Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 97-11-17
From: The Greek Press & Information Office, Ottawa Canada <[email protected]>
ATHENS NEWS AGENCY BULLETIN (No 1342), November 17, 1997
Greek Press & Information Office
Ottawa, Canada
E-Mail Address: [email protected]
CONTENTS
[01] Three-day Polytechnic celebrations wind up today
[02] ... Security beefed up
[03] Holbrooke: Business conference of Cypriot communities successful
[04] Tsohatzopoulos: Athens willing to solve regional problems
[05] Holbrooke excludes military conflict in Aegean
[06] Protests in Thessaloniki mark pseudo-state's illegal founding
[07] Simitis appeals to PASOK youth organization to join party's
effort
[08] Gov`t: "Athens 2004" won't drain resources from provinces
[09] Papariga contacts in New York
[10] KKE condolences regarding death of Georges Marchais
[11] Int'l conference for public administration in Thessaloniki
[12] Quality in private, public sector the focus of event
[13] Seismic activity heightens over weekend, no damage reported
[14] Karamanlis stresses need for robust local Gov'ts
[15] Euro-Mediterranean Conference on radio, TV ends
[01] Three-day Polytechnic celebrations wind up today
Athens, 17/11/1997 (ANA)
Three-day celebrations marking the November 17, 1973 student
uprising at the Athens Polytechnic against the military junta
then ruling Greece began on Saturday and will climax this
afternoon with a customary march through downtown Athens to the
US embassy .
Prime Minister Costas Simitis placed a wreath at the Polytechnic
on Saturday.
"For us, the Polytechnic symbolizes that contrary to accepted
habits and practices, we are seeking the way for a Greece having
a strong voice and a more just society," he said.
Education Minister Gerassimos Arsenis was the first to arrive to
lay a wreath, while students shouted slogans against educational
reform.
Mr. Arsenis praised the significance and meaning of the
Polytechnic's struggles and, referring to the nearby students,
said "we have democracy. We do not want to hear shouts, but
arguments."
Mr. Simitis arrived shortly afterwards.
In a message on the occasion, the Communist Party of Greece
(KKE) said the Polytechnic cannot be closed in a museum and is
not limited to the framework of a narrow anti-junta struggle and
denounced those who are undermining this meaning of the student
uprising in 1973 and its anti-imperialist nature.
KKE said the 24th anniversary of the Polytechnic uprising
coincides with a new crucial phase for popular interests and
believes that the plans of the US and NATO in promoting the new
world order are being implemented by the PASOK government and in
essence with the agreement of the other forces.
It also accused the government of not only concealing the role
played by the US and NATO from the people but also of
proclaiming them guarantors of peace and security in the region.
The Coalition of the Left and Progress said in its relevant
message that November 17 promotes as being irreplaceable values
the disputing of the multifarious establishment, resisting
authoritarianism and youth actively participating in social and
political developments.
Polytechnic Rector Themistoklis Xanthopoulos referred to the
significance of the times and added that all necessary measures
have been taken to protect the institution's events.
Ruling PASOK Secretary Costas Skandalidis also laid a wreath and
underlined the message sent by the uprising in 1973, expressing
the view that the Polytechnic's decline must be tackled
collectively by all bodies and parties, adding that "our memory
is always with the fighters."
On her part, the secretary of PASOK's youth wing, Tonia
Antoniou, praised the struggles of the 1973 Polytechnic youth
and said that these messages are also significant today.
Similar messages were issued by the Communist Renewal Ecological
Left (AKOA), EDHK, ESDHN and the Union of Leftist Youth.
Meanwhile, tension flared up on the downtown Athens campus on
Saturday morning when a group of students reportedly belonging
to the extra-parliamentary left assembled, carrying banners
denouncing government policy.
[02] ... Security beefed up
Athens, 17/11/1997 (ANA)
In terms of security for today's events and march, some 3,500
police officers will be on hand to avert any violence during
this year's anniversary of the 1973 student uprising, Public
Order Minister George Romeos told the ANA yesterday. Mr. Romeos
said the entire Attica police force was on standby to deal with
any eventuality, and that there had been constant contact
between his ministry and the police force over the weekend.
Events will culminate in a rally and march to the US embassy
today. At midday, Mr. Romeos said the entrances to the
Polytechnic grounds would be closed and buildings evacuated,
while student groups had undertaken the guarding of the
building. A strong police force will be deployed around the
Polytechnic and in the surrounding areas.
The three days of celebrations have often been marred by pitched
street battles between police and masked youths over past
anniversaries, many of whom are self-styled anarchists.
Polytechnic authorities have recently fortified the school
buildings against possible vandalism by youths who take refuge
from police in the school grounds, an asylum where law
enforcement authorities are barred from entering.
