A joint communique issued yesterday at the end of Burgarian Prime Minister Jean Videnov's official visit to Athens expressed the political will of both countries to consolidate and enhance co-operation. Special emphasis was also given to implementation of the proposed Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline.
The joint communique, signed both by Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou and his visiting Bulgarian counterpart, described bilateral relations as "excellent", and declared both countries' categorical intention to work for stability and co-operation in the Balkans.
Concerning the crisis in the former Yugoslavia, both countries stated their support for UN contact group efforts for a peaceful, viable and just political solution, stressing this must be accompanied by suspension of sanctions against Serbia.
A political will is also evident, according to the statement, between Greece and Bulgaria to promote co-operation in a number of economic fields, including transport, joint ventures, banking, industry, agriculture, infrastructure projects and tourism. The communique also refers to the signing of a draft agreement settling the issue of Nestos River water resources by the end of the year.
Mr. Videnov held talks Monday with Mr. Papandreou on Balkan stability, European integration and joint projects in transport and energy issues, including construction of a proposed pipeline to carry Russian crude oil to Greece via Bulgaria.
Earlier yesterday, Mr. Videnov held meetings with Parliament President Apostolos Kaklamanis and main opposition New Democracy leader Miltiades Evert.
After their meeting, Mr. Videnov and Mr. Kaklamanis expressed hope for a speedy settlement of issues related to the opening of the new Greece-Bulgaria cross-border checkpoints and materialisation of the pipeline, which envisages a tanker route from the Russian port of Novorossiisk to Bulgaria's Black Seaport of Burgas, the proposed starting point of a 300-km pipeline to Alexandroupolis in northern Greece. They described Greek-Bulgarian relations as "a model for stability in the Balkan region."
Mr. Kaklamanis said relations between the two countries "form the basis for restoration of peace, and confrontation of the region's problems, the aggravation of which is not due to the peoples of the Balkans, but to outside forces."
Mr. Videnov and Mr. Evert discussed developments in the Balkans and bilateral issues. Mr. Evert welcomed the signing of a preliminary agreement on the proposed pipeline with Russia, saying prospects for the development of road, telecommunications and television networks are also opening up. He also reiterated an earlier proposal he made for the signing of an agreement among Balkan states recognising existing borders, a proposal that has been well-received by the Bulgarian political leadership during a visit by Mr. Evert to Bulgaria. Mr. Videnov departed early last night.
Athens University and Onassion Heart Surgery Centre researchers yesterday announced the invention of a new filter capable of absorbing up to 85 percent of the harmful substances in tobacco smoke.
The director of the Onassion Blood Centre, Mr. S. Geroulanos, said at a special event at the Pasteur Institute yesterday that the composition of the new filter, capable of being incorporated into existing types of filters, was based on hemoglobin, a substance found in large quantities in the human body and known to scientists for more than a 100 years.
Medical School Prof. Ioannis Stavridis said four-year laboratory, experimental and clinical tests proved the filter could retain up to 85 percent of substances that may be detrimental to one's health.
Onassion Director General Mr. D. Kontaratos said it was now up to the government and other interested parties to use the results of the research in the most suitable way. The filter's inventors were careful to stress, however, that giving up the smoking habit still remained the best way to prevent smoking-related diseases and ailments.
The West European Union (WEU) has vindicated Greece, rejecting a protest against its accession to the organisation by Spanish Sen. Alfonso Cuco, who argued Athens proclaimed a unilateral reservation in the Greek ratification act not included in the text of its accession protocol.
The council of the WEU's Permanent Diplomatic Representatives, which convened in Brussels, examined the issue and arguments put forward by the Greek government first, before submitting a written conclusion to the WEU's Parliamentary Assembly and Mr. Cuco.
According to the view of the WEU's council, Greece tabled its relevant reservation on article 10 of the Brussels Treaty to the International Court of The Hague in accordance with the law. It also communicated it to the full WEU members before the Greek accession protocol was ratified.
The Greek reservation concerns the International Court, since Greece does not accept that it has jurisdiction "over differences related to the taking of military measures of a defensive nature for reasons of national defence."
Delegations of the ruling PASOK party and the Albanian Democratic Party, headed by party secretaries Akis Tsohatzopoulos and Tritan Shehu respectively, met at PASOK's headquarters yesterday for talks on the latest developments in the Balkans.
