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Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 03-07-18Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>July,18 2003CONTENTS
[01] PM says conditions ripe for consensual seeking of election systemAthens 18/07/03Prime Minister Costas Simitis, speaking at the end of a six-hour inner cabinet meeting on the election system on Thursday, said conditions were ripe for the consensual seeking of an election system and called on political parties to accept a public dialogue. ''The election system as part of a wider chain, which also includes the administrative and developmental structure, constitutes an object of initiative and dialogue for an extensive change and for strengthening progressive governance,'' he said. Simitis reminded that all election campaigns (with the exception of the 1989-1990 period) took place with the reinforced proportional representation system. He added that this system, which provided governmental stability, has presented malfunctions and mentioned in this respect that parliamentary candidates work under conditions of intensifying competition and personal contrasts and with high election expenditures which create the possibility of dependence. ''Consequently, conditions are ripe for the consensual seeking of an election system which (as the constitution stresses) will be applied after the next elections (elections in 2004 will be held with the existing election system). Today we are preparing our future for the renewal of the terms of political competition and the strengthening of transparency and the restriction of the influence of interests,'' Simitis said. The prime minister said the government's criterion is respect for three principles: citizens to participate in elections with a free will and genuine representativeness, elections should provide governmental stability and the political system's transparency should be consolidated. Stressing that the government's proposals ''are not the product of conjunctural correlations'', Simitis said that with the specific proposals the government ''says yes to the prospect of a sequence in the restructuring of the election and administrative regions. It says yes to the citizen's possibility of voting separately for a party and a deputy. It says yes to the fragmentation of big regions and says yes to the abolition of arrangements rendering the pre-election creation of alliances difficult.'' The prime minister further said the percentage of votes received by each party will have its assessment basis all over the country and parliamentary seats will correspond to 80 percent of votes, meaning that the new system strengthens proportionality. He added that the minimum percentage of votes proposed for a party to enter Parliament will be three percent. Calling on political parties to agree to a public dialogue, Simitis said the dialogue should be ''creative, constructive and shape consensuses with a sense of responsibility.'' Criticizing ''all those who were hasty in contradicting the government's proposals before it even presented them'', Simitis stressed ''that this attitude appears to doubt the right of the majority to legislate.'' He further emphasized that ''the beginning of the new election system's validation will also be a topic of political dialogue and can be determined at a time after 2005 so as not to be combined with the election of the President of the Republic.'' Simitis also noted that ''in any way, we cannot leave the existing system until 2012 as a result of an extreme confrontation by the opposition.'' According to reports, the election system proposed by the government anticipates a proposal for an election system yielding a majority government with 40-41 percent of votes and which will allocate 80 per cent of parliamentary seats based on proportional representation and have a second allocation for the remaining 20 percent of seats with proportionality favoring the first party. The reports said two models are presented for choice. The first anticipates wide regions with a list for the allocation of a few seats and prefectures with crosses of preference, while the second one anticipates many prefectures with crosses of preference and which will not be single seat prefectures. The new election system allows the pre-election creation of alliances of parties in the direction of equating the alliance with one party, while the last clause anticipates the application of the system after 2005. In addition, where the application of the cross of preference will be anticipated, the choice between party and candidate will be separated. ND refuses dialogue on new election system, other opposition parties reject it: Main opposition New Democracy party leader Costas Karamanlis, referring to statements by Prime Minister Costas Simitis on Thursday on the proposed new election system, categorically ruled out the possibility of his party participating in the dialogue proposed by the government. Karamanlis accused Simitis and the government of "crafty intentions, petty political opportunism, insecurity and lack of respect for the principles and rules of democracy". He added that ''as far as we are concerned such a discussion during an election period is inconceivable. Such issues can be discussed without shadows and expediencies from the day after the elections. For us the issue of the election law closes here. We shall not become a part of this parody.'' Karamanlis further said Simitis ''is doing this because he sees he is losing. He is doing it out of insecurity and opportunism'' and spoke of the prime minister's