One of the buildings burned down during the anniversary six
years ago and has now been almost completely restored. The
mayhem during the anniversary in 1991 resulted in the
whole-scale destruction of the school's premises and facilities.
Police said they were concerned by a proclamation by a group
calling itself "Anarchic Initiative" calling for an "open and
dynamic" celebration. The group has called for a rally at 11
a.m. today to "pre-empt the police and university authorities'
plans to empty the Polytechnic".
Mr. Romeos said the memory of the damage suffered by the
Polytechnic in 1991 was "still raw" and was the reason behind
the decision to place metal protectors on windows of the
school's buildings.
The atmosphere at the school yesterday on the second day of
celebrations was calm, with hundreds of Athenians placing
wreaths at the memorial inside the school grounds.
[03] Holbrooke: Business conference of Cypriot communities successful
Brussels, 17/11/1997 (ANA - M.Spinthourakis/CNA)
Special US Presidential Emissary for Cyprus Richard Holbrooke on
Saturday described a meeting of businessmen from the two
communities in Cyprus as well as Greece and Turkey successful.
He pointed out that some 50 proposals were submitted by Greek
Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, which could assist towards a
solution to the Cyprus problem through economic co-operation.
Mr. Holbrooke also expressed satisfaction for his recent
meetings in Cyprus with President Glafcos Clerides and Turkish
Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash.
Asked whether he is planning a new visit to Cyprus, he said
there is no such plan at the moment, adding however, that plans
sometimes change.
According to Greek Cypriot businessman Phanos Epiphaniou, the
proposals made at the conference can be classified into three
categories:
Specifically, those which can be applied by businesspeople
without political mediation; those for which political
intervention is necessary for application, and those that can
only be applied as a result of political decisions.
The most important decision concerns the establishment of a
bi-communal forum which will be responsible for the
materialization of decisions on economic co-operation made by
the businesspeople.
Another important development was the agreement for the
upgrading of the UN telephone center in Nicosia, which helps to
maintain contact between Greek and Turkish Cypriots.
The issues of irrigation and water management were also
discussed.
Concerning sports and cultural issues, the exchange of visits
between Greek and Turkish Cypriot athletes was agreed, while the
organization of joint art exhibitions was also agreed to.
[04] Tsohatzopoulos: Athens willing to solve regional problems
Athens, 17/11/1997 (ANA)
National Defense Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos on Saturday voiced
Athens' willingness to find a resolution to the division of
Cyprus and other regional problems, adding however, that Greece
was not prepared to agree to solutions for the sake of others'
vested interests.
"Greece is ready to assist and to take part in procedures to
find a just resolution of the Cyprus problem, as well as to
other problems in the region, independent of the initiatives of
the United States, the United Nations and Britain," Mr.
Tsohatzopoulos told a meeting in Thessaloniki on Saturday night.
"However, we are not prepared to sacrifice the interests of the
Cypriot and Greek people in the name of any strategic and
economic interests, wherever they may originate from."
Mr. Tsohatzopoulos spoke of some parties' efforts to find
solutions "for the sake of stabilizing oil supply routes,
uncaring of the content of the solutions".
[05] Holbrooke excludes military conflict in Aegean
Athens, 17/11/1997 (ANA)
There is no cause for concern that there will be any sort of
military conflict in the Aegean, special US presidential
emissary on the Cyprus issue Richard Holbrooke was quoted by an
Athens Sunday newspaper yesterday.
In an interview with "To Vima", Mr. Holbrooke was cited as
saying that it was "ridiculous" for there to be a military
conflict in the Aegean.
Mr. Holbrooke, who last week visited Nicosia, Ankara and
Brussels as part of his contacts to promote a resolution to the
Cyprus issue, did not go into details of his meetings, which
included ones with Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides, Turkish
Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz and Alternate Foreign Minister
George Papandreou and Foreign Under-secretary Yiannos
Kranidiotis.
He denied press reports last week of his purported "tri-zonal"
proposal for Cyprus as "figments of the imagination", adding:
"We are trying to create a policy so as to ensure for Cyprus the
best possible course towards accession to the European Union".
"I am neither optimistic or pessimistic about a Cyprus
resolution. I simply persist and go on a centimeter at a time
without being concerned about whether I will win or lose," he
said.
Mr. Holbrooke said that Washington preferred that neither Ankara
or Athens conduct military exercises in the Aegean, but said in
reference to recent incidents that "nothing serious happened."
"There is no crisis situation," he said, adding that Turkish
claims that Greece was supposedly preparing a war against Turkey
were "untrue".
Mr. Holbrooke said NATO's Supreme Commander, Gen. Clark, was due
in the region this week to examine the military aspect of the
Aegean issue.
