Athens, 26/04/1995 (ANA): The annual International Monetary Fund report, released in Washington yesterday, contains favourable forecasts for the Greek economy.
The report predicts a steady downward trend in the inflation rate, expected to end at around 8.6 per cent at the end of the year and finish at 7.6 per cent in 1996. Gross Domestic Product is forecast to rise by 1.8 per cent in 1995, and by 2.3 per cent next year, while unemployment is expected to waver at around 10.6 percent.
The report also refers to a dampening in economic activity, and underlines that the Greek economy is still far from attaining targets set in the Convergence Plan of the Maastricht Treaty. The IMF report said the general government budget deficit has to be reduced to 4.2 percent of GDP by 1997 and to 2.4 percent by 1998. It also considers the debt-to-GDP ratio in need of stabilisation by 1996 and reduced thereafter.
Meanwhile, the Bank of Greece's annual report, due to be released Friday, calls for the maintenance of tight incomes and fiscal policies, sources said. The report evaluates the government's economic policy without, however, proposing specific fiscal interventions such as tax changes, according to sources.
The report is expected to insist on the maintenance of the anti-inflationary policy, involving a limited sliding of the drachma and tight credit expansion.
Concerning interest rates, the central bank considers that their downward spiral -- which began last September -- has ebbed, while it sees some latitude for a reduction in the rates of government bonds and treasury bills, due to the current low level of state borrowing requirements.
Athens, 26/04/1995 (ANA): Greece yesterday criticised neighbouring Turkey, saying its treatment of the Kurdish people was "unacceptable."
"We believe Turkey's attitude toward the Kurdish people is unacceptable and not in line with Europe's democratic ideals," Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias said in the northwest city of Ioannina. His statement was made as the European Parliament met for a plenary session in Brussels to discuss Turkey's human rights violations. Turkey must "change course" on its human rights situation and the Kurdish issue, Mr. Papoulias added.
Ankara's ongoing military operation in northern Iraq has drawn stiff criticism from the European Union. Hans Van den Broek, the EU's foreign affairs commissioner, said Monday Turkey had to improve its poor human rights record or see a customs union with the EU overturned by the European Parliament.
Turkey and the EU's foreign ministers signed the customs union on March 6, against the wishes of the EU Parliament, which will now be asked to ratify the accord in early autumn. "Parliament's assent will only be forthcoming if its members feel that Turkey and the Union are committed to the same fundamental values," Mr. Van den Broek said.
Athens, 26/04/1995 (ANA): Referring to results of last Sunday's French elections, Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias said the victory of socialist candidate Lionel Jospin was a "pleasant surprise," adding he agreed with former EU Commission President Jacques Delors' view that all eventualities are open in the second round of elections.
Final official results of Sunday's first round of French presidential elections gave Lionel Jospin 23.3 per cent of the vote to Gaullist candidate Jacques Chirac's 20.8 per cent. Prime Minister Edouard Balladur managed only 18.5 per cent, while extreme rightist Jean-Marie Le Pen captured 15 per cent. The second round is slated for May 7.
Athens, 26/04/1995 (ANA): The Athens Union of Journalists (ESHEA) last week strongly condemned the break-in and search of Athens News Agency and "Kathimerini" correspondent in Istanbul, Alkis Kourkoulas.
"ESHEA once again strongly condemns the methods used by Turkey, which are aimed at intimidating journalists there and in effect are directed against the free movement of information and freedom of the press," the union said in the protest addressed to the International Press Institute in Brussels. A copy was also sent to the Turkish embassy in Athens.
"The search of the home of ESHEA member Alkis Kourkoulas in Istanbul, in his absence, is yet another incident illustrative of the situation prevailing in Turkey. Such methods are condemnable. We draw attention to this act and demand your intervention so that the journalists in Turkey may freely carry out their duties without obstruction," ESHEA said.
Government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos had said "it is hoped that the competent Turkish authorities will want to fully clarify the true circumstances" surrounding the search.
The Foreign Press Association of Greece in a statement expressed its concern "over any and all incidents involving attempts to intimidate foreign correspondents carrying out their journalistic duties anywhere in the world." The FPA statement, issued by its executive committee, added "any such actions, such as the recent incident involving a Greek correspondent in Turkey and similar unexplained attempts at apparent intimidation in any country benefit no one and harm the freedom of the press."
Athens, 26/04/1995 (ANA): Ida-Maria Deuerling, a long time resident correspondent for the German press died in Athens Saturday after a long illness. She was 56. Ms. Deuerling, who lived for many years in Greece, worked as a correspondent for Passauer Neue Presse, Neue Ruhr and Neue Rhein Zeitung. She was an active member of the Foreign Press Association in Greece and served several times in the FPA's executive council.