conception which is "dangerously arrogant for democracy", while noting that "raising this issue shortly before the elections shows a profound regime mentality and constitutes an act of political indecency". In a similar statement, the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) said it rejects the election system presented by the prime minister. ''KKE remains steadfastly and uncompromisingly in favor of the establishment of the proportional representation system as the standing election system,'' the statement said. The Coalition of the Left, Movements and Ecology said in its own statement that the "vagueness of all that Simitis said proves that the government is not adopting the honorable solution of proportional representation and is again seeking methods of falsifying the people's will". ''If the government accepts, even with a delay, that the existing election law, which it had defended with passion until today, is unfair and harbors vested interests, it has a simple solution: to ratify proportional representation,'' the Coalition added. Democratic Social Movement (DHKKI) party leader Dimitris Tsovolas said the prime minister's statements on changes in the election law are generalities and cannot be given a specific position, adding that he was waiting for the details. ''One thing is certain from these statements, that what is being proposed continues to constitute an unacceptable and undemocratic system of reinforced and not proportional representation which does not promote the correlation of electorate votes with seats elected by each party,'' Tsovolas said. On the contrary, the Renewal and Modernization Movement of the Left (AEKA) said a change in the election law is a ''key'' for reforming the political system, adding that the government's proposals shape a positive framework for substantive dialogue. [02] Premier holds consultations with prefect Gennimata, interior minister SkandalidisAthens 18/07/03Prime minister Costas Simitis met Thursday with Athens-Piraeus supra-prefect Fofi Gennimata, who briefed him on the prefectures' bad financial situation. The premier later met with interior minister Costas Skandalidis to discuss the issue of changing the electoral law, shortly before the minister was due to present his ministry's proposals to a Cabinet meeting. [03] Foreign minister receives former Cypriot counterpart for talksAthens 18/07/03Foreign Minister George Papandreou on Thursday received a visit from his former Cypriot counterpart Ioannis Kasoulides, with whom he held talks on the Cyprus problem. Papandreou and Kasoulides had worked closely together in promoting Cyprus' accession to the EU, in efforts for a solution to the Cyprus problem and to promote Turkey's European orientation. [04] Labor minister announces new legislation to 'fine-tune' pension reformsAthens 18/07/03The government intends to deal with glitches in the social insurance system through new legislation that will stay within the framework of existing pensions reform, Labor Minister Dimitris Reppas said in response to questions on Thursday. He stressed that there would be no change in the minimum pension able age but that the government would consider allowing public-sector employees to voluntarily stay on in their jobs after the age of retirement with the incentive of a higher pension. The government was also mulling establishing pension after 37 years in work for freelance workers and successive insurance that ensured reciprocity, he added. Trade unionists opposed this prospect in statements on Athens radio stations, however. According to bank trade union federation president Dimitris Kousselas, banks were actually leaning toward voluntary early retirement for staff to trim down hierarchy and labor costs. The president of the civil servants' union ADEDY, Spyros Papaspyros, said the voluntary nature of the measures created a climate that might later lead to scrapping current age restrictions. [05] Civil servants turn down government's pay offerAthens 18/07/03Civil servants on Thursday rejected an offer by the government on a new pay scale that is due to go into effect on January 1, 2004. The two sides have scheduled a fresh meeting for Friday, the ADEDY union said in a statement. Salaries had been eroded by years of austerity in incomes policy, and the government's proposal of what were in effect nominal increases failed to boost staff's purchasing power, the statement said. Among their demands, civil servants want a starting salary of 1,050 euros, it added. [06] Economic climate index flat in JuneAthens 18/07/03The economic climate index for Greece was flat at 100.9 in June, the same as the previous month, the Economic and Industrial Research Institute said on Thursday. The same index for the European Union was slightly down at 98.5 against May; and slightly higher at 98.2 in the eurozone, the institute said in a statement. The economic climate index, which is formed for each of the EU's 15 member states, comprises separate indexes for industrial, consumer, construction and retail trade confidence. [07] Labor minister declares start of social dialogue on combatting povertyAthens 18/07/03Opening a meeting of the Social Protection Committee at Zappeion on Thursday, Labor Minister Dimitris Reppas declared the start of social dialogue on a National Action Plan for Social Integration and stressed the need to initiate a three-pronged drive to combat poverty and social exclusion until 2010, focusing on economic growth, greater employment and social cohesion. He outlined seven discrete targets to combat social exclusion until 2010: These