From: "Greek Press Office BBS, Ottawa" Subject: A.N.A. Bulletin 10/1/95 Athens News Agency Bulletin --------------------------- (Apo to Ellnviko Grafeio Tupou kai Plnroforiwv, Ottaba, Kavadas E-Mail Address: grnewsca@sympatico.ca) * Premier returns after 'successful' Mideast tour * Evert in Israel * Senior US State Dep't official here * Kaklamanis on presidency * Commission approves Greek INTERREG programme * Venizelos: premier's refusal to stand for president holds * Next CoE parliament presidents conference in Budapest * Greece working towards improving relations with Turkey * No Athens-Skopje secret talks, Venizelos says * Gov't on Clinton interview: 'nothing new' * Papoutsis outlines Commission policies on energy, SMEs, tourism * Apostolidis new Greek permanent representative in Brussels * Tsohatzopoulos: PASOK positions 'permanent, clear' Premier returns after 'successful' Mideast tour ----------------------------------------------- Athens, 10/01/1995 (ANA): Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou returned to Athens yesterday after completing a "successful" five-day trip to Syria and Jordan. "The trip was very successful. I believe the (Middle East) peace negotiations are progressing on solid ground," Mr. Papandreou told reporters in Amman before boarding for Athens. Mr. Papandreou's visit to Damascus aimed to advance stalled peace talks between Syria and Israel. In two rounds of talks with Syrian President Hafez al-Assad, the Greek premier voiced support for Damascus' call for Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights, captured by Israel in 1967. Middle East peace negotiations and bilateral co-operation was at the centre of discussions between Mr. Papandreou and Jordan's King Hussein. Speaking to reporters, Mr. Papandreou did not rule out a second visit to the region, which may include Israel which Athens officially recognised in 1990. Evert in Israel --------------- Athens, 10/01/1995 (ANA): Main opposition New Democracy party leader Miltiades Evert will start a four-day visit to Israel today. Mr. Evert will hold talks with Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, party representatives and the Mayor of Jerusalem. He will also call on Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Diodoros. Senior US State Dep't official here ----------------------------------- Athens, 10/01/1995 (ANA): US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Nancy Ely-Raphel arrived in Athens yesterday for talks with government officials on issues of mutual interest. An American embassy statement said the senior US official, from the State Department's Democracy, Human Rights and Labour Bureau, will be in Athens for a week. Ms Ely-Raphel has been a decisive player in formulating programmes to address human rights and humanitarian concerns in eastern and central Europe and the former Soviet Union. Kaklamanis on presidency ------------------------ Athens, 10/01/1995 (ANA): Parliament President Apostolos Kaklamanis yesterday said he did not harbour ambitions of standing for president of the republic. "I do not have the ambition of becoming President of the Republic, rather, I have the ambition of living up to my duty and I consider this important being Parliament President," he said. Mr. Kaklamanis said extensive talk of a President of the Republic (a new President will be elected by Parliament in spring) was a mistake, harmed the institution and harmed the President of the Republic. Referring to the proposal for the lifting of prosecution against former prime minister Constantine Mitsotakis and former ministers Andreas Andrianopoulos and Ioannis Paleokrassas, Mr. Kaklamanis said it might be tabled today and debated on Monday. He said the debate would be concluded on the same day with two ballots being held on the AGET cement company sale and phone-tapping cases. Commission approves Greek INTERREG programme -------------------------------------------- Brussels, 10/01/1995 (ANA-F.Stangos): The European Commission yesterday adopted the Greek INTERREG programme for trans-border co-operation for the development of frontier areas at a total cost of 145.5 billion drachmas (492 million ECU) by the year 2000. The programme, which is independent of the Greek regional development programme, concerns co-operation with neighbouring countries Bulgaria and Albania based on the trans-border co-operation protocol which has been signed with them. EU participation in the programme is 63 per cent of the total cost or 92 billion drachmas (309.8 million Ecu); the corresponding activities in Bulgaria and Albania will be funded by the Phare programme. Both programmes concern five pilot activities affecting the following sectors: a network to link the port of Corfu with that of Santi Quaranta in Albania; co-operation between local government officials of certain selected trans-border regions; environment and health; and establishment of cultural exchange. INTERREG is an added source of funding for basic major infrastructure projects in the transport, communications and energy sectors which will allow for the better lin-king of Greece with the rest of the European Union countries, within the framework of Inter-European Networks. Venizelos: premier's refusal to stand for president holds --------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 10/01/1995 (ANA): Government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos yesterday made it clear that the prime