Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 97-12-29
From: The Greek Press & Information Office, Ottawa Canada <[email protected]>
ATHENS NEWS AGENCY BULLETIN (No 1377), December 29, 1997
Greek Press & Information Office
Ottawa, Canada
E-Mail Address: [email protected]
CONTENTS
[01] Athens notes Turkish military's aggressive policy
[02] ... Demirel: Athens responsible for Turkey's EU bid failure
[03] Report on Yak-42 crash expected in 10-15 days
[04] ... Use of another Yak-42 requested
[05] Tsohatzopoulos stresses Greece's role, during visit to Bosnia
[06] Cornelius Castoriadis dies in Paris
[07] OSE monopoly ends as of Jan. 1, 1998
[08] Der Spiegel article focuses on Greek demand for reparations
[09] Italy requests extradition of alleged 'Red Brigades' terrorist
[10] 25 dead in traffic accidents over Christmas break
[01] Athens notes Turkish military's aggressive policy
Athens, 29/12/1997 (ANA)
The Turkish military has imposed clear conditions for an
aggressive policy towards Greece, National Defense Minister Akis
Tsohatzopoulos said yesterday, in the wake of a decree recently
signed by Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz, which officially
brands Greece and Syria as "hostile" towards the Turkish state.
Ankara's tense reaction to the European Union's decision not to
include Turkey as a potential member confirms Greece's
long-standing positions on the matter, Mr. Tsohatzopoulos said
shortly before his departure for a three-day visit to Bosnia and
Albania.
"The tension and the thoughtless comments with which Turkey
reacts to the decision by the European Union regarding its
accession confirm our long-standing position: That the (Turkish)
military leadership has imposed, with the recent decree that was
signed by the premier of Turkey, clear conditions for an
aggressive policy towards these particular countries", Mr.
Tsohatzopoulos said.
"It is inconceivable that Turkey should claim Greece to be its
enemy", he said, stressing that the issue is cause for concern
and will be taken up with international organizations.
Mr. Tsohatzopoulos declined to answer questions about any future
tension between Greece and Turkey, saying, however, that "if we
have a continuation of past incidents, the Greek armed forces
are in a position to deal with anything that happens and any
challenge".
Turkey's intensifying provocativeness and intransigence over the
last few days shows that it cannot behave as a European country,
main opposition New Democracy party spokesman Aris
Spiliotopoulos stated yesterday.
He added that such behavior required a "serious, prudent, but
above all, decisive policy" on the part of Greece.
[02] ... Demirel: Athens responsible for Turkey's EU bid failure
Ankara, 29/11/1997 (ANA - A. Abatzis/Reuters)
Turkish President Suleyman Demirel on Saturday accused Greece of
blocking Ankara's bid to join the European Union, warning that
Athens could "pay a price for its opposition". "This country
does not stop putting baseless obstacles in front of Turkey,
particularly at the European Union level," Mr. Demirel told a
year-end news conference.
"Greece should take into account that this approach bears a
responsibility and has a price," he warned. He did not specify,
however, what the price was.
The Turkish president also noted that although Turkey's
political relations with the EU were suspended, relations with
individual EU member-states remained intact. He also added that
Ankara's 1987 request for EU membership will be withdrawn if no
developments are made on Turkey's accession course within six
months of EU summit in Luxembourg.
Finally, Mr. Demirel said he agreed with the Turkish
government's actions during the Luxembourg summit this past
month.
The 15-nation Union in early December excluded Turkey from a
list of potential members, citing Ankara's disputes with
EU-member Greece, its intransigence concerning the 23-year-old
Cyprus problem and a poor human rights record.
Tension between the two countries rose last week when Ankara
expelled a Greek consulate employee in Istanbul on charges of
espionage and of aiding Kurdish separatists. Athens responded by
expelling a Turkish diplomat based in Thessaloniki.
Asked whether his comments were a threat towards Greece, Mr.