The two sides also discussed relations between the two countries as well as the two parties. Mr. Tsohatzopoulos also held a meeting with a delegation of the Cypriot Communist party AKEL, headed by party secretary Demetris Christofias. Discussions focused on developments over the Cyprus issue, relations between Greece and Cyprus and relations be tween the two parties.
Delegates at the 29th Conference of the Panepirotic Federation of the United States, Canada and Australia issued a resolution yesterday calling on the Albanian government to show respect for the political, cultural, educational and religious rights of the Greeks of southern Albania (Northern Epirus) in compliance with that country's binding international agreements.
The conference, held in Washington D.C., also called on Tirana to end public employment discrimination against members of the ethnic Greek minority and withdraw prison sentences against five well-known ethnic Greeks.
The conference also called upon the Greek government to grant Greek nationality to ethnic Greeks of Albania, thus ensuring their free movement to and from Greece.
The federation called on the governments of the United States, Australia and Canada to make aid to Albania dependent on Albania's progress in respect to human rights of the ethnic Greeks in Albania. The federation pledged that if Albania complied with international agreements, it would support its efforts to fully integrate into the international community.
National Defence Minister Gerasimos Arsenis yesterday wound up a three-day official visit to Syria with a meeting with Syrian President Hafez al-Assad. The talks focused on the Middle East peace process, progress achieved towards signing a defence agreement between Greece and Syria and a series of issues concerning international developments and primarily developments in the Middle East and the Balkans.
"Mr. Assad is a man who thinks strategically. He sees things both in a long-term and overall perspective. For this reason we also extended our talks to other issues. I personally derived a great deal from this discussion. I will convey crucial observati ons and assessments to both the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister,"
Mr. Arsenis said shortly before leaving Damascus for Paris. Mr. Arsenis had also met his Syrian counterpart General Mustapha Tlass and Prime Minister Mahmud al-Zohbi since beginning a three-day official visit to Damascus Sunday.
European Affairs Minister George Mangakis said yesterday the Yugoslav crisis and preparations for the 1996 Inter-governmental conference would dominate the upcoming European Union summit. The two-day summit held in Cannes, France, will begin next week. It marks the end of a six-month rotating French presidency of the EU.
"The top issue on the agenda is the Yugoslav crisis, for which Greece can play a mediating role, as it is in continuous contact with all warring factions," Mr. Mangakis said.
During last month's hostage crisis, Greece was successful in mediating the release of dozens of UN troops. Athens has repeatedly voiced opposition to military involvement in the Yugoslav conflict and urged the west to seek a diplomatic solution.
Mr. Mangakis reiterated Greece's positions on the Yugoslav issue which focus on finding a political settlement to the crisis and reinforcing UN forces in the region. He said the summit will also focus on the 1996 Inter-governmental Conference, set to review the Maastricht Treaty and prepare the EU's future.
A Euro-Mediterranean policy aimed at reinforcing EU relations with countries of the Mediterranean and Africa, will also be discussed at the summit, together with the issues of EU enlargement and inter-European networks.
Greece announced yesterday that it did not expect the European Court to render a ruling on Athens' embargo against the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) before September.
"The procedure has a long way to go," said European Affairs Minister George Mangakis. He said the court's prosecutor had to present his recommendation, which members of the tribunal will discuss before issuing a verdict.
Greece has imposed a trade embargo against the former Yugoslav republic in a bid to pressure the new Balkan state to change its name, flag and constitution. Athens argues that Skopje's claim to the name "Macedonia" implies territorial designs on Greece's historical northern province of the same name.
Turkish Prime Minister Tansu Ciller claimed yesterday that any extention of Greece's territorial waters to 12 nautical miles, as provided by the Law of the Sea Convention, would require a Turkish yacht traveling from one Turkish port to another to ask for permission from the Greek authorities. "Greece had to realise that the Aegean was a special case," she said during the Western European Union (WEU) Parliamentary Assembly session.
Ms. Ciller replied to a question by PASOK deputy and former EU Commissioner Vasso Papandreou. New Democracy party deputy Aristotelis Pavlidis pointed out that the international Convention provided even for the harmless transit of warships without permission. The Turkish prime minister retorted by saying that if Greek territorial waters were extended, "Turkey would not be able to breathe."
During her address, Ms. Ciller accused Greece of attempting to strike against Turkey's vital interests by upsetting the delicate balance in the Aegean, established by the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne. She added co-operation would be to the benefit of both cou ntries and stability in the broader region. "We need a historical reconciliation," she said.