minister's stated intention not to stand for president of the republic in April applied even in the event of the country having to go to the polls due to a possible inability of the present parliament to elect a successor. Replying to a question whether the new president could originate in a party other than the ruling one, he said the majority in parliament would have the first word, but added that the issue deserved better than having all interest centred on the political and ideological identity of the successor. What was important, he said, was that he enjoyed the confidence of parliament and the people, and that he met constitutional requirements. He added that the issue was less mature and urgent than some supposed. Questioned on reports on the possible candidacy of parliament president Apostolos Kaklamanis, he stated they were merely speculation by political columnists. Next CoE parliament presidents conference in Budapest ----------------------------------------------------- Athens, 10/01/1995 (ANA): Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly President Mr. Martinez has addressed a letter to Parliament President Apostolos Kaklamanis informing him the next conference of Parliament Presidents of Council of Europe member-states will be held in Budapest in the spring of 1996. The sole candidacy submitted to hold the conference was by Turkey, but it was opposed by Mr. Kaklamanis and Cyprus Parliament President Alexis Galanos. The two delegations had invoked the continuing occupation of northern Cyprus, violation of principles of a parliamentary democracy and the infringement of human rights in Turkey. They managed to prevent the next conference from taking place in Turkey wit h their co-ordinated efforts. Greece working towards improving relations with Turkey ------------------------------------------------------ Athens, 10/01/1995 (ANA): Greece desires an improvement in relations with neighbouring Turkey and is working in that direction, government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said yesterday. The spokesman was commenting on statements by US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke who has advised confidence-building measures as a means of improving relations between Athens and Ankara. "The factors on which an improvement in bilateral relations depends are well known," Mr. Venizelos said, adding that "Greece expresses its pleasure when it sees moderate, cautious statements on the part of Turkish officials, and regret when they use a vocabulary which belongs to the logic of creating a climate of artificial tension." No Athens-Skopje secret talks, Venizelos says --------------------------------------------- Athens, 10/01/1995 (ANA): Greece reiterated today that there had been no secret talks between Athens and Skopje, stressing that its positions on the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) were those which it publicly stated. "Greece's positions on the Skopje issue are well known and are the same as those expressed either publicly or in any bilateral or other contacts," government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said. Mr. Venizelos was referring to reports alleging Foreign Under-Secretary Yiannos Kranidiotis had met FYROM President Kiro Gligorov and Foreign Minister Stevo Crvenkovski on the sidelines of the CSCE summit in Budapest December 5-6. Asked if the time was now ripe for a commencement of talks with Skopje, Mr. Venizelos said that Greece was participating in UN efforts for a resolution of the problem being co-ordinated by international mediator Cyrus Vance. The spokesman also reiterated a statement by Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou, according to which "on the one hand there are Greece's firm positions but there is also the handling which must be geared towards attaining our aims as far as possible". Mr. Venizelos confirmed the authenticity of a document revealed yesterday concerning what had transpired at the Council of Ministers in Essen. He clarified that it was a note used by the Foreign Ministry for internal use in which Mr. Kranidiotis had described what had been said at the dinner held for foreign ministers during the Essen summit. Mr. Venizelos said Mr. Kranidiotis had also referred to FYROM's intransigence, which he himself had ascertained in participating in the CSCE summit, both by what Mr. Gligorov and Mr. Crvenkovski had said in public and the unofficial meeting of a social nature he had had with Mr. Crvenkovski at an unofficial luncheon. Meanwhile, in an announcement yesterday, the main opposition New Democracy party called on the government to clarify its position in connection with reports of secret talks between Mr. Kranidiotis, Mr. Gligorov and Mr. Crvenkovski in Budapest. "ND condemns the government's diplomatic handling which moves in the sphere of unorthodox and secret diplomacy without the knowledge of the country's political parties and at the expense of the Greek people's national sensitivity," the announcement said. In a similar announcement, the Political Spring party said the prime minister was "lying shamelessly" when there were reports of secret talks with FYROM and Mr. Papandreou made denials to the contrary. "We call on the government to provide explanations on the Foreign Ministry's secret diplomacy and on the topic of Mr. Kranidiotis' talks with the leadership of Skopje," the announcement added. Gov't on Clinton interview: 'nothing