were the reduction of the number of people below the poverty line to the average for the EU '15', increasing the purchasing power of those on the brink of poverty by at least one third, reducing differences in standards of living between urban and rural areas to above average for southern Europe, reducing the increased risk of poverty for over-65s relative to under-65s by half, covering child protection needs for working mothers until 2008, reducing child poverty to the level of the five best countries in the EU '15' by 2010 and lowering unemployment levels to that of the five best countries in the EU '15'. [08] Greek Tourist Organization president optimistic over recovery of car tourismVIENNA 18/07/03(ANA - D. Dimitrakoudis)Greek Tourist Organization (EOT) President Yiannis Patellis, in an interview with the Athens News Agency (ANA) here on Thursday, expressed optimism over a considerable recovery of car tourism during the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.Patellis added that road tourism unites people and peoples and gives the opportunity for acquaintance in more ways. He visited Vienna at the head of the ''Peace and Friendship Walk'', the big Greek delegation with representatives of prefectural and local self-administration and social partners which, with the aim of promoting the ''Road Axis 10'' as Europe's main road to boost tourist movement, trade and the economy in northern Greece, traveled along this route from Thessaloniki in past days and reached Munich, Germany, on Thursday. Patellis also noted that tourism must not be seen as something completely closed for every country or place, but as the movement of people and that the more who move so much the better for all. [09] Greek industrialists complain of slow pace of privatizationAthens 18/07/03The Association of Greek Industry on Thursday complained that the pace of the government's privatization program was too slow. ''For how long will Greeks have to pay for (state-owned) Olympic Airways?'', the association's head, Odysseas Kyriakopoulos told a news conference. He repeated the trade group's call for the government to pull out of business. [10] Main opposition seeks lifting of secrecy on deputies' share tradesAthens 18/07/03The main opposition New Democracy party on Thursday submitted an amendment to parliament seeking removal of confidentiality on stock transactions by politicians and parliamentary deputies. Also covered under the proposed amendment are senior management executives in state owned companies. The move would include the prime minister, leaders of parties represented in parliament or the Europarliament, and ministers of all grades. [11] EU may seek to recover cash for Greek waste plantBRUSSELS 18/07/03 (ANA/M.Spinthourakis)The European Union's executive Commission may seek to recover 54.3 million euros that were destined for construction of a waste separation plant near Athens, a eurodeputy of the main opposition New Democracy party said on Thursday.Eurodeputy A. Trakatellis said in a statement that the plant at Ano Liosia was no longer operational in the wake of technical faults and accidents. The source of the information on a possible request for return of the funds was Environment Commissioner Margot Wallstrom in response to a question by Trakatellis. [12] Athens Bourse Close: Stocks end down, depressed by markets abroadAthens 18/07/03The Athens bourse finished lower on Thursday with sentiment depressed by a decline in markets abroad, traders said. The general share index shed 1.04 percent to end at 2,063.78 points. Turnover was 281.4 million euros, with around 40 percent of the total representing block trades in Football Pools Organization. The FTSE/ASE-20 index for blue chip and heavily traded stocks ended 0.94 percent down; the FTSE/ASE-40 for medium capitalization paper 0.85 percent lower; and the FTSE/ASE-80 for small cap equities finished with losses of 0.81 percent. Of stocks traded, declines led advances at 192 to 136 with 40 issues remaining unchanged. Derivatives Market Close: Turnover at 93.8 mln euros Thursday Equity Index Futures: Stock Futures: Bond Market Close: Buyers match sellers on Thursday Greek Benchmark 10-Year Bond FOREIGN EXCHANGE Closing rates of July 17 2003 Parities in euro Banknotes For. Exchange Buying Selling US Dollar 1,132 1,106 [13] IOC technocrats' inspection focuses on test eventsAthens 18/07/03International Olympic Committee (IOC) technocrats in concluding their inspections on Thursday, less than one month ahead of the test events in August, seemed overall satisfied, however with some reservations, over progress with Olympic preparations in Athens. In contrast with past inspections, the focus of the inspectors' reservations shifted from the main events to concerns over the preparedness of facilities for the test events in early 2004, which some feel was an indication of the high degree of progress made with the Olympic projects. The IOC inspectors were happy with the projects carried out on the venues at the coastal areas of Phaliro and Aghios Kosmas, slated to host the sailing events, but expressed reservations whether the Karaiskakis soccer stadium, near the port of Piraeus, would be ready in time for the Events. They attested to significant progress made with the two closed fields at the site of the former Hellenikon airport, but expressed some reservations whether they would be ready for the test events in January 2004, also having reservations about the ''canoe-cayak'' and ''slalom'' venues being ready in time for the test events in February 2004. They were reportedly happy about the rate