Demirel said:
"There is no threat in our language... but if an irreversible
situation is created, we will not be responsible for that."
[03] Report on Yak-42 crash expected in 10-15 days
Athens, 29/12/1997 (ANA)
Results of the investigation into the crash of a Ukrainian
Yakovlev-42 aircraft that crashed in northern Greece with the
loss of all passengers and crew will be released within the next
10-15 days, Civil Aviation Authority (YPA) Director Dionysis
Kalofonos said on Saturday. The aircraft, which had been leased
to the Ukrainian airline Aerosweet, crashed into a mountainside
in Pieria prefecture, southwest of its destination at
Thessaloniki's Macedonia Airport on Dec. 17.
The plane's flight data recorders were sent to Germany to be
analyzed, while Greek experts left Thessaloniki for Hanover over
the weekend to be briefed on the information retrieved.
Mr. Kalofonos also said that Russian and Ukrainian experts are
accompanying the Greek team to Germany in accordance with
international regulations, since the aircraft was built in
Russia and had been leased to the Ukrainian airline.
However, they will not be involved in compiling the report on
the crash, although they have the right to submit
recommendations on the findings. The three teams will also visit
the United States, Ukraine and Russia.
According to civil aviation sources, initial findings indicate
that the accident was due to pilot error. However, instrument
malfunction has not been ruled out, according to YPA deputy
director Georgios Souladakis, who said this would explain why
the pilot reported he was flying north when in fact the plane
was flying west.
The final report will be presented simultaneously to the
director of the Civil Aviation Authority and the supreme
investigative council for airline accidents, as well as to the
International Civil Aviation Organization. Mr. Kalofonos said
that immediately afterwards the report would be released to the
press, along with a reconstruction of the flight path taken by
the aircraft before it crashed. The recording of the
conversation between the pilot and the control tower would also
be played, he added.
[04] ... Use of another Yak-42 requested
Athens, 29/12/1997 (ANA)
Meanwhile, experts looking into the Yakovlev-42 crash requested
the use of an another aircraft of the same type to re-trace the
flight path of the downed aircraft in an effort to shed light on
the cause of the accident.
YPA officials said evidence collected at the crash site and the
flight recorders will be compared with the flight instruments of
an airplane, in addition to a crew provided by the Russian
manufacturer.
Greek experts also requested from their Russian counterparts the
use of a flight simulator so as to re-enact the ill-fated flight
from Kiev to Odessa to Thessaloniki.
Finally, the Thessaloniki coroner's office has recorded 74
passengers were aboard the aircraft, and not 70 as was
originally thought. In addition, autopsies on the pilots will
include a toxicology screening to determine if they were under
the influence of alcohol or other substances.
[05] Tsohatzopoulos stresses Greece's role, during visit to Bosnia
Sarajevo, 29/12/1997 (ANA - P. Haritos)
National Defense Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos described as very
important the mission of the multinational force in Bosnia,
stressing Greece's valuable participation in the effort.
Mr. Tsohatzopoulos, who arrived here yesterday, addressed the
278-strong Greek contingent. He called it a force of peace,
security and stability.
"Our participation is part of the general framework of our
country's strategy. We insisted that the (multinational) force
remain in Bosnia, knowing that the repercussions of an on-going
crisis would have been immediate for Greece," Mr. Tsohatzopoulos
said.
He added that the initial target of the peacekeeping forces has
been accomplished, although forces will remain in Bosnia for the
time being.
The Greek force will remain in place to ensure the respect for
peace, freedom and human rights, the Greek minister said,
allowing for the possibility that Greek troops stay in Bosnia
will be extended.
Mr. Tsohatzopoulos will meet today with Bosnian President Alija
Izetbegovic, before departing for Tirana to visit the Greek
peacekeeping force stationed in Albania.
Regarding his visit to Bosnia, the Greek defense minister said
he would discuss developments in the area, as they have a direct
influence on the collective security with the region in which
Greece belongs.