In response to what the US reaction would be to a possible
Greek-Turkish clash, Mr. Holbrooke said: "Our job is to not
create this possibility. There will be no shots traded between
Greece and Turkey. The two countries have certain problems,
certain disagreements which originate from history, but we do
not have a crisis."
He said that the Cypriot and Bosnian conflicts were "about the
same but under totally different conditions."
Referring to his attendance at a meeting of Greek and Turkish
Cypriot businessmen in Brussels late last week, Mr. Holbrooke
said the two sides had spoken "honestly and openly in a spirit
of co-operation in an effort to surpass the communication
problem, and that is very positive."
[06] Protests in Thessaloniki mark pseudo-state's illegal founding
Athens, 17/11/1997 (ANA)
Three-day protest events marking the 14th anniversary of the
illegal proclamation of the Turkish Cypriot pseudo-state in
Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus, and organized by the Cypriot
National Students Union of Thessaloniki ended here on Saturday
night with a march to Ankara's consulate.
A resolution attached to the entrance of the consulate stressed,
among others, that the UN Secretary General and the UN Security
Council must implement resolutions they have issued and concern
the withdrawal of Turkish occupation forces and Turkish main
land settlers, the return of refugees to their homes and the
ascertainment of the fate of 1,619 people listed as missing.
It added that all necessary measures must be taken to safeguard
the territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus and all
human rights which are being blatantly violated by the Turkish
occupation forces.
Earlier, a meeting was held in the amphitheater of the
Aristotelion University's legal faculty. The main speaker at the
event was the Cypriot government spokesman Manolis Christofides.
[07] Simitis appeals to PASOK youth organization to join party's
effort
Athens, 17/11/1997 (ANA)
Prime Minister Costas Simitis appealed toward his so-called
intraparty opposition, to which the majority of the party's
affiliated youth organization is believed to belong, summing up
a joint meeting of the party's central committee and the
organization's central council on Saturday.
"If what we are doing is too little, then join us so that we can
make it more. Otherwise, we might miss the train forever," he
said.
Referring to the session, Mr. Simitis said it was positive that
many different views were heard. However, he said the session
was not aimed at resolving the main problem of the youth wing's
relationship with politics and the role played by PASOK's youth
organization within the party.
Mr. Simitis conceded that present-day youth is different because
it is living in a different world and problems mobilizing them
in the past do not exist at present.
National Defense Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos referred to issues
affected by his ministry, saying that what is necessary is a
consistent national strategy because, as he predicted, Turkish
provocativeness will not come to an end. He added that military
and economic strengthening is required.
National Education Minister Gerassimos Arsenis said, among
others, that the target of educational reform is the shaping of
a new labor environment and called for support for educational
policy.
[08] Gov`t: "Athens 2004" won't drain resources from provinces
Athens, 17/11/1997 (ANA)
Assurances that the 2004 Olympiad would not lead to a transfer
of funds to Athens from the provinces were reiterated by
Environment, Public Works and Town Planning Minister Costas
Laliotis, speaking at the "Money Show '97" conference in Athens
on Saturday.
The benefits to Attica, he said, not only from the Olympic Games
but from the "cultural Olympiad" and the environmental
protections program, which were to begin in 2000, would also
benefit other regions of Greece.
He stressed that projects such as the Spata airport, the natural
gas network and the unification of Athens' archaeological sites
should not be linked with the Games, as they had been scheduled
to go ahead irrespective of Athens' candidacy. The difference
now was that "a definite time limit for their completion" had
been set, he added.
Technical Chamber of Greece president Costas Liaskos also
downplayed the effect of the Games on construction in Athens,
saying that the Olympic Village amounted to only 1 per cent of
annual construction activity in Attica.
Eurobank managing director Nikos Nanopoulos stressed the
importance of co-operation between banks, the state and
construction companies in completing Olympic projects, including
cooperative efforts and mergers, such as in the manner of the
Stavros-Elefsina tollway project, where 12 companies are
cooperating.
[09] Papariga contacts in New York
New York, 17/11/1997 (ANA - M. Georgiadou)
Communist Party of Greece (KKE) Secretary General Aleka
Papariga, who arrived in the US on Saturday, will hold talks
today with the 90-year-old leader of the American Communist
Party, Gus Hall, and with the leadership of several trade unions.
Ms Papariga visited the offices of the local communist party on
Saturday, as well as the offices of the Federation of Greek
Societies of New York. Talks with Council members and Greek
expatriates focused on issues concerning expatriate Greeks. She
also set out her party's views on the Council of Hellenes Abroad
(SAE).
Ms Papariga later attended various events concerning expatriate
Greeks and visited the society of Greeks from the island of
Cephalonia "Kefalos."
In her speeches, she referred to the state of the Greek economy
and to national issues, criticizing the government for what she
called "submissiveness and submission to the Americans."