of progress with the Rowing Centre at Schinias, an area near the ancient site of the Battle of Marathon, as well as the Goudi Olympic Complex slated to host the pentathlon and badminton events, the Press Village in Marousi north of Athens, the bicycle race-track, the Olympic overlays - the refitting of buildings to meet Olympic Games standards - and the surrounding area of the Main Olympic Stadium (OAKA), but expressed reservations whether the re-furbishing projects for OAKA (based on plans by Spanish architect Santiago Kalatrava) would be ready on time due to tight deadlines. They also expressed reservations whether the Olympic Swimming Venue would be ready in time for the test events in April 2004. The IOC technocrats found that rapid progress had been made with the project of the Suburban Railroad and they requested more information regarding operation and capacity. They had no questions over the projects involving the Athens Attiko Metro or the Electric Railroad Company (HSAP), but had reservations about the Tram being ready on time. Finally, they were satisfied with the overall road network project. [14] Athens municipality to get 180-mil-euro loan in view of the Olympic GamesAthens 18/07/03The Athens municipality council on Thursday approved a proposal put forward by Mayor Dora Bakoyianni for getting a 180-million-euro loan toward the municipality's investment program in view of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. The money from the loan will be used for social activity programs, including new child care centers, disabled accessibility projects and new areas of green. [15] Seven sports test events to take place at Olympic Games installations in AugustAthens 18/07/03Seven sports test events, a contractual obligation for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games Organizing Committee (ATHOC), will be taking place between August 6-28. The test events are a unique opportunity for every Organizing Committee to try its plans, systems and human potential and note mistakes or omissions, which will be analyzed and avoided during the Olympic Games. A total of 40 test events have been scheduled for the Athens Olympic Games, whose preparation has begun since September 2002, in cooperation with international federations. The test events will take place at Olympic Games installations with the fullest possible composition of Installations Groups and in accordance with the Olympic Games Administration Formation. [16] Ecumenical patriarch officiates at church service, plants olive tree on LemnosAthens 18/07/03Visiting Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos officiated at a service at Agia Marina Cathedral at Nea Koutali, in the north Aegean island of Lemnos, on Thursday, during the second day of his visit to the island. Vartholomeos, was addressed by the Metropolitan of Lemnos Ierotheos during the church service, planted an olive tree at Nea Koutali with earth he brought to the island from Koutali. He spoke once again of the need for peace and called on the inhabitants of the village to go with him to Koutali next summer and hold a service out in the open there since there are no churches any more. The patriarch will be visiting the island of Agios Efstratios on Saturday and will be ending his five-day visit to Lemnos on Sunday. [17] Roma gypsies making run at border turned back by policeSKOPJE 18/07/03 (ANA - N. Fragopoulos)A group of seven hundred Kosovars Roma refugees at Medzitlija, the crossing-point on the border of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) with Greece, on Thursday attempted to force their way into Greek territory but were turned back by police and returned to their camping site.The Roma refugees, who went to FYROM in 1999 fleeing the NATO bombings and conflict on the ground in Kosovo, have for the past two months been staying at an improvised camp at Medzitlija that was shut down due to sanitation concerns. They have so far rejected all proposals presented to them for a solution to their residence issue and demand that they pass into Greece and from there to other countries of the European Union. [18] Evidence against Giotopoulos fabricated, N17 trial witness assertsAthens 18/07/03The alleged leader of ''November 17'' Alexandros Giotopoulos should be acquitted since the evidence against him was fabricated and had been chosen to ''fit'' a frame-up against him, a defense witness asserted at the ongoing trial of 19 suspected N17 terrorists on Thursday. Standing before the Three-Member Criminal Appeals Court to continue testimony he had begun the day before, witness Antonis Skordilis said the existence of evidence did not mean there was no frame-up, because such a thing would have been stupid. He went on to claim, however, that this evidence was fake. On Wednesday, Skordilis had told the court that he had no personal acquaintance with Giotopoulos but had studied the case in depth. Also appearing as a defense witness for Giotopoulos was the writer-director Viktor Anagnostopoulos, who said they had met when they were both in the anti-junta resistance movement ''29 May'' and later the Popular Revolutionary Resistance (LEA). The witness said both these groups were fiercely resistant to the single leader model and that their action was chiefly a symbolic way to highlight the people's resistance to the junta. The witness also noted that the CIA and British intelligence service had somehow come across the name Giotopoulos two years before N17 was dismantled, while in April 2002 he had received a visit from a British agent who claimed that Giotopoulos was leader of