albanian governments to resolve disputes. He said Athens expected the Albanian government to release the four imprisoned ethnic Greeks and improve its human rights record. Mr. Kranidiotis said, Athens also expected Skopje President Kiro Gligorov to assume a more conciliatory attitude concerning its dispute with Greece. Greece insists its Balkan neighbour change its name, remove ancient Greek symbols from its flag, and amend its constitution which reflects territorial designs against Greece's northern province of Macedonia. "This procedure should be further promoted under the auspices of UN special mediator for Skopje Cyrus Vance," Mr. Kranidiotis said adding that he wished Mr. Holbrooke carried this message to the government of Skopje. Mr. Holbrooke also held a meeting with main opposition New Democracy party leader Miltiades Evert focusing on Greece's national issues. PASOK to decide on presidential candidate "at the appropriate moment" ----------------------------------------------------------------- Amman, 7/1/95 (ANA/S. Liarellis): "PASOK, being the majority party in Parliament, will propose its own candidate for presidential elections which will be decided by the President of the party and the Executive Bureau and will be made public at the right moment," Press and Mass Media Under-Secretary Telemachos Hytiris told reporters here yesterday. Mr. Hytiris is accompanying Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou on his tour of Syria and Jordan for talks on the Middle East peace process. Mr. Hytiris expressed conviction that the Parliament would be in a position to elect a President of the Republic, noting Mr. Papandreou's earlier statement that he would not be candidate for the presidential elections. He said the ruling Socialist Panhellenic Movement (PASOK) would propose a candidate and make the proposal public at the appropriate time. Meanwhile, in Thessaloniki, PASOK Secretary-General Akis Tsohatzopoulos told reporters yesterday that PASOK deputy and former Minister Antonis Drosoyannis' proposal "is a personal opinion." Mr. Drosoyiannis suggested that former ND deputy and President of the Parliament Athanasios Tsaldaris be a common candidate for presidential elections. "It bears no relevance to the PASOK's official proposals which will be decided by the party's institutional organs in co-operation with the President when the time comes," Mr. Tsohatzopoulos said. Mr. Tsohatzopoulos said "the message of a new political strategy, contained in the Prime Minister's New Year speech was received positively by the people." In his speech last Saturday Mr. Papandreou said he planned to initiate procedures for constitutional revision and waive criminal charges against prominent main opposition cadres, including his conservative predecessor and long-time political opponent Constantine Mitsotakis. Mr. Papandreou said in the message his initiative was part of a four-point plan to reform the country's institutions and lead the nation out of its current political impasse. The plan would also include new laws on ministerial responsibility and party finances. Mr. Papandreou's initiative spurred a host of reactions by both New Democracy who said it would vote down the Prime Minister's initiative when it will be tabled in Parliament, as well as by PASOK officials. Mr. Tsohatzopoulos said reactions by PASOK officials were not increasing. "These are sensitivities and personal opinions which are totally respected and desired," he said. Asked to comment on Mr. Drosoyiannis proposal, Government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said "the parliament has the ability and the obligation to elect President of the Republic." Police raid nips guerrilla group in the bud -------------------------------------------- Athens, 7/1/95 (ANA): A previously unknown Greek extreme right-wing guerrilla group was uncovered during a raid in Athens in which two suspects were arrested, Public Order Minister Stelios Papathemelis said Thursday. He said police discovered eight time bombs, three pistols, grenades, detonators, hundreds of munition rounds, in a raid Wednesday night at the downtown home of one of the suspects, a 49-year-old man. "We penetrated the group while it was still building up," Mr. Papathemelis told reporters. Greek-Canadians protest French presidency 'bar Greek as EU language' intention ----------------------------------------------------------------- Montreal, 7/1/95 (ANA/I. Frangoulis): The Greek community in Canada yesterday expressed anger and indignation over the French Presidency-proposal to keep only five out of the eleven official European Union languages. The Greek-Canadian Congress in British Columbia sent a letter to the Consulate General of France in Vancouver criticising the proposal as provocative, making it clear that unless all eleven member-country languages remain official in the EU, that would mean violation of the principle of equality among partners and an insult to the spirit of unity.