[06] Cornelius Castoriadis dies in Paris
Athens, 29/12/1997 (ANA)
Noted philosopher and psychoanalyst Cornelius Castoriadis died
in Paris on Saturday at the age of 75, following complications
from recent heart surgery. He will be buried in Paris today.
Castoriadis was born in 1922 in Istanbul, while he later studied
in Athens before moving to France in 1945. He was co-publisher
of the Paris-based magazine "Socialism or Barbarity" and wrote
several well-known monographs. In a rare interview with a Greek
reporter recently, he offered his view of modern Greek society,
saying that modern Greeks have transformed history into
mythology, choosing to remember only the more glorious parts of
their history.
Culture minister Evangelos Venizelos said that "Cornelius
Castoriadis was an authentic, harsh and universal
intellectual... Greece, his birthplace, both biologically and
symbolically, mourns along with the rest of Europe..."
Main opposition New Democracy leader Costas Karamanlis said that
the world's intellectual thought has lost one of its pioneers.
Coalition of Left and Progress (Synaspismos) leader Nikos
Constantopoulos said that the world has lost the most radical
and free philosophical spirit of our times.
[07] OSE monopoly ends as of Jan. 1, 1998
Athens, 29/12/1997 (ANA)
The Greek Railways Organization's (OSE) monopoly on rail
transport will be abolished on Jan. 1, as mandated by the
European Union, thus paving the way for the rail transport of
passengers and goods by private rail firms.
The transport ministry will issue permits to European rail
companies on the following conditions:
- That they carry liability insurance covering passengers,
cargo, mail and third parties.
- That they will not declare bankruptcy.
- That they remain solvent.
- That members of their board of directors have not been
convicted of smuggling, fraud, forgery, robbery or other
felonies.
- That their rail equipment is of high standards.
Also, before a permit is issued, foreign companies must prove
their financial, managerial and technical ability and know-how.
The ministry will reserve the right to permanently or
temporarily revoke a permit and will also be able to issue a
six-month temporary permit, until the company becomes solvent
again.
[08] Der Spiegel article focuses on Greek demand for reparations
Bonn, 29/12/1997 (ANA - P. Stangos)
The German magazine "Der Spiegel" again brings up in its most
recent issue, available on Monday, the issue of Greek demands
for war reparations from Bonn.
Specifically, Athens has called for reparations emanating from
the Kalavryta and Distomo massacres, committed by Nazi forces
during occupation in World War II.
A local Greek court on Oct. 30 admitted a claim for reparations
of 60 million deutschmarks by the families of victims of the
Distomo massacre.
The Der Spiegel report stresses that the two cases "have the
same symbolic value" with similar massacres in Oradour, France,
and Lidice, Czechoslovakia, "but the terrible slaughters in
Greece go almost unmentioned in the German historical
bibliography".
The magazine notes that Bonn's negative stand "on the Greek
chapter of the reparations for Nazi atrocities" remains unmoved,
and castigates the position of the German foreign ministry,
expressed by its ambassador to Greece, namely, that the Distomo
massacre was "...a normal measure in the context of the war."
[09] Italy requests extradition of alleged 'Red Brigades' terrorist
Athens, 29/12/1997 (ANA)
The foreign ministry has received an official request by Rome
for the extradition of alleged "Red Brigades" terrorist Enrico
Bianco, who was arrested near Preveza in November.
The request will be sent to the Athens appeals council, which
will in turn decide on the extradition of Mr. Bianco, who is
wanted in connection with several crimes.
If the council decides in favor of his extradition, the Italian
national can appeal to the Supreme Court and to the justice
minister.
[10] 25 dead in traffic accidents over Christmas break
Athens, 29/12/1997 (ANA)
Twenty-five people were killed on the country's roadways over
the Christmas break, while 360 were injured, 98 seriously, in a
total of 260 traffic accidents since Wednesday.
Several emergency traffic measures were in place yesterday
around the Greek capital as thousands of Athenians were expected
to return from the provinces.
End of English language section.
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