[10] KKE condolences regarding death of Georges Marchais
Athens, 17/11/1997 (ANA)
The leadership of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) expressed
its profound sorrow yesterday over the death of long-time French
communist leader Georges Marchais.
Marchais, the head of the party for 22 years, died yesterday in
a Paris hospital at the age of 77. He had retired in 1994 after
a series of heart problems.
KKE Secretary General Aleka Papariga, currently on a visit to
the United States and Canada, addressed a telegram to French
Communist Party Secretary Robert Hue, stressing that the death
of Georges Marchais leaves a great vacuum in the labor and
communist movement of not only France and Europe, but of the
entire world.
She also underlined the contribution of Marchais towards the
development of solidarity between the communists and
progressives in France.
A similar message of condolences was addressed by KKE honorary
leader Harilaos Florakis, who underlined the contribution of the
French communist leader towards defending the ideals of the
communist movement.
[11] Int'l conference for public administration in Thessaloniki
Athens, 17/11/1997 (ANA)
Ministers, diplomats and public administration officials from
some 20 eastern and central European countries and the former
Soviet Union will begin meeting in Thessaloniki today on the
role of public administration. Prime Minister Costas Simitis
will give a keynote speech tonight at the official dinner for
the conference, entitled "Public Administration in Transition:
Reinforcing its Role, Professionalism and Ethical Bases".
The regional conference is being organized by Greece's interior,
public administration and decentralization ministry and the
United Nations' development agency, UNDESA.
The European Commission, European Investment Bank, World Bank UN
and OECD are all represented at the conference.
[12] Quality in private, public sector the focus of event
Athens, 17/11/1997 (ANA)
Quality, not only in the private sector, but in the sector of
public administration will be the focus in 1998, Development
Under-secretary Anna Diamantopoulos said yesterday, speaking at
an event organized by the Greek Forum on Business Administration
at t he "Money Show '97."
"The principles of quality must be adopted not only by business
in the production of their goods, but by all the services of
public administration, in tourist training and other sectors as
it constitutes a compulsory prerequisite for the growth of the
Greek economy's competitiveness," Ms Diamantopoulos said.
Admitting that past policies on benchmarking had been lacking,
she said an institutional framework and the structures necessary
to promote quality in both private and public sectors were under
development.
[13] Seismic activity heightens over weekend, no damage reported
Athens, 17/11/1997 (ANA)
Seismologists yesterday reported a strong aftershock measuring
5.5 on the Richter scale on Friday night, with an epicenter in
the sea region between Hios and Lesvos, some 210 kms
east-northeast of Athens.
They had also recorded a 5.0 on the Richter scale aftershock at
12:45 a.m. Sunday morning in the same region.
The same epicenter gave rise to Friday's quake, which occurred
at 11:40 pm. Seismologists said that more than 100 aftershocks
had been recorded in the past 24 hours, and that Friday's quake
was most probably the main earthquake and not the forerunner of
a larger tremor.
Another earthquake, this time with an epicenter in the eastern
end of the Gulf of Corinth and measuring 4.1 on the Richter
scale was felt in Corinth and Attica on Saturday morning at
10:30.
No damages have been reported from any of the quakes.
[14] Karamanlis stresses need for robust local Gov'ts
Athens, 17/11/1997 (ANA)
Visiting the Dodecanese island of Kasos on Saturday, main
opposition New Democracy party leader Costas Karamanlis said
"the real development of Greece and primarily regional Greece
necessitates powerful local government as a precondition."
Addressing the mayor of Kasos, Georgios Kakomanolis, Mr.
Karamanlis said the state must provide elementary
infrastructures for development and progress and in certain
cases, such as that of Kasos, adding it must elementarily
improve living conditions and communication with the rest of
Greece.
Mr. Karamanlis visited Kasos in the framework of a three-day
tour of the Dodecanese islands.
[15] Euro-Mediterranean Conference on radio, TV ends
Athens, 17/11/1997 (ANA)
The first Euro-Mediterranean Conference on radio and television
media came to a close in Thessaloniki on Saturday night.
It was attended by representatives from 27 nations in the region.
Addressing the conference in the afternoon, Culture Minister
Evangelos Venizelos confirmed the political will of the
government in promoting co-operation between Mediterranean
peoples in the audiovisual sector.
One issue examined was the possibility of creating a
Euro-Mediterranean television station, a previous proposal
considered utopian for the time being due to the huge costs
involved, amounting to ECU 120 million.
As an alternative, the possibility is being examined of creating
a common Euro-Mediterranean radio station, which translates into
a smaller cost, and will possibly constitute the first step in
Euro-Mediterranean audiovisual co-operation.
End of English language section.
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