N17 and that Anagnostopoulos himself was on the list of suspects. He claimed that Giotopoulos had been framed, noting that all the evidence against the accused dated from after his arrest and none from before. Last on the stand was Giotopoulos' partner Marie-Therese Peynaud, who said she had met him during a demonstration in Paris in 1973 as Mihalis or Michel, not finding out his real name until after he was arrested. According to Peynaud, it was logical for her partner to change his name given his dynamic resistance to the junta, the outstanding court martial sentence against him and the fact that French authorities were looking for him after they found material belonging to one of the organizations he had belonged to. He had simply chosen to keep the new name after the fall of the dictatorship, she added. ''I do not say democracy because I do not believe there has been a return to democracy,'' she told the court. She also claimed to feel affinity for the analysis, ideology and policy of N17, saying she could not condemn ''any group that has some ideal''. She added that special public prosecutor for terrorist issues Ioannis Diotis had pressured her to ''cooperate with the authorities'' by claiming there was evidence that she was the woman sought in connection with in N17. [19] Former Greek royals plan christening at Porto Heli resortAthens 18/07/03The grand-daughter of former Greek monarch Constantine is to be christened in a ceremony taking place at the Pantanassa Monastery near the coastal resort of Porto Heli in Greece on July 19, Constantine's London office announced on Thursday. The baby is to be named Anna-Maria after her grandmother. According to her mother Alexia, daughter of the ex-royal, and her father Carlos Morales Quintana, she is to be christened within the Greek Orthodox Church and among her seven god-parents will be her uncle Pavlos on her mother's side and her uncle Don Alejandro Morales Quintana on her father's side. [20] Papadopoulos: G/C and T/C can live together in bicommunal federationNICOSIA 18/07/03 (CNA/ANA)Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots can live together as equal citizens and compatriots within the framework and parameters of a bizonal, bicommunal federation, within the framework of the Annan plan, Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos stressed here on Tuesday.Addressing a rally to condemn the 1974 military coup against the democratically-elected President of Cyprus and the Turkish invasion, which followed five days later, which resulted in the illegal occupation of 37 percent of the Republic's territory and its de facto division, Papadopoulos said the rally is not only for Greek Cypriots but also for Turkish Cypriots "because we want to state the common feelings of the entire people of Cyprus, because Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, for 29 years now, are the tragic victims of the invasion and occupation". Referring to the UN Secretary General's plan, President Papadopoulos clarified that "we remain ready and willing, without conditions and preconditions, to respond to any invitation by the UN Secretary-General to resume bicommunal negotiations for an overall settlement of the Cyprus problem, within the framework of the Annan plan, which undoubtedly will have to be amended, taking into consideration the accession of the Republic of Cyprus in the EU and the collapse of the myth that Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots cannot live together". He added "we cannot find a solution to the Cyprus alone by accepting the Annan Plan as it is. The key to a solution is with the Turkish side. This side, the guilty side, has the sole responsibility for both the crime against Cyprus and for the numerous collapse of efforts to find a solution to the Cyprus problem", Papadopoulos said. "Our fundamental aim is before May 2004 (when Cyprus will enter the EU) to secure a viable and functional solution to the Cyprus problem so that a reunited Cyprus can enter the EU", the president pledged. He added that "good neighborly measures" do not constitute a solution to the Cyprus problem, "neither are a step towards a solution" and pointed out that "the partial lifting of the signs of illegality imposed by the Turkish invasion do not constitute an 'initiative' by the Turkish side". He also said that the acceptance of the Annan plan as it is does not constitute an initiative. "The Annan plan contains provisions for extended periods concerning the return of refugees and the maximum number of displaced persons who will be granted the right to return. The Annan plan can be amended and improved, especially in view of Cyprus' accession to the EU, so that it can become functional and viable", the president added. He further said "if the plan is accepted as it is, and its functionality and viability are not improved, then there is a danger that those who reject it and consider it 'dead' will make the division permanent, which is the result of the invasion and occupation". President Papadopoulos condemned the coup of July 1974 , noting it "was a well prepared national crime with Cyprus as its victim, bringing the national disaster which led to the continued occupation and cost the lives of the heroic children of Cyprus, making one third of its people refugees in their own country". He made special praise to the displaced persons, the missing persons and their families, and the enclaved. On the rally, the president said "it is not a rally only for Greek Cypriots, it is a rally for our Turkish Cypriot compatriots, because with today's rally we want to state