Her body will be flown to Germany for burial at a family plot in Issen near Munich. A memorial service will take place at the German church on Sina St., in downtown Athens, today. Members of the FPA and friends are requested not to send wreaths and instead send contributions to the FPA Mutual Assistance Fund.
Istanbul, 26/04/1995 (ANA): On the occasion of the bomb blast tragedy in Oklahoma City, Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos addressed a message to US President Bill Clinton condemning "every form of violence and terrorism." An announcement issued by the Ecumenical Patriarch's office in the historic Phanar District, said the Ecumenical Patriarch "prayed for the resting of the souls of the victims of this criminal act."
Athens, 26/04/1995 (ANA): Albanian President Sali Berisha said yesterday that he fully agreed with Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou that future Greek-Albanian relations should serve as a model. Mr. Berisha also said he would be delighted to see Mr. Papandreou and President of the Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos visit Tirana.
In the interview with the Athens daily "Ta Nea," Mr. Berisha echoed Mr. Papandreou's view that Greek-Albanian relations can and should serve as a model. "The history of friendly relations between our two countries makes this perfectly feasible," Mr. Berisha said, adding that "all problems between neighbours can be solved. There are no problems between us which cannot be solved. I am determined that we shall have good relations with Greece." Mr. Berisha said Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias' recent trip to Tirana had "opened a new page" in relations between the two countries.
Replying to questions, Mr. Berisha said the thousands of Albanian nationals working in Greece were "daily signing a friendship accord." He described a Greek proposal to accept a large number of seasonal workers from his country as "tremendous assistance for Albania."
Asked to assess Greece's role in relation to Albania's presence in Europe, Mr. Berisha said: "I believe that Greece, the only Balkan country which is a member of the European Union and NATO, has a historic opportunity to help in the process of incorporating not only Albania but also all the Balkan states in Europe."
Asked to what extent he believed Albania's excellent relations with Turkey affected Greek-Albanian relations, in view of Greek-Turkish differences, Mr. Berisha replied: "I believe that relations between Greece and Turkey are relations with great importance for the Balkans. Most certainly I would like to see these relations improve and develop into ties of friendship and close co-operation. "Our relations with Greece have their own basis and cannot be affected by Albania's relations with other countries. Greece has good relations with Serbia and this does not bother me. On the contrary, I would like to see Albania benefiting from the good relations between Athens and Belgrade."
Replying to a question concerning the existence of extremists in both Greece and Albania, Mr. Berisha said it was the duty of politicians to "stand firm" against such "extremist and nationalist elements." "At first glance," he said, "they appear to be strong, but they are not. Public opinion as a whole, both in Greece and Albania, as well as in Bulgaria and elsewhere does not agree with the extremists."
Mr. Berisha stressed that the ethnic Greek minority in Albania was "a very important factor for friendship and co-operation between our two countries," adding the minority had contributed much to the overthrow of the dictatorship in the neighbouring country. He also acknowledged the "positive role" of Archbishop Anastasios in the "renaissance" of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania and promised to allow the ethnic Greek minority to open schools of secondary education "wherever there is a sufficient number of pupils, without restriction."
Athens, 26/04/1995 (ANA): Commenting on Mr. Berisha's interview, Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias also stressed the significance of Greek-Albanian relations.
"Relations between Greece and Albania are very important not only for the two countries, but for the rest of the Balkan nations as well," he said in Ioannina. Athens and Tirana hailed a new period of improved relations last month after months of bickering sparked by the trial and conviction of five ethnic Greeks on charges of military espionage.
Athens, 26/04/1995 (ANA): The Council of Europe's (CoE) parliamentary assembly will vote today on a resolution asking its governing committee to suspend Turkey "unless it shows progress toward a withdrawal from Iraq, a peaceful solution to the Kurdish problem and a reform of its constitution and legislation to bring them into line with democratic norms." The resolution envisages that the assembly will discuss suspending Turkish membership if substantial progress on the aforementioned points is not achieved by June.
The head of the 11-member Greek delegation, former European Union Commissioner and Vice-President of the assembly, Vasso Papandreou, yesterday welcomed the resolution, stating: "the Council of Europe is at last beginning to show sensitivity toward the crude violation of human rights in Turkey and the invasion of Turkish forces in northern Iraq, in contravention of every rule of international law."