new' ---------------------------------------- Athens, 10/01/1995 (ANA): The government said yesterday that it did not attach particular importance to an interview in which US President Bill Clinton urged Greece to open unconditional dialogue with Albania to help in the effort for Balkan stability. In the interview, carried in the Sunday edition of the Athens daily Kathimerini, Mr. Clinton also called on Greece and Turkey to avoid conflict and pursue dialogue. Government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said the interview contained "nothing new". "Diplomatic contacts between Greece and the US are frequent and talks are detailed and are unconnected with what is referred to in the interview," Mr. Venizelos said. On the issue of dialogue with Albania, the spokesman underlined that Greece was not setting conditions but that dialogue would have to be "of substance". An obvious prerequisite, he said, is respect for the human rights of the Greek minority in Albania and the release of the four ethnic Greeks jailed after being found guilty of spying for Greece. The spokesman said that the US had repeatedly confirmed its interest in these issues. "Greece has taken many important steps towards improving relations with Albania and expects similar steps from the other side," Mr. Venizelos said. Relations between Greece and Albania worsened last year when five ethnic Greek minority leaders in Albania were found guilty of spying for Greece and sentenced to prison. Mr. Berisha, who pardoned one of them on Christmas Eve, said in a meeting with US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke on Sunday in Tirana that he stood behind the decision not to release the four others. The Coalition of the Left and Progress party yesterday called on the government to "abandon" its illusions, following President Clinton's interview for US ambitions in the Balkans. Papoutsis outlines Commission policies on energy, SMEs, tourism --------------------------------------------------------------- Brussels, 10/01/1995 (ANA - P. Pantelis, M. Savva): Greek Commissioner Christos Papoutsis yesterday outlined the new European Commission's basic policies in the energy, small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) and tourism sectors before the relevant European Parliament committee. Mr. Papoutsis said the internal energy market should be integrated but consideration should be given to structural actions between member-states creating major and serious problems. He said some progress had been achieved on problems concerning electric power, but added that many serious problems continued to exist with natural gas. Referring to SMEs, included in the special responsibilities of a Commissioner for the first time, Mr. Papoutsis conceded that out of 17 million such enterprises in Europe only 13,000 enjoyed benefits. He placed particular importance on tax benefits SMEs should have and to their need for access to new technologies. Mr. Papoutsis said tourism policy, on which the development of employment primarily depended, was a basic Community policy. He said co-operation and co-ordination should be achieved with the environment policy, adding that the new Commission would prepare a Green Paper to enhance Community policy on tourism. Apostolidis new Greek permanent representative in Brussels ---------------------------------------------------------- Brussels, 10/01/1995 (ANA - P. Pantelis): Changes have been brought about at the Permanent Representatives Committee (Coreper) which already includes representatives from the European Union's three new member-states. They are Ambassador Frank Belfrag from Sweden, Ambassador Andi Satouli from Finland and Ambassador Manfred Schys from Austria. On the part of Greece, Ambassador Pavlos Apostolidis succeeds Ambassador Al. Zafiriou at the Permanent Representatives Committee. Mr. Zafiriou resigned and will retire. Foreign Under-Secretary Yiannos Kranidiotis, currently in Brussels, yesterday cut the New Year's pie at the Greek Permanent Representation and presented the new representative to the staff. Tsohatzopoulos: PASOK positions 'permanent, clear' ------------------------------------------------- Athens, 10/01/1995 (ANA): Ruling party PASOK's positions on important issues, such as that of the election of a new president of the republic, are permanent and clear, the party's Central Committee Secretary-General Akis Tsohatzopoulos said after yesterday's Executive Bureau meeting. He said the Executive Bureau has made certain decisions concerning the party's activity in the first months of 1995. The Institutional Committee is scheduled to meet tomorrow, to consider proposals concerning the draft laws on the accountability of ministers and party finances which the government intends to table in parliament. As soon as the Committee adopts proposals on these issues, PASOK will invite other parties to dialogue. Another committee is being set up to look into constitutional revision. The Executive Bureau also decided the holding of party meetings at prefectural level, which will discuss the prime minister's proposals for political modernisation, and prepare for the political and organisational convention at the end of March or early April. Mr. Tsohatzopoulos said the New Democracy's presentation of proposals for constitutional revision was a positive development, but pointed out that it contained nothing new, and PASOK disagreed with many points in it.