the common feelings of the entire people of Cyprus, because Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots for 29 years now are the tragic victims of the invasion and occupation". "We believe that in a reunited Cyprus, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots can live together again, in peace, understanding and equally share the common and increased welfare", he added. The rally was attended by around seven thousand people who chanted "no again to the events of 1974", demanded the return of the refugees, withdrawal of Turkish troops and settlers, the ascertainment of the fate of the missing and the reunification of Cyprus within a European solution. They also held placards, which read "European solution for a European Cyprus", "Human rights for all", "Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots together against the occupation". Participating were AKEL, Democratic Party, Socialdemocrats Movement EDEK, New Horizons, United Democrats, the Struggling Democratic Movement (ADIK), the Environ-mentalists-Ecologists Movement, the Eurodemocratic Renewal Party and the Movement to Restructure the Centre. Also attending the rally where members of the Cabinet, Greece's Ambassador to Cyprus Christos Panagopoulos, Church representatives, Nicosia Mayor Michalakis Zambelas, representatives of refugee organizations, families of the missing and those who fell during the invasion and representatives of youth organizations. Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37 percent of the island's territory. [21] Government says Denktash's proposal changes nothingNICOSIA 18/07/03 (CNA/ANA)Cypriot Government Spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides said on Thursday that the proposal of Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash for Greek Cypriots to repair their buildings in the fenced-off area of Famagusta and live there under Turkish Cypriot administration did not alter the government's position regarding Denktash's proposals.The spokesman said that the Turkish side is expected to lift the occupation of the island's northern third and allow the rightful inhabitants to return, in compliance with UN resolutions. Denktash's statements were ''unreservedly'' denounced by House of Representatives President Demetris Christofias, who said the Turkish Cypriot leader was trying ''to cheat not only his own community but also the international community''. ''I think that these games of Denktash are well-known to the international community and will not pass'', Christofias added. Chrysostomides said ''it appears that Denktash's interest is belated. He is suddenly interested in not letting the town become deserted and forgets that the Turkish occupation for 29 years now has imposed the desertion of the town''. He added that the town of Famagusta is under the control of Turkish troops and that UN resolutions call for the resettling of the town by its rightful inhabitants. ''This is not the content of Denktash's proposals. In previous stages, he submitted a proposal for Greek Cypriots to resettle Famagusta under Turkish Cypriot administration, something which was discussed, and the reply was that no one returns under Turkish Cypriot administration'', he added. The UN said in resolution 550 of 1984 that it considers any attempt to ''settle any part of Varosha (Famagusta) by people other than its inhabitants as inadmissible and calls for the transfer of this area to the administration of the UN.'' Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. [22] Spokesman says position on Annan plan unchangedNICOSIA 18/07/03 (CNA/ANA)Cypriot Government Spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides said on Thursday that the positions of President Tassos Papadopoulos regarding the Annan plan have not changed.Chrysostomides was invited to explain a reference by President Papadopoulos in a recent speech that the acceptance of the plan presented to the two sides in Cyprus by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan for a settlement of the political problem was not an initiative but instead the acceptance of the invasion and occupation of the island's northern third. The spokesman said President Papadopoulos sent this message to all those who believe that there should be an initiative on behalf of the Greek Cypriot side to accept the Annan plan as it is. He explained that President Papadopoulos said the Annan plan could not be accepted as it is, mainly because its acceptance would ''reduce our negotiating potential and give negotiating cards to Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash''. Chrysostomides reiterated that the National Council had accepted the plan as a basis for negotiations, with a view to begin negotiations without any preconditions, in order to improve the plan so that it would respond to the acquis communautaire to the highest possible degree. Commenting on the same issue, House of Representatives President Demetris Christofias said the Greek Cypriot side was ''unconditionally ready to participate in talks on the Annan plan and pursue changes that would make the plan functional and able to be implemented''. The position of the President of the Republic and the National Council is that ''the Annan plan, with a decision of the National Council, is a basis for discussions and we are ready, whenever the UN Secretary General requests so and without any terms, to participate in talks to reach a settlement of the Cyprus problem'', Christofias added. Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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