Regarding the Cyprus problem, she said that the island-republic should not become a member of the European Union before a federal and bi-zonal arrangement was agreed to, adding that Turkish EU membership would solve Greek-Turkish differences.
Mild aftershocks shook Egion yesterday as rescue teams abandoned hope of finding further survivors in the rubble of an apartment-building which collapsed during the devastating 6.1 on the Richter scale earthquake that hit the coastal city early Thursday morning.
The body of the last victim, a 45-year-old man, was pulled out of the debris late Monday. So far, the tremor has claimed 26 victims. All of the dead were either at the Eliki Hotel, where 10 French tourists were killed, or at the Egion apartment block. The deadly quake also injured about 60 people and left 15,000 homeless.
All four aftershocks yesterday measured more than 3 on the open-ended Richter scale, according to the Seismology Laboratory at Patras University. No casualties were reported.
Meanwhile, a meeting is scheduled tomorrow at the Environment, Town Planning and Public Works Ministry, with the participation of regional representatives from the quake-hit regions to discuss a package of measures designed for the restoration of the Egialia and Fokida regions. The measures are expected to be announced in Egion Friday by a government delegation.
The quake carved a swathe of destruction across the area east of Patras, while civil engineers examining buildings in Egion found 1,675 to be unsuitable, 1,536 repairable and 3,064 safe for occupancy. In Fokida engineers declared 212 unsuitable, 650 repairable and 600 safe for occupancy.
In another development, Alternate National Economy Minister George Romeos said restoration of the buildings would be covered mainly by public investment revenues. Mr. Romeos said it was not possible to cover the cost of damages from EU funds, since no such funds existed in the EU's budget. He said the European Union in such cases merely allocates an amount of humanitarian aid, which in the case an earlier earthquake in Grevena was 300 million drachmas.
Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou, who visited the region on Saturday, promised temporary housing and interest-free loans to residents who lost their homes as well as a new development plan for the devastated region.
The government Financial Policy Committee will also discuss tomorrow a set of measures to confront the needs of quake victims. National Economy Minister Yannos Papantoniou said the meeting would also focus on endorsing a permanent package of measures to deal with such natural disasters.
At the same time, Coalition of the Left and Progress leader Nikos Constantopoulos, in a letter to the nation's political leadership and all relevant authorities yesterday, stressed the need for "an effective earthquake protection policy."
In noting what he described as the government's weaknesses to confront natural disasters, Mr. Constantopoulos said all political parties should endorse a national policy on earthquake protection, the regional decentralization of protection mechanisms an d scientific coordination and dialogue among seismologists.
A home-made incendiary device exploded shortly after midnight outside the Foreign Press Association (FPA) offices in central Athens with an underground organisation later claiming responsibility. The explosion set fire to an oak door of the neo-classic building, which also houses the offices of United Press International (UPI) and other foreign correspondents. The blaze was quickly extinguished by the fire department.
Shortly after the attack an unknown caller telephoned the private SKAI radio and television network and claimed responsibility on behalf of the so-called Anti-Authority Struggle Group.
Police said the fire-bomb consisted of small gas cylinders, plastic petrol bottles and cotton wadding.
The FPA in a statement later, condemned the arson attempt and said "this terrorist action was against freedom of the press and apparently aimed to intimidate foreign correspondents in Greece in the performance of their duties." It further stated that "such actions are the natural aftermath of an unpleasant climate being created by occassional unprovoked verbal attacks against the foreign press."
The FPA, which represents 125 permanent correspondents from around the world, "expresses its deep concern and assures that its members will continue to undistractedly inform world public opinion on events in Greece," the announcement said.
The government also condemned the attack. "Such actions, with the climate they attempt to create insult the country and distort the picture of Greek reality," Press and Media Minister Evangelos Venizelos said in a written statement.
"The Greek people and all the political forces in their entirety condemn even the slightest trace of terrorism and organised crime. The authorities, in the context of international co-operation, make every possible effort to tackle these phenomena," Mr. Venizelos said.
"I am sure the foreign correspondents who live and work in Greece and know the Greek reality are fully aware that freedom of the press and hospitality, in the full sense of the word, are and always continue to be fundamental characteristics of Greek society," Mr. Venizelos added.
Main opposition New Democracy party spokesman Vassilis Manginas described the arson as "an unprovoked act which acts against the freedom of the press."
The opposition Political Spring party issued a statement later condemning the arson as "an act of intimidation against the free exercise of the journalistic profession" and called on the government to offer all possible aid for restoration of the damages and protection of the building.