New Democracy party deputy Aristeides Pavlides told COE's Political Affairs Committee that "Turkey must realise that the grace period granted to it by the Council of Europe to comply with its basic principles, and chiefly with that of respect for human rights, has expired."
The 34-member organisation has in the past adopted several resolutions demanding improvement in Turkey's human rights record, however, this is the first time it is threatening to impose sanctions.
Brussels, 26/04/1995 (ANA): Addressing a plenary session of the European Parliament on common foreign policy and security policy in Brussels, PASOK Eurodeputy Yiannos Kranidiotis stressed the need for safeguarding national interests of member-states at a Community level, which should also become the European Union's concern. Otherwise, he said, the principle of unanimity could not be abandoned and defining national interests would be subject to an assessment by every member state.
Mr. Kranidiotis called for the strengthening of the EU's joint action and defence dimension, stressing the need for mutual contributions by member-states in the event a member-state is threatened and determining and protecting the EU's external borders. Mr. Kranidiotis commented on what he called the meagre implementation of common foreign and security policy, particularly in cases such as the former Yugoslavia, while he said the intergovernmental conference in 1996 to revise the Maastricht Treaty constituted an opportunity to strengthen common foreign and security policy.
Speaking at a European Parliament Committee meeting on women's rights, PASOK Eurodeputy Angela Kokkola yesterday called for the intervention of European Commission President Jacques Santer on conditions under which non-governmental women's organisations will participate in a conference on equality issues -- due to take place in Beijing in September. Specifically, Ms. Kokkola requested that non-governmental women's organisations which have contributed to promoting women's interests should participate in the conference on the same level national delegations participate.
Athens, 26/04/1995 (ANA): The Minister to the Prime Minister's Office Yiannis Pottakis departed yesterday on a three-day official visit to London as head of a delegation to be briefed on a programme for the modernisation of public administration. During his stay, Mr. Pottakis will have talks with his British counterpart David Hunt on issues of common interest.
Brussels, 26/04/1995 (ANA/F. Stangos): The NATO alliance's Military Committee met at NATO headquarters in Brussels at a general staff chief level yesterday with Greece represented by General Staff Chief Adm. Christos Lymberis. Senior military officers of NATO's 15 member-states will devote a large part of their work to recent developments in the former Yugoslavia, and especially Bosnia, in light of the upcoming end to a four-month cease-fire. (France is represented at a lower level with observer status as it is not a member of the alliance's military wing.)
NATO sources did not rule out discussion on the possibility of reactivating a NATO headquarters in Larissa or the installation of a multinational rapid deployment force in Thessaloniki.
NATO's Military Committee will also prepare today's joint co-operation conference with the military leadership of the 24 countries of central and eastern Europe as well as the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), which have signed a draft agreement on the "Partnership for Peace" plan.
Tomorrow, military officials will participate in the annual "SHAPEX 95" conference organised by the Supreme Command of Allied Forces in Europe (SHAPE) to examine "peace preservation" and "peace restoration" operations.
Athens, 26/04/1995 (ANA): National Economy Minister Yiannos Papantoniou told the private Skai radio station yesterday that if the government successfully implements its 1995 economic policy, the year austerity is at its peak, there will be some latitude for granting real increases to workers and pensioners.
His statement drew a response from the main opposition New Democracy party and the Political Spring party as well as the General Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE).
ND party spokesman Vasilis Manginas reminded Mr. Papantoniou that PASOK announced the end of austerity before assuming power, adding the Greek people "were in a position to judge the credibility of the present government and its policy." He reiterated his party's position that any stabilisation effort required development prospects, through a dynamic investment programme on the basis of steady rules of economic and fiscal policy.
Political Spring party spokesman Notis Martakis said Mr. Papantoniou's statement "constitutes an affront to the Greek people, who have been paying the price of PASOK's and New Democracy's dead-end austerity for the last 10 years." He called for a policy of growth and for the government "not to deceive farmers, wage earners and small businesses with unrealistic promises."
GSEE president Christos Protopapas stated that working people have made many sacrifices in recent years and are in no case prepared to put up with yet more loses in their income. Long-term austerity programmes bear no results, choking the market and undermining productivity, he added.
Athens, 26/04/1995 (ANA): Alternate National Economy Minister George Romaios last week approved a project aimed at modernising Greece's air traffic control system in the Public Investment Programme for 1995. The estimated cost of the project is 12 billion drachmas, with a credit line of approximately 2.6 billion drachmas for the current year.
The project, which is being jointly financed from the European Union Cohesion Fund, involves chiefly the purchase of modern radar equipment and its installation in various key locations throughout the country for air traffic control purposes.